Registration and Reunion

Beside the cabin on Mount Paozu, the two brothers finally found a rare moment of stability.

"Wukong, from now until the World Martial Arts Tournament begins, we need to maintain our golden-haired state as much as possible, even while training. You must be extremely careful in how you control your ki during this time."

The brothers transformed on the spot, quickly suppressing their aura.

Wuchen knew well that this state had two fatal weaknesses: first, it was difficult to control; second, it was hard to sustain for long.

The former was manageable—it was merely a matter of unfamiliarity, which would improve with practice.

The latter, however, was a different story, caused primarily by two factors: excessive load and excessive consumption.

Wuchen had already devised a strategy to address this.

For the excessive load, he would temper his body; for the excessive consumption, he would throttle the outflow and expand the inflow.

Body tempering was straightforward—just follow the established routine. Throttling the outflow was also manageable; it was a matter of ki control, streamlining techniques, and refining strikes, all of which followed a traceable logic.

Only expanding the inflow was difficult. Ki was not a stable energy; storing it within the acupoints carried immense risk.

Within the Consciousness Realm, although he could use his Origin Soul to suppress it, he could not draw upon it as freely as he could with his internal power.

Of course, since there was no immediate solution, Wuchen did not dwell on it.

He simply led Wukong through their routine of body tempering and training, incorporating weighted training to increase their ki, all while maintaining the golden-haired state as much as possible.

It is worth mentioning that during their training, Wuchen specifically cleared a patch of land to plant some Senzu Beans.

Time then became meaningless once more.

Two years and three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Babaiya Island, the venue for the World Martial Arts Tournament.

The brothers arrived one day before registration began and checked into a hotel.

They stayed in a single room; Wukong slept on the bed, while Wuchen rested on two Flying Nimbus clouds placed side-by-side. For Wukong, the Flying Nimbus was a hard seat, but for Wuchen, it was different—when two were joined together, they surpassed any bed in the world.

At this moment, both were sporting golden hair.

However, while the color was gold, the style was not the spiky, upright look. Wukong had golden, cone-shaped hair, while Wuchen's hair was styled in golden, willow-like strands that curled around his ears.

Their auras were steady, feeling no different from those of ordinary people.

It is worth noting that the Dragon Ball had been restored. To prevent anyone from going to Mount Paozu and disturbing their grandfather's peace, Wuchen carried the Four-Star Ball with him.

The next morning, the brothers rose early, ate some of their own food, checked out, and headed to the registration area.

Before registration had even begun, a long line had already formed, and the two took their places at the end.

Gradually, they were no longer at the end, as more people lined up behind them.

There were people of all shapes and sizes—tall, short, fat, thin—and a significant number were animal-folk: lions, tigers, wolves, bears, leopards, and so on.

If there was anything truly special about Wukong and Wuchen, it wasn't their tails, but their age. Teenagers like them were truly a rarity among the contestants.

After a while, the long line began to crawl forward, and it wasn't until nearly noon that it reached the brothers.

"Name." The staff member was so busy he was numb; he didn't even look up, just asked for the name.

"Sun Wukong." Wuchen spoke for Wukong. Seeing the staff member write it down, he led Wukong away to make room. Yes, he himself did not intend to compete.

"To the right is the rest area, next... wait!" The staff member jerked his head up. Why did that voice sound like a child's?

"I must be exhausted," he muttered, but he couldn't see anyone left. He shook his head and continued working: "Next."

"Big Brother, we've registered, where do we fight?" Wukong looked around, a bit anxious that he didn't see a fighting arena.

"The notice over there says registration is today and the preliminaries are tomorrow morning, so the tournament doesn't start until tomorrow." Wuchen had learned to read the script of this world.

"It doesn't start until tomorrow? That feels like such a long wait," Wukong couldn't hide his disappointment.

"Let's just wait here for a bit. Master Roshi and Yamcha and the others should be arriving soon." The two waited outside the tournament rest area.

The staff member continued to record, head down: "Next."

"Jingdi Tailang!"

"Next."

"Next."

"Krillin."

"Hmm, nex... no, wait, I definitely didn't mishear that time, it was a child's voice!" The staff member looked up again, only to freeze immediately. That round head—why did it look so familiar?

"Krillin! That's right, you're the champion from the last tournament! Master Mutaito's top disciple!" The staff member's words instantly caused an uproar, the crowd becoming noisy and turning Krillin's bald head red with embarrassment.

However, Master Roshi, standing behind Krillin, suddenly turned his head. He felt a cold, sinister aura!

"It's him! This aura... when did he..."

Master Roshi locked eyes with a cold, piercing gaze. The man was a thin, treacherous-looking old man with sideburns like wings, wearing a hat topped with a crane-head ornament!

This was Master Shen, who, like Master Roshi, had studied under Mutaito, but he was no good-natured soul. He and Master Roshi had often been at odds, which was one of the reasons Master Roshi chose to live in seclusion after making a name for himself.

Beside Master Shen stood two others who appeared to be his disciples.

One was a sturdy, tall, bald man with a third eye on his forehead and a cold, stern expression.

The other was even stranger: a child with deathly pale skin and a gaze that seemed slightly dull, or perhaps endearingly vacant.

However, these two were somewhat different from Master Shen. Their qi was evil but not malicious, as if they had merely strayed onto the wrong path.

What shocked Master Roshi most, however, was that he could sense fluctuations of spiritual energy coming from all three of them!

"Mr. Krillin, if you go through here and explain the situation to the reception staff in the lounge, they will arrange private accommodations and meals for you."

Because the organizers had received special instructions regarding the previous champion, the staff was exceptionally enthusiastic.

"Understood. This is my friend, Jackie Chun, and he will also be competing." Yes, Master Roshi was also planning to compete. He had even prepared a pseudonym in advance, though he hadn't bothered with a disguise.

"Yes, of course, Mr. Jackie Chun. Very well, I have recorded it. If you go through here, there will be someone specifically assigned to assist you."

"Sorry to trouble you." Withdrawing his gaze, Master Roshi and Krillin headed toward the lounge together.

The treatment they received made Master Shen nearly grind his back teeth to dust, his heart filled with extreme resentment:

That old turtle! He actually sent his disciple to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament to take the opportunity to promote his damn Turtle School! How cunning!

Hmph! You surely never expected that I would stumble upon a divine technique by sheer luck. As long as I use my Crane School's secret technique to defeat everyone from your Turtle School during the tournament, it will be the moment the Crane School becomes famous!

Meanwhile, outside the lounge.

"Goku? Senior Brother Wuchen?! You... you've been infected by Launch?!" Yes, everyone had been busy with their own training during this period, so they hadn't been in contact or seen each other.

Thus, this reunion was particularly surprising, especially given Goku and Wuchen's striking golden hair and their slightly cold, indifferent eyes.

Krillin trembled, not daring to step forward. Even though he had confiscated all of Launch's weapons, he had still been chased all over the mountains by the golden-haired Launch wielding a kitchen knife, nearly losing a few body parts on several occasions.

"Krillin, Old Man, long time no see." Wuchen greeted them with a smile. Seeing the shock and uncertainty on the faces of Krillin and Master Roshi, he explained:

"My situation and Goku's are indeed somewhat similar to Launch's. Thanks to this, we can unleash greater power. However, we are still ourselves; that is where we differ from her."

"So amazing! Krillin, your cultivation has caught up to mine! But you look so strange wearing that; you're usually so petite, but now you look all broad and blocky like a rock. Haha."

Goku spoke up at the right moment, his innocent laughter dispelling the concerns of the other two. To Goku, Krillin in a suit and tie really did look quite funny.

"What's that supposed to mean? This is what Master Roshi requested! And Master Roshi looks just like me, doesn't he? Besides, you aren't that tall either. You just look taller than me because you have hair."

"But Senior Brother Wuchen, you said 'greater power'? Is that true? But I feel like you guys are actually much weaker than before..." "Thump!" "Ouch! Master Roshi, what was that for~"

Before Krillin could finish, Master Roshi gave him a sharp rap on the head.

"Idiot! Goku and Wuchen are hiding their qi; can't you feel it? There is a terrifying power hidden within them! Are you suppressing it so tightly because you can't control it?"

Master Roshi directed the latter part of his question to Goku and Wuchen, his tone filled with concern.

"Do not worry, Old Man. Goku and I are not experiencing any discomfort. We are suppressing our qi simply to avoid unnecessary waste." Wuchen quickly reassured him without going into too much detail. It was too complicated to explain right now, so he would find time to clarify later.

Wuchen was slightly surprised by the qi of Master Roshi and Krillin. Krillin was at the fifth level of Soul Condensation, on par with Goku, while Master Roshi had reached the seventh level! And it didn't look like a recent breakthrough.

As Wuchen finished speaking, Master Roshi felt more at ease, and the atmosphere on the scene softened.

Goku and Krillin, in particular, began chatting happily and openly. For instance, Goku shared some methods for distinguishing between men and women, which left Krillin feeling embarrassed and blushing, yet still wanting to hear more.

Master Roshi, however, took Wuchen aside to whisper, discussing many things.

It was primarily about what had just happened regarding Master Shen and his group. The secret of the cultivation technique had definitely been leaked.

At the same time, Master Roshi mentioned a detail he had noticed.

"However, although their bodies are filled with spiritual energy and their blood and qi are surging, there are no fluctuations of primordial power at all." He paused, then added:

"When we first passed on the methods of cultivation, we only taught the Soul Condensation method to a small group of people. Master Shen and his lot must have only obtained the method to generate spiritual energy."

"This situation was already within our considerations, so you need not worry too much, Old Man. The situation is still under control." Wuchen indicated that it was fine and within expectations.

Immediately, Wuchen took the initiative to talk about other things, such as the details regarding "Expand Dream" after reaching the seventh level of Soul Condensation.

Discussing cultivation successfully distracted Master Roshi, and he stopped overthinking the matter.

Soon, Yamcha, Bulma, and the others arrived.