Author's Note: For those interested, there are now five advanced chapters (we're on chapter 39) and a poll about drawing that we will be requesting in the future for this story on my on P-atreon, which you can read and vote for just $5.
I also finished the first volume of my other story, "Welcome to the Alternate Multiverse Chat Group."
So if you can, please go to my profile and check it out.
Remove the spaces and dash: p-atreon/ Krakenian01
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Third Person P.O.V
Leek wasn't the type of person who cared too much about people's stares or being the center of attention, although it wasn't something he actively sought out either.
Because of this, although he noticed the spiritualists' stares, he kept his gaze forward as he continued walking to a spot far from the camp alongside the most important people in this group.
After the energy wave emitted by Ruyi Jingu Bang calmed down, the obvious round of questions came, questions the Saiyan couldn't fully answer.
What was the staff?
He had no idea.
How did he know his name?
It seemed the staff had some form of consciousness, not something advanced enough to converse or even speak, but enough to let its new wielder know his name.
Could Leek lend this object to the Snow Wind Family for study?
No, the weapon, although unable to speak, emitted a clear negative intent when Leek showed any intention of lending it to anyone else, and when Ye Zong touched it, it was rejected in a similar way to what had happened with the box.
So it was decided that the weapon would remain in the young Saiyan's possession.
And after this, with the staff now resting on the bed next to Leek, everyone looked at the last compartment of the box.
Until now, the items that had come out of it had been nothing but priceless treasures.
The first, an object that restored vitality to a soul on the verge of disappearing, giving it enough power to face several Black Gold-rank Spiritualists head-on.
While the second was a weapon with an incredibly powerful aura that no one seemed to have any idea of its capabilities.
So it was only natural that everyone was eager to find out what kind of treasure the last item the box could offer contained.
The problem was that after Ruyi Jingu Bang absorbed so much of Leek's ki, his reserves were now at just under 10% of their full capacity, so generating a constant flow of energy to try to open the box was out of the question, at least for the time being.
But because Leek himself seemed even more interested in the box's contents than the spiritualists, he decided to reveal another of his secrets.
Hong Yue Mu had been brought back from the Dark Ruins alive, so now it was up to Hong Yue Zhou to fulfill his end of the bargain, returning the ship he had found to its rightful owner.
Luckily, it seemed that as soon as the group returned from the Dark Ruins and set off shortly afterward, the son of the Hong Yue family elder fulfilled his end of the bargain, handing the ship over to Ye Shuo, who had it in his interspatial ring and had only taken it out once to show it to Ye Zong when he arrived with reinforcements.
"Ah, I missed you, my beloved giant hamster ball." Leek said, patting his ship.
"Is this thing really a means of transportation?" Ye Zong asked, after all, the fact that he'd already seen it once didn't mean his surprise was gone.
"Yes, and the solution to my low ki reserves and injuries is inside." The boy replied before inserting his fingers into the slot on the ship and pulling it open.
The sound of depressurization, strange to all the inhabitants of this world, reached his ears before the hatch opened, revealing the interior of the ship.
A white seat made of what looked like leather, padded walls, and several compartments on the sides.
"What kind of transportation is this? I've never seen anything so strange before"
"Well, yes, it has a strange appearance, but it's incredibly useful, it can fly, it's quite fast and durable, and for long trips, it can put the passenger into an induced sleep." The Saiyan explained as he entered and opened one of the compartments.
"But what matters to us now is..." He paused when he seemed to find what he was looking for before turning around. "This!" He finished, holding a small white cloth bag in front of the curious faces of the spiritualists.
"And what is that?" Ye Zong asked after noticing that the young man didn't say anything else and that his expression screamed. "Come on, ask me what it is!"
"These are the most powerful healing items we had, Senzu Beans!" He said excitedly as he untied the knot in the drawstring that closed the bag and dropped a total of six small green beans into his palm.
"These things... heal?" Ye Shuo asked.
Leek nodded before explaining. "This will be the first time I've personally used them, but I've seen their effects before. No matter how strong or weak you are, from the weakest child to the most powerful Saiyan, their effectiveness is 100%, it doesn't matter how injured you are, even if you're on death's door. If you eat just one of these beans, you'll be completely healed, with your energy reserves full and your stomach satiated to a certain extent." The Saiyan finished explaining, putting 5 of the 6 beans back into the cloth bag, tying the knot, and tucking the bag into his clothes.
"Very well, look closely." He said before putting the remaining bean in his mouth and chewing.
Leek wasn't sure what he expected from the texture and taste, but it was crunchy and tasted similar to roasted peanuts, so it was quite pleasant, and when he swallowed it, his body experienced instant healing for the first time.
His muscles swelled for only a second before returning to normal, and before he knew it, all the wounds, aches, pains, and discomfort were completely gone.
The Saiyan looked at his right fist, opening and closing it before tearing off the bandages.
His arms, which had been nearly shattered during the fight, with multiple patches of skin bursting from the pressure, were now healed, though, of course, there were scars along both as a reminder of the injuries he suffered.
His wounds, while not yet healed, had already begun their healing process, forming scabs that covered the cracks in his skin.
So, although they were now completely healed thanks to the Senzu Beans, they came a little too late, so the scars were inevitable.
"Well, I guess they're a good reminder that there are much stronger people out there." Leek whispered before looking at the spiritualists, who, just as he expected, wore shocked expressions at seeing him fully recovered.
"H-how is that possible?" Huyan Xiong asked.
"I told you, these things are practically life-saving, as long as you're not dead, survival is possible." Leek said.
"Those… Senzu beans, do you know how to make them?" Ye Zong forced himself out of his state of shock, moving on to his attempt to obtain these healing items.
Currently, there was nothing in Glory City that could even come close to the effects of these beans; even the most powerful elixirs they had could only heal to a certain extent, and the more powerful the person consuming them, the more they would need to heal.
So, if Leek's words were true and a single one of these beans could instantly heal someone like him or even his father, who was in the Legend rank, from any injury, then the price of this item could hardly be measured.
Unfortunately, Leek seemed to deflate a little after the city lord's question.
"No." He replied, shaking his head a few times. "The method for creating them, besides the fact that they were "cultivated" like any other plant, was something very few knew; someone like me was never informed, and although there were various theories among people about how they could be produced, they were just that, theories"
Everyone seemed just as disappointed as the Saiyan, it seemed like the opportunity to have a unique medicine had slipped through Glory City's fingers, but Ye Zong still seemed reluctant to give up.
"Would you consider selling me one of them? I would use it to try to replicate them." Said the city lord.
Leek didn't seem too surprised by this. He knew that once they saw the effects of the Senzu Beans, some of them might want the method to grow them.
But the Saiyan hoped that after he said these six seeds were the only ones he had, he would make them understand that they were a priceless treasure, equivalent to a second life, and that he would hardly part with them.
"Actually, I don't think there's anything I want right now." The Saiyan said with his hand on his chin, wondering what he should do, until finally, after some more thought, he came up with an idea.
"Once we return to Glory City, give me a day to think about it; after that, I'll personally go to your mansion to discuss this and other matters. Is that okay with you?"
Ye Zong seemed a little hesitant, but in the end, he accepted Leek's suggestion; he couldn't force him to hand over a treasure like this, so all he had to do was negotiate for it.
"For now, I think it's best to focus on what we came here for." Ye Shuo suggested, bringing the conversation back to the box, Leek had decided to heal quickly in order to open the last compartment of the box, so they could find out what the last treasure was.
"Very well." Leek replied, taking the box out of his ring again.
"Please set up the barrier." Ye Zong spoke again to his wife, who nodded, placing four scrolls around everyone. If something similar to the Ruyi Jingu Bang's formation happened, this barrier wouldn't block the energy pulse, but it should at least be able to camouflage all events leading up to it.
"Activate." The woman signaled with her hands, and the four scrolls were consumed before a purple barrier with a radius of about 20 meters covered them all.
"Ok, let's begin." Leek said, gathering his ki, materializing it around him in the form of a semi-transparent energy layer before directing it at the box in the same way he did the first time.
Five seconds passed, then 10, then 30, and finally, after a full minute, the Saiyan finally stopped, the ki layer covering him disappeared, and he looked at the spiritualists with a confused expression.
"I think we have a problem." He said, holding the box with one hand while pointing at it with the other. "For some reason, the box isn't absorbing any of the energy I'm trying to give it"
"What? Why?" The spiritualists seemed a little disappointed, especially Ye Zong.
"I have no idea, it's as if the ki I'm trying to give it passes right through it…" Leek remained silent for a few seconds, trying to think of how to properly explain the feeling, until he finally snapped his fingers before speaking.
"It's as if this box were a glass, the first time, I was able to fill it with water, activate it, and open it, but this time, it's as if the glass has a lid that doesn't let the water in"
"Do you think it's because it has to wait a while between each time it receives your energy?" Ye Shuo asked.
Leek looked thoughtful before shaking his head. "While it's not impossible, I think it's unlikely; it's not as if the glass is full and that's why it can't receive more energy; all the energy I gave it disappeared shortly after Ruyi Jingu Bang took form, as I said before, it's as if something was blocking the entry of more energy, so the ki I send out disperses a few seconds later, having nowhere else to go." He finished explaining, looking a little disappointed.
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Third Person P.O.V
Leek was lying in his bed while Ruyi Jingu Bang had changed its size to an incredibly small one before hiding in one of the sleeves of his robe.
The Saiyan could still feel its presence, although it wasn't physically attached to him, he could feel it the same way any person could feel any part of their body; he simply "knew" it was there.
He had been thinking about everything that had happened, taking stock of this whole little adventure to pass the time until sleep finally reached him, and he couldn't deny that he had gained a lot.
The weapons and objects found in the rings had all been given to Huyan Xiong to help him classify them as soon as they arrived in Glory City, and after that Hong Yue Mu had offered to put them in his family's auction house, committing not only to invite all the important people in Glory City, but also to give Leek a higher percentage of the sale than what was given to other people, this as thanks, not only for saving his life, but also for the two objects that Leek gave him.
So the Saiyan no longer had to worry about anything related to those objects.
And more important than monetary gain was the weapon he now had, Ruyi Jingu Bang, Sung Wukong's staff, which was represented in many stories, from Dragon Ball to The God of High School.
Leek had no idea why there was one in this world, but that didn't matter; it was his now, and he was determined to get every bit of use out of it on his way to becoming the strongest and kicking that Sage Emperor's ass, if he really existed, that is.
Which brought him to the next and final point, one almost as important as Ruyi Jingu Bang: what was in the third compartment of the box he now had in his ring.
Based on what had come out of it so far, an apparent legendary weapon, and an item capable of empowering a disappearing soul, Leek didn't want to take any risks.
Obtaining this item or ensuring it never left the box were his favorite options, after all, if the wrong person got what was inside, then there was no telling what could happen.
"I guess I'll have to think carefully about what to do with you." He said, looking at the ring where the box was, only for it to glow for a second and a light to shoot out, hitting Leek in the forehead.
And as Leek fell unconscious on his bed, he felt deja vu hit him harder than a truck in the face.
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Third Person P.O.V
The starry sky, full of constellations, nebulas, and celestial bodies, was beautiful.
The green grass that seemed to glow faintly, along with the trees and flowers planted here and there, made the place look like Eden, a perfect and inviolable celestial garden.
But Leek paid no attention to this at all; he stared with a frown at the man dressed in a black robe covering his body while his ki, boosted by the Zenkai he had just gained from healing, silently covered him, like a bomb waiting for the right moment to explode at full power.
"How many times do I have to teach you this lesson, old man?" He said with a cold stare and a fed-up tone.
He had already achieved victory three times in a row, and yet this guy kept coming back?
This wasn't funny in the least, not even sad; at this point, it was simply annoying.
"I didn't come here to fight, I lost." He said, discarding his cloak, revealing his body, which not only appeared to be semi-transparent, but also seemed to be missing some parts of his body, such as his right leg, his left arm, and part of his right side, as if it were a drawing that someone had erased.
Leek, who was about to launch himself at the man, stopped when he saw the state of his body, although he didn't let his guard down; he wasn't willing to leave himself open to a surprise attack.
"So what do you want?" He said, narrowing his gaze.
"I just want to warn you, the Sage Emperor won't stop, the catastrophe will happen in a few years, I'm not entirely sure how many, but rest assured, it's not many." He said with a serious tone as the holes in his body grew little by little, on their way to completely consuming him.
"You defeated me, so I won't be able to try to stop him, so now it's all up to you"
Leek listened to everything the man said, but he still wasn't entirely convinced why the man had gone to the trouble of putting him back into a mental space to talk to him, after all, all he'd told him were things he already knew, along with vague warnings.
'There are a few years left before the catastrophe? At least tell me how many years that is! Two years of training isn't just the same as five or six; on top of that, you're an ancient spirit. What's your definition of a few years in the first place?!' That's what the Saiyan wanted to say, though he held back.
If he was going to disappear in a few seconds anyway, then he saw no reason to complain.
"The weapon you obtained from the sealed chest will be useful to you, it chose you as its wielder, something that had never happened before, and now that it's bonded with you, it will grow alongside you. Learn to master it, and there will be no better weapon for you." He continued speaking, finally providing information Leek found interesting.
"Wait! Do you know what Ruyi Jingu Bang is and where it came from?" He asked.
If the staff existed, then there was a chance Sung Wukong did too, so perhaps he could seek it out, learn from him, and ask for his help?
"I don't know anything relevant about the staff you now have, it was a relic from before me, I only know that it's said to be a weapon that represents rebellion against the heavens themselves, nothing more." He admitted, shaking his head, earning a disappointed grimace from Leek.
"I don't have much time left. What I am now is only a bit of the soul force my fragment soul left behind before finally disappearing, so listen carefully, I prevented you from opening the box, what's inside its last compartment is an incredibly valuable treasure, you can't show it to anyone; the box has a mechanism activated by inscriptions that can be activated even while inside a storage ring, I'll activate the mechanism, and the object will emerge from the box, then the box will close and seal forever, but that would damage the ring." He said before raising his only remaining arm.
A small blue flame was born in his palm as the speed at which his body faded increased, leaving only his chest and what was above it, although from the looks of it, that part wouldn't last long either.
"Here is some of the information I know about the object, it will help you use the treasure in the box, as well as a few instructions that will be useful, you must leave this realm so you can become stronger and face what lies ahead, the survival of all humanity now depends on you." He said, pushing the flame, making it float until it stopped in front of Leek, as if waiting for him to take it.
"One last thing." At this point, only the man's floating head remained, but his expression, which until now had been one of defeated acceptance, changed to an incredibly serious one filled with bloodlust.
"I hate you, you denied me my longed-for revenge." He said with a frown as he looked directly at Leek, but then he smiled defiantly before continuing.
"But I hate the Sage Emperor MUCH more, so don't you dare waste my death! See that you break every fucking bone in his body before you finish him." He finished by repeating the threat the Saiyan had made during their fight as his body finished fading away.
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Another chapter added to the list, this one was relatively calm, and I felt like it was a bit easier to write than the last one, in the next chapter we will return to Glory City, and the plot will advance a bit, please look forward to it!
Besides that, I also wanted to ask you for something else: I'd like to commission a drawing for this story, either a new cover or a fan art of a scene.
That's why I wanted to ask you to please join my P-treon, those who join, in addition to being able to read the 5 extra chapters there, will also be able to vote to decide which of these two options will be the drawing.
If we get 19 people with Legend rank to join, and I add a little bit of what I have saved (because the good artists I've seen on X aren't cheap), I think I'll be able to find a good artist to draw something for this story.
So far there are 15 people, so we need only 4 more (we are close to the goal!), so, if possible, please support me, if not, I still appreciate the reviews, comments, and power stones.
Aside from that, I have two things to ask you. The first is about Leek's family name. Do you have any suggestions?
And the second is, since we're so close to reaching the goal for the drawing, do you have any specific artists you'd recommend for commissioning?
Remove the spaces and dash: p-atreon/ Krakenian01
I'll be listening to your recommendations.