We need 87 paras exact. Count input paras via blank lines. Need preserve even paragraph with ... final. Output. likely 87.Chapter 47: First Hearing of King Piccolo

"Big brother?" Feeling Goku's aura rapidly rise, Wuchen quickly ate a Senzu Bean.

Meanwhile, on the other side, after a furious shout, Wuchen's aura also surged dozens of times over. His hair then turned golden as well.

Seeing this, Goku gathered himself for a moment, transformed into a golden-haired warrior again, and said to Wuchen, "Big brother, fight me."

Just as he had done earlier, Goku wanted to help his big brother, giving Wuchen a chance to vent his surging battle spirit through a fight.

"No wonder Goku lost control a little earlier. This transformation is a lot like Launch's; it directly affects one's personality." As battle lust and bloodlust surged uncontrollably within him, Wuchen took the opportunity to study the changes in himself.

"Something seems off." He frowned slightly. The ki inside him was far too restless.

What was more, he felt that this golden-haired form was incomplete. Just as he had sensed from Goku earlier, it was difficult to bring out much of its power.

Or rather, he felt this form should be capable of unleashing far greater power.

"Still, instead of a flaw, it may be that this form has tremendous potential and plenty of room to improve." Thinking this, Wuchen put the matter aside and looked eagerly at Goku, who seemed a little worried. "Come on, Goku."

The battle began once more. The brothers' sparring had become too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Neither of them used spiritual power or elemental energy. It was purely a high-speed clash of strength against strength!

Above the platform, they darted back and forth, east and west, while bursts of explosive sound rang out at random.

Terrifying distortions in space appeared here and there, sending out wave after wave of circular shockwaves!

Clang! Clang! Clang! The sounds rang without pause, like fireworks bursting all over the sky!

The battle went on for a long time. Only when the two were exhausted did the space around them finally get a chance to recover and settle back into stillness.

As for the two culprits, they lay on the ground, unwilling to move. Their tired faces still held faint smiles.

Yes, the battle had made them both happy.

Goku felt satisfied, while Wuchen was delighted by the potential he and his brother possessed.

A physique like theirs would be rare even among the human race in his previous life, at least in terms of combat strength.

There was also that fleeting transformation from their last visit to Mount Fry-Pan.

Its boost to their strength had been far greater than that of the golden-haired form, proving just how extraordinary this body's potential was.

Each lost in his own thoughts, the exhausted pair soon got to their feet.

They returned to the platform one after the other. The tenfold gravity was reduced to normal, and their leaden bodies instantly felt lighter. Both of them couldn't help squinting.

Then they lay down right where they were, and before long, they had both fallen into a deep sleep. Neither went to find a bed or thought to wash off their stinking sweat.

Starting the next day, they doubled their training outright, increasing both their weighted loads and their training volume!

A thoroughly satisfying battle had given Wuchen a decent understanding of his new form.

The incredibly exaggerated boost applied to his ki, based on the strength of his own ki reserves.

Wuchen also noticed something else: after transforming, it was indeed difficult to bring out his full strength. Specifically, his body struggled to maintain the form.

It was like an earthworm stretched by force. Even if it didn't break, it couldn't move with the same ease and agility.

There was only one reasonable explanation.

If the transformation itself wasn't a mistake, then the strength of their ki simply wasn't enough to complete it.

Perhaps the power of their blood and qi had accelerated the cellular changes, while the harsh conditions of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had pushed them along. That had allowed them to transform ahead of schedule. What happened at Mount Fry-Pan was probably similar.

It was hard to say whether this was a blessing or a curse, but they definitely needed to build up their ki.

So Wuchen had Goku step up his training with him.

Just like that, half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Counting the time before that, the brothers had spent a full year inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber—or, to be precise, three hundred and sixty days.

Their basic strength had improved tremendously, and their combat power in the golden-haired form had risen along with it.

They had also grown adept at transforming. They no longer needed to build up to it for a long time; a single thought was enough.

Most importantly, they could control their strength more smoothly after transforming. Of course, there was still room for improvement.

"You two... have truly exceeded my expectations." A day later, when Kami saw the brothers again, he was so shocked that he could barely speak. His face even looked a shade greener.

Mr. Popo was much more composed. His dark face showed no change at all. "I never expected you to last a whole year in such a harsh environment!"

"It seems like you're still holding back a great deal of strength."

Over the course of the day, Mr. Popo had delivered food twelve times. Though he hadn't seen the brothers' golden-haired forms, he still had a feeling that they had changed far more than this.

By now, Goku and Wuchen had both grown much more muscular, and a little taller, too.

At the same time, even with their auras completely suppressed, they still gave off the feeling of a bottomless abyss. And they hadn't even transformed yet.

"We owe it all to you, Kami and Mr. Popo. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is a place of incredible wonders, and my brother and I have benefited immensely. We'll always remember this kindness. If there's anything you need, Kami, we won't refuse." Wuchen bowed to Kami and Mr. Popo, bringing Goku along with him.

Not only had they gained a great deal from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but the brothers had also spent some time with Kami and Mr. Popo before that.

Mr. Popo in particular had taught them for a while.

Then, while they were inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he had to bring them food once every two hours. Each time, he brought enough to feed the two brothers—both massive eaters—for a whole month.

So Wuchen naturally couldn't go back on his word about the matter Kami had mentioned earlier, the request for their help.

But Kami fell silent at Wuchen's words.

After a long while, he finally spoke.

"This is my responsibility as Kami. I shouldn't have to trouble you, but there's simply no way for me to resolve it by myself."

Kami looked up at the sky as if lost in recollection. The brothers didn't dare interrupt and listened closely.

"Long ago, I wasn't Kami yet... To become Kami, I cast out the evil thoughts within me—my evil side..."

"Back then, I split in two. One half became the Kami you see before you now. The other became a demon: King Piccolo. He was stronger than me, and the world was plunged into endless darkness..."

"...It wasn't until a few centuries ago that a martial artist sealed King Piccolo, and the world returned to the light. But a few years ago, I suddenly sensed that King Piccolo would descend upon the world once more!"

"That's why I took notice of you and sought you out."

I see, Wuchen thought. He had always sensed that Kami was missing something at his core. So that was what had happened.

"So the power Goku and I have shown is greater than King Piccolo's?" Wuchen asked, hoping to learn more about King Piccolo, especially his strength.

Normally, a split-off half shouldn't be stronger than the original. King Piccolo should have been, at most, on par with Kami.

But in a case where they had been split from the same source, it was hard to say which one was the original and which was the other half.

Which one would be stronger depended on how things unfolded.

Since Kami was helpless against King Piccolo, the latter was probably much stronger.

"I can't be sure whether you're stronger than him. It's been so many years. No one knows whether King Piccolo has grown stronger while sealed, or how strong he is now."

Though Kami said this, he didn't look nearly as worried as before.

Wuchen fell into thought. A year ago, Kami had been deeply troubled, but now he seemed much more at ease. And for Kami, that whole year had been just one day.

His mood had changed drastically in a single day. The only possible reason was the brothers.

But Kami had said he couldn't be sure whether they could defeat King Piccolo. Why, then, did he seem so calm?

"Is King Piccolo really that strong? I can't wait to fight him!" Goku said, his fighting spirit soaring.

Seeing this, Kami quickly warned Goku not to underestimate King Piccolo, and once again described just how terrifying he was.

After that, Wuchen stopped dwelling on it and asked about a few other things.

For instance, what method had the martial artist who sealed King Piccolo used, and could it still work?

Or where had King Piccolo been sealed? Could they go there and reinforce the seal?

Kami could only shake his head. Though he was Kami, he wasn't all-knowing or all-powerful.

He offered only a few of his own theories: because of his past, King Piccolo might target martial artists across the world first.

The next World Martial Arts Tournament might give them a chance to find traces of King Piccolo.

Wuchen fell silent and asked no more. If that was the case, they would wait for the next tournament and find out what was going on.

Afterward, the brothers stayed at Kami's Lookout for a while. Under the pretext of exchanging ideas, they smoothly turned Kami and Mr. Popo into spiritual energy producers.

They also often visited the foot of Korin Tower to chat with Upa and his father and discuss cultivation.

Then one day, Korin returned. He had brought along a companion, a round-bodied man with long, unruly hair named Yajirobe. The two seemed to get along quite well, even though they often bickered.

One thing worth noting was that Korin didn't seem particularly surprised to learn the brothers had met Kami. It was as if he had expected it.

After that, Goku and Wuchen stayed at Korin Tower for two days to catch up and shared some of what they had seen at Kami's Lookout.

Korin also knew a little about King Piccolo, though not as much as Kami. For instance, Korin didn't know how King Piccolo had come into being.

When he learned that King Piccolo might once again wreak havoc across the world, Korin placed great hopes in Goku and Wuchen, but he was also deeply concerned and gave the brothers a serious warning.

Wuchen said he understood, then took Goku and bade everyone farewell. Though he felt sure they would win, he still wouldn't take anything lightly.

Regardless of how strong King Piccolo was, they also had problems of their own that needed to be dealt with properly.