Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Morning Breaks

The sun had risen. A bright, cloudless sky stretched overhead.

By the time morning fully arrived, I was finally able to step out of the training hall.

"Ngghhh."

Stretching as I walked out, the sunlight greeted me.

Damn, it was blinding.

I clicked my tongue, scrunching up my face at the brightness. To anyone else, it was a beautiful day—but to me, it felt unpleasant.

Not to mention, I was exhausted from moving all night.

Crack—!

I stretched, loosening up my stiff body. Back in Mangye, my recovery was much faster, but here, where the air had a significantly lower concentration of internal energy, healing took longer.

Or maybe… it’s just because I haven’t trained in a while.

I had immersed myself in Tua Pacheonmu last night, and that technique was inherently brutal.

Without sufficient regenerative abilities, its energy tore through one’s meridians, leaving behind immense fatigue.

"It really is a savage technique."

I had thought the same thing when I first learned it, but revisiting Tua Pacheonmu only reaffirmed that fact.

"How am I supposed to master this?"

I had already perfected Nine Flames Firewheel, reaching transcendence after focusing on it for so long. But the reason I was able to do so was because most of my insights had naturally aligned with Nine Flames Firewheel.

That allowed me to break through to transcendence and become stronger.

And yet—

"It’s not enough."

Even after reaching transcendence, I still felt a thirst for more power.

If I had to pinpoint the reason—

"The fight against the Heavenly Lord confirmed it."

That battle, where he had amplified his power using Thunder Fang, was the key.

"Right now, I’m still not strong enough to fight on equal footing with a Three Masters-level opponent using martial arts alone."

Even against the Heavenly Lord, who had succumbed to Inner Demon Awakening, I felt this way.

Which meant—

"I wouldn’t be able to defeat Sword Master or Paejon in a pure martial arts duel."