Multivers, Leveling Up in the World I Created

Chapter 421: 421 Return to the Volcano 7

I hired someone from a nearby town to nurse him, but as expected, he passed away a few days later.

We buried his body next to his wife’s grave behind the house and held a simple funeral. Yi-seol looked sad but didn’t cry—she hadn’t been close enough to him for that.

"Let’s go now."

We packed up the martial arts manuals he’d left behind and left Hubei, heading for Shaanxi where Huashan was located. I had already sent word to the estate that we’d be away, so there were no issues.

Shaanxi was relatively peaceful. As with most Murim worlds, the region was managed by the Zhongnan Sect and its affiliated lay organizations, with the Zhuge family not far away, so travel was comfortable. From my perspective, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of events, though.

After about two weeks, we finally reached Huashan. We took our time enjoying the scenery and visiting towns, so it wasn’t boring—but it took a while.

Once again, the clone-estate lord carried Yi-seol up the mountain. Huashan was indeed beautiful, but the terrain was steep and rugged, making it too difficult for a ten-year-old girl without martial arts training to climb on foot.

Upon arriving at the Huashan Sect, the first thing we saw was a worn-down main gate with no signboard. The pillars were cracked, the paint was peeling, and the stones were in poor condition—the sect was clearly struggling.

The estate lord announced our presence at the gate.

"Hello?"

After a moment, a disciple opened the door. His uniform bore a plum blossom emblem on the left chest—proof that this was indeed Huashan.

"Who are you... Ah, silver hair and golden eyes—from somewhere... Ah! Could you be the lord of the Jin Estate in Sichuan?"

It seemed everyone recognized us now—our hair and eye color were rare in the martial arts world.

"Yes, that’s right."

When the estate lord confirmed it, the disciple looked surprised, hesitated, and asked again,

"What brings the Jin Estate lord all the way to Huashan?"

"While traveling, I met an acquaintance who asked me to deliver something to Huashan."

"R-really? Please, come in."

We followed him inside. The interior felt empty—stone paths connected the buildings, but many areas were just empty lots where structures had once stood.

"Hmm... It seems the damage from the Demonic Cult remnants hasn’t been fully repaired yet."

The disciple guiding us looked bitter.

"Unfortunately, we haven’t had the resources..."

"Still, Huashan led the campaign against the Demonic Cult—didn’t you receive support from other sects?"

"We did receive some help initially. But the damage was so extensive that we haven’t been able to recover our former momentum."

"I see."

We passed Okcheonwon and headed straight to the sect leader’s quarters. In the original, visitors were supposed to stop at Okcheonwon to greet the elders first, but perhaps because we were from the Western regions or because we were a sect leader ourselves, the disciple simply guided us directly.

"This is where the sect leader resides. Please wait a moment."

He told us to wait, then announced himself at the door.

"Sect Leader, this is Unam."

"Unam? Enter."

He opened the door and informed the sect leader of our arrival.

"Sect Leader, the lord of the Jin Estate in Sichuan has come to visit."

"The Jin Estate—that famous sect in Sichuan, isn’t it?"

The Huashan sect leader, Hyeonjong, said in surprise. The estate lord gave a fist-and-palm salute and introduced himself.

"I am the lord of the Jin Estate in Sichuan. A pleasure to meet you, Sect Leader."

"Oh, welcome. I am the sect leader of Huashan."

Hyeonjong returned the salute, but seemed slightly flustered by the sudden visit. He had a neatly trimmed beard and a gentle demeanor.

"But what brings you all the way from Sichuan to here?"

"I’m here to deliver something an acquaintance asked me to pass on to Huashan."

"Is that so? Please, have a seat. Unam, bring tea."

At Hyeonjong’s request, Unam acknowledged and left. The estate lord sat in the chair beside the table, then handed Yi-seol to me, and placed a cloth-wrapped bundle of books on the table.

"He said if I mentioned it was sent by Unyeol, a disciple of Huashan, you would understand."

Hyeonjong was surprised again and unwrapped the cloth to examine the books.

"This is..."

I told Hyeonjong in detail everything that had happened.

"He did his best to restore the lost martial arts of Huashan."

"I see... Unyeol..."

Hyeonjong drank the tea Unam brought and remained silent for a long time. He seemed deeply saddened by Unyeol’s story.

Then he noticed Yi-seol beside me and asked the estate lord,

"By any chance, is that girl Unyeol’s daughter?"

"Yes. She’s being raised at our estate, and I’ve come to think of her as my own daughter."

"Ah, I see. No wonder she looked familiar..."

Hyeonjong smiled warmly at Yi-seol, but she quickly hid behind me. I wasn’t sure why—perhaps she wanted to make it clear she belonged to the estate.

"She’s still young and shy."

"Hehe, I see."

It was a bit rude, so I apologized on her behalf, but Hyeonjong just laughed it off.

The estate lord placed more books on the table, and Hyeonjong asked,

"What are these?"

"First, let me apologize."

The estate lord suddenly performed a fist-and-palm salute and bowed his head, catching Hyeonjong off guard.

"Why are you doing this..."

"A long time ago, my ancestor traveled from the Western regions to Sichuan and passed near the Tian Shan mountains. There, he encountered bandits and fled deeper into the mountains. He happened to find a martial arts manual there. But as you know, the Tian Shan area was a stronghold of the Demonic Cult."

"Indeed."

"So my ancestor hid the manual deep in the estate’s library, suspecting it might be demonic martial arts."

"That was wise."

"But my son made a mistake—he secretly learned what the ancestor had hidden. Fortunately, it wasn’t demonic martial arts, but he manifested plum blossoms."

Hyeonjong was shocked.

"Wha, what did you say!? Plum blossoms..."

"Exactly that. Plum blossoms."

"Then these manuals..."

"Yes. They are likely the lost martial arts of Huashan."

Hyeonjong hurriedly examined the books one by one. Realizing they were indeed Huashan’s lost techniques, his hands began to tremble. With this, I had finally fulfilled Cheongmyeong’s request.

The manuals contained Falling Flower Sword, Seven Plum Sword, Small Blue Qi Technique, Seven Stars Technique, Seven Stars Step—not only sword techniques but also internal energy and footwork. However, I deliberately omitted the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique, the Plum Blossom Sword Formula only the sect leader could learn, and the Jaha Divine Art.

"Unbelievable... These are Huashan’s lost martial arts! To have them returned like this... And if he manifested plum blossoms, that means his achievement is extraordinary! May I see it?"

"Of course."

When the estate lord agreed, Hyeonjong urgently said to Unam, who had been listening in surprise,

"Unam!"

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

"Gather all Huashan disciples at the training ground immediately."

"Understood!"

Unam ran off as if on fire. They wanted to show all the disciples the manifestation of plum blossoms—Hyeonjong seemed intent on using this opportunity to rekindle Huashan’s dying flame.

We walked slowly with Hyeonjong toward the training ground. Unam had gathered everyone so quickly that all the disciples were already there, murmuring. Some had rushed over mid-wash and hadn’t even put on their shirts.

"Why did the sect leader call us so urgently?"

"I don’t know—do you?"

"No idea."

"I had to cut short my bathroom break. I thought we were under attack."

"Don’t be ridiculous. What’s there to steal from Huashan?"

"I suppose..."

Just then, Unam shouted,

"Everyone, quiet! Today is a very important day for Huashan! Huashan’s martial arts have finally returned. Moreover, by good fortune, you may witness the essence of Huashan—so watch closely."

The disciples buzzed with shock.

"Quiet, quiet! Please begin."

The estate lord said to me,

"Show them."

"Yes, Father."

I gave a fist-and-palm salute to the estate lord, took a wooden sword provided by Huashan, and stepped onto the training ground. I swung it a few times to warm up, took my stance, and began slashing upward and down with such speed that the sword became invisible.

"Plum Blossom Wall!!!"

SWOOOOSH—!!!

A deep pink sword aura rose like a massive tree in the center of the training ground. Branches formed and bloomed with plum blossoms, and the petals scattered beautifully across the training ground.

Sway...

"Unbelievable..."

"Beautiful..."

"How is this possible..."

Many Huashan disciples were speechless. The sect leader Hyeonjong, the elders, and some senior disciples had risen from their seats, tears streaming down their faces.

"Ancestors... Huashan’s lost plum blossoms have finally returned..."

Deciding they’d seen enough, I sheathed the sword. The plum blossom tree I had created slowly dissipated. I could have shown more power by releasing sword energy, but that would have damaged the training ground.

I walked down and sat beside Yi-seol. She looked up at me with sparkling eyes and asked,

"Brother, can I also manifest plum blossoms?"

"If you work hard, it’s possible."

"Then teach me too."

"I don’t know... I may not be able to teach you. This isn’t our estate’s martial art."

The normally quiet Yi-seol suddenly became talkative, and I was a bit taken aback. But Huashan’s sword techniques couldn’t be freely passed on to others.

"Then how can I learn it?"

Yi-seol kept asking—she seemed utterly captivated by the plum blossoms.

"You’d need Huashan’s permission."

"I’ll ask for it right now..."

"Wait. Huashan seems to have a lot on their plate right now."

As I said, Huashan had a lot to deal with—Hyeonjong and the elders were gathered, discussing with grave expressions.

It was good that Huashan’s martial arts had returned and that they’d witnessed the plum blossoms, but it was also troubling that someone else not only possessed their lost arts but had even manifested plum blossoms.

"What should we do? Could we take him as a disciple? But he’s the young master of the Jin Estate..."

"Huff... This is difficult. He’s practically our benefactor for returning our lost arts..."

"Let’s dismiss the disciples for now and discuss further."

"Let’s do that."

They ended the conversation, sent the disciples to rest, and arranged quarters for us. The lamp in the sect leader’s office, where we’d first spoken, stayed lit all night.

All of this was planned in advance—to legitimately return the martial arts manuals and to have a legitimate reason to use Huashan’s techniques.

’Now I just have to see how they respond.’