[{"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-936":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},1240686,1667,"Chapter 935","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-936",936,"\u003Cp>I feel something wrapping around my heart, like a bandage on an injured arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Energy that had never mixed before is now forcibly entangling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heat of the Nine Flames Firewheel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the pain of Tua Pacheonmu gradually began to mix.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, it's not mixing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It isn’t mixing, it's just entangling like oil and water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ssshh...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breathing grew heavier. The energy in my lower abdomen began to stir violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tsunami was crashing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like thunder was flashing in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earthquakes seemed to happen all around me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything that had been barely held together was now breaking apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I call it a disaster?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like terrifying things were happening inside me, just by looking at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ugh...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, pain accompanied it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy that couldn’t mix was now entangling, and it felt like my body was about to explode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a perfect repulsion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t even describe it as mere friction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was pure repulsion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An extreme repulsion that would never mix.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fingers were trembling as I clenched them. I was holding so tightly that I thought my bones might break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ugh... hhh...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy wasn’t just flowing through my meridians, it was being violently forced out in bursts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like my meridians were going to burst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I hadn’t awakened my body and shed my outer shell, I felt like it would have exploded already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grip was that strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more I felt it, the more I thought these were truly crazy bastards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How is it possible for such rough people to exist?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I put them together, it felt like they were fighting each other, determined to kill each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was that I was bearing the full recoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Now that I think about it...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I must be a bit of a crazy bastard too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m the one who did what I was told not to do, and now this is what I’m dealing with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I first tried this, no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be precise, when I said I was going to try it, they looked at me like I was insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I already looked like a crazy person, but this time, it felt even worse, didn’t it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you out of your mind?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon asked me, his face completely serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you even know what you’re trying to do right now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have a rough idea.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And you’re going to do it knowing that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon spoke as though he couldn’t believe it, looking at me in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, even I thought it was a bit ridiculous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re trying to mix two already completed techniques to create something new? That’s not something you do if you want to stay alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had told Paejong I was going to try combining the energies in my body into one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Paejong heard it, he said, half angry, to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told you before, if you want to die, just say so. I’ll grant that wish for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master, your words are too harsh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What can I do when my disciple suddenly says he wants to kill himself?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who said anything about dying?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s the same thing as saying you want to die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon spoke in an unusually serious tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know you have a strange body.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Strange? What do you mean by that...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know that you can carry multiple techniques within your body without falling apart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, I saw Paejong for the first time truly frown in anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mixing them together is a whole different thing. You fool. You seem to think it’s like mixing water and oil.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s not it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If that’s not it, then you shouldn’t even be thinking about it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon clenched his fist and showed it to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within that fist, the energy of Tua Pacheonmu swirled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Show me your flames.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I followed his words and conjured the flames on my palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoosh—!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon spoke while looking at the flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The flow of energy is inherently different in each technique.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even right now, you can clearly see the difference between the flow of your Tua Pacheonmu and your flames.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The direction and speed of the flow are completely different. How can you possibly make them work together?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s not the same as putting different energies in your body.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon said many things that didn’t succeed and were things that shouldn’t have been said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I knew that the reason he was doing that was to try and persuade me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew very well he didn’t want me to make a mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I quietly listened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason he was saying all of this was that he wanted me to avoid making a mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening for a while, I suddenly interrupted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cut off Paejong’s words and asked him bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The words you always said to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What words?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When training or in battle, I always remembered Paejong’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, those words had become important to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If it doesn’t work, make it work.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You always told me that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t mean to apply that here, do you? Even though you might be slow, I’m sure you understand that much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon’s tone had shifted from annoyance to something close to anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whether it works or not is something you don’t know until you try.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, it might work. You’re right. But.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon’s kind eyes suddenly turned sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What arrogance is it to reach for something when neither of the two techniques has even been mastered yet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, I had to briefly shut my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t make the mistake of thinking you know everything, disciple.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon strode toward me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was now only about a finger’s width shorter than me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The effects of his battle with the Half-Reversed Pole were likely still lingering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite that, right in front of me, Paejong felt much larger than he actually was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The reason I’m angry is not just because you’re doing something useless, but because of your arrogance in trying to take another path without completing anything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had nothing to say in response. His words were right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How can someone who hasn’t completed anything try to do something else?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t make excuses because his words were too accurate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, you mean, if I manage to succeed at even one of them, I should try it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You little...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon’s tone grew heavier, and I could feel him getting mad. I was definitely intimidated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m serious. You never know until you try. Just like you said, if you complete one, shouldn’t you at least give it a try?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a stubborn response. Hearing it, Paejong looked like he was about to get angry, but something made him pause, and with narrowed eyes, he said to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why are you so obsessed with this? You must have gained quite a lot already. What exactly are you trying to achieve?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nine Flames Firewheel and Tua Pacheonmu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A life full of countless serendipities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, what I had already gained was more than enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to my past life, it was even more so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is making you so desperate? If you keep going like this, even the Three Celestials won’t be that hard to surpass.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a bit absurd to hear this from the Three Celestials themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was also the first time Paejong had said such words, so I was a little taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If things continue as they are, even the Three Celestials will be surpassable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a conviction in Paejong’s voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, I too couldn’t help but think...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If things continue like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someday, maybe someday, I could surpass even the Three Celestials, known as the Heaven’s Beyond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I had only thought about it quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Someday will be too late.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew when that would be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long would it take? Maybe ten years, maybe even decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t have that kind of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You still don’t get it. Your impatience and thinking that you can gain more power by mixing techniques... How do you think that’s going to work?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejon still couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered what kind of certainty I had in trying something so insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt the same confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I first thought of it, it seemed like a passing fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of insane person would think of doing this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could have just let it slide as a fleeting thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But strangely, that thought didn’t leave me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt almost like someone was forcing me to think this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Try it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can do it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you just do it, a new world will unfold.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, as those feelings accumulated, I added a remark to Paejong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If I do it, do you think it’s impossible, Elder?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not asking whether it’s impossible. I’m saying, if I can do it, then something interesting will happen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At my words, Paejong fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I succeed in mixing the two techniques, what will happen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doesn't that interest you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that question, Paejong’s expression changed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...That...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paejong mumbled to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The direction of the energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The number of vibrations within the energy. The meanings carried by the two different techniques were all mixed together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it succeeds, what will happen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I could control the friction between the techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if I could convert the pressure generated from that into power...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Something extraordinary would come out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not as Paejong, the teacher, but as Paejong, the martial artist, I had to acknowledge it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I really succeed, something extraordinary would come out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem is, it was something no one else could do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just the act of putting two different techniques into one body would be an issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I could do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only I could even attempt it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know why my body was capable of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if I could use it, I would try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s how it began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing Paejong’s words, I made a promise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a promise with anyone else, but with myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I were to try, I would at least succeed in mastering one technique first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that resolve, the Nine Flames Firewheel finally reached their pinnacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah—.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, I attempted several times over the past few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I bound the energies together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kkkiii—!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The recoil exploded noisily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Binding was possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the domain of sorcery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Small threads were creeping in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These weren’t the threads of energy, but threads created through sorcery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these, I bound the energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I realized one thing about sorcery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sorcery wasn’t a simple field to break through with just energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To break through it easily, you had to fulfill certain conditions or break the subtle rules within it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What this means is...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Completely opposite to energy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There’s nothing easier than using sorcery to bind energy without letting it unravel.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t completely sure, but I was certain that sorcery was necessary to accomplish what I wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t sure how to bind it with sorcery, though.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, I was just going by instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was only trying to bind them, and with that, the speed and recoil from the other energies were being woven together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kkkiiiii—!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forcibly gathered energy groaned as it wrapped around my arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy around my arm made it tremble uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an immense pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though I had gathered the energy as best I could, I felt like my arm might be crushed from just this alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I must be crazy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the pressure, I slowly loosened my clenched fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My arms were trembling violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On my left arm, something like flames, but not quite, was wrapped around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The color was a chaotic mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I call it a damaged flame?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the black flame made from demonic energy. But it wasn’t pure blue flame either. It was too dull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this be the influence of Tua Pacheonmu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there wasn’t time to analyze it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spat a breath and moved my left arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My posture was a mess, and the speed was slow as I endured the pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I reached out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fist slowly cut through the air. And before long, it stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a vibration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kiiiiaaaaaa—!!!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aaaaaa—!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breath stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like my ears were ringing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just my ears, but my sight, smell, touch—everything was cut off in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My vision darkened, as if floating in the night sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this what it feels like when all five senses vanish?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt alien.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of sensation is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was about to be swept away by this strange feeling...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, my senses returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaa—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard the sound of wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A smell brushed past my nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the pungent scent of burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My blurry vision also returned. What I couldn’t see before was now visible again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as I saw, I widened my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Hah...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The area in front of me had become a complete mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A huge circular hole was drilled, and the flames I had unleashed were burning inside it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Hahaha.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing at the center of it all was Shin Noya.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His clothes were somewhat ruined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You idiot, you crazy bastard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was holding a sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hell did you create?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at me with a face full of disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>",2246,"2026-06-05T15:10:21.117Z",1,"novelbin.me","c08001d205cce268c39ca238b975ae25111af34b2ddef55f9cd2464fce711f89","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-937","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-935",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]