During the Jungjong era of the Joseon Dynasty, Gildong, the illegitimate son of Minister Hong, unable to bear the mistreatment from his aunt and grandmother, leaves home to find the venerable monk Baek Un living in Mount Geumgang. On his journey, Gildong rescues Dal-i, who was about to be arrested by the local magistrate, and accompanies her and her father. After promising to meet Dal-i again in five years, Gildong enters Mount Geumgang and dedicates himself to martial arts training. Becoming proficient in various martial arts such as shapeshifting and teleportation, Gildong descends the mountain and founds the Hwalbindang. Gildong raids government offices in all eight provinces of the country, punishes corrupt officials who committed misrule, and distributes grain from warehouses to the people. The government, eager to capture Gildong, arrests his birth mother and father and imprisons them. Gildong, injured while trying to save his parents, recovers his strength thanks to the devoted care of the courtesan Wol Hyang. Gildong challenges Seung Yeop, the son of the Minister of War appointed as the new police chief, to a duel, and the two men fight with swords on a cliff top. After his victory, Gildong rescues his mother, who was about to be burned alive, and sets sail with Dal-i and his mother in search of a new country.