644 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

### The Best Under Heaven's Childhood Friend - Chapter 644: Northern Rabbit #### Chapter 644: Thunderous Sky Sword "Isn't it located in the northern parts of Shaanxi?" "What do you mean it's inside a relic? What does that even mean?" Namgoong Myung's bewildered words left him momentarily speechless. Whoosh. A cold breeze brushed by. It was just a delusion. The air had been still for a long time, so there was no reason for any wind to blow. It was perhaps just a feeling. Chilly. The emotion rising from within pierced through his chest and reached his mind. It nudged at his core energy center without invoking any of his own. A thick, suffocating sensation. It was only when this chilling sensation hit him that he finally collected himself. "What do you mean...?" The words he managed to spill bore a tremor. "His lingering will was inside the relic of the Mount Hua Sect. Are you suggesting that wasn't intentional on your elders' part?" Was his memory mistaken? For a moment, he considered the notion, only to dismiss it—he knew better than anyone else. It seemed more convincing that Namgoong Myung had mispresented his explanation. "Perhaps he meant it was in a hidden chamber?" But... what was it again? The relic of the Mount Hua Sect, whose name he couldn't even recall. Namgoong Myung seemed to imply that the relic was somewhere in a hidden chamber in Shaanxi. That sounded more plausible. Yet... "If that's the case, then Namgoong Myung's reaction doesn't make any sense." He still remembered Namgoong Myung's astonished expression when he learned it was in the relic. That was undoubtedly a genuine reaction. "Think." What on earth was going on? While holding a look of bewilderment, Namgoong Myung furrowed his brows and spoke to him. "It was in the relic... Is that true?" "Yes." How could he forget? The sensation of absorbing the energy as it traveled to the Mount Hua Sect and the sound of Noya's voice during that time. It had been over five years, yet it was a day he couldn't forget in the slightest. And that made it all the more problematic. "What on earth happened?" Something had gone awry. He must uncover what had gone awry. "...Did you say that Noya, the Sword Master of Mount Hua, was in the hidden chamber?" "Yes." "You mean they inserted his will into the relic and placed it there?" He asked the question he had been pondering. Namgoong Myung shook his head slightly. It was a decisive negation. "That's never been done, nor should it be." "What do you mean it shouldn't be done?" "Inserting a will into a relic simply means buying time. It was something that shouldn't be done for our intended purpose." "The purpose..." The purpose Namgoong Myung spoke of was likely Noya's reincarnation. Or perhaps his previous life. He turned the words over in his mind. What if those words were false? What if the person calling themselves Thunderous Sky Sword was a falsehood from the start? He had to consider even such extremes while making his judgment. "So... does that mean the matters related to the relic were not intended by your elders?" Though immersed in his own thoughts, he kept speaking. It wouldn't do to show any sign of doubt toward the other party. "What if..." If Namgoong Myung's story was indeed true, then there was one scenario that naturally surfaced. A few months ago when he was in Hubei. At that time, he had coincidentally met Yeongpung. What Yeongpung had told him kept playing in his mind. ["I think I have become the successor."] Yeongpung had secretly confided in him about becoming the successor of the Sword Master of Mount Hua. Reacting with feigned surprise, he snorted. Of course. I am Noya's successor. Yeongpung might belong to the Mount Hua Sect, but that does not change the fact. At that time, he certainly considered it that way. "...Yeongpung claimed he discovered that in a cave in Shaanxi." The familiar energy he carried, and even the voice he claimed to have heard. Since Yeongpung didn't seem to be lying, he thought there must've been a problem he was unaware of. Despite that, within himself, he was convinced he was the true successor. However... Now that belief was starting to waver. "The situations align." The cave discovered in Shaanxi. The traces and energy inside it... and even the voice. Doesn't it all align perfectly with what Namgoong Myung said about the hidden chamber? If that really was the hidden chamber left by Noya's associates— "However, those are just traces and encounters. Ultimately, it's different from reincarnation." Just as he extracted Noya's energy and will from the Mount Hua Sect's relic... Yeongpung only obtained traces. It's different from the peculiar concept of reincarnation. He failed in reincarnation. That seemed the right conclusion. "His will was undoubtedly within the relic. Not something else, but the relic of the Mount Hua Sect. Do you not have any conjectures regarding this part?" He refrained from mentioning Yeongpung. Instead, he spoke only of his own encounter. "I don't know. If what you say is true, it means an anomaly occurred." "...." Tap. Tap. He discreetly tapped his waist with his fingers. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't grasp it. "What had occurred?" Even with plans laid out in advance, the situation turned out this way, indicating an anomaly along the lines if Namgoong Myung's words were true. What Yeongpung encountered seemed related to this anomaly as well... "There must have been a problem that caused the plan to go awry, leading to Noya's failure to reincarnate. His will stayed within the relic." During that process, Yeongpung discovered Noya's traces in Shaanxi and was even acknowledged as the successor within the sect. Past heroes he met didn't seem aware of such facts. "I can't say for sure about Dangjaemun and Yeon Ilcheon, but Hwang Ahbulyeong and Namgoong Myung didn't seem to know." If the Namgoong Myung before him were real. It was twisted and convoluted. The paths that had crossed were too intricate to see an end. Why had Noya failed to reincarnate in the end? As he pondered, he decided to ask Namgoong Myung. "Why did you even attempt to reincarnate the Sword Master of Mount Hua?" Even with so much to think about, no conclusion was emerging. Thus, he needed to extract some other piece of information. He needed to understand why it had to be Noya, setting aside the failure of reincarnation. He didn't ask how such a thing was possible. That was an unnecessary question at the moment. Now, the motive was more important. When he asked about it, Namgoong Myung looked at him with a peculiar expression. "Why are you curious about that?" "Because it's a strange thing." ### How Could It Not Be Strange? "The champion of the era was King of Golden Fists, Geumcheon." The tale of how a small clan from Sichuan rose to the pinnacle, surpassing major sects and renowned names, remains famous to this day. His family's business even grew to become the number one trading group in the Central Plains, combining strength, fame, and wealth into his character. He was both the best under heaven and one of the heroes who prevented a bloodbath, Geumcheon King, Yeon Ilcheon, from centuries ago. Moreover, 'He was a regressor like me.' A being who had even defied the flow of time. Yet, "So why was Mount Hua's Sword chosen over someone like him?" Why choose the Mount Hua Sword over the reigning supreme of the era? He had always been curious about this. "…" Namgoong Myung fell silent at the question. He waited. It seemed Namgoong Myung was contemplating what answer to give rather than ignoring the question. After a brief pause, Namgoong Myung spoke, meeting his eyes. "He was the only one suitable." "Excuse me?" It was a rather peculiar answer. "No matter how much I thought about it. He was the only one." "I don't understand." Were there really no other options besides Shin Noya? Could it possibly mean... "…Are you suggesting Mount Hua's Sword was stronger than the King of Golden Fists…?" "No, he never defeated Ilcheon. Neither did I, nor any of the others." "I see." The idea that he was secretly the strongest or something similar was dismissed by Namgoong Myung decisively. "Then why?" "Successor." "Yes." "You said you conversed with Shin Cheol's lingering will." "…That's right." More than conversation, it was often bickering or exchanging insults, but that could be considered conversation in a way. "In your view, what kind of person was he?" "…May I answer without holding back?" "Go ahead." "He was a crazy old man who was anything but the hermit he claimed to be. Always oblivious and so bad-tempered that talking to him for ten sentences would always leave me angry." "…" Oops. Did I go too far? Perhaps I should have worded it more delicately, but Namgoong Myung's reaction was unexpected. "You truly are his successor." He nods, seemingly unfazed, even though he might've reacted slightly offended for insulting a friend. There was something about his reaction that was oddly unsettling. "That wasn't the response I was looking for, but you saw him accurately. He wasn't like a typical hermit." Talking about Shin Noya brought a subtle change to Namgoong Myung's expression. He seemed somewhat nostalgic. "Unlike other hermits who spoke veiled words, he lived with curses on his lips and seemed crazy the moment he laid his hands on a sword." "…" The expression looked nostalgic, but the words were at odds. What kind of life did the real Noya lead to be considered a madman by his friend… He shook his head. 'What an unusual individual he must have been.' As a normal person, it was hard to grasp. As the explanation continued, the more it seemed like Noya shouldn't have been chosen. "But…" Namgoong Myung stated clearly. "He was unwavering in his convictions." "Convictions, you say?" Convictions (信念). The weight of that heavy word bore down slightly on his shoulders. "You asked why it was Shin Cheol." "Yes." "Among us, his convictions were the most steadfast." Steadfast convictions. What did that mean? He couldn't quite grasp it. Perhaps it showed on his face, as Namgoong Myung continued with his explanation, watching him. "Hwang Ahbulyeong is steadfast but lacks strength." The hero of Shaolin, the bald old man encased within the carp. "He knew that and chose to back down and stay in Shaolin." He backed down. Did that mean he gave up on reincarnation? "Dang Jaemun has strong convictions but was the weakest. Moreover, he wasn't compatible with the task." He recalled the frail yet beautiful woman he encountered by the lake in Sichuan. "Yeon Ilcheon had incomplete convictions, and I had too many regrets. That's why it was Shin Cheol." "I still don’t understand. What on earth is this nonsense?" They kept talking about convictions, but what did it all mean? Why did the heroes who saved the world have weak convictions? Surely they must have had deeper and stronger convictions than him. He asked with that sentiment, and Namgoong Myung's expression turned oddly complex—a mix of bitterness and enlightenment. "We were not to collapse." Therefore, the words that followed felt particularly precarious. "That's why we had to choose someone who wouldn't collapse no matter what happened." "What does that have to do with convictions? Are you saying the others had weak convictions?" "No, all of them were strong." "Then…" "The issue is the direction of those convictions." Namgoong Myung's gaze became somewhat blurred. "Do you know what conviction was important to us?" "…I don't know." "It was the world." His eyes widened slightly at those words. "We had to save the world. For that, unyielding conviction was necessary." "That means—" "Ahbulyeong wasn't certain when his conviction might break. Dang Jaemun was lacking in strength, and his conviction was rooted in love, so he was ruled out." Love. There was no need to ask who that love was directed towards. It seemed everyone knew except for the oblivious old man. "The same goes for me. I—" Namgoong Myung paused before continuing. "I hoped for my family's revival and safety more than the world." His somewhat troubled words left him tilting his head in confusion. "How is that different?" Saving the world by preventing a massacre. Isn't that sufficient? He couldn't understand why it was seen differently. "It is different. Very much so." "What do you mean?" "Living for the world and having it as an additional goal are different things. That's the reason we all chose to retreat ourselves." "Then, are you saying Noya lived for the world?" "Yes." "…!" An unhesitant answer. Those words firmly shut his mouth. "Saving the world. That was the only reason he picked up a sword. Even as the head of a sect, he never let go of that stubbornness." Him? That man? I was about to protest, recalling Noya's usual demeanor, but then I remembered that I myself had regarded Shin Noya as a hero. "A sword wielded solely for saving the world. That was the reason we chose him and intended to bind his soul in the hidden chamber." Namgoong Myung paused mid-sentence, seemingly lost in thought. "But how his body manifested properly while his soul ended up in the relic is beyond comprehension." He was deep in thought, as if the derailed plan was someone's doing... Hmm? "Wait a moment." I was about to speak when I realized I had just heard something strange. "Senior." "Speak." "...What did you say about Mount Hua's Sword's body?" Namgoong Myung had just said that his body manifested correctly. While his soul was not contained, Noya's body had reincarnated properly? I asked again in confusion, feeling like I had just heard some astounding information. "What are you talking about?" Namgoong Myung looked at me again and then spoke. "Isn't he right in front of you?" "...Pardon?" At that, I immediately looked around. There was Pae Jon, Seong Yul, and additionally, the Black Lion and the Palace Lord. All of them stood frozen in place. One of them? Surprised, I looked back at Namgoong Myung, but his gaze was fixed directly on me. "You." It was me. "You are his reincarnation." Hearing this, my expression twisted bizarrely. "Me?" ...Me?