Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Hiko and the physician began climbing the mountain together after the woman refused to travel with the physician. As they climbed, Hiko encouraged the frightened physician and rejected the woman's taunts, leaving their former group divided.

• The physician knelt to thank Uchiha Hiko, who promised himself he would protect him and urged everyone to get moving.
• The woman agreed to continue but refused to be grouped with the physician, splitting the companions into two climbing teams.
• Uchiha Hiko reassured the trembling physician and told him to follow his instructions as they climbed together.
• The physician said he would do his best and told Hiko not to risk himself for him, but Hiko refused to abandon him.
• The woman kept threatening to make Hiko regret his choice, while he dismissed her and continued climbing with the physician.

Uchiha Hiko tried to climb to safety with the doctor despite a snapping vine and the woman’s mockery, insisting he would keep his promise to stay by the doctor’s side. The vine broke, and the doctor fell away as Uchiha Hiko watched in grief, unable to take back his choice or say goodbye.

• The vine snapped while Uchiha Hiko climbed with the doctor, and the doctor urged him to let go and save himself.
• Uchiha Hiko refused to abandon the doctor, told him to stay quiet behind him, and tried to reassure him with talk about the sky.
• The woman mocked Uchiha Hiko for carrying the doctor, but he ignored her while the doctor grew calmer beside him.
• The vine broke, and the doctor cried out as he fell beyond Uchiha Hiko’s reach.
• Uchiha Hiko stared at his empty hand and silently repeated that he was sorry he could not keep the doctor by his side.

Uchiha Hiko blamed the little woman for the physician’s death and killed her as they climbed toward the Dragon Balls. With his rival gone, he planned to continue alone using what he had learned about the Dragon Balls’ origins and locations.

• Uchiha Hiko resolved to overtake and kill the little woman, whom he blamed for the physician’s death.
• The little woman mocked Uchiha Hiko and defended her choice to put her own survival first.
• Uchiha Hiko surged past the little woman and stabbed her in the chest with his sword.
• The little woman fell into the abyss, and Uchiha Hiko felt no guilt over her death.
• Uchiha Hiko decided to continue onward alone with a plan for where to search for the Dragon Balls.

Uchiha Hiko searched the forest for food and a way to reach a bookstore, then met an old man who explained that the forest granted wishes to kind-hearted people. After receiving directions to horse-raising households to the north, Uchiha Hiko planned to rest for the night and continue his journey in the morning.

• Uchiha Hiko wandered through the forest, hoping to find food, a horse, and a book about the Essence of Sun and Moon.
• Uchiha Hiko found a stream and wished for fish, which appeared before him.
• An old man emerged from the ground and told Uchiha Hiko that he was in Wish Come True Forest, where kind-hearted people’s wishes came true.
• The old man directed Uchiha Hiko north to households that raised fast horses, then burrowed back into the earth.
• Uchiha Hiko decided to eat and rest before setting out early the next morning.

Uchiha Hiko reached a village after healing his injured feet with the Essence of Sun and Moon, and found its villagers waiting to welcome him. The village chief offered him a horse and lodging, while hinting that the villagers would later ask him for help.

• Uchiha Hiko endured his painful journey, then meditated during the transition between sun and moon to heal his feet and increase his internal energy.
• Uchiha Hiko arrived at a village and found its villagers gathered to greet him and invite him into their homes.
• The village chief told Uchiha Hiko that a white-haired old man had called him the village’s saint and urged the villagers to treat him well.
• Uchiha Hiko accepted the villagers’ hospitality and promised to help if he could.
• The village chief offered Uchiha Hiko a horse to take with him, and Uchiha Hiko accepted while asking to hear what help the villagers needed.

Uchiha Hiko agreed to help a village suffering from drought and giant pythons, then used his power to bring rain and revive the crops. The villagers celebrated his help, while the problem of the pythons remained unresolved.

• The village chief and villagers knelt before Uchiha Hiko and begged him to save their crops from the drought.
• Uchiha Hiko agreed to help and asked the villagers to take him to their fields.
• The villagers told Uchiha Hiko that huge pythons also plagued the fields and frightened people working there.
• Uchiha Hiko promised to solve both problems and made heavy rain fall over the fields.
• The rain revived the crops, and the villagers cheered and embraced Uchiha Hiko in gratitude.

After getting a fast horse from the villagers, Lu Fei asked an old villager for help finding the ancient book that could reveal clues about the Dragon Pearl. He learned the horse could lead him toward the book near Jingcheng, but he needed to hurry and cross the dangerous Tagge Desert.

• Lu Fei obtained a fast horse and decided to continue searching for the ancient book and the Dragon Pearl.
• Lu Fei asked the villagers where the ancient book could be found, and an old villager explained that many Dragon Pearl seekers had asked about it.
• The old villager thanked Lu Fei for bringing rain, saving the crops, and helping the village, then agreed to give him information.
• The old villager said the spiritual horse would lead Lu Fei toward the ancient book and warned that skilled martial artists were also seeking it.
• Lu Fei planned to ride toward Jingcheng, knowing he would have to cross the deadly Tagge Desert.

Uchiha Hiko continued toward Jingcheng and began crossing a strange, thorn-covered hill after an old man encouraged him to persevere. He climbed carefully, encouraged by a mysterious young woman’s voice, as he pressed on toward his goal of finding the Dragon Balls and ruling the Twelve Universes.

• An old man encouraged Uchiha Hiko to keep pursuing the Dragon Balls, and Uchiha Hiko affirmed that he would persist until he ruled the Twelve Universes.
• Uchiha Hiko reached a steep hill covered in sharp grass and studied its terrain before planning a route across it.
• Uchiha Hiko began climbing the hill carefully and noticed that the grass vanished wherever he left a footprint.
• A young woman’s voice urged Uchiha Hiko to keep going and promised that more wonders awaited beyond the mountain.
• Uchiha Hiko drew strength from the woman’s encouraging words whenever the climb threatened to stop him.

Uchiha Hiko met a woman who had waited for him for hundreds of years and was meant to guide him toward the Dragon Ball. After he suddenly fainted and woke with his memories muddled, she prepared to explain what lay ahead and help restore his will.

• Uchiha Hiko crossed the hill and questioned the woman about why she believed he was worthy of the Dragon Ball.
• The woman said she had waited hundreds of years, could read his thoughts, and judged him capable from the way he climbed the hill.
• Uchiha Hiko pressed her for answers, but the woman told him to calm down because his will had weakened during the climb.
• The woman recalled that an old man had cured her, instructed her to guide Uchiha Hiko without revealing her role, and told her about the ancient book and the desert ahead.
• Uchiha Hiko suddenly fainted, then woke confused and asked the woman who she was and where he was.
• The woman reassured Uchiha Hiko and told him to listen while she explained everything and his will recovered.

A woman explained to Uchiha Hiko that the hill tested his will by making him confront his evil self, and that surviving the ordeal would strengthen him. As he prepared to leave, she revealed that he still had to cross a desert to find the Dragon Balls.

• The woman told Uchiha Hiko that she had once been sealed in the hill until an old man saved her, and that she had waited for him because their meeting was planned.
• She explained that the hill’s afterimages were Uchiha Hiko’s evil side and that choosing his true self showed he had the strength to endure the trial.
• Uchiha Hiko questioned why the woman was trapped there and why she had chosen to help him, while she gave him a vague explanation about his good deeds.
• The woman comforted Uchiha Hiko when he recalled past injustices, and he wished her a happy future in return.
• The woman told Uchiha Hiko that he had to cross a desert after leaving the hill before he could find the Dragon Balls.

The young woman told Uchiha Hiko that crossing the desert would lead him to a Dragon Ball and that he still needed to find four more. Uchiha Hiko asked her to travel with him, but she declined because she longed to leave after being trapped for so long.

• The young woman revealed that Uchiha Hiko could find a Dragon Ball by crossing the desert and explained that he still needed four more to collect all Seven Dragon Balls.
• Uchiha Hiko accepted that the ancient book was no longer necessary and sincerely invited the young woman to join his journey.
• The young woman said she had no interest in the Dragon Balls and asked why Uchiha Hiko wanted her to travel with him.
• The young woman decided she could not join Uchiha Hiko because she longed for freedom, and he accepted her refusal and wished her well.

Uchiha Hiko reached the dangerous Geya Desert and was joined by a young man sent by the woman he had met earlier. The young man promised to guide and protect him as they crossed, and they set off with Uchiha Hiko focused on finding the Dragon Ball.

• Uchiha Hiko left his horse behind and stood at the entrance to the Geya Desert, which was notorious for trapping travelers.
• A young man appeared and told Uchiha Hiko that the woman had sent him to accompany him through the desert.
• Uchiha Hiko warned the young man about the danger and shared his worry that people who helped him would disappear before he could repay them.
• The young man urged Uchiha Hiko to keep his purpose of finding the Dragon Ball in mind and not let the desert break his resolve.
• Uchiha Hiko recalled that crossing the earlier hill had prepared him for the desert, and the young man began leading him onward.

Uchiha Hiko struggled against thirst, exhaustion, and confusion while crossing the desert with a young boy who had promised to protect him. After the boy hurt himself to jolt Hiko awake, Hiko recognized his loyalty and promised to travel with him if they escaped the desert.

• Uchiha Hiko entered the desert with a young boy who claimed he knew the terrain and could find a route with few obstacles.
• Uchiha Hiko grew dizzy, thirsty, and too exhausted to continue, while the boy warned him not to stop or fall asleep.
• The boy punched himself to jolt Uchiha Hiko awake because a pill had linked their fates.
• Uchiha Hiko understood the boy’s devotion, thanked him, and promised to continue traveling with him if they safely crossed the desert.

Uchiha Hiko and the boy regained their resolve to cross the Gaya Desert after Hiko’s tears caused grass to grow. As they continued toward the desert’s end, the boy shared how a Bodhisattva Sister had helped him, leaving Hiko beginning to accept that such a person could exist.

• Uchiha Hiko’s tears made a blade of grass sprout in the desert, and the boy said the miracle showed Hiko was kind.
• The boy vowed to follow Uchiha Hiko for the rest of his life if they escaped the desert safely.
• Uchiha Hiko reassured the boy and asked him to share his past as they continued toward the desert’s end.
• The boy told Uchiha Hiko that his parents had abandoned him and that a Bodhisattva Sister had taught him to face the world with sincerity.
• Uchiha Hiko recognized the Bodhisattva Sister’s teachings and began to consider that she might truly exist.

After escaping the desert, Uchiha Hiko and the little boy searched for the Dragon Ball and found a glowing plaque directing them to Lava Mountain Peak. Unsure where to find a peak on the flat plain, they agreed to follow the little boy’s intuition and continued onward, where they found another glittering plaque.

• Uchiha Hiko and the little boy left the desert and began searching for the Dragon Ball, believing they had no competitors nearby.
• The little boy spotted a bright light in the bushes, and Uchiha Hiko found a golden plaque instead of a Dragon Ball.
• Uchiha Hiko read the glowing words “Lava Mountain Peak” and realized they might be a clue to the Dragon Ball’s location.
• Uchiha Hiko and the little boy decided to rely on the boy’s intuition and search for the mountain peak themselves.
• The pair continued forward and soon found another glittering plaque.

Uchiha Hiko and the boy found the Dragon Ball, but the poison trap at the mountaintop entrance began killing the boy while leaving Hiko unharmed. Hiko discovered clear liquid inside the genuine Dragon Ball that might cure the poison, and the chapter ended as the boy questioned whether they should use it.

• Uchiha Hiko and the boy touched a poisoned spiderweb and realized the toxin would kill them unless they found an antidote within two days.
• The boy's blood began turning black and his body started itching, while Uchiha Hiko discovered the poison had no effect on him.
• Uchiha Hiko reassured the boy that the Dragon Ball they had sought might contain the antidote.
• Uchiha Hiko and the boy entered the room and found the genuine Dragon Ball at its center.
• Uchiha Hiko saw the Dragon Ball change from red to green and found clear liquid inside it.
• Uchiha Hiko offered to use the liquid to save the boy, who worried that doing so would rob the Dragon Ball of its purpose.

Uchiha Hiko and Spinach rested after finding a Dragon Ball while Hiko planned to continue searching for the remaining three. When strange winds and circling black shadows appeared, Spinach warned Hiko of the danger, but Hiko dismissed him and misunderstood his concern.

• Uchiha Hiko asked the boy his name, and the boy said he could be called Spinach.
• Uchiha Hiko and Spinach traveled together and stopped to rest so Spinach could recover from the poison.
• A sinister wind blew through the forest, and Spinach told Uchiha Hiko the weather was abnormal.
• Spinach repeatedly urged Uchiha Hiko to leave or find shelter, but Hiko dismissed his warnings.
• Spinach noticed black shadows circling them but stayed silent, while Uchiha Hiko accused him of disliking their campsite.

Black gas entered Spinach, leaving him unconscious and caught in a struggle with his evil side. Uchiha Hiko stayed beside him, trying to call him back to awareness and vowing to save him.

• Black gas rushed into Spinach, and he collapsed as Uchiha Hiko watched in alarm.
• Spinach suddenly sat up with red eyes that turned green, and Uchiha Hiko realized he could no longer control his emotions alone.
• Uchiha Hiko blamed himself for not listening to Spinach and promised to help him survive.
• Uchiha Hiko kept speaking to Spinach, urging him to defeat his evil side and reminding him of their plans for the dense forest.
• Spinach's hand grew warmer as Uchiha Hiko stayed by his side, but Uchiha Hiko decided he needed another way to help him recover.

Uchiha Hiko struggled to revive Spinach after the toxins left him motionless, then explained their shared past when Spinach awoke confused. Spinach’s eyes returned to normal as Uchiha Hiko used his True Qi to treat him, and they reaffirmed their loyalty as friends.

• Uchiha Hiko tried several ways to help the motionless Spinach and tearfully vowed not to give up.
• Spinach awoke with blue eyes, embraced Uchiha Hiko, and admitted he did not know who he was or where he was.
• Uchiha Hiko explained that they had crossed the desert together as friends and reminded Spinach of his name.
• Spinach prayed in thanks for meeting Uchiha Hiko and wished him well, moving Uchiha Hiko to tears.
• Uchiha Hiko used his True Qi to treat Spinach and urged him to keep living.
• Spinach’s eyes returned to normal, and he thanked Uchiha Hiko for never abandoning him; Uchiha Hiko said friends should save each other.

Uchiha Hiko and Spinach continued their journey in search of the next Dragon Ball as they grew closer and discussed Spinach’s health and hopes for the future. Spinach became Uchiha Hiko’s disciple, and the chapter ended with Uchiha Hiko reflecting on Spinach’s fearless wish to explore the world.

• Uchiha Hiko asked Spinach whether his health had improved, while Spinach hid his worries about the poison and his weakening condition to spare Hiko guilt.
• Spinach told Uchiha Hiko that traveling with him had brought him happiness and asked to become his disciple, saying he saw Hiko as a warm, parental figure.
• Uchiha Hiko accepted Spinach as his disciple and promised that Spinach would stay by his side, while encouraging him not to treat protecting him as a burden.
• Spinach playfully offered to take care of Uchiha Hiko, and Hiko teased him for making their master-disciple relationship sound like servitude.
• Spinach told Uchiha Hiko that his greatest dream was to travel around the world beyond the desert, and Hiko reflected on his own loss of fearlessness.