The abundant plum blossoms of Honglim cast a cool shade.
Occasionally, vivid sunlight pierced through the thick petals, highlighting the surrounding blossoms.
'Still, I guess I've improved compared to before.'
For a martial artist, it wasn't just internal energy and martial arts that were important. Sensory perception was just as crucial.
While internal energy increases and cultivation advances naturally sharpen one's senses, the gap between those who trained their perception and those who didn't was significant.
Muhwi leisurely surveyed different parts of Honglim. When he first awakened in this body and entered Honglim, he had felt nothing. But now, he sensed a subtle strangeness.
It was thanks to his relentless efforts—not merely to adapt to a new body, but to refine his senses to the level of a sword demon from his past life. As he continued deeper into Honglim, a forked path revealed itself.
Honglim was situated at a key junction that led not only to Maeseogak, but also to important facilities like the training halls and treasure storage, and thus, martial artists and even formation spells were frequently encountered there.
This was likely why Muhwi felt a sense of incongruity. His current cultivation was still low, so while he couldn't pinpoint the presences exactly, he could still feel that something was off.
'I'll track down every presence the next time I come.'
He felt like there were eyes following him even now, but Muhwi ignored them and walked through Honglim.
As he exited toward the north, a massive building came into view, backed by cliffs that jutted out like upside-down swords.
Maeseogak—towering over ordinary Hwasan Sect pavilions by four to five times in size.
On closer inspection, the varying ages of different sections revealed that new buildings had been added over time when there was no more space for secret manuals.
Through such additions, Maeseogak had grown to its current scale.
The fact that such a massive structure was filled with secret manuals hinted at the deep and long-standing history of the Hwasan Sect.
"Hm? Muhwi, is that you? What brings you here?"
Hyungak, who assisted in managing the place, greeted him. It seemed Baeksoon, the master of Maeseogak, was absent.
"I came to return the manuals I borrowed and thought I'd browse through some others while I'm here."
"Ah."
Hyungak's eyes moved to the three manuals tucked under Muhwi's arm.
"I'll take care of these. Go ahead and take your time."
"Thank you, Senior Hyungak."
As Muhwi placed the manuals on the desk, Hyungak spoke again.
"I heard my disciple owes you a debt."
Muhwi narrowed his eyes slightly at the word 'disciple.'
After recalling for a moment, he realized Hyungak's disciple was Musan.
'Did he get upset because his disciple came back beaten in the middle of the night?'
Contrary to expectations, Hyungak lightly patted Muhwi on the shoulder.
"I heard the full story. Musan had it coming. That kind of thing would've never flown back in my day."
"I heard you often challenged your seniors when you were younger, Master."
At Muhwi's words, Hyungak's eyes softened, as if reminiscing about the past.
"Haha… That's true. There were quite a few scuffles disguised as sparring matches. I was quite bold, even as the youngest."
That bold youngest disciple no longer existed, having left behind only a single student.
"From what Musan said, it didn't sound like he just got beaten up."
"Really? I thought I might've gone too far, so I gave him some advice to cheer him up."
Hyungak's eyes widened slightly at Muhwi's response.
"Yes, as the eldest, you should look after the younger disciples. Go ahead now. I've kept you too long."
As Muhwi disappeared among the bookshelves, Hyungak watched him with curious eyes.
"He's really changed. Muhwi wasn't like that before."
There were many differences between the Muhwi in his memory and the one before him now, but Hyungak welcomed this strange change.
Losing his master and being left alone, it wouldn't have been odd for him to go astray. Yet he had changed for the better, and as a senior, Hyungak couldn't help but feel proud.
"Hyunjoo… It seems Muhwi is doing well."
He gently stroked the returned manual.
"Guso Shinbeop…"
Recalling the days when they would read manuals together and discuss what they didn't understand as fellow disciples, Hyungak sank into the scent of the old paper.
The unique scent was just the same now as it had been then.
"How nostalgic…"
In one corner of Maeseogak, a table was piled high with secret manuals. Surrounded by that wall of manuals stood Muhwi.
He had started with the Falling Plum Sword and was now working his way through all of Hwasan's martial techniques. Naturally, the pile before him had grown taller.
Sword techniques, fist and palm techniques, footwork, light movement arts—there was a wide range.
Even for the same martial art, interpretations and insights varied depending on the practitioner.
As a result, there were many annotated versions. Just the Falling Plum Sword alone had seven different annotated editions.
Muhwi briefly lifted his eyes from the manuals and looked out the window. Unlike when he had first entered, it was now pitch black outside.
'The sun's already set?'
Looking around, he noticed that lanterns had been lit throughout the building. It seemed Hyungak had moved quietly, mindful of Muhwi's deep focus.
Once again losing track of time, Muhwi gave a wry smile.
Even so, analyzing Hwasan's sword techniques, reading different interpretations, and comparing them to his own insights was genuinely enjoyable. He had gained many additional realizations in the process.
'As expected of a prestigious sect. Their martial system is thoroughly organized.'
The power of time that prestigious sects possess.
It wasn't just about deepening martial techniques—through the accumulated trial and error of previous generations, the sect's martial knowledge had been systematized into a structured order of learning.
Thanks to that, the disciples of later generations could learn martial arts more safely and efficiently.
After mastering the Six Harmony Sword (Yukhapgeom), there were three sword techniques to learn next.
Falling Plum Sword (Nakmaegeom) represented illusion (幻),
Whirling Wind Sword (Nongpunggeom) embodied speed (快),
and Ten Thousand Fragrance Sword (Manhyanggeom) captured the essence of change (變).
By mastering these three techniques and internalizing their unique principles, one could finally begin training in the Plum Blossom Sword Formula (Maehwa Geomgyeol).
'Only after mastering the Plum Blossom Sword Formula can one begin training in the signature techniques of the Hwasan Sect.'
Sevenfold Plum Blossom Sword (Chiljeol Maehwa Geom)
Threefold Frost Plum Sword (Samreung Maehwa Geom)
Radiant Plum Blossom Sword (Yeongnong Maehwa Geom)
These were the pinnacle martial techniques of the current Hwasan Sect.
They were the very reason the Hwasan Sect had earned its place among the Three Great Sword Sects of the martial world. In fact, all the Sword Saints the Hwasan Sect had produced had mastered at least one of these Plum Blossom Sword techniques.
The Six Harmony Sword was the root,
the Falling Plum, Whirling Wind, and Ten Thousand Fragrance Swords were the trunk,
the Plum Blossom Sword Formula formed the branches,
and the final three Plum Blossom Swords were the flowers that bloomed.
To Muhwi, the structure of Hwasan's swordsmanship was exactly like a plum tree.
A martial artist who pursued Hwasan's sword techniques to their ultimate end would, in time, become a plum tree himself.
'I'd love nothing more than to start studying the Plum Blossom Sword Formula and what lies beyond it, but…'
Currently, Muhwi wasn't allowed to read manuals beyond the Plum Blossom Sword Formula.
To prevent disciples from recklessly pursuing higher-level techniques out of greed, each sect imposed restrictions on access to secret manuals.
These restrictions varied: level of martial attainment, internal rankings, whether one was a main-line or branch disciple. Each sect had its own rules.
Fortunately, the Hwasan Sect had relatively lenient restrictions.
To read the Plum Blossom Sword Formula and beyond, one needed only a Plum Blossom Sword (Maehwageom).
The Plum Blossom Sword was a symbol of Hwasan's recognized swordsmen.
The moment a disciple wore the Plum Blossom Sword at their waist, they were officially acknowledged as a true sword wielder of the Hwasan Sect.
But currently, even second-generation disciples like Muhwi had not received the Plum Blossom Sword yet—they alternated between using standard steel swords and wooden swords from Chunmaegwan.
"Earning the Plum Blossom Sword as soon as possible should be my top priority."
"Plum Blossom Sword? Are you looking to enter the Plum Blossom Sword Formula?"
The sudden voice made Muhwi turn his head.
As he looked through the shelves, Baekyu, the sect leader, appeared. Muhwi quickly rose and placed his hands together in greeting.
"I greet the Sect Leader."
"It's been a while since I've seen lights on in Maeseogak this late at night. So it was you, Muhwi."
Baekyu glanced at the pile of manuals Muhwi had built up and, stroking his beard with interest, asked:
"Did you read all of these?"
"Yes."
"Hoho… May I sit with you for a while?"
"Of course."
Baekyu pulled a chair to his side and gestured for Muhwi to sit. Muhwi, who had been standing, took his seat again.
Baekyu stared at him without saying a word, making Muhwi feel oddly uncomfortable.
Even in his past life, Muhwi had encountered Baekyu a few times. Baekyu had always regarded Dokgoheon, the so-called Sword Demon and foremost heretical swordsman, without prejudice.
Ironically, Dokgoheon had always found that gaze somewhat difficult to handle.
'Come to think of it, if not for you, my connection with Malco might've been severed long ago.'
It was thanks to Baekyu's permission that Hyunjo and Dokgoheon had repeatedly exchanged swords and deepened their friendship. It was also why Dokgoheon could occasionally step foot in Hwasan.
Baekyu looked at Muhwi and asked,
"Have you come to terms with Hyunjo's passing?"
"I'm all right now."
Even if one lets go of the emotion, the weight still lingers in the heart.
Baekyu caught that subtle heaviness in Muhwi's eyes.
"Life and death are one. An end is simply a new beginning, a natural flow. Of course, I'm sure you already understand this."
It sounded like the teaching of a Taoist, but Muhwi couldn't recall a specific source, so he simply nodded.
"I too once lost my master. But I could never claim to understand your grief—feelings differ for each person."
Looking at Muhwi, Baekyu seemed to be remembering someone, and he smiled bitterly.
"Don't think of Hyunjo's death as an end. Think of it as a new beginning, and believe that blessing him on his next path will help you find peace. Hyunjo would have preferred your blessing over your sorrow."
"A new beginning..."
Hyunjo's death still weighed on one side of Muhwi's heart. The loss of his only true friend carried a weight that was hard to bear.
But as he listened to Baekyu's words, he felt that weight slowly begin to lift. Recalling Hyunjo's final moments, Muhwi nodded.
'A blessing... Yes, perhaps a blessing would be better.'
Muhwi lowered his head respectfully toward Baekyu.
"Thank you, Sect Leader. Your words have helped me."
At that, Baekyu's mustache twitched with a faint smile.
"Wonsicheonjon."
(A Taoist salutation meaning "May the Origin and Supreme One bless you.")
Muhwi returned the Taoist phrase for the first time.
"Wonsicheonjon."
A brief, peaceful silence followed, and then Baekyu, seemingly trying to shift the mood, changed the topic.
"I heard you've started retraining the second-generation disciples in the Six Harmony Sword. You're leading the dawn practices now, aren't you?"
As expected of the Hwasan Sect's leader—he knew everything, even what had happened just earlier that day.
"Yes, that's correct."
Baekyu looked at Muhwi with quiet curiosity.
In the past, the boy had lacked confidence, hesitating even with simple answers.
"The Six Harmony Sword, hmm… What made you choose that?"
"I only followed Master's teachings—that the Six Harmony Sword is the foundation of the Hwasan Sect."
"Indeed. The Six Harmony Sword is Hwasan's foundation."
Murmuring to himself, Baekyu turned his gaze back to Muhwi and asked directly,
"Then do you know why, despite pursuing the Six Harmonies, Hwasan's form of expression became the plum blossom?"
A sudden, unexpected question.
Muhwi paused for a moment, deep in thought, before finally speaking.
"Since coming out of Hwayeogak, I've focused solely on training the Six Harmony Sword. And then… a thought suddenly came to me."
Baekyu raised his snowy brows in interest.
"Oh? Let's hear it."
< Conversation in Maeseogak—End. >
< A small flower bud remained. >