Childhood Friend of the Zenith Chapter 1142

Whoooosh—!!!

The wind whipped through my hair for what felt like an eternity. The fierce turbulence made my brows furrow involuntarily, forcing me to shut my eyes.

…Just how far is he planning to go?

Paejon.

Just how long had I been dragged through the air by this stubborn old man?

By my estimate, at least half a keun (about fifteen minutes).

At this speed, if we had been flying for that long, just how far had we traveled?

I hope we haven’t left Hanam.

It was entirely possible. I couldn’t think of a good reason why we’d need to leave, but based on rough calculations, it wouldn’t be surprising if we had.

And then, at some point—

Boom—!!!

A heavy impact exploded as Paejon landed, the ground beneath us shattering and rebounding from the force.

Swish—!

Paejon released the grip he had on me. My body spun wildly in the air, but I twisted my energy and managed to land on my feet.

“Hoo—!”

I let out a deep breath. Paejon grinned at me.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a good run. Feels refreshing. Not bad at all.”

“…I nearly died, though.”

What was he thinking, suddenly grabbing me by the neck and leaping through the sky? Loosening my tense muscles, I looked at him and asked:

“Why did we come all the way here?”

I had no idea where we were. All I could see was a forest, nothing but trees in every direction.

Why did he drag me all the way out here?

At my question, Paejon’s eyes gleamed.

“We have things to discuss, don’t we? And you’re the one who wouldn’t want to have that conversation in front of the Sword Master, not me.”

“……”

I had nothing to say. He was right.

“You reckless brat. You dump all that important information on me and then run off to Hanam—what am I supposed to do with that? Were you expecting me to go running to that old geezer and tell him everything?”

“…No, of course not. I was in a hurry, I didn’t have much choice.”

No, I did have a choice. I ran away. Because if I hadn’t, I had no idea what that old man would have done to me.

The only thing I could count on was—

At the very least, he won’t go tattling to the Sword Master.

Having known Paejon for some time, I was confident in that much.

Especially since this wasn’t just about anything—

It’s about my martial art.

Paejon had dedicated his life to mastering Tua Pacheonmu.

He never managed to find a worthy disciple, and as his body aged, he even considered pursuing techniques to reverse his own aging.

Now, someone like me appeared before him. There was only one thing he would be thinking about.

Martial arts.

The Tua Pacheonmu that I had learned.

The knowledge it contained.

That would be the only thing on Paejon’s mind.

And sure enough, he proved it with his next words.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

Paejon looked at me as he spoke.

“I don’t know if what you’re saying is true or not. It’s absurd, really… But.”

What a ridiculous thing to say.

I never expected him to believe me outright.

But judging by his expression and the way he cut himself off—

It doesn’t even matter if he believes me or not.

I never asked him to believe my words. That wasn’t the point.

“The only thing that matters is Tua Pacheonmu inside you. That’s all I care about.”

He believed in martial arts.

Victory or defeat meant nothing.

He wanted only the art itself.

If there was one thing I knew about Paejon, it was that he wouldn’t believe words.

But he would believe power.

“I’ll ask again.”

Clench.

Paejon tightened his fist.

It was twice the size of the young Paejon I remembered.

A rough, calloused hand.

“Are you truly my disciple?”

“…It seems that way.”

At this point, there was no denying it.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then, how far have you progressed in Tua Pacheonmu?”

“…Up to the Fifth Form, Heaven-Shattering.”

“Heaven-Shattering?”

Paejon tilted his head.

His expression was one of clear confusion.

“What do you mean? The Fifth Form isn’t Heaven-Shattering.”

“…It isn’t?”

Wasn’t it?

The Fifth Form I learned was definitely Heaven-Shattering.

“You don’t even understand what Heaven-Shattering is. Show me.”

Without hesitation, Paejon walked over to a nearby boulder and sat down.

Resting his chin on his hand, he watched me with an amused glint in his eyes.

Hah.

Now I understand.

His reaction explained everything.

Dragging me all the way out here.
𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Taking me away just to watch instead of talking.

He’s curious.

If what I said was true—

If I had really turned back time—

If I was really his disciple—

Then—

What’s the difference between the Tua Pacheonmu I learned—

And the one he was currently developing?

That’s all he cares about.

Whether or not I was truly his disciple.

Whether or not I had really regressed.

None of that mattered.

He only cared about the differences in our martial arts.

…Seriously.

I couldn’t believe just how obsessed this man was.

“I always think about this, you know.”

“What?”

“You’re really something else, old man.”

“…Hmm?”

“I get called a lunatic pretty often. But every time, I learn from you.”

That there are far crazier people out there.

“…What was that, brat?”

“Nothing. Just sit back and watch.”

He took my side.

Acknowledged me as his disciple.

I could do at least this much in return.

I steeled my core.

Boom—!!

A surge of force erupted.

My meridians expanded.

The energy of Tua Pacheonmu coursed through my body.

Saaah—!!

Wild. Unrefined.

Yet raging and untamed.

I controlled the beast inside me, letting my body awaken.

Heaven-Shattering breaks the sky.

And to break the sky—

The sky must first exist.

The Fourth Form, Azure Sky, had to be deployed first.

Twitch—!

Heat surged through my meridians.

The violent energy could tear my body apart.

But Paejon had been searching for a Heavenly Martial Body.

Whether it was Rebirth through Destruction or Dragon’s Reconstitution, my body had undergone transformation.

It could withstand the side effects.

And so—

I condensed the sky itself into my fingertips.

Whoooosh—!!!

“Huh?”

Paejon exhaled in disbelief.

Gray energy condensed into a sphere in my palm.

It rapidly took shape—

A perfectly formed sphere.

I clenched my palm.

Heaven-Shattering.

Crack—!

The formed sky shattered.

A storm erupted.

Kuaaaaahhh—!!!

A shockwave pulsed outward.

Not just an explosion—

A spiraling vortex of cutting winds shredded everything around me.

Kugagagaga—!!!

Rock, trees, the ground—

Everything was consumed.

And just before it reached Paejon’s feet—

Ssss—!!!

I controlled the energy and reabsorbed it.

At that moment—

“Ha ha.”

Paejon laughed as he looked at me.

“Hahahaha—!!”

He laughed heartily, as if something had greatly pleased him. I stared at him, wondering what the hell was so funny.

“This is what you call the Fifth Form?”

“Yes. That’s what I was told.”

“…You’ve created something bizarre. I always wondered what could possibly be inserted in the middle, and in the end, you chose to incorporate Azure Sky?”

I couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or impressed. His expression was unreadable.

His gleaming eyes were just unsettling.

“The Fifth Form, Heaven-Shattering, huh? Not bad.”

With that, he gave his evaluation and stood up.

And then—

Whoooosh—!!!

“…!”

A gray sphere formed above his palm.

Heaven-Shattering.

What the hell? When did he—?

I was shocked.

Did he just copy Heaven-Shattering? No, that wasn’t it.

I didn’t sense him using Azure Sky at all.

Azure Sky, the technique that granted vast power to the body. There was no trace of it.

And yet, he suddenly formed Heaven-Shattering?

…No doubt about it.

Paejon’s energy control was far superior to what I remembered.

Now I understood just how much Rebirth through Destruction had stripped away from him.

Whoosh—!!

Paejon casually tossed Heaven-Shattering into the sky.

And then—

Kuaaaaaah—!!!

It exploded above, sending shockwaves rippling outward like waves crashing over an ocean.

It was strong.

The sheer pressure was overwhelming.

“Good. This will be useful for the Fifth Form.”

Paejon nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied.

Then—

“So, after this, you never learned the Fifth—no, the Sixth Form?”

“That’s right.”

“Why? Did I refuse to teach you?”

“No. It wasn’t that.”

Too many things had happened before I could learn it.

Just mastering Nine Flames Firewheel had kept me busy. I barely had time to study Tua Pacheonmu.

“Hmm… I see?”

Paejon tilted his head.

“It doesn’t seem like you lacked the qualifications… Hmm. I see.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Ah, it just works out perfectly.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’ve seen something good today… And if it were me, I wouldn’t have changed the Sixth Form either. There’s no way to make it more perfect than it already is.”

“What are you—”

Before I could finish my sentence—

Tap.

Paejon appeared in front of me.

Thump—!

Instinctively, my eyes sharpened.

My Tua activated on its own.

My heart pounded. My instincts surged, forcibly drawing energy through my body to generate Force Qi.

A primal survival instinct.

“I’ll teach you the Sixth Form now. And… the best way to learn is through the body, wouldn’t you say?”

There was no time to respond.

My arms were already moving.

“The name of the Sixth Form is One Fist.”

A rough, simple name.

And just like its name—Paejon’s fist extended effortlessly.

“Memorize it well. Because no one will be able to stop this.”

What followed was anything but simple.

Thud.

A small impact—

Rumble.

—and the entire world warped.