Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"Mmm…"

I stood there, simply watching my father as he lay collapsed. His slightly swollen cheek, paired with the fact that he had completely lost consciousness, left quite an impression.

Even knowing how strong he had been in his younger days, seeing him in this state was… quite refreshing.

‘…Did I overdo it?’

If there was any flaw in my performance, it was that I hadn’t controlled my strength well enough.

But if anything, this wasn’t my fault. It was his.

‘Seriously, who told him to raise his energy that high?’

The Grand Flame Prison Father had attempted to unleash—if that had exploded…

‘The entire area could have been wiped out.’

Not just the training hall, but the surrounding district would have been caught in the blast. This entire situation was ridiculous from the start.

‘The real problem was deciding to fight here in the first place.’

No matter how spacious, this was still an indoor structure. Training halls of this size were meant for those at lower cultivation levels.

The moment one surpasses Hwagyeong, it becomes unreasonable to engage in duels indoors.

Especially for martial artists like Father and me, whose techniques relied heavily on raw firepower.

And yet, despite knowing this, he had deliberately chosen this training hall for our duel.

‘…I don’t understand Father’s strategy.’

It wasn’t just stopping Namgung Hyung’s escape—he had actively helped him instead. Then, he insisted on testing my skills in a place like this.

And most of all—

‘He wasn’t serious.’

Father hadn’t shown his full strength either. Whether he was just testing the waters or had another reason, I knew he had been holding back. And that was the gap I had exploited to finish the fight.

Rustle.

I casually brushed away some debris. I considered helping him up—but I didn’t.

Hmm.

‘He’ll manage on his own, won’t he?’