Childhood Friend of the Zenith Chapter 148: Friendly Martial Arts Competition (1)

༺ Friendly Martial Arts Competition (1) ༻

Within the Orthodox Faction, there were three well-known tournants that stood out the most.

The first one, hosted by Murim Alliance, was called the Dragons and Phoenixes tournant and it’s aim was to pick out the star that shined the brightest,

The second tournant, once again organized by the Murim Alliance, was the Heavenly Dragon tournant.

This was pretty much the biggest tournant the Orthodox Faction had.

It was also a tournant that many martial artists eagerly anticipated since it didn’t follow a fixed schedule for its occurrence, unlike the Dragons and Phoenixes tournant.

And the third…

‘I’ll ignore this one as this won’t ever happen.’

Around the ti of this tournant, the world would turn into a ss anyway due to the appearance of the Heavenly Demon.

Though the Heavenly Dragon tournant was scheduled to take place in a few years…

‘The timing of this tournant wasn’t ideal either.’

But both tournants weren’t really that important in the end.

What mattered was that I had to step forward in the arena for this tournant.

A tournant that was made for the young prodigies.

To see which stars shined the brightest.

And a tournant that could introduce the world to newly erging talents.

That was what this tournant was for.

It honestly wasn’t without its flaws.

The era of the Orthodox Faction’s pure and honorable generation had already passed.

“Gu Clan’s Gu Yangcheon of Shanxi, third group.”

After checking the paper I picked from the box, I slipped it into my pocket.

‘Third group huh… It’s gonna take a while.’

I got unlucky and was put in the third group.

Any hopes of finishing my match quickly and taking a break faded away.

Ugh-

When I went outside, it seed like the others had already picked from the box as well.

Tang Soyeol approached imdiately.

“Young Master Gu, did you get to see your group yet?”

“Yes.”

“What group are you in? I got in the second group!”

Thankfully, it seed like I wouldn’t have to face her too quickly as she was in the second group.

“I am in the third… Why is she acting like that?”

In the middle of my conversation with Tang Soyeol, I saw soone sitting forlornly in a corner against the wall.

Others were looking at her too, but without a care in the world, Namgung Bi-ah continued to repeatedly bang her head against the wall.

What was up with her now?

Tang Soyeol responded with an awkward smile.

“Sis said she got in the first group…”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Wasn’t it good that we were all in different groups?

“She said that it won’t be fun since she has to fight us much later…”

“…”

That crazy… No, I need to hold myself back from saying bad words.

She had appeared calm for a while now, but did she suddenly get possessed by a ghost obsessed with fighting?

Why was she depressed about such a thing?

It was so absurd that I let out a smile, and went toward Namgung Bi-ah.

“…What group…?”

After noticing my presence, Namgung Bi-ah asked without turning around.

Because of that, I had to respond while looking at the back of her head.

“Third.”

“…Ughhhh…”

“Do you hate it that much?”

She groaned as if she was sick, so I went closer to her and placed my hand on her head.

She flinched at my touch.

Namgung Bi-ah who sat still, nodded her head eventually.

While looking at her, I asked Gu Jeolyub who was watching this next to .

“You.”

“Yes?”

“What group are you in.”

“I-I’m in the first group.”

“Hey, he said he’s also in the first group.”

“…La.”

I told her this so that I could hopefully make her feel better…

But Gu Jeolyub faltered in shock after hearing Namgung Bi-ah’s cold words.

“…Sorry.”

Gu Jeolyub’s face looked so pathetic that I had to apologize to him.

Namgung Bi-ah, with her gloomy aura, started to lift herself up from her distressed position.

‘Does she feel better already?’

But wasn’t that way too fast?

“Are you okay?”

Namgung Bi-ah nodded in response.

“…I thought about it.”

I was genuinely taken aback.

She actually experienced this phenonon called thinking?

Namgung Bi-ah frowned a little after noticing what I was thinking.

‘She’s way too keen…’

She always looked numb, but she possessed a sharp sense when it ca to things like this.

“Continue. You said you thought about sothing?”

“…Isn’t it okay as long as I win?”

“What?”

“…If I win all my battles, then I could see you, right?”

Namgung Bi-ah was saying that winning all her fights would eventually lead her to cross paths with us in battle.

That’d obviously be the case, but…

“Have you never even considered the possibility of losing?”

“…Who?”

Whether that’s you, , or whoever.

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t seem to have the slightest thought of any one of us losing.

‘Also, I thought she was only fixated on martial artists who wields swords?’

I could’ve sworn she was only obsessed with swordsn.

However, it now appeared that her obsession had shifted to any martial artist as long as they were strong.

Did she change without noticing?

I responded to Namgung Bi-ah.

“You could always lose before I get to see you, you know.”

There was always a chance for a plot twist in every story.

Though I doubted anything like that would happen in this tournant.

Namgung Bi-ah locked her gaze onto my eyes before responding.

“It’s obvious… that I won’t lose.”

She spoke with confidence.

And she sounded so certain as well.

“Or, are you going to lose?”

Her eyes were quite overwhelming.

I couldn’t fathom what I had done, for her to have so much belief in .

I had to avoid her burdenso eyes to respond to her.

It was hard to make eye contact with her for so reason.

“Nope.”

Namgung Bi-ah smiled, her eyes expressing satisfaction with my answer.

******************

I ca back to my barrack for the ti being.

The process of preparing the full tournant bracket would take a while and I had to save strength for the tournant, so I couldn’t train.

Well, not , but the others.

My body itched for training as I had skipped training both yesterday and today.

I endlessly flowed my Qi within my body to strengthen it.

However, I wasn’t putting all my focus into it, so the results were less than impressive.

It felt weird that I was going crazy because I couldn’t train, even though back in my past life, the thing I detested the most was training.

“Should I go train?

“Where are you thinking of doing it?”

It was Muyeon’s voice who was waiting outside the barrack.

“Surely there is a training area sowhere, right?”

“Young Master, don’t you have a fight today?”

“I think so.”

I hadn’t bothered to learn specific details as I didn’t really care about the fight too much.

All I had to do was show up when I got called.

I wasn’t sure if I would ss up because I let my guard down.

But that didn’t an I had to be overly nervous for the fight either.

“Do you want to go up on the stage in my place, Muyeon?”

“Haha… Thank you for your words.”

Huh, I didn’t say that to get a thank you out of him.

I was genuinely considering if he might be interested in fighting in my stead since I was too lazy, but it seed like Muyeon took it the wrong way.

‘Or maybe, he wants to participate in the tournant too?’

Muyeon was still young and so young prodigies participating in the tournant were older than him.

So it made sense that he might have so ambition to join the tournant as he was a martial artist.

‘I’ll ask him about it later.’

Instead of asking Muyeon, this was sothing I had to discuss with the clan.

I doubt there would be any problem with Muyeon participating since they sent Gu Jeolyub as well.

‘He isn’t a blood relative, so it may not be allowed, though.’

I knew that the Gu Clan had high hopes for Muyeon.

I had been discreetly preventing the swordsn from taking Muyeon again.

‘You’re not taking him from .’

It felt like he beca an escort for only a temporary period, but it was hard to let such a person go.

A good mind along with remarkable talent.

And the biggest thing was that he was soone that I didn’t know in the future.

Muyeon seed like he wanted to go back to his team of swordsn.

But not yet.

In my eyes, his desire to rejoin the swordsn stemd from sothing he left behind.

I needed to create an incentive for him to return to my side once he had resolved his issues with the swordsn.

‘Maybe I have to dig around the house storage.’

I was half-joking.

There were definitely so items in my house that would help Muyeon,

But it wasn’t enough to keep him with .

At least, that was what I thought of Muyeon.

“Muyeon.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Is there anything you want?”

“Pardon…?”

Muyeon appeared bewildered by the unexpected question and turned around from where he was gazing outside of the barrack.

“You know, I just thought that you might need sothing.”

“Young Master.”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t think that’s sothing you say to the sa sex… Are you perhaps- “

“You piece of…?”

Muyeon’s eyes held a little bit of playfulness.

When had he beco so at ease with that he felt comfortable joking around?

I also felt like I could relate to him because of what Peng Woojin said to the last ti I saw him.

Though Peng Woojin was truly a maniac.

“I’m not sure why you’re asking this, but I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes. What I have right now is already more than enough for .”

I nodded to Muyeon.

As expected, I couldn’t charm him with things like these.

“Young Master, Young Master!”

“Hmm?”

“Do you want to eat dumplings?”

“…When did you bring that?”

I was starting to feel hungry as well.

Wi Seol-Ah brought food for precisely at the right ti, as if she was waiting for that to happen.

“I went to the streets with Sis Hongwa in the morning.”

“Oh… For the clothes that she ntioned last ti?”

“Yeah! We bought dumplings along the way!”

I took the dumpling from her, split it in half, and offered the other half to Wi Seol-Ah.

Wi Seol-Ah hesitated for a mont but took it in the end.

Perhaps because of what I said to her last ti, she looked hesitant to accept any of my food.

“Young Master!”

“Hmm?”

“Can I go outside later?”

“Where are you going?”

“Errand with Sis Hongwa!”

Errand huh, I didn’t assign anything to her.

‘Did sothing run out or sothing?”

Food could’ve been running low, but did they really need to restock when we still had so days to spend here?

I stared into Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes.

But they seed as round and innocent as ever.

“Go ahead. And make sure you do what I told you last ti.”

“Kay! Wear a cover! Listen to Sis Hongwa words!”

“And the last one?”

“If there are no escorts, then take Bro Muyeon!”

“Pardon…!?”

“Yes, you rembered it all.”

Muyeon interrupted in the middle, clueless of what was going on, but I ignored him.

“Have a safe trip.”

When I patted her head out of habit, Wi Seol-Ah shouted while smiling.

“Yup! I’ll do my best! Young Master needs to win too, okay? I’ll be cheering you on!”

What did she an by doing her best?

I felt like she was doing enough for already.

‘Just this much is enough.’

Wi Seol-Ah probably wouldn’t have a normal growth anyway.

Even when considering the best-case scenario, her current lifestyle might only last a few more years.

Moreover, rather than for Wi Seol-Ah’s…

I created this situation selfishly for my own sake.

‘Would you resent later in the future?’

Unlike my worries, Wi Seol-Ah would probably not resent .

Because the only one who had mories of my past life was .

Besides, even if she were to resent in the future, it wouldn’t change anything,

“Right, I’ll do my best too .”

I stood up too after our conversation ended.

I heard people talking outside my barracks.

It seed like the mont I had been waiting for had arrived.

I then pinched Namgung Bi-ah’s cheek to wake her from her slumber, then took her with outside.

When I went outside and approached where a lot of people were gathering, I saw a large wooden board with many people’s nas on it.

“Young Master Gu.”

Just like before, Tang Soyeol approached after spotting . It seed like she had been waiting for outside.

“The bracket ca out faster than expected.”

I nodded to Tang Soyeol, but I had my eyes on sowhere else.

‘Third group… Bi Clan’s Bi Yeonsum.’

It seed like that was my opponent, but the na didn’t ring a bell.

Given that I couldn’t recall either the na or the clan, it was unlikely that this person held significant influence.

‘…Hmm.’

But this wasn’t the important thing.

I moved my eyes and checked the brackets for others as well.

It seed like I didn’t have to worry about others.

Judging by the opponents assigned to them, it seed like we would et in the later rounds of the tournant.

‘It’s statistically quite difficult for all of us to end up in different groups. Did the Murim Alliance do this on purpose?’

All the blood relatives from the four noble clans were put in different groups,

And other well-known nas had also been separated.

‘Though the participants themselves don’t seem to care that much.’

It wasn’t too shocking for this to happen as this wasn’t the first or second ti that Murim Alliance did sothing like this.

All my hopes for the Orthodox Faction had long been burnt away, so from my perspective, they didn’t even have the slightest bit of credibility.

However…

There was one thing that made frown a little.

The second group.

– Tang Clan’s Tang Soyeol of Sichuan vs. Taeryung Clan’s Jang Seonyeon

As soon as those words caught my eye…

My expression turned serious.

You can rate/review this series here.