Childhood Friend of the Zenith

At an inn located in Henan, a heated discussion was taking place.

“Did you hear?”

After hearing a man speaking very cheerfully, Bangdok, the host of the house, frowned.

“I did. Brother Chang’s been telling me about it every day, so how could I not?”

“Ah, I already told you?”

The man, Chang Euijin, smiled awkwardly as he remembered that he had also spoken about it yesterday.

However, the other men sitting at the same table showed a different reaction.

“What are you two talking about?”

Hearing that, Bangdok returned to the kitchen saying, It’ll take a while this time as well.

Of course, Chang Eujin was more than happy as he loved telling stories.

“Brother Don, you know that the Heavenly Dragon Academy will open this year, right?”

“How could I not? I heard that it’s opening for the first time in four to five years.”

The Heavenly Dragon Academy usually opened after an interval, but it felt like the interval this time around was rather long.

“Do you also know who is going to be the head of the Academy this time?”

“Of course I do. I heard that the Head of Kunlun Sect is coming to the Academy this time.”

They were part of the Ten Sect Alliance who were defeated by Qinghai.

The Head of Kunlun Sect, the Qinghai Sword Euibi Jin.

It was said that he was the one who would head the Academy this year.

The Murim Alliance were in charge of the Heavenly Dragon Academy, but the head of the Academy changed every time it opened.

“I believe that the Head of the Wudang Sect was the head previously.”

“Only a few people graduated back then because of him.”

It wasn’t strange that something like that happened as the personality of the Greatest Sword of Wudang Sect was well known throughout the Central Plains.

“Even so, if we take a look at the Sword Phoenix or the Heavenly Dragon, we can see that some were bound to fly.”

“That’s true… but was that the important story you wanted to tell us?”

“Uh-uh, of course not.”

Chang Euijin waved his hand about, telling the man that he was wrong.

“If everyone already knew this story, would I have been in such a good mood?”

“What is it then?”

“You do know that new instructors will be selected once the Qinghai Sword becomes the head, right?”

“That’s normally the case, but wouldn’t they also be selected from the Kunlun Sect?”

“About that…”

Scooch.

Chang Euijin stood up abruptly and got closer to the man he was speaking to.

“This is top secret information I heard from the Beggar’s Sect.”

“And you leaked the ‘top secret’ yesterday and the day before?”

“…Get in the mood, will you?”

Hearing Chang Euijin whine, the man grudgingly drew closer to him with a frown on his face.

Satisfied, Chang Euijin whispered into the man’s ear.

“I heard that the Plum Blossom Sword will be one of the instructors this time.”

“…Huh?”

That was truly unexpected information.

It was refreshing to hear it at first, but the man then backed away as if he was disappointed.

“Yeah, right. What reason does the Sword Queen have to become an instructor?”

“Then do you think the Qinghai Sword is going there because he has time to spare?”

“Well, at least he gets paid.”

“…That’s true.”

It wasn’t just money, because only people with great honor and name in the Central Plains were given the position of Head of the Academy.

It was meant to be a great honor for a martial artist to be given such a position.

It meant that the martial artist was approved by the Orthodox Sect.

However, considering the Sword Queen…

“She isn’t someone who will become a mere instructor.”

She was the heroine representing the Central Plains and the youngest master of Mount Hua to earn the title of Sword Queen.

On top of that, the Sword Queen was someone who received the most praise from people and very few spoke ill about her.

People always let out a sigh of relief whenever she made an appearance in the world after disappearing for a few years.

“She alone is good enough to become the head.”

“The Celestial Plum Blossom would have taken that position instead.”

The Celestial Plum Blossom was offered the position a couple of times, but he kept rejecting them saying that he had no power to take on such a responsibility if it weren’t for the children of Mount Hua.

Despite that, the Sword Queen was now becoming an instructor.

And at a time when the Kunlun Sect was the head?

“I don’t believe that the Qinghai Sword has accepted this.”

That was one of the reasons that made people think that the information was false.

“Why does everyone doubt it so much? Don’t get surprised when you realize that what I told you was the truth.”

“I’ll buy you a drink if you are correct.”

“This inn will receive twice its usual income that day.”

Chang Euijin laughed out loud.

“Besides that, tell me about something else.”

“Something else? What?”

“You said that this year’s Heavenly Dragon Academy was shocking.”

“Aha.”

Chang Euijin nodded after hearing the man’s words.

He understood what the man was talking about.

In the Meteor Generation, there were a ton of geniuses who would probably be seen maybe once in a hundred years.

Even from that group of geniuses, there were young prodigies who shone brighter.

The current generation was called the generation of Meteors as the geniuses kept pouring down like shooting stars.

The Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes.

The six dragons and three phoenixes were the ones who shone brightest among all the geniuses.

“Previously, there were only two of them, one Dragon and one Phoenix.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, there were only two?”

“The Sword Phoenix and the Heavenly Dragon.”

To be more precise, it was Peng Woojin, the Heavenly Dragon from the last generation and the current greatest young prodigy, the Sword Phoenix.

Back then, it was very shocking because the head of the Academy at the time, the Wudang Sect Leader, proved to be extremely difficult even for the young prodigies that came from various noble clans, which resulted in the least number of young prodigies graduating that year due to the difficulty, however the Sword Phoenix and Peng Woojin earned the highest scores in history of the Heavenly Dragon Academy.

Their scores were really overwhelming.

“But there are five of them this time around…”

The time was ripe.

With the situation backing them and because the young prodigies were at the right age to attend the Academy, other than the Sword Phoenix and Peng Woojin, everyone else from the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes would be able to attend.

And due to that, many people were pondering over the same question.

It was something everyone who lived in the Central Plains would ponder over at least once in their lives.

The biggest dilemma at the moment.

“Who do you think is the greatest of them all?”

Of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes, who was the greatest?

Chang Euijin smirked on hearing the man’s question.

“Isn’t it obvious that it’s the Sword Phoenix?”

“But the Sword Phoenix won’t be attending the Academy this time.”

“That’s true. Then who do you think it is?”

Hearing Chang Euijin, the man fell silent for a moment and then spoke.

“…The Water Dragon?”

“You thought that long just to bring up that sleepyhead?”

“Even so, it is true that the Water Dragon is talented.”

The Water Dragon was lazy. He slept a lot and hated moving around.

The reason he was called the Water Dragon was because he remained asleep like the deep ocean.

He was too lazy to even breathe, let alone swing his sword, but he was able to become one of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes because he had the talent to back his laziness.

“Then what about the Lightning Dragon? He’s not bad either.”

“This guy… Everyone knows that the Lightning Dragon lost to a new martial artist in the previous tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes.”

The next Young Lord of Namgung Clan, the Lightning Dragon, had failed to attain a good result the previous year and the year before that.

“It’s still a bit too early to judge the Snow Phoenix and the Poison Phoenix … and about the Dragon Warrior… we don’t know much either.”

“Then, what about the True Dragon?”

“Oh, the guy who received a new title the last time…? Also, who are you?”

As Chang Euijin was about to speak about the True Dragon, he looked at the man who had randomly butted in.

He was definitely speaking to just one person, but another face had just popped in, out of nowhere.

The young man smiled and picked up a chicken leg in front of him after hearing Chang Euijin’s question.

“Ah, don’t mind me. The conversation seemed interesting, so I just joined it.”

“Uh… that’s my food…”

“I’ll pay for the food.”

“Now… What story did our Brother want to hear again?”

The young man, who had gone from a stranger to a Brother, responded with a smile.

“I want to hear about the True Dragon. What do you think about him?”

“The True Dragon huh… He’s a martial artist that hasn’t really shown himself since he last appeared in the tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes.”

Just like the Dragon Warrior, the True Dragon hadn’t shown himself after he made his first appearance in the tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes.

Though, what people found suspicious was that both of them displayed overwhelming strength in their first appearance.

Especially considering that the True Dragon overpowered the Lightning Dragon at that time and also played the Meteor Sword, the winner of the previous tournament like a toy, it almost sounded like an exaggeration at this point of time.

Furthermore, it was also said that he was the youngest among the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes.

I heard that he isn’t over twenty yet.

The rumor had to be an exaggeration, but if it wasn’t, it basically meant that a monster called the True Dragon was born and he was going to shock the entire Central Plains.

However, the Gu Clan, who the Sword Phoenix and the True Dragon belonged to, hadn’t really said anything, which made most people assume that the rumor was false.

“Still though, it’s not false that he beat the Lightning Dragon and the Meteor Sword, so it’s safe to assume that he’s very powerful.”

“Then what if we compare him to the Water Dragon?”

“The Water Dragon?”

The man stared at the young man asking the strange question.

Now that he looked at him properly, the young man looked very handsome.

His hair was bushy and he had rheum, as if he hadn’t washed himself for a few days, but even then, it seemed as if his handsome face erased all of that.

“Hmm… Wouldn’t the True Dragon still be stronger?”

“I see.”

The young man made a strange expression after hearing Chang Euijin’s response.

He looked like he was disappointed, but excited at the same time.

“Ah, Young Brother, since you said you’ll pay for the food, I’ll tell you another story, something more interesting.”’

“Oh? What is it?”

The young man excitedly turned to Chang Euijin.

Satisfied with the young man’s reaction, Chang Euijin was about to open his mouth again when…

“Senior… What are you doing here?”

Someone suddenly came towards the handsome young man who was trying to pay attention to the story, and then let out a deep sigh.

The young man realized that he was caught.

“Shoot, I’m caught.”

“It’s not that you were caught… and why did you run away in the firs- …Senior, are you perhaps eating meat right now?”

“Junior.”

“Yes.”

“This is meat made from beans. It’s not meat that comes from animals.”

“Then that chicken right there is chicken made from beans?”

“Haha, Junior, your sense of humor has gotten better.”

“…”

“Fine. I’ll get up now.”

Seeing his Junior’s rotten expression, the young man stood up while scratching the back of his head.

As he let go of the piece of chicken he was holding, Chang Euijin looked at the young man with disappointment.

“Don’t worry. I’ll pay for the food since I heard a good story.”

“Ah, have a safe trip then. Oh, Young Brother, you also look like a martial artist…”

Chang Euijin spoke cautiously seeing that the young man had a sword at his waist and from the strange aura he felt from observing his standing posture.

“I have a bit of skill with the sword.”

“Do you perhaps… have a title?”

“It’s not anything impressive, and I’m not very fond of it either.”

The young man flung a charm pocket, filled with enough money to pay for the food, at Chang Euijin while chuckling.

“I had fun. My name is Woo Hyuk. Let us meet again.”

The young man left the inn with a smile, his Junior following him.

Once Chang Euijin and the man were left alone again, their jaws dropped as they spaced out for a moment.

“Woo Hyuk… Woo Hyuk?”

It was a name both of them were familiar with.

The young man was Woo Hyuk.

And if Chang Euijin and the man weren’t mistaken, the young man was definitely Woo Hyuk of Wudang Sect.

He was a famous martial artist from the Wudang Sect and someone who was called a big star from the generation of Meteor.

And his title…

“…The Water Dragon?”

The Water Dragon of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes.

It was the Water Dragon himself.

“Haha.”

Thinking about what he just said about the Water Dragon a moment ago, the man tried to calm himself down, while Chang Euijin laughed listlessly, as if he had seen a ghost, and then suddenly spoke.

“… I would’ve told him the most important thing if I knew it was him.”

“You’re still stuck on your stupid stories now? It was the Water Dragon himself. If I said anything bad with my tongue… Ugh…”

Putting aside the ramblings of the man curling in fear, Chang Eujin thought about the information he should’ve told him.

The descendant of the Sword Emperor has appeared.

Chang Euijin personally believed that this was a false rumor, but if he had known that he was speaking with the Water Dragon, he would’ve simply told him about it for fun.

Now that he had another fun story to tell, Chang Euijin looked inside the charm pocket the Water Dragon had given him with satisfaction.

“Since we got some additional money, how about we spend the entire night tod…”

“Huh? Brother Chang, what’s wrong?”

When Chang Euijin stopped in the middle of his sentence, the man got closer to him and looked inside the charm pocket.

“…Hmm?”

The pocket did contain money, but they were just two coins which wouldn’t be able to even buy the cheapest noodles sold at this inn.

******************“Could you please not wander about by yourself?”

“Junior, you are supposed to experience the world by yourself.”

“…Ugh… Headache.”

The Junior walked while shaking his head and the Water Dragon chuckled internally while watching his Junior.

Moreover, he was still thinking about the story he heard back at the inn.

The True Dragon, huh.

He had heard of that name almost a year ago.

He heard that a new Dragon was born and that new Dragon mentioned him.

I heard that he beat the Lightning Dragon and the Meteor Sword.

Despite hearing that, he didn’t feel anything.

To begin with, the Lightning Dragon was a lame and weak guy, and his opinion about the Meteor Sword wasn’t high either.

He already knew that people around him were simply lifting him up and stroking him.

It almost felt like he was called a master just because people had given him that label.

How lame.

Because of that, he wasn’t that impressed.

Instead, he only felt more tired.

“I’m sleepy.”

“…Didn’t you sleep for the whole day yesterday?”

“Junior, no matter how much one sleeps, a person is always tired.”

The Water Dragon kept walking forward while yawning.

He wondered how long it would take him to get back home as he wanted to lie down.

It’s loud.

He could still hear the noises in his surroundings and the Water Dragon hated that noise.

“Senior, isn’t it pretty slow today?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, this is considered less than usual for the streets of Henan.”

“The noise is still the same for me.”

“Huh?”

Hearing the Water Dragon’s reply, the Junior looked around, but there were less people than usual and the streets had a desolate atmosphere.

He said it’s loud?

The Junior wondered what he was on about, but he didn’t ponder over it for too long.

After all, his Senior said weird things like that from time to time.

“I just want to sleep for no- “

“Huh?”

As they were headed towards the lodging that housed martial artists of the Wudang Sect, the Water Dragon and the Junior stopped in their steps.

A familiar face was walking towards them.

The Water Dragon stopped first, and recognizing the Water Dragon, the person coming towards them smiled in response.

The person was a young man with a very handsome face like the Water Dragon.

He was wearing a white outfit and on his chest was a symbol identifying his clan.

It was a beautifully bloomed plum flower.

There was only one clan in the Central Plains that had such an outfit with a plum flower on it.

As the Water Dragon made a strange expression, the handsome young man spoke to the Water Dragon, as if he was waiting.

“It has been a while, Brother Woo.”

The same time Woo Hyuk heard his voice, he felt a light scent of plum flowers pass by his nose.

****************Having just arrived in Henan after a long trip, Gu Yangcheon heard his servant say something strange.

“…What?”

Wondering if he had just heard some nonsense, he asked his servant again, but the servant’s response was the same.

“The Sword Dragon and the Water Dragon are having a spar on the streets right now…”

“…?”

Hearing his servant, Gu Yangcheon frowned.

He found it rather hard to digest the story that early in the day after he had just arrived.

…Those crazy fuckers.

What in the world were they doing?