Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 725

The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw the match schedule was this:

‘Why did they set it up like that?’

Why on earth would they organize the matchups this way?
It was blatantly obvious that the Murim Alliance had tampered with the match schedule.

I had suspected this ever since they reshuffled the matches due to the addition of new participants.

They were definitely up to something.
It was probably just an excuse to justify their actions—I knew that much all too well.

‘But why?’

This matchup wasn’t something I had anticipated.

Tap. Tap.

I drummed my fingers against my waist as I pondered.
What was the reason behind this?

‘Wasn’t the plan to match up the Divine Dragon against the Blade King?’

I had already figured out their scheme.

The purpose of this martial arts competition was to pit the Divine Dragon against the Blade King. Whether it happened in the semifinals or the finals, that was how it was supposed to play out.

This was something I had known ever since the Blade King decided to participate.
And in that setup, the Divine Dragon would put on a good performance before losing, allowing the Blade King to claim victory in the end.

That was how I had expected things to unfold.

‘The Blade King losing makes no sense.’

It wasn’t because of differences in skill or cultivation level.

‘The Alliance would never allow the Peng Clan to lose.’

The Peng Clan was one of the prestigious families supporting the Murim Alliance.
If the head of that clan were to participate in this competition and suffer a defeat, the damage to the Alliance would be immeasurable.

‘The Blade King must’ve entered this tournament with an agreement in place.’

The Blade King wasn’t an idiot.

Well, maybe he was, but even a fool wouldn’t enter a martial arts tournament like this without some kind of deal.

What reason would the Blade King have to enter a match where he had nothing to gain and everything to lose?

‘Obviously, something must have been promised to him.’

It could have been favorable terms.
Or perhaps he had been coerced into participating.

Regardless, the important thing was that the Blade King had entered.

‘And the plan was to use that to boost the Divine Dragon’s reputation.’

The Divine Dragon would perform well but ultimately lose to the Blade King.

The goal was to demonstrate the Divine Dragon’s prowess as a martial artist at the Hwagyeong level while also showing that he could put up a fight against the Blade King.

That was the scenario I had envisioned.

‘But then something unexpected happened.’

An anomaly.

‘The Blade King crumbled.’

In his previous match against Twin Dragon, the Blade King’s reputation had been utterly destroyed.

It was the most humiliating victory in the past decade.
He had been treated like a plaything by Twin Dragon, a mere Post-Golden Core cultivator, and the way he screamed in frustration as Twin Dragon forfeited the match…

The Blade King’s already fragile standing in Zhongyuan had been shattered that day.

‘The Peng Clan must be in turmoil right now.’

Merchants who witnessed the match would have already started withdrawing their support.
And other merchants, observing the shift, would follow suit.

Given the circumstances, it was impossible to predict how the Murim Alliance would respond now that their plans had fallen apart.

Would they still go ahead and pit the Blade King against the Divine Dragon as originally intended?
Or would they come up with a different strategy?

I couldn’t say for sure.

‘But I never expected them to do this.’

Forcing me into a match this early, during the fourth round of the main tournament?
It made no sense.

‘What’s their reason?’

Why match me against the Divine Dragon now?
This wasn’t one of the variables I had accounted for.

Wasn’t it obvious?

‘The Alliance has to push the Divine Dragon as high as possible.’

Even if the Blade King’s reputation had taken a hit, the plan still had to go on.
They needed to set the Divine Dragon up with matches that made him look strong—but not so strong that the fights ended too quickly.

Aside from Tang So-yeol and a few others who had already shown their strength,

‘There were maybe four or five plausible opponents.’

Only a handful of people could be picked to provide a suitable challenge.
And I wasn’t one of them.

Maybe…

‘Did they think I looked weak? Is that why they chose me?’

It was possible.

‘No, that can’t be it. As incompetent as the Murim Alliance may be—’

I had already shown them several hints.

I had caught the attention of the Sword Saint and the Sword Sage.
I had also displayed my strength in the earlier matches.

Even if I hadn’t revealed my full power, no one would mistake me for someone weak.

‘If anything, they’d be more curious.’

How strong is this guy, really?

‘Especially after Paejon stirred up trouble, they’d be even more wary.’

Right when Twin Dragon, who had been underestimated, caused a massive upset,

Expectations and vigilance toward Post-Golden Core cultivators had skyrocketed.

Given that situation, matching me against the Divine Dragon felt like a gamble.
A gamble with unpredictable consequences.

‘Why take a risk when safer options were available?’

It didn’t make sense from the Alliance’s perspective.
And that’s what baffled me even more.

‘What’s their real motive?’

I racked my brain, trying to figure it out.
An unknown variable.
I needed to uncover their reason to prepare myself.

Just as I was thinking furiously—

“Master Gu.”

“…!”

Hearing someone call my name snapped me out of my thoughts.
I turned my head and saw a familiar face.

Dressed in white robes embroidered with plum blossoms—the symbol of the Mount Hua Sect—and possessing sharp, handsome features.

“…Yung Pung Master.”

The greatest talent of Mount Hua—the Sword Dragon, Yung Pung.

“Haha. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

He approached me with his usual cheerful demeanor.
Damn it… He got even better-looking as he aged.

Not only that, but he seemed taller too.
Meanwhile, I had to do all sorts of things just to grow a bit taller…

“…I’m the same as always.”

“I see. Oh, I did pass along greetings to Miss Wi earlier. I wonder if you’ve heard?”

“I have.”

Now that I thought about it, Wi Seol-ah had mentioned talking to Yung Pung about me last time.

“I originally wanted to visit you as soon as I arrived in Hanan, but I got caught up in some things and ended up greeting you late.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like I went out of my way to greet you either.”

I already knew the Mount Hua Sect was in Hanan and that Yung Pung was participating in the tournament.

And I hadn’t sought him out either, so there was no need for apologies.

As we continued exchanging a few more words,

I noticed Yung Pung hesitating.

“…And about that… what happened last time…”

“It’s fine.”

I immediately cut him off before he could finish his trembling words.

It seemed like he was about to apologize again for what had happened at Wudang.

“You don’t need to apologize. I’ve already forgotten about it.”

Yung Pung had lost his temper at me back then after I was struck by the Eternal Bind.
It seemed he still felt guilty about his inability to control his emotions and the strange behavior he’d shown.

‘It was strange, to be fair.’

Given Yung Pung’s personality, it was uncharacteristic of him.
But I hadn’t taken it too seriously.

When I said I wouldn’t accept his apology, Yung Pung pursed his lips for a moment before softly saying:

“…Thank you.”

A light expression of gratitude instead of an apology.
It wasn’t necessary either, but it was better than an apology, so I decided to let it slide.

“Oh, Master.”

“Yes, Master Gu?”

“By any chance… have you heard any strange noises at night? Or maybe felt the presence of an ill-tempered old man’s voice or anything like that?”

“…What?”

He gave me a look that said, ‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

“You asked me something similar last time… Haha. But no, not at all.”

“I see.”

“Though I don’t know the reason for your concern, rest assured. I’m a Taoist myself, so if something like that were to happen, I could exorcise it right away.”

Uh… you’re not supposed to exorcise it, though?

Yung Pung responded playfully, but hearing that made me panic a little inside.

‘What are you planning to do if you exorcise your own ancestor?’

That would be catastrophic.
Even if they weren’t directly related by blood, wouldn’t that still be a kind of familial betrayal?

‘Anyway, the important thing is he hasn’t heard any voices.’

Despite being the successor to the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor, it seemed Yung Pung didn’t hear voices the way I did.
Maybe it was because I was reminded of Noya after all this time, but I recalled what I had heard back in the North Sea.

‘Didn’t they say I was Noya’s reincarnation?’

I was certain they said my body was.
Namgung Myung had made that claim through Woo Hyuk’s body.

‘…’

Thinking about it again made me feel disgusted.

‘That ill-tempered old man is supposed to be my past life?’

It was an unpleasant thought. Extremely unpleasant.

“Master Gu? What’s wrong? Your expression…”

“It’s nothing. I just suddenly remembered something annoying.”

“Ah… I see.”

I felt nauseous just thinking about it and quickly shook my head.

“Anyway, enough of that… How’s she doing?”

I changed the topic to move on.

“She…? Who are you referring to?”

“My younger sister.”

“Ah, you mean Sa-go-nim.”

My younger sister, who was staying with the Mount Hua Sect.
When I asked about Gu Ryeonghwa, Yung Pung gave an awkward smile.

She must have come here with him.

“She’s probably at her quarters right now. Though… she seemed a bit upset.”

“Upset?”

“Well… I think it might be because you haven’t visited her.”

“Hah.”

I let out a scoff.

“That’s ridiculous. She hasn’t visited me either.”

I had been in Hanan for several days already, and Gu Ryeonghwa hadn’t come to see me either.
Sure, I’d been busy, but what right did she have to be upset?

“…I mentioned that to her as well, but she said, ‘How am I supposed to go there…’”

“…Huh?”

What does she mean, how?
She could just walk over…

‘Ah.’

I suddenly realized the reason.

‘It’s because of Lady Mi.’

Lady Mi.
Gu Ryeonghwa was probably avoiding the area because Lady Mi’s residence was nearby.

‘Of course.’

Lady Mi and Gu Ryeonghwa didn’t get along.
I had completely forgotten about that for a moment.

‘Damn it…’

Tsk.

I suppose I’ll have to visit her at least once.
I clicked my tongue, and Yung Pung let out a soft chuckle.

“Did I make you uncomfortable by bringing it up?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just annoyed at myself, not at you.”

I had forgotten something I should have remembered.

Realizing that left me in a sour mood.
Suppressing the urge to sigh, I told Yung Pung:

“…Let her know I’ll visit within three days.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her.”

“Thanks.”

I scratched my cheek awkwardly after thanking him.

I wasn’t trying to suddenly act like a proper older brother or anything…

‘But I should at least make some effort.’

I couldn’t just ignore her completely.

As I licked my lips, feeling a tinge of bitterness,

“Well then. I enjoyed our conversation—it was something I had been looking forward to.”

Yung Pung suddenly began to wrap things up.

“Are you leaving already?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, I think this is a good place to end it.”

It seemed he had finished what he came to say, as he gave a respectful bow.
Then, with a serious voice, he said:

“I hope we can continue our conversation… in the arena.”

I couldn’t help but smirk at that.

‘Was that a declaration of war?’

He was essentially saying he would keep winning until we faced each other.

I didn’t hold back either.

“Sure. I’ll look forward to it.”

Let’s see if you can actually make it that far.
I wasn’t about to stop him from trying.

I had already made my stance clear back in Shaanxi.
I would remain an insurmountable wall for Yung Pung, forcing him to climb higher to reach me.

That intention hadn’t changed.
Come and try to surpass me. That was still how I felt about him.

‘Not bad, actually.’

As Yung Pung turned to leave, I watched his back with a peculiar gaze.

‘He’s gotten stronger.’

He was far stronger than when I had seen him a few months ago.
I wasn’t entirely sure if he had reached Hwagyeong yet.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t see it—it just felt ambiguous.

‘Hmm.’

I turned my gaze away from him and looked to the side.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

At my call, someone raised her head.
It was Bong Soon, who had been dozing off, leaning against a pole.

Seeing drool dripping from the corner of her mouth immediately killed any lingering fondness I had for her.
She looked pretty, sure—but with a sight like this? What a waste.

“What do you think?”

“About whaaat…?”

“Speak properly. I don’t want to hear that lazy drawl.”

“What?”

“Him. What do you think about him?”

I jerked my chin toward Yung Pung, who was walking away.
Bong Soon’s eyes lit up with interest as she looked in his direction.

And then—

“Oh.”

She let out a short exclamation.

“He’s super strong!”

“Well, that’s obvious, dumbass.”

“Then what?”

“Do you think you can beat him? He’s your opponent.”

“Hmm.”

In this tournament, Bong Soon was set to face the Sword Dragon, Yung Pung.
Hearing that he was her opponent, she finally looked at him with a sharper, more serious gaze.

She watched him silently, almost eerily still.
After observing him for a long while, Bong Soon turned back to me with a somewhat blank expression and asked:

“Can I kill him?”

“No.”

I answered immediately.

Hearing my response, Bong Soon simply nodded and said:

“Then I don’t know. It’s iffy.”

Bong Soon was surprisingly self-aware, despite her usual demeanor.
If even she said it was unclear, then it probably was.

So I decided to ask her a different question.

“What if you could kill him?”

What would happen if killing him were an option?

At that question—

“Then.”

A flicker of emotion stirred in Bong Soon’s previously blank face.

And then, she smiled.

It was a chilling smile.

“I’d win.”

It was an utterly spine-chilling expression.

   ******************
   

Not long after, the fourth round of the main tournament began.

This session started much earlier than usual.
The reason? Participants from the third round had been merged into this one.

Even with the early start, the matches were scheduled to end later than usual.

I thought splitting the matches across multiple days might have been better, but seeing how the Murim Alliance insisted on pushing forward, there must have been some scheduling issues.

‘Well, it doesn’t really matter to me.’

The extended schedule wasn’t a problem.

If they had spread it out over more days, it would have caused issues on my end instead. So this setup was fine.

Boom—!!

A loud noise rang out.
Looking toward the arena, I saw a giant man collapse to the ground.

What was his style again—something like Raging Stone Fist?
He was a relatively well-known martial artist, someone said to have reached the Peak level.

And yet, he had been defeated by his opponent, the Swift Sixfold Sword.

“The winner is Gyo Cheol-in of Mu-an Escort Sect.”

Waaaahhh—!!

Cheers erupted as the referee declared the result.
I had heard the same kind of cheers for days now, but they still echoed loudly.

I tilted my head slightly.

‘Not bad.’

Swift Sixfold Sword—Gyo Cheol-in.

He was from Mu-an Escort Sect, a name I hadn’t heard before.
Apparently, it was a sect specializing in solo combat techniques. It was my first time seeing his martial arts style.

‘He’s just shy of reaching Hwagyeong.’

He was almost ready to break through that wall.
It wouldn’t be long before he ascended to Hwagyeong, and judging by his presence, he was definitely a contender for the Hundred Masters.

He gave off a solid impression.

I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
Merchants and business groups in the audience were already starting to move.

‘Quick as ever.’

They were scrambling to gather information on Mu-an Escort Sect and Gyo Cheol-in.
The faster ones were probably already trying to negotiate with him directly.

The emergence of skilled martial artists always set merchants into motion.
It was like that in the past, but the appearance of Crimson-Rank beasts had made it even more intense.

‘I need to get things ready too.’

I’d already spoken to Moyong Hee-ah about preparations, so she’d take care of some things.
But I also needed to start setting the board on my end before it was too late.

While mulling over plans, I turned to the person standing nearby.

“It’s your turn soon.”

“Yes.”

Seong Yul nodded at my words.

One more match, and then it would be his turn.
He looked oddly relaxed—or maybe just indifferent—as he waited.

I glanced slightly to the side.

Far away, a young man stood alone, not mingling with anyone.

Peng Woojin.
The son of the Blade King, whose reputation was currently plummeting.

Formerly known as the Divine Dragon, but now called the Fallen Blade.
When my eyes lingered on him, he turned and met my gaze.

Then, as if he’d been waiting for it, Peng Woojin raised his hand and waved.

Despite his father’s disgrace, Peng Woojin didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

There was something off about him every time I saw him.

‘How did someone like him come from the Blade King?’

Like father, like son.

That was something I’d heard all my life.
But if I had to describe Peng Woojin, he was the complete opposite.

Should I call it “like son, unlike father”?
Peng Woojin was an anomaly.

He was smaller than most members of the Peng Clan and far less aggressive.

He did resemble his father, so there was no doubt about their relation.

But still…

He gave off such a strange vibe.

“Hmm.”

I shifted my gaze back to Seong Yul and tilted my head.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

Seong Yul looked at me.
His faintly golden eyes shimmered slightly, but his complexion still looked somewhat pale.

And yet, there was a subtle calmness in his expression.

I couldn’t help but wonder if he was that relieved about not facing someone from Kunlun.

‘Damn brat. If you’re going to sit there with that kind of expression, you could’ve at least told me what’s wrong.’

The sight of him walking around like he was about to collapse made me uneasy.

And the fact that he refused to say anything about it pissed me off even more.

Maybe that’s why—

“Let’s make a bet.”

“…A bet, all of a sudden?”

“Yeah.”

“…What kind of bet?”

I wasn’t sure what made me say it, but it just slipped out.

“You see your opponent over there, right?”

I pointed toward Peng Woojin, and Seong Yul followed my gaze.

“Yes.”

“Beat him.”

“…What?”

“Do whatever it takes and win. If you do—”

I grinned.

“I’ll tell you why the death of the Azure Sword had to do with the Murim Alliance.”

“…!”

The moment I brought it up, Seong Yul’s eyes widened.

His entire demeanor shifted.

“You’ll… tell me?”

His voice carried an edge of tension.

I had never finished explaining the incident involving the Azure Sword.

But now that I brought it up again, Seong Yul’s expression turned ice-cold in an instant.