Spring Also Comes to Mount Hua (1)

A boy, who appeared to be barely sixteen or seventeen years old, was laboriously climbing the mountain. Beneath the tightly wrapped cloth on his forehead were thick eyebrows, cold, sharp eyes and firmly pressed lips, which revealed his stubborn nature at first glance.

Suddenly, the boy raised his head and looked toward the mountain peak.

Jagged, rocky peaks rose toward the sky like inverted swords driven into the earth. They clustered together like a lotus flower in full bloom, which is why the tallest of them had been named Lotus Peak.

Lotus Peak.

This was where the Mount Hua Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, had established itself. More precisely, only the Jade Pond and the Upper Palace, the sect’s symbols, were located there. However, people treated Lotus Peak and the Mount Hua Sect as one and the same.

Unlike the Wudang Sect, which centered itself atop Mount Wudang, the Mount Hua Sect was spread across the entirety of Mount Hua.

The True Martial Palace, the symbol of Mount Hua’s military strength, stood atop Cloud Platform Peak, while places such as the Golden Heaven Palace, Treasure Mystery Palace, and Spirit Treasure Palace were hidden deep within areas inaccessible to outsiders.

The only places widely known to the public were the Jade Spring Temple at the foot of the mountain and the Taiping Palace, which was located halfway up the slope. Even then, Jade Spring Temple was the furthest that ordinary people were permitted to venture.

Because of that, the people of the Jianghu never truly knew what the Mount Hua Sect was really like.

“Huff…”

A rough breath escaped the boy’s lips.

He was currently climbing the Hundred-Foot Stairs, a narrow flight of stone steps carved into the cliffs.

The path was so narrow that only one adult could barely squeeze through at a time, and its near-vertical incline made it dangerously difficult to climb. It extended for nearly a hundred feet, which was how it had earned its name.

Before reaching the Hundred-Foot Stairs, however, one first had to climb the 370 stone steps. This almost vertical route, known as the Thousand-Foot Rise, was infamous throughout the world for its brutal difficulty.

Even martial artists who had mastered powerful techniques struggled to climb it, yet the boy was climbing it while gritting his teeth. His legs felt immensely heavy, as if solid blocks of iron were chained to them.

Sweat poured from his entire body like rain, and his face had long since turned pale.

His heart pounded wildly, as if it might burst out of his chest at any moment.

Every single step felt more painful than death itself.

Even so, the boy never complained, nor did he stop to rest.

Then, as he stubbornly continued climbing, his left leg suddenly cramped.

The boy paused his climbing for a moment and looked down at his left leg.

Compared to his right leg, it was thinner and slightly bent. The deformity started below the knee, which made it impossible for him to put proper strength into it or walk normally.

That was why he limped.

He was what people commonly called a cripple.

It caused no major issues in everyday life, but for someone training in martial arts, it was a fatal flaw.

Yet despite this, the boy climbed back and forth between Jade Spring Temple at the foot of Mount Hua and its summit every single day.

A path so difficult that even masters of martial arts struggled to endure it.

It’s okay. I can do this.

The boy gritted his teeth and resumed climbing.

His body was exhausted and his legs trembled uncontrollably, but his eyes remained fixed on the summit of Mount Hua.

Step by step, he kept moving forward.

He eventually made it out of the Hundred-Foot Stairs.

However, escaping the gorge did not mean that he had reached the summit.

He had only come halfway.

The boy paused briefly to catch his breath and looked around. In the distance, beyond the Dragon-Embracing Ridge, Lotus Flower Peak came into view. It was the symbolic heart of the Mount Hua Sect, home to the Jade Well and the Upper Palace. However, that was not his destination.

Instead, he headed towards Cloud Platform Peak on the opposite side.

While the West Peak (Lotus Flower Peak), the East Peak (Morning Sun Terrace), and the South Peak (Falling Peace Peak) were clustered together, Cloud Platform Peak stood alone, isolated from the others. Perhaps because of this, it felt lonely.

Thick beads of sweat rolled down the boy’s forehead continuously.
His legs felt unbearably heavy. His crippled left leg, in particular, throbbed with intense pain.
The muscles in his waist and legs swelled as if they might burst, while his joints screamed in agony, as though they were being split apart with chisels. His lungs expanded desperately, trying to draw in even a little more air, and his heart pounded wildly, forcing fresh oxygen through his body.

How long had he walked like that?

Eventually, the boy stepped into a thicket near Cloud Platform Peak. Beyond the brush was a narrow hidden trail so well concealed that no one would ever notice it from the outside.

After following the path for quite some time, a small pavilion appeared at the edge of a dizzying cliff. In front of the old pavilion, a middle-aged Taoist sat on a wooden platform.

The Taoist wore a tattered robe that had been mended so many times it was barely recognizable. He had been quietly gazing out over the scenery of Mount Hua, but as if sensing the boy’s approach, he turned toward him.

A deep furrow formed between the Taoist’s brows.

“You went down the mountain again?”

“Master.”

“Your leg won’t magically heal just because you keep doing this, so why are you so stubborn? No… there’s no point saying that. If you were the type to listen, you would’ve stopped long ago.”

For the past five years, the boy had climbed up and down Mount Hua without missing a single day. Even for a perfectly healthy person, climbing Mount Hua required a solid half-day of gruelling effort.

Furthermore, the boy had a disability in his leg. He was bound to be vastly slower than ordinary people.

Everyone called him mad. Yet, the boy continued to climb the mountain.

When the boy first attempted to climb Mount Hua, it took him three whole days. His mind had already reached the summit, but his legs could not keep pace with his determination.

In particular, his twisted and damaged left leg, throbbed with unbearable agony. Even so, the boy never once complained that it was too hard, nor did he ever stop to rest.

Step by step, without a single pause, he slowly scaled the mountain, and by the time he finally reached the summit, he was practically on the brink of death.

If the Taoist had not treated him in time, he would have died.

An ordinary person would have stopped there.

But as soon as the boy recovered, he climbed the mountain again.

His determination was so unwavering that the Taoist could only continue watching over him.

As he climbed the mountain day after day, the boy slowly regained his strength.

Muscles formed on his once frail body, and after five years, he had developed enough stamina and endurance to climb Mount Hua at a respectable pace.

“Whew. Come here.”

“Master, I’m fine now.”

“I’m not fine, so come here.”

Unable to refuse, the boy sat down on the wooden platform.

The Taoist stretched out his thin hands and began massaging the boy’s legs.

“Mmgh…”

A groan escaped the boy’s lips.

The Master’s grasp was completely unreserved. Under his rough, powerful hands, the boy’s legs throbbed painfully.

But the pain passed quickly. In its place, a refreshing, soothing sensation took over.

“How can you be so reckless? Do you want to learn the supreme martial arts that badly that you resort to this?”

“I’m sorry, Master.”

“Muryangsubul… What do you have to apologize for? It is this useless master who should feel sorry toward you.”

“No, that’s not true.”

The boy hurriedly shook his head.

To him, his master was his savior.

He had saved him when he was on the verge of death, treated his injuries, and taken him in as a disciple.

Without him, he would never have become who he is today.

“Dam-ho”

“Yes?”

“You…”

The Taoist trailed off.

The Taoist’s name was Hyun So, one of the elders of the Mount Hua Sect.

And the boy whose legs he was massaging was Dam-ho.

Five years ago, Dam-ho had been the sole survivor rescued from a village destroyed by bandits.

Everyone who saw Dam-ho’s injuries had given up on him.

Everyone except Hyun-so.

Though Dam-ho’s limbs had been shattered and his life hung by a thread, Hyun-so never abandoned him.

He was not a physician, but he still did everything he could to save the boy.

Perhaps heaven had helped them, because Damho survived.

But the aftereffects of his injuries left him with a crippled left leg.

Even Hyun-so could do nothing about that.

My dear Ho… how can fate be so cruel to this child?

As Hyun-so massaged Damho’s legs, sorrow flickered through his eyes.

The talent he had seen in Damho was extraordinary.

But even greater than his talent was his willpower.

Perhaps because he had suffered such tragedy at a young age, Damho possessed a determination far stronger than other boys his age.

If his body had been normal, he undoubtedly would have become a remarkable martial artist.

But Dam-ho’s left leg was crippled.

It caused no issues in daily life, but for a martial artist, it was a devastating weakness.

Like every martial sect, Mount Hua placed great importance on footwork. In order to become a main disciple and receive instruction in the Lesser Clear Heart Technique, one first had to master the Nine Palaces Steps.

The Nine Palace Steps was an advanced movement technique famous for its dazzling complexity, so difficult that even geniuses struggled to master it.

For someone with a crippled leg like Damho, it was nearly impossible.

Most people would have given up.

But Damho climbed the mountain every single day, strengthening his legs little by little.

Whether that would truly allow him to master the technique remained unknown, but he never missed a single day of training.

Faced with such effort from his disciple, even Hyunso Jin-in could not stop his eyes from reddening.

“Master, I’m really fine now. You can stop.”

“Just a little longer.”

“But…”

“I’m doing this because I want to. So stay still a little longer.”

“Master…”

Damho lowered his gaze.

For the past five years, Hyun So Jin-in had always been the same.

He cared for Damho with endless sincerity, as though constantly searching for even one more thing he could do for him.

Without that care, the Damho of today would not exist.

As he carefully massaged the boy’s leg, Hyunso spoke softly.

“All a man truly needs is an unyielding heart. If your resolve remains firm and unshaken, the heavens will open a path for you. So do not be too impatient, Dam-ho.”

It was exactly the sort of thing one would expect from a Taoist to the core.

Master… I don’t believe in heaven.

Dam-ho’s reply echoed only inside his own mind.

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