Chapter 181
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: The Huashan Five Immortals' Past
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A look of puzzlement crossed Seol Hwa-un's face.
'Why is the atmosphere...?'
In that instant, he recalled how the Huashan Five Immortals had reacted particularly sensitively to his name.
'Did something awkward happen with the Hwa-un Sword Immortal?'
Baek Hwa-seon fixed Seol Hwa-un with a wary gaze.
"Now that I think about it, you said you know a bit about the sword. Are you an admirer of the Hwa-un Sword Immortal as well?"
"Not particularly. I only asked because he was the only one missing when everyone else is here."
"That's a relief, then... He's not at Mount Hua."
"Pardon?"
"Don't ask for details."
The public believed the Hwa-un Sword Immortal was in seclusion at Mount Hua.
Hwa Wol-seon spoke with a faint smile.
"Please understand. Everyone gets sensitive the moment Senior Brother Cho is mentioned."
The Hwa-un Sword Immortal's real name was Cho Il.
Seol Hwa-un put on an expression of complete confusion, and Hwa Wol-seon added,
"Truth be told, the reason we can't leave Mount Hua is all because of that esteemed Senior Brother Cho."
"Enough pointless talk!"
Baek Hwa-seon snapped in irritation, but Hwa Wol-seon paid it no mind.
"You've heard that the plum blossom pattern engraved on the ground here was carved by Senior Brother Cho?"
"Yes."
"Normally, Senior Brother Cho looked down on our martial arts. He claimed even the four of us together couldn't touch him."
"......"
"One day, fed up with it, we challenged him to a proper match. But Senior Brother Cho said he couldn't bring himself to strike his juniors, so he proposed a bet instead."
"A bet...?"
"If we could break the sword formation he created, he would acknowledge us. But if we failed, we were never to leave Sage Immortal Peak."
"So that's how you ended up unable to leave Sage Immortal Peak."
Hwa Wol-seon gave a wry smile.
"Truth be told, knowing Senior Brother Cho's prowess, we weren't confident in a direct confrontation. But we figured a mere sword formation was something the four of us could shatter if we combined our strength."
Baek Hwa-seon scowled.
"How could we endure having our pride trampled like that!"
"But it was our arrogance, wasn't it, Junior Brother?"
"That bastard knew full well and provoked us on purpose. And he's supposed to be the senior brother!"
Seol Hwa-un asked,
"But is it all right to tell an outsider like me about this?"
"What big secret is it? We'll be seeing each other often from now on anyway."
Seol Hwa-un looked baffled.
"Seeing each other often? What do you mean?"
"You're aware that your own martial arts are lacking, aren't you? Just like us."
"......"
"Not just Junior Brother, but all of us—our martial arts have stagnated. We need fresh stimulation right now. And fortunately, the North Heaven Dragon, you, has come here."
Baek Hwa-seon added,
"Today's discussion was enlightening, but it's still not enough, right? We need real combat experience too. How about we help each other out?"
Seol Hwa-un's eyes gleamed.
'This is a rare opportunity!'
Baek Hwa-seon's Cold Heavenly Chill Moon Art, along with the martial arts of the other three immortals, were all at the pinnacle of Mount Hua. They would benefit him greatly in many ways.
"Let's do that. However, I can't stay here forever, so I'll impose on you for just one month."
Hwa Wol-seon nodded.
"It's a bit short, but I understand. The fortress lord can't be away from his post for too long."
Baek Hwa-seon said,
"Then it'll be tight. Come again at the same time tomorrow."
The sun was just beginning to set, so they could have trained longer, but each needed time to reflect on the insights gained today.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then."
After leaving Sage Immortal Peak, Seol Hwa-un went to the guest quarters and informed Yu Gong-seon and the North Dragon Brigade Leader that he planned to stay at the Mount Hua Sect for a month.
It was right after Ung Cheon-ri had already requested and received permission from Yu Byeong-geon to stay comfortably.
The North Dragon Brigade Leader nodded.
"Hmm. Opportunities to train with masters of that caliber don't come often."
"Are you all right with that?"
"Of course. We're the escort brigade, so we should be wherever the fortress lord is. In fact, staying here to train wouldn't be bad at all."
Yu Gong-seon said,
"Hmm, in that case, I'll head back to the main fortress..."
But the North Dragon Brigade Leader cut him off.
"How could we send the First Bureau Chief back alone? Since we're all here, why not train your martial arts with the main force?"
"......Pardon?"
Seol Hwa-un smiled.
"That's a great idea. Let's do that, First Bureau Chief. I've been thinking your talent was going to waste anyway."
In truth, ever since arriving at North Heaven Fortress, Yu Gong-seon had been so swamped with work that he had neglected his martial arts training.
Thanks to minimal investments of time, he hadn't regressed, but he was barely maintaining his level.
"Hmm, very well. I'm worried about the fortress, but the Vice Fortress Lord and Second Bureau Chief should handle it fine."
They had already sent word via messenger pigeon to North Heaven Fortress, so any serious issues would be relayed to Mount Hua.
"Thank you for understanding."
At Seol Hwa-un's thanks, the two men shook their heads.
"What are you saying? You should seize this chance to grow stronger. The fortress lord growing stronger is the path to the fortress growing stronger, isn't it?"
The North Dragon Brigade Leader added to Yu Gong-seon's words,
"Focus solely on martial arts for this month. We'll handle everything else."
"Understood."
Seol Hwa-un felt a sense of reassurance settle in his heart.
* * *
Four days had already passed since Seol Hwa-un began staying at Mount Hua.
They had agreed to exchange martial arts knowledge, but since they belonged to different sects, they couldn't teach specific forms or oral formulas.
Instead, they engaged in discussions on martial theory and sparred.
Seol Hwa-un sparred with the Huashan Five Immortals in turns, followed by reviews each time.
Facing them with the diverse martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace, Seol Hwa-un was inwardly astonished by the profound depth of Mount Hua Sect martial arts.
'To think Mount Hua has grown this much.'
It was definitely different from two hundred years ago.
'Well, even the Namgung Family...'
Despite two hundred years of peace, they had achieved more brilliant advancements in martial arts than ever before.
As a result, Seol Hwa-un inevitably fell short against the Huashan Five Immortals except with his primary fist techniques.
It was naturally a huge help to him, and for the immortals, the North Sea Ice Palace arts like the Ice White Divine Art served as excellent references.
Of course, the greatest beneficiaries were Seol Hwa-un and Baek Hwa-seon.
Both had major achievements in yin cold energy arts.
In particular, Baek Hwa-seon was truly on the verge of completing the Cold Heavenly Chill Moon Art. Given the time he had devoted to training, it wasn't surprising.
'Just one step left.'
Of course, Seol Hwa-un's Ice White Divine Art had also deepened significantly, but it was no match compared to Baek Hwa-seon's progress.
Baek Hwa-seon had started at a much higher realm in yin cold energy arts than Seol Hwa-un to begin with.
Still, in terms of growth margin, Seol Hwa-un's leap was far greater.
'Coming to Mount Hua was the right choice.'
Truth be told, the slow progress in Ice White Divine Art had been one of Seol Hwa-un's long-standing concerns.
He had reached beyond the Peak Realm to the Unrestrained Realm relatively quickly. But he had yet to reach the Heavenly Martial Realm.
Despite gaining countless insights and never slacking in training even for a day, the wall of the Heavenly Martial Realm was thick.
Of course, if he had fully utilized his previous life's realm in his training, he would have reached the Heavenly Martial Realm long ago, if not the Martial God Realm.
But Seol Hwa-un had chosen not to.
In his previous life, he had attained the Martial God Realm and become the world's greatest. Yet, he had sensed some kind of wall and failed to achieve anything beyond it.
Seol Hwa-un vaguely guessed the reason.
'Harmony of yin and yang.'
The Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor, who mainly cultivated the Pure Yang Infinite Art, could not achieve that harmony. He had learned the Nine Yin Immortal Art as a supplement, but it lacked depth as a yin cold energy art.
The same held true in this life.
He had first cultivated the Ice White Divine Art, then balanced it with the Pure Yang Infinite Art afterward, but the progress speeds were too disparate.
For every step the Ice White Divine Art advanced, the Pure Yang Infinite Art surged ahead by over ten.
'The Pure Yang Infinite Art could reach great completion anytime with the right spirit medicine.'
Thanks to his previous life's experience.
In contrast, the Ice White Divine Art was inherently difficult, and he hadn't trained it for long.
It was so powerful that it was easy to overlook, but the Ice White Divine Art's growth was naturally slow.
Baek Hwa-seon was resolving that issue to some extent, which was the best possible for Seol Hwa-un.
'In one month, I'll absorb everything I can from Baek Hwa-seon. After that, it's up to me alone.'
He had a feeling it was within reach.
'If the two divine arts grow and balance... I can reach a Heavenly Martial Realm different from my previous life.'
Lost in such thoughts, Seol Hwa-un fell asleep at some point, and the next day arrived.
He awoke as soon as the sun rose. Heading to the dining hall, he found Yu Gong-seon waiting.
"First Bureau Chief, you're up early?"
"Haha, only today did I realize the fortress lord rises this early. You've become even more diligent."
"I'm cherishing every moment of this month. I have to gain everything I can, right?"
It was possible because the Huashan Five Immortals had welcomed him eagerly each time he arrived early these past few days.
"You're too modest, Fortress Lord. By the way, if I'd been even a little later, I might have missed you."
"Hm? Do you have something to say? Was there a problem overnight...?"
Yu Gong-seon shook his head.
"It's not a big deal. I meant to tell you last night, but after you met the immortals, I knew you were meditating..."
He had held back to avoid disturbing even slightly. His consideration for Seol Hwa-un was palpable.
'With loyalty like this, how could I dare slack off even for a moment?'
Seol Hwa-un, with a faint smile, said,
"Thank you. Speak freely."
"I'll start with the current situation. Word has spread that the fortress lord is here, so Mount Hua disciples keep coming to see you."
Of course, Seol Hwa-un spent the entire day on Sage Immortal Peak, so they couldn't meet.
"Among them were quite a few who seemed to be Plum Blossom Sword Hands."
Plum Blossom Sword Hands.
The elite sword wielders selected through rigorous screening, the pride of Mount Hua.
Most key positions in Mount Hua were held by graduates of the Plum Blossom Sword Hands, who were full of promise.
Mount Hua Sect currently had twenty-four Plum Blossom Sword Hands—a number that seemed small at first glance, but each was an extraordinary master.
"They probably want to challenge you to a spar. I was going to ignore them since it's a waste of time on meaningless matters... but yesterday, a letter arrived for the fortress lord from the Mount Hua Sect Leader."
"A letter?"
"Yes."
Yu Gong-seon handed over the missive, and Seol Hwa-un took it.
"I'm sorry, Fortress Lord. I opened it first."
"It's fine. You were worried it might be something to trouble me."
Confirming the letter's contents, Seol Hwa-un chuckled.
"It's wordy, but in the end, it's saying to earn my keep, huh?"
Yu Gong-seon laughed as well.
"That's how I saw it too. Probably asking you to deal with the visiting disciples."
"Hmm. I've gained much from the Huashan Five Immortals, so I suppose I should return the favor. No helping it. I'll have to skip training today."
After breakfast, Seol Hwa-un explained the situation to Ung Cheon-ri, who had come by.
Ung Cheon-ri bristled.
"The sect leader? How dare he interfere with what the immortals and masters are doing!"
"It's not that bad. I'm freeloading lodging and food at Mount Hua, so this much consideration is fine."
"Aw, the masters and grandmasters will be disappointed... Fine. But just for today?"
"Of course. I don't like it any more than that."
Once Ung Cheon-ri left, Seol Hwa-un spent a leisurely morning, but soon Mount Hua disciples flooded the guest quarters.
Word must have spread further, as there were over a hundred of them.
"There he is!"
"That's the North Heaven Dragon?"
"I heard Ma Seong-gyun came to his senses thanks to him?"
Most gazes brimmed with curiosity.
'These stares are quite burdensome.'
But no one actually approached.
How much time passed like that.
Finally, one man stepped forward to Seol Hwa-un.
He appeared to be a man in his mid-thirties, with a Southern-style face and a broad forehead that stood out.
"Pardon the intrusion. Might you be the North Heaven Fortress Lord, North Heaven Dragon?"
Seol Hwa-un nodded readily.
"Yes."
The man's eyes changed as he clasped his hands in a respectful salute toward Seol Hwa-un.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Byeok Yeon-san, in charge of the Plum Blossom Sword Lord."