Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 691

Morning.

The dawn had passed, and the sun was just beginning to rise into the sky.
A cool breeze blew, signaling the end of summer's heat.

The wind brushed past the heavens and beneath it was a crowd of countless people.

“Those with wooden plaques, please line up over here!”

A loud voice rang out, infused with Qi, making it resonate sharply in my ears.

“Those with green gemstones, please come this way!”
“Blue gemstones, over here!”

Following the announcements, countless individuals moved toward their designated areas.

At a glance, the crowd numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands, but the air around them felt particularly heavy.

‘The amount of Qi in the air is no joke.’

The concentration of Qi mixed in the atmosphere was almost overwhelming.
When was the last time I felt something like this?

‘Was it during the war?’

This kind of density could only be compared to the Great War between the Righteous and Demonic factions.
But to encounter this level of Qi within the Murim Alliance's grounds?

‘It just means that so many strong individuals have gathered here.’

At the very least, the weakest participants were at the end of the second-rate tier.

The martial artists gathered here were intense, to say the least.
From young warriors around my age to elderly ones with graying hair,
every single person here was a martial artist.

There wasn’t a single ordinary person among them.

‘Quite the turnout.’

I couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer number of people.
Even for a Bi-mu-je hosted by the Alliance, I hadn’t expected this scale.

As I glanced around, a thought struck me.

‘Shaolin's active involvement must’ve helped boost attendance.’

Perhaps that was true.
I sighed lightly, running a hand through my hair.

‘So, it’s finally here.’

The day of the Bi-mu-je had arrived.

Specifically, it was the day of the preliminaries,
and I stood at the entrance constructed by the Murim Alliance.

Of course, I was here to participate in the Bi-mu-je.

‘Tch.’

I clicked my tongue in annoyance.
The preliminaries were set to take place over three days, and I had been assigned to the first day.

The entrance wasn’t directly into the main venue;
it seemed like the preliminaries would take place somewhere deep within the mountains.

‘Well, it makes sense.’

With so many participants, hosting the preliminaries inside the Alliance’s grounds would’ve been impossible.
They had likely divided participants by day and arranged for different terrain to accommodate the matches.

As I took a moment to calmly observe my surroundings,

“Gongja-nim.”

A voice called out from behind me.

I turned to see Wi Seol-ah standing there, wearing a veil.

She, like me, had been assigned to the first day of the preliminaries.

Though she wore a veil to conceal her face,
her strikingly curved figure and unique aura still managed to draw attention.

‘…That’s the best we could manage?’

Even with Qi and the veil reinforcing her disguise, she still stood out.
Maybe I should’ve given her one of Namgung Bi-ah’s old artifacts.

The white fox mask, for instance.
I had heard it was a cursed artifact from the North Sea,
capable of lowering one’s presence.

‘It had an effect similar to the one Tang Deok used back then.’

I briefly wondered if I should’ve lent it to her,
but it was a cursed item, so she wouldn’t have been able to wear it for long anyway.

As I pondered this, I looked at Wi Seol-ah.

“What color are you?” she asked.

I glanced at the wooden plaque in my hand.

She was likely referring to the gemstone embedded in the plaque.

“White.”

The gemstone in my plaque was white.
I looked toward the far end of the line, where a man held a white sign.

That was probably where I needed to line up.

“I’m blue,” she said, showing me her plaque.
The blue gemstone embedded in it glimmered.

There were four colors in total.

‘Green, blue, red, and white.’

By coincidence—or perhaps not—they matched the ranks of the Magyeong Gate.

‘If it’s not a coincidence, maybe the colors represent some sort of ranking system.’

I considered the possibility but shook my head to dismiss the thought.
No matter how foolish the Alliance might be, they wouldn’t have kept it that simple.

‘They wouldn’t, right?’

I hoped not. Surely they weren’t that idiotic.

At least Wi Seol-ah and I weren’t in the same group.
Should I consider that a small blessing?

Probably. At least for now, that’s how I saw it.

I turned my gaze toward the four lines of people,
each one stretching far into the distance.

The participants weren’t divided by gender, age, or even skill level.
Some wore determined expressions, while others carried visible tension.

Everyone was different.
And yet, they all seemed to be heading toward the same goal.

I wasn’t sure what that goal was.

No… perhaps,

‘Everyone here, except for me, might be looking at the same thing.’

The thought made me feel out of place, an unwelcome outsider.
I frowned slightly.

I shook my head, brushing off the unnecessary thoughts.

‘Where’s Seong Yul?’

I turned my head, looking for him.
Seong Yul was also participating on the first day.

I had given him his plaque and told him to figure it out on his own. Hopefully, he was managing fine.

‘He’ll handle it.’

Though he seemed a bit clumsy at times, he wasn’t someone I couldn’t trust.

The real issue was,

‘…Bong Soon.’

The problem was that Bong Soon was scheduled for the second day.

I’d have to send her alone without me.
Just thinking about it was already exhausting.

‘I’ve set restrictions on her, but…’

To prevent any incidents, I had placed three restrictions on Bong Soon.

First.
She must keep her mouth shut at all times.

Second.
Even if provoked, she must endure at least twice.

And third.
She must not kill anyone unless they actively attempt to kill her first.

Those were the rules I’d imposed on her.
They should be enough to prevent most problems.

If not…

‘Well, if things still blow up, I’ll have to accept it.’

If it got to that point, there wasn’t much I could do.
She’d have to manage on her own.

As I came to terms with this,

“…Look over there!”

A commotion arose.

“It’s the Blade King!”
“Is that really the Blade King?”

The atmosphere among the martial artists wavered for a moment.
Turning my head, I saw two figures entering through the main gate.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on them.

Thud.

The man’s footsteps reverberated through the ground, sending vibrations with each step.
The eyes of the martial artists widened in astonishment.

“To think his mere footsteps exude such presence!”

“As expected of a patriarch from one of the Four… no, now the Three Great Families.”

A mix of admiration, awe, and a faint sense of respect filled their gazes,
all directed at the towering figure of the man.

It was none other than The Blade King, Peng Zhou (?? ???).

‘The Blade King, huh….’

I couldn’t help but smirk as I observed him.

In Zhongyuan, there are only a handful of people who bear the title of “King” (?).
It’s not just a matter of being one of the Hundred Grandmasters or the even higher-ranked Ten Grandmasters.

A King is someone with absolute influence in their domain.
It isn’t just about their martial prowess—it’s about their reputation, authority, and unparalleled position in that field.

Among all those who wield blades,
the one who holds the most influence is the patriarch of the Peng family, the Blade King, Peng Zhou.

As he appeared, the tension among the martial artists rose sharply.

“Is it true? The Blade King is actually participating?”

“So those rumors were real!”

“What could possibly bring the Blade King here…?”

Half the reactions were of pure astonishment,
the other half were questioning why someone like him would even bother showing up.

And honestly, they weren’t wrong.

‘What could a patriarch of a renowned family possibly gain from this?’

Winning wouldn’t benefit him, and losing would tarnish his reputation.
Actually, even winning might result in more harm than good.

There was no logical reason for the Blade King to participate in this tournament,
yet here he was, stepping into the arena of the Bi-mu-je.

Slowly walking, surrounded by countless eyes, Peng Zhou carried himself with an air of supreme authority.

‘What a spectacle.’

I found it absurd.

Thud—!

Each step he took spread vibrations across the ground.
People were calling it a display of Qi mastery and overwhelming presence, but…

‘That old man doesn’t even realize he’s wasting his Qi.’

It was purely for show.
He was deliberately releasing his Qi to grab attention, as if to say, Look at me, admire me.

Sure, it was working, but…

‘How embarrassing.’

The Qi flow was so exaggerated and unnatural that it was impossible not to notice.

‘How does no one else see this?’

Why was I the only one who could recognize this absurdity?
It was baffling.

‘Am I the only Hwagyeong-level martial artist here?’

The ability to discern the Blade King’s antics would require one to be at least Hwagyeong.
I scanned the crowd, wondering if there were other Hwagyeong martial artists around.

‘There are.’

I spotted a few familiar faces.
Some were prominent martial artists, and others weren’t as well-known, but still capable.

“Can’t you see what he’s doing?” I asked.

“…What?”

Even the person next to me, Wi Seol-ah, looked confused.

‘She doesn’t see it?’

Despite how abnormal the Qi flow was, she didn’t seem to notice.

‘Why can’t she see it?’

I couldn’t understand.
For a moment, I wondered if there was something wrong with my eyes,
but I dismissed the thought.

The commotion continued as Peng Zhou walked by, and I noticed a familiar face beside him.

It was Peng Zhou’s son, the Peng family’s heir, Peng Woojin.

As they walked, Peng Woojin glanced in my direction, our eyes meeting.

Peng Woojin grinned broadly and waved at me.

“….”

I didn’t wave back, only nodding in acknowledgment.
That was the most polite response I could muster.

‘Of course, those two are here on the first day.’

The fact that the Peng father and son were also scheduled for the first day meant…

‘It has nothing to do with the registration order.’

Peng Woojin had registered on the same day as me,
but the Blade King must’ve registered on the last day. There was no correlation.

If anything, it seemed like the order was randomized.

‘Or maybe not.’

Suspicion crept in.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the Murim Alliance might’ve tampered with the arrangements in some way.

‘They said the Bi-mu-je lasts nearly fifteen days.’

What kind of schemes were they planning for such a long event?
The thought alone made my stomach churn.

As my overactive thoughts began to grate on me, a voice interrupted.

“We’ll begin the preliminaries in one sijin! Please line up!”

The announcement signaled that it was time.

Hearing this, I glanced at Wi Seol-ah.

“You.”

“Yes?”

She turned to me, responding with her usual attentiveness.

I hesitated, contemplating what to say.

Should I tell her to take it seriously?
Should I tell her to hold back?

Looking into her eyes through the veil, I scratched the back of my head.

“Just… do your best. Within reason.”

That was the best I could offer.

Wi Seol-ah responded with a bright smile.

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

Clearly, she hadn’t understood my point at all.

“I said, within reason.”

“Yes, I’ll try very hard—within reason!”

“….”

For some reason, she was burning with determination.
First Tang So-yeol, and now her—why were they all like this?

‘…Let’s hope nothing happens.’

I really hoped so. Truly.

“Alright. I’ll see you later.”

After saying goodbye, I started walking toward my designated line when,

“Ah, Gongja-nim.”

“Hm?”

Wi Seol-ah called out to me again, stopping me in my tracks.

When I turned to look,

Woosh—!

“Huh?”

Wi Seol-ah suddenly spread her arms and hugged me tightly.

She rested her forehead against my chest for a moment, standing there silently.

What the…?

Flustered, I subtly spread a thin barrier of Qi to minimize attention.
It was to reduce our presence.

“What are you doing…?”

“Giving you encouragement.”

Wi Seol-ah raised her head slightly, her eyes meeting mine.

“I’ll do my best. And you too… stay strong. You must.”

“…Oh… uh.”

I was about to respond when,

“I’ll be going now.”

She let go, turned around, and walked away.

I watched her retreating figure, her golden hair shining in the sunlight, and let out an awkward laugh.

I couldn’t bring myself to say “I will.”
Why?

I wasn’t sure.
It was just… one of those moments.