Farewell

"Senior Brother Wuchen, am I doing it right?" Krillin asked, glancing now and then at Goku and Master Roshi in the distance as he tried to match their movements.

"Mm, close enough, but you're too tense. Close your eyes and relax. You don't have to force yourself into the perfect posture."

"Come on, breathe in... breathe out... In through your nose, out through your mouth... Breathe... in... out... in... Keep that rhythm..."

After guiding Krillin and seeing him gradually settle into it, Wuchen stepped aside and began examining himself.

Ever since he had successfully dispelled his Great Ape Transformation on his own, catching a fleeting glimpse of that special form, his curiosity about his body had never waned.

He had also tried to recreate that power-filled transformation.

Unfortunately, he had failed. Even on the night of the full moon, neither he nor Goku could transform into Great Apes anymore.

The reason was easy enough to guess: most likely, it was because he had divided the violent energy that had flowed from his tail into his spine.

So he could only shift his focus to the violent energy itself. And he had successfully noticed something unusual.

As that energy was refined into his flesh throughout his body, the very nature of his body changed. According to Master Roshi, the changes were happening at the cellular level.

Combining that with what he had learned from Master Roshi about "ki," Wuchen tried to establish a balance between "ki," "vital energy," "spiritual energy," and "violent energy."

He aimed to make them coexist and circulate along his meridians, gradually transforming his body and accelerating the process, expanding the changes' influence!

Last night, he had made an attempt to draw on the full moon's light and unleash all his power, hoping to capture that fleeting state.

Unfortunately, he had failed again.

However, it had reawakened the violent energy inside him, making it grow stronger. More importantly, he had discovered another secret of his body.

Stimulation. As long as his body was stimulated, the changes at the cellular level became more pronounced! If he put his body under stress, then after it recovered, more of its accumulated potential would be released!

This gave Wuchen a new idea for his training going forward.

In this life, he might be able to reach the heights he had achieved in his previous life in a world that originally had no spiritual energy—and perhaps even surpass them!

"Senior Brother! Did... did I do it?" Krillin suddenly opened his eyes and asked, delighted but unsure.

He could feel that something about his body was different, but he couldn't quite put it into words.

"Mm, not bad. Keep looking for that feeling and get used to it. Try to adapt before dinner, and tonight I'll teach you something else." Wuchen smiled with satisfaction. Krillin's progress was just as he'd expected.

His junior brother might have been an unexpected addition, but he had a good foundation to begin with. After training for so long using Master Roshi's methods, his body had become quite resilient.

Those fruits he'd eaten earlier weren't like the ones from their time on Mount Paozu, which had been transformed by the scant spiritual energy the two brothers had released when they'd just begun cultivating.

These had truly grown amid dense spiritual energy. They had completely improved Krillin's body, giving him a strong affinity for spiritual energy and making it easy for him to get started.

That was why Wuchen had stopped Krillin from eating more spiritual fruits. It wasn't because he begrudged him a few pieces of fruit.

Krillin really couldn't eat any more. He didn't know how to circulate spiritual energy, and any more would harm his body.

Still, this had served as a reminder to Wuchen.

The spiritual plants here had changed so much that dietary supplements were gradually becoming ineffective. He would have to start preparing pills and medicinal mixtures.

Soon, it was mealtime. Wuchen gently woke everyone, picked a few fruits and some flowers and herbs, then returned to the house.

Launch was nearly done preparing the meal.

In the kitchen, Wuchen asked to borrow the pot. Before long, he had mixed up a pot of medicinal liquid.

"Tsk, it doesn't taste like much. Just drink it as juice." After tasting it, Wuchen gave his honest assessment, though he was still fairly satisfied.

It might not taste like much, but it worked well, strengthening the body and replenishing its vitality while being easy to absorb. Even Launch could drink a large bowl.

That was right: Wuchen had never stopped studying the effects of spiritual plants. None of them were exactly like the spirit medicines and materials he had known in his previous life, but once he had figured out their effects, putting together a formula was much the same.

"Fresh juice!"

"Mmm, this juice is great!"

"I feel so much younger after drinking it. My skin even looks better. Thanks for all your effort, little Wuchen."

"Big brother, I want more. Another bowl!"

"Senior Brother Wuchen, this juice is really unusual. It makes my whole body feel warm."

Everyone enjoyed the food and the drinks.

Before training that evening, Krillin even made a point of taking a bath. The impurities his body had sweated out since the afternoon had smelled terrible.

Wuchen kept his promise. That night, during training, he taught Krillin a cultivation method on his own.

The Wuji Orthodox Method was a cultivation technique from an era when spiritual energy was scarce. It still required opening the Consciousness Realm and condensing an Origin Soul. However, the Origin Soul didn't need to have any particular attribute, making the method highly adaptable.

Wuchen had obtained the method in his previous life after playing chess with the Wuji Immortal Venerable. It was also one of the finest cultivation methods of its time.

The Wuji Dao had limitless methods. Every path was a righteous one; none was inherently better or worse. It all depended on the person.

This method had an exceptionally high ceiling and placed great importance on individual aptitude and destiny.

Now that Wuchen had accepted Krillin, he naturally wasn't going to fob him off with just anything.

As for the way he explained it—well, it was much the same as when he had instructed Master Roshi. He spoke somewhat abstractly, but also laid out the specific flow of the meridians in detail, so he wouldn't lead Krillin astray.

And so, the four of them settled into a steady training routine that lasted for over a month.

Goku and Master Roshi broke through one after the other. Goku advanced to the third level of Soul Condensation. Master Roshi successfully condensed an Origin Soul and completed Spirit Attachment.

Krillin also got on track. As long as he trained steadily, it wouldn't be long before he discovered his own fighting spirit and condensed an Origin Soul.

Of course, Krillin's rapid progress also had a lot to do with the various medicinal liquids Wuchen prepared every few days.

"Master Roshi, Launch, and little Krillin, don't be too sad. We'll come back to visit you in a month or two at the earliest, or three to five months at the latest." Early that morning, Wuchen and Goku said their goodbyes to everyone.

"Next time we meet, I'll be even stronger. Krillin, you have to keep working hard, too." Goku didn't seem to mind leaving. Instead, he encouraged Krillin to keep training.

"I'll definitely surpass you!" Krillin retorted, unwilling to back down. His cultivation had been going smoothly lately, so he was full of confidence.

"Wuchen, Goku, you two brothers are already very strong. Don't take unnecessary risks just to pursue greater power." Master Roshi seemed to sense something and gave them the warning uneasily.

"Don't worry, Master Roshi. We won't gamble with our lives." Wuchen smiled, then waved goodbye once more. "We'll be off, everyone."

Then the two brothers flew away on the Flying Nimbus, disappearing into the distance.