[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith":3,"chapter-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-399":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Childhood Friend of the Zenith",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1239875,1667,"Chapter 399","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-399",399,"\u003Cp>Let’s recall war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No other words are needed—it is simply enough to call it hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter where you walked, the traces of the dead were scattered everywhere. The clear waters of the valley had lost their color, tainted with blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once-brilliant sky was stained crimson, and the towering walls of the fortress were cracked and shattered in disarray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those lingering in the streets all bore the same look—some were terror-stricken, while others seemed utterly drained, as if they had already surrendered everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their faces spoke that truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, that’s what war is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is no such thing as a beautiful fight, and among all the cruelties, war is the most brutal. The world was gradually rotting under the banner of bloody slaughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such was my past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been only a few years since Cheonma appeared. A brief period, yet more than enough to turn the world into that state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many years remain until that world returns once more?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew that it wouldn’t be too long from now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, there was the Divine Sword. And with it, countless forces that supported it, making it possible to overcome the bloodshed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I know that I cannot achieve the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, if I truly intend to take Wi Seol-ah's place, it means that I must at least accumulate as much power and influence as she did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond her martial prowess, there were countless others who lent her their strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is impossible for me to replicate the authority Wi Seol-ah held or her gentle ways of drawing people to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention my temper, but I have no experience handling people in such a manner. And it doesn’t suit me anyway; there’s no point in trying to mimic her methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I must find my own way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My own way…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have ideas. After all, I already know the easiest path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Demonification.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I did to Namgung Cheonjun, I know I can corrupt others with my demonic energy. I also know that I can control them as if they were slaves, with that energy as their leash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I am to build my own force, this method suits me best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I seek a new power I can rely on. And if I build it with those ensnared by my demonic energy, there could hardly be a more fitting approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But, is that…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it truly the right thing to do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These thoughts flicker in my mind from time to time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s not that I haven’t hesitated before, trying not to live as I did in my past life. If I end up choosing this path, despite all my efforts to live differently…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How would I be any different from Cheonma?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I claim to move against the Demonic Cult, but in taking such actions, would I not be establishing another Demonic Cult myself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This idea fills my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet still…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Is there any other way?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such concerns can only be pondered when there are alternatives to consider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it’s not the right thing, and it’s not what I wish to do, I am not in a position to choose otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why, when I made my list, I drew a line from the very beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who could be corrupted with demonic energy without consequence. Those whose lives as demonic beings, even in death, would be preferable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the final excuse I allow myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even if it’s wrong, I’ll bear it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying that I’ll take the place of the Divine Sword alone isn’t enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understand that I am not the one fit to fill that role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, I must use every means available to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guilt? Regret? Hesitation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I said before, those are luxuries only available when there are other options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, I have no such luxury now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is no room for doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I have a plan, I must carry it out. Now is the time to strengthen myself as quickly as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To push harder, I clenched my fist with more force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!The cave wall crumbled the moment my fist connected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with such small movements, pain surged through me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after so much agony, it only made my brow twitch slightly now. Had I become accustomed to pain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The very thought of finding pleasure in this made me wonder if my mind had been steeped too deeply in training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the difference from before—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My movements have changed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though subtle, there was a shift in the way I extended my fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to put it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt cleaner, as if an uncomfortable restriction had lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, a fitting word came to mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Flexibility.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My movements had become more flexible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this new fluidity, it seemed I was now able to apply my strength more effectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, it’s more than just a feeling.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was almost certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TheTu A Pa Cheon Gongtraining had indeed changed my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this what thePaejonmeant by altering the framework of one’s physical form?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s almost laughable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after training to the brink of death, nothing had improved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after learning one more technique did a path finally open up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Perhaps calling it 'just' one technique is a bit unfair.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mere act of breathing was a struggle. So enduring this alone was quite an ordeal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, if one could withstand the pain, no one could deny that this technique was peerless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was something anyone could understand after experiencing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I kept moving my body without rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drenched in sweat, I’d been reducing sleep for days, and fatigue had built up considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, I moved without hesitation, as if I would not stop until I reached my limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had been acting like this for several days. Focused so intensely, I had started to notice something strange recently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My body was shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not moving—shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I knew it, my body began to sway on its own, as if it had lost control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite this lack of coordination, I did not bother to rein it in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some instinct told me that I should not attempt to hold on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I took a step forward, a wave of pain rippled through my body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My knees, my back—nothing was intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From mydantian,Tu A Pa Cheon Gongcontinued to surge. Qi overflowed endlessly, uninterrupted for days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My vision blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I even need to focus my gaze? There was no need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My movements flowed endlessly, even without my conscious will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain began to dull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this what they call a state of pure selflessness, submerged in exhaustion?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt almost ridiculous, knowing that this was a place I could never truly reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of it mattered, really.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just a little more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to immerse myself in this sensation a bit longer. It was an odd discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I tried to regain even a bit of my focus, I knew this subtle feeling would break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a paradoxical sense I had to ignore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this also a kind of enlightenment?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would happen if I broke free from this state? I was a little curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah, damn it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had my recent thoughts disrupted it? Gradually, my senses sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The indistinct sensation was returning to its original clarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I try to regain it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I pondered this—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone appeared, holding my body still. My erratic movements ceased forcibly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Hah…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the strength that had sustained my body gave out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I collapsed on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hah… Hah…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I managed to stay upright by pressing my palms into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was I really this exhausted?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sweat dripped down my face, pooling on the ground. Only then did I notice my trembling hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t realized it, but my body had already reached its limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I staggered and caught my breath, someone spoke from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasPaejon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You kept going until sunrise, I see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What…?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened my eyes wide at his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it been that long?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejonchuckled at my surprised expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seems you’ve lost track of time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just moments ago, he hadn’t been there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When did he arrive, and how long had he been watching?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no trace of him in my memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had that hazy state really lasted that long?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at him in silence, and he grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you disappointed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, really? Your face is dripping with regret.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it? I hadn’t thought so, but it must have shown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t think of me as a hindrance. Had I not stopped you, there would’ve been trouble.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t see it that way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood simply from the state of my body. Going any further would have been a mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My body was at its absolute limit now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was the state of selflessness,Paejonprobably intervened to prevent me from causing harm to myself. Knowing this, I wasn’t particularly bothered by his interference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However,Paejonseemed dissatisfied with my response, pursing his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That response isn’t any fun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What would you have me say…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I was about to protest,Paejontossed something at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I caught it with weak hands. It was a gourd bottle, sloshing with something inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Drink up. Tsk, tsk… A geezer fetching water for a kid, imagine that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just when I needed it most, I gratefully took a long drink. For a moment, it felt as if I had been revived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I drank,Paejonasked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How was it? That moment you almost reached.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After swallowing a few more sips, I asked him, puzzled,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What moment do you mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The one you just touched.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That blurred sensation, something you didn’t want to leave, yet felt uneasy about, as if a single mistake would eject you from it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Yes, I did feel that way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s the right path, so don’t be concerned.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I listened to his words with a strange feeling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d thought of it as some kind of enlightenment, but hearingPaejon’s explanation made it feel like something more than a martial artist’s insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told you not to regret it because that’s a place you’ll inevitably reach again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A place I’ll inevitably reach?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have you heard of the concept ofMu Ah Ji Kyung(無我之境)?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A state of forgetting oneself, becoming one with the motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was something martial artists sought, an elusive moment of enlightenment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What you experienced was a form ofMu Ah Ji Kyung.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did this mean I’d just experienced enlightenment?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in that case,Paejon’s words seemed out of place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I pondered this, he explained further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be exact, it was a state of selflessness created by theTu A Pa Cheon Gong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, my eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he saying theTu A Pa Cheon Gongcould induce a state ofMu Ah Ji Kyung?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"DoesTu A Pa Cheon GongproduceMu Ah Ji Kyung?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing my puzzled expression,Paejon’s mouth curled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn’t expect to explain this so soon, but you’ve reached it faster than I anticipated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My martial art was born from my own greed, to become the best. You must have heard that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejonhad created theTu A Pa Cheon Gongpurely to surpass the limits of his own martial arts, in pursuit of his ambition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In truth, I sought to surpass the limits of humanity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Limits… You say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed, that’s why I created this martial art.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The limits of humanity…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what, did he want to become a god?\u003C\u002Fp>",1905,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.031Z",1,"novelbin.me","e76aaeea5f629c0769dcdd9ffb88af0f02d6650fe4b3b2e99787b51381ba6210","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-400","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-398",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]