Cultivation

After donning the weighted clothing with its magical properties, Chaya felt as if his body were blanketed by a strange gravitational field. He had to expend significant effort just to counteract the gravity pressing against every cell in his body, making it impossible to mobilize his strength at will. His surging combat power plummeted instantly.

Much like how Frieza used transformations to suppress the uncontrollable power within him, once the vast majority of his energy was suppressed, the amount Chaya could actually manipulate became minuscule.

Controlling this remaining energy was far simpler than before.

Watching Chaya and Selyne, who were struggling to move yet still possessed terrifyingly tenacious combat power, Kami's expression shifted, a hint of surprise appearing in his deep eyes.

He never considered taking advantage of their weakened state to kill them, as he knew it was impossible—though their power was currently being used to counteract the weighted clothing, it did not mean that strength had vanished from their bodies; it was merely lurking in the deeper recesses.

Furthermore, his integrity as Kami would not allow him to commit such a despicable act.

Consider it a favor to Earth; perhaps one day Earth will need their help, Kami thought to himself. Leaning on his staff, his ethereal voice drifted over quietly: "Two guests, from here on, Mr. Popo and Korin will conduct your training. I hope it proves helpful to you."

"Just call me Chaya. The little one beside me is Selyne. We'll be in your care," Chaya said politely, nodding to Mr. Popo and Korin, his young face wearing a confident smile.

Although the power within him had been reduced significantly, the smaller quantity meant it was easier to master.

"No trouble at all, no trouble!" Korin licked the fur on his paw, stroking his whiskers as he mused inwardly: What race are these two little ones? To be able to hold up under fifteen times the weight—I haven't seen such figures in several hundred years.

At this moment, Mr. Popo, who had been standing to the side without a word, stepped forward. His calm, ripple-free eyes looked at Chaya and Selyne as he spoke: "You will train with Korin for a while first. Once you have mastered the energy within your bodies and understand what Ki is, then I will train you!"

"Understood!"

"Understood."

"Korin, I leave them to you." Kami leaned on his staff, a smile appearing on his aged, wrinkled face. After exchanging greetings with Chaya and the others, he returned to the interior of the Sacred Temple.

After Kami departed, Korin looked at the two children, who appeared immature but possessed power not to be underestimated, and pondered how to proceed with their training.

Before long, Korin produced two bells from somewhere, tied them onto Chaya and Selyne, and then hung a water bottle from his wooden staff.

Having done this, Korin stroked his fur and said seriously: "What you must do now is snatch the water bottle hanging from my staff. You may try when I am asleep or distracted—any method is permitted. As long as you snatch the bottle from me, you pass."

"However, I have one requirement: you must keep these two bells tied on at all times while you act, and you must not let them make a single sound. Otherwise, you fail."

Chaya nodded after listening. This training method was, in essence, the same one Korin used to train Son Goku in the original story. However, compared to Son Goku, the method Korin was using now was much stricter; the addition of the small bells increased the difficulty of the training by more than a hundredfold.

To move without letting the bells make a single sound required one to achieve a state of "heart like still water, calm as the sky." The difficulty was immense.

Through such training, one could subtly grasp the essence of Ki.

In fact, Chaya had tried training this way himself, but he didn't know which aspect he hadn't grasped; every time he moved, he would trigger the bells, never quite getting the hang of it.

It seemed he still needed someone who understood "Ki" to provide personal guidance!

In truth, "Ki" was a form of energy, a power hidden within a living body. Most people simply could not discover its essence, and their usage of it was crude and barbaric. Korin's training method seemed simple, but it contained profound logic. This was where the people of Earth far surpassed those of the universe.

It was also what Chaya needed to obtain during this visit to Earth.

"Master Korin, let's begin!"

Chaya nodded at Korin, then joined forces with Selyne to start snatching the water bottle.

Although Korin's training was simple, once they actually began, they realized the difficulty was no small matter. Every time Chaya moved, he either missed, or the bells would ring out with a "jingle-jingle." To keep the bells silent, they had to control their body movements with extreme precision. Added to the thin air at the high altitude of the Sacred Temple and the heavy weight on their bodies, the two were panting for breath before long.

After resting and recovering their strength, the two began trying to snatch the water bottle from Korin's staff again.

But they failed every time. Several times, they were on the verge of grabbing the bottle, only for Korin to sway his body, and they would miss again.

In a flash, six or seven days passed. Life at the Sacred Temple was very dull and monotonous, but Chaya and Selyne were both people who could endure loneliness, so they did not become restless.

These past few days, they were like sponges absorbing water, continuously soaking up the martial arts principles taught by Korin during their training. They were reshaping their understanding of power and their methods of control, slowly transitioning from instinctive, crude control to something meticulous and nuanced.

On the ninth day, Chaya and the others were still trying to snatch the water bottle, but compared to the first day, they were already able to keep the bells from making a sound quite well.

Korin watched, astonished. Faced with their superhuman progress, even Korin, who possessed a solid foundation in martial arts, felt thoroughly defeated.

Korin naturally knew that his training method was far more difficult than usual. In the past, whenever someone climbed Korin Tower, Korin would train them by having them snatch the water bottle, and it usually took the average challenger two to three years to pass.

But adding the restriction of "not letting the bells ring" on top of that was a first, as this was typically the test for challengers of the Heavenly Realm at the Sacred Temple.

"This won't do. You must learn to adjust your breathing. Once your breathing is disordered, your rhythm is off, and your movements will reveal openings." Korin shook the water bottle in his hand, his cat eyes squinting into slits.

"For example, like this..."

Korin suddenly launched an attack at Chaya and the others. His soft paws struck them, and with a series of "pitter-patter" sounds, two figures flew straight back over ten meters, then slid another few meters across the ground.

"If you want to learn to adjust your breathing, you must first calm your heart. The air in the Heavenly Realm is very thin; any unnecessary movement will increase the burden on your body, thereby affecting your breathing. When you can finally achieve a heart like still water, calm as the sky, you will be able to control every movement of your entire body."

Korin waddled over with his bloated body, dragging his staff. Miraculously, the water bottle on the staff did not sway at all, and not a single drop of water spilled.

Chaya stood there thoughtfully for a moment, then a flash of brilliance crossed his eyes. Ignoring the sweat on his face, he let out a light shout, drenched in perspiration.

"Again!"

Chaya initiated the attack first. He moved like a gale, his momentum like lightning. An orange blur flashed through the air, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of Korin, changing his position to strike at the target on the staff. Korin's eyes tightened, and he squinted, preparing to shift his position.

Suddenly, Korin's expression changed, his white fur standing slightly on end.

Just a step away from Korin, Chaya unexpectedly changed his posture again. A stagnant afterimage remained in mid-air, while his actual figure appeared eerily behind Korin, a slender palm flying toward the target.

"Hiss!"

At the critical moment, the staff retracted downward. Chaya's palm swiped at empty air, and then, with a violent thud, Korin's plump body bounced slightly, and he kicked a foot toward Chaya.

Chaya's body was sent flying, unable to control his momentum.

After repelling Chaya, Korin patted his chest and let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at the still-swaying water bottle, a thin layer of cold sweat had actually broken out on his back.

"Oh my, that was truly sudden. If I hadn't reacted quickly enough, he really would have snatched the water bottle from me." Korin's gaze toward Chaya became quite cryptic.

"What a formidable little brat. He almost succeeded. Back when Kami first ascended the Sacred Temple, it took him decades just to snatch the bell from Mr. Popo. Neither of these two is an ordinary character!"

On the other side, Selyne carefully observed every one of Chaya's movements. Seeing that Chaya was on the verge of success only to fall short at the very last moment, she couldn't help but feel a sense of regret, while simultaneously pondering the words Korin had spoken earlier.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt the unfathomable depth behind those words.

They were far more profound than the philosophies taught on Planet Vegeta.

"Earth really is an amazing place." A glimmer of delight shone in Selyne's bright eyes; perhaps following Chaya to Earth had truly been the right decision.