Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 631

The surging blue sword energy was blocked by the red sword energy.

But the red sword energy was weak. It could not fully stop the blue sword energy, which crashed in like an angry wave.

“Master.”

Baek Cheon bit his lip without realizing it.

“From today, I am your teacher.”

The image of Un-geom, smiling kindly as he spoke, was still vivid in his mind.

At that time, Un-geom was the most dignified person in the world to Baek Cheon.

His broad shoulders looked strong, like they could hold anything. His firm lips showed he was very confident.

And Un-geom’s impression showed him as he was. He never neglected his own training, not even for a single day, while teaching his disciples.

If a sword could be forged into a person, Baek Cheon thought, it would look like that.

A person he admired. A person he still admired.

“Master…”

A faint sob was heard from somewhere.

He tried hard not to cry, but he couldn’t stop it. A sob, like a painful groan, came out.

Everyone could see what Un-geom was feeling. That’s why they could not look away from him.

Even when their vision blurred with rising tears, they didn’t look away. Their jaws trembled, and their hearts ached as if they were being torn apart, but they bit their lips.

This was not a simple sparring match.

It was Un-geom’s cry. As always, it was Un-geom’s teaching, showing them with actions rather than words.

How could a disciple take his eyes off his teacher’s teachings?

“I will watch closely.”

Baek Cheon clenched his fist and glared. He couldn’t miss a single moment.

Among the disciples filled with such passion, only Un-am was watching Un-geom with a slightly different gaze.

“Senior Teacher.”

The sword energy was rough.

It was not the sharp, refined sword energy of the past. It was rough, not smooth, and sounded like gears that didn’t fit together properly.

It sounded like an old mill, worn out by wind and rain, creaking loudly and screaming in protest with every turn.

But…

“Yes, Senior Teacher. What does it matter?”

The one wielding the sword was still Un-geom.

Un-am knew.

He knew how painful it was for someone who had fallen from a high mountain to drag his broken leg and return to the summit.

That was why Un-geom’s sword now was several times greater than Un-geom’s sword of the past.

“I will become the greatest swordsman of Mount Hua someday.”

“Don’t lose, Senior Teacher.”

Why did the back he had watched for so long look so sad? This back, which was always the strongest and most dependable with a sword, now looked completely lost and alone.

But Un-am desperately denied his feelings.

“Do not pity the one who is fighting.”

That was an insult to the one holding the sword.

All he could do was believe in Un-geom’s victory. Just believe without a shred of doubt.

Crack!

The sound of the sword tip being ground down pierced his ears.

Of course, that couldn’t be. This was a steel sword that Cheong-myeong had made. It was specially made for Un-geom, who had to use a left-handed sword, with careful attention to everything from weight distribution to the direction of the handle.

Un-geom knew. He knew how Cheong-myeong had made this sword with what kind of heart.

So how could he show a weak appearance while holding this sword?

Fwoooosh!

The surging sword energy rippled and aimed for his entire body.

“Slow.”

His body couldn’t keep up with what his head was thinking. The sword, which used to move naturally when his heart stirred, now arrived half a beat later than he thought.

An unbridgeable gap and an unavoidable sense of incongruity followed him like a shadow.

In other words, it should be called ‘despair.’

Maybe Un-geom wasn’t really fighting the Wudang disciple. Maybe he was fighting the despair that had taken over him.

Yes, if so…

An inappropriate smile bloomed on Un-geom’s lips as he gripped the trembling sword.

It was rather fortunate.

Un-geom’s head turned slightly towards the disciples of Mount Hua. Of course, he couldn’t turn his gaze, so he couldn’t capture them in his field of vision, but he believed that his heart would be conveyed.

“You guys.”

The world is not so easy. The disciples of Mount Hua have grown at an unstoppable pace, succeeding one after another because they have someone to lead them and have not neglected their own efforts.

But that cannot continue forever.

Someday, his disciples will also encounter enemies they cannot handle, face things they cannot solve, and confront high mountains they cannot climb.

A mountain named despair.

“I am a poor teacher,”

Now he has no more swords to teach them.

Some, including Baek Cheon, have already surpassed him, and others will soon overtake him. Now it is his turn to learn from them.

Crack!

The sword energy that he failed to block pierced his shoulder. The sword energy that pierced the flesh of his shoulder broke his bone.

“So watch carefully.”

The reason why he can still be called their teacher is that he still has something to teach them besides the sword.

“The world is always harsh.”

I cannot stand in front of you and block the cold wind. I can no longer protect and lead you.

But…

“I can at least teach you how to endure despair.”

I can show you how to keep your feet firmly on the ground and move forward, even if you wander.

Fwoooosh!

The fiercely뿜어져 나온 red sword energy split the incoming wave of sword energy.

The sword energy was still rough, but the will contained within it was not disturbed in the slightest.

Thud!

Un-geom took a step forward.

“Living in the world is like pushing through waves.”

It’s not over just because you’ve overcome a high wave once. The waves will come again at any time, and they will come again.

“So don’t waver.”

You have to stand firm, grit your teeth, and endure.

Eventually, the waves will pass. They just brush against your body and disappear.

Isn’t despair the same?

Even if it is difficult to endure now and painful enough to make you grind your teeth, it will eventually crumble like a passing wave.

So!

Endure it.

If it’s too hard to do it alone, I’ll support you, so don’t be afraid.

Kwaaaaah!

At that moment, the incoming blue sword energy soared twice as high. The sword energy뿜어낸 by Un-geom was swept away by the blue sword energy and collapsed, and soon Un-geom’s body was hit by the incoming sword energy and bounced off.

In the meantime, he couldn’t let go of his sword, so he had no arms to support his body. Un-geom’s body plummeted to the floor helplessly.

“Master!”

“Master!”

“Gwanju-nim!”

Their screams were sharp and full of pain, reaching Un-geom’s ears even in his dazed state. He could feel their fear and worry for him.

Un-geom, who had fallen to the floor, stared blankly at the blue sky.

“I don’t know.”

He couldn’t know for sure either. Why he was fighting. Whether it was to prove himself as a swordsman. Whether it was because he didn’t want to tarnish the name of Mount Hua. Or whether it was to show something to his disciples.

But one thing was certain.

Crack!

The sword plunged into the ground.

Using the sword like a walking stick, Un-gum slowly stood up and looked straight ahead, his eyes clear. Blood ran from the deep cuts made by the sword energy, but Un-gum didn’t even look down.

His one hand shook. But his legs were strong on the ground again.

Moo-gak’s face paled slightly at the sight.

Moo-gak started to speak, “The match…” He stopped, struggling to find the words. “…It looks like it’s over.”

At that, Un-gum smiled faintly.

“I haven’t given up yet,” Un-gum said with a faint smile. “I want to fight you a little longer.”

“…If you want to,” Moo-gak replied.

Moo-gak’s expression hardened as he swung his sword again.

Whoosh!

It was a lightning-fast strike.

The sword energy was so fast it blurred for a moment, then appeared right in front of Un-gum.

Clang!

Un-gum twisted his body, deflecting the incoming sword energy.

Once.

Wham! Wham!

Moo-gak’s sword energy didn’t stop with just one strike. It was unleashed repeatedly, targeting Un-gum’s entire body.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Each time he blocked the sword energy, his body was pushed back a foot. Although he managed to block the sword energy, he couldn’t withstand the force behind the blade.

After blocking many attacks, Un-gum’s body gave way to the force and he fell to the ground again.

Thud!

He hadn’t gotten used to fighting with one arm yet, and he lost his balance.

Grip.

Un-gum’s fist, clutching the sword, pressed down on the ground.

His one remaining arm trembled violently.

But even with that arm, he somehow supported himself and stood up again with great effort. The hand holding the sword was still trembling, but his face remained as calm as it had been at the start of the duel.

Seeing that face, Moo-gak involuntarily opened his mouth again.

“…Why?”

Why was this man so determined to get back up?

The match was already decided.

So what was he hoping to gain by pushing his body to such extremes?

Moo-gak asked, looking confused.

“Why are you going this far?”

“… …”

“It’s just a sparring match. Even if you lose, who would point fingers and criticize you?”

“Criticism… …”

Smiling and slowly shaking his head, Un-gum looked at Moo-gak. There wasn’t a trace of malice on Un-gum’s face.

“As you live your life…”

“… …”

“Sometimes you fall.”

“… …”

“You lose things, you get frustrated, and sometimes you lose your way in despair.”

It was an unexpected remark. But Moo-gak couldn’t interrupt the sudden words.

“Do you know what to do in such times?”

“…What should one do?”

Un-gum shook his head.

“There’s no other way.”

“… …”

“You just have to walk. Get up and walk again. Even if your knees are scraped and sore, even if your ankles are twisted and throbbing, you just have to get up and walk again.”

“Dojang… …”

“Hey, Dojang.”

Un-gum raised his sword.

“I teach my students to keep going in life. Should I worry about something small like this?”

“… …”

“Sometimes you have to give up halfway up the mountain. But that’s not wrong. If you give up, you can just climb again. True giving up isn’t about going down the mountain or rolling down. The moment you hesitate to try again, that’s the real giving up.”

Moo-gak understood.

These words weren’t just for Moo-gak, or even for Un-gum himself. These words were a message to the Hwasan disciples watching the sparring match.

“So don’t worry and come at me. I am the Gumsoo of Hwasan. The Gumsoo of Hwasan doesn’t get discouraged by this much.”

Moo-gak closed his eyes. And after a moment, he slowly opened them again.

“May I ask your name again?”

“Un-gum of Hwasan.”

“Un-gum… …”

Moo-gak sighed softly.

‘Elder. We were wrong.’

The statement that Hwasan only had inexperienced disciples, that there were no elders to guide them, was clearly wrong.

Isn’t he right here?

How can the disciples of Hwasan be said to be weak when someone like him is supporting them? Aren’t we the ones who aren’t seeing Hwasan properly?

We of the Wudang… ….

Moo-gak soon untied the scabbard from his waist and tossed it to the ground.

Throwing away the scabbard showed he was ready to fight with everything he had. But this time, it meant something more. It was the greatest respect he could show Un-gum.

“I… …”

Moo-gak stared straight at Un-gum with resolute eyes.

“I will never forget that name.”

“Thank you.”

“I will do my best. Prepare yourself.”

“As you wish.”

Moo-gak took a breath.

His sword began to move in a different path than before. It was no longer a water-like sword energy. A round, soft arc was drawn in the air.

Tai Chi Wisdom Sword.

This was Wudang’s most powerful sword technique, meant to cut through all distractions.

He unleashed this sword, which was forbidden in sparring matches, as the ultimate sign of respect for his opponent.

The sword quietly split the round circle drawn in the air.

The beginning of the world is when the One divides into Yin and Yang. The sword showed its true power on the stage.

The sword energy, divided into black and white, powerfully crashed down on Un-gum. Facing that sword energy, Un-gum gripped the Plum Blossom Sword tightly.

‘Strange.’

The sword in his hand was strangely warm.

Even though it shouldn’t be, it felt as if a faint warmth was being transmitted through the sword’s hilt.

– Master!

A gentle smile bloomed on Un-gum’s lips.

It was as if he could see his young disciples running towards him amidst the countless plum blossoms blooming in Hwasan.

‘You will surpass me and go out into the world.’

So until then… ….

I hope my sword can protect you.

Soon, Un-gum’s sword drew a giant tree.

A giant tree that would spread its branches throughout the world, creating a shade where people could rest comfortably.

The shade created by Un-gum might have been a little warm.