Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The journey back to the Mount Hua Sect took longer than the trip there.

Not only had the number of people increased, but we also had to haul a cart back.

It felt like it took about twice as long as before.

By now, the sunset had long since faded, replaced by the night.

As when we first arrived, the sky was adorned with two moons, a crimson aurora, and countless stars.

I paused for a moment to gaze at the sky.

No matter how many times I see it, it’s mesmerizing.

How could a sky like that exist?

Fascinated, I lowered my head once again.

The disciples pulling the cart came into view.

“Phew—!

”For some reason, they seemed to be moving faster.

No, it wasn’t just my imagination—they were moving faster.

From the moment they started pulling the cart until now, they hadn’t slowed down or taken a break.

Normally, they’d be exhausted by now, not speeding up.

‘It’s the moons.

’I immediately understood the reason.

Most of them were members of the Moonlit Clan—beast-like humans.

It’s said that their physical abilities increase at night, so this must be why.

“We’re almost there,” Gubong announced, and the disciples put even more strength into their legs.

I walked behind them alongside Cheonma, watching the scene.

I wasn’t merely observing; I was analyzing them to gather information.

‘The degree of their enhancement varies.

’The extent of their strength increase differed.

Gubong seemed to have grown at least twice as strong, but the others didn’t show the same results.

Some looked slightly better than the verge of collapse.

Others didn’t seem to have changed much at all.

And some appeared significantly stronger, their expressions more relaxed and composed.

This suggested that the nighttime boost wasn’t universally immense—it seemed to vary from person to person.

It wasn’t definitive, but that’s how it looked for now.

‘Interesting.

’It was fascinating.

If this were simply a divine blessing or innate ability, the differences wouldn’t be so pronounced.

‘I’ll need to test this again.

’The thought crossed my mind to hold another sparring session, like the last one with the three senior disciples.

But this time, it would be at night.

How.

And to what extent.

How would their energy manifest, and what exactly would change as a result?

To understand this clearly, there was no better way than direct confrontation.

That seemed like the most logical excuse.

“Your face looks weird,” Cheonma suddenly commented, narrowing her eyes at me.

“What’s weird about it?

It’s the same as always.

” “No, it’s not.

” “Yes, it is.

” “The darkness born of the heavens is wrong.

” “You...

Are you ever going to stop?

”I gritted my teeth at her relentless provocation.

This lunatic had been poking at me nonstop.

And of all things, she had to notice that.

‘Damn it.

’How much did she see?

If she noticed me using the Mask of Deception and acting out, then...

‘She must’ve known I was using Qi Translation as well.

’That meant she had watched me activate it and then deactivate it.

‘Hell.

’Why, of all people, did it have to be Cheonma?

‘Caught pretending to be Cheonma...

by Cheonma?

’It was a nightmare I hadn’t even dared to imagine.

For now, since we were in a different world, it might not cause immediate trouble.

But if we returned to our original world?

Would it still be fine then?

The humiliation was one thing, but countless problems came to mind.

I’d already been contemplating.

‘What do I do about her?

’How should I handle Cheonma?

It was strange to keep her around like this.

Whatever the case, it was time to make a decision.

And even if I didn’t, the answer was already clear.

“...

”Ironically, I was doing nothing while keeping her by my side.

I was hesitating.

No matter what the decision was, I hesitated to execute it.

‘Why?

’I questioned myself.

Why was I hesitating?

The answer came to mind immediately.

Perhaps I already knew.

I was conflicted.

Looking at Cheonma, I was feeling emotions I shouldn’t have.

Am I an idiot?

‘Don’t delude yourself.

’Even if she looked exactly like Wi Seol-ah, she wasn’t Wi Seol-ah.

This was just an issue of appearance.

I had to pull myself together.

As I forced myself to focus and turned my gaze away from Cheonma—“Heh.

”Cheonma let out a short laugh and walked ahead.

“...

What’s that supposed to mean?

”What was that sudden laugh?

Was she mocking me?

No, it didn’t feel like mockery.

“Why did you laugh?

”I asked Cheonma, but she didn’t answer, continuing to walk ahead.

“Hey.

”I called her again, but it was the same.

She ignored my question and kept walking.

“…Ha.

”I let out a hollow laugh as I watched her.

“What the hell is that about?

”Frustration surged within me.

But it wasn’t because she ignored me.

It felt as if she had seen right through me.

That was what made me so irritated.

***********We walked for quite a while longer.

Thanks to the increased pace, we arrived sooner than expected, but it was still late.

“Stop.

”When Gubong raised his hand, everyone halted simultaneously.

“Stay alert.

”As soon as the command was given, the second-generation disciples spread out slightly from one another.

Then—Hwaaaa.

Each of them expanded their senses, spreading their energy outward to scan the surroundings.

I nodded silently at the sight, impressed.

It was well-executed.

The level of skill was significant.

By resonating their energy with one another, they extended their sensing range beyond their usual limits.

This was a technique used by trained sword units.

It was obvious who had taught them this.

‘That aside…’While the resonance was impressive, there was one issue.

‘…Why here?

’I looked around.

It was still an empty field, much like before, but something was different.

Not just slightly different—clearly different.

‘This doesn’t seem like the same place.

’The location was different from the one we had passed through last time.

It might look similar at a glance, but it was definitely not the same.

‘Did the entrance change?

’I wasn’t sure.

So I activated my Heart eye and gazed into the void.

The night air brushed gently through the serene emptiness.

Nothing was visible.

But I was certain something was there.

I was confident, because—‘It was the same last time.

’So there must be something here again.

A simple thought.

And—‘Something so delicate that it’s invisible.

’It was likely something created by that old turtle-like man.

I was trying to figure out what it could possibly be.

‘What could it be?

’How could something be hidden so thoroughly?

What purpose did it serve, and how was it utilized?

This wasn’t martial arts or even a formation.

It was—‘Sorcery.

’A realm of sorcery far beyond anything I’d encountered in Zhongyuan.

Even the experts of the Northern Sea or the likes of the Divine Doctor and the Jegal Clan wouldn’t be able to use it at this level.

I couldn’t forget it.

The more I looked, the more I wanted to study and explore it.

I hoped to catch even a glimpse of something, but—‘…Tsk.

’As expected, I saw nothing.

I could only click my tongue in frustration.

“Once you’re done verifying, we’ll proceed.

”Within the web of sensing energy, Gubong spoke.

At his words, the disciples reached into their robes and pulled something out.

‘What’s that?

’I frowned.

It looked like a small gourd.

Then they suddenly—Tap, tap.

They began sprinkling it on themselves.

With each shake, a white powder clung to their bodies.

What were they doing?

I couldn’t understand, so I simply observed.

Then, Gubong’s eyes met mine.

“…What are you doing?

” “That’s what I’d like to ask you.

”What was I doing?

That was exactly what I wanted to know from him.

Gubong frowned at my response.

It was a familiar expression.

When had I seen it before?

Ah.

‘When Shin Noya complained that I hadn’t explained anything to him.

’It was very similar to that.

In other words—“Was I supposed to receive something too?

” “…”As if to confirm my suspicion, Gubong pinched the bridge of his nose.

Then—“Spray this….

”He handed me one of the gourds he was holding.

“You’re telling me to spray this?

”I shook it lightly and dusted a bit of powder onto my arm.

At first glance, it looked like salt… but it could have been something else.

“What is this?

” “It’s powder made from Elder Sul’s shell.

” “What kind of powder?

”His explanation was absurd.

What on earth was this?

“Have you never met the Elder?

” “Of course, I’ve never….

”I was about to say I’d never met him but paused.

The word "shell" grated on my ears.

“Wait, is this about that turtle guy?

” “…Yes.

He is Elder Sul.

” “Ah…”So the turtle’s name was Sul.

Shin Noya had called him “turtle” so often that I didn’t even realize he had a proper name.

‘And he’s an elder?

’He didn’t even wear the Mount Hua Sect robes and seemed to live in a separate area, yet he held the rank of elder.

It was all so strange.

And—‘…This is powdered shell?

’I had just sprinkled ground-up turtle shell on myself.

The sheer unpleasantness of it made me furrow my brow.

“So why are we sprinkling this?

”Why were we putting this bizarre powder on our bodies?

At my question, Gubong took the gourd back and replied.

“It’s a necessary procedure for passage.

” “This is?

” “Yes.

”It was a necessary procedure to return to Mount Hua?

Then something didn’t add up.

“They didn’t do this last time.

”When I followed Shin Noya back to the Mount Hua Sect, we hadn’t done anything like this.

He’d just looked around casually, then resolved things quickly and moved on.

But now there was this procedure?

When I explained what had happened back then, Gubong averted his gaze slightly and answered.

“…That was not the proper procedure.

” “So why didn’t we—” “The Sect Leader simply didn’t follow it….

” “…Huh?

”I tilted my head at his timid response.

Then a thought struck me.

When the turtle had yelled at Shin Noya about having to fix things already… could it have been because—‘…The old man skipped the process and forced his way through?

’If skipping the proper procedure had caused problems, it made sense.

Or maybe—‘It could’ve been my fault too.

’If Shin Noya had the proper items, but I interfered with the barrier, it might’ve caused the issue.

In any case—‘So sprinkling this allows us to pass?

’I brushed off my discomfort and lightly shook out my limbs.

Cheonma had apparently sprinkled the powder as well.

After confirming this, Gubong spoke.

“We’re proceeding.

”At his words, the group began moving slowly.

As we took a few steps forward—Hwaaaaak—!

A blinding light burst forth.

I blinked and cautiously opened my eyes.

“We’ve arrived.

”Just like last time, we had entered the domain of the Mount Hua Sect.