“It’s the last.”
“Crazy. It’s really final.”
“…… No, if you think about it, it’s only natural…….”
The disciples of Mount Hua shook their heads as they observed Chung Myung nodding off in a nearby corner.
“Because he’s inhumane.”
Actually, everyone who had their sights set on winning the competition has now failed.
Chung Myung destroyed Namgung Dohui of the Namgung Family, and Jin Geum Ryong of the Southern Edge Sect was even beaten and eliminated by Baek Chun.
Wudang gave it their all, but in the end they could not advance past the quarterfinals. Even the eagerly anticipated Peng Family was defeated by Yoo Iseol, costing them face.
This is the typical format for competition.
If those who are viewed as strong rise and win with ease, who would be interested in the competition?
Unexpected occurrences and the rise of a new powerhouse are constant competition components.
Because of this, Kangho residents as a whole are obsessed.
Chung Myung, who has been dubbed the world’s best rising star, and Hye Yeon, who was virtually unknown before the competition, are ultimately all left at the stage’s end.
Who in their right mind could have predicted such a result?
“He’s a real monster.”
“Once in a while, I wonder if that’s really a person.”
The disciples of Mount Hua spoke as if they were tired of him, but surprisingly, they were all beaming with pride.
Why would they not?
The monster on Mount Hua is evolving into a global threat.
“People in the world have to suffer once in a while.”
“That way, they can understand our feelings even a little bit.”
As he listened to the conversation, Baek Chun grinned. Baek Chun’s thinking, however, wasn’t much different.
You really are carrying out this.
Surprisingly, doing what they take for granted is not simple.
Chung Myung accomplished everything, though, and made it to the final without any major setbacks up until now.
How much has altered since then?
Mount Hua was only regarded as a fallen sect before entering Shaolin.
Despite his record of defeating the Southern Edge Sect in the Conference, he was awarded a silver plaque rather than a gold one.
Even when he arrived in Shaolin, he had never encountered a friendly expression or an expectation prior to the start of the match.
However, Mount Hua is the focus of attention for all world sects.
Even now, gifts are piled up in front of their house, and as they pass by on the street, people who recognize the robes of Mount Hua cast admiring glances in their direction.
However, the truth is that they are more often proud than they are embarrassed by the strange gaze.
‘The mere fact that you gained fame makes such a difference.’
He appeared to comprehend the need for sword combat among the Kangho people in order to maintain their meager reputation.
Fame is not just a factor that you can shrug off in Kangho.
Fame grants the ability to speak up and forces the opponent to concede.
People who see Mount Hua now feel pressured by the name of Mount Hua, just as they did when they first arrived here and were crushed by the name of Shaolin.
“Samae, are you feeling well?”
Yoo Iseol nodded slightly at Baek Chun’s question.
“I’m okay.”
Yoo Iseol had a bandage covering the hem of the clothing, but he appeared unconcerned about it.
But Tang Soso appeared to be unsatisfied with the response.
“What do you mean fine? The doctor said you had to spend a month resting!”
“Quack.”
“He’s Shaolin’s Yakdangju!”
“Brainless quack.”
“…….”
‘Uh…’
‘Is there any chance that Iseol Sago…… Has she developed a subtle ill-feeling against Shaolin after the match with Hye Yeon?’
While Tang Soso was in doubt, Baek Chun shook his head and said.
“I’m glad you’re fine, but don’t overdo it. It’s important to treat the injury completely. If you can’t stand the short-term frustration, you’ll suffer for a long time. That’s probably not what you want.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Yes.”
At the end of the sentence, Baek Chun got up from his seat.
“Everyone, hold on.”
Everyone in the hall turned to face him and raised their heads. Their attention was drawn to him as he opened his mouth sternly.
“Everyone has worked hard.”
It was a soft but powerful voice.
“This may be what I have to say after the finals. But whether we win or not, I think it’s better to say this beforehand. Everyone has worked really hard.”
“No, Sahyung.”
“Thank you, Sasuk!”
“Right.”
Baek Chun smiled lightly and continued.
“We have gained a lot by coming here. We still have the finals, but the outcome doesn’t matter. What matters is what we learned from this competition. Let’s be devoted. If we can be stronger based on what we’ve gained here, Mount Hua will really regain its past glory.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The disciples of Mount Hua nodded resolutely.
At that point, Hyun Jong and the Elders who were making their way downstairs stopped moving. Then they hushedly made their way upstairs once more.
“It looks like we don’t need to talk.”
“I see.”
Hyun Jong smiled brightly.
‘They’ve grown.’
Of course, the followers of Mount Hua had motivation in the past. However, it didn’t feel like they were moving forward in a straight line.
Hyun Jong felt a warm wind rush through his body.
They developed even more as a result of this competition. They no longer need to be dragged from the top as they are now moving along their own path.
He blots his eyelid crow’s feet.
‘I have no regrets.’
Reclaimed and worked hard, and now proving.
If Mount Hua’s ancestors were watching from Heaven, wouldn’t they all laugh and praise them for their good work?
So now, with a proud heart…….
“What did you say?”
At that moment, he could hear the sound of the mountain breaking at once.
“…….”
The Elders, who had been looking at each other with warm eyes, looked down with trembling eyes.
“What? Whether we can or cannot win? Caaaan nooot wiiiiinnnn?”
As soon as they heard Chung Myung’s harsh voice, the Elders looked at each other again and smiled warmly.
“…Now that I think about it, it seems that the paperwork isn’t finished.”
“Oh, I happen to have something to do.”
“Ummm. Come to think of it, me too.”
After exchanging glances, Hyun Jong and the Elders sneaked away from the stairs and headed to their own rooms as if they had made a promise.
‘I’m sorry, children.’
Hyun Jong’s eyes, which clearly expressed regret, turned downward, but his legs were firmly and quickly heading to the room.
Downstairs, Chung Myung, who had suddenly woken up, opened his eyes.
“What nonsense are you saying with all your heart!? If you’ve come all the way here, you’ve got to win! Would you just give away the food earned to some dog?”
Baek Chun smiled quietly at Chung Myung.
A lot has changed for Mount Hua in this competition. It’s no exaggeration to say that everything had changed from when they first came here.
‘But that personality hasn’t changed a bit.’
At this point, it can be said that it is an evergreen tree in the human world. The problem is that the consistency is always pointing in the wrong direction. (The Korean people regarded the evergreen tree as a symbol of invariable constancy and obligation)
“Chung Myung-ah.”
“What?”
“I don’t doubt your victory, but what I want to say is that even if we don’t win, we don’t have much to lose. Wasn’t runner-up still a great achievement? We don’t want to burden you…….”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“……huh?”
Chung Myung’s eyes flashed.
“The world doesn’t remember things like the second place! They remember only the first place! You didn’t forget what happened to Southern Edge Sect, who came in second at the Conference, did you?”
“…… Is that called second place?”
There are two contestants.
“Anyway, second place doesn’t mean anything! Now that it’s like this, we must definitely win. People in the world think that second place is no less than last!”
Heo Do-jin, Wudang’s Sect Leader, who’s dubbed the second sect in the world, would say nothing and will try to grab Chung Myung by the back of his neck when he heard that.
“And!”
“Yes?”
“If they win, they’ll smile so hard and say,
‘You did great.’
But I wouldn’t want to see that. I’d rather pluck out my eyes than see that!”
Baek Chun looked back at Sahyung.
All of them.
‘That’s right.’
He was smiling at Chung Myung.
Baek Chun, who coughed low, opened his mouth and looked directly at Chung Myung.
“Then I’ll ask.”
“Huh?”
“Are you confident of winning?”
“…….”
Chung Myung’s forehead narrowed slightly.
“Hey, Sasuk.”
“Yes?”
“You seem to be under some kind of delusion right now…..”
Then he said as he ruffled his messy hair.
“Winning here doesn’t mean you’ve accomplished something great, you know?”
“…….”
“This is literally just a competition. The true strength of each sect is its first-class disciples and Elders. Even if we win here, it will only bring fame but not make us catch up to the Ten Great Sect.”
Baek Chun closed his mouth.
Chung Myung’s words brought him down to reality at once.
“The strongest rising star? It’s just that there’s a possibility that the school will become stronger in the future, but it doesn’t guarantee the future itself. It’s just a process we going through. If Sasuk doesn’t get stronger based on this competition, wouldn’t Sasuk be ridiculed in the future?”
It felt like a thread that had been loosened had tightened.
“This competition is just a starting point for Mount Hua. I’m a person who never misses a single thing on the table, so I’ll take it all and go higher.”
“……Yes. You won’t even miss the wine bottle under the table.”
“Hehe. I’m a little embarrassed if you compliment me like that.”
“It’s not a compliment, you punk.”
Baek Chun smirked at the appearance of Chung Myung, who seemed genuinely embarrassed.
“Right, it’s just a passing point.”
There is a flood of work to be done.
Since their wish was to make Mount Hua the world’s best sect, this was only the beginning.
‘But….’
Baek Chun could not erase the one anxiety that had grown in his heart.
‘Can Chung Myung really beat Hye Yeon?’
If it had been before, he would never have had this suspicion.
Chung Myung is a monster. Because he’s too strong.
However, a fundamental question arose after seeing Hye Yeon’s Supreme Strength capability.
‘Can he really handle Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Unique Martial Art with Mount Hua’s martial art?’
This is a separate matter from a person’s strength.
Suppose one holds a long sword and the other holds a short paper sword. In this case, victory or defeat will be decided regardless of skill.
No matter how strong Chung Myung is, isn’t there a possibility of losing to Hye Yeon if Shaolin’s martial arts outperform Mount Hua’s?
In Baek Chun’s mind, the scene of Yoo Iseol’s sword energy melting like snow in front of Hye Yeon’s Supreme Strength capability came to mind again.
“Chung Myung, this is…….”
It was then.
Bam!
The door opened violently and Baek Sang jumped in with a contemplative face. Looking around as if he were out of his mind, he found Baek Chun and shouted as if he had seen a ghost.
“Sa- Sahyung!”
Feeling something unusual, Baek Chun hardened his face.
“What’s going on?”
“Gu-Guest! We have a visitor!”
“What?”
Baek Chun tilted his head.
He slammed the door as if he had seen a ghost and said a guest had come. Who the hell is that guest that makes him cause such a fuss?
“Who?”
“Tha- That’s….”
At that moment, the two slowly entered through the wide-open door.
After checking their faces, Baek Chun opened his mouth wide.
“Ba- Bangjang?”
If his eyes were not wrong, it was Bop Jeong, Shaolin’s Bangjang, who currently entered the door now.
And…….
“Hye Yeon?”
The person standing next to him was definitely Hye Yeon.
Chung Myung’s eyes widened slightly as well.
‘Really?’
‘Why are you guys here all of a sudden?
‘Huh?’