Ta Lo Village lay shrouded in morning mist. Lin Hai stood in the center of the training ground, staring at the distinct palm print on a boulder nearby. A faint residue of emerald-green 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 immediately arose—to spar with the other Ta Lo villagers who possessed Divine Dragon Hearts.
Once the idea surfaced, it spread through him like wildfire. He eagerly found Old Chen and told him what he had in mind.
Old Chen stroked his beard and laughed heartily after hearing him out. "Good! This is a good thing! Kung fu has never been something you can develop behind closed doors. 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 people of Ta Lo Village had already been curious about this "outsider" who could ride on the Divine Dragon, and 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, and without exception, all of them possessed Divine Dragon Hearts and were proficient in Ta Lo Kung Fu.
Lin Hai stood in the middle of the grounds, glanced around at everyone, and smiled. "Please go easy on me, everyone!"
At first, the sparring was fairly restrained. Everyone stopped at the right moment and tested one another cautiously. However, when the first villager was knocked back by Lin Hai's energy wave and slightly sprained his arm, Lin Hai immediately stepped forward. Gentle Life Force glowed in his palm as he lightly pressed it against the injured spot.
"Huh? It doesn't hurt anymore?" The villager moved his arm in surprise, then became even more shocked to find that an old injury from his younger training days had also eased considerably.
"Th-this is incredible!" he cried excitedly.
The news spread quickly, and the villagers' gazes toward Lin Hai instantly grew more fervent. What had originally been ordinary sparring had now become a perfect opportunity to both improve their martial arts and heal old injuries, and the atmosphere became increasingly unrestrained.
"Young Lin, again!" An elderly martial artist strode forward, battle intent gleaming 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 challenging Lin Hai. Some excelled at fierce fist techniques, some were masters of nimble movement, while others specialized in blades or staffs. Naturally, there were also those who could manipulate natural elements to launch long-range attacks.
During the fights, Lin Hai constantly adjusted his Tai Chi techniques, attempting to incorporate the Energy Projection methods of the Ta Lo Method into them.
At first, his energy attacks were still unstable. Sometimes they lacked power because he failed to control them properly, 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 became more and more refined.
One day, Lin Hai sparred with a young martial artist skilled in wind magic. His opponent moved like the wind, attacking with astonishing speed. Lin Hai initially struggled somewhat, but soon inspiration struck. He drew circles with both hands, and the energy within his body suddenly burst outward, forming a spiraling current of force that directly neutralized his opponent's attack. Then he counterattacked with the momentum, forcing him back several steps.
"Beautiful!" the watching villagers could not help cheering.
Lin Hai withdrew his stance, delight filling his heart. 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 images 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... He clenched his fist, confidence flashing in his eyes. Even without Deep Forest Emergence, I could defeat them easily!
Happy times were always short. In the blink of an eye, Lin Hai had stayed in Ta Lo Village for more than ten days, and it was time for him to return.
On the night before his departure, Old Chen specially prepared a lavish meal to see him off. The villagers also came to bid him farewell. Some brought their homemade wine, some gave him protective charms they had made themselves, and several children clung to Lin Hai, asking when he would come back.
Lin Hai was deeply moved and responded to each of them. He packed his luggage and did not forget to bring the old digital camera with him—it contained precious memories of Ta Lo Village.
Early 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.
"Young Lin." Old Chen patted his shoulder, his tone gentle yet carrying a trace of emotion. "You do not belong to our Ta Lo Village. The world outside is where you belong. Still, I hope you will 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—even Azure Dragon will miss you."
Lin Hai nodded heavily. "I definitely will come back!"
Old Chen continued, "The next time you come, you will not need to walk 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 receive you. It will be much faster than finding your way in alone."
Lin Hai smiled. "That would be great. I really do not want to get lost again."
Old Chen laughed as well, then waved his hand. "Go on. I will have someone take you to where you came from. The older one gets, the more one talks. Take care, Young Lin, and come visit 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 the Divine Dragon Heart and learned Energy Projection, but he had also met a group of simple yet powerful friends.
"If I have the time, I will definitely come back often!" Lin Hai took a deep breath, turned around, and headed toward the market at the foot of the mountain.
A breeze swept past, and Lin Hai seemed to hear a deep dragon's roar in his heart, as though it were answering him.
After leaving the hidden realm, Lin Hai returned to the mountain market, where the familiar bustle still surrounded him. Vendors shouted their wares, tourists haggled over prices, and children played noisily. Everything seemed so ordinary, as though his experience in Ta Lo Village had been nothing more than a dream.
He lowered his head and looked at the luggage in his hand: a bulging backpack filled with local specialties gifted by the villagers of Ta Lo Village, along with that old digital camera containing countless precious images. Of course, none of the photos showed Azure Dragon, nor any of those miraculous plants or animals. They only contained ordinary homes, humble 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 came back from hiking?"
"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 the window sped backward. Lin Hai leaned against the seat, recalling the experiences of the past half month—his encounter with Azure Dragon, the fusion of the Divine Dragon Heart, his training in Ta Lo Village, the villagers' warmth, and more. Everything felt as vivid as yesterday, 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!"
Father Lin and Mother Lin immediately came out of the kitchen when they heard him. Mother Lin looked him over from head to toe. Seeing that he looked well and that his clothes were clean, she finally let out a breath of relief. "How was your trip? You did not run into any danger, did you?"
"What danger could there be?" Lin Hai smiled as he set down the backpack and took out several packages of local specialties wrapped in oil paper. "Here, I brought these back. They're all natural, good stuff. Give them a try."
Father Lin took one of the packages, opened it, and sniffed it. A faint herbal fragrance wafted out. "These are mountain specialties, right?"
"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 farmhouse hidden in a mountain basin." As he spoke, he pulled out the digital camera and brought up the carefully selected photos. "Look, this is the place. The environment was great, and everything they ate 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 mountain ranges, without a single trace of anything supernatural. Father Lin and Mother Lin leaned in for a look and nodded. "It really does seem quite unspoiled."
Seeing that his parents had not grown suspicious, Lin Hai secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smoothly shifted the topic to food. "Oh, right, they had this specially smoked meat. It tasted amazing!"
Father Lin did not pay much attention to such details. He simply patted his son on the shoulder. "It is good that you came back safely. If you go somewhere like that again, remember to tell us in advance."
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!]
Before long, 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 you might have gotten into trouble.]
Lin Hai could not help smiling at the screen, then started a group video call. Their faces soon appeared on the screen. Gwen's blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, Harry still looked every bit the rich young master, and Peter had a messy head of hair, clearly having just climbed 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 the Ta Lo he had mentioned searching for before, learned some unique kung fu from the local martial artists, and taken plenty of beautiful photos.
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. Although 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, chatting with his parents, cooking, and occasionally helping handle household matters. Mother Lin was surprised by how much his cooking had improved, while Father Lin could not stop praising the local specialties he had brought back.
"This honey tastes so pure, much better than what we buy at the supermarket!" Father Lin scooped up a spoonful of golden honey and nodded in satisfaction.
Lin Hai smiled. "Of course. It's completely wild honey, without any additives."
Mother Lin, meanwhile, could not put down a package of dried mushrooms. "These will make the soup wonderfully fresh."
Seeing how happy his parents were, Lin Hai's heart felt warm as well. Although his experience in Ta Lo Village had changed him greatly, the warmth of home had remained the same.
Happy times always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, only a few days remained before school started.
On the night before he left, Mother Lin helped him pack while nagging him, "The weather in New York changes a lot, so remember to bring an extra jacket. And do not keep eating out all the time. When you have time, you should cook more for yourself..."
Lin Hai smiled and nodded. "Got it, Mom. I'll take good care of myself."
Early the next morning, Lin Hai stood at the front door dragging his suitcase. He looked back at his parents. "I'm leaving. Take care of yourselves."
Mother Lin waved. "Send us a message when you arrive."
Father Lin nodded. "Study hard, and do not cause trouble."
Lin Hai grinned. "Don't worry!"
The plane soared into the sky, and the clouds outside the window were as hazy as the mountain mist of Ta Lo Village. Lin Hai leaned against his seat and closed his eyes to rest, while the power of the Divine Dragon Heart flowed quietly within him.
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