Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 644

“…I won.”

Jo Gul blinked, then burst out, “That crazy guy actually did it!”

Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong just stared, mouths hanging open. In the dusty arena, Chung Myung stood straight, while the Wudang elder, Heo Gong, lay still at his feet. The scene burned into their minds.

“Unbelievable…” Yoon Jong breathed.

They had *hoped* Chung Myung could win. After all he’d shown them, facing a Wudang elder wasn’t impossible to imagine. But seeing it happen, seeing him truly *defeat* a Wudang elder like this, was something else entirely.

*I thought he could win,* Baek Cheon thought, *but not like this.*

This wasn’t just a win; it was a crushing defeat for Wudang.

“…Sasuk.”

“Hm?”

“He’s gotten even stronger, hasn’t he?”

“…Seems that way.”

“Is this even possible…?”

Baek Cheon gave a bitter smile at Jo Gul’s lament.

*That guy really is…*

Just when they felt closer to him, Chung Myung would become much stronger. He was always moving ahead.

But Baek Cheon no longer despaired over such things.

Seeing Chung Myung ahead meant he was beyond that point. Even if the distance didn’t close as quickly as he wished, Baek Cheon was steadily chasing after him.

“More importantly…”

“Yes?”

“I think we need to deal with those people first.”

…

At Baek Cheon’s words, Yoon Jong and Jo Gul slowly turned around. They saw Hyun Sang and Hyun Young at the head of their disciples.

*His jaw’s going to drop off.*

*Isn’t this a bit dangerous?*

Looking at Hyun Sang’s mouth, opened as wide as it could possibly go, they felt both amusement and concern. He really might dislocate his jaw at this rate.

“He won…”

“Hehehehe.”

Hyun Sang’s expression was one thing, but Hyun Young’s face, as if he was too shocked to speak, was truly a sight to behold.

“Um…”

“Hmm. This is a bit complicated. Complicated.”

Hyun Young’s muttering barely brought Hyun Sang back to his senses, and he looked to his side and asked,

“What is?”

“Think about it, S 형. Even that arrogant Wudang elder got smacked around, so how do we know we won’t get hit? We need to watch our mouths in front of that guy from now on…”

“Hey, you rotten bastard!”

Before he could even finish speaking, Hyun Sang kicked Hyun Young in the backside.

“Is that what you say to a disciple who won with all his might!”

“Did I say anything wrong!”

“Ugh.”

Hyun Sang glared at his junior, who wouldn’t back down, and then turned his gaze back to Chung Myung.

*I can’t believe it.*

He had achieved a huge victory against the Wudang elder, of all people. This was a different kind of story than Chung Myung’s victories so far.

What was Wudang? It was one of the most prestigious sects among the countless martial clans in the world.

Chung Myung, a mere third-generation disciple, had defeated an elder who was the best of the best in Wudang.

*Has anything like this ever happened before?*

Hyun Sang knew Chung Myung was a Mount Hua disciple.

Hyun Sang had never heard of such a thing in his life. No, he had never even imagined it.

“That… that goggle-eyed rascal.”

A faint smile kept breaking out on Hyun Sang’s face. At the same time, his slightly wrinkled eyes kept getting watery.

It wasn’t just because they had fought so bravely against Wudang, whom they had never even dared to think of surpassing.

Knowing what Chung Myung was feeling as he went out there to fight, he felt happy, but his eyes kept getting red.

“Bite down hard and hold it in, S 형.”

“…”

“You’re being pathetic.”

“I know, you bastard!”

Hyun Sang straightened his shoulders.

This was a task that the disciples had created while shedding blood. He couldn’t ruin it with temporary emotions.

Just then, Chung Myung on the arena turned his head and looked at him.

*Yes, you rascal.*

How could he not know what that meant?

Instinctively, Hyun Sang lowered his hand and straightened his attire, then straightened his shoulders. At this moment, he had to become the acting head of Mount Hua, not just an elder of Mount Hua.

So he couldn’t show even the slightest bit of inadequacy.

“I’ll be back.”

“Yes!”

An excited voice burst from Hyun Young’s mouth.

Hyun Sang desperately calmed his trembling heart and stepped onto the arena.

…

It was as if his brain had been completely washed clean.

When people encounter something they can’t handle, their minds go blank and they can’t do anything.

That was exactly Heo Sanja’s situation right now.

Defeat.

That one word seemed to be etched in his mind. This was a defeat that left no room for excuses.

The defeat he suffered against the Five Swords was also worrying. He had never imagined that the first-generation disciples of Wudang would lose to the second and third-generation disciples of Mount Hua. (The Five Swords are the strongest Wudang disciples.)

But that was something that could be managed somehow.

The current situation was… completely different.

A Wudang elder had been defeated by a third-generation disciple of Mount Hua. And he hadn’t even managed to inflict a proper wound.

How was he supposed to manage this?

Even if an elder from some third-rate sect that no one had ever heard of was defeated by a third-generation disciple of a prestigious clan, it would be a laughing matter. But even worse, that Wudang elder had been defeated by a third-generation disciple from another clan. There was no excuse that could fix this.

*How… how could this happen…*

This wasn’t Heo Sanja’s fault.

No one in the world could have predicted this situation. The plan of Heo Do-jin was based on the assumption that Heo Gong would capture Chung Myung in the first place.

Even Heo Do-jin, who sat and looked down on the world, didn’t think Chung Myung would beat Heo Gong.

So how could Heo Sanja have foreseen this and prepared for it?

“Elder…”

Mujin opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

“I will take care of Heo Gong… Elder.”

“…”

“Elder!”

There was no reply.

Heo Sanja was just staring at the arena with a blank look on his face, as if he couldn’t hear Mujin’s words.

Mujin let out a deep sigh.

*It’s no wonder.*

Even he had been shocked to the point of feeling his heart drop, so how much more shocked must Heo Sanja have been? But now was not the time to be so dazed.

“Mugak and Mugong, go up and take care of the Elder.”

“…Yes, S 형.”

Watching his fellow disciples head to the arena, Mujin closed his eyes tightly.

*Where did it all go wrong?*

There was only one reason for their defeat.

They were simply weaker than Mount Hua. He didn’t want to find any other excuses.

*We weren’t as desperate as they were.*

He thought he had never been lazy in pushing himself to train. But the moment he faced the desperation shown by the Mount Hua disciples, Mujin admitted that they had been complacent without even realizing it.

Watching his fellow disciples carry Heo Gong back, Mujin asked in a deeply sunken voice,

“How is he?”

“It doesn’t seem like he has any serious internal injuries. But we’ll take him to the physician just in case.”

“Alright.”

Mujin, who had taken over the situation in place of Heo Sanja, still stared at Chung Myung, who stood tall in the middle of the arena.

“Elder.”

“…”

“Character is shown not just at the start, but how you finish. It’s the same for our sects. How we handle losing shows what Wudang is really like.”

“…”

“Elder…”

But Heo Sanja still looked lost and didn’t know what to do.

The same was true in the back. All the Wudang disciples were blank-faced, not knowing how to accept this situation.

*It’s understandable.*

When was the last time they had suffered such a crushing defeat?

The reason Mujin was able to maintain his sanity somehow was not because he had a stronger mind than the others. It was just that he had already experienced Chung Myung and suffered a similar defeat, so he was less shocked.

*We may have been too arrogant.*

Just then, Hyun Sang was seen walking onto the arena.

Seeing his confident stride, a bitter smile formed on Mujin’s lips. He realized that his gaze towards Hyun Sang had changed.

To be honest, he hadn’t thought much of the Mount Hua elders before.

Mujin had experienced Chung Myung, and he could guess that all the changes in Mount Hua had ultimately been brought about by him.

Therefore, to Mujin, the Mount Hua elders were nothing more than people who were enjoying the good fortune of having accidentally taken in an unparalleled genius as a disciple.

But now, Hyun Sang looked very different.

*He’s the one who raised that Yun Geom and those Baek disciples.*

Just looking at Yun Geom, he could guess what kind of attitude the Mount Hua swordsmen had when learning the sword. Anyone who had raised such a person deserved respect.

Leaving aside Mount Hua and Wudang, as a fellow Taoist and a fellow swordsman.

Hyun Sang, standing next to Chung Myung, quietly looked at Wudang.

He passed by the Wudang disciples who couldn’t even meet his eyes, fixed his gaze on Heo Sanja, who had lost his mind, and quietly opened his mouth.

“It was a good match.”

“…”

“The victory or defeat of a match is not important. What is important is what we learned and what we gained from crossing swords with each other.”

It was a calm but firm voice.

Mujin realized something anew.

*An old pine tree.*

True strength is not just about power.

The one who had been in Mount Hua and experienced many ups and downs over the years was as firm and disciplined as an old pine tree that had silently endured the storms of time.

That was….

*What our Wudang should be pursuing.*

Those who had protected Mount Hua were embodying the ideals of Wudang in their lives, behind their flashy swordsmanship.

Mujin, who had become somehow solemn, bowed his head slightly to Hyun Sang without realizing it. Hyun Sang continued.

“This time, Mount Hua has gained a lot. But the result of this match is just a temporary victory. The one who develops more through this match will be the true winner.”

And he quietly put his hands together, clasped them, and held them out.

“We have learned a lot. May glory be with your sect.”

Heo Sanja’s face was horribly distorted.

But he was also the one who had come here representing Wudang. There was no way he could not accept the other party’s courtesy with courtesy.

“We…”

He bit his lip tightly and forced his clasped hand forward.

“We… have learned a lot. I wish your sect… your sect success.”

His shoulders were trembling.

Hyun Sang didn’t bother to watch him for long and turned his head.

He was happy about the victory, but he didn’t want to humiliate the loser. Hyun Sang knew the feelings of the defeated better than anyone else.

But then, a voice rang out, turning his head back.

“However!”