Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 740

Splash.

I glanced around at the faint sound of rippling water.

Splash… splash….

I could hear it, yet the surface seemed undisturbed.
The ink-black space allowed me to see only a step ahead—everything beyond was swallowed in darkness.

Where was this place? What was happening outside?

The questions lingered briefly, but I didn’t dwell on them.

I had learned long ago—there was no point in overthinking situations like this.

Just focus on what’s right in front of you.

With that thought, I locked eyes with the old man.

‘Wow.’

What a nasty-looking face.

That was my first impression.

White robes embroidered with plum blossoms on the chest—
A tall old man sitting cross-legged, resting his chin on his hand.

His crimson eyes stood out as he looked down at me.

Thump.

My heart pounded.

Thump.

Thump.

Not out of fear or emotion.
It was Qi.

The trace of Noya’s energy inside me resonated with this man.

Which meant—

‘Is he Noya?’

Was this old man the Shin Noya I knew?

I stared at him, filled with doubt.

[What a strange occurrence.]

The old man spoke first, his voice tinged with curiosity.

[Who are you, boy? And why do you have that?]

He must’ve sensed the trace of Shin Noya’s energy within me.
His confusion was plain to see.

[Who are you?]

Who am I?

I smirked at the question.

“That’s what I’d like to ask you.”

He spoke in Noya’s voice, carrying Noya’s energy.
Everything pointed to this man being Shin Noya.

And yet—

“What are you?”

For some reason, I couldn’t believe it.

[What am I?]

The old man’s grin widened, and it looked downright sinister.

Man, he had one hell of a nasty expression.

[You summoned me here, and now you’re acting like you don’t know who I am?]

“I didn’t try that hard. I just got curious, and you came running.”

[Hah.]

He laughed, and plum petals scattered through the black void.

Tiny petals landed softly on the ink-like surface.

Buzz.

Waves rippled outward.

[I am the 8th Sect Leader of the Great Mount Hua Sect.]

Before I noticed, the old man had stepped down from the rock and stood right in front of me.

[Shin Cheol, the Sword Saint of Mount Hua.]

Meeting his crimson eyes up close made my skin crawl.
My body tensed, instincts flaring up in warning.

[Does that answer your question?]

“…”

Just as I’d expected.

He introduced himself as Shin Cheol, and everything about him matched what I’d imagined Shin Noya would be.

And yet—

“Hm.”

Why did he feel so wrong?

[Now, it’s your turn. Who are you, boy? Why were you so desperate to find me? And—]

He pointed a finger at my chest.

[Why do you have my energy inside you?]

Tap.

His fingertip touched my chest, and—

Fwoosh.

The Qi inside me surged, spreading through my veins.

It felt like petals blooming, warm and refreshing.

For a moment, I considered letting it flow freely—

But I clenched my teeth and forced it back, locking it in my heart.

[Hah.]

The old man chuckled, but I ignored him.

“This Qi? I got it from its rightful owner.”

[Hmm?]

“A cranky old man who wouldn’t shut up.”

I brushed off the spot he touched, flicking my fingers.

[Nonsense. I never gave you my Qi.]

He scowled like I’d just insulted him.

I shrugged.

“I never said I got it from you. I said I got it from its owner.”

[And I’m telling you, that Qi is mine—]

“No, it’s not.”

I cut him off.

“This Qi doesn’t belong to you.”

“No.”

I cut him off, scowling.

“This Qi… isn’t yours.”

Ssssshh—!

[…!]

The old man’s eyes widened.
It must’ve been because of the object now wrapped around my hand.

Guiding String.

The treasured sword of Mount Hua and Shin Noya’s prized possession—
It coiled tightly around my left hand.

[How do you have that…?]

“I should be the one asking. What the hell are you?”

His appearance—
His voice—
Even the atmosphere he exuded—

Not to mention the Dao Qi inside me—everything pointed to this man being Shin Noya.

But—

“Why are you wearing Noya’s face?”

I didn’t believe it.

My instincts screamed at me—
This man wasn’t the Shin Noya I knew.

And I trusted my instincts without hesitation.

[…Hah.]

The old man’s expression twisted in disbelief at my confident accusation.

And then—

Shing—!!

Crimson bands wrapped around his hand, solidifying into the shape of a blade.

Guiding String.

It was the same weapon, but in its earlier crimson hue, before I had touched it.

[What a strange situation.]

Resting the blade casually on his shoulder, the old man locked eyes with me.

[Boy. You’re no successor of mine, and yet you hold what I left behind. I even passed this weapon to someone recently, and now you possess it? What are you? Did you come through the Echo Chamber first? No, that can’t be—you would’ve been noticed.]

Echo Chamber.

Was he referring to the artifact Yung Pung had discovered in Shanxi?

The one he claimed contained a voice and lingering energy?

[None of this makes sense. Who are you?]

“If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask your so-called successor?”

Not that it seemed like he could communicate with Yung Pung directly.

“As for me… my old man isn’t around to explain things right now.”

Noya had left to help me.
And now, at the worst possible moment, he wasn’t here to clear things up.

“If you’re really the Sword Saint, why are you still here? Didn’t you die already?”

[What a ridiculous question.]

His reply was quick, almost as if he had prepared for it.

[I left something unfinished. It’s unfortunate that my successor had to handle it, but it was unavoidable.]

“Unfinished business, huh? Let me guess—the Blood Demon?”

[-!]

The old man’s expression hardened.

[…How do you know about that?]

“Hmm.”

Bullseye.

‘So it’s true.’

This old man knew about the Blood Demon.

And that—

‘That’s weird.’

Because the Noya I knew didn’t.

That old man had lost most of his memories.
He couldn’t even remember how he died.

It made me wonder—

‘Wait, is this one the real deal?’

I flinched.

This one seemed far more knowledgeable and capable.

‘Should I switch to this guy?’

I mean, if they’re both stubborn old men, does it really matter?

—What the hell did you just say, brat?

“…”

I whipped my head around.

There shouldn’t have been anyone else here, but I swear I just heard someone cursing at me.

Chills ran down my spine.

‘Kidding. I’m kidding.’

Can’t even make a joke without getting yelled at.

I stifled a laugh and turned back.

Whether this guy was fake or real didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered was what I believed.
And to me, this man was an imposter.

That was enough for me.

[Answer me. How do you know about that?]

“I’ve heard things. From here and there.”

And honestly, I’d heard it so many times my ears were about to bleed.

[Heard it?]

“Yeah. From the Fire Shadow at Shaolin.”

I listed them one by one.

“And from Tang Je-moon in Sichuan.”

The senior who had actually been helpful.

“And from Namgung Myung, the Thunder God, in the damn North Sea.”

Namgung Myung, who had guarded the Ice Formation, had also mentioned it.

“And.”

I recited the names of the ones who had given me headaches in the past.

Oh, except Tang Je-moon.
He had been nothing but helpful, so I left him out.

“From Yeon Ilcheon too.”

The moment I mentioned Yeon Ilcheon, the old man visibly reacted.

[…!]

His expression twisted.

I decided to throw in one last jab for good measure.

“Oh, and by the way, Namgung Myung called me the reincarnation of the Sword Saint.”

[What?]

The old man’s face contorted as I nonchalantly picked at my ear.

“So you see why I don’t trust you.”

[Stop spouting nonsense.]

His burning glare made it clear he was pissed.

[There’s no way my reincarnation would look as ugly as you.]

“…What did you just say, you old bastard?”

[Watch your mouth, boy.]

“You’ve got a real knack for pissing people off, don’t you?”

My mood soured instantly.

Seriously, what the hell was this feeling?

Grinding my teeth, I glared at him.

[So that’s it. I thought something was off from the start.]

The old man added, as if finally realizing something.

[So that’s it.]

The old man’s voice rang out, brimming with certainty.

Had he actually figured something out?

[You’re an agent of the Blood Demon.]

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

Figured something out, my ass.

[Things have unfolded differently than expected. It must be that man’s doing.]

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I denied it, right? Isn’t that it?”

[If that’s true, then it’s a grave mistake.]

“Yeah, and you’re not going to believe me.”

Judging by his attitude, everything was already spiraling out of control.
And the reason? Apparently, it all boiled down to me being mistaken for some reincarnation.

‘Goddamn it….’

I let out a sigh.
Whether he was Shin Noya or not didn’t matter anymore.

That was never my goal to begin with.

“…Fine. Forget it. Just tell me—why are you still here? And why did you choose Yung Pung as your successor?”

[What nonsense. How do you expect me to share such details when I can’t even trust you?]

“Fair point. Neither of us trusts the other.”

I admitted it.
We didn’t trust each other one bit.

But that didn’t matter either.

I raised my fist.

[Hm?]

And spoke.

“But you’ve got questions too, don’t you? This might make things easier.”

I grinned.

“Let’s fight.”

[…]

It was the same tactic I’d used with the Sect Leader of Mount Emei a few days ago.
The circumstances were completely different, of course—

But that was the beauty of this approach. It worked anywhere.

“The winner gets their answers.”

A clean and simple solution.

No need for meaningless arguments.
When words fail, this is how it’s done.

The old man looked at me with a curious expression before—

[Hah.]

He suddenly burst out laughing.

[I didn’t like anything about you until now. But this—I like.]

And with that, he planted Guiding String into the ground with a sharp thud.

Chills.

The moment I saw it, every hair on my body stood on end.

Oh, shit.

‘Damn. I’m screwed, aren’t I?’

How long had it been since I felt this way?

He hadn’t even done anything, but my survival instincts were screaming.

That much pressure from a single movement?

[It’s good to have confidence in your strength. And you are strong. But if you think you can challenge me—]

“Are you insane?”

[What?]

I cut him off as his energy continued to rise.

“You’re not seriously going all out, are you?”

[…What?]

“You’re an adult fighting a kid. You wouldn’t actually use your full strength, would you? That’s just pathetic.”

[…]

“You can fight with just two feet. Or use one finger. Or hold your breath and close your eyes. Whatever works.”

[…Don’t you think those examples are a bit ridiculous?]

“What, are you really going to fight seriously? If you win like that, you think I’ll tell you anything?”

[…]

“I’d be too pissed to say a word.”

The old man made a face like he’d just swallowed something bitter.

[You really don’t have any pride, do you?]

“Nope. Turns out pride doesn’t help you survive.”

[Fair enough.]

The supposed Shin Noya nodded like he actually understood.

[There’s nothing more useful than knowing your place.]

He felt surprisingly reasonable for someone who might be fake.
Most people just stared at me like I was crazy when I said stuff like this.

[Fine.]

Shing.

He pulled Guiding String from the ground and rested it on his shoulder.

It was the same motion as before, but this time, there was a faint scent of plum blossoms.

[I’ll set the terms.]

Even his voice carried that floral fragrance.
Was this some kind of combat stance?

[Ten moves. I’ll give you ten attacks. If you can land even one blow—]

Before he could finish—

Whoosh—!!

I hurled my flame spear at him with everything I had.

BOOOOM—!!

Flames exploded as the spear struck, sending ripples through the ink-like surface.

The compressed energy erupted at close range, its destructive power undeniable.

I marveled for a moment at how far my martial arts had come, but—

“Damn it.”

I clicked my tongue, disappointed.

“Thought that would work.”

At the center of the blast, the old man stood, frowning at me.

Guiding String still in his hand.

I had hoped my surprise attack would do something.
But to see him completely unharmed—

The gap in our power felt overwhelming.

As a martial artist, I couldn’t help but respect it.

I looked at him and spoke.

“I attacked before you finished talking, so this one doesn’t count, right? Still ten left.”

[…]

He didn’t even bother responding.
He just shook his head, clearly exasperated.

After a few shakes, he finally spoke.

[You know what?]

And at the same time—

[You need to be taught a lesson, boy.]

Rustle—!

Plum blossoms bloomed around him, filling the space.