Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 923

Chapter 923

The return to Mount Hua Sect felt considerably longer than the outward journey.
Not only was our group larger, but we were also hauling a cart behind us.

It seemed to take nearly double the time.

By now, the sunset had completely vanished, giving way to a night sky. Just like upon our initial arrival, it was decorated with twin moons, a blood-red aurora, and a sprawling tapestry of stars.

I stopped for a moment to look up. No matter how often I witnessed it, the sight was captivating.
How could such a sky be real?
After a moment of wonder, I lowered my gaze once more.

My view was filled with the disciples straining against the cart.

“Hah—!”

Strangely, they appeared to be picking up speed.
No, it wasn’t a trick of the mind—they were genuinely moving faster.

From the moment they began pulling, they had not slowed their pace or stopped to rest. Under normal circumstances, they would be on the verge of collapse, not accelerating.

‘It’s the moons.’

I understood the reason at once.

The majority were from the Moonlit Clan—beast-like humans.
Their physical capabilities were said to be amplified under the night sky, which explained their vigor.

“We’re nearly there,” Gubong declared, and the disciples dug in with renewed effort.
I walked behind them with Cheonma, observing the scene. I wasn’t just watching; I was studying them, gathering intelligence.

‘The amplification isn’t uniform.’

The degree to which their strength increased varied significantly.
Gubong seemed at least twice as powerful as before, but the others did not exhibit the same enhancement.

Some looked only marginally better than completely spent.
Others showed little noticeable change.
A few, however, were clearly much stronger, their faces now relaxed and focused.

This indicated that the nocturnal boost was not a blanket blessing—it seemed to depend on the individual.
It wasn’t a conclusive observation, but it was the impression I got.

‘Fascinating.’

It was incredibly interesting. If this were a simple divine gift or innate trait, the disparities wouldn’t be so stark.

‘I’ll have to test this again.’

The idea of holding another sparring session, like the one with the three senior disciples, came to mind.

But this time, it would be after dark.
To see how.
And to see how much.

How would their energy express itself, and what precise changes would occur?
To gain a clear understanding, direct engagement was the most logical method. It seemed like the perfect pretext.

“Your expression is strange,” Cheonma remarked abruptly, squinting at me.

“What’s strange? It’s my usual face.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Yes, it is.”
“The heavenly darkness is misaligned.”
“You… Will you ever give it a rest?”

I gritted my teeth at her constant needling.
This madwoman had been prodding me without pause.
And of all things, she had to notice that.

‘Damn it.’

How much had she perceived?
If she saw me employing the Mask of Deception and putting on an act, then…

‘She must have known I was using Qi Translation, too.’

That would mean she watched me activate it and then shut it down.

‘Hell.’

Why, of all people, did it have to be Cheonma?

‘Caught impersonating Cheonma… by Cheonma herself?’

It was a nightmare scenario I hadn’t even contemplated.

For the time being, since we were in another world, it might not cause immediate issues. But if we ever returned to our original world?

Would it be okay then?
The embarrassment was one matter, but a multitude of problems sprang to mind.

I had already been giving it thought.

‘What should I do with her?’

How was I to handle Cheonma?
Letting her stay like this was untenable. One way or another, a decision needed to be made. And even if I refused to choose, the answer was already evident.

“…”

Ironically, I was doing nothing while keeping her close.
I was stalling.

No matter what the decision was, I was reluctant to act on it.

‘Why?’

I questioned myself.

Why was I hesitating?

The answer came to me instantly.
Perhaps I already knew.

I was of two minds.

Looking at Cheonma, I was feeling things I had no right to feel.
Am I a fool?

‘Don’t fool yourself.’

Even if she was the spitting image of Wi Seol-ah, she was not Wi Seol-ah.
This was merely a matter of likeness.

I needed to get a grip.

As I wrenched my focus away and averted my eyes from Cheonma—

“Heh.”

Cheonma released a short, quiet laugh and strode on ahead.

“…What was that supposed to mean?”

What was that laugh about?
Was she mocking me? It didn’t feel like mockery, though.

“Why did you laugh?”

I asked her, but she offered no reply, continuing to walk forward.

“Hey.”

I called out again, but it was futile.
She ignored my question and kept moving.

“…Ha.”

I let out a sigh of disbelief as I watched her.

“What is her problem?”

Annoyance welled up inside me.
But it wasn’t because she was ignoring me.

It felt as if she had seen straight through me.
That was the source of my irritation.

***********

We continued walking for a considerable time.
Thanks to the quicker pace, we reached our destination sooner than anticipated, though it was still late.

“Halt.”

Gubong raised his hand, and everyone came to an immediate stop.

“Stay vigilant.”

At his command, the second-generation disciples fanned out slightly from one another. Then—

*Hwaaaa.*

Each of them expanded their senses, casting their energy outward to scrutinize the surroundings.
I gave a silent, impressed nod at the sight.

It was executed well.
Their skill level was notable.
By harmonizing their energy, they were able to extend their sensory range far beyond their normal limits.

This was a technique used by well-drilled sword units.
It was obvious who had trained them in this.

‘That aside…’

While the resonance was skillful, one question remained.

‘…Why here?’

I glanced around.
It was still an open field, similar to before, yet something was different.

Not just a little different—distinctly so.

‘This doesn’t appear to be the same spot.’

The location was not the one we had passed through previously.
It might seem similar at a glance, but it was definitely not identical.

‘Has the entrance moved?’

I wasn’t certain.

So I activated my Heart Eye and peered into the emptiness.
The night air drifted softly through the tranquil void.

Nothing was visible.
But I was sure something was there.

I was confident, because—

‘It was the same last time.’

Therefore, there must be something here again. A simple deduction.
And—

‘Something so refined it’s imperceptible.’

It was likely the work of that old turtle-like man.
I was trying to deduce what it could possibly be.

‘What is it?’

How could something be concealed so utterly?
What was its purpose, and how was it used?

This wasn’t martial arts, nor was it a formation.

It was—

‘Sorcery.’

A level of sorcery far exceeding anything I’d witnessed in Zhongyuan.
Even the masters of the Northern Sea or experts like the Divine Doctor and the Jegal Clan couldn’t operate on this scale.

I couldn’t forget it.
The more I looked, the more I yearned to dissect and comprehend it.

I hoped to catch even the slightest glimpse, but—

‘…Tsk.’

As expected, I saw nothing.
I could only click my tongue in disappointment.

“Once verification is complete, we will proceed.”

From within the network of sensing energy, Gubong spoke.
At his words, the disciples reached into their robes and retrieved something.

‘What is that?’

I frowned.
It resembled a small gourd.

Then they suddenly—

*Tap, tap.*

began sprinkling its contents onto themselves.
With each shake, a white powder dusted their bodies.

What were they doing?
Unable to comprehend, I simply watched. Then, Gubong’s eyes met mine.

“…What are you doing?”
“That’s what I wanted to ask you.”

What was I doing? That was precisely what I wanted him to explain.
Gubong frowned at my reply. It was an expression I recognized. When had I seen it? Ah.

‘When Shin Noya complained that I never explained anything to him.’

It was very much like that.

In other words—

“Was I supposed to get one of those too?”
“…”

As if to confirm my suspicion, Gubong pinched the bridge of his nose.
Then—

“Spray this….”

He handed me one of the gourds he was holding.

“You want me to spray this on myself?”

I gave it a light shake and dusted a bit of the powder onto my arm.
At first glance, it looked like salt… but it could have been something else entirely.

“What is this?”
“It is powder made from Elder Sul’s shell.”
“What kind of powder?”

His explanation was bewildering. What on earth was it?

“Have you never met the Elder?”
“Of course, I’ve never….”

I started to say I’d never met him but stopped short.
The word «shell» grated on my ears.

“Wait, are you talking about that turtle guy?”
“…Yes. He is Elder Sul.”
“Ah…”

So the turtle’s name was Sul.
Shin Noya had called him “turtle” so frequently I hadn’t realized he had a proper name.

‘And he’s an elder?’

He didn’t even wear Mount Hua Sect robes and seemed to live apart, yet he held the rank of elder.
It was all very peculiar.

And—

‘…This is ground-up shell?’

I had just sprinkled powdered turtle shell on myself.
A wave of distaste made me grimace.

“So why are we sprinkling this?”

Why were we coating ourselves in this bizarre powder?
At my question, Gubong took the gourd back and answered.

“It is a necessary procedure for passage.”
“This is?”
“Yes.”

It was a necessary procedure to return to Mount Hua?
But that didn’t align with my previous experience.

“They didn’t do this last time.”

When I followed Shin Noya back to the Mount Hua Sect, we hadn’t done anything like this.
He’d just glanced around idly, then resolved things quickly and moved on.

But now there was this entire ritual?

When I explained what had happened then, Gubong averted his eyes slightly and replied.

“…That was not the proper procedure.”
“So why didn’t we—”
“The Sect Leader simply did not follow it….”
“…Huh?”

I tilted my head at his sheepish response.

Then it dawned on me.
When the turtle had yelled at Shin Noya about having to fix things… could it have been because—

‘…The old man bypassed the process and forced his way through?’

If skipping the proper steps had caused complications, it made sense.

Or perhaps—

‘It could have been my fault, too.’

If Shin Noya had the correct items, but my interference with the barrier had caused the problem.

In any case—

‘So sprinkling this allows us to pass through?’

I brushed aside my discomfort and shook the powder over my limbs.
Cheonma had apparently applied the powder as well.

Once this was confirmed, Gubong spoke.

“We’re proceeding.”

At his signal, the group began to advance slowly.
After we took a few steps forward—

*Hwaaaaak—!*

A brilliant, blinding light erupted. I blinked and cautiously opened my eyes.

“We have arrived.”

Just like before, we had entered the domain of the Mount Hua Sect.