Chapter 178
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Mount Hua Sword Debate (2)
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"Here, dig in."
"Thank you."
When I snapped back to reality, I found myself seated cross-legged in a modest pavilion on Mount Hua's rear slopes, having trailed obediently behind this unfamiliar old-timer.
- Since we've crossed paths like this, how about a brief chat? It's fate, after all.
I was dying to bolt from the spot, claiming some urgent business, but the atmosphere radiating an unmistakable "no refusals" vibe made it impossible to just say no and walk away.
After exchanging some polite small talk, sticking to proper etiquette...
"So, what brings you to Mount Hua?"
The old man suddenly turned serious, firing off the question.
Ever since possessing the body of the wandering swordsman Seo Geumhyeon, I'd been choosing my words with utmost care.
Among warriors of such transcendent skill that not even a hint of their presence could be sensed, there was no reason for someone unaffiliated with Mount Hua to linger here unless they belonged.
He had to be one of Mount Hua's hidden masters.
"When the famed sword styles of the jianghu are mentioned, the names of Wudang, Mount Hua, and Mount Zhongnan invariably come up. I hold Mount Hua's to be the pinnacle, so I climbed the mountain hoping for a chance to witness that swordsmanship firsthand."
"Ho ho."
I didn't miss the slight twitch at the corner of the old man's mouth.
Bullseye, Geum Sihyeon!
"Who taught you the sword?"
My master.
The first name that sprang to mind was my slipshod old man, but I couldn't very well admit in the heart of the orthodox sects that the Heavenly Demon had trained me.
"I learned from... the world itself."
"Ha! The world, eh? A fine answer indeed."
Even I had to admit it was a romantically poetic line, befitting the romantic swordsman Seo Geumhyeon.
"And what do you make of Mount Hua now that you've seen it up close?"
I kicked my brain into overdrive.
While the landscape everywhere else was deliberately adorned with plum blossoms, the area around this old man's abode was strangely devoid of them.
Which meant...
"It's... a bit disappointing."
"What did you say?"
Before the old man's eyes could narrow into slits...
"Two years ago, Mount Hua brimmed with a fierce momentum and spirit that shone clear and bright, despite its ruggedness. But what about now? Isn't it so obsessed with the form of the plum blossom that the crisp purity it once exuded is gone, replaced by a chase after mere flashiness...? Forgive my rudeness if I've spoken out of turn."
I bowed my head deeply.
"Haha! Hahaha!"
A hearty laugh erupted from the old man.
Right answer again.
I'm on fire.
"Exactly, exactly. Mount Hua never had plum blossoms to begin with, nor did its swordsmanship. The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques? A recent invention, nothing more than a style fixated on form and illusion."
Clearly in high spirits, he took a sip of tea before launching into a passionate tirade.
"The current martial world is much the same. What happened once that contraption called Mutube came along? Anyone can learn martial arts, swing them around recklessly, and the powerless common folk suffer even more. Even face-to-face conversations have dwindled, replaced by chatter through some gadget called a smartphone. Can that truly be called a proper martial world?"
"Haha..."
No.
Old man, why the sudden outburst?
"The martial world wasn't always like this. It wasn't peaceful, mind you, but righteousness and chivalry breathed life into it. But now? Can you really say there's chivalry in fake martial arts learned from Mutube?"
"Not really... right?"
"Precisely. We must return it to the upright and great martial world it ought to be. What say you?"
"..."
A great... martial world.
Return the... martial world to... greatness...?
Cold sweat trickled more fiercely down my spine.
The old man watched my reaction impassively, then took another slow sip of tea.
With that...
A brief silence fell.
"Come to think of it, I haven't properly introduced myself. I am Gwang Haja, the 17th sect leader of Mount Hua. These days, I go by the secular name Guyang Hwi more often than my dharma name."
"The wandering swordsman Seo Geumhyeon pays respects to the Supreme Ancestor."
I bowed deeply once more, matching his status, but the old man's expression remained subtly inscrutable.
"No, that's not right."
"...Pardon?"
"Not Seo Geumhyeon. Geum Sihyeon, isn't it?"
"..."
Damn it.
Guyang Hwi gazed at Geum Sihyeon, who wore an awkward smile, and reined in his tangled emotions as best he could.
He'd suspected as much.
But to confirm it this quickly—and alone, no less.
"Do you know when the martial world began to change like this?"
"...I'm not sure."
"Exactly twenty-one years ago."
"..."
"I've pondered it endlessly. In the long history of the Central Plains, has the world ever shifted so rapidly as in recent times? I can say with certainty: never."
"..."
"So there must be some singular catalyst that brought about this massive change, no?"
"That... makes sense."
Guyang Hwi still remembered it vividly.
The moment heaven's mandate deviated from its natural course, and a new star rose.
That star, Samramanjo—the myriad phenomena itself—still growing brighter in real time.
"It was you, Geum Sihyeon."
It shone right before his eyes.
"You're the leader... of the Azure Heaven Society."
"Is the Poison King dead?"
"He's got some lingering injuries... but he's alive."
"More mercy in your strikes than expected. Or were you wary of the fallout from killing the Poison King?"
"After all, I'm one of those righteous orthodox sect folk."
"Hahat!"
Guyang Hwi burst into cheerful laughter.
"Looks like orthodox sect folk these days cultivate demonic qi in their dantian too."
"All paths lead to the same end, don't they?"
To stand so boldly before the head of an enemy organization—his audacity alone deserved respect.
But.
"Will you kill me right here?"
"Not here, but you won't be leaving Mount Hua alive."
"How do you plan to gather the spilled water?"
"If I turn the reversal of heaven back to its proper course, everything will naturally return to the righteous path."
Once more, silence.
Geum Sihyeon scratched his head awkwardly, sighed, and met Guyang Hwi's gaze head-on.
"...I really don't want to die here. Leader, how about a little wager?"
"Hm?"
"Block my ultimate technique with a single strike, then catch me as I flee—and I'll accept death willingly. But if you miss, leave me and mine alone until the year's end."
"Hmph... What reason do I have to entertain such a bet?"
"Aren't you curious?"
"About what?"
"Just how far a warrior like me can grow."
"Ha!"
Should've just ended him before trading words.
Guyang Hwi clicked his tongue, inwardly admiring Geum Sihyeon's boldness all the same.
His words...
Were undeniably true.
Born under the fate of heavenly reversal, he was the greatest obstacle to setting the martial world aright from Guyang Hwi's perspective.
But setting aside grand righteousness and convictions, viewing him purely as a warrior...
If given time...
How far could he grow?
Word had it he was just twenty-one.
Visibly, already a transcendent monster at the Peak Realm.
Right now, Guyang Hwi could crush him like an insect with a flick of the finger.
...Of course, the moment he intervened directly in fate, the weight of karma would settle on his own shoulders.
"Go on, then. Give it a try."
In the end...
Curiosity won out.
Geum Sihyeon flashed a knowing smile, as if he'd expected as much.
"Then, forgive my impertinence as this wandering swordsman puts on a little show."
It wouldn't amount to much.
No matter how he struggled, how could he halt the years Guyang Hwi had accumulated, even for a moment?
That's what he'd thought.
.
.
.
"...How much longer?"
"Almost there."
"Hm."
"Just a bit more patience, please."
What martial art required such an absurdly long preparation?
Barely suppressing his boredom, Guyang Hwi watched Geum Sihyeon's deliberate hand movements and the bizarre qi sphere steadily growing at his fingertips.
It was a kind of qi projectile.
Circulating endlessly within without overflowing, tracing perfect circles—pure yet sinister, holding a chilling warmth.
Guyang Hwi tried to mimic it by drawing up his own energy, but...
"Not easy."
"It's quite tricky."
The moment the energy split into three strands, any lapse in focus caused it to dissipate into the air.
And this was five strands.
Did he invent something beyond the Dual Heart Technique, like a Five Heart Technique?
How could anyone sustain such intense concentration?
Guyang Hwi couldn't hide his renewed admiration.
And finally.
"Well then, time for my little performance. It's a tad grandiose, but the name's Invincible Meteor Bullet."
"A pompous name. Let's see it."
With preparations complete, Geum Sihyeon spun the now sizable qi bullet in the air, speaking nonchalantly.
For something forged by a Peak Realm warrior, it had impressive momentum—but to Guyang Hwi, it was a drop in the ocean.
...That's how it had felt, certainly.
But.
The instant the qi bullet slipped from Geum Sihyeon's control and hurtled toward Guyang Hwi...
"Wha—...?"
Guyang Hwi involuntarily let out a groan, channeling his true qi.
The ceaselessly circulating energy began colliding within, uncontrollably expanding in size—and power surging in real time.
It wasn't unblockable...
But a head-on clash would send shockwaves rippling outward uncontrollably.
Potentially...
Enough to crumble an entire peak of Mount Hua.
And somehow infused within was a sinister poison coiling and writhing.
The surrounding area would become barren, uninhabitable wasteland.
"Off I go, then!"
Geum Sihyeon turned tail without hesitation, bounding down the cliffside—but Guyang Hwi couldn't seize him.
And then.
Kugung, kugugung...!
Kururung—!
The moment Guyang Hwi unleashed Eagle-Snake Life-Death Strike from his palm, clashing softly yet fiercely with Geum Sihyeon's Invincible Meteor Bullet...
A colossal roar erupted, as if Mount Hua itself had exploded—and in that instant, heaven and earth flipped upside down.