It was as if there were invisible steps in the air, the way Amhu moved with such grace. It reminded Mu-hui of a master walking on air.

Even with a sword in one hand and a bundle in the other, Amhu moved with such ethereal elegance that Mu-hui was left speechless.

“Haah.”

As Mu-hui fell from the cliff, he exhaled lightly and twisted his body.

Adjusting his posture, he began to accelerate as he descended.

Thud!

Mu-hui landed on a pine tree growing from a crack in the cliff. It didn’t break, but unlike Amhu, the tree shook violently.

Mu-hui’s skills weren’t yet refined enough to descend the cliff with the same divine grace as Amhu.

Instead of mimicking Amhu, Mu-hui decided to rely on his own methods to navigate the air.

With eyes wide open, he memorized the cliff’s terrain and potential footholds.

“Twelve spots.”

He mapped out his path in his mind, as if drawing a sword path. In an instant, a route down the cliff was complete.

Twisting his waist to adjust his angle, Mu-hui aimed for a rock visible below.

In one hand, he drew his plum blossom sword, while his other hand glowed with a red aura.

Crash!

Mu-hui’s movements were direct and rough, using his sword or hand to adjust his speed and direction as he descended the cliff.

He moved like a swallow diving to catch an insect.

His swift, straightforward movements traced a path that was hard to follow with the eye.

Though unrefined, Mu-hui’s practical approach allowed him to conquer the cliff as intended.

His movements were reminiscent of the unique techniques he had mastered in his past life.

Before his feet touched the ground, Mu-hui flipped his body to reduce the impact.

Boom!

As his feet hit the ground, the earth cracked, and the surrounding vegetation trembled.

Mu-hui exhaled lightly, dispersing the shock through the ground, while Amhu, perched on a nearby tree, looked at him with disdain.

“Screech!”

It was as if Amhu was mocking him for making such a fuss over descending a mere cliff.

“That monkey…”

Watching Amhu’s silhouette disappear into the foliage, Mu-hui let out a cold laugh and pushed off the ground.

Though the Dokgo technique combined footwork and body movement, it was more suited for combat than travel.

Switching to a different technique, Mu-hui’s sleeves flapped like wings as he entered the forest.

The forest behind Nak-an Peak was dense and untouched by human feet, stretching endlessly.

The trees stood thick, their branches blocking even the sunlight, while roots jutted out unevenly from the ground.

It was a cumbersome environment for using movement techniques.

Yet Mu-hui deftly avoided the obstacles, moving swiftly.

Still, his graceful movements paled in comparison to Amhu’s.

Amhu moved without a sound, as if gliding over the ground, unbound by anything, passing through the forest like a breeze.

His movements were so free, it was as if he was a cloud or a scent flowing through the woods.

“That movement is astonishing, no matter how many times I see it.”

Even as he twisted to avoid branches, Mu-hui kept his eyes on Amhu’s movements, determined not to miss a single detail.

Amhu seemed to be maintaining a consistent distance, perhaps to allow Mu-hui to follow.

Realizing this, Mu-hui gave a wry smile.

“No matter how extraordinary, I can’t catch up.”

Though his pride was slightly wounded, Mu-hui found it encouraging.

If there was something Amhu excelled at, it meant there was room for improvement. He could learn and eventually catch up.

“Show me more. I’ll take everything you have to offer.”

As Mu-hui’s focused eyes shone brightly, Amhu finally stopped, as if waiting for him.

At the base of the cliff was a small cave.

Amhu, wagging his tail, glanced at Mu-hui before entering the cave. After a quick survey of the surroundings, Mu-hui followed.

The cave wasn’t deep, and soon a beam of light appeared on the other side.

After about twenty steps, the darkness lifted, and Mu-hui was enveloped in warm sunlight.

Emerging from the cave, he found himself in a circular basin, surrounded by high cliffs.

Inside, a vast field of flowers bloomed, with plum and pine trees rooted throughout.

It was like a hidden paradise within a volcano. Amhu seemed to live here, opening his bundle atop a plum tree.

“A fitting place for a mystical creature.”

The basin was filled with a natural energy more abundant than anywhere else on the mountain. It felt like a convergence of all the world’s energies.

Even without meditating, the energy was palpable. Training here would surely lead to significant progress.

Tearing his gaze from Amhu, who was munching on a snack, Mu-hui surveyed the area.

The towering gray cliffs surrounding the basin felt like an impregnable fortress guarding this paradise.

As he slowly examined the cliffs, Mu-hui’s eyes widened.

Using his movement technique, he quickly approached the cliff and looked up.

“These are sword marks.”

The vast cliff was like a canvas, covered in sweeping sword marks.

Despite the passage of time, the marks retained their sharpness.

Mu-hui couldn’t tear his eyes away from the marks as he touched the cliff.

“They weren’t made with sword energy, just pure swordsmanship.”

The depth and texture were still so vivid that he could almost feel the sharpness just by touching them.

Mu-hui traced the marks from top to bottom.

Below the marks were two characters.

Guk-hyeon.

“Guk-hyeon… Wasn’t he the Sword Saint of the Volcano Sect when he was the second disciple?”

It seemed Guk-hyeon had also been led to this basin by Amhu in the past.

After studying the marks for a while, Mu-hui snapped out of it and examined the other side of the cliff.

The basin was large enough to house thirty pavilions.

The cliffs surrounding it were vast, with half of them densely covered in sword marks.

“They’re different.”

At first, he thought Guk-hyeon had made all the marks, but after ten steps, the texture changed.

These marks were more chaotic and complex than Guk-hyeon’s, with large and small holes scattered throughout. The holes had swirling patterns inside, as if pierced by a sword.

“Jin-seon.”

Below these marks were two more characters. Mu-hui continued to walk, examining the marks.

Every few steps, the marks changed, and a new name appeared.

Each person who left their mark had different insights, resulting in varied textures and forms.

There were marks from the Three Plum Blossom Sword and the Myriad Fragrance Sword. Some seemed to belong to the Volcano Sect but were from sword techniques that had since disappeared.

“Amazing.”

The countless marks covering half the basin’s cliffs shared a common trait.

They were left by sword masters of a level rarely seen even in the current martial world.

Despite the passage of time, the marks still exuded a sharpness that made one’s hair stand on end, hinting at the insights they tried to convey.

“They’re the sword saints of the Volcano Sect.”

Though only the names remained, Mu-hui was certain.

These were marks left by the top sword masters of their time, worthy of the title of Sword Saint.

Mu-hui counted over ten names visible to him.

Some marks seemed to be over three hundred years old, but it was unclear if this was a secret passed down among the Sword Saints or if Amhu had lived for over three hundred years.

“Hmm?”

Mu-hui stopped at a certain point while examining the marks.

Judging by the sequence, this was the first mark carved into the cliff.

The first mark was extremely simple.

Two intersecting lines.

A large hole in the center.

Below this mark were the characters “Yuk-hap.”

Mu-hui froze at the sight of the mark.

He stood there, staring blankly at the mark, for a long time before finally stepping back and exhaling.

“I don’t understand.”

The other marks, while not entirely clear, gave him a sense of the insights they contained.

But this first mark, despite its simplicity, was completely incomprehensible.

“Yuk-hap…”

The Volcano Sect had produced many Sword Saints throughout its long history, but only one was ever revered as a Sword God.

The founder of the Volcano Sect, Yuk-hap Sword God.

There was no one else who would inscribe “Yuk-hap” instead of their own name.

Although he had no concrete evidence, Muhui was certain upon seeing the sword marks. These were the marks of the Six Harmonies Sword God.

“This place is truly a paradise of Mount Hua.”

As Muhui surveyed the basin, a bolt of inspiration struck him like lightning.

The new sword technique he would create for the Mount Hua Sect.

The ten unnamed forms left by the Sage.

The nine unnamed forms left by the Sword Demon.

And now, he needed to incorporate the insights gained from the sword marks in the basin to forge a new technique.

A sword technique that would encapsulate the wisdom of all the sword masters throughout history.

In such a situation, most people would feel overwhelmed or burdened, but Muhui’s eyes sparkled with the excitement of a child discovering a new toy.

“Even I don’t know what kind of sword technique will emerge.”

Muhui smiled as he took in the sword marks etched into the cliff.

—

Swish!

The sound of leaves brushing against each other was unending.

Muhui was sprinting across the flower field in the basin, with Amhu in hot pursuit.

“Screech!”

With a short cry, Amhu’s form elongated, leaving a trail like ink splattered in the air, and in an instant, Amhu was right in front of Muhui.

Amhu reached for the candy in Muhui’s hand, moving with the precision of a master.

Muhui’s foot lightly twisted on the flower he stood on, gliding through the air as if on ice.

The flowers beneath his feet didn’t break; they merely swayed gently as if touched by the wind.

Muhui’s retreat, tracing a soft line like a butterfly, mirrored Amhu’s movements.

“Screech!”

Frustrated by missing its target, Amhu let out a cry and moved even faster.

With its fur bristling in agitation, Amhu swiftly reached for the candy again, its hands creating dozens of shadows, reminiscent of the Plum Blossom Hand technique.

While Muhui was incorporating Amhu’s movements into his own footwork, Amhu was mimicking the Plum Blossom Hand technique in its own way.

Snap!

Muhui flipped his hand to deflect Amhu’s, memorizing the movement Amhu had just shown.

‘I can use this.’

Muhui was even stealing the Plum Blossom Hand technique that Amhu was imitating and adapting it to his own style.

Amhu’s version of the Plum Blossom Hand was providing Muhui with endless inspiration.

Thanks to Amhu, five forms of the Plum Blossom Hand had been revised, and three new forms had been added.

“Screech!”

“Amhu, it seems getting the candy is becoming more difficult, isn’t it?”

“Screech!”

Despite their relentless dash across the flower field, neither Muhui nor Amhu disturbed the flowers or grass beneath them; they merely swayed gently.

Muhui and Amhu, displaying the pinnacle of the Grass-Top Flying technique, circled the basin several times without any intention of stopping.

Just three months ago, Muhui would have lost the candy to Amhu before even covering twenty steps.

Sometimes, when Amhu grew tired of eating too much candy, Muhui had to tempt it with something else.

As a result, Muhui had swept through all the sweets, liquor, and pancakes in Huayin, leading to rumors that the Mount Hua Sword Demon had a sweet tooth.

“Screech!”

Now, Muhui was no longer easily caught by Amhu.

Over the past three months, Muhui had mastered not only the Hwanhwan Mijongbo and Seonhyangbo but also the Five Elements Plum Blossom Step, the Flying Stream Step, and the Floating Cloud Leap Step, among other Mount Hua footwork techniques.

By integrating the Dokgo Divine Technique, Muhui’s mastery of Mount Hua’s footwork had skyrocketed.

Muhui’s movements were now entirely different from three months ago.

“Screech! Screech!”

Frustrated at being unable to catch Muhui, Amhu stopped and angrily thumped the ground with its tail.

“Three months… It took less time than I expected.”

Muhui tossed a piece of candy to the sulking Amhu, who grinned widely and licked it.

Muhui began to recall and organize the movements of Amhu that had caught his eye today.

“Screech…”

After finishing the candy, Amhu smacked its lips and watched Muhui fall into meditation.

With its long experience, Amhu knew this was an important moment.

Dragging the Plum Blossom Sword that had been tossed into the flower field, Amhu lay down near Muhui, as if standing guard.

—

“Master Gongji, we’ve just crossed the island. They say they’ll take a short break before continuing.”

Gongji, who had been rolling prayer beads with his eyes closed, nodded at the voice of the warrior outside the carriage.

“Understood.”

Gongji was traveling back to the Mount Hua Sect with the Baekri family procession.

He was accompanying them to oversee a martial arts contest between representatives from the Mount Hua Sect and the Baekri family.

“Let’s hope it ends without incident…”

Gongji stepped out of the carriage, chanting sutras as he went.

“Amitabha.”

End