First Hearing of King Piccolo

"Big brother?" Sensing Wuchen's aura rapidly climbing, Goku hurriedly ate a Senzu Bean.

Looking to the other side, after a roar of fury, Wuchen's aura also surged dozens of times over, and his hair subsequently turned gold as well.

Seeing this, Goku gathered his focus for a moment, transformed into a golden-haired warrior once more, and spoke to Wuchen: "Big brother, let's fight."

Just like he had been earlier, Goku wanted to help his brother, allowing Wuchen to vent his rising battle intent through combat.

No wonder Goku was a bit out of control earlier; this transformation is very similar to Launch's, directly affecting one's personality. As uncontrollable battle intent mixed with killing intent surged wildly, Wuchen took the opportunity to perceive the changes within himself.

It seems... there are some flaws. Frowning slightly, he felt the aura within his body was far too restless.

Not only that, he felt this golden-haired form was incomplete. Just as Goku had felt to him earlier, it was difficult to exert much power.

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

However, rather than calling it a flaw, it is more like it has immense potential, with huge room for improvement. Thinking of this, Wuchen stopped overthinking and looked at the slightly worried Goku with eagerness: "Come on, Goku."

The battle broke out once more; the sparring between the two brothers was no longer something the naked eye could capture.

Neither of them used spiritual power or internal energy; it was purely a high-speed collision of raw strength!

Above the platform, sounds of explosions erupted irregularly, first here, then there.

Accompanied by terrifying spatial fluctuations generated at random, wave after wave of circular shockwaves rippled outward!

Bang! Bang! Bang! The sounds were incessant, like rapid-fire cannons exploding across the sky!

This battle lasted for a long time, and only when the two were exhausted did the trembling space finally catch its breath and return to calm.

As for the two culprits, they lay on the ground, unwilling to move, yet faint smiles graced their weary faces.

Yes, this battle had made them both very happy.

Goku was satisfied, while Wuchen was pleasantly surprised—surprised by the potential of his brother and himself.

Such a constitution, even in his past life, was rare among the human race in terms of combat prowess.

There was one more thing: that fleeting form he had glimpsed back at Mount Fry-Pan.

Its amplification of power was far greater than this golden-haired form, which was enough to prove the extraordinary potential of this body.

The exhausted pair smiled to themselves, and before long, they both stood up one after the other.

They returned to the platform, and as the ten-fold gravity returned to normal, their leaden bodies suddenly felt light, causing both to squint their eyes in relief.

They immediately lay down right where they were, and within moments, they were fast asleep. Neither went looking for a bed, nor did they think to wash off the stench of sweat.

From the second day on, their training was doubled; their weights were increased, and their training volume was doubled as well!

A hearty, exhilarating battle was enough for Wuchen to gain a certain understanding of his new form.

The extremely exaggerated amplification was of his aura, based on his own foundational "aura capacity."

Wuchen also noticed a situation: it was indeed difficult to exert his full power after transforming, manifested specifically as his body struggling to maintain the state.

It was as if he were an earthworm being violently stretched; even if it didn't snap, it was no longer flexible or at ease.

Thus, there was only one logical conclusion.

If this transformation itself wasn't a mistake, then it could only be that the intensity of their own aura was not yet sufficient to complete the transformation.

Perhaps the power of their blood and energy accelerated that cellular-level metamorphosis, combined with the stimulation of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber's harsh environment, leading to a premature transformation. The incident at Mount Fry-Pan was likely a similar situation.

Whether this was a curse or a blessing was hard to say, but they had to fill the gap regarding their own aura.

Therefore, Wuchen pushed Goku to increase their training.

Just like that, half a year flew by in a flash. Counting the previous time, the two brothers had stayed in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for a full year, or exactly three hundred and sixty days.

Their foundational strength had improved significantly, and their combat power in the golden-haired form had risen accordingly.

They had also become adept at shifting forms, no longer needing long periods of focus; they could complete the transformation with just a single thought.

Most importantly, after transforming, they could wield their power more freely. Of course, there were still shortcomings.

"You two... have truly exceeded my expectations." Seeing the brothers again after a day, Kami was so shocked he was almost stuttering, his complexion turning a shade greener.

Mr. Popo's composure was different; with his dark face, no change could be detected at all: "I didn't expect you to be able to stay in such a harsh environment for a whole year!"

"It seems you still have a great deal of power that you haven't revealed."

Over the past day, while delivering food twelve times, Mr. Popo hadn't witnessed their golden-haired forms. Yet, he still had a premonition that their changes were more than just that.

At this moment, both Goku and Wuchen were much sturdier and had grown a little taller.

At the same time, although both had completely restrained their auras, they still gave people the feeling of standing before a deep abyss. One had to remember, they hadn't even transformed.

"It is all thanks to Kami and Mr. Popo; the Hyperbolic Time Chamber is a miraculous creation, and my brother and I have benefited immensely. We will never forget this kindness. If Kami has any request, we will not refuse." Wuchen pulled Goku along to bow to Kami and Mr. Popo.

Not to mention the benefits they had reaped from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, the brothers had spent some time with Kami and Mr. Popo before that.

Especially Mr. Popo, who had taught the brothers for a while.

Later, while in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, they had to be delivered food every two hours, each time enough to feed the two big eaters for a month.

Therefore, it was naturally impossible for Wuchen to refuse the matter the other party had mentioned earlier—the task they needed help with.

Instead, it was Kami who fell silent upon hearing Wuchen's words.

After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly.

"This matter is my own responsibility as Kami. I should not have troubled you with it, but with my own power alone, there is truly no way to resolve it."

Kami looked up at the sky, as if lost in memory. The two brothers dared not disturb him, listening intently.

"Long ago, I was not yet Kami... To become Kami, I had to excise the evil within myself, my dark side..."

"At that time, I split in two. One part became the Kami I am now. The other became a demon, King Piccolo. In terms of power, he surpassed me, and the world was plunged into endless darkness as a result..."

"...It was not until several hundred years ago that a martial artist sealed King Piccolo away, and the world regained its light. But a few years ago, I suddenly had a premonition that King Piccolo would once again descend upon the human world!"

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

So that's it, Wuchen thought, deep in contemplation. He had always felt that the Kami before him had a fractured origin; now it all made sense.

"So, are the powers that Goku and I currently display stronger than King Piccolo?" Wuchen asked, wanting to understand more about King Piccolo, primarily regarding his strength.

Logically, a split-off part should not be stronger than the original, so King Piccolo should at most be equal to Kami.

However, in a case where one is split from the source, it is truly difficult to distinguish who is the original and who is the offshoot.

Who is stronger and who is weaker depends on their subsequent growth.

Since Kami was helpless against King Piccolo, it stood to reason that he was far weaker than his counterpart.

"I am not certain if you are stronger than him. So many years have passed; whether King Piccolo has grown stronger while sealed, or just how powerful he is now, no one knows."

Despite saying this, Kami's face was not as worried as it had been before.

Wuchen fell into deep thought. Kami, who had been crestfallen just a year ago, was clearly much more composed this time. One had to remember that for Kami, this year had only been a single day.

To have such a shift in mood within a day—the reason could only lie with the two brothers.

Yet, since Kami said he was unsure if they were a match for King Piccolo, why was he so calm?

"Is King Piccolo really that strong? I'm looking forward to fighting him," Goku said, his fighting spirit soaring.

Seeing this, Kami hurriedly cautioned Goku, telling him not to underestimate King Piccolo and once again emphasizing the terror of the demon king.

After that, Wuchen stopped dwelling on it and instead asked about other matters.

For instance, what method the martial artist had used to seal King Piccolo back then, and whether it was still a viable option.

Or where King Piccolo had been sealed, and if they could go there to reinforce the seal.

To this, Kami expressed his helplessness. Though he was Kami, he was not omniscient or omnipotent.

He only offered his own analysis: King Piccolo might, due to his past experiences, prioritize targeting martial artists across the world.

The next World Martial Arts Tournament might be where they could discover traces of King Piccolo.

Wuchen fell silent, asking no further questions. If that was the case, then they would wait. They would wait for the next martial arts tournament to get to the bottom of it.

Afterward, the two brothers stayed at Kami's Lookout for a period of time. Using the excuse of discussion and exchange, they logically turned Kami and Mr. Popo into sources of spiritual energy production.

At the same time, they often went to the base of Korin Tower to chat with Upa and his father, and to discuss their training.

Until one day, Korin returned. He brought a companion with him—a round, disheveled man named Yajirobe. He seemed to get along well with Korin, despite their frequent bickering.

It is worth mentioning that Korin did not seem overly surprised that the two brothers had already met Kami, as if it were something he had expected.

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

Regarding King Piccolo, Korin also knew a few things, though not as detailed as Kami. For example, Korin did not know how King Piccolo had been born.

Upon learning that King Piccolo might once again plague the world, Korin placed high hopes on Goku and Wuchen, but he was also quite worried and offered the brothers a fair amount of advice.

Wuchen acknowledged this, then took Goku to bid everyone farewell. Although he felt victory was within his grasp, he dared not be careless.

Not to mention whether King Piccolo was strong or not, they still had their own issues that needed to be handled properly.