Korin's Holy Land

The sky was high, the clouds wispy, and a gentle breeze brushed against their faces.

The azure sky was flawless as a mirror. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering specks of light throughout the woods. Rustling echoed through the dark green jungle as slender animals, startled by the disturbance, fled deeper into the forest.

More than ten kilometers from where Chaya and Selyne had landed, beyond several snow-capped mountains, lay a small town inhabited by humans.

Though the town was only a dozen or so kilometers from the forest, it was separated by mountains. The snow-covered peaks stood tall and imposing; aside from hunters who entered the mountains year-round, few ever crossed them. The townspeople lived peaceful, tranquil lives.

Warm sunlight shone down, and the ice and snow began to melt bit by bit. On the other side of the mountains, two straight streaks of light cut across the sky as Chaya and Selyne entered the small human town.

The moment they landed, they saw tractors clattering in the fields while farmers carried hoes and worked busily. At the sight of this familiar scene, Chaya briefly felt as though he had seen his previous life again, and a different emotion welled up within him.

"Even if the world is different, humans still rise with the sun and rest at sunset. But that kind of life is drifting farther and farther away from me." Chaya watched with a faint smile, then shook his head. "That isn't the life I seek!"

Having experienced the dullness of ordinary life and the helplessness of weakness, Chaya was even more certain of his convictions. He wanted to take hold of his own fate and not sink beneath the world's currents. The path of the strong was difficult, but he would persist.

Chaya gazed into the distance, his resolve firm. The endless grandeur and boundless turbulence of the vast starry sky were where he truly sought to be.

"I never expected the humans on this planet to look like this. If they didn't lack Tails, they'd be almost identical to Saiyans." Selyne was rather surprised. The universe was vast and full of wonders; she had not expected that, in the southern reaches of this distant starry sky, there would be a race so similar to Saiyans.

She immediately took out her Scouter and tested the distant humans. The displayed readings were only single digits, and Selyne frowned.

She tested them again, but the readings were still single digits. The highest battle power did not exceed 7.

Turning off the Scouter, Selyne said disdainfully, "I didn't think their battle power would be this low. They only look the part. What a trash race. Chaya, I'm starting to doubt whether this planet even has what we're looking for."

"Heh, don't underestimate these humans just because their battle power is low. Humans are an exceptionally intelligent race. Some of their martial artists have mastered many extraordinary techniques, and those are precisely what we need. Come on, let's change clothes first."

Chaya glanced at their somewhat worn battle uniforms and spoke with a faint smile.

Although these battle uniforms had been made with Planet Dadar's advanced technology and possessed a certain degree of elasticity to accommodate growth, they were clearly no longer suitable to wear.

As they spoke, the two entered the town.

Though the town was remote and some distance from any major city, the shops lining both sides of the streets were packed with a dazzling variety of goods.

Selyne had never seen any of these products before. For a moment, she was overwhelmed. She wandered here and there like a little beggar entering a shopping mall for the first time, finding everything novel and wanting to get her hands on everything she saw.

Just as Selyne was lingering about, ready to use force to take what she wanted, Chaya stepped in and stopped her.

"Why are you stopping me?" Selyne looked displeased.

Chaya grabbed her arm and said, "If you want something, use money to buy it. Don't think about stealing it."

"But I don't have this thing called 'money'!"

"It's fine, leave it to me. But you need to learn how to live in a civilized society too." Chaya shot her a glance.

As a warrior race, Saiyans lived by the law of the jungle. Brutality and ruthlessness might have been their nature, something that could not be changed. But Chaya did not want Selyne to become tainted by evils like Frieza's—killing without cause and forcibly plundering others were not what he wanted, nor were they the way to survive in the universe.

Since Selyne was following him, he had a responsibility to guide her properly.

Next, Chaya used Instant Transmission to enter the primeval forest and hunt several rare beasts. He then traded their pelts for Earth's currency and used the money to purchase the items they needed for daily life.

Since Capsule Corporation had not yet grown into a major company in this era, they could not store bags and bundles of goods in tiny capsules. Thus, Chaya and Selyne did not buy much. They merely changed their outfits and tidied up their hair.

After some grooming, the two truly looked like children who had just started elementary school—if not for the brown Tails behind them.

Chaya wore a white short-sleeved shirt beneath a black jacket, paired with casual trousers. Selyne wore a neutral T-shirt and gray jacket with small jeans. Her lustrous black hair was tied into a ponytail that fell behind her, adding a touch of feminine softness.

"What a pain. We could've just taken everything by force, but instead we had to make things so troublesome." Selyne pouted impatiently.

Tugging at her sleeve, she said, "Why do we have to dress like this? These clothes aren't durable at all. They'll tear with one pull in battle!"

Chaya broke into a hearty smile. Though Selyne looked dissatisfied, he knew she was actually delighted inside. She simply refused to admit it.

Chaya checked the sky, determined a direction, and said, "All right, stop complaining. Next, we're heading to the birthplace of Earth's martial arts in the Northern Hemisphere—Korin's Holy Land. There is a Korin Tower there, and our destination is atop that tower."

"Mm!"

The two rose into the air and, with a whoosh, turned into two bright streaks that flew toward Korin's Holy Land.

Chaya's trip to Korin's Holy Land was not only to learn from Korin how to use Ki, but also to obtain Earth's sacred healing medicine—the Senzu Bean.

In the early days of Dragon Balls, Senzu Beans did not appear particularly valuable; they merely kept people from feeling hungry. But later, they became life-saving treasures. Not only could they rapidly restore stamina, but they could also instantly heal any injury.

Unfortunately, by the later stages of Dragon Balls, Senzu Bean production was extremely low, and the stockpile was limited. Son Goku and the others practically wished they could split one bean into pieces for two people to share.

But Senzu Beans had not yet been squandered by Yajirobe, so there should still have been a considerable stockpile.

Holy Land, Korin.

Korin's Holy Land was located on a vast plain on the other side of Earth. As a holy land, Korin Tower had long been guarded by an indigenous tribe.

In ancient times, Korin's Holy Land had been the birthplace of Earth's martial arts. For ages, martial artists had come in an endless stream to challenge Korin Tower. Although Earth's martial arts had stagnated in recent centuries and even suffered a catastrophe three hundred years ago, Earth's martial artists had never lost their drive to improve. Every few years, people would still come in admiration to challenge Korin Tower.

And today, Korin Tower welcomed two more "guests."

After a blur of light and shadow, a level horizon appeared in view.

Chaya and Selyne flew above Korin's Holy Land and saw from afar a slender tower rising straight from the ground, piercing the heavens and disappearing into layer upon layer of clouds.

"So this is Korin Tower? It's actually this tall?" Selyne's face was filled with shock.

Chaya stared at it in surprise as well. Legend had it that one could not reach the top of Korin Tower without climbing it bare-handed. He had naturally never believed that, but as he looked at the tower stretching endlessly into the sky, he could not help admiring Earth's ancient predecessors.

That was likely a monumental feat only a "god" could accomplish.