Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 674

Seven weeks and nights passed.

Hanam was still bustling with people.
Summer had arrived, bringing with it the hottest days of the year.

Despite the crowds outside, I stayed in my quarters most of the time.
Even when I did go out, it was only at night, so I had no idea what was changing in the world beyond.

All I could do was immerse myself in training and wait for time to pass.

Thud—! Thud, thud—!

Heavy iron bars dropped to the floor, echoing with a loud crash.

My body was drenched in sweat, and my breathing was ragged and uneven.

“Huff... huff...”

I calmed my breath and stretched my body.
As the weight disappeared, I felt significantly lighter.

At the same time—

Sssss...

The iron bars on the ground turned to mist in an instant and vanished.
Surprisingly, the bars had been created using my Authority.

‘The duration has improved slightly.’

Over the past few days, I’d made notable progress through repeated practice with Authority.

I could now maintain simple shapes like iron bars for about half a sihun (an hour).

However, more complex shapes or those with multiple colors still had drastically shorter durations.

‘Still, this is good enough.’

Objects created with Authority were nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
That alone made them incredibly useful.

‘The condition is... I have to know the object in detail.’

I couldn’t create anything I didn’t know well or wasn’t certain about.
The more information I had, the more precise the creation would be.

‘This is quite a useful power.’

Even though I’d lost my regenerative abilities, it was a relief to have gained this instead.
Without it, I would’ve been furious.

“Hah.”

I took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from my body.
It had been a while since I’d trained this intensely, and the heat was unbearable.

As I wiped myself down, I waved my hand lightly.

Ssshhh—!

A faint energy emanated from my fingertips, filling the room.
It was a cold energy.

The lingering frost I’d absorbed from the Ice Crystal.

It spread through the room, lowering the temperature.

“That’s better.”

It wasn’t particularly useful in combat, but for cooling down like this, it worked well enough.

As the cold energy refreshed my body, I turned my gaze.

“Huff...”

There were others besides me in the room, both looking equally exhausted.

Woo Hyuk and Seong Yul.

Seong Yul was staggering as if he might drop dead any moment,
while Woo Hyuk was also panting heavily but seemed more stable.

Looking at them, I spoke.

“Let’s end the morning training here.”

“...Understood.”

“Morning training? Does that mean there’s afternoon training too?”

Seong Yul answered as if used to this routine, but Woo Hyuk looked at me in disbelief.

“Why? Should we call it a day?”

“...Your training has increased, hasn’t it?”

“Of course. My level has advanced.”

“...”

I didn’t understand why he looked so surprised.
Wasn’t it obvious that more training was needed as one’s level rose?

“Oh, right. You’re a Daoist. You might not get it.”

Come to think of it, I’d heard that Daoists, unlike ordinary martial artists, were more focused on enlightenment than physical training.
After reaching a certain level, they pursued spiritual insight rather than bodily refinement.

‘I don’t think that’s necessarily wrong.’

Everyone has their own path.
Though I wasn’t sure if Woo Hyuk himself adhered to that philosophy.

“I dragged you out of your hiding place because it was getting annoying. Starting tomorrow, do whatever you want.”

“...”

“Follow along or don’t—it’s up to you.”

Woo Hyuk didn’t reply but gave a small nod.
Would he show up tomorrow?
Judging by his expression, it seemed likely.

“And...”

I was about to say something else to Woo Hyuk when—

“Hm?”

“Never mind. We’ll talk later.”

It didn’t seem like the right time to bring it up.
I’d address it before the martial arts competition.

It had been about ten days since we returned to Hanam.

Woo Hyuk had rarely been seen outside his quarters.
He hadn’t returned to Wudang and spent most of his time in near-isolation.

The reason for this lay with Goeseon.

‘Well, more specifically, his Authority.’

The Regeneration ability I had taken from Mang and given to Woo Hyuk.

Woo Hyuk had been trying to use it to heal Goeseon.

This stemmed from something I had subtly hinted at:
that Regeneration could heal not only oneself but also others.

Hearing this, Woo Hyuk immediately sought out Goeseon to try and heal his arm.

Of course, it wasn’t going as smoothly as he had hoped.

Judging by Woo Hyuk’s expression, it was clear he was struggling.
Still, he seemed determined to keep trying.

‘I hope he succeeds.’

This wasn’t out of kindness or a desire to see Goeseon healed.

If Woo Hyuk succeeded in healing Goeseon, it would provide me with valuable insights.

‘If he pulls it off... it would prove that Authority grows stronger with use.’

Just as I had become more adept with Wind,
if Woo Hyuk could advance Regeneration, it would confirm that Authority improves with experience.

Additionally—

‘I need to see if there are any side effects to transferring Authority.’

I had turned Woo Hyuk into a Demon to give him Regeneration.

So far, he hadn’t shown any adverse reactions to the demonic energy,
but since this was a new method, I needed to monitor him closely.

‘If this works without issue...’

Then, as Cheonma had done before, I might be able to distribute Authority to others.

‘Actually, seeing Woo Hyuk, I’ve already proven it’s possible.’

The only problem was that I didn’t currently have any additional Authority to give.

‘So how did Cheonma manage it?’

If the powers she granted the demons were indeed Authorities,
and if she transferred them in the same way I did,

‘She must have had over a hundred Authorities.’

Setting aside how she contained so many within her small body—

‘How did she gather them?’

And more importantly—

‘Why did she distribute them?’

Questions about Cheonma’s actions and her true nature lingered in my mind.

‘Cheonma...’

I clenched my teeth, recalling what had happened seven weeks ago.

Since then, I hadn’t sought out either Gu Heebi or Cheonma.

I had assigned people to keep an eye on Cheonma regularly, but I hadn’t visited her myself.

From what I heard, she was already aware of their presence,
but she deliberately chose not to react or care.

Apparently, her daily activities were mundane—doing household chores, hunting, and preparing meals.

‘What the hell?’

Cheonma doing household chores?
The thought alone was absurd.

‘What is she even doing?’

What was her intention?
Why had Gu Heebi—or rather—

‘Why did Grandfather just toss Cheonma at us and leave?’

Gu Heebi claimed that the former head of the Gu family entrusted Cheonma to her.
Was that really true?

I couldn’t be sure.

A man who was supposedly dead turning out to be alive was strange enough.
That he entrusted Cheonma to a Gu family member was even more baffling.

I’d planned to ask Father about this after meeting Gu Heebi,

‘...But Father still hasn’t arrived in Hanam.’

The Gu family members who left with him had arrived earlier, yet Father was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where did Father go?’

While I was wondering if he’d gone missing, Lady Mi handed me a letter, saying it was from him.

A single sheet of neatly folded paper.
Inside, in Father’s rough but tidy handwriting, were just two words:

[I’m delayed.]

“Hah.”

I couldn’t help but let out a disbelieving laugh as soon as I read it.
It was undoubtedly from Father.

‘He told me to come quickly, yet he’s the one who’s late.’

For a moment, I wondered if something had happened to him...

‘...But I’m not particularly worried.’

Thinking about Father’s martial strength, there wasn’t much to be concerned about.

“Phew...”

I sighed and ruffled my hair.

‘There’s already enough to worry about, and now this.’

Not just the matter of Cheonma and Grandfather,
but the immediate issue at hand was also pressing.

‘There’s only a few days left.’

The reason I had come to Hanam in the first place—
The martial arts tournament hosted by the Murim Alliance was only days away.

‘Nahi mentioned it before.’

I had heard that the construction of the arena within the Murim Alliance had been completed just yesterday.
It was time to start preparing.

But—

“...”

Now that the moment I had been planning for was approaching, I felt strangely calm.

No, it wasn’t calmness—it was emptiness.

It was completely different from the heightened tension I had felt just days ago.
Why was this?

I already knew the answer.

‘It’s because of Cheonma.’

The Cheonma I had met a few days ago.

Or perhaps, the person who might not even remain as Cheonma.

If, by some chance,
Cheonma could change like Jegal Hyuk or Namgung Bi-ah had...

‘What would I fight for then?’

The question left a blackened void in my mind.

That was the likely reason for this emptiness.

“Hah... what an idiot.”

I sighed deeply, mixing self-reproach with my breath.

If the one who would cause rivers of blood disappeared, I should be relieved.
Yet here I was, feeling... disappointed?

‘Not disappointed... just empty.’

It was a sensation difficult to put into words.
Perhaps this was what it felt like to lose a sense of urgency.

Smack!

I slapped myself across the face.
Woo Hyuk and Seong Yul flinched in surprise, but I ignored them.

‘Pull yourself together.’

No matter what happens, the situation doesn’t change—or rather, it shouldn’t.

‘Cheonma disappearing doesn’t mean it’s over.’

Perhaps I thought that way in the past.
But not anymore.

‘There’s still the Blood Demon.’

A being suspected to be one of the pureblooded dragons, known as the Dragon Emperor.

The one who caused the Blood Demon War centuries ago was still out there.

I had yet to grasp his plans or his motives.
Even if Cheonma changed, my task remained the same.

But—

‘Even knowing that...’

The emptiness inside me refused to be filled.

“...Tsk.”

Clicking my tongue, I grabbed my discarded martial robes and put them on.

“I’m heading out.”

I informed Woo Hyuk and Seong Yul before walking away.

It was about time for lunch.
Today, I had plans to eat with Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah, so I needed to get moving.

‘Tang So-yeol said she had something to do.’

Moyong Hee-ah was always busy and rarely joined us for meals,
but it was unusual for Tang So-yeol to disappear.

Lately, she had been going out frequently.
What was she doing alone?

‘She’s supposed to be back by evening. She’ll manage.’

She wasn’t a child. Worrying about a grown woman, especially one like Tang So-yeol, was ridiculous.

Besides, Tang So-yeol was a martial artist of the Hwagyeong level.

With that thought, I made my way to Wi Seol-ah’s quarters.

“Hmm?”

As I approached the door, I sensed someone nearby.

“I greet you, my lord.”

When I opened the door to the training hall slightly, I saw Nahi waiting for me outside.

“What’s the matter?”

“There is a guest waiting to see you, my lord.”

I frowned at her words.

A guest? And now of all times?
Why did things always seem to come up before a meal?

Annoying.

“...Who is it?”

I asked, suppressing my irritation.

Then—

“It is Commander Bumdong of the Flying Dragon Unit.”

The name Nahi mentioned only added to my annoyance.