The old man was completely stumped for a fleeting moment… but only for a moment.
Almost instantly, he gave me a reassuring smile and responded, “What do you mean, little one?”
I shook my head slightly, not buying his act.
“Don’t feign ignorance,” I retorted. “I met the one they call the Prince of Mount Hua, Alfa Zenith.”
The old man’s expression soured for a split second, but he quickly managed to regain his composure and wear a smile back on his nearly unwrinkled face.
“He said some interesting words when he met me,” I continued.
Trying to stifle a chuckle, the old man quipped, “Let me take a guess. He said something like –<nulli> That old fucker is ready to teach that trash and an outsider but not me.”
…Woah, he nailed it word for word.
Not knowing how to respond, I simply nodded and admitted, “Yeah.”
The smile on the old man’s face widened into a grin before he burst out in a hearty laughter.
He palmed his face before regaining his composure. Once he did, he looked at me, the humor in his eyes fading slightly.
After a brief silence, he added, “Everything he does is to earn his father’s recognition. He yearns for his father’s validation and lacks a “Well,” he began in a solemn tone, “what can I say about that boy? He lacks drive. He wants training but not to become the strongest. He desires to fight but not to win. He views the entire world as his enemy but he has none.”
After a brief silence, he added, “Everything he does is to earn his father’s recognition. He yearns for his father’s validation and lacks a will of his own.”
The old man sighed in a somewhat dejected manner, his tone filled with disappointment.
“I have no interest in training a disciple who doesn’t aspire to claim the title of the world’s strongest. He may have talent, but you, little one, have drive… and talent.”
I waited for a brief moment before narrowing my eyes at him. “I sense an <nullb><nulli>and coming.”
“And…” he added with a wry grin.
I rolled my eyes and muttered with a hint of self-deprecation, “There it is…”
In an almost inaudible tone, the old man continued, “I may or may not have wanted a sparring partner for my little angel… but that was only secondary!”
My brow furrowed in confusion. “Trish? She doesn’t have a sparring partner? Why not?”
Trish was undoubtedly one of the most skilled fighters I had ever fought. And I was saying that after facing opponents like Quinn, Nero, and Kai.
While Trish’s attack potency might not be superior to theirs, her technique was just impeccable.
So, it was confusing to hear that she didn’t have a sparring partner. With her skills, I thought she’d be pretty famous.
The old man lamented over something he thought and sighed once more, this time with a touch of pity visible in his eyes.
“During Trish’s birth, her mother, who was then the leader of Mount Hua and known as the Star of Fortune, passed away.” 𝞸𝓋𝓵xt.𝚌𝑜𝑀
A myriad of emotions flickered in the old man’s eyes, ranging from sorrow to regret, but he continued on with his story.
“The Zenith clan had always considered Trish’s birth to be an ill omen. Her own father abandoned her at birth after the love of his life died, and as the years passed, even her brother began to share the same feelings. Soon, Mount Hua’s members shunned her like a plague. The so-called wise elders said that because she extinguished the Star of Fortune at her birth, it was a sign that she would bring destruction to Mount Hua.”
The frown on my face deepened into a scowl. I wanted to retort, voice my opinion and tell him how much of a nonsense it was.
It wasn’t her fault that her mother died while birthing her. But of course, just the fact that he was telling me this meant that he knew that.
I let out a sigh, and suddenly an sudden part of the story flashed in my mind. In the novel, Mount Hua was indeed destroyed.
At the start of the final war, when Nero and Quinn were fighting for the final time, the vampires also began their final invasion.
To stop them, the government first deployed all the military power in the Northern Continent. That meant, the Mount Hua members were also sent as the first line of defence.
Even though they killed several Abyssal Kings, in the end, the whole Mount Hua was demolished along with the Northern Defence Force.
The whole North Continent fell.
I wonder, was Trish a participant in that battle? If yes, then was she really the cause of all that destruction like the elders of the sect said?
No, that’s nonsense. The cause were those vicious bloodsuckers, not Trish.
As I was stroking my chin, in the middle of such thoughts, the old man spoke up again and shook me out of my stupor.
The old man paused, and then his face softened with a touch of nostalgia. “The reason I agreed to teach you is because I can see the same potential in you that I once saw in Leo. But it’s also because I believe you can have a positive influence on Trish.”
I could see his point. The last time I faced Trish in the tournament, her lack of experience was painfully evident.
That’s why my traps worked so easily on her. However, in just a few weeks after the tournament, she adapted and went on the aggressive when we spared today, luring me into the traps instead.
Her rapid learning speed was almost scary. I could only imagine what she would become with more experience.
At that moment, a furrow formed on my brow as a question suddenly crossed my mind.
“Wait, why can’t you spar with her? You’re already training her, aren’t you?” I inquired.
“Well, yes,” the old man hesitated. “But I can’t go against her father. No one in the clan can, except Selena. It’s already a miracle that he’s letting me teach her the weapon arts.”
The tension in my expression eased as I calmly asked, “Who is her father?”
After a brief pause, the old man responded, “The Crimson Tyrant, John Zenith.”
Ahh, the Crimson Tyrant. I was obviously familiar with that name. It belonged to one of the greatest soldiers of the world.
John Zenith, Xavier Sinclair, Selena Zenith, Leo Kurogami, and Sasha Netyoive – these were the five people who stood at the top of the world currently.
Each one of them were capable of wiping out cities from the face of the earth with a mere swipe of their fingers.
It was also the exact reason why the Central Government was having trouble displacing the Netyoive family as the head Overlords of the South since the head of their family, Sasha Netyoive, was one of the greatest name in today’s history.
And for the same reason, I understood why the old man couldn’t go against John Zenith.
“I see,” I said. I had no problem going along with the old man’s plan. Becoming Trish’s sparring partner was a good thing.
After all, it meant we would get to be close and in the end I would emerge with one more ally under my rule.
I nodded. “Thank you for being honest, Grandmaster.”
The old man smiled. “No problem, little–”
Before the old man could finish speaking, Trish stormed inside the training hall and exclaimed, “How long will it take for you two to come outside!”
†
“Huaaa~”
Yesterday was incredibly exhausting. After discussing the mistakes we made while our duel, the old man made us spar with each other five more times.
I lost once, won thrice, while the last one ended in a draw once again.
Trish was obviously thrilled, for she finally had a chance to hone her already flawless technique.
But I, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more tired by the end of it all. After returning to the manor, I fell asleep almost instantly.
I slept soundly until the old man summoned both Trish and me for our morning training.
He led us to the gates of Mount Hua and instructed us to run up and down the entire mountain five times!
<nullb><nulli>Five rounds of trekking! Is he serious? – was what I thought. And, apparently, he was indeed dead serious.
Currently, I was wearily trudging uphill, my snow-covered boots weighing me down as I used every last ounce of strength I had in me.
Trish had long since completed her five laps while I was still struggling to finish my final one.
It was only around [4:57 am], and I was both fatigued from the training and extremely lethargic.
If that wasn’t enough already, the old man told us that we would have to do this every day!
He said that I looked too delicate and needed to appear more masculine, bulk up some muscles! The blasphemy!
Delicate-looking? I had flipped a guy twice my size like a ragdoll! What did he know? Hmph!
“Are you… Lucas Morningstar?”
While I was jogging past a training hall to get to the one that belonged to the old man, a crisp voice called out to me.
The sudden mention of my name caused me to come to a stop, and I turned to look at the source of the voice.
There, standing a few meters away from me, leaning against the doorframe of a training hall, stood a tall and captivating woman.
She was, by far, the most beautiful person I had ever laid eyes upon, whether male or female.
Her face was what one would call near perfect with high cheekbones, a straight nose, full lips, and captivating silver eyes that accentuated her enthralling beauty.
Draped in a luxurious robe of red and black that only emphasized her arresting svelte figure, she carried herself with grace.
The silken strands of her silver hair fell down like trails of radiant light, reaching her waist, with a few locks resting gently on her shoulders, looking slightly curl.
She was like a celestial beauty, unsullied and untainted by the impurities of the mundane world.
She exuded an air of haughty superiority, as though she believed that the entire world existed beneath her foot.
I needed no introduction to know who she was…
“I’m Selena Zenith.”