The Plum Blossom Sword traced a slow arc through the air.

As Mu Hui channeled his inner energy using the Cheonham Heart Technique, a crimson and white aura began to emanate from the blade, unlike anything he had seen before.

The aura didn’t rise straight and tall as it usually did. Instead, it scattered along the sword’s path like petals falling from a flower, creating a mesmerizing display of red fragments.

This was the Plum Blossom Sword Qi.

The aura seemed to blend the essence of white and red plum blossoms.

Swish!

As the Plum Blossom Sword sliced through the winter wind, the space once filled with gusts was now replaced by the floating presence of the sword’s aura.

Petals of sword qi bloomed among the bare branches, as if time had suddenly shifted to the cusp between winter and spring.

The fragments of white and red aura danced in the air, following the rhythm of Mu Hui’s sword, captivating all who watched with its enchanting transformation. Its beauty was so alluring that one couldn’t help but reach out.

This was the first reason the Huashan Sect’s sword technique was embodied in the plum blossom.

‘Infinite Change.’

The soft, pure white and the deep, captivating crimson—these were the white and red plum blossoms.

The stark contrast of these colors mesmerized the eyes, and the petals scattered by the wind captured a dazzling transformation unbound by form or logic.

The Huashan Sect sought to encapsulate this change in their swordplay, to extend their reach beyond all obstacles, in every direction of the six harmonies.

Swish!

As the Plum Blossom Sword drew a crimson line through the air, the aura that had been drifting among the trees surged toward the surrounding rocks.

When the petals of sword qi gently landed on the rocks and then took flight again, deep sword marks were left behind on the stone surfaces.

Such was the extreme sharpness.

This was the second reason the Huashan Sect’s sword technique was embodied in the plum blossom.

‘Sharpness.’

The Plum Blossom Sword Qi mimicked the petals of the plum blossom. The petals, with their oval shape, concealed sharp, serrated edges.

Within its boundless beauty lay a blade-like sharpness, perfectly aligning with the Huashan Sect’s intent to cut through anything.

The sword qi, which had split the rocks into dozens of pieces in an instant, began to gather around Mu Hui, following the upright stance of the Plum Blossom Sword.

‘The final reason, Fragrance.’

The distant scent of plum blossoms transcended space, spreading far beyond the Huashan mountains.

This was the essence of the six harmonies, extending in all directions.

“Hoo.”

The Plum Blossom Sword trembled slightly, and that tremor became dozens, hundreds of lines that began to weave through the sky.

Following those lines, the sword qi danced, and the rich scent of plum blossoms began to spread.

Amidst the dancing sword qi and the courtyard filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms, small buds began to bloom.

Plum Blossoms.

The blossoms, nurtured by the inner energy of the Cheonham Heart Technique, seemed as vibrant as if they had bloomed naturally.

With this as the beginning, plum blossoms started to bloom wherever the Plum Blossom Sword touched.

The sky was filled with a profusion of blossoms.

The once-bare branches were now lush with the plum blossoms Mu Hui had conjured.

The night sky was painted with hues of red and white.

As the number of blossoms increased, the surrounding fragrance grew even more intense.

Rustle!

The brief spring day recreated by the Plum Blossom Sword Technique was fleeting. As Mu Hui sheathed his sword, the blossoms scattered into the air like a short-lived dream of spring.

Yet the rich fragrance of plum blossoms still lingered around Mu Hui, as if to say it wasn’t just a dream.

The splendor and transformation, the sharpness, and the potential to extend in all directions.

All the sword intent the Huashan Sect pursued was encapsulated in the small flower of the plum blossom.

Could any other flower embody the Huashan Sect’s swordsmanship as succinctly as the plum blossom?

Though many flowers bloomed on Huashan, Mu Hui couldn’t find a substitute.

The same was likely true for the ancient masters of the Huashan Sect, which is why it was only natural for their swordsmanship to be embodied in the plum blossom.

“Ancestor, I’ve finally made it bloom.”

Mu Hui inhaled the lingering fragrance of plum blossoms and looked up at the sky.

The scent was faint and dry, a sign of his incomplete mastery of the Cheonham Heart Technique and the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, as well as his own shortcomings.

Even among the legendary sword masters of Huashan, those known as Sword Gods could exude the noble fragrance of plum blossoms without the sword.

Whether this required reaching the pinnacle of martial arts or attaining the realm of the Heart Sword, Mu Hui couldn’t say for sure.

The conclusion was clear: this was just the beginning, and he still had a long way to go.

Having reached his conclusion, Mu Hui gazed at the starry night sky and asked,

“Ancestor, am I on the right path?”

The night sky, as always, simply shone with its light, but Mu Hui smiled at the sight.

“If it were easy, it wouldn’t be fun.”

Mu Hui drew his Plum Blossom Sword once more and began to practice the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

“I’ll make a fragrance richer and blossoms more radiant than yours.”

The stars in the night sky seemed to twinkle brightly, as if watching over Mu Hui as he wielded his sword alone.

***

In Huashan, towering rock formations pierced the clouds like celestial swords, but there were also many modestly sized formations, about the height of a pavilion.

On these formations, without fail, stood the second-generation disciples, each carrying a specially crafted iron ring on their bodies and holding a beautifully carved stone in each hand, courtesy of Mu Hui.

The disciples, bent at the knees, assumed a stance resembling the character for “big” and moved the stones in their hands as if dancing.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

The groans of the second-generation disciples echoed throughout Huashan like a chorus of agony.

Though they longed to throw down the stones and lie down, they couldn’t.

The tops of the rock formations were barely wide enough to stand on with both feet.

If their posture faltered, they would fall from the formations.

It was a matter of life or death, or rather, extreme external training.

“Ah, I’m going to die!”

Mu Sang, whose arms trembled like willow branches, shouted in frustration.

Startled, Mu Ryun wobbled and bit his lip. The other senior and junior disciples glared at Mu Sang.

“Mu Sang, I almost dropped my stone because of you. Keep quiet.”

“Sorry, Mu Ryun.”

Mu Hui’s voice carried up from below on the wind.

“Mu Sang, if you lose at the Six Harmonies Sword Competition next month, I’ll show you what it means to die.”

“I’ll definitely win, Senior Brother!”

Mu Hui’s relentless external training pushed the second-generation disciples to their limits.

Though they might have complained about the grueling training, they couldn’t deny the visible results on their bodies.

The senior brother’s training was always tough, but its effectiveness was undeniable. So they followed, albeit grudgingly.

Mu Hui, sitting in the shade of a tree and reading the secret manual left by the ancestor, looked up to observe the disciples training on the rock formations.

“It’s truly astonishing.”

Mu Hui was applying a new external training method left in a letter by the Iron Mountain Fist King.

When he first read the letter, Mu Hui thought it was more of a trial than training, but the results on the disciples were remarkable.

The disciples, whose bodies had been little more than ribs clinging to their chests, were now developing muscles and definition.

“Hmm. The results are undeniable.”

Mu Hui took out a notebook and began jotting down notes, meticulously recording the disciples’ training progress.

The Iron Mountain Fist King’s external training method was effective, but it was also bizarre and unnecessarily harsh.

Mu Hui planned to use these records to adapt the training method to suit the Huashan Sect better.

The goal was to create a more universal training method that all Huashan disciples could follow.

So that the disciples could train on their own without being forced by him.

In front of Mu Hui, the Huashan disciples stood in a middle stance, each holding a Plum Blossom Sword.

The disciples, as still as statues, focused intently on their swords, their faces flushed.

A constant flow of energy emanated from the disciples.

“Hmm?”

Mu Hui, who had been scribbling with his brush, sensed a disturbance in the energy flow from the disciples and turned his head sharply.

“Mu Hwa, focus.”

Mu Hwa, who had momentarily lost concentration, clicked his tongue.

“Senior Brother, why are we practicing making the sword vibrate? It doesn’t seem like it’s just to get used to channeling the Cheonham Heart Technique’s energy.”

Mu Hui’s philosophy was that true mastery of a technique came not from simply accumulating energy but from constantly using it, emptying the dantian, and then refilling it through circulation.

Following this philosophy, the disciples were practicing infusing their swords with the Cheonham Heart Technique’s energy, but Mu Hwa had a feeling there was more to it.

Mu Hwa’s question made Mu Hui smile.

Mu Hwa often had a knack for hitting the core of the matter.

“I was going to tell you once you succeeded in making the sword vibrate.”

Mu Hui stood up and drew his Plum Blossom Sword. The disciples’ eyes widened.

Even when they focused all their energy into the sword using the Cheonham Heart Technique, the Plum Blossom Sword didn’t budge.

As soon as the senior disciple unsheathed his sword, it began to vibrate subtly.

“Channeling inner energy to make the blade vibrate is a technique used in various martial arts. Let me demonstrate with a style from the Mount Hua Sect.”

With a flick of his wrist, Mu-hui swung his plum blossom sword, causing the tip to split into five distinct paths.

“Just like before, I’ll make the blade vibrate and thrust.”

Swish!

The eyes of the disciples following Mu-hui’s sword widened in amazement.

Everything was the same as before, except the blade quivered finely as it extended.

Mu-hui’s sword split into twenty paths, slicing the tall grass around him into countless pieces in an instant.

“Depending on the intensity of the vibration, you can adjust the blade’s behavior. Against a skilled opponent who can detect feints through subtle wrist movements, you can combine vibrations and wrist techniques to create deceptive attacks.”

The principles Mu-hui taught were crucial for the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect, who valued adaptability.

The training Mu-hui had been putting the disciples through was not only to enhance their mastery of the Heavenly Heart Technique but also to grasp the art of vibration.

“Break time’s over. Let’s start again.”

“Oh, come on, senior brother.”

“Begin.”

Mu-hwa, who had been trying to extend the break by asking questions, pouted and began channeling his energy into his plum blossom sword once more.

Mu-hui observed Mu-jin and Mu-cheol as well. Judging by the energy waves, Mu-jin seemed to be getting the hang of it, while Mu-cheol was sweating profusely, clearly struggling.

Mu-cheol’s plum blossom sword was significantly larger than those of the other disciples, requiring him to infuse more energy into it.

“Remember the layering technique I taught you. Just because the blade is large doesn’t mean you should pour in more energy indiscriminately.”

“Yes, sir.”

Feeling the disciples’ energies harmonizing once more, Mu-hui returned to his manual.

***

The terrain of the volcano was so treacherous that calling it a path was generous; it was more like a sheer cliff.

Mu-hui ascended the peak, stepping lightly with the newly learned Phantom Step.

As he leaped over jagged rocks, something caught his eye, and he twisted in mid-air to change direction.

“Found it.”

Before him stood a well-tended grave with a headstone.

The Grave of the Sword Saint of Mount Hua, Hyunjo.

After confirming the inscription, Mu-hui poured the prepared wine generously over the grave.

“Don’t be too hard on me for coming late. I’ve had a lot on my plate.”

He had thought there was only a memorial tablet in the shrine, but he recently discovered Hyunjo’s grave existed separately.

It seemed the Mount Hua Sect had managed to recover Hyunjo’s remains somehow.

Mu-hui gently caressed the headstone. He had much to say but didn’t know where to start.

After a long silence, he suddenly drew his plum blossom sword.

“Yes, between us, actions speak louder than words.”

The sword emitted a fragrant aura, and plum blossoms began to bloom from it.

Hyunjo’s grave was situated at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Mount Hua Sect, making the surroundings desolate.

Mu-hui began to fill that emptiness with his plum blossoms.

The rich fragrance spread across the peak, and dozens of blossoms appeared and disappeared repeatedly.

Mu-hui’s sword dance, meant not to strike an enemy but to comfort a friend, was both graceful and poignant.

The scene was tinged with a sense of solitude and melancholy.

Swish!

A faint rustling sound caught Mu-hui’s ear.

The gentle flow of his sword suddenly turned sharp.

Mu-hui widened his stance and twisted his waist forcefully.

The plum blossom sword sliced through the air with a fierce gleam.

Clang!

Mu-hui’s sword, which had struck out at an unexpected intruder from behind, was blocked. The weapon that intercepted his blade was a rusted plum blossom sword.

“What in the world…”

Mu-hui’s eyes trembled as he looked at the figure holding the rusted sword.

Even in the most dire situations, Mu-hui had never lost his composure, but now his calm was slightly shaken.

Before him stood a figure cloaked in darkness, with fur that shimmered with a mysterious purple hue.

End