The morning wind on Mount Hua was sharp enough to cut stone.

At the highest peak, where clouds curled around ancient pines like lazy dragons, two figures stood side by side.

One was an old man in a simple grey robe, carrying no sword… because he was a sword.

The Plum Blossom Sword Saint.

The undefeated legend of Murim.

The man feared and respected by every clan beneath the heavens.

Beside him stood a boy of thirteen.

Black hair tied loosely, eyes bright like mountain streams.

He wore the white robes of Mount Hua disciples… except none of the disciples here could even dream of matching him.

This was Hua Yun — Sword Saint’s grandson, genius of Mount Hua, and the child everyone cherished.

Today was the day he would descend the mountain for the first time.

---

“Grandpa… are we really leaving?”

Hua Yun’s voice was soft.

The Sword Saint nodded.

His gaze was calm, but deep — like he already knew ten years of the future.

“Yes, Yun’er. You have mastered everything Mount Hua can give you.”

Yun’er tilted his head.

“But I still have much to learn…”

A small smile appeared on the old man’s lips.

“Exactly. And the world will teach you what the mountain cannot.”

---

Behind them, dozens of Mount Hua elders were gathered.

Some with proud smiles.

Some with watery eyes.

All of them watching the boy they raised, their treasure, their hope.

An elder stepped forward.

“Little Yun… remember to eat properly…”

Another added:

“And don’t copy every martial art you see! Some are dangerous!”

A third one shouted from the back:

“If anyone bullies you, just yell! We’ll send all our disciples down the mountain!”

The Sword Saint turned around slightly.

Everyone fell silent instantly.

Even now, even jokingly, none dared speak when the Sword Saint looked their way.

---

Hua Yun bowed deeply to them.

“I’ll make Mount Hua proud.”

A chorus of voices rose from the disciples.

“You already have!”

“Little Yun, return safely!”

“Bring back gifts from the Central Plains!”

---

The Sword Saint placed a hand on Hua Yun’s shoulder.

“Yun’er… you already have strength.”

“But your heart…”

He tapped the boy’s chest lightly.

“…must learn the world.”

Hua Yun nodded. His expression grew determined.

---

The First Step Down the Mountain

As they descended, passing the stone steps carved over centuries, the Sword Saint suddenly stopped.

Hua Yun looked up.

“Grandpa?”

The old man stared north — far beyond mountains, forests, and plains.

His eyes narrowed slightly, sensing something no normal martial artist could detect.

“The North Sea… its qi is turbulent,” he murmured.

Hua Yun shivered slightly. There was something in the air — faint, cold, and unsettling.

He could barely sense it, just a whisper of energy far off in the distance, impossible to fully identify.

“The Ice Palace?” he asked, uncertain.

Sword Saint replied softly:

“Something ancient is waking. Something that should never wake.”

Only he could feel it fully, as if a heartbeat was pulsing through the northern winds. Hua Yun sensed only the faintest tremor beneath the earth, a shadow of power too vast to understand.

---

“Yun’er.”

The Sword Saint’s voice pulled him out of the thought.

“This journey is not for sightseeing.”

“The world is changing.

Murim is shifting.

You must see it with your own eyes.”

Hua Yun nodded slowly.

“Grandpa… if something dangerous really happens… I’ll protect you.”

The Sword Saint chuckled.

“Protect me? You little brat?”

But he didn’t deny it.

Because one day… he knew the child would surpass even him.

---

Final Goodbye

At the last step of Mount Hua, Hua Yun looked back one last time.

Wind swept across the mountain.

Plum petals drifted around him.

He bowed deeply — to the mountain, to the people, to the place that raised him.

“I’ll return stronger.”

“I promise.”

The Sword Saint turned to the road ahead.

“Come, Yun’er.”

“Our first destination… the North Sea Ice Palace.”

And just like that, the strongest man in Murim and the child destined to shake the world began their journey…

…their footsteps echoing through the world that awaited them.