Chapter 20: Celine One Year Later

Celine had not yet emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and Xavier was levitating cross-legged in midair alone, striving to comprehend the essence of being "as clear as the sky and as swift as lightning."

The temple's location, said to be beyond the Earth's atmosphere in a special subspace, is a place blessed by divine power, inaccessible without true ability.

...

In the vast emptiness, a striking red dome, reminiscent of Incan architecture, floated in isolation. Due to its high altitude, there were few clouds around, and the air was exceedingly thin.

At the center of the temple stood a row of resplendent and majestic halls, flanked by rows of plain vegetation, modest in comparison to the opulence of the halls. In the midst of this was a spacious plaza.

At that moment, Xavier floated in midair, his eyes closed, his expression serene, his face untroubled by any wave of emotion. There was no breeze, yet the distant plants seemed to be pulled by an unseen force, leaning in one direction.

Sigh—

Xavier exhaled deeply, releasing a breath of stale air.

Opening his eyes and lightly touching down, he reflected, "I hoped to emulate Mr. Popo's depth to elevate my martial prowess, but his profoundness is truly intricate, the more I delve, the more elusive it seems!"

It's notable that in the world of Dragon Ball, the attendants to the gods often surpass the deities they serve. Apart from the East Kai's attendant, Zebit, both Mr. Popo and the "Angel" Whis seem to exceed their respective deities in strength, and have even served as mentors.

What exactly are these divine attendants? Despite their power, why do they remain servants?

As these thoughts weighed on him, Xavier chuckled lightly, dismissing them, "Why ponder their existence? It seems irrelevant to me. Better to continue my training!"

But just then, the still atmosphere suddenly tensed, and with a sound like the tearing of ribbon, Xavier was startled. Before he could react, a surge of overwhelming force descended, like a titanic mountain range from the heavens crashing down to the mortal realm. The entire temple shook violently, engulfed by this powerful energy wave.

In the face of this immense power, Xavier's own strength, which he took pride in, felt utterly trivial, and his warrior's blood trembled fiercely.

"This power..." Xavier paused, recognizing the familiar aura immediately.

"Celine is out, and her energy has become so immensely powerful. It feels just like when I faced her transformed into the Great Ape; the gap has widened so much!"

Xavier looked astonished, but his excitement was palpable, his blood boiling with anticipation, "Incredible, the training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was so effective, no, it must be Mr. Popo’s guidance!"

"Xavier!"

Celine’s voice echoed from the corridor, and a petite girl emerged from one side of the temple.

Her long hair fluttered like clouds, her curved eyebrows, and her eyes sparkled like stars and the moon, perfectly adorning her face which was as delicate and radiant as a blossoming flower. Her body, though not fully matured, already bore the supple lines of a young girl.

Is this Celine?

Staring at the little girl, who was about 1.2 meters tall, Xavier was momentarily dumbstruck. The girl who used to follow him around had unknowingly started to grow up.

But considering their age, it made sense. They had been over seven years old when they arrived on Earth, and with a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Celine was now over eight. Plus, Saiyan females naturally mature earlier, so it wasn't surprising.

"Celine, your power has increased so much!"

Standing next to Celine without suppressing his aura, Xavier felt a strong oppressive force. This energy, if quantified in terms of power level, might be close to 10,000—a peak level even on Planet Vegeta.

Celine lifted her head proudly in response, her delicate face beaming with pride: "That's right! I’m now much stronger than you, Xavier!"

"Heh, enjoy it while you can. When I come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, I'll definitely be stronger than you," Xavier retorted casually, unfazed by Celine’s challenge. He wasn’t about to let her get to him, especially with a stash of Senzu Beans at his disposal, allowing him to train without restraint.

In the original story, Goku managed to increase his power level to 180,000 during his brief journey to Namek. Xavier knew he wasn't on Goku's level of almost miraculous improvement, but he was confident of multiplying his power level several times.

"Hmph, we'll see about that!" Seeing that her improvement wasn’t praised, Celine haughtily snorted and turned her face away.

"You're getting less and less adorable; the cute little Celine I knew is nowhere to be seen," Xavier teased, plucking a strand of Celine’s hair and whispering in her ear.

His teasing sparked her ire, and she retorted loudly, "Cute or not, we'll talk when you surpass me."

"Celine's Saiyan traits are getting stronger, but she’s still much better than most Saiyans, heh, it seems my influence over the years has had some effect!" Xavier chuckled quietly to himself, his eyes twinkling as he decided not to tease her further.

"Hey, Celine, I just got some great stuff from Korin, and I’ll share a bit with you, but you’ll need to use it wisely."

With that, Xavier produced a small pouch tied with a string, containing several dozen Senzu Beans.

"What's this?"

Celine opened the pouch to see some dried beans.

"These are Senzu Beans. No matter how severe the injury, as long as you're not dead, one bean will restore you to full health, and you won't need to eat for ten days."

"Really?"

Her eyes lit up immediately, and she snatched the pouch of Senzu Beans, stuffing it into her pocket with delight. Then she asked, puzzled, "If you give all these Senzu Beans to me, do you have any left?"

After receiving the beans, she hesitated, recognizing that these Senzu Beans were precious, life-saving treasures. If she took them all, wouldn't Xavier be left without any? Maybe she should give some back?

Seeing Celine’s conflicted and distressed expression, Xavier smiled, "Don’t worry, I’ve kept some for myself. Make sure to take good care of those I gave you; they’re very precious."

Precious indeed—after all, he only had about seventy or eighty thousand beans left!

"Okay!" Celine nodded vigorously, visibly moved.

Xavier smiled contentedly. He didn’t tell Celine exactly how many Senzu Beans he had kept; knowing her, if she found out how many he still had stashed away, she would definitely turn on him, demanding to return her gratitude.

"Alright, let’s save any more discussions for after I come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Then we'll see how you can still be so arrogant in front of me!"

"Pfft…"

Celine frowned cutely and stuck out her tongue, then watched Xavier's retreating figure, her face filled with anticipation.