“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon?”

Heo Gong looked at Chung Myung.

‘That boy is the one the sect leader was talking about.’

The one with boundless talent.

The person who will surely block the path of Wudang one day. So, this was who needed to be trampled on in advance.

But…

‘He doesn’t seem that great.’

If one were to judge by appearances alone, the one called Baek Cheon next to him seemed more impressive.

If the words of Venerable Heo Do and the rumors floating around were correct, this man was definitely the best among the current Mount Hua…

‘Could it be that he has reached a point where he can steal the attention?’

At just this age?

It was hard to imagine.

And if that was true, this was much more serious than one might think.

Even if Mu Jin could not escape his shadows, didn’t that mean this boy, who seemed to be half as old as Mu Jin, was twice as strong as him?

‘I get why the sect leader sent me here.’

This thing was no longer a sleeping dragon. At that moment, killing intent rose through his eyes.

“So, the answer?”

“…What answer?”

“Wudang losing?”

“Hehehe.”

Heo Gong smiled and then said,

“Didn’t I say it? You can think what you want.”

“Are you practicing speaking in unclear terms? You continue to slip like a loach in mud.”

“… Aren’t you being too harsh?”

“It isn’t too much if I get the necessary answer.”

Chung Myung smiled openly.

“If you don’t have the courage to admit defeat, just step back and wait for the spar to decide it. It’s only natural that the side which breaks the rules set will lose.”

“…”

“Or maybe…”

Chung Myung frowned, and his lips twitched into a smile.

“A person like an elder of Wudang wouldn’t be thinking of using his title here to come and be an opponent, right? If it was me, I would never be able to do it even if I was on the streets. Maybe the Wudang are built differently.”

Baek Cheon closed his eyes.

‘This bastard, for real.’

The other Mount Hua disciples were all filled with admiration at Chung Myung’s brashness.

‘He went after the Wudang elder.’

‘A real crazy man doesn’t care about people.’

‘Right, that is Chung Myung!’

If one had to break someone’s head by covering it, Chung Myung could only do it. It was only when everyone, regardless of gender, age, or status, was attacked equally that they would come for Chung Myung, the mad dog of Mount Hua.

Normally, they would be terrified and try to stop him, but now, no one intended to stop him. Even the five swords who would usually sneakily subdue him were now gathered around Baek Cheon and not Chung Myung.

It seems they would stop Baek Cheon if he tried to stop Chung Myung.

But this time, Baek Cheon didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping him either. That was just how much they were enraged by Heo Gong, who disrespected their superiors.

“…”

Meanwhile, Heo Gong, who had been openly insulted, stood with trembling cheeks.

“All anger comes from the mouth. First, the little Taoist should be careful with his words.”

“I can handle myself.”

“… What?”

Chung Myung chuckled.

“If you are so good at teaching, don’t tell me to join someone else’s sect and leave my actual one. You should do what you can with your own sect. I don’t know how someone who worries about what other people’s sect disciples would end up could tolerate his own disciples being beaten up by lower people.”

“…”

“Ah, are you that kind of person? You cannot see your flaws with your own, but see those of others? Well, that is such a common thing.”

Heo Gong clenched his fist.

There was no change in his expression, but the tightly clenched fists were trembling. Looking at the scene, Baek Cheon felt both happy and deep sympathy.

‘Then why did you start this discussion?’

If you gathered those physically struck by Chung Myung, you could roughly fill the lake nearby. However, if you gathered those verbally beaten by him, you could fill up the entire lake and then some.

If the guy’s sword had the strength of seven stars, then his mouth boasted a strength of twelve.

This was the information that Heo Gong was unaware of.

Unable to hide his displeasure, he said,

“Anyway, Mount Hua’s disciples need to learn manners…”

“That isn’t your concern either.”

But Chung Myung was quick to cut him off.

“Don’t keep talking back. So, what are you going to do? Are you going to admit defeat first? Or will you return to your place and wait until the winner is decided?”

“…”

“Ah, there is another way.”

Chung Myung clapped once and smiled.

“I will win even if it’s against an elder, and everything gets resolved.”

In the end, Heo Gong’s expression collapsed into confusion.

“… are you trying to spar with me?”

“Is there any problem with that?”

Problem?

A look of shock appeared on Heo Gong’s face.

“You’re asking because you don’t know?”

“No. It isn’t us who don’t know, but the Wudang side.”

“…”

Chung Myung grinned and raised his voice, making sure everyone could hear.

“If it is strange for an elder to fight a first-class disciple, then isn’t it strange for a first-class disciple to fight against a second-class one? Wasn’t it none other than Wudang who considered it not to be a problem?”

Heo Gong closed his mouth.

Of course, he hadn’t said it himself. But looking at this place and the spar, it seemed like Heo Sanja had said those words.

Although he and Heo Sanja were different people, from an outsider’s perspective, they were just elders of the same sect.

Even if there was a risk of losing, it was necessary to prevent the Wudang elders from saying things that contradicted their nature.

“… it definitely happened as such.”

When Heo Gong acknowledged his words, Chung Myung pressed forward without hesitation.

“The Southern Edge Sect, who would leap from their sleep to draw their sword at the mere mention of Mount Hua, didn’t have their second and third-class disciples fight disorganizedly. Even they understood how ridiculous that would be.”

“…”

“But now that it has come to this, the elder can join in too. The first and third-class disciples have already sparred, so what’s the issue if an elder participates? How about it? If you’re unwilling to concede defeat, I’m ready to spar with you.”

Chung Myung grinned and tapped his sword sheath.

Such blatant provocation. Heo Gong bit his lip.

‘This insufferable bastard…’

This might have been a tactic to provoke him, but there was no way he wouldn’t fall for it.

The moment the image of the first and third-class disciples sparring was shown, Wudang was already caught in an inescapable trap.

“Clearly, this is indefensible.”

Heo Gong nodded.

“If I must concede, then I will. As an elder of Wudang, I declare Mount Hua, the victor of this spar.”

“Heo Gong!”

But as soon as he spoke, Heo Sanja protested.

However, Heo Gong didn’t even glance his way.

Backing down now would be worse than admitting defeat. But that wasn’t what mattered most.

If they showed such fixation on winning or losing, then the onlookers would perceive this spar as significant. They couldn’t salvage their reputation from the earlier defeats if that happened.

It would have been better to simply grant them the victory and claim that Wudang wasn’t truly committed.

Heo Sanja seemed to grasp Heo Gong’s intent and didn’t try to intervene any further.

“Then, are we in agreement?”

Chung Myung smiled at the question.

“You seem furious.”

“Haha.”

This damned man.

It’s fine. Everything was fine.

“We’ve given you everything you wanted.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Now…”

Heo Gong straightened his shoulders and spoke quietly.

“Who will come forward and receive the teachings?”

The entire land turned silent as if dead.

‘No matter how much one tries to talk and steer the situation to their advantage, it always ends up being a trap.’

Although Heo Sanja made a mistake, it wasn’t something to blame him for. This situation would have been the best outcome for Heo Sanja, who could not subdue Mount Hua alone.

But Heo Gong was different.

Spar? Win?

What good would that do?

‘Unless they can overcome me, Mount Hua will never be able to surpass Wudang.’

And unless he died of old age, it would be impossible for him to be defeated by anyone from Mount Hua. This was exactly what he and Wudang had to demonstrate now.

They would clearly understand it now.

In the end, a swordsman is one who must prove himself with his sword.

The reason why Wudang was able to become the best swordsman sect in the world wasn’t because of their cultivation or their pre-existing fame. It was simply because their swords were the strongest in the world.

‘I will break your strength to the point where one will never be able to overcome the sword of Wudang again.’

Heo Gong looked at Mount Hua with cold eyes.

The disciples of Mount Hua, feeling great pressure even though nothing had changed, stepped back.

‘This is an elder of Wudang.’

‘This is tremendous…’

At least, the Five Swords had no difficulty holding on since they had faced the Demonic Sect, who were several times stronger and more numerous, but the others who hadn’t groaned under the pressure.

‘Can we handle someone like that? Us?’

That was a senior warrior, one who had been talked about time and time again. That absence was about to leave its mark in the hearts of the Mount Hua disciples.

“I know what you are thinking…”

At that moment, Chung Myung stepped forward.

Such an odd thing.

Just when the young third-class disciple stepped forward, the pressure bearing down on them vanished.

“It looks like you’ve been stuck in the mountain for too long, not knowing much about the outside world, so let me enlighten you a bit.”

“…”

“Things in this world won’t work the way you expect them to, moron.”

Chung Myung tapped his sword, which was at his side, and grinned. He then looked straight at Hyun Young and Hyun Sang.

Chung Myung smiled as he observed the stunned expressions of the elders.

“Why so serious now? This is nothing major.”

“Chung Myung, you bastard…”

“Just relax and look around.”

Hyun Sang’s eyes trembled.

He knew Chung Myung’s capabilities well, yet he couldn’t oppose an elder.

However, it was also an unchanging reality that no one could stand against Heo Gong unless it was Chung Myung.

“Really…”

Hyun Sang began to speak, concerned, but Hyun Young stepped forward and said,

“Chung Myung,”

“Yes.”

“Can you handle it?”

Chung Myung grinned as if he had been waiting for this question.

“These Taoist asses haven’t been kicked enough lately, so they seem to be under some illusion.”

“…”

“I’ll make sure to demonstrate that not just the Taoist sword, but the world’s best sword is the sword of Mount Hua.”

But Hyun Young shook his head.

“There’s no need for all that.”

“Uh?”

“Just prove that you are the best sword of Mount Hua and come back. That’s enough.”

“…”

Chung Myung, momentarily taken aback, lightly scratched the back of his head.

“I’m not used to such consideration. Hehe.”

He smiled shyly and then waved both hands at the two elders.

“Chung Myung, the third-class disciple of Mount Hua!”

“Right!”

“Will be back!”

Soon, Chung Myung turned around and took long strides toward the stage.

The passionate gazes of Mount Hua’s disciples were all focused on him.