Time flew by, and several more months passed in the blink of an eye.
"Wukong, at this rate, you'll be able to attempt Soul Splitting in a few months." With two fingers pressed to Wukong's forehead, Wuchen sensed his condition and smiled with satisfaction. His little brother had the makings of an immortal!
"That's great!" Wukong was happy too, but once he finished smiling, he scratched his head. Forming his Origin Soul had already been extremely difficult. This Soul Splitting Origin Condensation business was even more complicated, and he was still a little confused.
"Big brother, how exactly do I do this Soul Splitting Origin Condensation? That thing you said about breaking out of a shell and hatching an egg is hard to understand. Do we have eggs in our heads? And what did you mean by the first heaven and the ninth heaven?"
"Wukong, I know you're confused. I didn't explain it in detail because you were still too young, and I was afraid that if I told you too much, you'd get it mixed up."
Indeed, Wuchen had always waited until Wukong reached the appropriate stage before explaining the details of that stage's cultivation. He was afraid Wukong would muddle things up and hinder his progress.
"Now you understand quite a bit about cultivation, so I can explain the first through ninth levels of the Soul Condensation Realm in detail."
"Soul Condensation has nine levels. At the peak of each level, a 'Soul Pattern' forms on the Origin Soul, which also grows much stronger. The fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth levels are especially important."
"The fifth level of Soul Condensation is also called 'Seal Consciousness.' The Consciousness Realm seals itself off and becomes isolated from the sea of consciousness, but the two remain connected rather than splitting apart."
"The seventh through ninth levels of Soul Condensation are collectively called 'Expand Dream.' From the seventh level through the ninth, the Consciousness Realm, isolated from the sea of consciousness, begins to expand under the pressure of the ever-growing Origin Soul."
"This is crucial. The greater the pressure the Origin Soul can exert, the more the Consciousness Realm will expand. And the broader the Consciousness Realm, the more beneficial it will be for the major realm that comes after Soul Condensation. That's why I told you to focus on your foundations. Your Origin Soul must be refined as much as possible; you can't rush to make it grow."
"The Nine Origin General Knowledge Art you practice is different from other methods. Whenever a Soul Pattern nears completion, you must perform Soul Splitting Origin Condensation."
"By 'Soul Splitting,' I mean dividing the 'Mother Soul' in two. The Mother Soul has already undergone Spirit Attachment. If the inner and outer souls have the same attributes, they'll be difficult to separate, so they must be divided into an inner and an outer soul."
"When I told you to keep your Soul Core pure while refining your Origin Soul, it was so you could perform Spirit Attachment a second time, then use the repulsion between different attributes to split your soul."
"When splitting your soul, the outer soul serves as the shell and carries the fire force you've comprehended. The inner soul must undergo Spirit Attachment anew, so it can be separated from the outer soul. When the Soul Pattern forms, the repulsion between the inner and outer parts of the Origin Soul, with their different attributes, will reach its peak. That's when the shell breaks and the egg hatches."
"At that point, all you need to do is comprehend two attributes at once, and your Origin Soul will split in two on its own."
"From now on, your task is to comprehend another attribute, separating the inner and outer layers of your Origin Soul to prepare for the eventual soul splitting."
"Yes, Big brother. I'll start comprehending a new attribute right now!" Wukong had only half understood, but he was incredibly curious and excited. He was about to try comprehending an attribute on the spot, making Wuchen shake his head with a helpless laugh.
"Wukong, you've already comprehended one attribute. Comprehending a second one won't be so easy. Why don't you go... Hmm... let me think. Go catch a big fish. We'll talk about cultivation and comprehension after we've eaten."
"Okay." Wukong was a little disappointed at first, but soon he was happily hopping off to catch fish.
While Wukong was out fishing, Wuchen kept busy too, picking spiritual ingredients from the "vegetable garden" where they usually cultivated.
By now, the "vegetable garden" had taken shape. They grew spiritual peppers, scallions, ginger, and other seasonings, along with spiritual carrots, white radishes, cabbages, and other vegetables. They had also planted quite a few fruit trees, all of them rich in spiritual energy.
Wuchen was even planning to dig channels and grow rice—to get some spiritual rice and the like.
For the moment, though, he only gathered some seasonings and vegetables to go with the big fish he would roast later. He also picked some spiritual fruit to cleanse their palates after the meal.
After preparing and washing all the ingredients, Wuchen closed his eyes to rest and quietly waited for Wukong.
Before long, Wuchen opened his eyes. He sensed Wukong approaching. But there was another, fainter presence with him. Were they having a guest? He couldn't tell if the newcomer was friend or foe.
Soon, Wukong arrived in front of Wuchen, dragging a big fish, with a young woman beside him.
"Wukong, who is this young lady?" Wuchen's first impression of the woman accompanying Wukong wasn't good. Her clothes were far too revealing; she looked like a woman of the streets.
Wukong was pure-hearted and would never associate with someone like that. Besides, he had always lived with Wuchen and had no chance to meet her.
Could this woman have some ulterior motive and deliberately approached Wukong?
"Big brother, you're amazing!" Wukong was stunned by Wuchen's question. "How could you tell at a glance that she's a girl? Did Grandpa teach you?"
"..." Both of them fell silent.
Wuchen wasn't the only one at a loss for words. The woman was too. This little brat was unbelievable.
His big brother seemed a little more normal, at least. But why was he wearing a fake tail too? Was that a local custom?
"Big brother, her name's Bulma. Bulma! Haha, isn't that a funny name?"
"Wukong! Don't be rude! Apologize to her." Wuchen rarely took a stern tone, but even if he had a poor impression of Bulma, he still had to teach Wukong proper manners.
Wukong always listened to Wuchen, so he immediately apologized to Bulma and stood obediently at attention.
"B-Bulma, young lady—no, Ms. Bulma, hello. May I ask what brings you here?" Remembering some of the things Grandpa had taught him, Wuchen tried to be as polite as possible.
Still, he couldn't help feeling surprised. He remembered that "Bulma" seemed to mean a kind of underwear.
His astonished expression wasn't any more polite than Wukong's. At best, he was only more proper in his outward manner.
That immediately brought Bulma's impression of the two brothers down to the same level. These two brats were so rude! If she'd known, she would've given a fake name when she first met that little brat called Sun Wukong.
And what did he mean by "Ms."? Sure, she looked mature and was very attractive, but she was only sixteen.
"You're him—I mean, you're Sun Wukong's older brother, right? What's your name, kid? Big Sis is looking for a kind of orb. Look, one like this, a golden-yellow orb with stars inside. Could you give it to me?"
"If you give me one of these orbs, you can ask me for anything you want! Even something a little outrageous is fine. Oh, and you can just call me by my name."
Since she was asking them for something, Bulma showed off her most charming side. As she spoke, she gave a little shake of her already scandalously short skirt.
Little did she know, that only made Wuchen dislike her more. He was sure of it now: this woman was no decent person!
"My name is Sun Wuchen..."
"Grandpa? Grandpa? How can you have two grandpas?" Before Wuchen could say much, Wukong hurriedly cut in.
Wuchen began pondering too. This object was exactly like the orb Grandpa had left behind; only the number of stars inside was different. He remembered that Grandpa's had four stars.
Perhaps these orbs were part of a set, though he didn't know how many there were in total or what would happen if they were put together. And this woman seemed to know where the orbs were, which was how she had found them.
Wuchen grew even more wary.
"Grandpa? No, this thing is called a Dragon Ball. It's not anyone's grandpa." Bulma was secretly delighted. It looked like she'd found the Dragon Ball in this area right where it was supposed to be—in the hands of the two brothers in front of her.
"Can you give me the Dragon Ball? I'll let you see my panties."
Before you continue