Everyone watched that hand.
Though it could do nothing now, it had once clearly led the Mount Hua Sect.
The hand, which had been spread wide, soon grasped something in the void.
It was evident. Although nothing was actually held, it was certainly grasping something.
The sword. That which this hand had never let go of throughout its life. Even in this moment, it naturally felt as though it was being held.
A great ripple spread through the hearts of those watching.
Suddenly, it became strikingly real. How unnatural it was for that young man not to hold a sword. How sorrowful it was that what he grasped was not a real sword but merely a sword of imagination. They understood what had been lost.
Yet, some saw something entirely different in Baek Cheon's gestures.
He could not defeat his enemies. He could no longer draw the plum blossoms. He could no longer imbue his ideals into that sword.
But even so, Baek Cheon still held the sword.
Baek Cheon's mouth opened.
"I wanted to become stronger."
Everyone was captivated by his quiet words.
"More than anyone in the world. I wanted to prove myself by becoming stronger than anyone else."
It wasn't merely because Baek Cheon's words were sincere.
His words represented everyone. The hearts of all those living on the precarious edge of the martial world, living a life where it would not be surprising if their lives ended at any moment.
It was hard to explain why they lived in such a world or why they held a sword in their hands.
In the past, they might have said it was in pursuit of glory. But now, such words were not easily spoken.
Had they not all seen those who had perished in the pursuit of glory, having grasped nothing?
What did they think in their final moments?
Those who had pursued the illusion of glory on the vast land of the martial world must have ended up seeing their own strength ebb away without grasping anything. What, indeed, did they think at that moment?
The fate they faced might soon find those present here as well.
Even knowing that, why were they all here? Even in situations where they could no longer hope for glory, why could they not let go of the sword they held?
"But at some point, I came to understand."
Baek Cheon quietly extended his hand forward, offering it to Hyun Jong.
"Do you remember?"
It was a sudden question. Hyun Jong merely looked at Baek Cheon without speaking. More precisely, he looked at the sharply shining eyes through the emaciated fingers.
"What must be grasped in this hand is strength. But martial arts do not merely mean strength. Martial arts must be accompanied by will. Martial arts without intent are merely the power of a rogue."
"..."
"Do you remember?"
Baek Cheon's eyes still shone brightly. Hyun Jong knew. The gaze held neither distrust nor hostility.
Rather, it still contained deep trust. Even in this state, Baek Cheon's eyes, looking at Hyun Jong, remained steadfastly unchanged.
"It was what the Sect Leader said to me."
Hyun Jong closed his eyes tightly.
That's right. Yes, it was.
It was what he had said. To Baek Cheon, who was still full of youthful vigor, he conveyed his intentions wholeheartedly. He had believed without a doubt that this young man would someday announce the will of Mount Hua to the world.
"Intent and strength. Neither alone can complete martial arts. But if you must choose one, do not hesitate to give up strength. A will without strength is miserable, but strength without will is dangerous. This too was spoken by the Sect Leader."
Hyun Jong listened with his eyes closed. The voice echoed deeply in his ears.
When he finally opened his eyes, Baek Cheon's wide-open, emaciated hand filled his view.
"So, I ask. What should be grasped in this hand?"
"..."
"What!"
Hyun Jong's mouth slightly opened. But no words came out, and it closed again.
"Sword and inner strength? Yes, that could be obtained. You could go to where the Sect Leader wishes, heal your body, and grasp the sword again."
Baek Cheon looked around at others. They all turned their heads, unable to meet his gaze.
"But what should the will be filled with?"
Hyun Jong hesitated again.
The words he needed to say were ones he did not want to utter. But he spoke those painful words with the resolve of removing the flesh from his tongue.
"... There is also will there."
"Yes. Of course, it would be. But can that become my will?"
"Baek Cheon."
"Daringly, I ask you, Sect Leader."
"..."
"Where is the Sect Leader's will?"
Hyun Jong, unable to bear the painful emotions, closed his eyes tightly again.
Of course, it is in Mount Hua. There was no need to deliberate on the answer. But he could not say it.
He spoke words he did not want to utter and failed to give the answer he should have. The entire process left wounds, causing Hyun Jong deep pain.
"My will is here."
But Baek Cheon spoke confidently. As if mentioning an unchanging truth known to everyone, he said it simply.
"I ask again, Sect Leader. What should be grasped in this hand?"
Everyone looked at that hand.
It was empty. Therefore, it could grasp anything.
"If I can grasp martial arts, I will grasp martial arts. If not, I will grasp will. That is what the Sect Leader said to me."
Hyun Jong tried to place martial arts in his hand.
No, everyone did.
To those living in Mount Hua, that hand was not just the hand of one person. It was the hand of Mount Hua. The hand carrying the wishes of everyone living in Mount Hua.
The one holding that hand is asking.
"Has that intention now changed?"
It hurts.
"Do you intend to give a will-less strength to your disciple's hand? Must I negate all teachings of the Sect Leader with my own hands? Is it right to deny everything of Mount Hua?"
It hurts terribly.
Even those who had remained silent out of respect for Hyun Jong now looked at him. The gazes of the disciples protecting Baek Cheon's back were now clear and even felt sharp.
Hyun Jong endured in silence.
"What meaning does strength obtained in that way have? If one can be satisfied only with strength, how is it different from the Evil Sect? If the logic is that one can obtain everything else through strength, how is that different from Paegun?"
Baek Cheon's gaze struck Hyun Jong like a lightning bolt.
"Your future, Sect Leader, is wrong!"
"Baek Cheon!"
The high-ranking elders of Mount Hua were shocked and tried to stop Baek Cheon. It was no wonder, as Baek Cheon's words just now were a complete denial of Hyun Jong's authority.
But Baek Cheon did not retreat an inch.
"If the Sect Leader's will has changed, I cannot follow that will. I will not follow it."
"You, you wretch! Mind your words..."
"Because it is no longer the Sect Leader's will."
Thud!
Baek Cheon clenched his open hand and struck his chest. With a forceful, striking motion.
"That will is here."
"..."
"Even if the Sect Leader has abandoned it, that will has not vanished from the world. It is here. That will has become my will, and now it has become my intent."
"Baek Cheon..."
"Everything of mine is in Mount Hua."
Baek Cheon slowly turned to look behind him. The gaze of the gathered disciples, drawn by that single look, reached him.
It is strange.
At times like this, he would first look for Chung Myung's gaze. Chung Myung had always been watching him from wherever he was. But now, more than ever, Chung Myung's gaze didn't concern him.
Though he knew Chung Myung was among them, he saw not Chung Myung but everyone of Mount Hua.
Each gaze shone like a star.
At times, the light was overwhelming. It felt so burdensome that there were moments he trembled alone in the emptiness.
He was not an extraordinary person.
But now he understood. He knew what he had to do, what he needed to say. Those gazes were conveying it to him.
"I am a weak person. The Sun Sovereign might have seen me as great, but I am far more insignificant and inadequate than he thought. I am fully aware of this."
"..."
"That is why I needed someone to help me hold on to what I had. Someone to push my back when I was out of breath climbing a steep path and someone to look up with me when I was overwhelmed by the distance."
Baek Cheon's fingertips trembled faintly.
"All of that is in Mount Hua. And… all of mine is in Mount Hua as well."
Despite this, his words were more resolute than ever.
"If I must hold only one thing in this hand, it must be my will."
"...Indeed."
Hyun Jong answered through his pain.
"My will is in Mount Hua. Therefore, I intend to follow the intentions of the great master. I also intend to fulfill my will and to be a model for those who follow."
Hyun Jong was holding his breath. More precisely, he could not breathe.
"That is the duty that one who continues must uphold, and the will that one who wields the sword must fulfill!"
Everyone understood.
They had lost Baek Cheon. But in losing him, they had gained something.
Baek Cheon as a martial artist might have disappeared, but the Baek Cheon who stood there was incomparably more radiant than his past self.
And they also understood.
How much Mount Hua needed this person, this weak individual. Who truly continued the will of Mount Hua.
"Therefore, I refuse. My place is right here. Please reconsider, Great Sect Leader."
Baek Cheon bowed deeply.
Despite his ailing body, he did not look cowardly or precarious. Hyun Jong quietly observed Baek Cheon and the many disciples standing behind him.
'Excellent…'
Far beyond what he had hoped for… No, it was so brilliant that it was beyond his expectations.
Perhaps Baek Cheon's current position was a lofty place even beyond the reach of past masters.
Mount Hua would change because of Baek Cheon alone. With him as a symbol, Mount Hua could envision its future soaring to greatness.
The young boy who once knocked on Mount Hua's door had finally reached this point. Even though those who watched him had become old and shabby, the boy had grown magnificently.
Thus, Hyun Jong clearly understood what he must do in this moment.
"Sect Leader."
"...Yes, Great Sect Leader."
"Can you grant me the authority to make this decision once more?"
Unam looked at Hyun Jong in silence. After a long pause, Unam finally nodded.
"Do as you see fit."
"Thank you."
Hyun Jong stood up and slowly approached Baek Cheon.
Baek Cheon stared at Hyun Jong with wide, focused eyes.
One step. Another step.
In the past, Baek Cheon had approached Hyun Jong. But now Hyun Jong was walking towards Baek Cheon.
Everything was different, except for one thing. The certainty of seeing hope where the one walking was trying to reach.
Step.
Hyun Jong's steps stopped in front of Baek Cheon.
Silence prevailed.
Sitting Baek Cheon and standing Hyun Jong faced each other without speaking.
In the past, Baek Cheon had knocked on Mount Hua's door with that hand.
What should Hyun Jong do with that hand now?
Hyun Jong's hand slowly extended.
With a firm, unwavering touch, Baek Cheon bit his lip and reached out his hand towards Hyun Jong.
His weakened hand, struggling even with its own weight, rested on Hyun Jong's strong hand. No, it tried to rest there.
At that moment, Hyun Jong's hand reached out a little further.
The hands missed each other, and Baek Cheon's eyes widened in confusion.
Clap.
Where Hyun Jong's hand touched was not Baek Cheon's hand or shoulder. It was the Black Jade Divine Sword at his waist.
Baek Cheon directly pushed it away, refusing to accept it, and shouted that it was impossible. But now, the Black Jade Divine Sword was in Hyun Jong's hand.
"Great Sect Leader…"
Without hesitation, Hyun Jong removed the Black Jade Divine Sword from Baek Cheon's waist and briefly glanced at him before turning away.
"Effective immediately, Jin Dong Ryong is no longer a disciple of Mount Hua. He is expelled from Mount Hua."
Baek Cheon stared at Hyun Jong's shoulder in disbelief.
"However! Considering the achievements Jin Dong Ryong has made in Mount Hua so far, the punishment will be mitigated."
Everything was collapsing.
"Every disciple of Mount Hua must make this fact clear and must not show any leniency towards those who have been expelled."
His world, everything he had.
"Carry it out."
Like a solitary red plum blossom growing among pine trees in an unfamiliar place, swaying mournfully.