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Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter 1150: The World of Ascension (80)
Chapter 1150: The World of Ascension (80)
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
Three days had passed.The departure for Shanxi had been decided, and as the days flowed by, the time to set off had finally arrived.
Rumble.
“Haa...”
Standing unsteadily on a mountainside some distance from the Martial Alliance, I let out a deep breath.
It was a place where the ground had been completely wrecked—a space where the scars of battle were clearly visible.
This was also where Paejon had dragged me to last time, showing off his strength.
Now, in this same spot, I was desperately trying to steady my ragged breathing while continuously circulating my internal energy.
“...This is exhausting as hell.”
Only after I managed to regulate my breath enough to speak did I finally let out a complaint.
It was really, really damn exhausting.
Crack.
As I dispersed the residual energy within my body, it shot out and struck the ground, creating a deep indentation.
A clear sign of the immense pressure I had been holding within me.
As my expanded meridians trembled from the strain and my muscles continued to throb from the aftereffects—
“Tsk tsk.”
A tongue-clicking sound came from behind me.
Turning around, I saw Paejon watching me with an unimpressed expression.
“No matter how I think about it, it just doesn’t make sense.”
“...What doesn’t make sense?”
What was he talking about? I asked, confused.
Paejon answered with unwavering certainty.
“Why did I take in a brat like you as my disciple?”
“...”
His tone was filled with genuine bewilderment.
“Was I really that desperate?”
“What’s wrong with me?”
“What’s wrong? You’re slow as hell.”
“...”
“Your physical abilities are monstrously exceptional, and your ability to control energy is something the world has likely never seen before... yet when it comes to martial arts, you’re painfully slow. Compared to what you have, your comprehension is unbelievably dull.”
...Was that a compliment or an insult?
“Still, you have enough grit to push through the fundamentals of martial arts purely through willpower, which is admirable. But despite your lack of understanding, I still took you as a disciple...”
“I’ve already heard that a hundred times, you don’t need to say it again.”
“Right? I figured I must have told you already.”
“...”
He wasn’t wrong.
I had heard it from Paejon countless times before.
When it came to manipulating internal energy, my talent was among the highest in Zhongyuan.
But when it came to actual martial arts, I was slow.
I’d already heard that drilled into my head a long time ago.
But—
“You always say to make the impossible possible.”
I threw his own words back at him—the words he always repeated to me.
“Hm?”
“That’s what you kept preaching to me every single day.”
“...Hmm.”
Hearing that, Paejon tilted his head slightly.
Then, he let out a small chuckle.
“You’re right. Fair enough. I was just voicing my curiosity, don’t take it to heart. I’m sure there was a reason.”
“Don’t take it to heart? You already said everything that could possibly leave a wound.”
“So what? If you’re upset, we can have a match. A master guiding his disciple is always welcome.”
“...”
Damn it.
If it were back in my previous life, I could have easily beaten him.
But this Paejon? There was no way I could win.
‘Talk about rotten luck.’
Every time I get the urge to beat someone up, my luck just won’t cooperate.
What a shitty life.
“...Forget it.”
I was already exhausted—what more could I do?
“So, tell me what’s wrong this time. Was I at least a little better this time?”
I dusted off my hands as I spoke.
Right now, I was training under Paejon.
I was learning the Six Forms of Tua Heaven-Shattering Dance (Tua Pacheonmu).
A single, simple thrust—that alone could create a massive spectacle.
Paejon, a perfectionist, had once declared the technique flawless.
I had spent night after night rolling on the ground, training endlessly to learn it.
And yet—
“Failure.”
Paejon’s judgment remained absolute.
I hadn’t succeeded even once. Not even close.
However—
“You were too slow. And too heavy.”
Hearing what I needed to correct made me want to rip my hair out.
“...How was I slow? And how was I heavy?”
What kind of explanation was that? He always talked like this.
My steps were too fast. My breathing was too strong. My joints were too light.
Vague, abstract, and endlessly frustrating responses.
And—
“Why are you being like this? This isn’t like you.”
This wasn’t how Paejon usually taught. Sure, he liked using abstract descriptions, but—
‘Only to a certain extent.’
He usually gave just enough hints for me to figure things out on my own.
But the training itself was always structured with detailed explanations as the foundation.
‘Even when I trained in the First Form, he wasn’t like this.’
He had broken down every movement—
How the energy moved within the technique, why it flowed from the dantian to the meridians,
How it shaped the density of the joints and muscles—
He meticulously calculated and guided me through every single aspect, allowing no mistakes or inconsistencies.
And yet, for the Sixth Form,
“Can’t you just explain it properly?”
Why was he suddenly being so vague?
Could it be—
‘Was he like this back then too?’
Had his teaching style changed after his rebirth?
Was this how he originally taught?
“The Sixth Form has a correct answer.”
Paejon responded to my question.
“However, the path to reaching that answer has no set formula.”
“...What does that mean?”
“It means the execution changes moment by moment, depending on every possible variable.”
As he spoke, Paejon pointed to the ground beneath my feet.
“The subtle angles of the ground. The flow of the wind. The precise amount of internal energy released in an instant. Even the condition of your body, which changes from day to day. Some things can never be the same.”
“That’s true.”
“And yet, within all those variables, you must still reach the perfect result. So tell me—does a correct answer truly exist?”
“So basically...”
What he was saying was—
“I need to instinctively calculate every changing factor and still reach the perfect outcome?”
“Oh, so you do have some brains after all.”
“You do realize how insane that sounds, right?”
It was completely absurd.
He just said that everything about my body and surroundings changes, yet the outcome must remain the same?
‘...So just repeating the same movement with the same amount of energy isn’t enough?’
Even executing the movements with zero deviation was already difficult.
And now, on top of that—
I had to achieve perfection beyond that.
And do it—
‘By instinct?’
It was so ridiculous that I had to hold back a sigh.
“That’s why I was surprised.”
Paejon spoke again.
“That someone like me took in a disciple with such poor martial talent.”
“...”
Being able to account for all those variables and still reach the perfect result—
That was pure talent.
A kind of talent that I, at least, did not have.
“I told you before, didn’t I? That you were ready to learn the Sixth Form.”
“Yes.”
I had heard it.
That I was ready to learn the Sixth Form—but I hadn’t actually gotten the chance to learn it before coming here.
‘Not that I ever regretted it before.’
But now, I felt like I had missed out.
If I had spent more time mastering Tua Heaven-Shattering Dance, things would have gone a lot smoother.
“Hm.”
Paejon seemed to be considering something as he tilted his head slightly.
“Then I must have seen something.”
“...Are you sure?”
“Yes. I must have seen it. I’m not the kind of man who gives definite answers just because of some sentimental attachment to my disciple.”
“That’s true. You only ever care about yourself.”
“...What did you just say, brat?”
“Just joking.”
It wasn’t a joke.
Paejon knew that too—his face scrunched up for a moment before he let it go.
“...Whatever. You’ll find your answer as you go. If you’re done, let’s head back. We’re going to be late.”
“Yes.”
Not bothering to scold me further, he turned around and leaped away.
As I watched his retreating back, I was about to do the same—
But then.
“...”
I found myself looking back.
At the space where I had been practicing the Sixth Form.
The deep craters carved into the ground.
The sheer destruction made it look as if a storm had swept through.
‘...That’s what failure looks like.’
Even though Paejon had declared my attempt a complete failure, the result was still that level of devastation.
Recalling what he had shown me—
A disaster. Or despair itself.
No amount of words could truly capture the nature of that strike.
‘...I need to master it.’
I would master it.
I had no choice.
Maybe that was why—
“Hm.”
Heat kept rising within me.
I really was crazy.
This wasn’t the time to be training, yet the thought of a new challenge left me feeling strangely excited.
‘...Is this contagious?’
At this rate, I might have caught something from Paejon.
That thought made me chuckle.
‘Let’s go.’
There was no time to waste.
**********
I returned to the Martial Alliance.
By the time dawn had passed and morning arrived, the departure was drawing near, and everyone was busy making preparations.
“All the supplies have been loaded.”
At that report from one of the warriors, someone nodded.
My father.
“We leave soon. I’ll be going to see the Alliance Leader. Make sure everything is ready.”
He turned his back and walked away.
It was only then that I finally arrived.
As soon as I did, I noticed the warriors giving me sour looks.
Well, of course they would.
‘After what happened a few days ago.’
Was it because of how I dealt with Wi Seok?
Or because I had beaten Namgung Jin half to death?
Ever since then, they had clearly been keeping their distance from me.
‘Even better.’
They should have known better than to provoke a mad dog.
Why keep challenging me when they were just going to get hurt?
Satisfied with the newfound peace, I climbed into the carriage.
Someone was already inside.
“Oh, you’re here already?”
“Yeah. They told me to get in.”
Do Yun.
It seemed he was coming along for this mission as well.
‘...Not surprising.’
I had expected him to be included.
Not only was he someone to keep an eye on—
‘He’s from Shanxi.’
Same as my father.
That alone was reason enough for them to bring him.
As I nodded and sat down—
Creak.
The carriage door opened again.
And then—
“Damn. It’s cramped in here.”
Someone else climbed in.
Gu Ryun.
“...Why are you getting in here?”
Then—
Paejon entered.
What the hell? Why were these old men getting in the carriage all of a sudden?
As I looked at them, confused—
“Oh my, you’re all here already?”
“...?”
Following behind them, Hyun Soyeon casually stepped inside and sat down.
“...What’s going on?”
I looked at her and asked.
I could understand the old men, but why was she here?
I asked that very question—
“Hm? What do you mean?”
Hyun Soyeon tilted her head as if nothing was wrong.
“I’m going too. Of course I’m riding in the carriage.”
“...?”
There was nothing ‘of course’ about this.
