“Ouch… The spots where I got hit yesterday are really aching.”

Mu-san shivered involuntarily as he recalled watching Mu-hwi beat Mu-ryun the day before.

“To think he could defeat Senior Brother Mu-ryun so easily…”

Mu-ryun was always among the top five in martial prowess among the second-generation disciples. Yet, seeing him toyed with so effortlessly by Mu-hwi made Mu-san see his senior brother in a new light.

Glancing around, Mu-san noticed that no one could take their eyes off the transformed Mu-hwi. The same strange feeling he had felt yesterday seemed to be shared by the other disciples.

With each passing day, Mu-hwi was rapidly shedding the image he had built over the years, demonstrating through his actions that he was no longer the person he used to be.

“What will he show us next…?”

Mu-san couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of anticipation towards Mu-hwi, despite having kept his distance for so long. He chuckled wryly at himself and looked up again at Mu-hwi, who was swinging his wooden sword with enthusiasm.

“Ugh…”

Mu-hwi grabbed the front of Mu-ryun’s robe, who was on the verge of losing consciousness from the beating. Mu-ryun slumped in Mu-hwi’s grip.

“Mu-san, Mu-ho. Come up here and take this guy to the infirmary.”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

Mu-san and Mu-ho quickly rushed forward, each taking one of Mu-ryun’s arms. With their support, Mu-ryun quietly left the training ground.

Thud.

Mu-hwi planted his wooden sword between his feet and surveyed the disciples below. The scene of him pummeling Mu-ryun was still fresh in their minds, and just his gaze was enough to make them tense up.

With just his presence, Mu-hwi commanded the atmosphere of the training ground. His eyes settled on Mu-hwa, who had first questioned the Six Harmonies Sword technique.

“Do you understand why I could completely counter Mu-ryun’s attacks with just the Six Harmonies Sword?”

“Is it because you built a solid foundation with it?”

“That’s part of it, but Mu-ryun’s foundation was surprisingly shallow. It became evident when he used the Whirlwind Sword. Does anyone know why?”

Mu-cheol answered as Mu-hwi scanned the training ground. Some disciples turned to look at Mu-cheol in surprise.

“His emotions. His mind was unsettled.”

Mu-hwi nodded.

“Mu-ryun was flustered and anxious. He hastily used the Whirlwind Sword, which made it fast but simple and light. It was easier to block than the Six Harmonies Sword.”

A disciple from the second generation asked a question.

“Does what you just said relate to the foundation?”

“When I talk about foundation, I don’t mean just swinging a sword in the correct stance repeatedly. A novice swings with their arms, an intermediate uses their whole body and breathes into the sword.”

Mu-jin, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“Then what about an expert?”

“An expert observes themselves while swinging the sword.”

This answer seemed vague at first, so Mu-hwi elaborated, knowing the disciples might not grasp it immediately.

“It involves a harmony of various elements like mental stillness, breath control, maintaining and shifting balance, and distributing internal energy. That’s why constant self-observation is necessary. This is what we call cultivation, and it’s why we learn swordsmanship in the Huashan Sect.”

Mu-hwi shared his insights into the sword, gained from his past life as the Sword Demon, in a way that suited the Huashan Sect.

The convergence of all paths.

Right and wrong. Though the paths differ, reaching the extreme leads to the same point, and delving deeply into the essence is not so difficult.

“Do they realize I’ve given them quite a significant insight?”

Mu-hwi chuckled at the disciples blinking in confusion. It didn’t matter if they didn’t understand right away. As long as they kept it in a corner of their minds, it would help them break through barriers in the future.

“This isn’t something you achieve just by learning advanced martial arts. You must constantly observe and cultivate yourself while swinging the sword. That’s what building a foundation means.”

There was a peculiar charisma in Mu-hwi’s words.

Who among the senior disciples could speak with such depth as Mu-hwi?

The image of Mu-hwi, built over more than a decade, was slowly crumbling.

For the first time, a glimmer of trust appeared in the eyes of the disciples looking at Mu-hwi.

“If any disciple still has complaints after such a thorough explanation, let’s discuss it with wooden swords.”

Mu-hwi’s words, tinged with humor, brought smiles to some of the disciples.

“Not bad.”

The eyes of the second-generation disciples looking up at him held a newfound warmth.

Seeing this, Mu-hwi slowly raised his wooden sword to the middle guard. The disciples followed suit, drawing their wooden swords and mirroring his stance.

“Haap!”

A loud shout echoed through the training ground, marking the start of Mu-hwi’s first dawn training session.

As the second-generation disciples practiced the Six Harmonies Sword, Mu-hwi raised his voice.

“Straighten your arms!”

Mu-hwi began correcting the disciples whenever he noticed something amiss.

“Mu-hwa! You’re not putting enough strength into the sword. You’re swinging with just your arms, not your whole body.”

“Yes!”

The Six Harmonies Sword was the technique the second-generation disciples had practiced the longest. Yet, they had to focus all their attention on extending their swords properly.

Otherwise, they would face Mu-hwi’s stern reprimand.

“Mu-hae, Mu-yun! Why are your lower bodies so unstable? Are you neglecting your stance training?”

“Sorry, Senior Brother!”

Mu-hwi accurately identified and corrected the disciples’ weaknesses. Those who heard his advice immediately tried to change their actions.

Some had already vaguely sensed their issues, but Mu-hwi’s precise guidance increased their trust in his advice.

The disciples’ growing focus on their swords heated the cool morning air. Mu-hwi’s sharp words reached almost every disciple, including Mu-jin, who was known for his exceptional martial skills.

“Mu-jin! Your upper body is too stiff. Relax your shoulders and swing the sword with more elasticity.”

Momentarily pausing at Mu-hwi’s piercing words, Mu-jin resumed thrusting his sword with force.

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

After a few swings, Mu-jin seemed to find his rhythm, gradually relaxing his upper body. Watching this, Mu-hwi silently admired him.

“As expected, in terms of pure talent, that guy is the best.”

Though Mu-hwi continued to offer advice, few disciples could immediately incorporate it into their bodies. It was only natural.

Even if they understood it mentally, it was difficult to change ingrained habits instantly.

That’s why martial artists repeatedly train daily, gradually addressing their weaknesses.

“That guy is worth nurturing.”

When the sect leader sought a disciple, everyone expected Mu-jin to be chosen. But the sect leader picked Mu-hwi.

No one in the Huashan Sect knew the reason, but Mu-hwi did.

He had heard it from the sect leader in his past life.

“Mu-hwi, was it? From afar, he doesn’t seem like much, but does he have some hidden talent?”

“His talent is average. But he has the greatest perseverance in Huashan. I’ve never seen him give up on anything.”

“Perseverance? You chose him just for that? Hmm…”

“Other disciples with dazzling talents will grow strong on their own. But Mu-hwi will struggle. Turning an ordinary person into a master—that’s the role of a teacher and what martial arts should be about.”

“The role of a teacher… In that case, I’m not cut out for it.”

“Wait.”

Reflecting on his conversation with the sect leader, Mu-hwi suddenly realized something.

Could he really change the declining Huashan by creating a new sword technique as the sect leader’s successor?

“Is that even possible?”

It was only possible because the sect leader cared about and wanted to change the current Huashan.

But the sect leader was no longer here.

So who would take on the role of guiding the disciples with the new sword technique?

“This is turning out to be more troublesome than I thought.”

In Huashan, only Mu-hwi knew the sect leader’s intentions, and naturally, he was the only one who could carry on that role.

“If I meet him again in the afterlife, I’ll have to buy him a drink. Malco.”

With a wry smile, Mu-hwi gritted his teeth and focused on the second-generation disciples practicing the Six Harmonies Sword.

How he led them depended entirely on his abilities.

“They say the plum blossoms of Huashan bloom with different temperaments and scents.”

From Mu-hwi’s perspective, it would be easier to select the most talented disciples and focus on teaching them.

In his past life as the Sword Demon, that’s what he would have done.

Because it was efficient.

But he was not the Sword Demon now. He was the senior brother.

The one leading the second-generation disciples of Huashan.

Mu-hwi decided not to abandon a single one of them and to take them all along.

This was the way that suited both Mu-hwi and Huashan.

Huashan had given him a new opportunity.

There was no need to live the same life as before, so this time, he intended to live a life more fitting for Huashan.

“To think I have to spoon-feed so many disciples when I haven’t even properly taught a single one before.”

In his past life, the Sword Demon had been so focused on honing his own skills that he neglected teaching his disciples.

Looking back now, he realized he hadn’t been a good teacher like Hyunjo.

“That kid could probably survive even in the depths of hell, but I have no idea what he’s up to now.”

Mu-hwi, momentarily lost in nostalgia, still had an uncanny ability to spot any flaws in his disciples’ swordsmanship.

“How can your wooden swords be shaking already? You’ve barely started swinging them!”

His voice, somehow more forceful, rang out across the training ground.

Watching his disciples sweat as if it were pouring rain, Mu-hwi made a decision.

He might not have been a great teacher, but he could at least try to be a decent senior brother.

That would be the first step toward change.

He needed to change himself first, and only then could he hope to change his disciples and the Hwasan sect.

“Plum blossoms…”

Mu-hwi found himself wondering.

What kind of plum blossoms would his disciples cultivate? What fragrance would they emit? And what kind of fragrance would his own plum blossom have?

Little by little, Mu-hwi was trying to infuse his new path with the colors and scents of Hwasan.

* * *

After finishing the dawn training and dismissing the second-generation disciples, Mu-hwi headed straight for Maesogak.

Maesogak was nestled in a small gorge within Yeonhwabong, and the entrance to the gorge was surrounded by a vast forest of plum trees.

All the plum trees here bloomed with red blossoms, so the disciples of the Hwasan sect called this forest Honglim, the Red Forest.

Mu-hwi walked toward Honglim, where the rich scent of plum blossoms lingered in the air.