Muhwi's lips curled up as if he'd been waiting for this moment—welcoming the situation with open arms.
That deep smile made Muryun hesitate for a moment.
He had stepped forward intending to put Muhwi in a tough spot, but faced with such a reaction, he began to wonder if he'd walked right into a trap.
"That idiot of an elder brother? No way."
Shaking off his unease, Muryun stepped up onto the platform.
"Hmph… Must be my imagination."
Up close, Muhwi looked larger than usual. From atop the platform, the other disciples down below didn't even register in Muryun's eyes.
Facing Muhwi's changed presence, Muryun couldn't help but recall the things Musan and Muho had said earlier.
But he forced himself to dismiss it. Even if it were true, there was no reason for him to feel intimidated. The gap between them was just that wide—so he believed.
"Do you intend to duel me?" he asked.
"No. There's a simpler, more definitive method," Muhwi replied.
He tapped the ground in front of him with his wooden sword.
"I won't move a single step from this spot. I'll only block your attacks—with the Liuhe Sword."
"Elder Brother, did I hear that right?" Muryun asked, incredulous.
"If your sword touches me or if I'm forced to move from this spot, you win. And I'll retract my call for you all to train in the Liuhe Sword."
"Hah…"
Muryun let out a dry laugh. The tendons on the back of his clenched hand stood out starkly.
Even Senior Brother Mujin wouldn't be able to meet such a condition. It was absurd.
Lowering his voice so the disciples below the platform wouldn't hear, Muryun said:
"You're getting carried away with your win over Musan. Don't let it go to your head, Elder Brother."
As far as Muhwi knew, the events of last night hadn't yet been revealed to the other disciples. The fact that Muryun knew meant—
"Ah, so it was you who sent them? You're doing a fine job playing Mujin's errand boy."
"I'm not an errand boy. I simply helped Senior Brother Mujin," Muryun replied calmly.
"Same difference. So you've got pride, huh? Too proud to admit it? A man shouldn't be like that."
At Muhwi's mockery, Muryun sighed and reached for his wooden sword.
"If I embarrass you in front of the others, don't hold it against me."
Muryun abandoned his earlier thought of going easy and preserving Muhwi's dignity. He intended to crush him—without mercy, with full force.
"You dare impose those conditions on me?"
This year's martial generation was full of talent, and the Mount Hua Sect had high expectations for them.
Among them, three disciples with exceptional martial prowess were often referred to as the "Three Blossoms (Samhwa)" within the sect.
Mujin, Mucheol, and Muhwa.
These were the Three Blossoms.
And Muryun considered himself the top of the second-generation disciples—right after those three.
"I'll make sure he never dares to step up again."
With his wooden sword in hand, Muryun's expression hardened.
Seeing this, Muhwi chuckled faintly and slowly took his stance.
He spread his feet shoulder-width apart, slightly lowered his body, and held the wooden sword with both hands in a middle-guard position—the standard opening stance of the Liuhe Sword.
Seeing this, Muryun smirked condescendingly.
"To keep things fair, I'll only use the Liuhe Sword as well."
"Do as you like," Muhwi replied.
Muryun also took his stance.
Just as he was about to move forward to close the distance, his body stiffened.
"I… can't see an opening?"
There stood Muhwi, simply holding his wooden sword forward in the Liuhe's opening stance.
And yet, there was no gap to exploit.
It felt like facing a flawless wall—hopelessly solid.
The plan to find an opening and ridicule him fell apart before it even started.
"What's the matter? You planning to stand there until my feet go numb?" Muhwi teased.
"Tch."
Gritting his teeth, Muryun stepped forward with swift footwork, circling in a curved path. Provoked into moving, he didn't charge recklessly.
He aimed for the flank, not the front.
The rear-left—a tough angle to defend against for a swordsman who used the right hand.
With a sweeping motion that almost grazed the ground, Muryun slashed upward, channeling full force through his rising wooden blade.
The swing cut through the air, the power behind it evident.
Muhwi calmly twisted his wrist.
His wooden sword tilted slowly—more like it was being placed in the path of the strike than swung to block it.
To Muryun, the slow motion looked like a failed defense—like Muhwi hadn't reacted in time.
"Of course. There's no power behind that."
Confident he could finish it in one strike, Muryun allowed a small smile to form.
Thwack.
A crisp impact rang out—his sword was blocked.
Muhwi hadn't moved an inch, not even the wooden sword that intercepted the blow.
Muryun's lips parted slightly.
"...What?"
Though the sensation clearly conveyed that his strike had landed properly, the fact that the senior brother before him stood firm in his stance left Murun bewildered.
As Murun stared at the two wooden swords locked together, Muhwi furrowed his brow and lightly flicked his wrist, pushing Murun's sword away.
"Why are you so distracted when you're swinging your sword?"
Snapped back to reality by the scolding, Murun grimaced and charged again. This time, he launched a flurry of consecutive moves, trying to pressure Muhwi.
Moving with swift footwork, Murun circled around Muhwi, aiming to disrupt his vision. But Muhwi wasn't relying on sight alone—he was reading Murun's movements using all his senses.
Clack-clack! Clack!
Murun struck from several directions in rapid succession. It was a clever strategy, but every attack was effortlessly blocked by Muhwi's Six Harmonies Sword technique.
"Your steps are getting needlessly light, which makes your sword strikes light as well. Are you even aware of that?"
Even strikes from the rear were blocked, as if Muhwi had eyes on his back. With a simple twist of his waist, he slipped his wooden sword into place to intercept them.
"Damn it, why can't I get past this simple Six Harmonies Sword?"
They must have exchanged over thirty moves by now, yet Muhwi remained unshaken like an immovable fortress.
"Huff!"
Murun took a deep breath.
By now, he had drawn upon the full extent of his inner strength. His steps became even lighter, and his strikes—now infused with energy—sharper.
Yet Muhwi remained unchanged. Calm, still, composed.
His wooden sword merely moved to intercept Murun's attacks. He even had enough composure to speak throughout the clash.
"A sword isn't wielded just with the arms—it's wielded with the whole body. If you can channel all your strength into a single sword, then conversely, you can absorb the force of a strike through your entire body."
His murmuring carried beyond the platform, reaching the ears of the observing disciples.
Muhwi's continued talking wasn't just a sign of ease—it was his way of teaching those watching.
To him, Murun was nothing more than a moving textbook for demonstration.
Clack!
"Haaap!"
Even with his sword enveloped in a reddish aura from channeling energy, Murun's heavy strike failed to budge Muhwi. The impact dispersed harmlessly through Muhwi's firmly grounded stance.
As proof, the platform beneath his feet was starting to crack slightly.
"Of course, that's only possible with a solid foundation. But you, my junior… well…"
"Ugh! Please, just shut up!"
Already frustrated and humiliated by his inability to break through the Six Harmonies Sword, Murun's face flushed with shame at Muhwi's mockery.
Swoosh!
Murun's wooden sword traced a curved arc before his movements suddenly changed. His thrusts became twice as fast and aggressive.
He had drawn his trump card—Nongpoong Sword (Wind-Playing Sword).
He had forgotten his earlier vow to only use the Six Harmonies Sword in his impatience.
With Nongpoong Sword...!
The Nongpoong Sword was known for its speed. As Murun unleashed it at full force, more and more disciples began to lose track of his sword movements.
"That's definitely Senior Brother Murun!"
"He's even faster than before!"
"But still, Senior Brother Muhwi hasn't let up once."
"When did he get this strong...?"
Gradually, the disciples shifted their attention from Murun to Muhwi.
Had it been the Muhwi they knew, he would've been defeated already. But now, they were curious—how long could he endure?
Clack!
Every time the two wooden swords clashed, Murun's sword was quickly withdrawn only to strike again.
In contrast, Muhwi's Six Harmonies Sword remained unchanged from the beginning—still as firm and unwavering as ever.
So, he's at least not all talk.
While the other disciples followed Murun's swift strikes with wide eyes, Muhwi was suppressing a yawn.
For someone his age, Murun's speed was impressive—but Muhwi had faced faster.
Whish—
Muhwi's eyes tracked the wooden sword as it aimed for his waist, thigh, and chest with precision.
It was Murun's most powerful Nongpoong technique—Samyeop Gwanpoong (Three-leaf Wind Piercer). The sharp aura could be felt, but Muhwi merely sliced diagonally across with his sword.
Murun's confident attack collided with that slanted line and lost its momentum—deflected effortlessly.
Muhwi, who had so easily nullified the Samyeop Gwanpoong, now looked at the stunned Murun.
His finishing move had failed, and he couldn't think of what to do next.
"Murun. I don't think there's any point in continuing."
Murun clenched his teeth and glanced down at the disciples below the platform. They were chatting among themselves, all clearly amazed by Muhwi's defense.
"So… does that mean Senior Brother Muhwi won?"
"Yes. He didn't waver at all—not even his footing changed."
"To think he defended like that against Murun. I see him in a whole new light."
All their eyes were now fixed on Muhwi. The senior brother who had easily deflected Murun's Nongpoong Sword was now the center of admiration.
A mix of surprise, awe, and respect.
Murun had tried to bring Muhwi down, only to end up elevating him instead. His wooden sword trembled slightly in his grip, his hold growing weaker.
Because of me, the entire atmosphere changed.
While all eyes were on Muhwi, Murun realized one pair was watching him.
Senior Brother Mujin.
Mujin was slowly shaking his head.
Stop.
Seeing Mujin silently urging him to give up, Murun instead hardened his resolve. He couldn't end it like this—not yet.
Even if people called him pathetic, he had to salvage something.
"If Senior Brother can break through my sword, then I'll accept everything."
Murun didn't even wait for Muhwi's reply. He took his stance—not with Nongpoong, but with the Six Harmonies Sword.
Realizing Murun's intent, Muhwi gave a cold smile, revealing his teeth.
"You don't think it's ridiculous, declaring whether you'll accept me or not as your senior?"
Muhwi lowered his stance and rested his wooden sword on his shoulder, then stepped forward.
"With the way you've acted, I do share some blame as your senior."
"Man, it's really hard to earn my junior's approval, huh?"
Muhwi rolled his neck side to side.
Having only blocked without countering thus far, he was itching to finally strike.
"You brought this on yourself."
"Come."
Muryun wasn't simply being stubborn. He knew that while Daesahyung (senior brother) might surpass him in sword technique, in pure strength and speed, he held the advantage.
He had become certain of that after exchanging dozens of strikes just now.
If Muhwi continued to defend passively as he had done so far, Muryun believed he had a decent chance of winning.
Having done his own calculations, Muryun made his final move.
'Hmm?'
But the moment he saw Muhwi take his first step, Muryun realized that his read on the situation had been completely wrong.
Crack.
The refined inner energy of the Reformed Small Heart Technique surged like a waterfall through the Yongcheon point, fracturing the ground beneath. The explosion of internal energy, combined with the explosive strength of his ankle, propelled Muhwi's body powerfully forward in a single Seonhyangbo step.
"Gah…"
The speed far outstripped even the finely-honed footwork Muryun had developed through training with the Gale Sword (Nongpunggeom). Breath caught in his throat.
Muryun barely reacted in time, twisting his wooden sword to guard his left side—but Muhwi's sword was already swinging in from that direction.
Unlike the incredible movement he just displayed, Muhwi's wooden sword seemed to move without anything particularly special.
'I should be able to block this easily.'
Crack.
As if mocking that thought, Muryun's wooden sword, filled with internal energy, shattered in an instant. His eyes widened in shock.
'How…?'
Without pause, Muhwi reached forward and struck Muryun across the waist.
"Urgh!"
As Muryun's body bent like a bow from the pain in his side, he heard Muhwi's whisper close to his ear.
"You know, no matter where you go, there'll always be punks like you who don't listen unless you're rough with them."
The wooden sword that had just struck his right side was already slamming down on Muryun's left shoulder.
"Ghhk."
The strikes seemed casual, but they were clearly faster than the quick swordplay Muryun had shown earlier.
Unable to react properly, Muryun staggered, desperately trying to recover his broken form.
But Muhwi's wooden sword rained down evenly across his whole body, stunning Muryun into a daze. Without thinking, he cursed under his breath.
"Damn it…"
"What? Damn it?"
Muhwi struck his staggering opponent in the thigh to keep him from collapsing sideways. And still, the beating showed no signs of stopping.
"You rotten little junior. Let me fix that attitude of yours."
"Wait... Argh!"
So enthusiastic was Muhwi's assault that none of the other disciples watching dared to intervene.
Whack whack whack
Smack
Muhwa blinked blankly as he watched.
"Whoa… I didn't know Daesahyung had such a fiery side."
As if accompanying Muhwi's beatdown, the surrounding plum trees began shedding their blossoms one by one.
With every red or white petal that fell, a new blue bruise blossomed on Muryun's body.
"This is how the Six Harmonies Sword is supposed to be used. You hear me, you brat?"
Smack
< This is how the Six Harmonies Sword is supposed to be used. > End
< The one who leads the second generation disciples of Mount Hua. >