Multiverse , Leveling Up in the World I Created

Chapter 421: 421 Return to the Volcano 7

I hired someone from a nearby village to care for him, but as expected, he passed away after only a few days.

I buried his body next to his wife’s grave behind the house and held a simple funeral.

Yui-seol looked sad but didn’t cry.

It seemed she hadn’t grown close enough to him to shed tears.

"Let’s go now."

We took the martial arts manual he had left behind and left Hubei, heading for Shaanxi, where Mount Hua was located.

I had already contacted the manor, saying something had come up, so there was no problem.

Shaanxi was relatively well-maintained in terms of public order.

The martial arts world was all similar, but with the Jongnam Sect at its center, there were many lay sects under Jongnam, and the Zhuge Family was not far away.

They managed the security, so we could travel comfortably.

From my perspective, it was a bit disappointing that there were no events, though.

It took us about two weeks to arrive at Mount Hua.

We took in the scenery, visited cities along the way, and looked around here and there, so it wasn’t boring, but it did take a long time.

This time too, the manor lord, who was my clone, carried Yui-seol up Mount Hua.

Mount Hua certainly had beautiful scenery.

But the mountain was rugged and steep, making it impossible for a ten-year-old girl who hadn’t learned martial arts to climb on foot.

Upon arriving at the Mount Hua sect, what caught my eye was the old main gate, which didn’t even have a signboard.

The pillars were cracked in several places, the paint was peeling, and the stones on the ground were in poor condition.

The manor lord announced our arrival in front of the main gate.

"Excuse me?"

After a moment, the door opened and a person came out.

Judging by the martial arts uniform he wore, there was a plum blossom pattern embroidered on his left chest, confirming this was Mount Hua.

"Who might you be... Oh, silver hair and golden eyes, I’ve heard of you somewhere... Ah! Could you be the lord of the Jin Manor in Sichuan?"

Now it seemed everyone recognized us.

Given that our hair and eye color were rare in the martial arts world.

"Yes, that’s correct."

When the manor lord confirmed it, he looked surprised, hesitated, and asked again.

"What brings the lord of the Jin Manor to Mount Hua..."

"I came here because an acquaintance I met during my travels asked me to deliver something to Mount Hua."

"Is that so? Then please come in."

I followed his guidance and entered the Mount Hua sect.

The interior felt somewhat empty.

There were stone paths connecting the buildings, but at the end of some paths, only the foundations remained, with no buildings left.

"Hmm... It seems you haven’t been able to restore the areas damaged by the Demonic Cult remnants’ attack yet."

When the manor lord, who was my clone, said that while looking around the sect, the Mount Hua disciple guiding us looked bitter.

"Unfortunately, we haven’t had the means to..."

"Still, Mount Hua was at the forefront of the Demon Cult’s subjugation. Didn’t you receive support from other sects or families?"

"We did receive some support at first. But the damage was so extensive that we haven’t been able to regain our former momentum."

"I see."

We passed through Okcheonwon and headed straight to where the Mount Hua Sect Leader was.

According to the original, visitors were supposed to stop at Okcheonwon and pay their respects to the Mount Hua examiner, but perhaps because they thought we were Westerners from a different culture, or because we were the head of another sect, they just skipped that.

"This is where the Sect Leader resides. Please wait a moment."

He told us to wait and announced his arrival in front of the door.

"Sect Leader, it’s Unam."

"Unam, come in."

He opened the door and entered, telling the Sect Leader that we had arrived.

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

"If it’s the Jin Manor, that’s a famous sect in Sichuan."

Hyeonjong, the Mount Hua Sect Leader, said in surprise, and the manor lord cupped his fists and introduced himself.

"I am the lord of the Jin Manor in Sichuan. Nice to meet you, Sect Leader."

"O, oh, welcome. I am the Sect Leader of Mount Hua."

Hyeonjong also cupped his fists in return, but seemed slightly flustered by the sudden visit.

He had a neatly trimmed beard and a gentle appearance.

"But what brings you all the way from Sichuan to this distant place..."

"I came because an acquaintance I met during my travels asked me to deliver something to Mount Hua."

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

When Hyeonjong asked for tea, Unam replied and went out.

The manor lord sat down on the chair next to the table as Hyeonjong offered, and handed Yui-seol over to me.

Then he placed the cloth-wrapped books on the table and spoke.

"He said you would know if I said it was from Unyeol, a disciple of Mount Hua."

At that, Hyeonjong was surprised once more and began to unwrap the cloth to examine the books.

"This is..."

I told Hyeonjong in detail what had happened so far.

"He did his best to restore the martial arts that Mount Hua had lost."

"So that’s what happened... Unyeol..."

Hyeonjong drank the tea Unam had brought and was silent for a while.

He seemed quite saddened by Unyeol’s story.

Then he noticed Yui-seol standing next to me and asked the manor lord.

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

"Yes, that’s correct. Our manor has been protecting her, and I have raised her like my own daughter."

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

Hyeonjong smiled warmly at Yui-seol.

However, Yui-seol quickly hid behind me.

I wasn’t sure why she acted that way, but it seemed she wanted to make it clear that she belonged to the manor.

"She’s still young and shy."

"Hehe, I see."

Since it was a bit rude, I apologized, and Hyeonjong laughed and let it slide.

The manor lord placed more books on the table.

Hyeonjong asked, "What are these?"

"First, I must apologize."

When the manor lord suddenly cupped his fists and bowed his head, Hyeonjong looked flustered.

"Why are you doing this all of a sudden..."

"In the past, my ancestor passed near Cheon Mountain while traveling from the Western Regions to Sichuan. He encountered bandits and went deep into Cheon Mountain to avoid them. There, he happened to obtain these martial arts manuals. But Cheon Mountain was an area where the Demonic Cult was very active."

"That’s true."

"So upon arriving at the manor, my ancestor hid these manuals deep in the library. He must have suspected they might be Demonic Cult martial arts."

"That would make sense."

"But then my son caused trouble. He secretly learned what our ancestor had hidden in the library without telling anyone. Fortunately, it wasn’t Demonic Cult martial arts, but he did bloom plum blossoms."

At that, Hyeonjong was greatly shocked.

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

"Exactly that. Plum blossoms."

"Then, these martial arts manuals..."

"Yes. They are likely the manuals that Mount Hua lost."

At that, Hyeonjong urgently examined the books on the table one by one.

Soon, realizing they were indeed Mount Hua’s lost martial arts, his hands began to tremble.

With this, I had finally fulfilled the request Cheongmyeong had made.

The manuals contained Nakwha Sword, Chilmae Sword, Socheonggi Gong, Chilseong Gong, Chilseong Bo, and other sword techniques, as well as internal energy methods and footwork.

However, I deliberately did not include the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique, the Plum Blossom Sword Secrets that only the Sect Leader could learn, or Jahasin Gong.

"I can’t believe it... These are indeed the martial arts Mount Hua lost! To have found them like this... And if he bloomed plum blossoms, that means his achievement is extraordinary! May I see it?"

"Understood. I will show you."

When the manor lord gave permission, Hyeonjong urgently spoke to Unam, who had been listening from behind and was equally surprised.

"Unam!"

"Yes! Sect Leader."

"Go and gather all the disciples of Mount Hua at the training ground immediately."

"Understood! Sect Leader."

Receiving Hyeonjong’s orders, Unam ran off as if on fire.

They seemed to want to show the disciples the blooming of the plum blossoms.

Hyeonjong seemed intent on using this opportunity to reignite the dying embers of Mount Hua.

We slowly walked to the training ground with Hyeonjong, talking.

Unam had gathered everyone so quickly that all the disciples were already there, murmuring among themselves.

Some, having come in a hurry, were even shirtless.

"Do you know why the Sect Leader called us so urgently?"

"I don’t know, do you?"

"No idea."

"I had to stop mid-poop. I thought someone was attacking."

"Surely not. What’s there to take from Mount Hua?"

"True..."

Then Unam shouted to the disciples.

"Everyone, quiet! Today is a very important day for Mount Hua! Mount Hua’s martial arts have finally returned to Mount Hua! Moreover, with luck, you may even see the essence of Mount Hua, so pay close attention."

At that, the Mount Hua disciples were even more shocked and began murmuring even louder.

"Quiet, quiet! Please begin."

Then the manor lord said to me.

"Show them."

"Understood, Father."

After cupping my fists to the manor lord, I took a wooden sword provided by Mount Hua and stepped onto the training ground.

After warming up by swinging the wooden sword a few times and taking my stance, I swung the sword upward from below, then began to swing it so fast that the wooden sword became invisible.

"Maehwa Byeok!!!"

Swoooosh—!!!

A deep pink sword energy rose in the form of a massive tree in the center of the training ground.

Then, plum blossoms made of sword energy bloomed on every branch, and colorful, beautiful petals scattered in all directions, filling the training ground.

Rustle...

"I can’t believe it..."

"Beautiful..."

"How is this possible..."

Many Mount Hua disciples who witnessed the sight were speechless, and the Sect Leader, the elders, and a few high-ranking disciples were already standing, tears streaming down their faces.

"Founding ancestors, Mount Hua’s lost plum blossoms have finally returned..."

I judged that I had shown them enough and lowered my sword.

Then, the plum blossom tree I had created began to slowly disperse and disappear.

In truth, I could have released more sword energy to show more power, but that would have damaged the training ground, so I held back.

I slowly walked down from the training ground and sat down next to Yui-seol.

Yui-seol looked at me with sparkling eyes and asked.

"Brother, can I bloom plum blossoms too?"

"If you train hard, it’s possible."

"Then teach me too."

"I’m not sure... I don’t know if I can teach you. This isn’t our manor’s martial art."

Yui-seol, who was usually quiet, suddenly became talkative, and I was a bit flustered.

But Mount Hua’s sword arts couldn’t be taught to others carelessly.

"Then how can I learn it?"

Seeing Yui-seol continue to ask, she seemed utterly captivated by the plum blossoms.

"I suppose you’d need Mount Hua’s permission."

"Let’s ask for permission right now..."

"Wait a moment. Mount Hua seems to have a lot on their plate right now."

As I said, Mount Hua also seemed to have a headache.

The Sect Leader and the elders were gathered, having serious discussions.

It was good that Mount Hua’s martial arts had returned and that they had seen the plum blossoms in person, but it must have been quite troubling for them that someone else was using their lost martial arts and had even bloomed plum blossoms.

"What are we supposed to do about this? Wouldn’t it be possible to take him in as a disciple? He’s the young master of the Jin Manor, after all."

"Hah... This is difficult. He’s done us a great service by returning our lost martial arts, so we can’t just say anything..."

"For now, let’s give the disciples a break and discuss it further."

"Let’s do that."

After finishing their discussion, they gave the disciples a break and also arranged lodging for us.

But the light in the Sect Leader’s office, where we had first talked, remained on all night, suggesting the meeting was taking a long time.

In fact, all of this was pre-planned.

It was to return the martial arts manuals legitimately while also being able to use Mount Hua’s martial arts.

’Now that the dice have been cast, I’ll have to see how they respond.’