984 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 984: The Childhood Friend of the World’s Greatest The wind blew gently, causing his body to shiver slightly. As he felt the sensations returning, he slowly opened his eyes. “...Hic.” He staggered as he tried to stand up, his mind still in a haze. Though he tried hard to shake it off, it was peculiarly difficult. He circulated his energy. Wooong-! Luckily, as the energy coursed through him, clarity returned, and his senses sharpened as he fully opened his eyes. “Cough. Spit.” He coughed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. How did he end up like this? As he attempted to piece together his memory, the events leading up to now flickered through his mind. “Ah-!” He remembered being with Yeolang just moments ago. Upon opening his eyes, he recalled being carried by Yeolang to some unknown destination. It had led him to another unfamiliar place. And then... 'The fruit.' He had recklessly swallowed some kind of fruit, a fact that had startled him. Yet, an even bigger issue arose. 'Then I fainted again.' The fruit seemed to be the cause. An unknown energy engulfed his body, and he lost consciousness once again. That brings us to the present moment where he finally regained his senses. He looked around, turning his head this way and that. 'What?' The situation confused him. The place Yeolang had taken him before was unfamiliar. 'But this place...' This area was unexpectedly familiar. 'Isn't this where I passed out?' Indeed, it was where he had collapsed after escaping from an overwhelming night. His enhanced memory recalled such details clearly. 'Why am I here?' The destination Yeolang had taken him to was definitely not here. So why had he been left in this location? '...Was it a dream?' Could it be that all those experiences he had were just a dream? No, it was unlikely. He quickly dismissed that notion. How could a dream be so vivid? Then... 'Did she bring me back here?' The notion that Yeolang might have carried him back here passed through his mind. If it wasn't a dream, that was the only logical explanation left. 'What is this?' Assuming that was the case, what was her intention? After feeding him some bizarre fruit, why leave him here? '...I can't tell.' Yeolang’s intentions remained a mystery no matter how much he pondered. “Phew…” Exhaling deeply, he steadied himself. He wanted to understand his current state since he consumed something unknown. “Hmm?” As he scrutinized his body, he found himself shocked. “What... is this?” Perplexed, he moved his body to check again. It was the same. “...What?” Everything seemed... “...My body is fine?” Not only had his severe internal injuries fully healed, but even minor wounds seemed to have vanished. His energy, too... 'It's not fully restored, but half of it is back?' The energy he barely had was now more than halfway restored. What on earth? 'What on earth...' How could his state become so impeccable? It was perplexing. Could it be... 'Is it because of that fruit?' Did consuming that enigmatic fruit result in this outcome? He couldn't think of any other reason. “Well now…” While it wasn't bad news considering the time he would have needed to recover his body, it was indeed a very fortunate event. 'Why did this happen?' Why was such a beneficial event triggered, and what was Yeolang's purpose in causing this? 'Why indeed.' Could Yeolang have known the effects the fruit would have? If she knew and still fed it to him... '...Could she be...' Could she be aware of his past too? He could feel a flood of thoughts and words welling up to the tip of his tongue. “Click…” But he restrained himself, merely clicking his tongue as he cut off his train of thought. 'Not yet.' He needed to stay grounded. He had to set aside thoughts of Yeolang for now. Though his energy had been restored from consuming the fruit... 'There might be some issues.' There might still be unforeseen issues with his body, so he needed to check that first. 'Did Noya return to the Hwasan sect?' Did Shin Noya, who said they would head back first, actually make it there? The thought crossed his mind as he began to move. Since he needed to return to the Hwasan sect, he gathered his energy and leapt. Hwaaaah---!!! “...!!!” Suspended in mid-air, he gasped. “This is crazy…?” He had leaped far higher than anticipated, twice as high as usual. The power of his jump, and the speed at which he ascended, were different from what he was used to. It was natural for his strength to intensify as all of the surrounding air of Man Gye was imbued with energy, but... 'It was never this strong before?' It had never been this intense, but now something significant had changed. Caught off guard by the overwhelming power, he lost control and began plummeting back down. Fwoooommm---!!! Dust scattered as he rolled on the ground. “...Spit.” Spitting out the dirt in his mouth, he clutched his fists repeatedly. “Ha…” What was going on? His body was coursing with energy. It felt nearly twice as strong as usual when compared. 'What in the world happened?' It didn't seem like he had advanced in cultivation. There wasn't any noticeable expansion in his energy capacity either. It was simply that his raw strength had increased. 'Is that even possible?' Could it really be possible to grow this strong without increasing one's level? Doubts arose. They were overwhelming in size. Pondering alone proved fruitless. '...I need to find someone who knows the answers.' He needed to find someone with answers regarding this phenomenon, and he already knew who that person was. * * * Hwaaaah---!!! Swoosh---!!! He tore through the wind, landing on the ground. Flames flickered as they faded into the air, revealing his figure rising from the ground. “Ow...” His legs were completely numb. Controlling his body, given the increased speed, had become a daunting task. As a result, he couldn't even break his fall properly, taking the impact with his body. “My bones are all rattled...” The impact was harsh, leaving his legs in considerable pain. With a heavy sigh, he continued walking forward. As he walked, he took out a small bottle and sprinkled its contents on his body. It was the shell of a turtle. After dusting the powder on his body a few times and moving around, Wooong-! He felt something penetrate through him as the surroundings shifted. He had entered inside and arrived at the Hwasan Sect area. It was a familiar sensation now. Returning to the Hwasan Sect, the air felt noticeably different. Unlike the outside air dense with his enhanced energy, this place resembled the air of Zhongyuan. Gone was the crimson aurora that usually spread across the sky; only a normal night sky within the realm of his understanding remained. He moved forward, quietly observing the risen moon. 'I should go to Noya first...' He decided he should head to where Shin Noya would be. Committing to this decision, he was about to leap again when suddenly— Sss. “...!” An acute sensation in front of him prompted him to move. Swoosh-!! Crackkk---!!! Something brushed past him with terrifying momentum, followed by a savage gust of wind that felled several trees. 'What’s going on?' Was this an ambush? Cold sweat trickled down. Had he been even slightly later, it would have been dangerous. Who launched such a sudden attack? About to gather his energy and assume a stance, he heard— “Huh? What's this?” A familiar voice, and then someone appeared in front of him. It was Shin Noya. “...Why are you here?” “Noya?” Shin Noya stood in front of him, holding a sword. Noticing the swirling energy on Noya's sword, he furrowed his brows. “Is it you, Noya, who just slashed at me with sword energy?” Well, no wonder it felt so incredibly lethal. Was that Noya's sword? “Noya, have you lost your mind? I could have died if I had been just a bit slower.” The joke seemed too extreme. If nothing else, the situation just now was genuinely life-threatening. If he had been slightly slower, he would have lost a limb. To launch such an attack out of the blue... He glared at Noya, feeling incredulous. “No...” Noya, in turn, looked aggrieved as he spoke. “I rushed over because it seemed like something strange had intruded... Why on earth are you here?” “...Strange intruder?” Noya was really exaggerating. It's not like they hadn't seen each other plenty of times. Why was he saying something so absurd? He continued to stare, and soon Noya, too, narrowed his brows and added: “Hey, kid. What happened to your body now?” “What do you mean?” “Don’t you realize? You’re exuding a ridiculous presence right now.” “...” At Noya's words, he tilted his head in confusion. He was exuding presence? That couldn't be right. ‘Haven’t I been keeping it well concealed?’ Although his capacity had grown and he had ascended levels. Especially after undergoing tribulation or unleashing his powers, his presence had grown so strong that managing it became a habit. Given he was now at Mount Hwasan, he took extra care. He always ensured he was regulating it diligently. “No, just what did you do to end up looking like this in half a day...?” Noya seemed to imply that he was leaving his presence unrestrained. Was that why an ambush was warranted? ‘Recovering my body, enhancing my aura and strength, and now my presence is out of control too…?’ What had changed so drastically? He quickly circulated his energy. Just like controlling power, he used his usual practices to suppress his presence. He could feel the energy gradually clumping within his body. ‘From this, it seems that it’s true.’ Normally, reaching this level meant he had suppressed it to the maximum, but now, it was diminishing further without issue. As he focused on thoroughly reigning everything in. “Apart from the presence, what’s with that appearance?” Noya spoke to him again. “Appearance?” What now? Wondering what else could be problematic, he looked at Noya. Noya held up a sword so he could see his reflection. His face was reflected in the polished blade. “...Huh?” Seeing himself, his eyes widened. “What is this?” His face was noticeably different. In his blue eyes, the vertical pupils remained, yet something appeared distinctly changed. His fangs, visible inside his mouth, stood out quite prominently. Even more surprising. His nails seemed to have been sharpened, protruding like claws. His appearance resembled that of a beast. Rather, to be precise— “...Wolya clan?” He resembled the beastly humans he encountered there. He had transformed to look exactly like those known as the Wolya clan.