Early dawn. Cheonhwi, who was circulating his qi as usual atop a large boulder, twitched his eyelids before soon revealing a pair of eyes with a stark contrast of black and white.
"Phew."
He heavily exhaled the air that filled the depths of his lungs, then uncrossed his legs and stood up.
At that moment.
"Have you finished circulating your qi?"
A familiar voice rang out.
"Hmm? Fourth Uncle?"
He looked at Hyeondo with a puzzled gaze.
The time he visited was always the Hour of the Dog.
But for some reason, Hyeondo had visited early in the morning, even before the Hour of the Dragon.
Perhaps sensing his questioning gaze, Hyeondo spoke up with a smile.
"I had something to do this afternoon, so I should have told you before leaving yesterday that I'd be coming early in the morning, but I forgot. Hahaha."
He slowly approached.
Watching Hyeondo approach without hesitation, Cheonhwi shook his head.
Recently, Hyeondo had been treating him noticeably more familiarly.
'Since that day, huh.'
He recalled the day he executed the Plum Blossom Sword Art.
The moment he opened his eyes after ending his martial trance, what he saw were Hyeondo and the Sect Leader.
'He truly is a genius, just as you said.'
'Hahaha! Didn't I tell you!'
At the time, the two had made quite a fuss.
However, that was only for a moment; the Sect Leader hardened his expression and earnestly instructed Cheonhwi.
'Never execute the Plum Blossom Sword Art in front of others.'
He couldn't understand why he had to do that, but finding it bothersome, he simply agreed.
Anyway, he had gained an enlightenment the last time he executed the Plum Blossom Sword Art and planned to change it.
'The sword techniques in the Plum Blossom Sword Art secretly overlap a lot, and every time I swing it, the unnecessary consumption of inner qi is significant. Rather, if I simplify the techniques of the Plum Blossom Sword Art, the qi consumption will decrease too....'
Just as he was thinking about how to reduce the techniques of the Plum Blossom Sword Art and execute it more efficiently.
"Then today, as I mentioned yesterday, I will teach you the footwork of our sect."
Hyeondo said with a beaming smile.
Recently, training martial arts like this with Cheonhwi was his joy.
A genius who acquires martial arts just by seeing them once.
It was his first time feeling that teaching could be this enjoyable.
'Besides, I've also learned a lot while teaching.'
The smile lingering on his lips never ceased.
Whenever Cheonhwi was taught martial arts, he interpreted them in completely unexpected ways.
Thanks to that, his perspective on martial arts had broadened, and he gained a lot.
'I wonder what kind of extraordinary sight he will show me today.'
With bloated expectations, he parted his lips.
"First is the Seven Star Steps, which all disciples of our sect learn first after joining."
Immediately, Hyeondo lifted his inner force as usual and demonstrated.
Swish— Swish—
As soon as his footwork sped up, Hyeondo's figure blurred, leaving afterimages.
Just as the number of afterimages gradually increased.
Whoosh!
Cheonhwi turned his head backward.
"Well done."
Hyeondo, who was feeling proud, was looking down at him from behind.
"Did you see how I stepped just now?"
"Yes."
Cheonhwi answered nonchalantly.
"Then try it."
Hyeondo crossed his arms and stepped back.
His training method was simple.
Show the martial art, and tell him to follow along.
It was quite a crude method.
Originally, Hyeondo hadn't intended to teach like this.
He planned to teach him the mnemonic chants and help him, just like when he first taught him the Plum Blossom Qi Art or the Six Harmonies Sword Art.
However, he changed his mind within three days.
'It's a talent that defies common sense.'
As if going to the Man Gyeong Pavilion every day wasn't an empty boast, Cheonhwi knew most of the martial arts Hyeondo taught him.
No, he didn't just know them; he perfectly understood the principles and theories contained within the mnemonic chants.
So he skipped the explanations.
And the result was satisfactory.
He had already learned most of the Huashan Sect's foundational arts, leaving only the footwork.
And Cheonhwi himself was also fully satisfied with the current method.
'It's definitely convenient to skip the annoying parts. Of course, this kind of method is only possible because it's me.'
It was no empty statement.
For this training method to work, one had to possess outstanding intuition to grasp how to execute a martial art just by seeing it performed, while simultaneously having abundant knowledge to the point of knowing the mnemonic chants of that martial art.
But would such a person exist?
'Other than me, there would be none.'
If this training were for someone else rather than him, let alone making achievements, they clearly wouldn't have been able to learn the martial arts properly.
'He moved his feet like this.'
Recalling the Seven Star Steps from just now.
Hwaaak—
He lifted the inner force of the Plum Blossom Divine Art.
About a shichen passed since he began stepping through the footwork, including the Seven Star Steps.
Waaaah!
Cheonhwi's brows furrowed at the cheers that had been continuously ringing out from a moment ago.
"It's unusually noisy today."
"Hahaha, isn't the Five Peaks Gathering opening soon?"
"Five Peaks Gathering?"
Hyeondo revealed his bewilderment.
"Don't tell me... You don't know?"
"It's my first time hearing about it."
"How could you not know the Five Peaks Gathering... Ah!"
The man who was speaking let out a short sigh.
He had completely forgotten, but until just a while ago, he was a child who couldn't even learn martial arts and instead suffered from a sickly body.
Besides, since he had only trained with him recently, how would he know about the Five Peaks Gathering?
Hyeondo turned his head and let out a fake cough.
"Ahem. It seems you didn't know because you've only stayed in the Man Gyeong Pavilion and the Thatched Hut. Didn't I say I had business in the afternoon? That business was to help select the disciples who will attend the Five Peaks Gathering."
He slightly turned his head to look at Cheonhwi.
However, there was no reaction at all.
'So what?'
Cheonhwi had no interest in whatever business Hyeondo had in the afternoon.
There was only one thing he was interested in.
"So what is the Five Peaks Gathering?"
"Ahem, ahem."
Out of embarrassment, Hyeondo repeatedly cleared his throat before opening his mouth after adjusting his voice.
"The Five Peaks Gathering is a grand assembly held every four years, rotating among the Five Peaks Sword Sects for the sake of mutual exchange."
"A grand assembly?"
"To be precise, the purpose is for the martial arts exchange of the Five Peaks Sword Sects. The four disciples selected beforehand engage in one-on-one sparring with the disciples of the other sword sects..."
'Hmm?'
Listening to the explanation that seemed like he had heard somewhere before, Cheonhwi tilted his head.
'It's similar to the Battle of the Five Families.'
In the distant past, the five families that upheld the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had a bad relationship and would fight to the death against each other almost every day.
Then, when the Cheon Family and the Kang Family finally faced a crisis where both would perish, the reigning Cult Leader who had been watching stepped forward.
The Cult Leader ended the war and declared that each family should select five experts to fight.
That was the bloody war to determine the ranking of the Five Great Families, the Battle of the Five Families.
The differences from the Five Peaks Gathering were that the number of participants in the spar was five instead of four, and it was held only once every ten years instead of once every four years.
Lastly, it wasn't a spar, but a life-and-death duel where dying didn't matter.
'They say extremes meet.'
Even while Cheonhwi was briefly lost in other thoughts, Hyeondo continued his explanation.
"The Five Peaks Gathering wields quite a significant influence. It's held once every four years, and the disciples who stand out gain such fame that they receive monikers even before stepping out into the murim."
Hyeondo's expression gradually distorted as he spoke.
Watching his face grow increasingly fierce, Cheonhwi opened his mouth.
"You don't seem too fond of it."
"As I said, it was originally a grand assembly for the Five Peaks Sword Sects to build friendships. But since the previous Five Peaks Gathering, the actions of the other sword sects have been strange."
Instantly, Hyeondo's face hardened.
After losing their youngest junior brother and most of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, as their influence gradually declined, their tendency to ignore our sect grew.
In particular, after the Five Peaks Gathering held at the Taishan Sect four years ago, the treatment of our sect had noticeably changed.
'They ignored our sect's opinion, pressured us with a majority of three sword sects, and even pushed our sect's exhibition order to the very front.'
As he recalled the lamentations of the disciple who attended the Five Peaks Gathering at that time.
"They are probably waiting for a chance to covet our sect's shaking position."
He inadvertently muttered a thought he had kept inside, then flinched.
'I said something unnecessary.'
Realizing his mistake, Hyeondo quickly added words to reassure Cheonhwi.
"But there's no need to worry about such things anymore. Since I have reached the realm of Cheonmujigyeong, our sect will never waver."
Hyeondo, speaking with his chest puffed out, glanced at Cheonhwi. Fortunately, Cheonhwi's expression was the same as usual.
At that, Hyeondo breathed a sigh of relief.
However, he did not know.
That his thoughts were wrong from the start.
Cheonhwi had never worried at all.
Rather than worrying, he was laughing inside.
'Not much different from our Cult.'
Did they say all places where people live are the same?
No matter how much they were Daoists and a righteous sect, they were still people.
At that moment, Hyeondo opened his eyes wide.
"If you're curious about the Five Peaks Gathering, go to Dorim Plain on the day. Anyone who is a disciple of the Huashan Sect can observe the Five Peaks Gathering."
"Observe?"
Cheonhwi's brows furrowed.
A chance to see the martial arts of the Five Peaks Sword Sects.
Furthermore, if it was as historically significant and important as Hyeondo made it out to be, they would surely display their true skills at this Five Peaks Gathering.
'A talent show for the Daoist bastards...'
* * *
Huashan, renowned as the Western Peak.
Anyone would be overwhelmed by the precipitous cliffs that looked as if they were carved by a sword.
Overcoming the pressure and taking their first step into Huashan, they would realize that the rumors circulating in the world were true.
The only people who could freely come and go from Huashan were the Daoists of the Huashan Sect.
Just as the rumors said, it was an incredibly narrow and treacherous mountain path.
So much so that it would be difficult to climb if one wasn't a Daoist of the Huashan Sect who had learned martial arts.
Because of that, most people gave up on climbing here.
But don't they say that after hardship comes happiness?
If one continued to climb the mountain path, they would encounter scenery rarely seen in a lifetime.
Hwaaa—
Beautiful plum blossoms blooming everywhere across the mountain.
The red plum blossoms, contrasting with the clear blue sky, lightly wrapped around the mountain ridges as if dressing Huashan in silk.
In addition, the massive rocky peaks soaring into the sky were like fully bloomed flowers.
The moment they saw that, people would recall the saying about Huashan.
'The Hua in Huashan is not the plum blossom, but the massive peaks blooming atop the mountain.'
It was a saying passed down as a joke since long ago.
However, if one made it this far, they could realize that those words weren't false.
To anyone's eyes, the peaks in the distance were like flowers in full bloom.
If one continued to climb the mountain path while blankly admiring the scenery.
Thud—
There came a point where one had no choice but to stop walking.
A massive gate blocking the way.
At first encounter, anyone would be bewildered, but upon seeing the old plaque hanging above the gate, they understood why this gate stood there so imposingly.
[Huashan Sect]
For it was the gate entering the Huashan Sect, one of the Nine Sects and One Faction.
Whiiiing—
Soon, the gates opened, and a hot breeze washed over them.
The wind, heavily imbued with the scent of plum blossoms, tickled the tip of the nose as it passed, and the interior of the Huashan Sect filled the fully opened view.
Plum blossoms blooming along the path.
Vintage pavilions.
It was a scene that gave the illusion of having entered an entirely different world just by crossing the gate.
And then came the sight of a training ground of immense scale; that place was precisely the Dorim Plain, where the core disciples trained in martial arts.
Normally, the training ground would have been full of disciples, but today it was completely empty.
Instead, the perimeter of the training ground was packed with Daoists of the Huashan Sect.
That was only natural, for today was the day the Five Peaks Gathering was being held at the Huashan Sect for the first time in twenty years.
"Waaaah!"
"Will the Eldest Senior Brother win?"
"Of course! Not just the Eldest Senior Brother, but the Fourth Sister will win too!"
Just as the Dorim Plain was buried in noisy chatter and expectant cheers.
Boom!
Along with the sound of a drum, the air vibrated.
Instantly, a heavy silence fell over the Dorim Plain as if cold water had been splashed.
At that moment.
Thump— Thump—
Footsteps shattered the silence.
Everyone's gaze headed there.
Five Daoists were walking from the entrance of the Dorim Plain.
The Elder of the Hengshan Sect, Jiyuzi.
The Elder of the Hangshan Sect, Gujingzi.
The Elder of the Taishan Sect, Wuyingzi.
The Elder of the Songshan Sect, Taiqiongzi.
The four were the Elders of each Sword Sect who had led their disciples to this Huashan Sect.
And the remaining one Daoist was the Sect Leader of the Huashan Sect, Hyeonsang Zhenren.
Striding along, they stepped onto the training ground and stood straight.
The Sect Leader surveyed the quietened surroundings.
After a brief moment, he smiled gently and opened his mouth.
"The Five Peaks Gathering begins now."
The moment the Sect Leader's low voice firmly planted itself in everyone's ears.
Waaaaaaaah!
A massive cheer resounded throughout the Huashan Sect, and the Five Peaks Gathering began.