Having stepped off the stage, Mu Gak bowed his head before Heo Sanja.

“… I apologize.”

“…”

“I used the forbidden technique, knowing I shouldn’t have. I will accept any punishment gladly.”

Heo Sanja regarded Mu Gak with a slightly peculiar expression.

“Why?”

“…”

“It was an opponent you could have defeated without resorting to that. Why break the rule?”

“… it’s hard to explain in words.”

Heo Sanja nodded at Mu Gak’s words.

“That’s fine.”

Then, he patted him on the shoulder.

“If you win, that’s good enough. If we held the victor responsible, the world would laugh at Wudang. I won’t allow that.”

“But…”

“It’s fine, straighten those shoulders! This isn’t something to apologize for.”

“… yes.”

Heo Sanja’s expression turned slightly stern.

“They must have lost confidence, having witnessed the best technique and the overwhelming defeat of their top disciple. They might be angry for a moment, but they will come to understand.”

“…”

“All that’s left is to secure those wins now. It’s all good.”

Mu Gak simply nodded silently, then walked past him towards the back, a complex mix of emotions crossing his face.

‘I won…’

It felt truly odd.

Despite the clear victory, he didn’t feel victorious. He had won the match but felt like he had lost as a swordsman.

Mu Jin approached him.

“Sahyung.”

“How was it?”

“…”

Mu Gak couldn’t immediately respond, hesitating.

It was difficult to articulate the emotions he had experienced during the match.

“Sahyung. Maybe we…”

As he was about to speak, he suddenly glanced at Heo Sanja, who was still in the distance.

“I might have overlooked many things in the name of Wudang.”

These were not words a Wudang disciple should utter.

Yet, even after hearing those words, Mu Jin didn’t reprimand him; instead, he simply nodded.

“The spar…”

A spar was a means to compare the skills of two parties.

People in the world interpreted the meaning of spar as a comparison, but it actually meant to learn.

In that sense, they were learning more than they realized through this spar.

‘I wish the other sajaes knew…’

Mu Jin sighed softly.

“It is fine. He is just exhausted.”

“Is he really okay?”

“Yes.”

Tang Soso nodded with a serious look. However, she didn’t let go of Un Geom’s hand.

“He might have internal injuries, but if taken to the physician hall, he will be healed in 3-4 days.”

“Nice.”

“Thank goodness…”

Only then did the tense faces of the Mount Hua disciples relax. It wouldn’t have been because of their lack of speed if Un Geom had been seriously injured.

“Senior sasuk…”

The face of the unconscious Un Geom looked peaceful to them. Some of the Mount Hua disciples eventually wiped their eyes as they looked at him.

In particular, Baek Sang was biting down on his lips so hard.

At that moment, a low voice came from behind.

“Don’t get carried away by those emotions.”

When everyone turned around, they saw Chung Myung approaching them with a calm demeanor.

“Remember what you saw and learned properly. Because he wanted to show you that.”

“Of course.”

“I will never forget it!”

How could they forget it? They had witnessed the scene with their own eyes; it was felt with their entire being, what Un Geom was trying to convey.

Seeing their now serious expressions, Chung Myung smiled. This was a story he couldn’t tell, a lesson he couldn’t convey directly.

As humans, there were limits to what could be achieved alone. That was why people came together. Even if it cannot be done alone, it can be accomplished together.

“So…”

Chung Myung slowly looked around at everyone.

“Are you all still scared of losing?”

There was no verbal response, but the looks in everyone’s eyes were enough to answer.

“Nice!”

Chung Myung nodded emphatically and pointed to the stage with his chin.

“Who wants to go next?”

“Me!”

“Get out of the way, sahyung! I will head out!”

“Sasuk cannot go! I will go now!”

As soon as he finished speaking, loud shouts broke out from all over the place. It was a completely opposite situation from a while back when they were hesitant to step ahead.

“Ah, sahyung is weaker! I will step ahead!”

“What, bastard? You want to fight me?”

“Throw some cold water on them! What is everyone even saying!”

“What? I will stick a needle on the top of your head. Let’s see if you make that sound again!”

“S-soso, calm down now.”

“…”

That… well, it was a bit too much.

Still, it was better than hesitation.

Chung Myung, a little flustered, was about to point out one of them.

“Everyone shut it!”

A terrifying silence then fell on the group.

It was Baek Sang who looked so sly and gripped the sword tightly.

“I will go.”

“…”

“Anyone against it?”

“… none.”

Everyone kept their mouths shut. They felt like they would die if they said something.

Baek Sang turned to Chung Myung with stiff lips.

“Can I head out?”

“Ah… uh, go.”

Even Chung Myung flinched at his force.

“I am going.”

Baek Sang headed to the stage without even looking back. Chung Myung wiped his cold sweat at the sight of it.

‘Maybe because the kids are so young.’

They were a bit extreme…

“Everyone go now. Senior sasuk will have to rest.”

When Soso spoke to them, the disciples surrounding Un Geom retreated as if they would never disturb him again.

The last remaining person, Chung Myung, quietly looked down at the face of the unconscious man.

-I wish I could display that level.

“For real…”

He didn’t expect it to be this good.

Actually, Chung Myung only taught them to overcome.

That was why he couldn’t convey it. Un Geom conveyed the spirit that he had been missing without even knowing.

‘Good job.’

Chung Myung, who had expressed his deep gratitude as the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, turned his head.

Returning to his spot, he fixed his gaze on Baek Sang, who was standing to the side.

Since the representative from the Wudang side hadn’t been decided yet, Baek Sang was standing alone on the sparring ground.

“Who will come?”

“…Anyone can come.”

“Can they win?”

“As if.”

Baek Cheon burst into laughter at Chung Myung’s reaction.

“Right.”

Now, they could no longer hope for victory by chance. No matter how many times they tried, even if they secured 5 wins, suffering 10 defeats in a row would cause those victories to fade, turning one into a source of destruction.

‘It would have been like that if sasuk wasn’t here.’

But things have changed now.

Un Geom taught the Mount Hua disciples that victory wasn’t everything.

Wasn’t it clear, seeing that the disciples who were scared to step forward for fear of defeat were now coming forward?

“If you can lose confidently, then losing isn’t a bad thing.”

“…”

Chung Myung’s face contorted as if he disapproved of Baek Cheon’s words. It seemed like he would die of frustration, but he couldn’t say it, and Baek Cheon sighed and added.

“…I know it’s good to win.”

“Ugh.”

Then, Chung Myung groaned and sighed.

“This time…”

The look in his eyes as he gazed at the Wudang was grim.

“It cannot be helped, so endure it this once. But…”

Clench.

“Next time, we’ll kick them.”

Baek Cheon shook his head as Chung Myung mumbled, grinding his teeth.

‘Well, he is boiling with greed now.’

They have already achieved a lot.

Considering that this spar wasn’t planned from the start, it wasn’t at a level to even call it good, but rather it felt like winning a ridiculous lottery.

However, this guy was still not satisfied.

‘It is probably because of this guy’s temper that Mount Hua has come this far…’

Baek Cheon’s gaze then turned to Baek Sang, standing on the stage.

Baek Sang probably also knew enough. Sometimes, defeat was more valuable than victory.

“Cheer up, Baek Sang.”

If he could show courage, then that was enough.

Baek Sang fought hard, but it was impossible to narrow the gap. However, he clearly showed that he didn’t give up until the end.

Those who took part in the spar one after another did their best, but they were no match for the Wudang disciples.

Literally, it was a heavy burden.

But the people watching didn’t view Mount Hua with the same eyes as the helpless ones.

“Lost again.”

“Is it seven to five?”

“It’s seven to four.”

“Ah, right, I decided not to count the first one.”

The people clicked their tongues.

“Tsk tsk, they fought hard, but their strength seemed exhausted. It’s a shame.”

“Right.”

The people who had been feeling lost and disappointed suddenly realized something.

Being disappointed means that they had high expectations. That means that even they thought that Mount Hua might be able to win over Wudang.

Even though they knew it was ridiculous.

It was still like that now.

They could see the disciples of Mount Hua being pushed back, but they didn’t even smile or laugh at them.

“…truly amazing.”

“The Wudang?”

“Wudang my ass. It’s Mount Hua!”

One person spoke in a loud voice.

“Does this fight even make sense? Under what circumstances would a disciple of the first class and second class even fight? One has to be on equal footing to fight their opponent.”

“Why is that the fault of the Wudang disciples? The first-class disciples of Mount Hua are weak.”

“Right, it’s a mess!”

The person spoke loudly.

“But is it the right thing for a prestigious sect to even take advantage of a weak opponent? If Wudang had any conscience left, they would have brought second-class disciples with them! What nonsense is it to leave them all out? Isn’t this the intention of dealing with second-class disciples and first-class disciples on the same level?”

“Did it get planned? It must have just happened.”

“It happened, yeah, sure! Then wouldn’t it be alright to delay the spar for a while and then bring the second-class disciples from the sect?”

“…”

“They are being so petty.”

The gaze of the people heading for Wudang didn’t hold kindness anymore.

It didn’t bother them when they first came to enjoy this as entertainment. However, the spar was a lot more than expected, and the moment the hard work of Mount Hua didn’t bring the right results, it became clear to them that something was odd.

“So Mount Hua is amazing!”

“…”

“If one had asked me to spar with a disciple ten years older than me in front of many people, I would have kicked them out without even looking back. But aren’t they fighting quietly and proudly without even being asked about their cowardly nature?”

“… now that you say it.”

“Whoever fights those first-class disciples will naturally lose. But twenty years… no, just ten years, will Wudang be a match for Mount Hua? There are already young disciples fighting against first-class disciples of Wudang.”

“…”

At first, it was just a glance.

Who wouldn’t be kind to those who brought them the loot of bandits and distributed it to the people? So even if they didn’t win, they would have applauded Mount Hua.

But those who watched the spar became painfully aware of why Mount Hua’s name was slowly increasing worldwide.

“The world will change, and Mount Hua being Mount Hua has a reason for such growth.”

Many people nodded at that.

Of course, some denied it, and others refuted it by openly showing displeasure. Various emotions were mixed in, but no one could deny that Mount Hua was no longer the Mount Hua of the past.

Without realizing it, the sect known as Mount Hua rose to a level where it could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with prestigious sects.

And…

Behind the confused and numerous emotions, one person slowly stood up.

“Tsk.”

He was a sturdy man dressed in rough clothes, his face a blend of middle age and old age. He stared at the stage with cold eyes.

“… I took my eyes off for a moment….”

Mount Hua jumped…

He shook his head in displeasure and then turned, walking away.

His clothes were old and began to flutter. The pine-patterned ancient sword hanging from his waist sparkled as if it were new.