Mount Hua Reincarnation - Chapter 1: Return to Mt. Hua

Chapter 1: Return to Mt. Hua

The world rocks back and forth.

“Xuchuan… Xuchuan… wake up…”

It feels as if he’s on a ship, his body swaying unsteadily.

This shaking, reaching even to his brain, causes his eyes to open involuntarily.

Through his half-open eyes, the first thing he sees is a beautiful middle-aged man, appearing to be in his late forties.

” …?”

A boy, who looks about seven or eight years old, mutters in disbelief upon seeing the man who woke him.

“Master… why…?”

“Just a few days ago, you were treating this master as a dead man, crying your eyes out. Now you’re sleep talking again.”

This man could be the epitome of graceful aging.

His hair, black as silk, flows elegantly; his eyes are graceful and kind. His wrinkles are deep but somehow not ugly, only adding to his beauty.

The boy, Zhou Xuchuan, rolls his eyes at his master, Liu Zhengmu’s (Yoo Jeong-Mok) words, and falls into a brief contemplation.

‘Ah!’

His contemplation doesn’t last long.

Events from a week ago flash through his mind like streaks of light.

In that brief moment, Zhou Xuchuan organizes his thoughts about his current situation.

‘Zhou Xuchuan, eight years old, the fourth-generation disciple of Mount Hua sect.’

The first thing that comes to his mind is information about himself.

‘Liu Zhengmu, around 40 years old, the third-generation disciple of Mount Hua sect.’

The members of the Mount Hua sect are divided from the first-generation disciples to the fourth-generation disciples.

First-generation disciples are the seniors of the sect who no longer interfere in the martial world and have gone into seclusion.

Second-generation disciples include the sect leader and the elders.

Apart from the elders, this group also consists of members with high status.

The third-generation disciples are the middle-level members of the sect.

They are mostly young adults to middle-aged, and their number is the greatest.

This is also the time when they can start taking in disciples.

Lastly, the fourth-generation disciples are still young and inexperienced, barely even considered martial artists yet. They represent the future of the sect.

Even the oldest among the fourth-generation disciples is barely of age to venture into the martial world.

And Zhou Xuchuan has joined this group relatively late.

But the most important thing?

‘I have returned to the past.’

A sigh escapes him involuntarily.

Honestly, it’s still hard to believe.

For the past few days, he’s been doubting and pondering this over and over.

Having experienced a time of war and, fortunately, risen to become one of the five elders of Mount Hua, Zhou Xuchuan had died.

His life was certainly not a lie.

He achieved enlightenment and ascended to ‘unrestrained realm’ in his later years but soon succumbed to the limits of his lifespan.

But then, something unbelievable happened.

Upon reopening his eyes, he finds himself back in a time long forgotten, a time from his childhood, now only a faint memory.

At first, he thought it was a dream.

The second time, he wondered if it was some form of punishment in the afterlife.

The third time, he considered if he had ascended to immortality and arrived in the realm of the immortals.

But all these guesses were wrong.

It wasn’t a dream, nor a punishment in the afterlife, nor a reward from the immortal realm.

Despite its implausibility, after a week of seeing, hearing, and feeling, he has come to accept it.

‘A time before the flowers stained with blood bloomed. Before the whirlwind of conflicts and disputes arose. I have returned to that era.’

A time of peace… with the only family who ever cherished him, and his master.

‘I can do this.’

Useless emotions and distractions scatter from his mind.

In their place, a deep-seated emotion begins to burn within him.

‘Once more.’

He doesn’t know why he’s returned to the past.

He doesn’t know who sent him back.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter.

That’s the conclusion he’s reached over the past week.

He lived an unremarkable life and faced a lonely death without a single precious person by his side.

And somehow, he’s returned to the past, memories of his previous life intact.

‘A life more like the one I’ve always wanted!’

It might not be perfect, but with these memories, he can live a different life.

Emotions swell within him, and something cold within begins to ignite.

The upcoming Orthodox and Unorthodox War. The numerous conflicts and hidden forces that would follow.

Thanks to his eventual rise to one of the five elders of Mount Hua in his old age, he had access to the secrets of both the Mount Hua sect and the Martial Alliance, giving him knowledge of significant historical events.

“Most importantly, I should experience more with women this time!”

The frustration of dying a virgin was unbearable.

His sexual desires diminished only in his old age, but until then, it was a torment.

The Mount Hua Sect, being a Taoist sect, was relatively secular, allowing its disciples to marry.

The sect leader, given the responsibility of the Mount Hua Sect, was allowed to marry but was discouraged from having children.

Being a righteous sect, openly pursuing carnal desires was frowned upon, but a blind eye was turned to moderate indulgence.

Despite this, he had lived among men without even properly holding a woman’s hand.

The resentment and regret of this fact quietly glowed in the eyes of Zhou Xuchuan, now just an eight-year-old boy.

Zhou Xuchuan’s soul might have experienced a lifetime, nearly a hundred years old, but his body is not the same. He is now just an eight-year-old child.

And, like most children, he lacks freedom, especially as the fourth-generation disciple of a major sect.

The sect has its own rules and regulations that must be followed.

Zhou Xuchuan is no exception.

He wakes up at dawn, pays his respects to his master first, and then heads to the training cave with other fourth-generation disciples for morning practice.

“Huff… Huff…”

The training cave is near the Luoya Peak of Mt. Hua.

Climbing to one of the peaks of Mt. Hua is challenging, even for an adult man without martial arts skills, let alone for a child.

It was excruciating.

The journey to the training cave itself is a form of training.

‘Damn it…’

He curses inwardly.

Starting again is good, but it means losing everything he had built up in his previous life.

In his past life, he could have climbed it as if strolling, but not now.

He tastes sweetness in his mouth, tears well up in his eyes, and his lungs ache as if they are about to tear apart.

His feet and thigh muscles cramp up.

‘Mount Hua’s training is notoriously harsh!’

He recalls one of his forgotten memories.

Mount Hua Sect is not a great sect for nothing.

Its martial arts are excellent, but its disciple training is even more remarkable, though very strict.

Children or youth, they train until their bodies are nearly broken.

But the sect masters the fine line of pushing them to their limits, with instructors to moderate.

They rest or receive internal energy when their limits seem close, allowing even a child’s body to climb Luoya Hell.

Hence, this section and training are called Luoya Hell.

After completing Luoya Hell and reaching the training cave, the training varies depending on the level.

For him, just reaching Luoya Peak is enough.

Older fourth-generation disciples practice simple swordplay.

Further up, there are even those who engage in sparring.

“You did well. Have your breakfast at the Fasting Pill table over there and then you can go down.”

The instructor points to a table stacked with Fasting Pills.

Zhou Xuchuan bows to the instructor with the remaining strength and stuffs a Fasting Pill into his mouth.

Most children frown at the taste of Fasting Pill, finding it unpleasant.

Fasting Pill is nutritious but not tasty.

Not a flavor children would enjoy.

But for Zhou Xuchuan, it’s nothing new, having eaten it often in his past life.

After about fifteen minutes of rest, he heads back down.

The descent is not as hard since it’s downhill.

“I’m back, Master.”

“Good work today. It was tough, wasn’t it?”

Liu Zhengmu gives a wry smile.

Every disciple of Mount Hua Sect knows the pain of Luoya Hell, be they genius or not.

“I wish I could let you rest more, but that’s not possible. Forgive this master.”

Liu Zhengmu looks genuinely apologetic.

The morning training, or Luoya Hell, is just the basics of building muscle and stamina.

After returning from the training cave, each disciple seeks guidance from their master for the morning.

“It’s alright, Master!”

Zhou Xuchuan is deeply moved by the care of his master, who is kind-hearted and considerate, just like in his past life.

Perhaps he wasn’t affected by the absence of his parents because he had Liu Zhengmu.

“Alright, let’s begin with the Qi cultivation exercise. Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method might still be unfamiliar to you, so let me help you.”

Liu Zhengmu sits down and taps the ground in front of him, indicating for Zhou Xuchuan to sit there.

Zhou Xuchuan quickly sits in a cross-legged position, facing away from his master.

“First, follow the chant I recite…”

Liu Zhengmu recites the chant of Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method and explains its meaning patiently.

Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method consists of twelve stages, and there’s a risk of Qi deviation before reaching the fifth stage, hence supervised practice.

Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method is a fundamental internal energy cultivation technique, one learns upon joining the Mount Hua Sect.

It’s a basic technique of the sect, helping to form the energy center easily and strengthening the meridians.

The technique itself is not complicated, and mastering it doesn’t take long.

However, like all basic techniques, the amount of internal energy accumulated is meager, and the pace is slow.

“There’s no need to worry. Even though it’s a basic technique, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn other techniques while practicing the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method.”

Although it’s considered basic within the Mount Hua Sect, it’s top-tier in the martial world.

It’s not just any technique of a major sect.

“Yes!”

Zhou Xuchuan responds enthusiastically.

‘Sigh, I already know all of this.’

He feels sorry for his master who is lecturing earnestly, but honestly, it was incredibly boring.

To Zhou Xuchuan, Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method is already a mastered basic technique, and his understanding and enlightenment in martial arts are higher than his master’s due to his past life.

He even knows the future secrets of Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method that have not yet been revealed.

But he can’t show boredom in front of his revered master.

Though tiring, he has to show enthusiasm and concentrate on the lecture.

‘I wish I could master it right away.’

With his past life’s memories and experience, mastering it wouldn’t be difficult.

But that would attract unwanted attention.

Being labeled a genius and becoming the talk of the martial world is not what he wants.

‘It’s too early.’

He longed for a heroic life, but not the attention from a young age. Quite the opposite.

Unwanted attention would restrict his actions and make him a target for malicious forces in the future.

‘I must be cautious.’

He managed to find peace in his previous life, but it wasn’t easy.

The forces active in the upcoming era of turmoil are extraordinary.

Monsters beyond his control.

Some are keen to eliminate potential threats early on, so standing out would be troublesome.

Until he grows stronger, it’s better to stay low-key.

Externally, he must appear as ordinary as in his past life.

‘Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll really do that.’

It would be a waste not to use his knowledge and enlightenment in martial arts.

Living his childhood like his past life would be meaningless.

Zhou Xuchuan knows his place well.

He might be special, but not in terms of talent – only in terms of memory and knowledge.

To stand against real monsters, he needs to start earlier.

Otherwise, he won’t be able to handle it later.

It took a lifetime to reach the unrestrained realm, and even that was achieved with the help of a miraculous power.

The prospect of progressing beyond the unrestrained realm is daunting.

He might never reach it again.

Thus, he needs to start earlier… no, try more and be ahead.

Only then can he fight freely.

‘So, I’ll maintain the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method to deceive the world while practicing other internal energy techniques.’

Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method is safe enough to learn other techniques during its practice.

It’s among the top in the martial world, comparable only to the techniques of Wudang Sect or Shaolin Temple.

Of course, practicing the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method means being a beginner, but…

Learning another internal energy technique might seem confusing and more demanding, making it difficult to master properly.

However, Zhou Xuchuan is capable of mastering the Plum Blossom Qi Cultivation Method at any time, making it possible for him.

‘I should start with the Violet Mist Divine Cultivation Method!’

While the Wudang Sect, known as the Southern Sect, has its Three Great Divine Techniques, the Mount Hua Sect has Violet Mist Divine Cultivation Method.

Violet Mist Divine Cultivation Methods is characterized by the violet qi that appears when internal energy is utilized, once a certain level of mastery is reached.

Not only does it look impressive, but its power is also earth-shattering.

However, the Violet Mist Divine Cultivation Method is traditionally passed down only to the sect leader of Mount Hua.

Even the Five Elders of Mount Hua wouldn’t know it.

Zhou Xuchuan knows its chants because of an exceptional circumstance from his past life.

During the era of turmoil, people, including great masters like the sect leader, died easily.

‘I never expected the sect leader to pass away so suddenly.’

In the distant past, the sect leader of Mount Hua lost his life.

His disciple succeeded him but left an air of uncertainty.

The new young sect leader did not yet have a disciple to succeed him.

Worried about an abrupt demise like his predecessor, he shared the Violet Mist Divine Cultivation Method only with the Five Elders.

It was an extraordinary measure in a world filled with chaos and turmoil, meant as a precaution.

Thanks to these circumstances, Zhou Xuchuan, although not a disciple of the sect leader, came to know the Violet Mist Divine Cultivation Method.

‘Most importantly, the Violet Mist Divine Cultivation Method is hard to detect until a certain level of mastery is reached.’

Once the practitioner reaches a level where the violet qi becomes visible, even a novice can recognize the distinctive technique as Violet Mist Divine Cultivation Method.

However, before reaching that level, it does not show significant power and remains hard to detect.

Since the Violet Mist Divine Cultivation Method is quite complex, and considering that he only knew the basic principles in the previous life, he can simply cultivate it patiently without rushing.

This will at least give him a head start compared to his previous life.

‘By the time someone notices and starts questioning, it’ll already be the era of turmoil.

By then, I’ll have a reasonable excuse.’

Currently, his spiritual sense is not fully activated, and his energy center and meridians are not fully developed, so he cannot start learning it right away.

But the thought of eventually learning the exclusive divine technique of the Mount Hua Sect, reserved for the sect leader, fills him with anticipation.