“Mu-hwi, are you planning to go outside?”

“…Yes.”

Dokgo-heon almost replied with a casual “Yes, I am,” but caught himself and mumbled his response. Baek-jin, noticing Dokgo-heon’s expression, nodded in understanding.

“It’s not a bad idea to move around a bit. Just be careful not to aggravate your wounds.”

“Understood.”

Dokgo-heon left the infirmary and headed towards a small pond nearby. Each step sent a sharp pain across his chest, but he was no stranger to such discomfort. The real issue lay elsewhere.

He gazed into the crystal-clear water of the pond, his reflection staring back at him.

“This is insane.”

The face looking back at him was that of a young man, barely past twenty. His fair skin and striking features were the epitome of a handsome youth, a stark contrast to Dokgo-heon’s own rugged visage, marked by three scars.

As he traced the sharp line of his jaw, Dokgo-heon sighed deeply.

“Who would have thought I’d end up as the top disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, and not just any disciple, but the chief one?”

Dokgo-heon had awoken in Mu-hwi’s body just before the seven-day ritual. Most of those days were spent in a dream-like state, reliving Mu-hwi’s life.

Twenty years of memories and emotions flooded him, blurring the line between who he was and who Mu-hwi had been.

He had to hold onto his own identity, even as he learned about the life Mu-hwi had led.

“You fool, if you were weak, you should have taken better care of yourself.”

Mu-hwi’s last memory was of taking a sword meant for his master, saving him from the attack of the Black Night Palace’s demon. The deep scar on his chest was a testament to that moment.

“That wound was what killed him.”

Baek-jin had said that Mu-hwi’s heart had stopped. The voice that passionately claimed it was a miracle from the Primordial Celestial Lord still echoed in his ears.

“That mysterious light.”

Dokgo-heon recalled the faint, rainbow-hued light he had seen before losing consciousness. Initially, he thought it was a hallucination, but he now believed it was the cause of his soul merging with Mu-hwi’s body.

Though he had no concrete evidence, his instincts pointed to the Plum Blossom Spirit Pearl as the reason for this miraculous event.

Otherwise, how could such an extraordinary thing happen?

Was this what they called a twist of fate?

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony of receiving such a rare opportunity on the brink of death.

“Why me, and why this body?”

Borrowing the power of the Plum Blossom Spirit Pearl, he had been given a new life, not as his friend, but as his friend’s disciple. It was a strange twist of destiny.

Staring silently at his reflection, Dokgo-heon let out a deep sigh.

“No matter how bizarre, the fact remains that I’ve been given a second chance. I can’t waste it.”

Though a storm of emotions swirled within him, he couldn’t let them hold him back forever.

“I’ll find you and make you pay for what you did.”

As he thought of the masked man who had ambushed him and his master, his fingers dug into his palm, his fist clenched so tightly it turned white. A fierce determination flared in his eyes.

“That damned mask…”

Even in his injured state, the masked man had been a formidable opponent, on par with the Black Night Palace’s master.

A master swordsman who would be difficult to defeat even at full strength.

Revenge for his friend and himself.

But there was more to consider.

“Look after the disciples and Mount Hua. Even if it’s just occasionally.”

“Disciples, don’t be afraid! We must protect the Mount Hua Sect.”

His master’s dying wish and Mu-hwi’s words from his dreams echoed in his mind.

Both his master and Mu-hwi had cherished the Mount Hua Sect deeply. Why was it so important to them?

Having spent his life as a wanderer, Dokgo-heon couldn’t fully grasp that sentiment.

Yet, he had been given a new chance through the Plum Blossom Spirit Pearl and a new life in the body of a Mount Hua disciple.

Unintentionally, he owed a great debt to the Mount Hua Sect.

“I’ll tear that mask to shreds. And I’ll protect Mount Hua. It’s the least I can do to repay my debt.”

Whether his words would reach his master and Mu-hwi, Dokgo-heon didn’t know, but he vowed nonetheless.

As his voice echoed with resolve, two plum blossoms drifted down into the pond, creating gentle ripples. Watching them, Dokgo-heon turned away.

“Mu-hwi… I guess that’s who I am now.”

A man who had lived with nothing but his sword.

The life of the Sword Demon, Dokgo-heon, ended here.

From now on, he had to embrace something different.

Whether he could do so, even Mu-hwi himself wasn’t sure.

* * *

The Blood Massacre of Shaanxi.

A sudden outbreak of violence caused by demons who called themselves the Black Night Palace.

In just three days, over ten small and medium sects were wiped out, regardless of their allegiance.

The ferocity of the attack forced the Mount Hua Sect and the Zhongnan Sect to intervene, even enlisting the help of the Seven Evil Heavens’ Gu Yu Sword Sect, their long-time rivals.

For a brief moment, the righteous and the wicked joined forces.

Though the martial world of Shaanxi managed to quell the bloodshed, the Mount Hua Sect, which had led the charge, suffered significant losses.

To recover from the damage, the Mount Hua Sect held meetings almost daily.

“Do we really need to rebuild eight pavilions?”

“Yes, Sect Leader. The fire during the last attack on the main hall caused extensive damage.”

“Sigh. Our finances are already strained. Baek-san, what’s the situation?”

Baek-san, the head of the finance department, wore a grim expression.

“We’ve already spent a lot on previous repairs, and our future income and donations will likely decrease significantly.”

In other words, they needed to avoid any major expenses.

Hearing Baek-san’s report, Baek-yu gave a bitter smile and issued his orders.

“Let’s prioritize the most important pavilions and restore them one by one.”

The leader of the Mount Hua Sect, Baek-yu, turned to Baek-jin.

“Baek-jin, how are the disciples recovering in the infirmary?”

“Most are recovering steadily. There are no longer any critical cases, so you can rest easy.”

“And what about Mu-hwi? He must have been deeply affected by the news of Hyunjo.”

At the mention of Hyunjo’s name, the expressions of those gathered turned somber.

In the martial world, the title of Sword Saint had always belonged to the Mount Hua Sect. Yet, for nearly a century, they had failed to produce another Sword Saint.

Rumors spread that the Mount Hua Sect’s glory was fading, that their influence was waning.

Though many words were spoken, it was undeniable that the Mount Hua Sect’s reputation, built over generations, was slowly eroding.

Then, like a miracle, Hyunjo, the Sword Saint of Mount Hua, appeared.

He was seen as the hope to revive the Mount Hua Sect, and losing him was a heavy blow.

“Surprisingly, he took it quite calmly. His wounds have healed enough that he left the infirmary yesterday.”

“Really, that boy?”

Baek-yu chuckled at Baek-jin’s response.

Mu-hwi wasn’t particularly talented in martial arts or intelligence. His gentle nature led many to question why Hyunjo had chosen him as a disciple.

“I hope he can overcome this.”

After a moment of concern for Mu-hwi, Baek-yu resumed the meeting.

While the meeting continued in the upper hall, Mu-hwi was tidying up Hyunjo’s old cottage. More accurately, he was searching for something.

After toppling the fifth stack of martial arts manuals and scrolls, Mu-hwi found an unnamed manual.

“Why was this hidden away in a corner?”

In his memories, Mu-hwi recalled Hyunjo always carrying this manual, treating it with great care.

Opening it, he found pages filled with dots, lines, and countless annotations.

It was likely the new sword technique Hyunjo had been developing.

The firm handwriting brought back memories of past conversations with Hyunjo.

“The current Mount Hua Sect is stagnant, or rather, regressing. We’ve become complacent, intoxicated by the illusion of our plum blossom sword technique’s perfection.”

Is there such a thing as a perfect martial art?

Martial arts evolve over time, refined by countless masters, growing deeper and stronger.

This is the strength of a prestigious sect.

But the Mount Hua Sect had become complacent, believing their current techniques were the best.

While it was important to inherit the teachings of past masters, they were merely repeating them without innovation.

They had inherited the old ways but failed to achieve true mastery, and there was no progress to compensate for this.

A situation where the “new” in “learning from the past to create the new” was missing.

With the sect’s development stalled, it was only natural for them to slowly decline.

No amount of pushing the disciples would change this. That’s why Hyunjo had been working on creating a new sword technique to show his disciples.

To demonstrate the pursuit of a new path.

To prove that the current plum blossom sword technique was not the end.

“So that’s why you suddenly suggested we create and compete with new sword techniques. You fool.”

“You’ve been refining various martial arts to reach new heights. I believed it was possible with you.”

Even with a high level of martial arts, reworking established techniques and redefining them as superior martial arts was not something just anyone could do.

It required a special talent, found only in a few exceptional individuals in the martial world.

Like the Sword Demon in his past life.

Recalling their conversation, Mu-hwi let out a wry smile.

A new sword technique to reignite the stagnant Mount Hua Sect.

This was how Hyeonjo planned to protect the Hwasan Sect.

“Malco, let’s fulfill our promise by creating a new sword technique.”

Muwi murmured to himself as he closed the manual.

It was something he needed to do for the Hwasan Sect eventually, but not right now. He could start developing a new technique immediately, but it had to be a true Hwasan sword technique—one that embodied the spirit and intent of Hwasan, not just its form and style.

To achieve that, Muwi needed to fully understand Hwasan’s teachings and master its martial arts.

“A Hwasan sword technique…”

Even though Hyeonjo had said it was stagnant, the Hwasan sword was still renowned throughout the world. The sword techniques Muwi had learned in his past life were from the demonic sects, the complete opposite of Hwasan’s. This contrast might lead to entirely new insights.

Naturally, he couldn’t help but feel excited.

‘It might be fun to tweak Hwasan’s martial arts to my liking.’

He intended to leave a deep mark of the Sword Demon on the prestigious Hwasan Sect, which had a long-standing reputation in history.

Muwi’s hands were already itching to get started. His body might have changed, but his obsession with martial arts remained the same. He pulled out another manual from his robe.

The Six Harmonies Sword.

The Six Harmonies Mind Technique.

The Nine Heavens Mind Technique.

These were borrowed from the Plum Blossom Pavilion. Normally, martial arts manuals were strictly prohibited from being taken outside. However, these were widely known as health techniques or had spread among the common folk, so the rules were more lenient.

The Six Harmonies Sword and Mind Technique were the first martial arts learned by the third-generation disciples, while the Nine Heavens Mind Technique was the one currently residing in Muwi’s dantian.

Of course, he had the formulas and insights in his mind, but Muwi chose to erase them cleanly. Even if the martial arts and formulas were the same, the insights and interpretations could differ, so there was no need to accept someone else’s understanding. Especially if that understanding came from someone of a lower level than the Sword Demon of his past life.

Muwi began by opening the manual for the Six Harmonies Mind Technique.

“It’s definitely different.”

Even though it was a basic martial art with simple formulas, it gave him much to ponder. This was because he was approaching orthodox martial arts after mastering demonic ones.

“It’s not something to underestimate just because it’s an introductory technique. Compared to the Demonic Heart Technique or the Ghostly Qi Art, its energy accumulation and circulation speed aren’t lacking, and its stability is unmatched.”

Muwi delved into the Six Harmonies Mind Technique from various angles, comparing it to the demonic arts he had learned in his past life.

“Combining Hwasan’s martial arts with demonic techniques could be quite interesting.”

He alternated between reading the manual and meditating to relieve the strain on his eyes, immersing himself in the martial arts. This focus and dedication were among the talents that had made him the Sword Demon in his past life.

In the small hut, the only sound was the occasional turning of pages. As Muwi lost track of time, a voice called out from outside.

“Senior Brother! Are you awake?”