Return and Resolve

Dende had long since sensed that familiar and powerful aura.

He hurried out from the temple, the hem of his white robes fluttering in the wind. His pace was somewhat hurried, and his face betrayed a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

Upon seeing Jiang Che, he immediately bowed slightly, hands clasped before his chest—his attitude both respectful and cautious. "Lord Jiang Che, you have returned."

His eyes swept over Jiang Che, and he asked tentatively, "Has... Baby been eliminated?"

"Mm, taken care of."

Jiang Che nodded. Before he had even finished speaking, he drifted as lightly as a falling leaf onto the plaza in front of Kami's Lookout.

The stone floor gave a dull thud, and a few withered leaves were swept up by the air current, spiraling slowly away.

Jiang Che stood still, brushed some non-existent dust from his shoulder, and looked at Dende calmly. "Dende, I have something to tell you."

Dende's expression tightened instantly.

He caught something unusual in Jiang Che's tone and quickly said, "Please, go ahead." He couldn't help but take a step forward, his hands gripping the edge of his robe tightly.

"The Black Star Dragon Balls have disappeared. The Earth will be destroyed in one month."

Jiang Che spoke very lightly, as if discussing the weather, though a trace of gravity flashed in his eyes.

Dende's face went pale, his pupils dilated, and his lips trembled. "What?! How could such a thing happen?"

His voice rose sharply, his face full of shock and panic, his hands raised with trembling fingertips.

"I don't know the specifics, but it is a fact."

Jiang Che raised a hand to calm him down. "You must notify Son Goku and the others immediately and have them hurry to retrieve the Dragon Balls." His tone was firm and beyond negotiation, his gaze forcing Dende to accept the cruel news.

Dende took a deep breath, struggling to close his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, the panic had subsided, replaced by a heavy sense of responsibility.

He nodded with great certainty. "I understand. I will notify them at once." His voice was a bit hoarse, but firm.

Jiang Che turned to look at the distant skyline, where the last of the sunset was slowly fading, and the night was pulling in bit by bit.

He was silent for a few seconds before suddenly speaking. "Also, I need a place to stay." He turned back to look at Dende. "May I stay here for the time being?"

Dende was stunned, but immediately relaxed and smiled. "Of course, Lord Jiang Che. Please, follow me." He stepped aside and gestured, the hem of his robe tracing an arc in the wind.

Candlelight flickered on the stone steps of the temple in the distance, the dim yellow halo swaying in the night, leaving a touch of peace in this crisis-ridden world.

Dende nodded decisively, a sincere smile on his lips. "Of course you can. You eliminated Baby and saved the Earth; not to mention staying here, if you wanted the entire Kami's Lookout, I would offer it with both hands without batting an eye." His voice held heartfelt respect, and his eyes shone with a brilliant light, as if Jiang Che were already an eternal monument in his heart.

"No need to be so dramatic."

Jiang Che waved his hand, his movements indifferent, his tone as calm as deep water.

He glanced sideways at the stone pillars intertwined with cloud shadows inside the temple. "Just give me a quiet room." His voice was steady, leaving no room for negotiation.

Dende nodded immediately, turned to signal Mr. Popo, and pointed toward a secluded corner in the wing of the temple, giving a few low instructions.

Mr. Popo blinked his black eyes, then vanished into the depths of the corridor. His footsteps were so light they were almost inaudible, save for the faint rustle of his robes brushing against the stone floor.

Before long, the room was ready.

Mr. Popo pushed the door open. The room was quiet, the stone bed was tidy, white clouds drifted slowly outside the window, and gentle golden light leaked through the diamond-shaped panes.

Jiang Che sat in the room for a while before standing up, walking out the door with light, determined steps, each one measuring the weight of time.

He headed straight for Dende, his gaze sharp.

"Dende, I want to enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train."

He spoke directly, without a hint of hesitation.

Dende was surprised, his brows lifting slightly like the surface of a lake rippled by a breeze. "Lord Jiang Che, didn't you just finish training not long ago?" He looked puzzled and concerned, his fingers rubbing together unconsciously.

"You can never have too much money, and you can never have too much strength."

Jiang Che said indifferently, looking toward the horizon where clouds were rolling like brewing undercurrents.

He paused, his voice dropping. "It's resolved for now, but who knows what we might encounter in the future." His fingers tapped lightly on his belt, making a clinking sound as if hinting at something.

After hearing this, Dende's eyes held even more shock, which then turned into deep admiration.

He bowed and clasped his hands, promising solemnly, "You are right. I will open the door for you now."

He walked toward the stone tablet in the center of the temple, his fingertips sliding over the ancient runes. The stone carving emitted a low humming sound, like an echo from the distant past.

A white light rose from the center of the tablet, slowly condensing into an oval door, from which the sound of vast winds and the tides of time faintly emerged.

Jiang Che took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber closed behind him, the heavy sound falling like a muffled thunderclap, and soon everything fell silent.

The room was empty, with nothing but white mist in the distance. The floor was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting his figure as lonely and upright.

He didn't start training immediately, but closed his eyes to focus for a moment.

After a while, he opened his eyes slowly and called up the system panel in his mind.

A phantom light screen emerged from the void, hanging before him, its faint fluorescence like stars falling in the darkness.

The options on the screen were dense: Bloodline, Skills, Equipment, Items... a dazzling array of categories, with names and numbers jumping about, making Jiang Che's eyes swim.

His gaze swept quickly over the rows of options, his fingertips tapping in the air, occasionally triggering crisp notification sounds like diamonds dropping into crystal.

He had been searching for what he needed all along.

His blood began to flow faster, pulsing with a slight tremor in his fingertips, and his heartbeat thundered in his ears.

His gaze came to a halt on a single line of text, as if pulled by a magnet.

"Tenfold Kaio-ken, price: 50,000 exchange points."

Jiang Che's eyes locked onto these words, his pupils constricting slightly.

The golden text shimmered on the light screen, its edges rimmed with a faint red glow, as if the heat waves of battle were surging from within.

He instinctively licked his dry lips, the scene of a Kaio-ken eruption flashing through his mind: muscles swelling, energy bursting, and the air filled with blinding light.

The Kaio-ken was a secret technique created by North Kai that could multiply one's combat power several times over for a short duration.

Yet, its drawbacks were equally extreme, placing a massive burden on the body—muscles tearing, bones humming, every use a desperate gamble at the limits of life.

But for this tenfold Kaio-ken from the system, a small line of text slowly appeared on the screen: "No side effects."

Jiang Che stared fixedly at those words, the corners of his mouth curling upward uncontrollably as a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

He tapped his finger lightly against the light screen, and a crisp confirmation chime echoed throughout the entire Hyperbolic Time Chamber, silently sealing the contract.

Jiang Che's eyes instantly brightened, as if starlight were truly flickering within his pupils.