The Saibaman War

After Jiang Yun left, Bu Chen fell into deep thought.

Slowly, he raised his head and gazed at the ceiling. Suddenly, a spiderweb in one corner caught his attention.

In this busy, brightly lit hotel, there was actually a spider that had made its home in such a place. It seemed completely out of place, yet no one had noticed the tiny creature.

All at once, Bu Chen found himself taking an interest in the little creature. What would become of it? Bu Chen quietly watched the tangled web and the tiny spider.

Light from outside the window streamed into the room. Normally, Bu Chen might have found it especially soothing, but now he felt a chill, and even a little oppressed.

Just then, a mosquito came wobbling into view. It seemed to have just finished sucking human blood, basking in the pleasure of a full belly, completely unaware that it had wandered into danger.

The spider seemed to sense that prey was about to arrive. It gradually became motionless, doing its best to make itself less noticeable.

In a daze, Bu Chen had a moment of insight.

The mosquito drifted closer to the web, unaware of the danger as it wobbled along!

Just as one might expect, it struck the web. Only then did it realize it was in danger.

It struggled desperately, but the spider wrapped it in silk, layer upon layer, until its body was gradually hidden beneath the thick strands.

Little by little, the mosquito stopped struggling, for its life had already left it.

Suddenly, the chaotic thoughts in Bu Chen's mind were like a drop of water falling onto a still surface, sending ripples spreading in every direction—chaotic, yet orderly.

At that moment, he seemed to understand Jiang Yun's words: danger lurked even amid dazzling lights, and even after a glorious victory, it was no time to rest easy.

Bu Chen also understood that the universe was magnificent, but beneath its dazzling brilliance lay merciless killing intent.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yun had no idea what Bu Chen was thinking. He only knew that Bu Chen wouldn't let him down.

Setting that matter aside, Jiang Yun began to ponder again. Only after witnessing the vastness of the universe could one understand how insignificant humanity was.

What was the universe?

It was the collective term for the vast expanse of space and all the celestial bodies and diffuse matter within it.

At the same time, it encompassed both time and space.

And what were people? What was qi?

What was the essence of cultivation?

All things possessed qi. Qi was the root, the source, the beginning of life and the origin of the universe.

At that moment, images of the stars flashed through Jiang Yun's mind, along with rivers and seas. The vast world was all there in his thoughts.

Intangible Vital Energy began to flow into Jiang Yun's body. It was exceptionally gentle, silently and imperceptibly reshaping him. His cells seemed to leap with joy; their rate of division slowed, and they grew more vigorous.

At that moment, his mental power began to increase dramatically, becoming more refined and concentrated. It even surpassed the mental power the Guardian of Earth had after inheriting his divine position and being tempered by divine power.

Now, if he wished, he could do everything Goku had done in the original story—and do it even faster, because his body was more in tune with Vital Energy.

King Kai would have been astounded if he had seen this. In the original story, he had taught Goku to sense Vital Energy by relying on Goku's pure, innocent heart.

Now there was someone whose affinity with Vital Energy had reached such an astonishing level—something even King Kai himself had never achieved.

Jiang Yun's body had even gained a trace of divinity, greatly extending his lifespan.

When Jiang Yun came to his senses and discovered the changes in his body, he was overjoyed. He had once again entered that mysterious state, much like the legendary experience of sudden enlightenment.

He had even begun to move toward immortality.

That was what he had always pursued. He had even hoped to reach the exalted realm where he would endure even if heaven and earth crumbled, untouched by time or causality.

While Jiang Yun was immersed in enlightenment, Bu Chen began to take action.

"Have you found Xiuka's location?"

Bu Chen asked one of the people he had sent out earlier to find Xiuka.

"Reporting to the captain, Xiuka went to take part in the Saibaman War!"

One of the Blazing Squad members replied respectfully.

"The Saibaman War?"

"What's that?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Bu Chen's face as he asked.

"Wang Teng, let me explain!"

A flash of excitement crossed the man's face as he cut in.

The man's name was Wang Teng. If Jiang Yun had been there, he would surely have remarked that Wang Teng was destined for greatness.

Then Wang Teng continued, "The Saibaman War! Just as the name suggests, it's a battle between Saibamen!"

"Pfft!"

Others scoffed.

"Did you think we couldn't tell it was a battle between Saibamen? We want to know what it actually is!"

"Exactly!"

"Come on, stop keeping us in suspense and just tell us!"

The others chimed in impatiently.

"Don't rush me. I'm getting to it."

He cleared his throat, then continued, "This Saibaman War—I'll tell you what. Saibamen aren't a race. They're vegetables that people grow!"

"What? You mean Saibamen are like the vegetables we grow on Earth?"

"Vegetables? How can vegetables fight? This has to be a joke!"

"I'm telling you, these so-called Saibamen really are grown by people. All they need is a little fertile soil, and they can grow a Saibaman. And they're pretty strong, too—they could easily beat us from a year ago."

He continued, his face full of amazement.

Bu Chen was also amazed at the wonders of the universe. Who would have thought that Saibamen could exist? The universe was indeed full of marvels.

"So people can grow other people?"

"They're not really people, though. We should call them Vegetable-type Bio-androids. They're cultivated by others and obey the people who grow them!"

"But what's this Saibaman War, and what does it have to do with Xiuka?"

At that point, someone finally asked the right question.

The man who had started explaining spoke up again. His name was Aman Cheng.

"The Saibaman War is a form of entertainment on this planet, and there are prizes for winning. This time, Xiuka of the Lone Wolf Mercenary Group will be taking part in the Saibaman War."

Aman Cheng paused, then continued, "The rules of the tournament are simple: the winner is decided by battles between the Saibamen people have grown."

"The Saibamen on each side are usually about evenly matched. The key to victory is the soil they're grown in. The more fertile the soil, the stronger a Saibaman will be against others of the same level!"

"But wouldn't that be cheating?"

Someone asked.

"It's allowed under the rules! Plenty of people have spent a fortune buying soil from other planets to compete this time!"

Aman Cheng explained.

"Captain, should we... should we go watch, too?"

Wang Teng spoke up, scratching his head a little sheepishly.

Bu Chen knew they wanted to go watch. Their target was taking part as well, so he said, "Sure, we can go take a look. Wait here—I'll go get the Alliance Leader."

Bu Chen started toward Jiang Yun's room.