Baek Cheon’s mood as he looked at Mu Ho from the stage was far from pleasant.

He was clearly quite skilled. It wasn’t hard to deduce the situation by observing Wudang’s subtle atmosphere and the unpleasant expressions.

‘Will you really act like this?’

He finally understood what Chung Myung had meant by everything he said before getting on stage.

“Mu Ho, a first-class disciple of Wudang.”

“…”

Baek Cheon didn’t respond immediately but simply stared at Mu Ho. Then, Mu Ho, unable to hold his gaze, subtly averted his eyes.

He might have at least retorted if he were confident, but Baek Cheon suppressed a sigh.

Actually, upon reflection, Mu Ho hadn’t done anything wrong. Ultimately, he, too, could be considered a victim of the circumstances.

If there was one who was truly at fault…

Baek Cheon’s gaze shifted to Heo Sanja, who was off the stage.

‘It is him.’

Confidence.

Unlike the other disciples, who couldn’t bear to meet Baek Cheon’s gaze and avoided it, Heo Sanja held his head high, as if he had no shame.

The reactions between the disciples at the back and Heo Sanja were starkly contrasting. Baek Cheon sighed softly.

Baek Cheon was also mature enough to fully grasp the logic of Kangho, that was, the logic of the strong. He had no intention of criticizing the elder’s choice as wrong.

But one question lingered in his mind.

‘What would I do if the elders did that?’

If it were Hyun Sang or Hyun Young, would they have told Baek Cheon to endure the shame like those disciples over there for the glory of the sect? To protect the law of Kangho?

No, they wouldn’t.

Of course, it might seem foolish and odd. Viewed without emotion, Wudang’s decision might appear more beneficial and correct for the sect.

But…

Baek Cheon looked at Mu Ho with a solemn expression and said,

“I am Baek Cheon, a second-class disciple of Mount Hua.”

He folded his hands and looked on. The situation was somewhat different, but he didn’t lose his manners.

Srrng.

After exchanging greetings, the two individuals simultaneously drew their swords.

Unlike Mu Ho, who appeared a bit impatient while drawing his sword, Baek Cheon slowly and leisurely unsheathed his.

“…”

Mu Ho glanced at Baek Cheon.

Having drawn his sword, there seemed no need for words, yet Baek Cheon could discern from his expression that he wished to communicate something.

“Please speak.”

“…”

When Baek Cheon prompted him, Mu Ho hesitated briefly before sighing.

“It wasn’t me.”

“I know.”

The name of a sect carried more weight than pride. Naturally, someone from Wudang couldn’t refuse an elder.

“But.”

Baek Cheon said calmly.

“No matter the outcome of this duel, I believe I will stand tall with pride.”

“…”

Mu Ho had no response; he simply lowered his reddened face.

‘What does this mean?’

What was the value of fame that prevented a student from standing tall, caused them to blush with shame, and denied them a proud victory?

Indeed, that choice might have been the right one.

But Baek Cheon refused to seek fame through dishonorable means. This sentiment, he believed, was shared by all disciples of Mount Hua.

‘At least for this moment.’

Baek Cheon raised his sword.

‘I feel sympathy for the Wudang disciples.’

He then added with a pause.

“Please take care of me.”

Doubt flickered in Mu Ho’s eyes as he looked at Baek Cheon. The gaze of the other Wudang disciples also centered on Baek Cheon.

‘Yoon Jong has played his part.’

He was someone who provided hope to the disciples who followed him.

So, what was Baek Cheon’s role? What must he achieve at Mount Hua?

Baek Cheon’s firm and resonant voice filled the air.

“No matter the outcome of this spar, or even this challenge, the competition between Wudang and Mount Hua will persist. And this sword is one that pursues you, so watch carefully.”

The faces of the Wudang disciples stiffened at those arrogant and rude terms. What was even more infuriating for them was that they were in a position where they couldn’t retort.

“This is the sword of Mount Hua.”

Baek Cheon’s eyes sparkled, and then he took a deep breath.

“Woah, look at our Dong-Ryong.”

Chung Myung chuckled as he watched Baek Cheon on the stage.

‘Cannot be stopped.’

Wasn’t he right? He was amazed.

If it were Chung Myung, he wouldn’t have done this. He could have made them all puke blood by punishing them for their wrongdoings, and mere blushing and embarrassment wouldn’t have been the end of it.

‘Result is important?’

Stupid moron.

Chung Myung looked at Heo Sanja.

Right. Maybe so. Once fame was broken, it took several times the effort to start raising it again.

But Chung Myung knew that, too. In the past, if it were him, he would have done anything to secure a win, but now he understood that there were many kinds of victories.

Winning in this competition wasn’t everything. What was more important was for Mount Hua to catch up and surpass Wudang.

Thanks to Heo Sanja’s choice, Mount Hua’s disciples remembered the fact that Wudang’s first-class disciple had just avoided a request for a spar.

On the contrary, Wudang’s first-class disciples would hide the fact as if they were the bringers of this farce.

Although they spoke bravely, the Mount Hua disciples still thought of Wudang as a mountain, and it wasn’t one that could be easily climbed, but it was also one they wouldn’t dare touch.

But now they will realize that the mountain wasn’t as high as they thought and question whether it was true.

“Pierce them and come.”

And now Baek Cheon will prove it.

Shhh.

Baek Cheon’s sword lightly struck the air.

He chose Mount Hua’s unique nature and just looked at Mu Ho calmly as if it was the first time, but Mu Ho started to shrink more and more.

‘Why this?’

The opponent was a first-class disciple.

Although their reputation was high and they were said to have the best technique in the world, the training time itself was different, as was their class.

But why was he shrinking like this?

‘Because something like this happened a while back?’

Was the incident affecting his mood?

No, it wasn’t like that.

Mu Ho looked at Baek Cheon again with fresh eyes. There was something different about him compared to the disciples of Mount Hua who had stepped in until now.

A feeling of intimidation and pressure. This young person had the presence of famed warriors.

‘It feels like I am facing a sahyung.’

It felt a little different, but an absurd pressure reminded him of when he sparred with Mu Jin. Was it possible to feel pressure from someone who was at least 10 years younger than him?

But common sense was common sense, and reality was reality. Right now, Mu Ho had no confidence against the opponent in front of him.

‘I am the challenger.’

Mu Ho bit his lip.

Even though his appearance wasn’t impressive, he was still the first-class disciple of Wudang. And losing this was an impossible thought.

After gathering his courage, Mu Ho immediately rallied and released the sword qi.

Pat!

The sword qi, which had been cut down briefly, flew towards Baek Cheon in a half-moon shape.

But.

Kwang!

The plum blossom sword swung lightly and easily struck down the heavy sword qi and sent it flying away.

This calm movement was as if it wasn’t a big deal.

Mu Ho couldn’t believe it without realizing it.

‘So lightly?’

Although it was cut short and thrown, the power of the sword qi wasn’t small. But how could it be thrown aside like this?

This meant that Baek Cheon’s skills were twice more than he expected.

Baek Cheon looked at Mu Ho with a slightly arrogant look and began to approach. Since he wasn’t walking quickly, the pressure felt even more intense.

Biting his lips, Mu Ho shouted once again and rushed toward him.

‘The sahyungs widened the distance, and then they lost.’

To begin with, the Wudang sword was effective at medium distance. However, the sahyungs gave their opponent distance, allowing Mount Hua’s dazzling sword to secure the victory.

Then, didn’t that imply there was a flaw in their strategy?

‘We will fight before the opponent can fully utilize the plum blossom sword technique.’

Mu Ho wasn’t mistaken. In fact, it could be considered a wise decision after thoroughly understanding Mount Hua’s sword technique.

If there was just one problem… it was that his opponent was Baek Cheon.

“Ahhhh!”

A sword imbued with powerful internal qi swept towards Baek Cheon.

Kang! Kang!

However, before the sword could reach him, it was blocked by the plum blossom sword.

Crack!

Mu Ho frowned as the shockwave hit him, feeling as though his wrist might break. The moment the two swords clashed, an absurd force was exerted from his opponent’s sword.

Jo Gul’s sword was sharp, and Yoon Jong’s sword was simple.

But this?

‘Is grand.’

The moment they made contact, his sword was met with strength and internal qi… no, it felt like it was being weighed down by the person named Mu Ho.

‘Is this really the sword of a second-class disciple?’

A sword that grew heavier with time. He couldn’t fathom how a second-class disciple could wield a sword with such might.

“Ahhhh!”

Mu Ho shouted, deflecting the plum blossom sword and swinging his own sword again.

‘I am a disciple of Wudang.’

No matter how formidable the opponent was, he took pride in being a first-class disciple of Wudang, the best in the world. He didn’t want to appear weak. It shouldn’t have been like that.

Soon, a water-like sword qi emerged from his sword. It was Wudang’s sword qi, which never ceased and flowed endlessly.

‘I will not give you even a moment.’

He knew it instinctively. The moment he resorted to fancy techniques, Wudang would lose again. But there was a good chance of winning if he could continue to press forward.

‘My sword will not break…’

It was then.

Shhh.

Baek Cheon’s sword, drawing a smooth arc, pierced through the sword qi of Mu Ho.

‘What?’

It wasn’t blocked; it simply passed through, as if slicing down Mu Ho’s sword qi. Mu Ho clicked his tongue in annoyance.

‘Stupid thing to do…’

Chackkk!

But at that moment, Baek Cheon cleaved Mu Ho’s flowing sword qi in half.

‘…What?’

Mu Ho was taken aback.

This was unexpected.

The sword of Wudang continued to be severed as if a waterfall were being cut in the middle and the plum blossom sword that had done the cutting charged at him. Baek Cheon struck Mu Ho’s bare chest with the handle of his sword.

Kwang!

Mu Ho, unable to comprehend what had just happened, stumbled backward.

“…”

Pain surged through his body as he fell to the ground.

Yet, the chest that should have been in pain felt nothing.

His mind was in shock from having his sword qi sliced through. At that moment, Baek Cheon, observing Mu Ho sitting on the ground, said,

“You aren’t the only one observing the opponent’s sword.”

“…”

“That sword…”

Baek Cheon had a smile on his lips.

“Will be cut down with pride.”

Mu Ho’s face twisted cruelly.