809 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Translated and Implemented Instructions The fierce battle concluded somewhat abruptly, witnessed by the entire sword squad. An unforeseen ending for everyone involved. Wi Seol-ah (위설아) and Namgung Bi-ah (남궁비아) had fallen. In the midst of it all stood the unexpectedly cheerful Tang So-yeol (당소열). Watching her bright smile left me at a loss for words. ‘What?’ A rush of emotions swept through me. How should I perceive this? Tang So-yeol had appeared out of nowhere, rendering both of them unconscious. The key point here was her sudden appearance. ‘I didn't even notice.’ Despite the intensity of the fight, I hadn't realized Tang So-yeol's involvement until it was too late. With everything around being bets, my awareness was dulled. Even if I had blocked my Qi senses, it was a rather astonishing truth. This proved Tang So-yeol's ability to conceal her presence to an extreme degree, and that she had been continuously planning the course of the fight. ‘Tang So-yeol penetrated my Qi sensing and entered between the two….’ To be exact, she had subtly concealed her presence from the two, who were absorbed in their duel. She did it so intricately that even I was deceived. Once she had completed it, she waited for the optimal moment to intervene…. ‘And finally succeeded.’ As soon as the desired situation emerged, she intervened and concluded the duel. “Huh.” I involuntarily let out a sigh of admiration. ‘Impressive.’ Had she planned this from the start? Or was it a preparation made during the progression of the fight? It doesn’t really matter. Tang So-yeol eventually utilized her strengths and executed her plan. The outcome was a success. ‘I doubt anyone around here noticed.’ If even I didn't realize it, no one else here would have. And Tang So-yeol accomplished it. “Ha-ha….” Thinking about this, I let out a small laugh. The ensuing silence focused attention on me, and realizing this, I chuckled awkwardly as I spoke. “…It seems we've roughly decided on the vice-captain for this side. Any objections?” “…” “…” “If there are any, speak up.” I repeated, but no response came back. It was expected. None of them were amateurs unaccustomed to such matters. ‘The surprise attack was no coincidence.’ A thoroughly calculated conclusion. Anyone with proper understanding and discernment of skill would know the significance of the current conclusion. ‘The impression has been made.’ Who here could accomplish such a task? Diving into the whirlwind of sword Qi and suppressing and stopping everything. It wouldn’t have been difficult for me. However, is there anyone else here who could do it? To my knowledge, no one. Yet, Tang So-yeol succeeded, proving her worth abundantly. Of course, dissatisfaction might arise. What Tang So-yeol showed was momentary, while Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah demonstrated something of a different caliber through their sparring. If there’s anyone displeased by this, I respect that. If so, then... ‘Tang So-yeol will handle it.’ Just hold another sparring session, like before. That should make it clear. Tang So-yeol doesn’t lack the skill to warrant dissatisfaction. “It appears there are no objections. Tang So-yeol will take one of the two positions.” I said, shifting my gaze to the people from the Alliance side, who were staring wide-eyed at us. “Have you decided on your side?” “…!” “By the looks on your faces, it seems you haven’t.” As expected, they hadn’t decided on their vice-captain. Watching them, I chuckled slightly as I spoke. “It seems there are complications, so I’ll extend the deadline to tomorrow. However, if you don’t decide by then, I’ll choose someone at my discretion, so keep that in mind.” Will they manage to decide by tomorrow? I pondered as I spoke. There’s a high chance they won’t. It would be fortunate if they do, but I doubt it. Oh, but I don’t care much either way. In the first place, that side wasn’t the priority. “One side has been decided…, but the situation on the other side is complicated.” Whoosh. I raised my hand and levitated Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bi-ah into the air. And then. “Uh?” I immediately tossed them towards Tang So-yeol. Tang So-yeol hurriedly caught the bodies as they came flying at her. “Ugh?!” Since her frame was quite small, taking on the weight of two entirely blocked her line of sight. “…Have the vice-captain take the fallen ones to the medical unit.” “Wa, wait a moment….” “Dismissed.” I gave Tang So-yeol her first task and turned my back. Thus, the first assembly of the day concluded. ***************** I returned to my quarters afterward. There was supposed to be a space for the Grand Leader within the Alliance, but since I hadn’t moved all my belongings yet, I had to remain at my quarters for now. Boom! A loud noise echoed. It was the sound of a massive boulder dropping onto the ground in the training space of the quarters. “Huff.” A young man, who had been training by lifting the boulder until moments ago, wiped his sweat as he spoke. “So, you just came back like that?” His gaze was full of disbelief. I met his gaze with awkwardness and replied. “I did my best.” “Shouldn't you have brought them over or something?” “There were too many eyes watching. I couldn’t exactly take special care of someone.” From my perspective, I remained quite indignant. After Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah collapsed, I left them to Tang So-yeol and returned promptly, which elicited Paejon's reaction. He was suggesting it would have been better to leave them to the Divine Doctor. ‘Does he think I wouldn’t have wanted to bring them?’ More than anyone, I wanted that. But…. “Since I’ve already recruited them as members, I can’t act overtly now.” Unless it’s a personal matter, it's not possible. There was no helping it. The children should realize this as well. “Hm….” Paejon tilted his head for a moment at my response before speaking to me. “You’re needlessly rigid about such things.” “…” “Well. You’ll handle it yourself, I suppose.” That was the end of Paejon’s response, as he began wiping his body with the towel beside him. Having trained hard throughout the day, he looked unusually fatigued. ‘Or it could be due to internal injuries.’ The aftermath of the martial arts event lingered on him. ‘I told him to take it easy.’ Seeing his wrecked state from all the needless exertion, that’s what happens. Translated and Implemented Instructions ‘Does he think just because his body became younger, he really grew younger in mind? Indeed, seems like he has aged backward.’ Interrupted mid-thought, I twisted my body. A boulder swept past the floor beside me. Boom-!! I looked at Paejon innocuously, ignoring the boulder that shattered the ground. “Too bad. If my body were in perfect condition, I might have hit you.” “Are you crazy…?” “Judging by your expression, you seem to be cursing me internally.” “…” His perception was annoyingly precise. “That wasn’t the case.” “Look me in the eye when you say that. Tsk, tsk…” Since I missed the timing, I decided not to meet his gaze. “Judging by the strength with which you threw it, your body seems completely healed.” “Hmph.” “Then why didn't you just help me as you promised?” I retorted gruffly, causing Paejon to chuckle. “Are you still sulking over that?” “I’m not sulking, just making a point.” “Sure, sure.” Paejon, having finished wiping himself, hung the towel beside him. Watching him, I clicked my tongue silently. The words ‘why didn’t you help’ had a specific meaning. I had once asked Paejon to join as a member when establishing the Star Dragon Squad (Seongryong-dae / 성룡대). I thought it would be convenient for his training, and for him to hide his identity, if he joined. ‘He rejected it.’ Paejon declined the offer. Said he had things to do, so it was impossible. Because of that, I had to organize the five with other people. I wasn't too troubled by it. I had asked half-jokingly, so it didn't matter, but… ‘What exactly does he have to do?’ Paejon’s insistence on having something to do made me a bit concerned. ‘…Every time he claims to have work, big things seem to happen.’ I felt uneasy. Perhaps it was my imagination, but the elderly around me were always peculiar. Whenever they had things to do, it inevitably led to major incidents. “You’re making that strange face again.” “…What?” “Hm…” Paejon glared at me suspiciously. I played dumb as best as I could in response to his gaze. “Forget it. It’s nothing unusual for my disciple to act strangely day in and day out….” “…And you think you’re so normal… It’s just a joke.” Thunk. Paejon dropped an even larger boulder than before at my words. I never realized he was so violent. “I don’t know why you seem to be getting more irritable rather than growing wiser with age.” “It’s a misunderstanding.” “I don’t think so….” “…That aside, could you tell me the reason you summoned me?” I asked straightforwardly, ignoring his suspicious look. I was here because Paejon had called for me. Enough of the idle talk. We needed to get to the main point now. “Ah, it’s nothing much.” Paejon replied to my query. “I heard you've had some recent opportunities. Is that correct?” “Yes.” I answered without hesitation. There was nothing to hide or pretend otherwise. The changes due to the Hundred-Class Demon (Baekgeup Mamu / 백급 마물); there’s no way Paejon wouldn't know. “I wonder what you keep consuming all the time. If you find something good, shouldn’t you be sharing with your master?” “…I thought I gave you some?” Not only the Elixirs (Dokchundan) but I also occasionally provided other medicinal herbs. Even though he consumed them all, the changes were slow. Whenever I saw this, I thought to myself. ‘I must never try reversing my age.’ I'd rather just bite my tongue and die than end up like this. “So, does your opportunity have anything to do with why you called me?” “Yes. There’s always been a correlation.” “And that means…?” “Are you accustomed to ‘Azure Sky’ (Changcheon / 창천)?” “…” “It’s not yet the time to be fully accustomed, but….” Paejon lightly dusted off his palms and continued speaking. From his words, I immediately grasped the reason he had summoned me. “That’s because it seems like you’re ready to move to the next step.” He was going to teach me the next phase of Tua Pacheonmu (투아파천무) I needed to master: ‘Heaven-Shattering’ (파천). ****************** Time flew rapidly, and the next day arrived. “…Phew.” I sighed with a hint of desolation. My expression wasn't great. How could it be, with a face steeped in fatigue? Honestly, even moving was a struggle. ‘It’s incredibly exhausting.’ My drained body overreacted to even the slightest movements. Not only did my muscles tremble, but my heart still tingled, highlighting how much Qi I had expended. ‘Damn old man.’ Gritting my teeth. Thinking of yesterday’s training, I grimaced. Having not long learned ‘Azure Sky,’ I was introduced to its next phase, ‘Heaven-Shattering,’ by Paejon. The enormous martial arts he had displayed during the match with the Blade King must have been ‘Heaven-Shattering.’ ‘Compressing and compressing the Qi of Tua Pacheonmu… to finally detonate it.’ It was such an astonishing martial art. If I could learn it, it seemed it would be significantly beneficial, and as Paejon said, it was restructured based on the Flame Jade (Yeomok / 염옥) of Guga, so learning it shouldn’t have been that tough… ‘What nonsense.’ It was truly an unrealistic notion. Easy? What a joke. ‘How much Qi did I expend overnight?’ I depleted it until it was completely empty and then refilled, repeating the process. To gain a sense of it, I continued practicing diligently, over and over. ‘But I couldn’t get a feel for it.’ In the end, I failed. The difficulty was far higher than anticipated. ‘…How am I supposed to use it?’ It felt completely different from the Tua Pacheonmu I had learned until now. While it inherently involved pain, the difficulty was trivial—until now. ‘This is different.’ ‘Heaven-Shattering’ is different. If the First and Second Forms were mere martial arts utilizing Qi and movements to explode. ‘For Heaven-Shattering, you must use everything.’ This phase required utilizing everything I had learned thus far. I had to regulate Qi while enduring pain. I needed to control my movements perfectly. Along the way, I shouldn’t lose focus, activating the Mind’s Eye (Siman / 심안) to strategically maximize everything with Azure Sky. I truly felt like I was going insane. So much so, Paejon, despite my failure, seemed unsurprised. He must have known that grasping the concept on the first day was unreasonable. ‘Sigh….’ Realizing the difficulties made me involuntarily bite my lips. There were so many things to do which contributed to the difficulty. Translated and Implemented Instructions ‘It’s not just Tua Pacheonmu; I also need to keep working on arcane sorcery (jusul / 주술).’ While learning ‘Heaven-Shattering’ is great, I have countless other things to focus on as well. Particularly the arcane sorcery. ‘...This won’t be simply straightforward either.’ Though I’ve been occasionally learning from the Divine Doctor, I’m not sure if I can successfully integrate it with martial arts. I’ve barely managed to scratch the surface so far.... ‘However.’ If I can succeed as I hope, ‘It will be incredibly powerful.’ I predict that something extraordinary will emerge. If I succeed, that is. “Phew.” I let out a deep sigh. While it’s good that I keep finding ways to become stronger, ‘I wonder if I’ve spread myself too thin.’ I can’t help but wonder if I’ve taken on too much, trying to hurriedly gather results in a somewhat impatient manner. My body's wearing out from trying to manage everything and handling all these tasks. ‘But what choice do I have?’ I knew it. This was the only method available. So, I’ve got to be tenacious. ‘If it doesn’t work, make it work.’ I recalled the words that Paejon habitually tossed around. For all the simplicity, nothing fits better than that saying. Whatever happens, just overcome it. Even if you can’t, find a way to make it work. Just as I was trying to consolidate my resolve, “What?” I frowned at the voice I heard instantly upon entering the room. “Where?” In response to my question, the elderly Mok Yeon (묵연) spoke. “Gyecheonmun (계천문).” “…Gyecheonmun?” “We’ve confirmed information linking Gyecheonmun in Sichuan to the Demonic Cult (Mogyo / 마교).” It was an unexpected name I hadn’t heard in quite some time.