Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The man's wild, half-white hair stood up as if defying gravity.

His massive frame easily exceeded eight feet, packed with dense muscle.

A rugged face, characteristic of the Gu family, was covered with a thick beard, adding to his ferocious appearance.

He looked to be somewhere between middle-aged and elderly.

What stood out most were his deep red eyes, a clear indication of his lineage and affiliation.

His expression was one of utter shock as he looked at me.

And I was no different.

‘...Why is this old man here?’

The man was none other than Gu Ryun.

Elder Il of the Gu family and someone who was practically like a grandfather to me.

‘...Damn. He’s young.’

The fact that this man was here was strange enough, but what stood out even more was how young he looked.

Of course, it made sense—this was the past.

‘But this young?’

The difference from the Elder Il I knew was staggering.

For a moment, I thought I might be mistaken, but...

‘No, he’s definitely Elder Il.’

There was no way I wouldn’t recognize him.

His presence, the heat radiating from his body, and his distinct posture—it was unmistakable.

However.

‘...His cultivation level is different.’

The aura emanating from him was vastly different from what I remembered.

The Elder Il I knew was at the Hwagyeong level.

Somewhere between the early and mid-stages—an ordinary master of his rank.

It was enough to serve as an elder of a great family, and in terms of ability, he was undoubtedly among the Hundred Masters.

But the Gu Ryun standing before me now was nothing like that.