Childhood Friend of the Zenith
Chapter 364: Gathering of the Orthodox Faction (5)

Damn…

Shock was the first thing I felt.

I couldn’t help it.

Swoosh…

The aura radiating from Bi Eejin was overwhelmingly powerful.

…What is this?

As far as I knew, Bi Eejin was currently only at the Peak Realm.

No matter how good he was at hiding his identity, he shouldn’t have been able to hide his martial level.

But then how is this possible?

Shiver.

I felt my fingertips tremble.

It wasn’t fear that caused it, it was something else entirely.

I didn’t feel afraid.

It was simply the effect of being engulfed by his presence.

Bi Eejin’s aura began to overtake my own.

This felt different from the usual Qi or killing intent.

With years of cultivating martial skills and achieving enlightenment, one’s essence naturally seeps into their very soul.

That’s what a martial artist’s presence was.

It’s the martial artist’s very vessel.

A martial artist’s vessel remained hidden unless they chose to reveal it.

This meant that Bi Eejin was purposefully revealing his presence to me.

Honestly, his presence felt like a towering, impenetrable wall.

This is what the Three Venerables are like…

Even though his body was weaker than it once was, he was still one of the three strongest martial artists in the Central Plains.

The man who had mastered close combat felt like a wall too high for me to scale.

“Child.”

Bi Eejin’s voice changed.

His voice tone now sounded deeper, and it had lost its rhythmical charm.

The smile was gone from his face as well.

He was still the same person, yet he felt entirely different.

“When did you notice?”

“It hasn’t been that long.”

I lied.

I knew it ever since I met him and I even knew about the poor state he was in.

But I had no reason to reveal everything to him.

It wasn’t I had no reason to reveal everything to him.

Even his way of walking had changed.

The change was subtle, but to a martial artist’s eye, it was significant.

How is such a thing possible?

A martial artist’s movements are shaped by the martial art they practice.

Since everyone trains in different styles, even the simplest movements can vary.

By observing their movements, I could tell if someone specialized in close combat or wielding a sword.

Bi Eejin’s movements weren’t vastly different from other close combat martial artists, but there was a definite difference to my eyes.

Does that mean that he was moving as the Bijuu, the Dishonored Venerable instead of Bi Eejin, the Dragon Warrior?

Bijuu’s black eyes fixed on me.

It was like staring into an endless abyss, so deep that I couldn’t see the bottom.

It was a different kind of coldness than what I’d felt from the Dark King.

“Does anyone else know about this, besides you?”

The Dishonored Venerable didn’t try to argue against my words.

Though I’d spoken with certainty, I hadn’t expected him to confirm it so easily.

“There are none.”

“I see.”

Then, the Dishonored Venerable took a seat on a nearby rock, and even that movement felt different from when he was Bi Eejin.

Unlike Bi Eejin’s usual noble and elegant demeanor, he now possessed none of that.

So he was controlling even those things, huh?

His movement was one thing, but it seemed like he was even controlling his habits and personality.

It meant he was regulating every movement with flawless precision.

It made me wonder if anyone could truly achieve such perfect control.

“It would’ve been a lot messier if you’d told anyone else.”

“I see…”

Halfway through his sentence, the Dishonored Venerable shifted his position and gave me a strange look.

Through it all, his presence remained as grand as ever.

As I struggled to keep my nervousness in check, the Dishonored Venerable asked,

“How did you find out?”

He was asking how he realized he was actually the Dishonored Venerable, not the Bi Eejin he pretended to be.

Even after my regression, I remembered how you revealed yourself as the Dishonored Venerable while nearly killing me.

Obviously, I couldn’t tell him that, so I used the answer I’d prepared beforehand.

“It was my intuition.”

“…What?”

The Dishonored Venerable stared at me, speechless.

His confusion was understandable, given the absurdity of my answer.

“Intuition? Did you just say intuition?”

“Yes. It was int- “

“Child.”

The Dishonored Venerable rose from the rock he’d been sitting on.

I nearly turned to run when I saw that.

His posture had changed.

Despite being a Peak Realm martial artist, the weight of his Combat Qi was extraordinary.

“You probably know this, but I do regard you favorably.”

Yes, I indeed knew that.

The Dishonored Venerable was fond of me, and I knew it was because of my talent.

What an annoying reason.

In other words, if I hadn’t been talented, he wouldn’t have remembered me at all.

It was obvious, though.

Whatever the current generation was named, talent meant everything in the current world I lived in.

I often wondered where I stood in comparison to others.

Reaching the Peak Realm before twenty was already impressive, but I’d gone further, reaching the Fusion Realm.

I wondered how the world would react if this information ever got out.

A genius who will be remembered in history? I would be called something like that.

How bothersome.

The thought alone gave me goosebumps.

I’d only wanted to be called a genius back when I was a naive, delusional kid.

Every martial artist fantasizes about it at least once in their lives.

Everyone dreamt of becoming the Zenith.

It would make an inspiring story if I did become the Zenith, in a world brimming with martial artists aspiring to be masters.

But the problem is, I don’t have that much time.

I’d only reached the Fusion Realm at this age because of my regression.

I couldn’t afford to forget where I came from.

I’d allowed myself to forget for a moment, and look how things turned out a few days ago.

“That’s also the reason why I didn’t break you apart even after you found out about my identity.”

…Such violent words.

He’d said “break apart,” and somehow, it sounded more terrifying than death.

In a way, though, this tone suited the Dishonored Venerable perfectly.

Throughout all of this, the Dishonored Venerable remained still, staring at me without a single movement.

I could feel it from his gaze.

He was urging me to keep talking.

If I don’t, then he’ll become physical.

All I could do was sigh in response.

Whether it’s him or other people, there seriously isn’t anyone normal huh.

To be fair, masters probably reached their level because of their obsessive dedication to a single field.

This world was obviously tough for someone as gentle and soft-hearted as me.

“If you can’t give an explanati- “

“Did you not spar with me on the day of the entrance exam?”

I interrupted him.

Honestly, this was the scariest part.

The Dishonored Venerable shot me an unpleasant look but let it slide.

He was silently urging me to go on.

“I realized it back then. I figured out that you were the Dishonored Venerable himself, not his disciple.”

To be honest, calling it a spar felt like a stretch.

I’d been injured at the time, but even so, our levels were worlds apart. It was more accurate to say the Dishonored Venerable toyed with me.

It hurts my pride a little.

Even though it bruised my pride, there was nothing I could do.

Having fought him seriously in my past life, I should’ve been grateful to have made it out in one piece after our spar.

“And you call that an intuition.”

His gaze grew colder.

It seemed that wasn’t enough to convince him.

When Bi Eejin and I first met, he’d introduced himself as the Dishonored Venerable’s disciple.

This gave him an excuse to use the Heaven Destruction Art, the Dishonored Venerable’s signature martial art.

In my past life, the Dishonored Venerable had managed to live most of his life with his true identity hidden, only revealing it when calamity struck.

This showed that the Dishonored Venerable was naturally cautious.

So, I’d better take the most direct approach rather than dancing around the issue.

I took a breath and continued to speak.

“That’s not all.”

The backup plan I prepared before.

I hadn’t planned to use it here, but I had no choice.

I really hadn’t wanted to resort to this…

After a brief hesitation, I spoke out.

“I have been interested in you ever since before.”

“…Hmm?”

A strange sensation prickled at my neck as I forced the words out.

“What did you say?”

“…You’re known as the peak of close combat, and I found that title deeply inspiring.”

The former was somewhat true.

We might not use the same style of martial arts, but we both relied on our fists, and the Dishonored Venerable had reached the pinnacle in that field.

“Because of that, I asked the Beggar’s Sect to gather information on the Bi Clan.”

This was true as well.

In truth, I’d asked Chuwong to dig up information on the Dragon Warrior.

Of course, it was mainly to gauge his reaction to the rumors about me supposedly being the Dishonored Venerable’s disciple.

“I assume you are talking about that raccoon bastard.”

“That’s right.”

The Dishonored Venerable himself knew about Chuwong as well.

Oh right, Chuwong did tell me that he was captured.

All I could do was hope for the best for him.

After a brief pause, the Dishonored Venerable spoke, as if gathering his thoughts.

“I understand that you have great respect for me,”

“I didn’t say that, though?”

Why is he making things up now?

I didn’t say the word ‘respect’ even once.

The Dishonored Venerable ignored my remark and continued.

“But you should know, that’s not a reason.”

He was right.

Sending a beggar to gather information on the Dragon Warrior didn’t explain how I’d uncovered his true identity.

Still, I’d brought it up to make it clear I had no interest in him as the Dishonored Venerable.

Now, all that was left was to explain my reasoning to him.

“I became certain after our spar… but, honestly, I’d suspected long before that.”

“Does that mean… that you knew about my identity from the start.”

“I wasn’t certain.”

“How?”

The Dishonored Venerable’s tone grew sharper.

I felt like he might break my arm or leg if I didn’t give him a satisfying answer.

Thankfully, my reason straightforward and, more importantly, convincing.

Nothing else could be more persuasive.

“…My Elder gave me some information.”

All I had to do was use the First Elder as an excuse.

I knew they were friends, and given that the First Elder had received a recommendation letter from the Dishonored Venerable, I figured they had met even after the Venerable’s Eternal Youth technique.

Because of that, my best method was to sell out the First Elder.

Of course, I’d have to deal with the fallout later.

…Sorry Elder, but let me sell you out for now.

After all, isn’t this what family is for?

He always called me his grandson, so surely, I could lean on him now and then.

Now, the most crucial part was how the Dishonored Venerable would react.

I pretended to be perfectly fine and stared at the Dishonored Venerable while hiding my shiver.

Shortly after I spoke, the Dishonored Venerable’s eyes widened in reaction.

“That crazy bastard…”

It was a rather violent reaction, but I was able to let out a sigh of relief after seeing it.

“Gu Ryoon… you rotting piece of shit…”

The Dishonored Venerable placed his hand on his forehead as if he had a headache.

From that reaction, it seemed the two had a solid relationship.

He looked more exasperated than angry.

“…You said Gu Ryoon told you?”

“He didn’t explain it to me directly. I only made an assumption from a story he told me.”

I had to twist my words a little as it might become problematic in the future if I fully put blame on the First Elder.

I wasn’t sure if he’d buy it, though.

“…Tsk.”

The Dishonored Venerable clicked his tongue with an unpleasant tone.

It was only then that I realized the Dishonored Venerable had fully withdrawn his presence.

When did he do that?

His presence had been so overwhelming, yet I hadn’t noticed it fade.

“Child…”

“Yes.”

The Dishonored Venerable spoke after finally regaining his composure.

Had that explanation been convincing enough? I wasn’t sure.

“All is well. Even if you discovered my true identity, I can overlook it; there are more pressing matters.”

I thought to myself after hearing him.

So he’s not believing everything I told him.

He still seemed to have his doubts.

However, his response hinted that something else was more pressing to him.

“Since you brought up my identity, I assume you have another motive behind it.”

“…”

He was correct.

I could have easily pretended ignorance about his identity.

But I had a reason for admitting I knew.

“Do you still remember the offer I made last time?”

“I do remember.”

“Then does this have to do with that?”

“That’s right.”

The Dishonored Venerable, more accurately Bi Eejin made an offer to me last time.

He’d asked me to become his disciple.

That’s what the Dishonored Venerable said.

He’d wanted me to study under him.

This meeting was to finally give him my answer.

“This might actually work out better; it’ll make things clearer.”

The Dishonored Venerable’s smile returned.

“My offer still stands. I’m asking you to become my disciple.”

Wherever the serious Dishonored Venerable from before went, he now seemed to be in a cheerful mood.

Was he really that pleased about this?

I didn’t know.

He doesn’t even know how I would answer.

Does he really think I wouldn’t refuse his offer? I’d been wrestling with my thoughts up until the very moment I was about to answer.

More accurately, I had been doing it ever since he made the offer.

While becoming the Dishonored Venerable’s disciple would bring clear benefits, I simply didn’t have the time to master an entirely new martial art.

Thinking back to the power he’d wielded in my past life, the temptation to learn from him was undeniable.

Just facing it had made me feel as though I’d encountered an insurmountable wall.

However, there were problems as well.

Learning a new martial art would mean starting from the ground up.

I couldn’t afford to do such a thing.

That was why this was so difficult.

The Destructive Flame Arts were powerful enough to be considered a Divine Art.

Because of that, I believed that it wasn’t necessary for me to become the Dishonored Venerable’s disciple even up until a few days ago, but that belief of mine changed after I met the Heavenly Demon.

I’d believed that my current progress was enough, especially since it was leagues ahead of my past life.

I’d been arrogant, full of pride.

Drunk on the title of “True Dragon,” I’d forgotten myself for a time.

I forgot what kind of existence the Heavenly Demon was.

There is no chance of victory.

How could I win against it?

I racked my brain daily for a solution, but no matter how hard I thought, there was no path to victory at my current pace.

Because of that, I had to figure out a different method.

If giving up wasn’t an option, I had to look for a new path.

I considered asking my father for advice, but I doubted that alone would be enough.

I was fairly certain it wouldn’t be.

Through all my battles as a martial artist, I’d come to realize a major flaw in myself.

I lack a fundamental understanding of martial arts itself.

The core issue was my severe lack of combat techniques.

But I believed that the man before me was the ideal teacher for those techniques.

After all, the Dishonored Venerable had reached the pinnacle of close combat arts.

“…Becoming your disciple. I would gladly become one.”

Honestly, I didn’t believe that becoming his disciple would solve everything.

I saw this as a necessary struggle to help me reach my goal.

The Dishonored Venerable seemed just as eager for me to be his disciple.

I didn’t know his intentions behind it though.

I assumed he had a strong reason for choosing me, especially given his reputation for never taking a disciple.

“Before that, I would like to make a request.”

“A request?”

The Dishonored Venerable titled his head.

I was nervous about how he’d respond, but thankfully, he didn’t seem too bothered.

I had only one request.

I genuinely wanted to learn from the Dishonored Venerable, but as I’d mentioned earlier, I couldn’t afford to dismantle everything I’d built to start anew.

Moreover… I wanted to check something regarding this as well.

“I would like to learn your martial arts, while also keeping everything that I built up in my life.”

In other words, I wanted to learn his techniques while retaining the Destructive Flame Arts within me.

The Dishonored Venerable’s expression twisted at my words.

To be fair, it was a rather absurd request.