Read Daily Updated Light Novel, Web Novel, Chinese Novel, Japanese And Korean Novel Online.
Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter 1081: The World of Ascension (11)
Chapter 1081: The World of Ascension (11)
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
“Baek Yangcheon, you say...?”“The one whom Paejon wanted to take as a disciple?”
“He looks much younger and frailer than I expected. Did Paejon really show interest in that young man?”
“I heard he even scored full marks on the demonology exam.”
“What...? That test was said to be the most difficult in history.”
“That’s not all. In the first test, he apparently went against the examiner himself...”
Murmurs reached my ears.
No matter how much one tried to conceal their words, someone at my level—having reached the state of transcendence—could not entirely suppress their heightened senses.
I could hear everything clearly.
By the time their voices became glaringly distinct, my foot touched the platform.
Creak.
The wooden surface let out a subtle sound as I stepped lightly onto it, gazing straight ahead.
Countless eyes were fixed on me.
Among them, I spotted the man I had just been speaking with.
Do Yun—was that his name?
Sanseo Clan, was it?
A fellow from my hometown, apparently. But I had no recollection of ever hearing about the Sanseo Clan.
A member of some minor family, perhaps?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t recall any relevant figures. It wasn’t worth overanalyzing.
I only bothered to take note of his reaction because it amused me.
Even now, his eyes were locked onto me, wide with shock, as if he had just witnessed something utterly unbelievable.
Interesting.
It had been a while since I encountered someone worth teasing.
I gave him a faint smirk before shifting my focus back to the situation at hand.
At that moment—
“Baek Yangcheon.”
A voice called my name, drawing my gaze.
A familiar face.
It was the examiner who had overseen the second test. He looked at me with clear doubt in his eyes.
Ah, he must think I bribed someone.
Scoring full marks on the exam.
I had heard it was considered one of the hardest in history.
It was only natural for them to find me suspicious.
But in the end—
It’s just speculation.
The real issue was my background.
A member of the Baek Clan—a low-ranking house.
Would someone from such an obscure place even have the means to bribe an examiner?
That thought must have left them undecided.
“Yes,” I replied.
The man furrowed his brows slightly.
“...Congratulations on passing. You are the top scorer.”
“Thank you.”
Top scorer, huh?
I had received that title before at the Shinryong Hall, but...
...It hardly matters here.
I felt no particular excitement about it.
Then—
“The Alliance Leader will be arriving shortly. Compose yourself accordingly.”
“......!”
My eyes widened at those words.
The Alliance Leader—that meant...
...Sword Master.
Wi Seol-ah’s grandfather.
One of the Three Supreme Masters of the martial world.
The man closest to the title of the strongest under heaven.
The public believed that if there were a contest to determine the mightiest warrior alive, the Sword Master would be the undisputed choice.
The legendary figure who once led the Martial Alliance to its golden age of peace.
At least, that’s how he was known.
And now, the Sword Master himself was about to appear.
As that realization set in—
“The Alliance Leader is arriving!”
A loud voice rang out from the distance.
But I had already sensed it long before hearing the announcement.
His presence...
A colossal force approached, step by step.
Sharp. Lethal.
The very air itself felt like the edge of a blade, threatening to cut through my skin.
A suffocating pressure.
It felt as though the atmosphere itself was being flattened under his overwhelming aura.
I turned my gaze.
There.
From within the main building of the headquarters, an old man was approaching.
A small, frail figure.
Most of his hair had turned white, though patches of black remained. His body was incredibly thin.
And yet—
...Something’s different.
The moment I laid eyes on him, doubt crept into my mind.
Was this really the same man I knew?
His presence was entirely different.
The old man I had known had a kind expression on his wrinkled face.
But this one—
Sword Master.
This was not the same person.
A finely honed blade.
A human sword.
Just looking at him was enough to make my breath hitch.
He feels entirely different.
I had never seen him during his days as the Alliance Leader, only during his later years as a mere observer.
This was nothing like what I had known.
I instinctively heightened my awareness.
I must not be exposed.
I gritted my teeth.
Even though I had already reached the level of the Three Supreme Masters, there was no telling how powerful the Sword Master truly was.
I suppressed my aura as much as possible.
At the same time, I made sure to release just the right amount—completely concealing it would seem suspicious. I adjusted it to the level of a seasoned peak master.
“......”
The Sword Master stopped before me.
Our eyes met.
His sharp golden gaze pierced through me.
“So, you are Baek Yangcheon.”
“That is correct. It is an honor to meet you, Alliance Leader.”
“......”
His golden eyes scanned me from head to toe.
Yet, I couldn’t sense any energy from him.
But at his level, mere observation was more than enough.
“...A new star has risen in Zhongyuan.”
The surrounding crowd stiffened at his words.
Everyone understood the weight of what he had just declared.
And then—
“Oh? Have you taken a liking to him already?”
A voice interrupted.
An old man had stepped forward.
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
...Muk Yeon.
A strategist of the Martial Alliance, once known as the mind behind the alliance's victories.
Even in the world I came from, he had eventually returned to the position of the alliance’s chief advisor.
So, he was already present at this time.
It wasn’t surprising.
It just meant there was yet another person to be wary of.
“I heard we have a new top scorer. I look forward to your future contributions.”
“...Thank you.”
With that exchange, the brief conversation came to an end.
The Sword Master turned to address the vast crowd that had gathered.
“To those who have chosen to become the new strength of the Alliance, I welcome and praise you.”
His speech was brief.
A typical congratulatory address.
While he spoke, I discreetly spread my senses.
I was cautious—if the Sword Master noticed anything unusual, it would be dangerous.
So I moved my energy slowly, subtly.
There are far too many sharp gazes on me.
I could feel them.
How many among them were watching me with ill intent?
As I filtered through the presences, I realized—
Quite a few.
Even after narrowing it down, the number was still significant.
Hmm.
I gave a slight nod.
This might actually be doable.
It didn’t seem like it would be that difficult.
With that in mind, I composed my thoughts.
And just as I settled on a course of action—
The Alliance Leader’s speech came to an end.
**********
After the speech ended, we were led to the plaza.
Everyone who had been standing before the platform gathered there, following the instructions.
And the reason was simple.
“We will now announce the sword squads to which you will be assigned.”
Those who passed the entrance exam were now officially part of the Martial Alliance. Naturally, that meant we had to be placed into a sword squad.
It was a given.
The atmosphere was heavy with tension.
Everyone was busy observing the six individuals standing at the front.
Each one represented a different sword squad.
Yet, there were supposed to be nine squads in total within the Martial Alliance.
Nine, including the Divine Dragon Squad.
But only six squads had come to recruit.
The reason was obvious.
“The squads that didn’t come must be the Divine Dragon Squad, Wind Dragon Squad, and Guardian Squad.”
The Divine Dragon Squad only took in the absolute elite, so they never recruited fresh members.
The Wind Dragon Squad and Guardian Squad were special operations units—naturally, they weren’t interested in new recruits either.
“So, the remaining squads are here to select new members.”
It made sense.
“The selection will now begin.”
Names were called out one after another.
“Jin Seok-hyeon, assigned to Flying Dragon Squad.”
One by one, the chosen individuals stepped forward, heading toward their assigned squad’s representative.
“Bang Hyeon-yeon, Golden Dragon Squad. Seok Ho-ryeong, Iron Dragon Squad.”
The process was quick.
It seemed each squad had already made their selections in advance and was simply announcing them.
As the list went on—
“Do Yun, Azure Dragon Squad.”
My name was called.
And then—
“......Baek Yangcheon.”
I turned my head slightly.
“Azure Dragon Squad.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
“Oh!”
The loudest reaction came from behind me.
I turned to see Baek Yangcheon’s new shadow—
Me.
“Hah! We ended up in the same squad again!”
“......”
“Wow, to think I get to be in the same sword squad as the great Baek Yangcheon...! What an honor!”
I felt a dull headache forming.
From the moment we gathered in the plaza, this guy had not stopped talking.
I could already tell—this was going to be exhausting.
Ever since he learned who I was, he had only gotten more talkative.
“Of all people... why him?”
And Azure Dragon Squad, no less.
My ears were going to suffer.
Still...
“At least something went right.”
I ignored Do Yun’s rambling and focused on the more important matter.
I got into Azure Dragon Squad.
That was all that mattered.
It was my main goal, after all.
The odds weren’t in my favor, but I managed to make it in.
“...The place where my father is.”
The current squad leader of the Azure Dragon Squad was none other than Divine Dragon Gu Cheolwoon.
The last time I saw my father, he had been with them.
So naturally, I wanted to go there as well.
And now—
It seemed I got what I wanted.
“Hahaha! I think we’ll get along just fine, don’t you?”
“...Ah, yes.”
With Do Yun still chatting away, we made our way toward the squad’s gathering point.
The blue banners of the Azure Dragon Squad were easy to spot.
Finding them was no trouble at all.
When we arrived—
A voice greeted us.
“Nice to meet you.”
Huh?
I turned toward the speaker.
The voice was soft, almost musical.
And the owner of that voice—
She was beautiful.
Delicate and elegant, with a serene presence.
And more than that—
She smelled like flowers.
A scent I knew far too well.
“...Ah.”
Recognition hit me instantly.
Lately, I’d been encountering too many familiar faces.
The young woman met my gaze and smiled.
“I look forward to working with you. My name is—”
She paused briefly before finishing—
“I am Soi of the Azure Dragon Squad. People call me ‘Sword Peak,’ though that title is a bit embarrassing.”
“......”
Plum Blossom Sword Queen, Soi.
This was her... in her youth.
