Chapter 330 - 323: Again and Again

Chapter 330: Chapter 323: Again and Again

Stretching, the Dawn Sage rose from his spot before the fireplace. Making dreamscape connections in a similar environment was always easier—it saved a bit of energy, at least.

He ambled outside to bask in the sun and looked up to see Ai You and Axi circling the Red Demoness, who was in the river that flowed through the sky.

The two little ones had been flying with such joy ever since their wings were attached.

When they first saw the Red Demoness with her Magic Power unleashed, no longer concealing her true self, they were still shocked, but their reaction was far better than the Demon Eye’s had been.

Afterward, however, they tried all sorts of ways to get on her good side.

Within the Association, the two sisters were closest to Qin Xiaoxia, followed by Su Su and the Red Demoness.

’Looking at the state of their recovery, we should be able to start the plan to revive Jilian soon.’

Seeing Qin Xiaoxia come out, two crimson and gold lights, like a pair of fist-sized fluorescent orbs, zipped toward him, leaving a trail of shimmering dust.

POP. POP.

One after the other, they bumped into his left and right shoulders, then clung to him and refused to let go.

"CHIRP!!!"

A bird cry filled with delight suddenly rang out from the roof. Don’t ask how he could tell it was delighted—Qin Xiaoxia just knew.

In the month since Pipi had left, Gou Dandan had grown a ton; its nest even had to be expanded.

It excitedly leaped down from the roof, landing in the courtyard with a THUD.

"CHIRP!!! Master Sage!!! CHIRP!!! Look!! Look!!"

Qin Xiaoxia’s eyes followed the large bird as it jumped up and down, while Ai You and Axi, still on his shoulders, nodded along.

"Hehehe~ It’s finally growing feathers~"

Laughter drifted down from above. The Red Demoness was lounging in the aerial river, chin propped in her hands as she watched the scene below.

’What? Growing feathers? Wait, it hadn’t grown any feathers yet?’

He hadn’t paid much attention to Gou Dandan lately.

Qin Xiaoxia quickly focused his attention and, sure enough, spotted a single, tiny feather sticking up from the top of Gou Dandan’s head, surrounded by the faint beginnings of downy fluff.

"A rare sight indeed!"

Before Qin Xiaoxia could offer a word of praise, Gou Dandan caught a scent, spun around, and took off running.

"CHIRP!! Dad, Mom!!! CHIRP, look, look!!"

It was Gou Junbao and Xiao Lili, who had just emerged from the Secret Realm. The two had finally returned after holding separate weddings in each of their hometowns.

Qin Xiaoxia had no idea how the new couple felt, but from his perspective, the sight of a giant, bald, vaguely humanoid turkey madly dashing toward them while screaming "Dad, Mom!!" was almost too much to handle.

"Hahaha, my son is growing feathers!!!"

"He is! There are so many on his head!!!"

Seeing their excitement, Qin Xiaoxia couldn’t help but think, ’Spoken like true parents...’

Sprouting feathers was a momentous occasion for Gou Dandan. It zipped around excitedly, bursting into the workshop to share the news with Doudou (who was busy forging Gold Coins), dashing to the Crystal Forest to tell Mumu, and even charging through the Secret Realm to Kyoto to inform the Monkey, who was deep in his martial arts training. It was determined to tell every single person it knew.

...

「Kyoto, the Celestial Travel Association’s Secret Place.」

Outside the large courtyard complex, there was a lush, green area. A small grove within it was the Monkey’s favorite place to practice his Martial Arts.

The Celestial Travel Association’s Inner Sect had grown to over a hundred Disciples. When they weren’t helping the instructors teach the junior disciples at the Celestial Traveler’s Hall, they loved to come to the Secret Realm.

Here, they didn’t have to worry about the commotion they caused, so they could practice their most destructive moves to their hearts’ content.

Once the Association had the resources to implement the Mountain Gate Project, they would have an even larger training area. For now, however, the powerful Secret Realm was more than enough.

This was especially true for the buildings encompassed by the Secret Realm. They could go all out practicing urban combat inside them, and even if a building was damaged, it would quickly regenerate.

The Monkey King was far more robust than before. He stood nearly six feet tall, no longer shorter than the average man. His body was a mass of well-defined muscle, and his movements were powerful yet nimble.

He was proficient with all manner of weapons—blades, spears, swords, and halberds—but his greatest strength was, of course, the staff!

Everyone in the Celestial Travel Association held a special reverence for the Monkey King.

This "Demon" was a student of the Dawn Association’s Great Sage, and his Martial Techniques were the result of personal instruction from several of the top instructors.

There were confirmed reports that the Monkey King had been initiated long before the Celestial Travel Association had "reopened its doors" to accept new disciples.

His exquisite skill, his diligent practice, his kind nature, and of course, his appearance...

Although the Monkey King never revealed his true name, all the Celestial Traveler Disciples affectionately called him Eldest Brother.

Even Ding Yi deeply admired the Monkey.

It was only natural to admire the strong. The first time Ding Yi had seen the Monkey was at the old Silent Knight Order training camp. Back then, he’d discovered the Monkey King’s power; he was practically the only one who could go head-to-head with a senior reservist.

Later, the gap between them and the Monkey King only widened. Ding Yi, who could once last dozens of exchanges against him, could no longer survive even ten.

And that was with the Monkey King using only technique, without unleashing his earth-shattering strength.

...

Inside the woods, a super-heavyweight metal staff forged from lead, titanium, and Magic Steel whipped through the air in the Monkey’s hands, kicking up a gale.

"SSSHHH-WOO... WOO... WOO..."

The sheer speed of the whirling staff generated a crushing wind pressure.

"CRACK!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!"

Thick poplar and camphor trees shattered with every strike. A decorative feng shui stone, placed to harmonize the grove, suddenly exploded.

In the distance, a few Celestial Traveler Disciples who had been furiously striking bronze training dummies heard the commotion and instinctively slowed down.

"Whoa, Eldest Brother is at it again. He’s been training even more ridiculously these past couple of days..."

"Yeah, I don’t think I could take a single blow. One swing of that staff and I’d go flying..."

A young woman chopped at a bronze dummy’s joint with the edge of her hand, producing a series of dull thuds. After a dozen lightning-fast strikes, the dummy’s cast-metal joint was hacked off by her bare palm and tossed aside.

"When I was little and watched *Journey to the West*, I wanted to marry Brother Huan. You’d feel so safe with him!"

The guys nearby snickered, their minds inevitably wandering into the gutter.

"Stop gossiping. Eldest Brother is training that hard, and we’re just going to stand here in his dust? Have you forgotten what happened in France!"

As soon as he said that, the others began training with renewed vigor.

...

The Monkey King executed his final technique, Overturning Rivers and Seas, shattering a decorative rockery with a deafening crash. Panting lightly, he stabbed the metal staff into the ground.

The destruction around him couldn’t have been more absolute. He’d have to wait a moment for the Secret Realm to heal.

’Ever since that shocking event changed me completely, I’ve reined in my playful nature. I train tirelessly, but it’s never enough to satisfy me.’

’I rarely return to the Association headquarters. It’s not that I don’t want to; I’m just too ashamed to face my Mentor.’

’Pipi already went back and fulfilled his mission, and he did an outstanding job. Ai You and Axi, whom he sent back, will become the new Jilian—a terrifying Ancient Species. Doudou is a troublemaker, but his Gold Coins are unbelievably magical...’

’Even Gou Dandan is freaking growing feathers!!’

’And me! What progress have I made, other than getting stronger?’

’I’m not clever enough! I still haven’t awakened my own Magic Power! I’m not even a Skywalker yet!!’

"ROAR~~~"

The roar sounded less like a monkey and more like some primeval beast.

’I’m not worthy of my name! I don’t deserve it at all!!’

The Monkey was incredibly ambitious. He wasn’t interested in being a big fish in a small pond; he had to prove to his Mentor that he hadn’t let him down.

’With the Dawn Sage’s wisdom, everything he does must have a deeper purpose.’ This was something the Monkey had come to understand more and more, especially after reading the private letters Pipi sent via the Demon Eye. They made his blood boil with excitement.

’Mentor wouldn’t have given me this name without a reason! One day, I want to be able to roar my name to the world with my head held high!!’

’When Elder Mo gets back, I’m going to make him spar with me for another 100 matches! And after that, I’m coming for Baru!!’

The Monkey silently made his resolve.

Within the Secret Realm, the forest, greenery, and rock formations had already regenerated.

He yanked the staff from the ground beside him.

"Again!!"

...

"Again!!"

...

"Again!!"

PS: Third Chapter for Wednesday.

Monthly tickets are worth double during the seven-day National Day holiday! Don’t you all want to increase your fan-level points?