Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Lightning struck down from all directions.

Electricity swept across the ground, leaving deep burn marks.

Were they coming from the sky?

But that wasn’t the case.

It was Qi that was shaped like lightning.

The power was so dense that it could be seen through the naked eye.

In the blink of an eye, numerous strands of Qi formed into lightning and charged forward.

What’s going on…?

Jang Seonyeon stepped back…

And drew his sword.

Woong-

Soon after, his Sword Resonance echoed.

Jang Seonyeon’s Clan Art had become much more powerful after he overcame his wall.

He swung his sword through the lightning strikes,

Woong-!

His Sword Resonance reverberated through the surroundings with great force.

His sword wave succeeded in erasing a few strands of lightning,

Craaack!

“Ugh…!”

But he couldn’t eliminate all of it, only worsening his situation.

He used his technique to dodge her attack.

After slicing through another strand of lightning, Jang Seonyeon wondered in his mind.

What happened?

Lightning Qi surged endlessly as he wondered.

As a result, he couldn’t lower his sword.

How did she change so much?

Something was amiss.

The girl controlling the lightning before him was vastly different from the one he had seen at the Dragons and Phoenixes tournament.

She was in an entirely different league.

Even back then, he was impressed by her sword.

Despite using Combat Qi and her violent, cold swordplay, her movements had seemed as natural as dancing.

Her movements, resembling a dance with her sword, earned her the title of Sword Dancer.

Some even claimed she would have taken the Sword Phoenix position if Gu Huibi didn’t exist.

Jang Seonyeon considered all such rumors nothing but nonsense. But could he still say that after seeing her now?

How was she able to change this much?

The Sword Dancer, once at the peak of First-rate, had now surpassed her wall, just like Jang Seonyeon.

That much was understandable.

Their levels were similar at the time, and he too had overcome his wall.

Though they might have been on similar grounds, they couldn’t be exactly the same.

That was true for the current Namgung Bi-ah and Jang Seonyeon.

Impossible…!

Each time he cut through her lightning, more struck down.

Jang Seonyeon moved and swung his sword endlessly, but Namgung Bi-ah remained unmoved, standing in the exact same spot as before.

She seemed to be at peace.

Controlling all this lightning required extreme Qi control, yet Jang Seonyeon only saw her slight hand movements and occasional shifts of her pupils.

It was as if she arrogantly conveyed that this was all it took to handle him.

How dare you…!

Crack.

She lost to him back in the tournament.

His next goals were the Water Dragon, Sword Dragon, and then the Sword Phoenix.

And ultimately…

True Dragon.

He believed only the bastard who looked down on him remained, but he didn’t expect the Sword Dancer.

Her way of looking at him irked him, and he wanted to demonstrate his superiority.

That girl is also related to that bastard. Why does everyone around him manage to irritate me?  I can’t tolerate this!

Jang Seonyeon couldn’t stand the girl who taunted him, especially since she had lost to him before.

Woong-!

He poured more Qi into his sword and amplified his Sword Resonance.

He also focused more on his own movements and dodged her lightning strikes.

“…”

Then, Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head slightly,

Slip-

She moved her fingertips and traced a pattern.

Zaaaap-!

“…!’

The lightning that struck down split down and multiplied, charging towards Jang Seonyeon.

She controlled her Qi with such precision in an instant.

Her control of Qi was unbelievable.

The multiplied lightning strikes separated again and multiplied further.

Jang Seonyeon had already leaped into the air, and couldn’t change direction midair.

He halted his Sword Resonance and used his Qi to form a barrier.

He attempted to deflect her lightning attacks with his sword and block the ones he couldn’t dodge with a barrier,

Craack!

“…Ugh…!”

As soon as her lightning struck his barrier, he felt tremendous impact, and his barrier began to shake.

Each strand of her Qi carried immense force.

These strands of Qi continued to pour down relentlessly, all aimed at Jang Seonyeon.

Craaaash-!

With an explosive sound and vibration, dirt erupted, filling the air with dust.

As dozens of bolts of lightning struck down on the ground, the remnants of her Lightning Qi spread out, vibrating the earth…

As dirt and dust settled and only silence remained,

Woong…

A faint sound of Sword Resonance echoed,

Swoosh!

Simultaneously, all dirt and dust were blown away by a wave of Qi, revealing violent traces left on the ground.

The burn marks on the ground indicated that the lightning strikes weren’t weak at all.

“…Phew…”

In the center of the scorched ground, Jang Seonyeon, with light scratches on his body, exhaled.

I managed to block it.

Though the ground had turned black from burn marks, the spot where Jang Seonyeon stood remained untouched…

Despite hurriedly setting up the barrier, he was somehow able to block her attacks.

Jang Seonyeon’s eyes glowed as he charged his Qi.

She must have used all of her Qi if she did this much.

He believed that even the Sword Dancer must be out of Qi after this many lightning strikes.

Since he blocked all her attacks, it was his time now.

At least, that’s what Jang Seonyeon believed,

Step.

But after hearing the sound of a light footstep,

Swoosh-!

And the sensation of air descending with heavy pressure made him halt for a moment.

“…What?”

He quickly turned his head to locate the Sword Dancer, but she was no longer in her original spot.

Did she run?

He quickly sharpened his senses.

He sought to find her location.

He was able to find the Sword Dancer’s location not long after his sensation reached out to the surroundings like a spider web.

Behind him.

The Sword Dancer stood right behind him.

“…!”

As shock overcame him, Jang Seonyeon swung his sword.

No, more accurately he tried to swing his sword.

Cggkkkk-!

“Ugh!”

As he prepared to attack, his body became stiff like a rock due to the pressuring sensation that squeezed his body.

…This is…!

It was the sensation he had felt before.

He felt this from Namgung Bi-ah back in the tournament.

The martial art that was called the Secret Art of Namgung Clan.

Master of Swords…

The power of Qi pressure, shaped into martial arts.

The act of pressuring down the surroundings with their Combat Qi was how they showed their presence.

This was the true Master of Swords that he hadn’t experienced with the Lightning Dragon.

Thud.

His knees were brought down to the ground.

He couldn’t endure the pressure.

“Ughhh…”

His back was drenched in cold sweat, and his Qi couldn’t move properly due to the pressure he felt.

The Master of Swords she showed back then was at a whole different level compared to the one she was showing now.

Unlike how he had trouble moving his body back then,

“Huff… Huff…”

He couldn’t even move his Qi now.

The problem was,

Despite using that much Lightning Qi, she still has this much left?

Only a year or two has passed.

How was she able to change this much in that short amount of time?

It felt as if the Sword Dancer had an endless supply of Qi.

Manifesting Lightning Qi into a shape and attacking with it used a great amount of Qi, much like flame Qi.

Even as a Peak Realm martial artist, it shouldn’t have been easy for her to maintain such a thing for a long time.

This meant that the Sword Dancer had extreme control of her Qi usage.

Ultimately, this also meant that they were in different leagues.

This is impossible…!

She hadn’t even drawn her sword yet.

I can’t even beat the girl next to the bastard, the True Dragon?

This shouldn’t be happening.

“Huff… Huff…”

Veins bulged on his neck as he struggled to move.

It meant that he was feeling that much pressure in his body, yet Jang Seonyeon tried his best to move his body.

He couldn’t afford to be on his knees like this.

Then, a white hand reached out to Jang Seonyeon, who was struggling,

Tap-!

“…!”

And removed the band Jang Seonyeon had.

Simultaneously, the pressure that squeezed his body down also disappeared in an instant.

“Ha…!”

Only after her Master of Swords disappeared, Jang Seonyeon was finally able to breathe easily.

Of course, that relief was brief as he had to keep an eye on the Sword Dancer.

He didn’t know what she would do next.

However, when he looked up, he saw the Sword Dancer gazing down at him with a calm expression.

“…Sword Dancer…”

Jang Seonyeon called out to the Sword Dancer, Namgung Bi-ah, but she merely glanced at him before turning to leave.

It was as if she was telling him that the fight was over.

“…Where do you think you’re going…!”

Jang Seonyeon shouted, unable to restrain himself.

Naamgung Bi-ah stopped and turned back toward Jang Seonyeon.

“We… We haven’t clashed swords yet.”

Jang Seonyeon knew in his mind.

He realized that she was much stronger than he had expected.

He knew that he had little chance of winning, even if they were to clash swords.

However, his pride didn’t allow him to let her go.

Jang Seonyeon had to be the winner.

Even now, and until the very end.

“I still haven’t shown you what I’m truly capable o- “

“I’m not curious.”

Namgung Bi-ah’s words cut him off, leaving Jang Seonyeon speechless.

Her voice was sharp and cold, devoid of any emotion.

“No matter what kind of power you have… I’m not interested in your sword.”

She had only accepted the duel out of respect.

Namgung Bi-ah wasn’t curious about the exhausted man in front of him.

“Your sword, it’s not interesting.”

Even setting aside the unpleasant stench and the eyes she wished not to see, his sword lacked intrigue.

Not even the slightest bit.

“I remember who you are now.”

Namgung Bi-ah recalled him as soon as he drew his sword.

She couldn’t recall his name, but she remembered their fight from the tournament.

“However, I’ll forget about it once more.”

That was it.

“I’m not curious about a sword that has deteriorated since then.”

“…What did you just say?”

Jang Seonyeon’s eyes widened at Namgung Bi-ah’s words.

It became worse?

That wasn’t possible.

He had reached Peak Realm after overcoming his wall, and his martial arts were far superior to before.

So what kind of nonsense was she speaking?

“Are you trying to mock me…?”

To Jang Seonyeon, it sounded like mockery.

It was very insulting and it hurt his pride.

It felt especially egregious coming from someone he hadn’t considered.

She dared to speak to him like that.

Despite Jang Seonyeon’s question, Namgung Bi-ah began to leave without replying.

She seemed indifferent to her victory, focused only on retrieving the band she needed.

As Jang Seonyeon watched Namgung Bi-ah walk away, he thought to himself.

Divine Qi… Should I use it?

The Divine Qi that lies deep within his body.

He had been warned not to use it recklessly until it fully integrated with his body, so he avoided using it unless in very small amounts.

However,

What about now?

If I use it now, I could show that bitch.

He could prove he was not someone to be looked down upon by her.

He should be the one looking down on her instead.

…

He thought repeatedly.

He bit his lips until they bled, and his eyes became red.

He began to feel pain in his shoulders as they shook violently from his effort to restrain himself.

Despite this, Jang Seonyeon managed to hold back.

He exhaled roughly as he watched Namgung Bi-ah getting further away.

I have to hold back.

He couldn’t afford to ruin everything in a place like this.

He would save returning the mockery and anger he felt for later.

Jang Seonyeon forced a smile on his face.

He felt like he could only maintain his natural smile only if he started to put it on now.

…Sword Dancer.

He hated her as much as he hated the True Dragon now.

No, it was possible that he hated her even more.

I must find it quickly.

The descendant of Zhuge the Great King told him about.

Zhuge Jinseon.

He was told that he was in this place.

Was he in the first group like Zhuge Jinseon, or the second group?

He was also given a description of what Zhuge Jinseon looked like.

Jang Seonyeon refused to believe he had failed the entrance exam.

He believed that he possessed great power for him to live while hiding his identity.

After calming his breath and calming his emotions, Jang Seonyeon stood up.

Wait for me.

The humiliation, anger, and mockery I felt just now. I will remember it all and return it one day when you’re on your knees...

Jang Seonyeon wiped the blood off of him and moved his exhausted body.

He needed to find two bands before it was too late.

******************Someone watched from a distance as Jang Seonyeon left the area after Namgung Bi-ah took his band.

“…”

Only after confirming Jang Seonyeon had left in another direction, they closed their eyes.

They sheathed the sword in their hand.

-How come you didn’t interfere?

Upon hearing a voice in her head, Wi Seol-Ah opened her eyes.

She then whispered quietly.

“Sis would’ve become mad at me if I interfered there.”

Namgung Bi-ah would have been angry if she interfered in their fight.

Because of that, Wi Seol-Ah couldn’t bring herself to join in.

As she had expected, Namgung Bi-ah easily defeated him.

It almost seemed as if it wasn’t even close.

…She’s strong.

As expected, Namgung Bi-ah was powerful.

It had been the same in the past and remained unchanged now.

Her firm belief didn’t shatter, let alone her martial arts.

She held a firm belief in her mind and in herself.

Though of course, Wi Seol-Ah would’ve interfered if Jang Seonyeon tried to ambush Namgung Bi-ah by using his hidden power, even if that meant Namgung Bi-ah would become angry at her for it.

As Wi Seol-Ah watched the sunlight while sitting underneath a shade,

Sis… do you not like Bi-ah sis?

She asked something she was curious about.

As always, her mind trembled at the thought of Namgung Bi-ah.

-…

Wi Seol-Ah knew that this was the tremble of another existence that lived inside her body.

However, she couldn’t determine whether it was hatred or another emotion.

-Of course not… I don’t hate her.

That was unexpected.

Wi Seol-Ah believed that she hated Namgung Bi-ah.

Then what kind of emotion is it?

-Sorrow.

Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes widened after hearing the voice.

This too was unexpected.

She occasionally dreamt of the voice’s past but could not uncover all the details.

Wi Seol-Ah was unsure if this was something that would happen in her future or something entirely different.

She just knew that it was the story of the voice in her mind.

However, sorrow she said?

…You feel bad for Bi-ah sis?

-…

Why?

Wi Seol-Ah was curious, but the voice remained silent..

Instead, she contemplated in silence.

The day she encountered not the present Namgung Bi-ah, but the Demonic Sword of the past.