Growing up in the famous Korean
Seong Dojang headed by her father,
Seong Han-myeong, Mi-na had always been surrounded by weapons, many of which she learned to use quite well, even surpassing her father with the guan dao. However, her looks led the local boys to kiss her and call her more than a striking girl, an image supported by her father who wanted her to settle down and marry a suitor, preferably Hwang Seong-gyeong, whom Han-myeong had personally wanted to adopt into the family. Facing increasing incursions from Japanese raiders, a coast guard was quickly formed and led by Yi Soon Shin, her father's childhood friend, with
Mi-na desperate to join in the ranks; but she was barred from joining on account of her gender. Overhearing rumors of
Soul Edge, deemed the "Sword of Salvation", while eavesdropping on a private conversation between her father and Hwang, she decided that if she would not be able to prove herself in the coastal defense, she could just as easily prove herself by finding the fabled sword for her country. This prompted her to pack her belongings and run away from home, not knowing that Hwang had already been sent out on his own official quest for the weapon.
During her search, she did meet up with Hwang, and upon receiving news of an impending Japanese invasion of Korea, he cut his quest short and returned home, dragging
Mi-na home with him. Not long after her return,
Mi-na ran away again. Her frustration with rigorous training, combined with her father's eagerness to marry her to Hwang and a proposal from one of her father's wealthy trainees, sent her over the edge and out the door. Mi-na resumed her quest for the Soul Edge, but gained a valuable lesson along the way. She heard of a female warrior named Ivy, who was also searching for the Soul Edge. But upon meeting [Ivy], she was told that Soul Edge was inherently demonic and that Mi-na would be better suited at home because she was only a weak little girl. Quick to anger, she challenged Ivy to a fight, but, overwhelmed and confused by
Ivy's unusual snake sword, she suffered a humiliating defeat. Questioning her own strength, Mi-na met a middle-aged, alcoholic man with a beaten bo staff who jeered her and told her not to challenge people so hastily. But true to form, she attacked him and never landed a single hit, as he caught her guan dao with his bare hands. She asked if she could train under him, and he reluctantly agreed; despite his chronic alcoholism, his ability with the bo staff taught her much during her training. After a year of training, he mysteriously disappeared while out to buy more alcohol, and her only trace of him was a goodbye note telling her there was nothing more he could teach her, signed by a one '
Kong Xiuqiang', who was, in reality,
Chai Xianghua's long-lost father and an exiled student of the
Ling-Sheng Su Temple. From this experience, Mi-na learned to never underestimate the strength of an opponent, and she continued training for two years until she was ready to resume her quest for the Soul Edge. Eventually, however, she was dragged home once again by Hwang.
Four years later,
Mi-na saw a student of her father,
Hong Yun-seong, angry after being rejected by Hwang when he challenged him to a battle. She felt sorry for the brooding young man and handed him a Seong family heirloom, the dao 'White Storm' that, according to legend, possessed the ability to reflect the innermost thoughts of those who wielded the blade. That night, Yun-seong had packed his belongings and run away from the dojo in pursuit of Soul Edge, taking the dao with him. Since
Mi-na had lent the heirloom to him, she felt obligated to retrieve it, and decided to leave the dojang to find him. Seong Han-myeong did not want her to go, but he knew in his heart that if he protested, she would simply run away again, and he gave her his blessing to retrieve the weapon. By the time he considered that she would, in fact, try to seek and retrieve the Soul Edge on her journey, it was too late, and she was long gone.
Seong Mi-na traveled throughout Ming, continuing her search for Yun-seung. In one city, she got involved in a fight. After defeating a brawny man, one of the onlookers casually remarked that her style largely resembled the fabled Ling-Sheng Su Style. When she thought about it, the man who had taught her how to use her weapon had never given a name for the style. This fighting art was a solid part of her now, but she didn't know where it originated from. Mi-na became interested and decided to visit this temple famous for its martial arts.
She went to the said temple and found that it was destroyed a few years ago. However, she found out that an old master of the said style was still alive. She decided to visit the old man living in some mountains in the Himalayas. She arrived and saw Edge Master, who was also Kilik's master. When she first challenged him to a fight, he refused. But in the end, he agreed. Seong Mi-na suffered a total defeat. The old man then invited her to stay with him to train. During breaks, she told him of stories of her travels. He seemed vaguely interested, but he jumped at the information that Mi-na was also looking for Soul Edge. He told her the sword was evil. She did not believe him at first, but she knew that a man like him would not lie.
After a few months of training, Mi-na made up her mind to go after Yun-seong again, to tell him that the sword was evil. After saying goodbye to her new master, she thought that next time, she would bring Yun-seong along. She concluded that it would be so much fun.
