Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 743

Tua Pacheonmu: Fourth Form—Azure Sky.

An arrogant name, claiming to create the heavens.

Considering the Fifth Form was called "Sky Breaker," it was likely Paejon had intentionally chosen these names.

To create the heavens.

And then to shatter them.

Whatever deeper meaning it carried, unlike the first three forms, which were all single-strike techniques, Azure Sky wasn’t meant for direct attacks.

If anything, it was similar to activating the body through the heat of Nine Flames Firewheel.

Tua Pacheonmu was a martial art designed to push the body through an artificial rebirth—a shortcut to transcendence.

And Azure Sky was an extension of that principle.

An artificial state of no-mind.

A fleeting moment martial artists often strive for, where unnecessary thoughts vanish, and hesitation disappears.

That was Azure Sky.

With a single motion, the mind cleared, hesitation faded, and energy flowed naturally throughout the body.

Energy moved more freely, amplifying martial techniques in the process.

It was, in essence, a physical awakening.

At least, it felt like the power doubled.

But—

‘The backlash doubles too.’

A martial art this absurdly efficient, doubling one’s power, naturally came with severe drawbacks.

The first time I used it, I’d thought, Is this technique insane?

But after experiencing it, I understood.

If used wrong, it could kill you.

Paejon had warned me the first time I succeeded—

“Only use it as a last resort. If you use it too early, you’ll die.”

“Be careful until you’re used to it.”

After trying Azure Sky, I understood why.

Tua Pacheonmu was already painfully taxing, but the backlash from Azure Sky was on another level.

The first time I followed Azure Sky with First Form, I was bedridden for three days.

All that for a single strike.

Even so—

Despite the ridiculous backlash, it was terrifyingly effective in the moment.

And that was why—

“Kugh.”

Even while coughing up blood, I felt relieved.

“Hah… damn it.”

I wiped the blood from my lips and looked straight ahead.

Not much had changed.

The ground was still stained with ink, and darkness surrounded me.

It looked the same as it had in the beginning.

But—

[…Impressive.]

I stood up and faced the old man.

His chest—

Had a gaping hole in it.

The result of Tua Pacheonmu’s fourth form, Azure Sky, combined with a Toothless Strike.

[When did you plan this?]

The old man’s voice broke the silence.

I tilted my head.

“What do you mean?”

[I know this wasn’t instinct or chance. When did you plan it?]

“When?”

Obviously—

“From the start.”

[…]

From the moment I challenged him.

Every step of the fight, up until now, had been calculated.

Well—except for that bluff about the Tang Clan’s leader being a woman.

Aside from that, everything went as planned.

Although—

‘Not everything. I just prepared multiple scenarios.’

I had predicted his movements and prepared five or six strategies accordingly.

I knew he had Eternal Bind.

And that its abilities weren’t much different from what I expected.

So I set my plans.

‘Ten exchanges.’

The ten chances the old man had given me.

Could I reach him by going all out?

‘No.’

Not a chance.

I always said this—be brutally realistic about your own abilities.

Whether this old man was real or fake, he was someone I couldn’t defeat.

So what could I do?

‘Make it possible to win.’

If I couldn’t win, I had to create a way to win.

That’s why I decided to use those ten exchanges differently.

For the first seven, I showed my full strength.

No acting.

If I held back, he’d notice immediately.

I had to truly give it my all.

I needed him to believe that was my limit.

Honestly, it felt terrible.

‘That was my full power, and I couldn’t even singe his clothes.’

After everything I’d been through, in this life and the last, I couldn’t even graze him?

What a miserable existence.

But what else could I do?

No matter how much it sucked, I had to find a way forward.

Seven.

Seven out of ten had to be sacrificed.

By then, he would’ve decided—

This is all he’s capable of.

And once that was set in his mind—

From the eighth exchange, I started adding twists.

To suppress any lingering doubts, I deliberately caused disruptions.

I didn’t only rely on flames.

I had another source of energy.

Tua Pacheonmu wasn’t just for show.

By creating unexpected shifts, I disrupted his expectations.

I forced him to focus entirely on the moment.

And after ten exchanges—

Despite all the layers of reasoning—

The entire point was simple.

‘To make sure he didn’t notice my Eternal Bind.’

Couldn’t I have hidden it from the start?

Sure, but—

‘He said he was watching me.’

He already knew I carried Shin Noya’s tools.

He might’ve even known about Eternal Bind.

So this approach was faster.

Plan after plan after plan—

Dirty? Sure.

But survival mattered more than honor.

[Ha… remarkable.]

The old man laughed, admiration laced in his voice.

And then—

Srrrk.

“…!”

His body began to recover.

Wait—what?

I figured he wouldn’t die since he was a spirit, but still—wasn’t this cheating?

I started considering my next move—

[You’ve won.]

The old man’s voice stopped me.

He smiled.

[I admit defeat. You’ve won.]

“…”

He acknowledged his loss.

Thud.

“Haa…”

Hearing that, my legs gave out.

I slumped to the ground.

“Damn… that was exhausting.”

I let out a bitter sigh.

The old man tilted his head.

[You believe me so easily? How do you know I’m not lying?]

“You said it yourself.”

[Hm?]

“When you cross swords, you understand someone. Same goes for me.”

This old man wasn’t the type to bluff.

I’d learned that much during the fight.

[Cunning yet oddly sincere. You’re an interesting one.]

“I hear that a lot.”

[Boy.]

“Yes?”

[What was that about the Tang Clan’s leader being a woman?]

“Oh.”

I laughed.

“Who knows?”

[…What?]

I wasn’t planning to explain.

The old man’s baffled expression made me grin as I tossed Eternal Bind back to him.

“Thanks for letting me borrow this.”

[…]

The old man stared at it strangely.

[Boy.]

“I’m listening.”

[Did you say you’re my reincarnation?]

“Yeah, something like that.”

I forced myself to stand.

Pain shot through my entire body. The backlash was hitting me hard.

Even in this mental space, the pain was real.

What would happen when I returned to the real world? That thought lingered briefly.

[Looking at your Eternal Bind… perhaps it’s true.]

The old man’s voice broke my thoughts.

Did my weapon convince him?

[It’s strange. How could you not be a child of Mount Hua?]

“…”

A cryptic remark.

I tilted my head, rolling my neck to loosen it. I’d heard similar things far too often.

When I first learned I might be Shin Noya’s reincarnation, I remembered what Hwang Ahbulyeong had said upon seeing Noya.

“You failed.”

Shin Noya should have been reborn in Mount Hua.

Instead, he failed and became a wandering spirit.

That revelation had left Hwang Ahbulyeong in despair.

It showed how critical this matter truly was.

[Boy. Then…]

“Hold on.”

I raised my hand, cutting the old man off.

“Sorry, but shouldn’t I be the one asking questions? You’re the one who lost.”

The winner gets to ask the questions—that was the deal.

Yet the old man had been throwing questions at me this entire time.

[Ah, so you noticed.]

He smirked, almost as if he’d been caught red-handed.

Wait—did he know all along and still kept talking?

Unbelievable. What kind of Taoist master was this shameless?

I frowned and shot my first question.

“Who are you?”

It was finally my turn.

[I told you already—I’m Mount Hua’s…]

“That’s not what I meant.”

[Then what are you asking?]

“I’ve already met the Mount Hua Sword Saint.”

[…What?]

“Not you. Someone else.”

I mentioned Shin Noya, and the old man visibly reacted.

Not missing that, I quickly summarized what had happened—how I met Shin Noya and everything that led to this moment.

[…That can’t be.]

His voice trembled with disbelief.

“That’s why I can’t believe you’re real.”

[…]

“…Everything points to you being the Mount Hua Sword Saint.”

Circumstantial evidence.

The clues from the records in Shaanxi all lined up.

But—

“No matter how I look at it, I just can’t believe you’re the real one. So what are you?”

Something about him felt… wrong.

Why was he here?

What was he?

The old man fell silent.

Was he organizing his thoughts?

Or was the weight of the revelation too much?

Maybe it was both.

I waited for his answer.

For some reason, I felt like I had to hear it.

After a long pause—

[I see.]

His voice finally broke the silence.

[So that’s how it is.]

There was a strange sadness mixed in with his words.

[Boy.]

“Yes.”

[You said Shin Cheol doesn’t remember his final moments.]

“Yes.”

Shin Noya had told me as much.

After sealing the Blood Demon, he lived out his days as Mount Hua’s leader.

Then, one day, he woke up sealed inside a weapon.

And his memories?

Fragmented.

Large gaps he couldn’t account for.

Even now, Shin Noya was piecing things together, but his circumstances were vastly different from the old man standing before me.

[Hearing that explains a lot.]

“What do you mean?”

[I always had questions.]

Step.

The old man moved closer.

[Boy. Do you know where we are?]

“…Here?”

The ink-stained ground.

The swirling black aura above.

“No idea.”

I had no clue where this place was.

I’d assumed it was just a mental space.

But the old man said—

[This is Mount Hua.]

“…What?”

I froze.

“…What did you just say?”

Mount Hua?

I scanned the surroundings.

What nonsense was this?

I’d been to Mount Hua before.

A mountain brimming with flowers and vibrant greenery.

The air was filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms.

But this—

[Technically… it was Mount Hua.]

His voice carried a bitter weight.

[You said the Blood Demon was sealed, right?]

“Yes.”

Although, to be fair, the seal wasn’t perfect.

The Blood Demon was still roaming around.

But I answered honestly.

The old man gave a bitter laugh.

[I see.]

“What’s wrong?”

[It’s nothing. I just had a little hope. But now I know it was only a dream.]

Plop.

The old man sat down heavily.

Ripples spread out through the ink-like water.

Gentle ripples.

[It was strange, wasn’t it? A child of Mount Hua shouldn’t have been able to appear here. I let myself believe in a dream. How pathetic.]

“…What are you talking about?”

[‘We’ failed to stop the Blood Demon.]

“…What?”

His words left me speechless.

[We… couldn’t stop the Blood Demon. This place is Mount Hua, destroyed by its hand.]

I couldn’t breathe.

The weight of his words hit me like a hammer.