906 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

### Chapter 906: "The Best in the World - A Childhood Friend" "Ugh...!" Gubong collapses on the ground with a thud. The trembling indicated the blow had hit its mark. "Hmm." I looked at my fist, the one that had knocked him down. It had definitely connected. "The feeling is a bit unusual." Was it like tough leather? Or maybe I should call it denser muscle? In any case, it was distinctly different from the usual sensation. Originally, my intent was to completely shatter his ribs, but all I managed to do was inflict a moderate amount of pain, with no substantial damage. "Ugh... grrr..." Despite it all, Gubong didn't lose his resolve. Staring at me with bared fangs, he radiated hostility. "...Did you dare ambush—ugh!" I aimed a kick at his chin, sending his head snapping backward. "Ambush? Bullshit. Just admit how bad you are." I sauntered over and hit him right in the face—was he calling that an ambush? "You should feel embarrassed you couldn't react. Calling it an ambush is just an excuse." I clicked my tongue, reaching for his disheveled hair when— Snap-! "Oh." He grabbed my wrist. Impressed for a moment, I narrowed my eyes while looking at his hand. His grip strength was notable, but what caught my eye were the non-human-like claws and hair on the back of his hand. Squeeze. The pressure wasn't bad. It was comparable to a martial artist at the Flowering Level of the External Hardening Arts. "Hmm." If I had to liken it to something, it would be around the toughness of a Tang Monk's bones? Though, this guy seemed to have more strength. "His physical body is akin to a heavenly body." As for what he is, the more I looked, the more intrigued I became. Thus— "Let's hit him a bit more." With a grin, I yanked his hand towards me. With force, I ripped his grip off, reducing his arm to uselessness. "Gah!" Once again, I applied pressure intending to dislocate his arm, but all he felt was pain. His skeletal structure seemed remarkably strong. "Then." Let's see how this works. Crack--!! "Aaaagh!" "Well, that broke." I twisted his arm joint the opposite way with a bit more force, and it snapped readily. I kicked him away, sending him tumbling across the ground. Gubong rolled several times before managing to stop himself. "Grrr...." Holding his broken arm, he expressed his pain. Crack. "Hmm?" I noticed a change in his arm. Accompanied by a rough, cracking bone sound, his arm was regenerating and returning to its original state. "Fascinating." His regenerative power is remarkable. "That bull-like bastard, too. Are all the folks here like this?" Or are there just special beings like him around? And then— "Just in case, let me ask. If I rip it off, will it regenerate?" "..." Inquiring out of curiosity, Gubong flinched visibly at his shoulder. "Ah, just kidding, just kidding." His undeniable reaction made me laugh and wave dismissively. "So that's not it, huh." It was tempting to verify, but I decided against it. For now, it wasn't the priority. "His body is tough and heals quickly." Just perfect. "He's ideal for venting until I feel better." He was the perfect outlet for venting my anger. I thought as much while taking a step toward him. My line of sight shifted. And suddenly, I was right in front of him. He noticed my presence, moving swiftly. His reaction time was considerably quick. Clang. Raising himself, Gubong drew his sword from his waist. I pondered whether to prevent him from drawing, but decided to let it be. I was curious to see which sword style he would use. Swish--!! The sword unsheathed and sliced through the air. I tilted my head to evade the first strike. Simultaneously, he twisted his waist, adding momentum. The speed began to build. Swish-! Swish swish--!! The sword's path was precise and fast. Despite receiving successive hits, his stability suggested a solid foundation. "Not bad." I continued evading the sword, inspecting. On the whole, his distribution of strength was commendable. He was among those of the rarely stable basis within the Flowering Level martial artists. That feeling came through strongly. Coupled with his unique physical abilities, flexibility, and notably quick reflexes, he posed considerable danger. However. Thud-! "...!" It didn't mean there weren't openings. In the fluid gaps of his sword's path. Even in those narrow crevices, my keen insight pinpointed a route. When he continued his sword strikes, I swept his ankle to topple his balance. Yet, even then, he maintained his composure and carried on with his attack. "Wow. His flexibility is something else." His control was astonishingly deft. In the midst of my admiration, I eyed the sword. Just as I was about to halt the blade by grabbing it, I decided to back off instead. Whoosh---!! "Hmm...." Once more, the blade cut through the air. And as I watched, I had a nagging feeling. "It seems like I might have screwed up if I tried to catch it." The strength is remarkable, and his innate power is commendable. Though his mastery is high, he isn't too difficult to handle. The immediate concern was this uneasy sensation. "Is it the sword?" That sword, the one Gubong wielded, seemed strange. It felt like I would have been severely hurt if I had attempted to catch it just now. "What is it?" Is there something about that sword? As I pondered on the question, Gubong lunged at me. Swish-! Bending down, he partially rotates the sword. As he did, a faint crimson aura began enveloping the blade. A sharp and rapid sequence accompanied by flashes surged forth. A scent wafted to the tip of my nose. "...So, it's not just an empty boast that you're from the Mount Hua Sect?" Ever since I saw his pathing, I knew. This was unmistakably Plum Blossom Sword Art. Merely witnessing the blossoming aura's spectacle was enough proof. Indeed. Shin Noya must have not only named it but taught the swordsmanship itself. "If that's why it's slightly different, it makes sense." Claiming it was identical to the Central Plains' Plum Blossom Sword Art didn't hold up; there was indeed a distinction. The most noticeable variance was in its roughness. Recalling the usage by Yeong Pung, there was always a peculiar softness and finesse in his style. This time, it was different. While it retained the basic framework, the execution bore no semblance to it. "It's brutal and harsh." If the Plum Blossom Sword Art from the Central Plains is true swordsmanship, then this is... "It seems like it's designed for slaughter." A sword style crafted for slicing and brutally cutting through opponents. It's baffling to sense both floral and bloody fragrances emanating from the sword path. "What on earth did that old man create?" No matter how you look at it, this is no ordinary sword. While I continued dodging, Gubong gritted his teeth and shouted. "Running away like a rat...!" Was that supposed to provoke me? If so, it only elicited a scoff. "When you're trying to kill me, isn't running away the obvious choice?" "Grr!" Gubong tightened his grip, increasing his speed. The scattered plum blossoms in the air surged with energy, mixing with the leaves formed from the mystical tree, crashing towards me like a tidal wave. I clenched my fist and thrust it forward. Thud-! With a short sound, a hole was punched through the wave. That was my heart punch. I prepared another punch, but Gubong dove through the hole towards me. He charged like a beast targeting its prey. In an instant, he was in front of me, his sword aiming for my neck. Whack-! "Ugh!" Right before the sword reached me, my fist struck Gubong's face, driving him into the ground. Crunch--!! A crack formed in the ground from the impact. "Too slow. Way too slow." As impressive as speed might seem, it's a matter of degree. The difference in our prowess was too immense to even consider it a contest. "Ugh...." With his cheekbone shattered, Gubong groaned. I looked down at him disdainfully and spoke. "I doubt you bothered challenging me just to show off this weak display. Is this really all you've got?" Crack. "Grrrr!!" I stomped on his chest. Pressing down with force, his body gradually made contact with the ground. "Hey. Is this really all there is?" "Ugh... grr..." "Unbelievable." I sneered, looking down at him. If this was all he could manage, it was disappointingly lackluster. At this point, even using him to vent my frustration seemed pointless. "It's boring. Maybe I should follow through with my earlier thought and gouge out his eyes?" I briefly considered this due to the irritation his gaze caused. And while I thought of acting on it— "No, that's too much." Instead, I decided to provoke him further. "I thought you were his disciple and took his side so fervently, thinking you might have learned something. But there's nothing." "...!" The moment I uttered those words, his body flinched. Despite the pain, he made no sound, suggesting it struck a nerve. He stopped groaning. As expected, my words had hit home. "If you had been taught by him, you wouldn't be this weak.... Oh, did the old man fail to teach you well? Then again, if he had, his disciple wouldn't amount to just this...." "Don't... speak carelessly—!" Whoosh---!! A gust exploded forth. His shout was imbued with tremendous energy. He grabbed my ankle. His body trembled fiercely. Boom---!!! Gubong flung me away. Before my rapidly flying body could roll on the ground, I erupted into flame, landing safely. Hiss-! The ground sizzled under the flames. Setting my stance, I looked at him. "So, you still had some strength left? Wouldn't it have been better to use it earlier?" I muttered while cracking my neck. Gubong was also getting to his feet again. "How dare you insult... our sect master...?" "Are you angry?" I chuckled, eyeing him. "What can you do about it if you're upset?" "......" His face contorted with rage. It seemed I had hit a sore spot. "Grr." His hair and ears bristled. Seeing that, I tilted my head slightly. "His presence is growing." The aura he emitted, even his murderous intent—it all seemed to be getting stronger. "I won't forgive you." "And what can you do—" "Don't regret it." Crack. "...Hmm?" With a harsh sound, his body began to transform. Gubong's physique swelled. His hair grew longer, and his pupils elongated into slits. His previously neat hair became disheveled. His crouched stance and a tail twice its size were striking. Quite literally, a beast. "...Grr...." The breath escaping his mouth seemed to mix with energy, resembling smoke. Intrigued by his bizarre form, I watched as Gubong addressed me. "...Night has fallen. You should have ended this fight before now." "Night?" I glanced up. It was already night. The same twilight aurora, followed by the brilliant stars, illuminated the sky. Along with the two moons. It was the night I had seen before. "Night...?" I looked at the moon quietly, then back at him. Recalling the bull-like creature I had seen previously, a thought occurred. "The bull-like guy, as well... something happens at night, right? Is that it?" "......" "A person speaks, and you don't answer. Why? Can't you speak in that form? Then at least bark." "Grrrr... You insolent...!" "What do you know? You can speak—" WHAM!!! His claw came into view. I leaned back, dodging the attack. CRASH---!!!! The furor of his swung claw devastated the area behind me. That wasn't all. Swinging in the air, Gubong spun once, slicing at me with the sword he held. Clang---!!! Crumble---!! Blocking the sword with my Kunlun mirror, the ground beneath me caved in. The power was tremendous, and I couldn't help but narrow my eyes. "Twice as strong at the very least compared to before." Both speed and strength were not the same as before. Was it because of that transformation? "Aside from the ears and tail, he seemed somewhat human before. Now he's just an outright beast." Even the aura he exuded felt that way. It was as if both wolf and man were combined into one entity. Could this transformation be what the night brought out? "It's clear something happens at night." I'm not sure if it's just him or if similar occurrences exist elsewhere. I'll need to ask Noya about this. "No, wait." I changed my mind almost instantly. "I don't need to ask Noya." Why bother asking the old man, whose whereabouts are unknown, when— I have someone right in front of me to ask. As I watched the creature snarl at me while I stood embedded in the ground from blocking its attack, I seized the moment. "Regret it? It's too late—" Thunk-! "Urk?" I reached out, grabbed his neck, and slammed him down into the earth. BOOOOOM---!!! "Ugh…! Ugh!" He tried to cough up blood from the impact, but I prevented it by driving my fist into his face. Bang-! Bang bang-!! Each successive punch made the creature thrash around. I held his body in place with my grip on his neck, unrelentingly pounding him with my fist. "You damn bastard." Bang-! Bang-! "What's with this 'night' crap? What's with this 'night', huh?" CRASH--!! "So what if you’ve gotten a bit stronger?" I poured more feeling into every punch. "Damn, weaklings always seem to be deluded." Bang-! Bang bang--!! "You think you getting stronger matters? So what." Bang-! "It's not like I get weaker because of it." CRACK-! "Idiotic bastards, always." I balled my fist tightly. This would be the last. "Always seem to not understand that." With a final punch, the ground splintered out like a spider web. "Ptui." I spat and stood up. Looks like hitting a bit harder left me covered in dust. I brushed it off and straightened my posture. "Acting like a big deal when you’re nothing." I rotated my wrist, gazing down at him. His appearance was a complete mess; even his once-thrashing legs were now eerily still. "...." I nudged his leg slightly. "Hey. Get up." "...." "Come on, get up?" Still no response. "Uh..." I scratched my cheek at the sight. "Did I kill him...?" ...Maybe I went a bit overboard?