Chapter 137: The Digital Soul Dojo

"Why are you following us, too?"

Masaru Daimon and the others looked at Qin Fei, who was trailing behind them, with expressions of surprise.

"Naturally, I’m here to train with you all. I, too, feel that my strength is lacking..."

Masaru: "..."
Thoma: "..."
Yoshino: "..."

Why did the words coming from Qin Fei feel so... even though he said them with such sincerity, they sounded so sarcastic? If someone like Qin Fei could claim his strength was lacking, wouldn't they all be too ashamed to face anyone?

"I won't lose to you!"

Looking at Qin Fei’s excuse, Masaru felt a surge of frustration. The power of Qin Fei's Digimon partner was obvious to everyone, yet even he claimed to be lacking in strength—did that mean they had been too lazy?

"I will work hard, twice as hard, and then I’ll defeat those guys with my own hands!"

Thinking back to their crushing defeat against the Bio-Digimon, Masaru clenched his fists. Without looking at Qin Fei again, he strode forward to follow closely behind BanchoLeomon. Yoshino and Thoma sighed and followed in Masaru’s footsteps.

Qin Fei smiled. Having an unyielding spirit was a good thing; only with that kind of drive would they have a better chance of breaking through the limits of their Digisoul under BanchoLeomon's training and allowing their partners to evolve to the Mega level. Qin Fei himself was equally covetous of Mega-level evolution, and that was exactly why he had followed Masaru—he had his own designs. After all, as the first person to use the Digisoul, Suguru Daimon—who could knock out a BanchoLeomon with a single punch—was someone whose potential Qin Fei believed in.

...

"What is that, Aniki?"

Arriving at an area near the ocean, Agumon suddenly pointed toward the top of a cliff shaped like a scimitar. A strange, out-of-place building stood there, appearing quite eerily.

"That is..."
"BanchoLeomon is heading in that direction!"
"Is that house really the destination?"

Masaru hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. "Regardless, let’s go see for ourselves..."

The group arrived before the peculiar structure, and BanchoLeomon was already waiting there. Qin Fei glanced at the makeshift building; a plaque hung by the entrance with a vertical line of text that looked as if it had been written only moments ago: "Digisoul Dojo."

"This is..."

Just as the group was examining the still-wet ink on the plaque, BanchoLeomon leaped onto the roof and spoke in a deep, resonant voice: "Welcome to the Digisoul Dojo!"

"???"

Qin Fei couldn't help but arch an eyebrow. The house looked far too flimsy; clearly, the owner had no intention of letting it stand for very long.

"Is this the place where we can improve our strength? Isn't it a bit too dilapidated?" Yoshino muttered with a frown of disdain. Masaru also began to feel impatient, as if he were being played for a fool by the Digimon.

"Hey, what are you planning to do?"

Ignoring Masaru’s blunt tone, BanchoLeomon spoke with a solemn expression: "Nothing else matters now. The only thing that matters is... I ask you all, what is the Digisoul?"

"..."

Hearing BanchoLeomon’s pedantic question, the group stood stunned; they clearly hadn't expected such a philosophical inquiry. Watching the boys and girls below looking bewildered by his question, BanchoLeomon let out a barely perceptible sigh and spoke again: "I ask once more... what is the Digisoul?"

"What are you talking about, you jerk!" Masaru felt even more irritated by this nonsensical question.

BanchoLeomon shook his head, leaped down, and landed instantly in front of the group, staring sternly at Masaru.

"What? You want a fight? You bastard." Having expected to find a way to grow stronger by following BanchoLeomon, Masaru was becoming agitated after being subjected to nothing but questions.

"Stop it, Masaru... he doesn't look like he wants to fight." Seeing Masaru losing his cool, Thoma immediately reached out to block him.

"How many times must I say it!" BanchoLeomon’s roar shocked all the humans and Digimon alike. "I am asking if you understand what the Digisoul is!!!"

"..."

Masaru looked perplexed and complained, "Huh? What are you saying... isn't the Digisoul just the thing used for evolution... right?" His initially confident demeanor faltered as he tried to explain.

Yoshino cast a disdainful look at Masaru and took over. "What are you talking about? The so-called Digisoul is... what was it again?" She, too, got stuck.

"..."

"But, if you really think about it, what on earth is the Digisoul?" After everyone glanced at her in silence, they all bowed their heads in deep contemplation.

...

"In my view, the Digisoul is the power of human will, though that can't be said for everyone across the board. Each person's Digisoul is different—some are born of protection, some of persistence, some of bravery, or caring for others... or even an unshakable obsession."

Qin Fei suddenly spoke up, then looked at BanchoLeomon. "The Digisoul is not influenced by physical strength, but by the power of the heart and willpower... Therefore, it only grows when our will can control it..."

BanchoLeomon looked at the youngest boy with a hint of surprise; he hadn't expected the youngest among them to see things the most clearly. Regaining his composure, BanchoLeomon nodded. "Well said. But if you want to truly master the Digisoul, come inside."

With that, BanchoLeomon pulled open the dojo door and walked in.

"Qin Fei, that’s amazing! You're really something!" Yoshino and Thoma looked at him in awe, seemingly believing they had discovered the reason why his Digimon were so powerful. Masaru took one look at Qin Fei, felt the familiar sting of not wanting to be left behind, and without further hesitation, followed BanchoLeomon into the building. He wanted to become stronger.

"Mega level... here I come!"

Looking at the dojo, Qin Fei felt a surge of excitement. After all, the power of Masaru and the others' Mega-level Digimon was born right here. With that thought, he stepped into the house with great anticipation.

"Aniki, wait for me..."

However, just as Agumon and the others prepared to enter, BanchoLeomon suddenly appeared at the door and blocked them.

"You wait here. They must obtain something indispensable for fighting alongside you in the future... Trust your partners and wait here!"

Hearing this, Gaomon, worried about Thoma, looked at him defensively. "What do you mean by that?"

BanchoLeomon ignored the wariness and continued, "When they walk out of here... they will be stronger!"

Qin Fei, standing behind BanchoLeomon, gave a reassuring look to Lolo, Plotmon, and BlackDorumon before the door was shut by the Digimon.

"All right, now can you tell us how to increase our strength!"

Once inside, Masaru demanded impatiently. BanchoLeomon nodded and added, "Before that, I will tell you one thing... as long as you cannot control the Digisoul at will, you have no future."