[{"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-766":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},1240566,1667,"Chapter 765","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-766",766,"\u003Cp>“Damn it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I scratched my head awkwardly as the gazes poured in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t expect it to unravel this quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forcing a smile didn’t help—no one laughed. Instead, their eyes were wide open, all focused solely on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attention was overwhelming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Wait, is this really something to be so shocked about?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I honestly couldn’t understand why they were so surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why the hell couldn’t they do something this simple?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They kept making excuses about why this wouldn’t work or why that wouldn’t work, dragging things out unnecessarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is this really that hard?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s so difficult about it? Just do what’s right in front of you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doubt crept in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was I the weird one?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by how shocked they were, maybe I really did do something unusual…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What is it?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought about it carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why were they looking at me like I was some kind of monster?What made this so hard for them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Was it because of the Heart Sight?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ability to see differences in energy flows—that might be it.The reason probably boiled down to whether or not they possessed Heart Sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heart Sight allowed one to read the flow of Qi and use it to decipher formations effortlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is Heart Sight specialized for breaking formations too?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That could be it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, their reactions wouldn’t make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why the hell didn’t Paejon tell me about this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that was the biggest question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon should’ve mentioned if Heart Sight had this kind of application, yet he didn’t. That was suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I decided to ask him about it later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssssshhhhh—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barrier that had been slowly dissolving vanished completely from the area surrounding the pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The formation that had trapped several elite masters and dozens of Hwagyeong martial artists was now gone without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s broken!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The barrier’s down…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leader—!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry and get the division head!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the barrier fell, the martial artists erupted into motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pavilion was tall, but since they were all martial artists, climbing it took no time at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching their hurried movements, I narrowed my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Done.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Things hadn’t gone exactly as planned, but the barrier was broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And far quicker than I’d anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This would be more than enough to set the stage for the final part of the plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone landed nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt the air suddenly grow colder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The presence was sharp—unmistakably oppressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Shit.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to stop myself from laughing the moment I saw who it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the Sword Saint, the current leader of the Martial Alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression twisted into a deep frown, making no effort to hide his emotions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much I underestimated him, he was still one of the Ten Great Masters of Zhongyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aura he radiated forced everyone nearby to shrink back instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was how overpowering his presence was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before anyone else could approach, the Sword Saint took a step forward—and suddenly stiffened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d spotted the Heavenly Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Senior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword Saint addressed him first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a while. Or should I call you Leader now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What brings you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Heavenly Lord was smiling, the Sword Saint’s expression remained dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—actually, it seemed to grow even worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was told you’d stepped away from the front lines and asked not to be contacted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true. I still feel the same way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heavenly Lord paused mid-sentence and looked at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I immediately shook my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had a few matters to tend to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, that shut down any mention of me—at least for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the rumors would spread eventually, and the Sword Saint would hear about it sooner or later. But I didn’t want to deal with that just yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword Saint’s mention of the Heavenly Lord drew more eyes toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like most of them hadn’t even realized he was here until now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Heavenly Lord is here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait—was that thunderstrike earlier his doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster summoning site was pretty far away, but the lightning strike had been so massive that it could be seen from here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, it would’ve been strange if they hadn’t noticed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you assist us, Senior?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, not really. I just helped out a little at the end. The real work was done by others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It looks like you’ve been through some trouble. Are you all right, Leader?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That’s none of your concern, Senior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword Saint’s voice was low and steady as he responded to the Heavenly Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is an internal matter of the Martial Alliance. I’ll handle it myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heavenly Lord let out a quiet hum, clearly dissatisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leader.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword Saint looked ready to snap at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heavenly Lord studied him for a while before finally speaking again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been down this road myself. It only pulls you in deeper—you won’t find your way out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What are you talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someday, I hope you’ll understand. Before it’s too late, like it was for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword Saint frowned at those words but said nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had more pressing matters to deal with anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Call the Azure Dragon and Flying Dragon Captains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-yes…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two martial artists stepped forward immediately, bowing respectfully to the Sword Saint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take some time to assess the situation and report back to me with the details.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Understood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captains moved out, and the Sword Saint’s gaze shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It landed on me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes were filled with countless emotions, hard to put into words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared back at him, wondering if he expected me to bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I waited for a moment, but then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems you’re the one who broke the barrier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that’s what he wanted to know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you do it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Excuse me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of question was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I just did it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword Saint’s face twisted in response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I couldn’t help it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, seriously. I just did it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t explain it even if I wanted to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw a weak spot, so I tore it apart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Technically, I noticed a loose point and pulled. I hadn’t expected it to actually work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Anyway, isn’t it good enough that it worked?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to wrap it up quickly, but the Sword Saint didn’t look convinced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His glare only intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That barrier trapped both martial masters and even high-level Hwagyeong warriors. And yet, you broke it with ease? That’s hard to believe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, so that’s it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finally understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He’s suspicious of me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The formation had even stumped the Bima School, who were renowned for their mastery of formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet I had ripped it apart like it was nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to top it off—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s weird that I even showed up here in the first place.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Appearing out of nowhere with the Heavenly Lord probably made me seem even more suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Shit.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s sharper than I thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I guess I was a little too reckless.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t expect him to doubt me this quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This old man wasn’t as simple as he looked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble—!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive shadow loomed over the skies of Hanam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was so enormous that it could be seen clearly even from a considerable distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something ominous was unfolding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Damn it… this is bad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A burly man with thick, dark-green hair—Tang Deok—gritted his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Shit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly remembered something he had forgotten in the heat of the moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been ordered to arrive on time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realization dawned, and Tang Deok’s face turned pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he admitted to forgetting, he was bound to face something far worse than the pain he was feeling now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a grimace, Tang Deok yanked out the blade lodged in his abdomen and tossed it to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood spurted from the wound, but he ignored it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fear of what awaited him outweighed the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is all your fault.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Deok glared at someone with resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The owner of the blade—the man he had just been fighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man knelt on one knee, trying to steady his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Peng Woojin, the Sword King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite his battered appearance, Peng Woojin glared back at Tang Deok.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His left arm was twisted unnaturally, and blood poured from a deep wound in his abdomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked like he could collapse at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, Peng Woojin didn’t even groan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, his eyes burned with determination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t done yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His crazed gaze made Tang Deok chuckle despite himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really are something. I like you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Deok’s bloody smile was just as unsettling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wrist dangled, barely connected, and the blade embedded in his abdomen hadn’t been stabbed—it had sliced clean through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had stopped just short of being cut in half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both of them looked like walking corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only difference was that Peng Woojin was kneeling, while Tang Deok was still standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that made all the difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll be honest. I wanted to kill you here and now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Deok rested his crescent blade on his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if I stay any longer, it won’t be you who kills me—it’ll be someone else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Are you running away…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Call it what you will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Deok grinned even wider as he looked at Peng Woojin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I’m not… done yet….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Deok cut him off, asking for his name instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peng Woojin coughed up blood before answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Peng Woojin….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Tang Deok.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They exchanged names.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It might’ve seemed sentimental, but their voices were thick with bloodlust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The next time we meet, I’ll kill you. Peng Woojin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Wait—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Peng Woojin could finish, Tang Deok leaped away, leaving a trail of blood behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peng Woojin staggered and steadied himself against the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aftermath of their battle was pure devastation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was impossible to tell this had once been a forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peng Woojin spat out a mouthful of blood and turned to look behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the ruined trees, one solitary tree remained standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath it lay a corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Peng Zhou—his father, the Blade King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peng Woojin had suffered these fatal wounds trying to protect him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at his father’s lifeless body—the man he had killed with his own hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peng Woojin let out a bitter laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You were useless… even in the end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With those words, Peng Woojin collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, he was discovered by the Martial Alliance’s search team, drawn to the area by the sound of their battle.\u003C\u002Fp>",1779,"2026-06-05T15:10:17.629Z",1,"novelbin.me","bf6deb29f7d8153afa0780e89792f3c1abf9d802b41582ed456b698ea01d67c6","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-767","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-765",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]