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Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter 1097: The World of Ascension (27)
Chapter 1097: The World of Ascension (27)
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
A massive fist loomed right in front of my face. If I had been even a fraction of a second slower, it would have smashed straight into me.The fist remained frozen in place, unmoving. As I stared at it intently—
“What did you just say?”
Paejon’s voice rang out. The fist was still there, and the energy surrounding it hadn’t dissipated.
He hadn’t withdrawn his power yet.
Confirming this, I glanced slightly at Paejon.
“I meant my identity.”
I met his gaze as I responded.
“You asked, so I answered.”
“I asked what exactly you said.”
“I said ‘disciple.’”
“...Whose disciple?”
At that, I raised my hand and pointed at the massive old man standing before me.
“Yours, elder.”
“...Ha?”
A sharp exhale escaped him, accompanied by an oppressive surge of energy. Seeing that, I turned my body slightly and clenched my fist.
Tua Infinite Fist.
Paejon’s Tua Infinite Fist activated.
Tua Infinite Fist.
I met his attack with the same technique.
KUAAAAAA—!!!
A shockwave erupted, sending tremors through the surroundings. Trees and boulders were blasted away, and the distance between Paejon and me widened slightly.
Watching this unfold, I scowled.
“Really, elder? You could just confirm with words. Do we always have to resort to fists?”
“If you’re planning on playing word games, I’m not interested in listening.”
“It’s not a joke.”
Thunk.
I removed my martial robe and laid it on the ground.
“Honestly, elder, you already know that this is the only possible answer. No—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
Because now, I had to say something I had never once uttered before when addressing Paejon.
“You already know this, Master.”
Master. Or teacher.
Since becoming Paejon’s disciple, not once had I ever called him that.
But now, it had to be said.
“Haha.”
Paejon’s laughter grew deeper. This was the turning point.
I knew that laugh—it meant he was on the verge of exploding.
“I don’t recall ever teaching you. Do I look like I’ve lost my mind?”
“Judging by your actions, it’s not far off.”
“What did you say?”
Ah, damn. I accidentally provoked him even more.
A force of habit.
“...Anyway. You’re right, you never actually taught me. At least, not yet.”
“Not yet?”
“Yes. You heard me, didn’t you?”
Crack. I rolled my shoulders, loosening up. The sudden intensity of movement had left me slightly fatigued.
I felt a weariness here that I hadn’t noticed back in Mangye.
“I turned back time.”
“.....”
Paejon frowned.
“What do you mean? Are you saying you traveled back to the past?”
“Oh, that’s right. You’re quite sharp.”
“Ha!”
KUGUNG!
A violent storm of energy burst forth from Paejon, stronger than before. The sheer force of it made me shudder involuntarily.
‘He’s strong.’
Both of us knew that we weren’t fighting seriously, but even so, this level of pressure was overwhelming.
But—
“That’s an absurd joke.”
“It’s not a joke.”
KUUUUUUUNG—!!
I couldn’t afford to be overwhelmed, so I unleashed all the power I had contained within me.
As I fully released the energy of Tua Heaven-Shattering, it intertwined with Paejon’s.
The same energy.
An energy that only two people in all of Zhongyuan possessed, clashing and resonating as if in harmony.
“If it isn’t true, then how do you explain what’s happening right now?”
“.....”
Paejon’s frown deepened.
Anyone would struggle to believe this. That I had traveled back in time? What kind of lunatic would make such a claim?
‘Even I wouldn’t believe it.’
For me, it was reality.
But for Paejon, it wasn’t.
So, I had to show him.
“This—everything I have—was all given to me by you, Master.”
Gagagagagak—!
I displayed the power of Tua Heaven-Shattering, the technique I had acquired through countless hardships.
“Even after seeing this, you still don’t believe me?”
A whirlwind of razor-sharp energy swirled around my body. Paejon stared at it intently.
And then—
Shhhhk!
He abruptly withdrew his own energy. I followed suit, letting my own dissipate.
“I can’t believe it.”
Paejon spoke.
Of course, it wasn’t something easily believed.
“Then?”
“Prove it.”
“...What?”
Feigning surprise, I widened my eyes.
“Prove it however you wish. How is such a thing even possible?”
Paejon questioned. As expected.
I had anticipated this exact response.
Which is why I had already prepared my answer.
“I don’t know.”
“Ha?”
The perfect response.
“I don’t know. I died, and when I opened my eyes, I was in the past.”
I spoke with absolute certainty. It wasn’t a lie—it was exactly what I had experienced.
“Died...?”
“Believe it or not, that’s the truth. I died once. When I opened my eyes, I was here.”
“So, before you died, you were my disciple?”
“That’s right.”
“Since when? When did you become my disciple?”
“If we’re talking about time, it was right around when you first arrived at the Martial Alliance.”
“That would mean—”
“Yes. I was taking the entrance exam at the time.”
This was the crucial moment. I mixed what I had experienced with what I hadn’t, crafting my narrative carefully.
“Even back then, it was the same. The moment you saw me, you approached and told me to become your disciple.”
“And?”
“And what else? One of the Three Masters telling me to become his disciple? Of course, I accepted immediately.”
“And after that, you trained under me? Ridiculous.”
Paejon laughed at my explanation.
“That makes no sense. The only reason I approached you was because I sensed the energy of Heaven-Shattering in your body.”
“.....”
As expected.
Hearing those words confirmed it for me—this old man had sensed my hidden energy the very moment he laid eyes on me.
He really was a monster.
"And you claim that I asked you to become my disciple the moment I saw you? Nonsense."
"It’s not nonsense."
Even so, I continued speaking.
"The moment you saw me, you said it yourself. That this body—this was the very thing you had been searching for."
"......!"
Paejon’s eyes widened.
It seemed that was the right answer.
‘So he had already been searching for it back then.’
A successor for Tua Heaven-Shattering Dance.
Someone who could fulfill the dream he himself likely would never achieve.
Paejon had been searching for that person.
Even back then, hadn’t he said it? That he needed to find the perfect body?
"Ha..."
He wavered. I immediately pressed forward.
"From that moment on, it was hell. The martial arts techniques you taught me? They did nothing but rip my body apart. You insisted that every single movement was crucial, so I had to repeat them until I nearly died. You even made me punch through solid rock inside a cave... It was an endless cycle of absurd training."
"......"
Paejon fell silent.
Of course, he had nothing to say.
Because everything I had just described—I had lived through it.
"At first, I regretted it. I kept wondering what kind of insane training this was. But there was no way back."
"......And?"
"And what? I had no choice but to follow your orders and learn."
"No, not that."
"Huh?"
"Did you master it?"
"Ah."
Even in this situation, that was what he wanted to know.
Truly, this man was unshakable.
I shrugged.
"Not yet. I still have a long way to go."
I had fully mastered Nine Flames Firewheel, but not Tua Heaven-Shattering Dance.
That godforsaken technique was not something one could master so easily.
"And yet you returned? Without finishing it?"
"Well, I died. What else was I supposed to do?"
"How did you die?"
"An ambush."
Again, I mixed truth with deception.
"An ambush?"
"Yes. Some unknown group attacked. They crushed the Martial Alliance in an instant and took control of Zhongyuan."
"Utter nonsense. The Martial Alliance, taken over? Do you know who resides there? The Sword Master, that senile old lunatic."
Paejon scoffed in disbelief.
The Sword Master resided in the Martial Alliance.
For someone to overpower him and seize control—Paejon couldn’t believe it.
That alone spoke volumes about the Sword Master’s standing.
It was an interesting perspective.
But there was only one thing I could say.
"It’s the truth. That’s when I died."
"......And then you turned back time?"
"Yes. I needed time to grow stronger, so I emerged when the time was right."
"And so, at your age, you’ve already reached this level of mastery?"
"That’s right."
"......"
Aside from time regression, there was no logical explanation.
Paejon had experienced my strength firsthand. He knew.
There was no other way this could be possible.
Even if he couldn’t fully believe it, he was wrestling with the possibility.
‘Now then...’
I needed to push further.
To truly convince him, I couldn’t rely solely on myself. I had to use him as well.
"Master."
"......"
"Since you already know, I might as well say it outright."
I locked eyes with Paejon and spoke lightly.
"Don’t do it."
"......Do what?"
"That foolish pursuit of yours. Give it up."
"......!"
Paejon’s reaction was intense.
He knew exactly what I was referring to.
"Rejuvenation. If you go through with it, you’ll regret it."
"How do you...!"
A secret only I knew.
Something that hadn’t happened yet but inevitably would.
"How do I know?"
I answered as calmly as possible.
"One day, in the middle of training, you suddenly decided it wasn’t working. So you disappeared. Then you came back... as a newborn baby."
"......"
"Your body became weak. Your original abilities didn’t return at all. You regretted it the moment it was too late."
"......"
"And why? You had already chosen a disciple. Why did you still try to do it yourself? I don’t get it."
If he had taken a disciple earlier, he wouldn’t have pursued rejuvenation.
By pointing this out, I added another layer of credibility to my claims.
It wasn’t just that I was warning him—it was that I was speaking as if I had already seen it happen.
"So... you truly traveled back in time?"
"Yes."
"......"
Paejon fell silent, lost in thought.
I knew it wouldn’t take him long.
So I patiently waited.
"Just one more question."
As expected, Paejon finished contemplating quickly and turned back to me.
"If you were my disciple, tell me—what is the most memorable thing I ever taught you?"
"...What?"
The most memorable thing?
"You mean a technique? A form?"
"It doesn’t matter. Just tell me something that will convince me."
"......Hmm."
I scratched my cheek.
Something that would convince him...
‘Well, there’s one thing.’
The thing that stuck with me the most.
"Ah."
I recalled it immediately.
Something that had been ingrained in me like a curse.
Something Paejon had said countless times.
"Keep going until it works."
"......What?"
"There’s no such thing as impossible. You just do it until it works."
"......"
Martial arts, techniques—everything had been redefined under Paejon’s guidance.
But above all else, this was the most important lesson.
"Master. That is what I learned from you."
"......"
For a moment, Paejon was speechless.
**********
Crunch.
The underground chamber of the Martial Alliance.
A place often referred to as the Wind Dragon Division’s laboratory.
A massive corpse was being carried inside.
“Prepare at once!”
“Summon the Division Leader!”
The members of the division bustled about frantically at the sight of the incoming monster’s corpse.
It was large enough to completely fill the spacious room.
It had long since lost its breath, yet even in death, its sheer size remained overwhelming.
A colossal bear, its body sparsely covered with red fur.
The corpse of Redstone Bear, which had just been decapitated by the Sword Master.
“...It’s really red.”
“How could there be a Crimson-Rank Beast...?”
“Where is the Wind Dragon Division Leader?!”
The members of the Wind Dragon Division gawked in disbelief at the Crimson-Rank Beast.
A monster appearing out of nowhere—it was beyond comprehension.
For centuries, such high-grade monsters had never been seen.
It was shocking enough on its own, but more than that, it held immense research value.
The Alliance Leader himself had issued an order to study the creature.
Everyone had to move without rest.
Yet amidst the chaos—
“Hmm...”
There was one person.
Amidst the frantic researchers, a lone young man stood silently.
He rolled his eyes over the massive corpse before speaking.
"How did this happen?"
His tone was one of utter confusion.
And his eyes—
Glowed with an eerily red hue.
