The last successor of Mount Hua. He was the current first disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, the youngest Plum Blossom Sword Master, Yu Kang. In her past life, Mount Hua was destroyed before Namgung.
No, they were the very first of any faction to fall. It was even before the Blood Sect made its way into the world.
‘Perhaps by now. It must already be rotting from within.’
The Mount Hua of today probably thought of themselves as being in fuller bloom than ever before. And in a way, they were right. However, a flower in full bloom is bound to wither.
The flower falls, and falls again. In the end, only a single plum blossom would remain.
“I’m going to do my best.”
The face of the man who had called himself the final plum blossom seemed to overlap with the boy’s. Seolhwa also gripped her sword and stood facing him.
“You looked like you were about to die just a moment ago. Have you found the will to fight now?”
The man who had bloomed alone and nobly to carry on the legacy of Mount Hua firmly shook his head.
“No. I still don’t think I can beat you. And honestly, I didn’t understand what you and my master were talking about.”
It seemed he hadn’t been told about the Great Rebirth Pill beforehand.
“But I know that the name of my sect is on the line.”
Yu Kang thumped his chest with his hand.
“So I have to do my best.”
‘So I will cut you down with all my might. I will cut you down, survive, and continue the legacy of Mount Hua. For as long as life remains, even in a withering old tree, the plum blossoms will one day bloom again.’
Whether in the past life or this one, he was a man who truly loved the plum blossom.
“Right. That’s much better than giving up.”
You couldn’t keep that promise in the past life, but I hope you will in this one. But that day is not today.
“I plan to do my best as well.”
Yu Kang’s expression hardened.
“Can’t you go a little easy on me?”
“No.” “Is it because of that elixir?”
“No. That’s just a minor reason.”
“Then why are you going all out?”
“Well… let’s just say it’s for your sake.”
You probably don’t realize that the future of Mount Hua rests on this sparring match. You say you’ll do your best to protect the name of Mount Hua, but you don’t know that losing this match is the way to protect it.
“For my sake…?”
Yu Kang let out a soft “aha,” as if he understood.
“Haha. Right. If I’m going to lose anyway, it’s better to lose in the most spectacular way possible.”
He seemed to have concluded that her not holding back was a way of preserving his pride. Behind his playful smile, the tension was palpable. Yu Kang, sword in hand, cupped his fist in a salute.
“Yu Kang, first disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, requests a sparring match with the young lady of Namgung.”
Seolhwa also stood straight and returned Yu Kang’s greeting.
“Namgung Seolhwa of the Namgung family accepts the sparring match.”
For a brief moment, the two looked at each other.
Tat!
Yu Kang charged toward Seolhwa first. The last successor of Mount Hua rushed toward Seolhwa.
Clang! Kang!
Yu Kang's sword, true to the style of Mount Hua, pursued speed and unpredictability. The rapidly changing forms were like a single flower bud blooming.
‘This is truly Mount Hua.’
It was such a beautiful sword. To bring forth such a beautiful sword, one must swing it without pause. That required a solid foundation of external training.
A sword that demanded one swing more than others, and therefore, one’s breath had to be longer than others, supported by immense stamina. That’s why, since her past life, Seolhwa always had the same thought whenever she faced a swordsman from Mount Hua.
‘How grueling.’
Behind the supreme beauty, the sweat and effort they must have shed was brutally apparent. The saying that the more beautiful the plum blossom drawn by the sword strikes, the richer the scent of plum blossoms, must have meant that. For them, the scent of plum blossoms was the fruit of their bleeding effort.
Clang! Kang!
There was a reason why Yu Kang’s sword was called the best among them.
‘It’s rough.’
Yu Kang’s sword contained the essence of ‘ruggedness.’
‘He was already this rough at this age.’
Mount Hua, one of the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains, was famous for its rugged and harsh terrain. A sword is a reflection of the swordsman’s life. Therefore, the sword of Mount Hua was bound to contain the foundation of the Five Great Mountains where they lived their lives: ‘ruggedness.’
A fast, endlessly changing, yet rugged sword technique. Yu Kang had already realized at a young age what was easy to miss while intoxicated by its beauty.
Kagang! Kaang!
Seolhwa parried Yu Kang’s sword.
‘A swordsman is a swordsman, I see.’
Unlike when she first met him and faced him with palm techniques, holding a sword, he was utterly serious. From Yu Kang’s body, the energy of plum blossoms was already shimmering like a haze.
‘A true first-rate master.’
To be on the border of first-rate and supreme at this age.
‘He’s a genius in his own right.’
Indeed, he had caused the Blood Sect quite a bit of trouble in her past life. He kept declaring himself the last plum blossom of Mount Hua and meddling in the Blood Sect’s battlefields. Seolhwa, who mainly dealt with Namgung, had also encountered him several times.
As he had boasted, he stubbornly survived and carried on the legacy of Mount Hua. He threw himself into chaotic battles in the name of Mount Hua. But in the end….
Clang! Kang!
Seolhwa found this situation quite enjoyable. Seeing the past of an adversary from a previous life was a pleasant thing. A smile had already formed on her lips.
As she received and savored Yu Kang’s sword, that smile deepened.
Kaang!
“…!”
The sound of Seolhwa striking Yu Kang’s sword echoed through the Guest Training Hall. Yu Kang barely managed not to drop his sword, but his breathing was already ragged, and his hand throbbed.
“Ha… haah… ha…”
‘I can’t see his sword path at all.’
Yu Kang was bewildered. He knew he would be no match, but he hadn’t expected to be this powerless. As he said, he had swung his sword with all his might.
The young lady of Namgung had only parried his sword, not even launching a proper attack.
And yet.
‘I’m being pushed back. Why?’
His ragged breaths soon settled into a slow, steady rhythm. Seolhwa waited for him as he slowly controlled his breathing. His gaze calmed.
It was the gaze of someone thinking of nothing but the sword.
“Hoooo…”
Yu Kang assumed a ready stance. The ready stance was akin to announcing the beginning of a sword technique.
‘Is that the Lesser Clarity Sword?’
Whoooosh— A pinkish energy rose like a haze around Yu Kang’s sword. It was the sword energy that only those who reached the Supreme Realm could use.
‘Is he planning to pour everything into this attack?’
Since he hadn’t yet reached the Supreme Realm, he could only manifest sword energy for a fleeting moment. As if to prove it, Yu Kang charged forward the moment the sword energy appeared.
‘Too hasty.’
It was surprising for a first-rate master to manifest sword energy, but that became his weakness. Moreover, he chose the wrong sword technique. Of all the many sword techniques of Mount Hua, why the Lesser Clarity Sword?
‘A sword without a trace of greed, without a single stray thought, an exceedingly clear and honest sword.’
It was a sword fitting for a Daoist sword technique, but.
‘When it comes to being clear and honest, Namgung is a step above.’
Sword technique against sword technique. Matching Yu Kang’s ready stance, Seolhwa also assumed a ready stance. The sword technique Seolhwa chose was the most basic of Namgung’s basics.
A sword technique that resembled the high and vast sky. It was the Great Flame Sword Technique.
‘The second of the last three forms of the Great Flame Sword Technique.’
A red energy also rose like a haze from Seolhwa’s body. It was exactly as much energy as Yu Kang’s. The energy of Yu Kang’s best effort.
‘Great Flame Heavenly Net.’
In that moment, Yu Kang felt the illusion that the sky had become a giant net, about to envelop him. If swords could be predators, he thought the technique Seolhwa unleashed was exactly that. Yu Kang clenched his teeth and swung his sword.
Like a rabbit struggling to the end, knowing it will be devoured, he completed his own technique, knowing he would lose. Finally, sword met sword. Form met form.
The Way met the Way.
Chwaaaak! Kagagang!
The techniques unleashed by the two stirred up a cloud of dust from the training ground floor. None of the onlookers dared to speak. The sparring match between the two was far too heavy to be considered a fight between a thirteen and a fifteen-year-old.
Click.
In the deep silence, Seolhwa sheathed her sword. Yu Kang was still frozen in the final motion of his technique. There was no sword in his hand.
Seolhwa picked up Yu Kang’s sword, which lay scattered on the ground, and walked over to him. When she held out the sword, Yu Kang, who had been looking down, lifted his gaze. With a clear look of exhaustion from having poured out all his Inner Energy, Yu Kang gave a bright smile.
“You’re unbelievably strong…”
“You’re pretty good yourself.”
“Pretty good? I’m the strongest of my age at Mount Hua.”
Seolhwa’s eyebrows arched strangely.
“Why do you look for rivals among your peers?”
“Huh?”
“That’s why you can’t win.”
Seolhwa thrust the sword into his hand. Without a second thought, she turned her back.
“Come back when you’re stronger.”
Rumble…
Namgung Hyuk, the Black Dragon Unit Leader, and Chief Steward Namgung Mun, who were standing in front of the Cloud Guest Hall, both turned to look toward the gate.
“…Chief Steward Elder. Didn’t you say it was a sparring match between children?”
“Hmm. It seems the First Young Master and the first disciple of Mount Hua are also crossing swords.”
“Ah.”
That could be it. Namgung Hyuk felt his fingers itching. The sword of Mount Hua.
‘I’d like to cross swords with him myself.’
Plum Shadow Sword, Yu Pyo. Wasn’t that a name that had recently been stirring up the entire Central Plains? He was the one who had made a name for himself among the top 100 masters by cutting down the leader of a Unorthodox faction group that had been running rampant in the Sichuan region.
If I could cross swords with such a person…
‘The sword of Mount Hua. I’m truly curious.’
As he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist in regret.
“Heo.”
“…?”
At the sound of Namgung Mun’s sigh as he looked into the distance, Namgung Hyuk also lifted his gaze. Namgung Hyuk soon furrowed his brow. In the distance, the elders and Hall Masters were approaching in a group.
And leading them was Namgung Cheonghae. Namgung Cheongsan was also beside him.
“Yes. With such a commotion, it would be strange if they didn’t come. Ahh, to think I would miss the Family Head so much…”
Namgung Hyuk deeply sympathized with the Chief Steward’s quiet murmur.