Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The sun rose.

It might seem like a given statement.

During the day, it was normal for the sun to be in the sky.

But that wasn’t the issue at hand.

It’s nighttime right now…The sun had already set, and the moon should have taken its place by now.

That was the natural order of things.

So what exactly was this?

He could hardly believe his eyes, even as he stared up at the sky.

A sun in the night sky.

Right now, the sun was shining brightly above, in the middle of the darkened sky.

But that wasn’t all.

It’s even affecting the sky.

This "sun" was altering the surrounding sky.

Where there should have been only darkness, the area around it was bathed in a deep blue hue.

Is this a force similar to Red Heaven?

The Gu family’s secret technique used heat emitted from the body to dye the sky red, bolstering one’s power.

Technically, it’s closer to a barrier.

Red Heaven, as its name suggests, gave the illusion of turning the sky red, though it was actually just an area of influence.

It expanded by releasing intense heat, creating an aura that spread out to such a wide area that the sky appeared red.

So what about this?

…I have no idea.

He didn’t know.

Damn it, he had no clue at all.

Is that really martial arts?

The sun floating in the night sky.

He called it a "sun" because that’s what it looked like, but it certainly wasn’t the actual sun.

It was just floating there.

Yet, the immense heat it radiated lit up the sky as if it were day.

What kind of martial arts technique is that?

I don’t know this martial art.

Since his father was the one using it, it was undoubtedly a technique of the Gu family.

But it was a skill he had never seen before.

Even in his previous life, during his battle with his father, he hadn’t seen this kind of power.

In fact……I’ve never seen my father go all out in a fight.

A father with fiery red hair.

It was a sight he’d never witnessed before.

Which meant…Even when he fought me in my previous life, Father wasn’t using his full strength.

It was a bitter realization, even though it was something he had already known.

[Hahaha.

]As he stared up at the miniature sun, Shin Noya let out a hearty laugh.

[It’s unbelievable.

]“What do you mean?

”[What does it look like to you?

]What does it look like?

“A sun?

”It didn’t look like anything else to him.

[Yes, that’s the natural response.

]“Then, what is it?

”A blazing, small sphere that devoured the surrounding darkness with its brilliance—what else could he call it but a sun?

At least, he couldn’t think of any other words.

He had no idea what answer Shin Noya might have been expecting.

[It’s not a sun.

]“I know that.

”He was calling it a sun, but he didn’t actually believe it was the real thing.

There just wasn’t any other name for it.

“Do you know what it is, Noya?

”Could it be that Noya knew of this mysterious power of the Gu family, the power his father wielded?

He asked, mixing curiosity with doubt, and Noya replied cautiously.

[It’s a manifestation of his heart’s intent.

]“What?

”Intent.

It seemed like a strange term, but for a martial artist, it wasn’t an unfamiliar concept.

The heart.

For a martial artist, their heart and mind were like a mirror.

As they trained their bodies, strengthening themselves by filling their vessel with internal energy, they grew.

Striking and breaking, regenerating and strengthening, the body of a martial artist gradually became more resilient.

And as it did, their spirit deepened as well.

The growth of a martial artist was not limited to the body but also extended to the spirit.

A martial artist who continued to grow would eventually reach a point where their spirit took form.

He looked at the sun his father had created and muttered.

“So it’s similar to the Heart Sword?

”The pinnacle of swordsmanship.

The ultimate skill of a master swordsman who had trained to the extreme.

It wasn’t an achievement that could be reached by any martial artist; only those who pursued pure swordsmanship could reach this level.

It was called “Unity of Body and Sword.

”A state where body and sword became one.

If there was a difference between ordinary swordsmen and those who had attained this state, it would be—The ability to wield the Heart Sword.

The difference lay in whether one could solidify their spirit to take form, the defining trait of those who achieved the Unity of Body and Sword.

Honestly, he didn’t fully understand it.

Even among those around him, the only one who had reached Unity of Body and Sword was the Demon Sword Queen.

As for the Sword Demon, he doubted he had reached it.

If that guy had truly attained Unity of Body and Sword, he would have been far more reckless and arrogant.

So, in any case—Is that the power of intent?

The absurd power floating in the sky, could that really be the manifestation of someone’s intent?

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t understand it.

The essence of martial arts was the use of energy through the body.

But that power seemed to be so far beyond that essence.

To call it a manifestation of intent……Ha.

The thought made him let out a hollow laugh.

The idea struck him as absurd.

A person who hasn’t even reached the pinnacle talking about essence…He hadn’t even mastered the martial arts of the Gu family.

Instead, he’d used demonic arts to enhance his level, and here he was, talking about the essence of martial arts.

He knew.

It was just an itch, a sense of longing.

…The power of intent.

This vast power he faced stirred that thirst within him.

And since he recognized it as a martial art he shared with his father, he couldn’t help but wonder if he could wield such power if he worked hard enough.

After all the trials he’d faced and years he’d endured, was he finally feeling like a true martial artist?

He bit his lip to regain focus.

Now is not the time to pursue such ideals.

This was a different path.

If he took the time to practice, maybe someday he would reach it.

But that was something to strive for when he actually had time.

He looked away from the sun, turning his gaze forward.

Now wasn’t the time to be impressed by that sight.

Where did he go?

After throwing something so strange into the air, his father had disappeared.

He was searching around the Tang Clan’s grounds, looking for his father.

Though he’d spread his senses widely, he couldn’t sense anything.

His enhanced senses, powerful enough to cover the entire Tang Clan, weren’t picking up a single trace of his father.

Could it be… because of that?

His gaze turned back to the sun in the sky.

Not only was it radiating heat, but it also seemed to be blocking him from spreading his senses.

He didn’t understand the principle, but if that was the case…This is an absurd power.

It was like a superior version of Red Heaven.

Instead of expanding an area to raise heat, it felt as if it dominated the very space itself.

What should I do?

If he couldn’t spread his senses, how could he locate his father?

…Damn it.

He thought hard, but nothing came to mind.

Then again, maybe there was no need to search.

His father wasn’t the type to cause trouble, and he had promised to return soon(?

).

If he wanted to avoid a scolding, staying put in his room would be the best option.

Yet, for some reason, he felt compelled to find him.

Something…There had been something peculiar about his father’s gaze before he left.

That subtle difference in his father’s expression made it impossible to stay idle.

…Ugh.

Of course, even if he followed, he had no plan.

After all, the main problem was that he’d lost sight of his father.

I couldn’t keep up.

He hadn’t been able to catch up when his father sped up.

It was as if he’d disappeared before his very eyes.

It must be the same martial art, yet… such a difference…Oh?

As he thought, a solution suddenly occurred to him—a way to find his father.

He stopped in his tracks.

…The same martial art.

The Gu family’s bloodline martial art, Gu Flame Wheel Technique.

A technique that converted energy into flames, generating immense explosive power.

The key point was this:His father and he both used the same martial art.

Realizing this, he released his Form Shifting Technique.

Crack!

His bones twisted sharply, sending a wave of pain through his body, but he ignored it.

Or tried to.

…Ignoring it is harder than I thought.

Perhaps because he’d enlarged his body so suddenly, the pain was considerable.

He endured it, though.

As the Form Shifting Technique released, a sense of relief spread through him, easing the discomfort.

Then—Whoosh!

He formed the rings of the Gu Flame Wheel Technique around his body and began rotating them rapidly.

The energy starting from his heart spread throughout his body.

The energy discharged through his body instantly transformed into heat, which then erupted into flames encircling him.

It was a vivid blue flame.

A flame that could never return to its original red hue.

A bitter feeling passed over him, but he ignored it and focused.

The difference between martial arts practiced by sects and those of family lineages often lay in the numbers.

In this case, the number of people who practiced the technique.

For the bloodline martial art, practitioners were few.

Among the Gu family, only those of direct lineage would use it.

This created an opportunity.

When two people used the same martial art, they could resonate with each other.

In Sichuan, there would only be two Gu family members—his father and him.

And within the smaller area of the Tang Clan, it should work even better.

So—He raised his flames to locate his father.

The plan was to trigger a resonance.

That would make finding him easier.

Of course—This won’t work if Father isn’t using his martial arts.

He guessed that his father would be using it, though.

It was just a feeling.

As the blue flame ring continued to spin faster, its size expanded.

One ring layered over another.

Whoosh!

As the heat intensified, a third ring soon joined the others.

Three rings in total.

By this point, the energy drain was substantial.

How much bigger should he make it?

It was about time he would have felt a response if his father was nearby.

Is this not working?

Just as he was about to withdraw his energy—Woom…“…!

”He felt it.

The clash of energy, as if something had struck his.

He turned.

Dragging his flame-cloaked body, he sped toward the source.

It wasn’t far.

In fact, it was odd he hadn’t found it sooner.

With his released Form Shifting Technique, he moved swiftly, reaching his target location in seconds.

Tap.

Arriving at the place where he sensed the resonance—Woom—!

“What is this?

”Along with the resonance, he felt another presence brush against him.

He quickly realized it was the power of a formation.

But……Did something tear it open?

Where the formation should have been intact, he saw traces left behind.

It looked as if someone had forcefully ripped it open.

…Though he didn’t want to believe it, he couldn’t ignore the lingering heat that told him it was his father’s doing.

What are you really doing?

Setting aside why this formation was here in the first place, why had his father come here?

He moved further inside.

After a few steps, he stopped, his eyes widening.

Intense heat.

Far hotter than anything he had sensed outside, the heat filled the space, and at its center…“What the hell is this…?

”Along with the melted ground and rocks, there was a deep, gouged-out pit.

It’s not as if he broke in—he melted his way in.

It wasn’t a tunnel that had been dug but rather one burned through by the heat.

The flames lingering in the area were clearly from the Gu family.

Meaning these flames were his father’s.

…An uneasy feeling crept over him.

Without hesitation, he leaped into the pit.

Whoosh!

As he descended, his energy instinctively flared up to protect him.

The remnants of energy used to carve out the tunnel were so violent that his own energy acted on its own to shield him.

Deep.

But the descent wasn’t difficult.

Thud.

After a few seconds of plunging down, he landed on the ground.

At that moment—“…Phew…”A surge of tension gripped his body.

Goosebumps rose on his skin, and cold sweat dripped down his back.

He couldn’t help it.

What kind of killing intent is this?

In this unfamiliar space, he felt faint traces of poison and heat filling the area.

And in every direction, an oppressive aura hung heavily in the air.

The air was thick with suffocating, overwhelming killing intent.

He slowly surveyed his surroundings.

He needed to understand what kind of place this was.

…The moment he looked around, he swallowed dryly.

The walls were littered with scars, remnants of something that had torn and smashed through.

Deep cuts marred the surfaces, and the energy traces left by martial artists triggered his instincts.

What kind of battle had taken place here to create this place?

He didn’t have to wonder for long.

As he looked around, he spotted someone.

Leaning against the far wall, wheezing for breath, was Elder Il of the Tang Clan.

One of his legs was missing, and the other ankle seemed on the verge of being torn off.

This was beyond any kind of treatment.

Though he hadn’t lost consciousness, his face was drenched in terror, with tears and mucus streaming from his eyes and nose.

He frowned at the sight.

What a pitiful state.

And I haven’t even done anything yet.

He had intended to leave him like that himself, but in the time he hadn’t been looking, Elder Il had ended up in that state.

As he pondered the situation, his gaze shifted further.

And he saw it.

He saw it.

His father, standing at a distance.

With his hands clasped behind him, his father stood watching something.

“Clan Leader…?

”As he was about to call out to his father—His vision expanded, and he noticed someone in front of him.

Kneeling half-collapsed on one knee, a figure barely held themselves up with a sword.

“…Huh?

”Seeing him, he felt a surge of surprise.

The exhausted figure, panting heavily, was none other than the Celestial Master.

What is he doing here all of a sudden?

[Well.

]Shin Noya suddenly spoke up.

[That lad sure seems to get beaten up everywhere he goes.

Ha ha.

]“…?

”It was a baffling remark.