Practical Combat and Return

Ta Lo Village lay shrouded in a thin morning mist. Lin Hai stood in the center of the training ground, staring at the clear palm print on a boulder nearby. A faint residue of emerald energy still lingered in his palm—the trace left by the energy wave he had just successfully projected.

"I finally did it!" Excitement surged through Lin Hai, but a new thought quickly followed—sparring with the other Ta Lo villagers who possessed Divine Dragon Hearts.

Once the idea surfaced, it spread like wildfire. He eagerly sought out Old Chen and told him what he had in mind.

After hearing him out, Old Chen stroked his beard and laughed. "Good! This is a good thing! Kung fu has never been something you create by locking yourself away. Only kung fu that draws on the strengths of many schools is truly good kung fu. You can learn from everyone, and everyone can learn from you."

With Old Chen's approval, Lin Hai's sparring plan quickly spread throughout the village. The Ta Lo villagers had already been curious about this "outsider" who could ride on the Divine Dragon. Now that they heard they could spar with him, they became even more enthusiastic.

Before long, quite a crowd had gathered at the training ground. There were young martial artists and seasoned elders alike. Without exception, they all possessed Divine Dragon Hearts and were skilled in Ta Lo Kung Fu.

Lin Hai stood in the middle of the grounds, swept his gaze over the crowd, and smiled. "Everyone, please go easy on me!"

At first, the sparring was fairly gentle. Everyone stopped at the right point and tested one another cautiously. However, when the first villager was knocked back by Lin Hai's energy wave and suffered a slight arm sprain, Lin Hai immediately stepped forward. Gentle Life Force glowed in his palm as he lightly pressed it against the injury.

"Huh? It doesn't hurt anymore?" The villager moved his arm in surprise, then was even more astonished to discover that an old injury from his younger training days had also eased considerably.

"This... this is unbelievable!" he shouted excitedly.

The news spread quickly, and the villagers' gazes toward Lin Hai immediately grew more fervent. What had originally been ordinary sparring now became a perfect opportunity to both improve their martial arts and heal old injuries. The atmosphere soon grew increasingly unrestrained.

"Little Friend Lin, again!" An elderly martial artist strode forward, battle intent flashing in his eyes.

Lin Hai smiled and nodded. "All right!"

Over the next few days, the training ground became the liveliest place in Ta Lo Village. The villagers took turns stepping up to fight Lin Hai. Some excelled at fierce, powerful fist techniques, some were masters of nimble footwork, and others specialized in blades or staffs. Of course, there were also those who could manipulate natural elements for long-range attacks.

During the fights, Lin Hai continuously adjusted his Tai Chi techniques, attempting to incorporate Ta Lo Kung Fu's Energy Projection methods into them.

At first, his energy attacks were not stable enough. Sometimes they lacked power because of poor control, while at other times the energy was too fierce for him to rein in. But as the number of battles increased, his control over energy grew more and more refined.

One day, Lin Hai fought a young martial artist skilled in wind magic. His opponent moved like the wind, attacking with incredible speed. Lin Hai struggled somewhat at first, but then inspiration struck. He drew circles with both hands, and the energy within him suddenly burst outward, forming a spiral force that directly dissolved his opponent's offensive and counterattacked in the same motion, forcing him back several steps.

"Beautiful!" the watching villagers could not help cheering.

Lin Hai withdrew his stance, delighted. "So Energy Projection can be used like this too!"

One evening, Lin Hai stood alone on the training ground, recalling the battles of the past few days. Countless scenes flashed through his mind: the villagers' techniques, his own responses, and the various ways energy could be used.

"If I faced Green Goblin or Lizard Doctor again now..." He clenched his fist, confidence flashing in his eyes. "Even without Deep Forest Emergence, I could defeat them easily!"

Happy times always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Lin Hai had stayed in Ta Lo Village for more than ten days, and it was time to return.

On the night before his departure, Old Chen specially prepared a table full of sumptuous dishes to see him off. The villagers also came one after another to bid farewell. Some gave him wine they had brewed themselves, some offered handmade protective charms, and several children clung to him and asked when he would come back.

Lin Hai was deeply moved and answered each of them. He packed his luggage and did not forget to bring along the old digital camera—it contained precious memories of his time in Ta Lo Village.

The next morning, Old Chen personally escorted him to the village entrance. Azure Dragon had somehow appeared above the lake as well, its blue-gold eyes quietly watching Lin Hai as if bidding him farewell without a word.

"Little Friend Lin." Old Chen patted his shoulder, his tone gentle yet tinged with emotion. "You do not belong to our Ta Lo Village. The world outside is where you belong. Still, I hope you can come back often. All of us villagers will miss you."

After a pause, he looked at Azure Dragon above the lake and smiled. "And look, Azure Dragon will miss you too."

Lin Hai nodded firmly. "I definitely will!"

Old Chen continued, "The next time you come, you will not need to hike through the Bamboo Grove Maze like you did this time. Just activate your Dragon God's Power outside the bamboo grove. Once Azure Dragon senses it, I will send someone to pick you up. It will be much faster than finding your own way in."

Lin Hai smiled. "That would be great. I definitely don't want to get lost again."

Old Chen laughed too, then waved his hand. "Go on. I'll have someone take you to where you came in. When a man gets old, he talks too much. Little Friend Lin, take care. Come back often."

Lin Hai waved to everyone and to Azure Dragon as well.

After bidding everyone farewell, Lin Hai successfully passed through the Bamboo Grove Maze under the guidance of that villager and returned to the mountain where he had first entered the hidden realm. Standing in that familiar spot, he looked at the bamboo grove before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The experiences of the past half month felt like a wondrous dream. Not only had he obtained a Divine Dragon Heart and learned Energy Projection, but he had also met a group of simple, powerful friends.

"If I have the time, I'll definitely come often!" Lin Hai took a deep breath, turned around, and headed toward the mountain market.

A breeze brushed past him, and it seemed as if a deep dragon's roar echoed in Lin Hai's heart, as though answering him.

After leaving the hidden realm, Lin Hai returned to the mountain market. The familiar clamor still surrounded him. Vendors shouted their wares, tourists haggled, and children played noisily. Everything seemed so ordinary, as if his experiences in Ta Lo Village had been nothing more than a dream.

He lowered his head and looked at the luggage in his hands: a stuffed backpack filled with local specialties gifted by the Ta Lo villagers, along with that old digital camera, which held countless precious pictures. Of course, those photographs contained neither Azure Dragon nor any magical plants or animals—only ordinary homes, simple villagers, and magnificent mountain scenery.

Lin Hai took a deep breath and hailed a taxi. The driver was an enthusiastic middle-aged man. Seeing Lin Hai's backpack, he smiled and asked, "Young man, just got back from climbing the mountain?"

"Yeah, I had a great time." Lin Hai smiled in reply and carefully placed the backpack on the back seat.

The car slowly drove away from the market, and the scenery outside sped past. Lin Hai leaned against the seat, recalling the experiences of the past half month—the encounter with Azure Dragon, the fusion of the Divine Dragon Heart, his training in Ta Lo Village, the villagers' warmth, and so on. Everything felt vividly clear, yet as distant as a story from another world.

An hour later, the taxi stopped in front of his home. Lin Hai paid the fare, picked up his backpack, and pushed open the door.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back!"

Hearing his voice, Father Lin and Mother Lin immediately came out of the kitchen. Mother Lin looked him over from head to toe. Only after seeing that he looked well and his clothes were clean did she let out a sigh of relief. "How was it? You didn't run into any danger, did you?"

"What danger could there be?" Lin Hai smiled as he set down his backpack and took out several packages of local specialties wrapped in oiled paper. "Here, I brought these back. They're all natural goodies. Give them a try."

Father Lin took one package, opened it, and sniffed it. A faint herbal fragrance wafted out. "A mountain specialty?"

"Yep!" Lin Hai nodded, then began telling the carefully prepared version of his story.

"I originally wanted to explore beyond that mountain, but I ran into a group of hikers who were there too. They were pretty friendly, so they took me to a farmstay hidden in a mountain basin." As he spoke, he took out the digital camera and pulled up the carefully selected photos. "Look, this is the place. The environment was great, and all the food was homegrown vegetables and chickens and ducks they raised themselves."

The Ta Lo Village in the photos contained only ordinary houses, stone paths, and distant mountains, without any trace of the supernatural. Father Lin and Mother Lin leaned over to look, then nodded. "It really does look quite rustic."

Seeing that his parents were not suspicious, Lin Hai quietly breathed a sigh of relief and smoothly shifted the topic to food. "Oh, right, they had a special kind of smoked meat there. It tasted amazing!"

Father Lin did not pay much attention to those details. He simply patted his son on the shoulder. "It's good that you came back safely. If you go somewhere like that again, remember to tell us beforehand."

Lin Hai grinned. "Got it!"

After returning to his room, Lin Hai immediately took out his phone and sent Gwen, Harry, and Peter a message: [I'm back. I have something big to tell you!]

Not long afterward, replies from all three popped up one after another—

Gwen: [What big thing? Don't tell me you ran into some supervillain?]

Harry: [You disappeared for so long, I thought aliens had abducted you.]

Peter: [Honestly, I was a little worried that you'd really gotten into some trouble.]

Lin Hai looked at the screen and could not help smiling. Then he started a group video call. Their faces quickly appeared on the screen. Gwen's blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, Harry still looked like a rich young master, while Peter had a messy head of hair and clearly had just crawled out of bed.

Then, he told them a simplified version of what he had experienced in Ta Lo Village.

Naturally, he left out Azure Dragon and the Divine Dragon Heart. He only said that he had found Ta Lo, which he had mentioned wanting to find before, learned some unique kung fu from local martial artists, and taken plenty of beautiful photographs.

Gwen's eyes lit up. "Photos? The photos you promised to take for me?"

"That's right. Don't worry, I saved them all. I'll show you when I get back to New York." Lin Hai smiled.

After chatting for a while, he checked the time. "All right, I'll be back in New York in a few days. We can talk more then."

After hanging up, Lin Hai let out a long breath. Though he could not tell them everything, at least his friends now knew where he had been during this time.

Over the next few days, Lin Hai stayed home peacefully, chatted with his parents, cooked, and occasionally helped handle household chores. Mother Lin was surprised by how much his cooking had improved, while Father Lin praised the local specialties he had brought back without end.

"This honey tastes so pure, much better than the stuff from the supermarket!" Father Lin scooped up a spoonful of golden honey and nodded in satisfaction.

Lin Hai smiled. "Of course. It's completely wild, with no additives at all."

Mother Lin could not put down a package of dried mushrooms. "These will definitely make a delicious soup."

Seeing how happy his parents were made Lin Hai's heart feel warm as well. Though his experience in Ta Lo Village had changed him greatly, the warmth of home had never changed.

Happy times always flew by. In the blink of an eye, only a few days remained before school started.

On the night before leaving, Mother Lin helped him pack while nagging, "The weather in New York changes a lot, so remember to bring an extra jacket. And don't always eat out. When you have time, you should cook more for yourself..."

Lin Hai smiled and nodded. "I know, Mom. I'll take good care of myself."

The next morning, Lin Hai stood at the door with his suitcase, then looked back at his parents. "I'm leaving. Take care of yourselves."

Mother Lin waved. "Remember to send us a message when you get there."

Father Lin nodded. "Study hard, and don't cause trouble."

Lin Hai grinned. "Don't worry!"

The plane soared into the sky. Outside the window, the clouds were as misty and ethereal as the mountain fog of Ta Lo Village. Lin Hai leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest. The power of the Divine Dragon Heart flowed quietly within him.