Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 9

—–CROW—– 

“Just now, that was…”

Hyeon-do, startled by Cheon-hwi’s quiet words, snapped back to reality and opened his hand.

Even though he had stopped wielding the sword, the sensation he felt while performing the Six Harmonies Sword Technique still lingered in his palm.

“The Six Harmonies Sword Technique?”

He whispered the question softly, but subconsciously, he already knew.

That the sword technique he had just performed was the true Six Harmonies Sword Technique.

Whoosh—

He turned his head and looked at Cheon-hwi.

Cheon-hwi was looking at him with an indifferent expression, the wooden sword resting on his shoulder.

A rather arrogant posture, completely opposite to his previously polite demeanor.

But it suited the current Cheon-hwi perfectly.

“Isn’t that right?”

At Cheon-hwi’s confident voice, Hyeon-do trembled, his hand gripping the sword, unable to speak.

After a moment.

“Yes, you’re right.”

Hyeon-do readily admitted it.

Or rather, he had no choice but to admit it.

The Six Harmonies Sword Technique he had just performed, following Cheon-hwi’s example, was no less impressive than the other advanced sword techniques of their sect.

‘No, perhaps even…’

Hyeon-do swallowed and asked,

“How did you come up with this way of wielding the Six Harmonies Sword Technique?”

Cheon-hwi looked at him.

The anger and shouting from moments ago had completely vanished.

Only a serious gaze remained.

Unexpected.

The corners of Cheon-hwi’s mouth subtly curved upwards.

It wasn’t easy for someone to readily admit they were wrong, especially when corrected by someone younger or weaker.

Even more so when that someone was a fourteen-year-old child with no internal energy, like himself.

He had thought the Taoists would be nothing but stubborn and inflexible.

He chuckled.

He liked Hyeon-do’s gaze.

The gaze he saw every day in the mirror in his past life.

‘The eyes of someone obsessed with martial arts.’

Cheon-hwi picked up the wooden sword from his shoulder and asked Hyeon-do in return,

“Why did you tell me to take a different starting posture for each move?”

Hyeon-do looked at Cheon-hwi, who answered his question with another question, and then replied quietly,

“The foundation of all martial arts is posture.  If you can’t even assume the correct posture, you can’t draw out true power.”

Cheon-hwi frowned.

He had expected this the moment he saw the martial arts manuals in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion.

They believed wholeheartedly in the manuals.

That’s why they hadn’t made any progress in three hundred years.

‘What an old-fashioned saying.’

Of course, when you know nothing, simply imitating can lead to rapid progress.

But blindly following instructions wouldn’t allow one to unleash true power.

‘If something feels strange, you have to change it.’

He looked at Hyeon-do with a disappointed expression.

But Cheon-hwi didn’t know.

That the Heavenly Demon Cult and the righteous sects were different.

In the Heavenly Demon Cult, it didn’t matter how you changed a martial art, as long as you achieved results.

However, in the righteous sects, arbitrarily changing a sect’s martial art was a grave sin, punishable by death.

Moreover, Hyeon-do was proud of Mount Hua Sect and was so engrossed in practicing martial arts that he had never even considered that the martial arts he learned might be flawed.

And yet, for Hyeon-do to say that the martial arts passed down through generations were flawed and to change them on his own accord?

That was impossible unless Hyeon-do suddenly went insane from Qi deviation.

But Cheon-hwi, unaware of this, looked at Hyeon-do and said,

“None of the martial arts I know have moves that are executed separately without any connection. But the Six Harmonies Sword Technique felt like a collection of completely different sword techniques.”

“The Six Harmonies in the Six Harmonies Sword Technique refer to the six directions: forward, backward, left, right, up, and down. It’s a sword technique that encompasses all of them. That’s why the moves are separate and don’t connect smoothly…”

Hyeon-do paused, his gaze sharpening.

He looked intently at Cheon-hwi and said,

“And you changed that. You made them flow as if they were connected.”

Cheon-hwi’s eyes shone as he listened.

‘He has unwavering conviction.’

He liked Hyeon-do more and more.

Although his thoughts and perspective on martial arts were old-fashioned, he had perseverance.

And a passion for martial arts.

“The six directions… That’s true. But I thought about the Six Harmonies in the Six Harmonies Sword Technique differently.”

“What do you mean?”

Hyeon-do’s gaze became serious.

Sweep—

Cheon-hwi raised the wooden sword.

“There would have been many ways to teach wielding a sword in six directions.  You just have to repeat swinging the sword like this, without thinking too much about it.”

The wooden sword moved in six directions.

It was the original Six Harmonies Sword Technique.

“But why bother creating the Six Harmonies Sword Technique?  It seems unnecessary to create a sword technique just to teach how to swing a sword in six directions.”

At Cheon-hwi’s words, Hyeon-do frowned and pondered for a moment, then said,

“It’s because it’s a foundational sword technique. It’s said that to properly execute a sword technique, one must understand the unity of principle and practice. Even if you know the theory and principles, if you can’t wield a sword, or conversely, if you can wield a sword but don’t understand the theory and principles, you won’t be able to properly execute even advanced sword techniques.”

Hyeon-do’s voice lowered.

“The Six Harmonies Sword Technique is a foundational sword technique designed to address this issue. It teaches how to wield a sword in preparation for understanding the principles and theories embedded in advanced sword techniques.”

“Then are you saying that the Six Harmonies Sword Technique doesn’t contain any principles?”

“That’s…”

Hyeon-do frowned.

Principles in the Six Harmonies Sword Technique?

He had never thought about it.

After all, the Six Harmonies Sword Technique was a foundational sword technique learned before learning advanced sword techniques.

By the time one understood the principles and theories and could properly execute sword techniques, they would be focusing on advanced sword techniques, not the Six Harmonies Sword Technique.

Cheon-hwi looked at Hyeon-do, whose expression was quite complicated, and said,

“The Six Harmonies Sword Technique I saw contains principles. Who in the world would call simply swinging a sword without any principles a sword technique?”

Hyeon-do’s head spun as he debated with Cheon-hwi.

“I executed the Six Harmonies Sword Technique assuming it was complete from the beginning. But when I tried it, I found that the focus on the starting posture made the transitions between moves clunky. So, I first thought about how to connect the moves, and then I came up with a method.”

Hyeon-do’s eyes lit up and he asked,

“What method?”

Cheon-hwi grinned.

“Didn’t I just say it?”

“What…?”

“I said I thought about the Six Harmonies differently.”

Suddenly, Cheon-hwi’s wooden sword transformed.

The stiff wooden sword now swayed like a soft reed, and the six sword styles merged into one.

“By combining all six moves into one, like this.”

“…!”

Hyeon-do’s eyes widened.

Six Harmonies had a double meaning.

Six and one.

One and six.

And direction and style.

By combining them into one and then dividing them again, the connections naturally became smooth.

‘Such principles within the Six Harmonies!’

He stared at Cheon-hwi with wide eyes.

This was a sword technique that had been practiced by hundreds of thousands of people over centuries.

But no one had ever thought about the meaning of Six Harmonies like Cheon-hwi.

Of course, it might be because most people moved on to advanced sword techniques.

But.

‘Even so, to grasp the meaning of Six Harmonies that no one has known for so long.’

His whole body trembled.

A mere fourteen-year-old.

And Cheon-hwi, who had been learning martial arts for less than three days, had done it.

No, not only did he grasp it, but he also executed it perfectly.

He couldn’t help but admire him.

“Amazing.”

Hyeon-do, filled with admiration, leaned closer with sparkling eyes.

“When exactly did you understand the meaning of Six Harmonies?  During the first move? Or while wielding the sword? Or perhaps during the transition to the second move…?”

Cheon-hwi frowned.

Having that intense face so close to him was overwhelming.  Noticing the change in his expression, Hyeon-do coughed and muttered,

“Ahem, I got a little excited.”

He then smiled brightly.

‘He’s a true genius! A true genius!’

The previous assessment of Cheon-hwi’s swordsmanship being clumsy was overturned.

He wanted to slap himself for making such an assessment moments ago. Cheon-hwi was exceptionally talented in swordsmanship.

“When did you grasp the meaning of Six Harmonies?”

“From the beginning.”

“…!”

Hyeon-do’s eyes widened.

‘He understood it from the beginning?’

As he was stunned, as if hit in the back of the head with a rock, Cheon-hwi said,

“It felt very unnatural when transitioning to the next move.”

Cheon-hwi’s voice rang in his ears.

“Since you’ve been practicing the Six Harmonies Sword Technique as you were taught, you might not have noticed the unnaturalness, but perhaps because it was my first time, I noticed it right away.”

“You mean I was blinded by familiarity.”

“Sometimes, the answer is surprisingly close, so we miss it.”

“Surprisingly close…!”

Boom!

It was as if lightning struck Hyeon-do’s mind.

Days without looking sideways.

He should have looked to the side and back once in a while, but he just blindly charged forward.

That’s why his vision narrowed.

To the point where he couldn’t even see what was right in front of him.

‘I was blinded by haste.’

Sweep—

Hyeon-do carefully put down his sword and sat down on the spot.

‘I thought I had to master the Great Mystery Art to reach the Heavenly Martial Realm.  But do I really have to master it? Perhaps I’ve already reached the realm, but I was too focused to realize it…’

Cheon-hwi frowned as he watched Hyeon-do suddenly sit cross-legged.

An unusual energy emanated from Hyeon-do, who was completely absorbed in circulating his energy.

“…I just helped someone else achieve enlightenment.”

Cheon-hwi muttered and stroked his chin.

His chin, which would have been covered in a beard in his past life, was smooth.

He then frowned and turned his head.

“Judging by his state, it’ll take a while. Should I practice the sword techniques I saw in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion while I wait?”

Having decided to wait and act as a guardian, Cheon-hwi adjusted his grip on the wooden sword.

Grip—

He recalled the sword techniques that represented Mount Hua Sect and the lost sword techniques recorded only in the Mount Hua Chronicles.

Whoosh— Whoosh—

The wooden sword moved accordingly.

After two hours.

Flash!

Hyeon-do’s eyes flashed open. The brilliant light emanating from his uncontrolled internal energy gradually dimmed.

His blurry vision focused, returning to normal.

“Finally…”

Hyeon-do clenched his fists.

He had finally stepped into the realm that had been just out of reach for two years.

Then he saw Cheon-hwi.

Cheon-hwi was holding a wooden sword in his small hand, a bored expression on his face.

“How much time has passed?”

“About two hours.”

Cheon-hwi replied in an annoyed tone.

Hyeon-do’s trance had lasted longer than he expected.

Despite Cheon-hwi’s reaction, Hyeon-do smiled and stood up.

“Hahaha. It’s all thanks to you.”

Cheon-hwi looked at him approaching with a gentle smile.

That smile didn’t suit his face.

Although Hyeon-do’s intention seemed benevolent, his appearance was different.

The upturned corners of his mouth made his scar twitch, and his wrinkles deepened.

It was like the murderous smile of the Ghost-Faced Demon Blade before he killed someone.

But Hyeon-do, completely unaware of his own appearance, spoke in a much gentler voice than usual.

“Thank you.”

Despite Hyeon-do’s sincere gratitude, Cheon-hwi remained indifferent.

It was a disrespectful attitude, but Hyeon-do, already blinded by his admiration, mistook it for shyness.

After looking at Cheon-hwi warmly for a moment, Hyeon-do tilted his head back and laughed heartily towards the sky.

“Hahahaha. To send me such a treasure, the Heavenly Lord hasn’t abandoned our sect yet.”

Hyeon-do couldn’t contain his joy.

But only for a moment.

“This isn’t the time.  I must inform Senior Brother Sect Leader of this joyous news!”

He exclaimed as if remembering something he had forgotten and looked at Cheon-hwi.

He smiled and said,

“I’ll put in a good word for you with Senior Brother!”

“Huh?”

Cheon-hwi looked bewildered.

But before he could say anything, Hyeon-do kicked off the ground and vanished in an instant.

Cheon-hwi stared at the spot where Hyeon-do had disappeared, leaving only dust, and muttered with a confused expression,

“What’s he talking about?”

***

The Purple Cloud Pavilion.

In the residence where the Sect Leaders of Mount Hua Sect resided for generations, the current Sect Leader, Hyeon-sang, was lightly sipping tea, steam rising from the cup.

‘This Five Mountains Gathering will determine how our sect is perceived in the Jianghu for the next four years.’

Since it was the first Five Mountains Gathering in twenty years, he was especially meticulous in his preparations.

He had persuaded the Master of the Finance Pavilion to invest heavily in renovating the Plum Blossom Pavilion and had repaired and decorated several other places.

All preparations were complete.

The only regret was the absence of most of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

After the devastating bloodshed eight years ago, Mount Hua Sect’s position within the Murim Alliance had gradually weakened.

As a result, other sects were eyeing their position, and he had no choice but to send Hyeon-jin, his junior, along with the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, who were the elite force of their sect, to the Murim Alliance.

To demonstrate that Mount Hua Sect was still strong.

Therefore, he couldn’t recall them even for the Five Mountains Gathering.

‘No, this might be an opportunity.  If our sect can demonstrate its strength at the Five Mountains Gathering even without the Plum Blossom Swordsmen…’

He was lost in thought when.

Burst!

The door to the Purple Cloud Pavilion suddenly opened, and the golden light of the setting sun poured in.

“Senior Brother!”

Hyeon-do appeared amidst the setting sun.  Hyeon-sang looked at Hyeon-do, who stood politely before him, and said,

“What brings you here so suddenly…!”

He stopped mid-sentence, stunned.

Hyeon-do was standing right in front of him.

But he couldn’t sense his presence.

That could only mean one thing.

“R-Return to Simplicity?!”

Hyeon-do smiled.

Seeing his meaningful smile, Hyeon-sang hurriedly asked,

“Did you break through the wall?”

Hyeon-do nodded.

“Finally…”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Hyeon-sang stood up.

“This isn’t the time. I must inform everyone that you’ve reached the Heavenly Martial Realm.”

Like true senior and junior brothers, Hyeon-sang uttered the same words as Hyeon-do. He was about to rush out of the Purple Cloud Pavilion to share the good news when.

“Senior Brother.”

Hyeon-do stopped him.

“There’s something more important.”

“What do you mean? You’ve reached the Heavenly Martial Realm, how can there be anything more important?”

“Yes, there is.”

Hyeon-sang’s face hardened at Hyeon-do’s resolute gaze and tone, and he asked,

“What is…”

“Cheon-hwi is a genius!”

“…What?”

Hyeon-sang was momentarily speechless at Hyeon-do’s interruption.

“Not just a genius, but the best in the world, no, the best in all of history!”

Hyeon-do’s shout shook the Purple Cloud Pavilion.

—–CROW—–