‘Is this really that surprising?’
Cheon Hwi stared for a long time at Hyuncheong, whose mouth was hanging wide open and eyes were rounded.
To him, it was difficult to understand Hyuncheong's reaction at all.
To be so appalled just from restoring a mere martial art.
‘Most of them are just things where people couldn't even properly interpret the manual's verses.’
To him, who had stepped into the supreme realm, the martial arts in Mangeongak were all clearly visible as if they were in the palm of his hand.
Especially among the superior martial arts, there were some like the Okhwanmyobo or the Maehwa Sword Art that he had directly faced in the past, so restoring them was a very easy task.
But that was only his standard.
For those who were not martial artists... No, for people other than him, it was different.
In order to restore martial arts, one had to reach the supreme realm like him, or achieve great success to become proficient.
No, even then, it was something they couldn't be sure was even possible.
It was then.
"M-m-most of them, you say?"
Hyuncheong, who came to his senses while hastily shaking his head, opened his mouth and asked.
"Yes."
Cheon Hwi answered flatly.
And from that, Hyuncheong realized that Cheon Hwi's words were not a lie, but the truth.
‘Not just one, but most of them?’
Hyuncheong, who had received a great shock from Cheon Hwi's answer, asked once again.
"D-does that mean you have read all the martial arts manuals in Mangeongak?"
"Not all of them yet."
"Haha."
Hyuncheong let out a laugh of disbelief.
That statement felt more credible.
‘He read all of those?’
The martial arts manuals existing in Mangeongak were not just one or two.
There were easily at least several hundred martial arts manuals. Even he himself had taken at least four years to read all the martial arts manuals.
‘Yet he says he read most of them.’
Cheon Hwi looked indifferently at Hyuncheong, who still couldn't hide his astonishment.
That face again.
Hyuncheong's expression was very familiar.
Most of the gazes he always felt were either unable to hide their astonishment like Hyuncheong, or were eyes consumed by awe or terror.
‘Surprised by just this much.’
Cheon Hwi was nonchalant.
‘I even read all the martial arts manuals in the Cheonma Archives in less than six years.’
His standard was the Cheonma Archives.
But he did not know.
That the Cheonma Archives was a massive repository of martial arts manuals unparalleled in the world.
Not only did it hold all the demonic art manuals existing in the world, but it also contained the martial arts manuals seized from the Central Plains when the Cheonma Divine Cult had achieved the Unification of the Demonic Path under Heaven.
While Cheon Hwi was being nonchalant.
‘I-is that true?’
Hyuncheong, completely unaware of Cheon Hwi's thoughts, was still in confusion.
Then, a way to confirm whether Cheon Hwi's answer was correct suddenly occurred to him.
‘If I compare it with the verses of the martial art he recently restored, I should be able to find out if it's true.’
He immediately moved his trembling lips.
"Then, do you know the verses of the Daera Sword?"
"The Daera Sword?"
As soon as Cheon Hwi heard the name of the martial art, the verses of the Daera Sword floated in his mind.
The Daera Sword was a sword art that had made a name for the Huashan Sect a long, long time ago, but it had been lost five hundred years ago and became a sword art in name only.
"Ah, that? I know it."
"Then, can you show it to me?"
"...."
Cheon Hwi looked with displeasure at Hyuncheong, who was asking as if to test him.
‘How annoying.’
If it were him in the past, he would have yelled, ‘Are you testing me!’.
But what could he do.
He was the martial nephew, and the other was his martial uncle.
"Haa, I understand."
He stood up from his seat with a sigh.
Seeing Cheon Hwi suddenly stand up, Hyuncheong was slightly surprised and moved his lips.
"Why are you standing up?"
"You asked me to show you the Daera Sword, didn't you?"
"...!"
Hyuncheong's eyes widened.
"Surely you're not going to show it to me directly?"
"Is there any other way?"
Looking at Cheon Hwi answering calmly, Hyuncheong's eyes went round.
He had thought Cheon Hwi would just tell him the verses, but to actually demonstrate the martial art.
‘Reciting the verses and demonstrating it are strictly on different levels...’
Cheon Hwi looked down at Hyuncheong, who could no longer hide his astonishment.
Contrary to his thoughts, it was much easier for Cheon Hwi to demonstrate it than to recite the verses.
‘When would I finish reciting all the verses?’
The verses of the Daera Sword were unnecessarily long.
Even at a rough estimate, it would take about half an hour to recite.
"Aren't you going to watch?"
As Cheon Hwi looked down at him with urging eyes, Hyuncheong reached out his hand to touch the floor, stood up, and asked.
"Can you really demonstrate it?"
At the continuous questioning, Cheon Hwi now spoke with an openly annoyed expression.
"You'll know if you watch."
Cheon Hwi immediately left the thatched hut.
A moment later, the two who came outside stood alone in the courtyard, facing each other.
The courtyard was covered in deep darkness, to the point where one couldn't see an inch ahead, but it was no hindrance to Cheon Hwi and Hyuncheong.
"I'll begin."
Cheon Hwi said casually, and Hyuncheong waited, swallowing hard.
Swish—
Cheon Hwi immediately picked up the wooden sword he had brought.
Following that, he spread his feet shoulder-width apart, and aligned the tip of the sword with his eye level.
In that instant, Hyuncheong's pupils shook.
‘T-t-this is! It's exactly the same!’
He was inwardly appalled.
It was a completely different posture from what was written in the martial arts manual, but that posture perfectly matched the starting stance of the Daera Sword that he had restored.
Hyuncheong's throat went dry.
At that moment, the wooden sword moved greatly.
Whooosh!
The wooden sword, piercing through the darkness, headed toward the brilliantly rising full moon.
In that instant, dozens of sword glows appeared.
Flash!
The sword glows, flashing like lightning in the darkness, split into several branches, then shattered the full moon into many pieces before completely snatching them up.
Daera (Great Net), like a massive net.
‘M-more intense and perfect than the Daera Sword I restored...’
As he watched absentmindedly at Cheon Hwi executing the Daera Sword toward the moon.
Crack!
The fragments of the full moon, shattered into dozens of pieces, escaped the net and fell like meteors.
As Hyuncheong stared blankly.
"This is enough, right?"
Flinch!
Hyuncheong, who had been staring blankly at the meteors in the sky, came to his senses.
‘A-an illusion?’
The meteors that had filled the sky he was staring at just a moment ago were gone.
No, they were never there in the first place.
"...So it is true."
Perhaps because he had witnessed the Daera Sword so outstanding that it felt unreal, he said weakly.
"...!"
Then, he raised his eyebrows high.
After that, he suddenly shivered his beard, and whipped his head around to look at Cheon Hwi.
‘If the Daera Sword I mentioned first is at this level, then the other martial arts too...’
Gulp—
His Adam's apple moved greatly.
Soon, he asked cautiously.
"D-did you really restore most of the martial arts manuals you read like the Daera Sword?"
"You still don't believe me?"
Hearing Cheon Hwi's indifferent answer, Hyuncheong clenched his fists without realizing it.
Feeling his palms soaked with sweat, he nodded.
After that, he let out a low voice.
"...Hwi-ya."
"Yes?"
As Cheon Hwi looked at Hyuncheong calling him, he carefully made a request.
"Could you help me restore the martial arts?"
"Help you restore martial arts?"
"That's right."
In that instant, Cheon Hwi's expression distorted.
‘So this was the goal after all.’
In that instant, Cheon Hwi's expression distorted.
Restoring martial arts was easy, but helping with it was a different story.
It wasn't enough to just have it in his head; he had to write it down separately, and he also had to write down the commentary interpreting the verses.
How bothersome of a task that was.
"I'm sorry. I have to practice martial arts."
Rather than flatly refusing, Cheon Hwi expressed his intention to refuse by beating around the bush.
‘Anyway, there's no reason to go to Mangeongak anymore.’
Hearing Cheon Hwi's words, Hyuncheong became restless and racked his brain.
‘If only Cheon Hwi is here, I can quickly restore the martial arts manuals whose verses have been lost in our sect. I have to hold onto him somehow. If I tempt him with something he might be interested in...’
He was so desperate that Hyuncheong, who had even come up with the word 'tempt', which a Taoist shouldn't even think of, was lost in thought.
Flash!
Thunder struck his head.
‘That's it!’
If it was something Cheon Hwi would be interested in, there was naturally only one thing.
He voiced the thought that came to mind.
"Don't you want to see new martial arts manuals you haven't seen in Mangeongak?"
In an instant, Cheon Hwi's body stirred.
Then, his two pupils sparkled brilliantly like the stars floating in the sky, and a low voice flowed out.
"New martial arts manuals...?"
* * *
After the Meeting of the Five Peaks ended, Unjongru, which had been constantly empty, held a grand meeting for the first time in a while, and was filled with Taoists.
"Hasn't there been a rumor going around the murim recently about our sect?"
At the Sect Leader's low words, which were spoken first, everyone shook their heads.
"It is quiet."
"The other sword sects are also refraining themselves regarding the results of the Meeting of the Five Peaks."
At the answer that followed immediately, the Sect Leader held a satisfied smile on his lips.
"The rumors haven't spread as much as I was worried."
"It's all thanks to Cheon Hwi."
Hyunryeo, who had been listening quietly, answered with a bright smile, and everyone agreed with those words.
Just as she said, it was thanks to Cheon Hwi.
They had won the Meeting of the Five Peaks, but it was never something they could boast about.
Because Cheon Hwi had overwhelmingly defeated the late-stage expert who was said to be the strongest at the Meeting of the Five Peaks.
In such a situation, spreading the rumor that they had won the Meeting of the Five Peaks would be no different from throwing mud in their own faces.
At that time, the Sect Leader opened his mouth.
"It went well."
He stroked his beard with a much more relaxed expression, and quietly added.
"We must not let it end up like Hyungang."
"Hmm..."
In an instant, everyone swept their chests in relief.
Why did Hyungang have so many enemies?
It was because those who envied his outstanding talent and skill had targeted Hyungang.
As everyone was feeling relieved.
"There is a rumor that smoke has been rising from Nakan Peak recently."
To refresh the slightly sinking atmosphere, the Head of the Mukryeon Pavilion changed the subject.
‘Oh my, Cheon Hwi.’
Because of that, Hyundo was terrified.
About a month ago, while going back and forth to Nakan Peak, Hyundo, who had discovered the smoke before anyone else, had already figured out what Cheon Hwi was doing.
Cheon Hwi's meat-eating.
Having witnessed the absurd situation, he was horrified and tried to stop him from eating meat, but Cheon Hwi had been stubborn.
‘You must refrain from eating meat.’
‘Why?’
‘A Taoist must forbid taking life...’
‘Is that so? Then it's fine if I'm not a Taoist, right?’
‘W-what do you mean?’
Seeing Cheon Hwi's attitude, as if he would leave in a flash the moment meat-eating was forbidden, Hyundo was horrified.
In the end, he raised his hands first.
‘Instead, don't get caught.’
Hyundo's throat went completely dry.
‘Since I can't let anyone know about this.’
However, the others, who didn't know Hyundo's situation, tilted their heads in confusion.
"Smoke?"
"Did you see the smoke?"
"No, I haven't seen it."
"Who lit the fire?"
As the people who didn't know the hidden truth responded, Hyundo's eyes squeezed shut.
"Recently, Cheon Hwi has been boiling water sometimes because he feels cold."
"Cheon Hwi?"
"Cheon Hwi, you say?"
"Yes."
Hyunryeo, who was one of the few who knew along with Hyundo, intervened in the middle and said.
At the same time, she gave Hyundo a wink.
"Now that you mention it, Cheon Hwi did say it was chilly recently."
Reading her urging gaze, Hyundo immediately chimed in, not missing the helping hand she extended.
"He is still being treated..."
"...It seems he is still feeling cold."
The crowd wore sympathetic expressions.
Even though Cheon Hwi had recently shown amazing martial prowess, most of what they had seen of Cheon Hwi was him being bedridden.
"Senior Brother Hyundo, is Cheon Hwi alright?"
At the worried question from the Head of the Mukryeon Pavilion, who had maintained a cool-headed appearance all along, Hyundo answered with a gentle smile.
"It wasn't that severe."
"That's a relief."
The thought of the smoke had already disappeared from the Taoists' minds as they thought of Cheon Hwi.
‘Phew.’
Hyundo briefly glanced at Hyunryeo, and the two nodded in satisfaction.
‘Good, Junior Sister.’
‘It's for Cheon Hwi's sake.’
After glossing over the situation like that, the Sect Leader looked at Hyun-il and asked.
"...What is the reason for holding this grand meeting?"
The crowd's eyes focused on Hyun-il.
It was because he was the Head of the Bigak, who was in charge of all the information of the Huashan Sect.
The faces of those looking at the Head of the Bigak, who had been silent with a serious expression since the grand meeting began, were enveloped in tension.
This grand meeting was held at the strong request of the Head of the Bigak.
The Head of the Bigak, having gained the right to speak, nodded and half-opened his eyes.
Following that, his mouth opened, and the air grew cold.
"Baekgwiseong has begun to move."