The dining hall, shared by the disciples of the Hwasan Sect, was noisier than usual.
A beautiful young woman with a pure and elegant charm—Muhwa, the youngest and the only female among the second-generation disciples—hurriedly stuck her head out and spoke up.
"What's going on with First Brother today?"
"I thought he was a completely different person."
"Come to think of it, he didn't stutter at all today, did he?"
As Muhwa opened the floodgates, the other second-generation disciples began talking about the changed Muhwi.
"I'm curious to see what kind of steps First Brother will take. He's always stayed in the background until now."
"He was kind of cool today. For the first time, it felt like First Brother actually was our First Brother."
Muhwa, her large eyes sparkling, spoke excitedly, then turned to look at Mucheol, who was quietly eating his meal.
"Mucheol, did you two talk about anything when you went to bring First Brother today?"
At her question, all the second-generation disciples turned their eyes to Mucheol. But Mucheol just silently reached out with his chopsticks.
"Mucheol..."
Muhwa's lips pouted in disappointment, and only then did Mucheol finally open his mouth.
"No."
His curt reply made the others struggle to hold back their laughter, some nearly choking on their food.
"Muhwa, you should ask someone who actually talks."
"Seriously. Asking Mucheol, who considers saying ten words in a day as being talkative, if he chatted with someone…"
Muhwa gave a self-deprecating smile, and the others burst into laughter along with her.
"What are those guys laughing about so much?"
"Beats me."
While some disciples watched the changes in Muhwi with interest, others weren't so pleased.
They were the ones who usually followed Mujin.
Unlike the lively chatter at the opposite table, theirs was gloomy and silent.
"Mujin didn't even come to eat."
"Hmm, I guess it must've been a real shock."
"Well, with First Brother acting like that out of the blue, it's understandable he'd be shaken."
As the complaints continued, Muryun, who had been quietly listening, put down his chopsticks and spoke.
"Even if First Brother is taking up the role again, I wonder if he can really handle it—with his skills and personality."
"Ahh…"
"Now that you mention it, yeah…"
Understanding exactly what he meant, the disciples chuckled along with Muryun.
"Still, I think we should at least go and talk to First Brother ourselves."
Muryun gave a sly smile, and the others nodded.
"We'll go."
"Do that."
Around the small cottage where Muhwi lived, plum blossoms were playfully shedding their petals one by one.
Amid the drifting petals floating through the air, Muhwi stood with a wooden sword in hand.
He had wanted to train as soon as he regained consciousness, but due to the sword wound on his chest, he had to hold back. He couldn't afford to reopen the injury by being hasty, so until now, he had focused solely on recovering.
As he softly gripped the wooden sword, it settled comfortably into both hands.
"This is the feeling I missed."
Whenever Muhwi held a sword, his body and mind would stir with excitement.
As he felt the weight of the wooden sword, the corners of his lips curled up. Though it wasn't a real blade, wasn't it still a sword in the end?
Made of ironwood, the wooden sword lacked nothing in terms of weight and durability compared to a real blade, and its balance was quite satisfactory.
Recalling his previous life, when he had trained with nothing more than a blunt wooden stick, Muhwi let out a faint laugh and raised the sword to a middle guard position.
As he relaxed his knees, his center of gravity shifted gradually to his lower body, and his feet rooted themselves firmly to the ground.
In contrast, his upper body remained flexible and relaxed, ready to extend the sword in any direction.
Muhwi's gaze, fixed on the empty air, was calm yet carried a cold sharpness.
The wooden sword drew a vertical line.
Tracing a graceful arc, it swept from left to right, slicing through the air.
Thus, Muhwi began to perform the Six Harmonies Sword Technique (Yukhapgeom) slowly.
The seamless, continuous motion of the sword stirred subtle currents in the air.
The petals that had been falling into the courtyard began to gather around Muhwi, carried along by the flow.
Six Harmonies...
Front and back, left and right, up and down.
Together, they form the Six Harmonies.
The Six Harmonies Sword Technique was the very foundation of Hwasan Sect's martial arts, encompassing heaven and earth, all directions—east, west, south, and north—into a single sword.
Though Hwasan Sect was famous for its Plum Blossom Sword Technique, the true root that sustained the sect was the Six Harmonies.
The wooden sword thrust out in all directions in sequence, and the petals danced in response, floating gently in the air.
The graceful movements of the sword blended perfectly with the petals, forming a small harmony. Dancing among the swirling blossoms, the wooden sword finally reached the final form of the Six Harmonies Sword.
As he spun in a wide arc with his right foot as the pivot, the petals fluttering around him scattered in all directions.
He had not used sword energy (geomgi), and yet the scene was reminiscent of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
To anyone outside the sect, this could never be mistaken for a mere beginner's technique.
That display was only possible because Muhwi had a deep understanding of the Six Harmonies—the foundation of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
"Hm..."
Had any of the elders or first-generation disciples seen it, they would have been stunned, but Muhwi wore a dissatisfied expression.
The former Muhwi hadn't slacked in training, but it wasn't quite enough to be satisfactory.
Even with the experiences and memories of the Sword Demon, if the vessel—the body—wasn't properly refined, all of it would be meaningless.
As he swung the sword and examined his physical condition, Muhwi began to recall the training he needed to do.
"Even demonic sect techniques might be useful if used wisely."
A slight smile curved his lips as he organized his thoughts.
"I guess it's time to really get moving."
Though he had to start from the beginning, Muhwi's determination only burned brighter.
He had already walked this martial path once.
That meant he knew how to pursue it with efficiency and precision. If he could make good use of his past life's experiences, his growth could be faster and more refined.
The Sword Demon of the Demonic Sect.
It was an achievement to be proud of—rising from the bottom on his own—but it had also been his limit.
With the Sword Demon's skills, he could be the strongest in the Demonic Sect, even be called the greatest swordsman in the underworld—but never the greatest under heaven.
So Muhwi made a vow.
To forge a new blade, sharper and stronger—to cut down even what he couldn't in his previous life.
Among the foes that new blade would face, the masked man was certainly included.
Renewing his resolve, Muhwi calmed his breathing and began to swing the wooden sword once more. This time, a clear energy surged from his danjeon (energy center), coursing through his meridians.
Fwoosh—
As the wooden sword cleaved the air with force, the wind split with a sharp sound.
Moving his inner energy in accordance with the flow of the Six Harmonies, Muhwi infused the sword with a power unlike before.
And so, he continued swinging the wooden sword without pause.
Like a ghost possessed by the sword.
"Rather than channeling through Jungbu, Janchung, and Geogwool points, it's better to use Cheonjeong, Gimun, and Cheonchu. That way, I can circulate my energy faster and with more explosive power. If I use the mantra from Hong Yugong here, the process will be even smoother."
Hong Yugong was one of the many demonic martial arts techniques Muhwi knew.
After finishing his daytime training, while circulating his energy, Muhwi had a small realization and began revising his internal energy method accordingly.
The Nine Elemental Heart Method (Guso Simbeop) was a Taoist technique, known for its exceptional purity and stability of inner energy.
Its weakness, however, lay in its slow accumulation and lower output power. Muhwi began to adapt it by incorporating mantras and energy circulation routes from demonic techniques.
It was a dangerous move—one small misstep could lead to deviation or energy backlash—but Muhwi didn't hesitate to dive deep into the modifications.
After all, the Sword Demon of his previous life, unable to obtain orthodox martial arts, had elevated his martial level by restructuring and combining various disciplines this way.
Although Mu-hwi was doing it naturally, it was something impossible without innate talent. Even Hyeonjo couldn't dream of imitating it.
"If you had been a disciple of a prestigious sect, you could have fully blossomed this talent. What a shame."
Those were Hyeonjo's words when he was impressed by Dokgoheon, who had combined three different cultivation techniques to ultimately create a new one.
'And now I've really become a disciple of a prestigious sect.'
Mu-hwi casually modified the Guso Cultivation Technique.
He wasn't planning on passing this martial art to others, and he would only use it until he obtained the Jaha Cultivation Technique anyway. So he focused solely on efficiently reorganizing the technique to suit his own needs.
By the time the warm sunlight gave way to a crimson sunset, and finally the cold moonlight wrapped around his shoulders, Mu-hwi finally opened his eyes.
"It's passable."
The Guso Cultivation Technique now residing in Mu-hwi's energy center had been significantly altered from its original form.
He retained its strengths while compensating for its weaknesses using martial techniques from the demonic sects. Thanks to this, Mu-hwi's growth had already accelerated.
Of course, since he hadn't tampered with the foundation of the technique, there was no need to worry about others noticing.
"It's already night... That took much longer than I expected."
When he started his energy circulation, the sun was still high overhead. Now, a pale crescent moon hung in its place.
To have restructured a cultivation method—even a basic one—in less than a day was nothing short of extraordinary.
Which martial artist in the martial world could claim to have done such a thing? No one would believe it, but Mu-hwi had done it with ease.
'Sure enough, combining orthodox and demonic martial arts creates a lot of discord and conflict. Still, it was a valuable experience.'
Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken so long. But the gains were worth the difficulty, and Mu-hwi smiled in satisfaction.
Today's experience would greatly help him when it came time to combine more advanced techniques in the future.
As he stood up and dusted himself off, Mu-hwi sensed someone's presence and turned his head toward the forest.
Two figures were approaching.
Narrowing his eyes, Mu-hwi recognized them.
"What brings you here at this hour?"
Two men entered the courtyard of the meditation hall.
They were the disciples who had been complaining with Mu-ryun at lunch earlier—Mu-san and Mu-ho.
"Senior Brother, good thing you're still awake."
"We have something we wish to say."
"A conversation that has to take place in the dead of night, away from prying eyes? I'm curious what you have to say."
Seeing Mu-hwi immediately grasp their motives, the two looked slightly uncomfortable. But they quickly regained composure.
"Senior Brother, we ask you to take back what you said today."
"Senior Brother Mu-jin only backed down out of respect for your position."
"That's funny. Did Mu-jin send you here?"
It was actually Mu-ryun who sent them, but Mu-san shook his head. There was no benefit in dragging their senior brothers' names into this.
"No. We came of our own will."
"Regardless, this is not a matter for you to meddle in. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything—now go. And stop acting like puppets."
"Puppets...?"
Flushing with anger, Mu-san raised his voice at Mu-hwi's retreating figure.
"If we're puppets, what does that make you? All ambition, no ability. Aren't you ashamed?"
"I refuse to be led by someone inferior to me."
Mu-ho added, and Mu-hwi stopped in his tracks, turning to stare at the two with cold, indifferent eyes.
"The hierarchy of Hwasan sure has fallen."
Both Mu-san and Mu-ho flinched.
Now that they thought about it, their words had indeed crossed a line. It was one thing to think it, another to say it aloud.
Especially when the person they were speaking to was Mu-hwi, the Senior Brother of the second-generation disciples. If the elders of Hwasan found out, there would be hell to pay.
But the water had already been spilled. There was no putting it back. Mu-san decided to go all in.
"Can you even guide us like Senior Brother Mu-jin does? All you do is shout the names of techniques during dawn practice."
"Just stay quiet and invisible, like you always have, Senior Brother."
As the two ranted, Mu-hwi listened in silence.
'If I want to live properly in this body, I'll need to change the way people see me, too.'
He had often felt frustrated and pathetic when glimpsing Mu-hwi's past through dreams. So he understood where these two were coming from.
Though Hwasan had a vertical hierarchy based on rank, these kids were still only seventeen or eighteen.
At that age, it was hard to keep emotions in check, and youthful blood ran hot. It made sense they would rebel against a structure that crushed their pride.
Even Hyeonjo, the youngest of the wise generation, had been known to clash with his seniors during his late twenties.
'Still… They've got some nerve.'
Mu-hwi understood them—but he had no intention of being lenient. A clear example needed to be made.
'You two will be the first.'
Mu-hwi didn't say a word. He simply drew the wooden sword at his waist.
Mu-san and Mu-ho stared at him, confused.
"Draw your weapons. Since you're so confident in your skills, let's see for ourselves. You damn brats."
Let's see for ourselves. You damn brats.
Looks like Senior Brother turned into a total monster.