Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The Head’s room was situated behind the students’ dormitory in the Heavenly Dragon Academy.

He was a master martial artist who was approved by the Murim Alliance, and he was appointed the Head position of the Academy as he was the most powerful martial artist who could protect the students if danger occurred.

I really have to go all around the place.

On the contrary, the instructors’ rooms were in the opposite direction, forcing me to take numerous turns to reach my destination.

…He should’ve just sent me straight to the Head’s room.

Why did I even bother going all the way to Cheol Hwanho?

Now I have to take all these extra turns because of it.

Rustle.

The crunch of leaves underfoot tickled my ears as I walked.

After some grumbling and walking, I found myself nearly there.

One upside was that I got to skip a lesson, having been called during lunchtime.

Unless they delved deep into a topic, it was pointless for me to learn it—these were things I’d already experienced in my past life.

Are there no escorts around here?

One unexpected thing was the absence of Kunlun Sect escorts guarding the place.

To be fair, there was no need for any guards when you were as strong as the Qinghai Sword.

The only one likely capable of sneaking past Qinghai Sword’s senses was probably the Sword Queen.

This meant that as soon as I approached him, I’d already entered his sensory range.

I wonder why the Head called me alone.

Did he have some special reason?

With that thought, I kept moving forward.

I’ll find out when I see him.

I slowly entered the building.

Despite its exterior, the building felt larger inside. I noticed several rooms and wondered which one to enter.

Slide.

Then, a door slid open, and my eyes met the person stepping out.

“Huh?”

“Ah.”

A lady with brown hair surrounded by a golden aura

The person responsible for making me feel concerned.

It was Wi Seol-Ah.

“Why are you coming out from there?”

I accidentally spoke in a loud voice.

Wi Seol-Ah looked surprised too, as if she hadn’t expected to see me here.

Like her, I had to be extremely surprised as well.

I couldn’t feel her presence from inside.

Sensing the Qinghai Sword was one thing, but I couldn’t even detect Wi Seol-Ah, despite her being here.

This meant,

There is something that’s making everyone’s presence here faint.

Was this the Qinghai Sword’s doing?

That probably wasn’t it.

To my knowledge, he didn’t have the power to pull off something like this.

I had plenty of information about the Qinghai Sword.

I didn’t know much about his martial strength, but I knew about the title he has yet to get in this timeline.

Then, was it a treasure’s power?

That was the most likely.

I didn’t know what kind of a treasure it was, but it was certainly effective.

“You…”

“The… Head called me for a moment.”

“The Head?”

The Qinghai Sword called Wi Seol-Ah?

Is it because of the Sword Venerable?

It’s possible the Qinghai Sword called her because she’s a descendant of the Sword Venerable.

I wasn’t sure if that’s what happened, but Wi Seol-Ah’s reaction suggested otherwise.

Embarrassment? It was written all over her face, but why was she embarrassed after seeing me?

“…You.”

When I called out to Wi Seol-Ah with suspicion, her shoulders flinched.

“Did you cause some trouble?”

“…!”

Wi Seol-Ah lowered her head the moment she heard my words, I seemed to have hit the nail on the head.

It looked like I was right.

Wi Seol-Ah was called here by the Head because she caused trouble?

I was curious about what she did to warrant being called to the Head’s room instead of the instructor’s.

No, it was more surprising that Wi Seol-Ah caused trouble in the first place.

“What kind of trouble did you- “

Just as I was about to ask Wi Seol-Ah,

Slide-

A closed door slid open by itself,

Swoosh!

And a gust of wind blew from within the room.

I could sense that Tao Qi was densely infused with the wind.

-Come in.

Then, a heavy voice echoed telepathically in my mind.

Just hearing the voice in my head felt like my whole body was echoing.

For me to feel this much just from his voice, huh? The Qinghai Sword is at a much higher level than I thought.

I expected him to be weaker than the Celestial Plum Blossom, but I suppose one of the heads of the Ten Sect Alliance wouldn’t be weak.

“Wait outside.”

“…Outside?”

“Yes, I have something I want to talk to you about, so you better wait.”

Ensuring she wouldn’t run away, I stepped into the room before she could even respond.

As soon as my foot crossed the line that separated the room from outside,

Woong-!

“…!”

It felt as if a powerful Qi wrapped around me.

The air felt distinctly different from the outside.

Cold sweat trickled down my body from the density of the Qi.

This old man.

I brute-forced my way through the dense Qi and kept moving forward.

The air wasn’t dense enough to choke me, nor was I sweating because the atmosphere was unbearable.

Is he trying to kill a man?

With just one movement from the Qinghai Sword, the Tao Qi in the room turned violent.

I pressed on through the thick atmosphere.

As I walked at a steady pace, I began to see a figure seated ahead.

It was an old man, small in stature with white hair, but at my current level, I couldn’t gauge the sharpness of the sword within him.

The old man’s eyes were closed, but he was certainly looking at me.

“How impressive.”

As I arrived, the old man began to speak.

“I was curious about what kind of a child you were, given the rumors,”

People called this old man by many titles, but none of them were derogatory.

He was one of the Three Fists of the Seven Steel.

He was also one of the Five Sword Masters.

The head of the Kunlun Sect in Qinghai.

And…

“The rumors hardly do you justice.”

He would soon be called the Demon of Qinghai.

One of the Heavenly Demon’s right-hand men now looked at me with a smile.

******************

The Qinghai Sword.

Or rather, the Demon of Qinghai.

The old man was known by both titles during the time of calamity.

This was around the time when the Heavenly Demon first emerged in the Central Plains.

At that time, the Orthodox Faction held great power, and no one truly grasped the extent of the Heavenly Demon’s might.

They saw no reason to fear a nameless figure claiming they would destroy the Central Plains.

No one believed a single individual could dominate the vast Central Plains; it seemed an impossibility.

Yet, despite this, many succumbed to the Heavenly Demon, becoming Demonic Humans, later known as the Great Demonic Humans.

They were the first to turn to the Heavenly Demon, driven by their own greed.

However, did they make a foolish decision?

Yes, they did.

In the end, the Heavenly Demon was slain by the Celestial Sword, and the Demonic Cult came to an end afterwards, so they certainly made a poor decision.

However, at the time, when the true power of the Heavenly Demon was first revealed to the world, it didn’t seem so.

The first Demonic Humans.

Arguably, they were the first right-hand men of the Heavenly Demon, so they were given the strongest authority as the Heavenly Demon itself also found them to be more special than others.

For example, yes.

The Demonic Absorption Arts.

That was one of the authorities that were given.

I believed the Heavenly Demon granted me this power because I was among the first to become a Demonic Human, though it was forced upon me, not something I chose willingly.

The old man before me was also one of the first few Demonic Humans, just like myself.

The Demon of Qinghai.

I heard that the Head of Kunlun Sect turned into a Demonic Human shortly after the Heavenly Demon emerged.

This was enough to bring a huge shock to the Orthodox Faction, as many believed the master to be loyal to the Orthodox Faction more than anyone.

The Kunlun Sect quickly installed a new leader, insisting that no one else would follow the Qinghai Sword’s path of corruption, but the stain on their reputation remained.

It was none other than the Qinghai Sword walking in a path of corruption.

However, I didn’t know why he ended up that way.

By the time I had grown powerful and earned a respectable position as a Demonic Human, the Qinghai Sword had already been slain by the Sword Venerable.

One thing I remembered about him was the fact that he wasn’t consumed by madness despite becoming a Demonic Human, and he saw me with a pitiful expression.

That was all.

I had a rough idea of his fighting style and martial arts, but those details didn’t seem important now.

“…I greet the Head of the Academy.”

“Welcome, it must have been a long trip here.”

“Not at all.”

As I spoke, I noticed a cup of tea already set before me.

I wonder when he found the time to prepare it.

“This is our second meeting, after our first around ten days ago.”

“That’s right.”

I saw him the first time during the orientation, and this was the second time.

The Demon of Qinghai smiled as he looked at me.

“The Tiger Warrior did a good job raising his son. You are outstanding.”

“Thank you.”

“Haha!”

The Qinghai Sword laughed as if he was in a good mood.

“Right.”

Then…

Swoooosh…

Tao Qi, which filled the room, began to swirl.

“Do you feel it?”

Yes, it’s quite clear.”

Slowly, but also densely.

The Tao Qi that filled the large room was endlessly threatening.

It was enough to drench my back with cold sweat that formed due to nervousness.

“How amusing… for you to feel this. Even the second-generation students struggled.”

“Could you consider stopping, as I find it almost impossible to breathe?”

…I can’t even drink the tea, you old man.

What’s the point of brewing me a cup if I can’t even drink it?

As I spoke carefully, the Tao Qi around me softened once again.

“I’m sorry, it seems like I went a bit too hard as curiosity got the best of me.”

“No problem.”

I wasn’t fine with it, I couldn’t afford to argue with the Head of the Academy.

Why is everyone so eager to test me?

This is why I need to hold back on showing my powers.

The moment I show a bit of my abilities, rumors spread, and everyone becomes a hassle to deal with.

Would it really hurt them to just leave me alone?

In this damned land, being strong was a curse.

As I was ranting in my mind, the Qinghai Sword spoke.

“Yes, do you know why I called you here?”

“Yes.”

How could I not? Cheol Hwanho had already told me.

After my response, I saw the Qinghai Sword putting on a more serious expression.

It seemed like he was getting straight into the main topic.

“I understand that you have a heated spirit as you are at that age, but you went too far.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It hasn’t even been that long ever since the Academy opened.”

“…”

Just as I feared, no one else could have caused such trouble in less than a month since the Academy opened.

Uh, isn’t this more dangerous than I expected?

I might be suspended over this.

I did start to feel very worried ever since I was called by the Head of the Academy.

Even if it wasn’t in the rules, the Head could expel me if he didn’t like my actions.

…Ugh.

Maybe this is worse than I imagined.

This wasn’t something I expected.

What do I do if I’m suspended like this?

What do I mean what do I do, I’m just fucked.

All my plans would collapse.

If I hadn’t come here, things might’ve been different, but now I had to see my plans through.

Maybe I should kneel?

I could at the very least do that much if need be-

“Haha…!”

Lost in thought, I didn’t notice the Qinghai Sword laughing aloud at my expression.

“What an entertaining expression that is.”

“…”

Was it that noticeable?

As I wondered about what response I should give, the Qinghai Sword continued speaking.

“Do not worry. The thing you are worried about, won’t happen.”

“Pardon?”

“However, I need to at least pretend to punish you due to the position I’m in.”

“…”

“I’ll just think of it as you not being able to hold yourself due to immaturity of young age, and let this slide.”

“…Thank you.”

His words struck a nerve.

If I considered my age in my past life, I technically wasn’t young at all.

That just makes it sound like I never matured in life.

…Wait, did I?

Given my personality, I wasn’t sure I had matured.

But I was glad.

Judging by the Qinghai Sword’s tone, it didn’t seem like I was going to be suspended.

That much was enough to satisfy me.

“Originally, this much would’ve been more than enough reason to suspend you from the Academy,”

Gulp.

It made me gulp for an instant.

“But I’ll let it slide as I’m fond of you.”

“Tha- …Pardon? Fond of me?”

Did I mishear him?

I didn’t expect that, especially from the Head of the Academy.

“Yes, fond of you.”

“…May I ask what you mean by that?”

“Is that hard to understand? It simply means I like you.”

It left me speechless.

How could he like me when we barely met each other?

It’s not like I was a martial artist from Kunlun Sect either.

“…I don’t understand why you are fond of me.”

“Are you unhappy because of it?”

“Not at all.”

It wasn’t like that.

It’s just that I felt scared.

How could I not be when some old man I barely knew was fond of me?

Besides, I didn’t exactly have a face that appealed to the elderly.

In fact, it would be suspicious if they did.

“I do still need to give you some form of punishment so… Yes, sweeping the floor in your dormitory should suffice.”

“…”

“That’s an amusing expression. You look as if you don’t understand at all.”

“You are correct.”

“If you want, I could tell you why.”

“Then could you- “

“However, then I’ll take back what I said about you and go on with your suspen- “

“Thank you for liking me. I will not let you down.”

I cut him off before he could finish his ‘kind’ offer.

“You are quick.”

“I hear that a lot.”

Sure, it’s nice that he likes me.

Who cares why?

Satisfied with my response, the Qinghai Sword smiled.

“You aren’t too similar to your father.”

“…Now that’s a first.”

Everyone always told me I looked like my father, but the Qinghai Sword’s words were something I had never heard before.

“Do you know my father well?”

“We aren’t completely unaware.”

Whenever I met with key figures of clans and Sects, they mentioned my father.

Because I knew how active my father used to be in the Central Plains, I wondered if these two had some sort of relationship, but how do I say this?

It felt like it went deeper than that.

As I was lost in my thoughts, the Qinghai Sword spoke to me.

“I was only curious about you thanks to the rumors about the True Dragon, so you may take your leave for today.”

I tilted my head after hearing his response.

Was that it?

That was more anticlimactic than I expected.

However…

“I’ll be taking my leave now then.”

“Yes, I hope to see you again.”

I didn’t bother asking any further questions and quickly made my way out.

I was relieved that the punishment wasn’t severe.

It was always right to run before they changed their minds.

Slide.

After Gu Yangcheon hurriedly left the room and closed the door, the Qinghai Sword stared at the door with his piercing white eyes.

He thought about the face of the young man he just spoke to.

He grew up well.

The moment the True Dragon approached the building, the Qinghai Sword was shocked by his presence.

His Qi was very great in strength.

Not only did he enter the room filled with dense Qi, but he was also able to speak in it.

That child should’ve been in Kunlun Sect.

If that was the case, Kunlun Sect might have been the birthplace of the future Zenith.

Was that disappointing?

Yes, it was.

However, he was still glad to see him.

He isn’t like his father.

He thought about the Tiger Warrior.

The young hero who sought for justice and fought against the Unorthodox Faction wasn’t capable of joking around, but his son didn’t share that trait, despite their similar appearance.

In fact, that was preferable.

That would be better for him in life after all.

Two.

-This is our second meeting.

The Qinghai Sword had told Gu Yangcheon this was their second meeting, but that was a lie.

This was actually their third encounter.

It’s just it was in the past and is a forgotten memory for Gu Yangcheon.

Well, it’s understandable since he was too young to remember.

He had been just a child, barely walking while holding his mother’s hand, so it was no surprise that Gu Yangcheon didn’t remember the Qinghai Sword.

The Qinghai Sword recalled his conversation with that lady in the past.

—I do not need your kindness.

—However, if there’s ever a chance in the future, I hope you treat my child well… that much is enough for me.

It was long ago, and though only the Qinghai Sword remembered, he still held onto it.

He took a sip of the tea that was still warm.

Despite him brewing it himself with his unskillful hands, the taste wasn’t bad.

******************I left the Head’s room and stepped outside.

“Jeez, I’m shaking.”

Only when the cold winter breeze hit me did my body finally loosen.

“…I should hold back on causing more trouble.”

I had caused trouble without thinking of the consequences, but I needed to be more careful from now on.

At the very least, I had to hold back until I finished my business here.

Though of course,

…Is that even possible?

I wasn’t confident at all.

I had many tasks to handle, so it seemed unlikely I could hold back for long.

“I’m sure everything will be fine.”

I wasn’t in a situation where I could pick a different path, so I had to do it regardless.

I am glad that he let it slide though.

I wonder why he’s fond of me.

I couldn’t understand the Qinghai Sword one bit.

Why would he like me when we’ve barely met?

Did I unknowingly help the Kunlun Sect somehow?

That’s not it.

I never was involved with them in this life, and I never helped them in my past life either, instead, I beat up the martial artists who came from it.

It only made me more confused.

I don’t know. But it’s a good thing.

Instead of the Qinghai Sword, I had to prioritize something else right now.

Where is she?

I’d clearly told her to wait outside, so where had she gone?

I clearly told her to wait outside, so where is she?

Did she run?

It was possible; she tended to bolt whenever she saw me.

Though of course, I planned to catch her this time wherever she went.

Why am I playing hide and seek at this age…

Right as I had that thought, I was thankfully able to find Wi Seol-Ah.

Wi Seol-Ah was looking at something while crouching down in a field of grass.

What is she doing?

Was she observing ants or something?

She didn’t even notice me approaching her because of how focused she was.

After arriving right behind her,

“What are you doing her- “

But just as I was about to speak,

Huh?

I noticed something strange about Wi Seol-Ah.

Wi Seol-Ah was making a strange hand movement in the air while being in a curled position.

I felt some strange sensation from the area around her hand.

Wait.

…Is she perhaps?