691 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The novel "Friend of the World's Number One Martial Artist" Chapter 691 > Northern Rabbit - Web Novel Reference Morning. It had just passed dawn, and the sun was beginning to climb up into the sky. A slightly cool breeze blew, signaling the approach of the end of summer. The wind brushed across the sky, and below it, the plaza was filled with a throng of people. “Those with wooden tags, please line up over here!” A loud voice boomed. It carried an aura of authority, possessing a force that lingered in one’s ears. “Those with green jewels, please come this way!” “Blue ones, follow me...!” As directed by the voices, countless people began to move. At a glance, there seemed to be hundreds, possibly thousands, of people gathered, and the air around felt unnaturally heavy. ‘The presence of powerful auras is no joke here.’ The amount of latent auras in the air was beyond imaginable. When had I last felt something like this? ‘Was it during the war?’ It was reminiscent of what I felt during the Great Demonic War. Even within the Martial Alliance, the air here was unusually thick with intensity. ‘That just means many have gathered.’ At the very least, these were second-class warriors at their peak. All the martial artists gathered here were incredibly fierce. From young warriors around my age to those with graying hair. Among the people around, there wasn’t anyone who wasn’t a martial artist. Every single person gathered here was a warrior. ‘So many have come.’ Indeed, a tremendous number had gathered. Even for a match sponsored by the Alliance, I never expected this many to attend. I looked around in awe, feeling a nonchalant sense of admiration. ‘I heard the Shaolin went out to gather people themselves. Perhaps that helped?’ It was possible. I casually surveyed the surroundings before letting out a sigh and running a hand through my hair. ‘In the end, I’ve come….’ It was finally the day of the preliminary matches. More specifically, today was the day the preliminaries commenced, and I stood in front of the entrance prepared by the Martial Alliance. Of course, this was to attend the martial competition. ‘Tch.’ I clicked my tongue. The preliminaries were to run over three days, but unfortunately, I was scheduled to participate on the very first day. Not the main entrance — if I were to enter there, I'd likely end up in some mountain valley. ‘Well.’ It would be challenging to hold preliminaries inside the alliance with so many people gathered. Dividing the days and altering the terrain like this made sense. It seemed they aimed to do something over a broad area, but what exactly, I did not know. As I calmly surveyed my surroundings one by one, “Sir.” A voice came from behind, prompting me to turn around. It was Wi Seol Ah, veiled, looking at me. She too had her preliminary match on the first day, like me. While she wore a veil to cover her appearance, she still drew attention. Her beautifully curved figure and unique aura irresistibly drew eyes her way. ‘…Is that really the best she can do?’ Even after using Qi to enhance the veil and all, if that’s still her level, should I maybe lend her a rare artifact? ‘I could give her the mask Nam Goong Bia used.’ That white fox mask. I heard it was a Northern Sea artifact. It supposedly lowers the perception of the wearer by others. ‘Its effect is similar to what Tang Deok used.’ I briefly wondered if I should have lent it to her, but unfortunately, being a rare artifact meant it needed to be discarded soon. Thinking along those lines, I looked at Wi Seol Ah. “What’s your color?” She asked, causing me to check the wooden tag in my hand. It seemed she was referring to the color of the jewel embedded in the tag. “White.” The jewel embedded in my wooden tag was white. I looked around. At the far end, a man holding a sign marked with white was the starting point for a line. That seemed to be the line I needed to join. “I’m blue.” Wi Seol Ah gently showed her wooden tag. A blue jewel sparkled embedded in her tag. There were a total of four colors. ‘Green, Blue, Red, White.’ Coincidentally, they were the same colors as the grades of the Demonic Realm. ‘If it’s not a coincidence, could they have ranked us by color?’ I pondered briefly but shook my head. No matter how foolishly managed the Alliance might be, they wouldn’t make it so straightforward. ‘I doubt it.’ I didn’t believe so. I hoped they wouldn’t be so shallow-minded. In any case, it seemed convenient that our schedules didn’t overlap. Should I consider that fortunate? If it’s fortunate, then I guess it is. At least that’s how I felt. I turned my gaze elsewhere. Four lines in total. Each trailing long with people at the ends of the lines. The lines didn’t segregate by gender nor divide by age, and participants varied in their levels. Some bore determined expressions. Others seemed to be holding onto tension. Everyone was different. But what destination were they all heading toward? I didn’t know well. Or perhaps…. ‘Maybe all of them, except for me, have the same destination in mind.’ An outsider who should not be present. That thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I furrowed my brows. There was no use in overthinking. I shook my head to shake off extraneous thoughts. ‘Where’s Seong Yul?’ Looking for him, I turned my head. Seong Yul was also supposed to participate on the first day like me. I vaguely instructed him to enter on his own, I hoped he was managing well. ‘He’ll handle it. Though he might seem a bit scatterbrained, he’s not someone unreliable, so he should manage alright. The problem is. ‘...Bong Soon.’ The issue was that Bong Soon had to enter the preliminaries on the second day without me. This meant having to send her in without me being there. The mere thought of it made me feel suddenly exhausted. ‘I did place some restrictions on her….’ I had set a few prohibitions on Bong Soon to ensure she wouldn’t cause trouble. First. She must remain completely silent. Second. She must tolerate up to two provocations from others. And third. ‘No killing unless their aim is to kill her.’ That summed up the restrictions I set on Bong Soon. This should be enough to prevent some trouble, to an extent. Otherwise…. Well. ‘If things still spiral out of control, I'd have to deal with it.’ If it got to that point, there was nothing I could do. She should manage somehow. Accepting that much, at that moment of realization. “…Look over there!” I caught murmurs of something stirring. “It’s Dao Wang (Do Wang).” “The real Dao Wang?” At this, the atmosphere among the gathered martial artists momentarily wavered. Turning my head, I saw two people entering from the entrance, and everyone was watching them. Thud. Every step the man took resounded with impact. The eyes of the martial artists widened in response. “To think that mere footsteps could carry such presence…!” “As expected of the head of one of the Great—no, Three Great Families.” A mix of admiration, shock, and a faint sense of respect filled the air as everyone’s attention focused on the towering man, Do Wang Peng Zhou. ‘So that's Do Wang….’ I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I watched him. Only a handful in the martial world possess the title of "Wang" (King). It’s not about being among the Hundred Masters or even the Ten Great Masters based on sheer prowess. "King" is reserved for those with absolute influence in their field. It's not just about power. It’s about their fame and standing. Among those who wield swords, he is the most influential. He is the head of the Peng family, Do Wang Peng Zhou, whose presence made the gathered martial artists tense up. “Is it true that Do Wang is participating…?” “Could the rumors really be true?!” “Why would someone like Do Wang….” The reactions were mixed—half in awe and half questioning why he was here. Indeed, that would be the case. ‘Why would the head of a noble family bother with this competition?’ Winning would be breaking even at best, and losing would be a loss. No, perhaps even winning could bring about some loss. There really seemed to be no reason for Do Wang to participate, yet he had shown up here. Peng Zhou walked slowly, drawing all eyes upon him. Looking at him, I thought directly. ‘What a spectacle.’ It was laughable. Thud-! Each of his steps sent vibrations through the ground. People thought it was charisma borne from power, but in truth…. ‘He’s oblivious to the waste of his own energy.’ This was just an attention-grabbing display. Letting his aura overflow as if to show off, saying, “Look at me.” While his presence did draw eyes, I couldn't help but think…. ‘How embarrassing.’ The flow of his aura was so off-kilter that anyone could see it if they knew how to look. ‘Don’t others notice this?’ Why was I the only one realizing the ridiculousness of his act? ‘Is no one else seeing this?’ I couldn't comprehend it. Was it just my eyes playing tricks? I briefly questioned it but ultimately dismissed the thought. As Peng Zhou passed by, martial artists cleared a path for him, and next to him walked a familiar face. Peng Zhou's son and the future head of the Peng family, Peng Woo Jin, was walking alongside him. As they moved forward, Peng Woo Jin happened to glance in my direction. Our eyes met. Peng Woo Jin grinned broadly, waving at me. “...” Rather than waving back, I nodded. It was the best greeting I could muster. ‘Of all days, they’re here on the first?’ To think that the Peng father and son were scheduled for the same day as me. ‘This means the order isn’t based on the sequence of registration.’ Peng Woo Jin registered, same as me, for the first day. Peng Zhou likely registered on the last day possible, meaning there was little correlation. Does this imply the order was simply randomized? ‘I doubt it.’ I naturally felt suspicious. I believed the Martial Alliance would surely mess up something as simple as this. ‘I heard the competition lasts about fifteen days.’ What else could they have possibly done in such a long span of time? The mere thought makes my stomach churn with anticipation. Feeling my nerves heighten, I decided I needed to calm myself. “At the sound of the gong, the preliminaries will start in one hour! Please make your way to your respective lines!” An announcement rang out. It was truly time to go. Hearing this, I turned towards Wi Seol Ah. “Well then—” “Yes?” Wi Seol Ah looked back, responding to my voice. Watching her, I opened my mouth as if to say something. Was she really going to do this? Couldn’t she refrain? I pondered saying something along those lines but, seeing her eyes beneath the veil, scratched the back of my head. “Do your best, but you know… just the right amount.” That was as much as I could relay to Wi Seol Ah. She smiled brightly, responding, “Of course! I’ll do my utmost!” Apparently, she hadn’t fully grasped my meaning. “I said the right amount.” “Yes, I will do my utmost, just the right amount.” “...” For some reason, Wi Seol Ah was full of determination. Much like Tang Seowol, why were they like this? ‘…There won’t be any trouble, right?’ I hoped not. Truly, I did. “Alright… see you later.” I finished my farewell and was going to line up when— “Ah, Sir.” “Huh?” Wi Seol Ah called out to me as if she had something more to say. Curious, I looked over. Whoosh—! “Hmm?” Wi Seol Ah opened her arms and wrapped them around me. She stood still for a moment, resting her forehead against my chest. What is this? Confused, I discreetly expanded my aura. It was to minimize our presence. “What… are you doing?” “Just a bit of encouragement.” Wi Seol Ah lifted her head slightly, meeting my gaze. “I’ll do my best too. Sir, you… also take care. Please.” “…Oh… uh.” As I was about to respond, “I’ll be back.” Wi Seol Ah had already released me and was walking away. I watched her retreating golden hair with a bashful smile. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I understood. Why was that? I don’t know. It just felt that way.