Growth

After locking onto their target, Chaya and Selyne rose into the air and immediately transformed into two streaks of light, flying northwest. Before long, they arrived at a vast plain forest.

Unlike the primitive forest surrounded by towering mountains they had seen before, the forest here was far more orderly. Rows of emerald trunks stood in a pleasing arrangement, as though carefully manicured.

"Over there!" Chaya swept his gaze around and spotted their target beneath a large tree.

It was a saber-toothed tiger with sharp fangs, ten times larger than an ordinary one. Beneath its black fur rippled muscles packed with explosive power. It was currently resting in the shade, while a heap of white bones like a small mountain lay nearby.

When Chaya and Selyne flew above it, the saber-toothed tiger jolted awake. Its muscles tensed in an instant, and its savage beast eyes scanned the surroundings before locking firmly onto them. A chilling killing intent immediately spread through the area.

"Roar—"

The saber-toothed tiger let out a roar. A cold glint flashed as its powerful claws exploded into motion, and its entire body abruptly vanished, leaving only a faint afterimage where it had stood.

The sound of rustling rang out everywhere as the saber-toothed tiger darted swiftly through the woods.

Suddenly, its black figure appeared behind Chaya, its sharp claws carving out a beautiful yet deadly streak of light.

With a clang, Chaya swung his arm and threw a punch behind him without even turning around. With a mournful cry, the saber-toothed tiger was sent flying.

Boom! The moment it landed, it sprang back up. Its pupils abruptly contracted, and an even more violent aura flashed through its golden beast eyes.

"Roar—"

All of a sudden, the saber-toothed tiger raised its head and fired a crimson shockwave from its mouth.

Chaya did not respond, but Selyne beside him had already made her move. Her small hand curved slightly into a palm as she chopped straight at the incoming crimson shockwave. With a boom, the shockwave was scattered into a cloud of red energy.

"Ow, that hurt!" Only then did Selyne rub her reddened palm, discovering that her entire arm had gone a little numb.

"Big brother, I want tiger soup."

"Whatever you like." Chaya shrugged.

A pair of eyes brimming with killing intent then fixed viciously on the culprit responsible for all this.

Under Selyne's murderous gaze, the saber-toothed tiger felt the temperature around it drop sharply. Its beastly instincts filled it with fear. Shuddering all over, it kept backing away.

"Die!" Selyne murmured in a crisp voice as her figure pounced toward the saber-toothed tiger.

Soon, crackling blows echoed endlessly through the forest, accompanied by the beast's low, mournful howls. Thick trees were smashed in half, and deep craters appeared in the ground from time to time.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Crystal-bright energy beams streaked through the woods. Tree after tree was pierced, then began to smoke and catch fire as thick smoke rose into the air.

Selyne's bright laughter rang through the forest. She went all out and had the time of her life. Under the little girl's reckless, ferocious assault, the saber-toothed tiger leaped and scrambled about, yet could not break free from her attacks.

While Selyne played around wildly, Chaya carefully observed their movements. He gently closed his eyes, trying to sense their movements without relying on external means, but he could never get the hang of it. He could not fight with his eyes closed like Earthlings did.

How exactly do Earthlings sense the existence of Ki? Without a specific training method, there's no way to achieve it. Looks like I'll have to make time to visit Earth someday.

After several attempts, Chaya gave up helplessly.

In the original story, Vegeta had only watched Son Goku and the others use it a few times before figuring out how to use Ki on his own. It should not have been difficult, so why could he not learn it? Could Vegeta's talent really be so great that he could master it after seeing it once?

No, that's not it. There must be some trick I haven't grasped.

Vegeta might have been a genius, but Chaya did not believe his own comprehension was any inferior.

By then, Selyne's battle had already ended. Under her brutal attacks, the poor saber-toothed tiger had been no match for her at all. Before long, it was beaten to death.

Her face was covered in blood, yet she wore an innocent smile. The unrestrained battle had made her feel refreshed from the bottom of her heart.

Chaya frowned. Saiyan savagery seemed ingrained in their bones. Even a child barely over four could fight with such brutality.

"Go wash your face first. Look at you—you're like you just crawled out of a pile of corpses."

Selyne merely chuckled and let Chaya pull her to the riverbank to clean up.

Over the following period, Chaya took Selyne out every day to hunt prey. Their targets steadily rose from creatures with combat powers of only one or two hundred at first, until they were now basically on par with them.

Of course, aside from hunting prey to complete their missions, Chaya placed even greater importance on his own training. No matter how much Selyne begged, he unwaveringly made her put on weighted gear and train with him for more than half a day.

At night, he would sit in meditation for over an hour. This was the training method he remembered from when Son Goku ascended to the Sacred Temple and received Mr. Popo's guidance.

Feel the stillness of the sky and the swiftness of lightning.

Perhaps this was one way to sense Ki.

Though it was grueling, the growth in strength he felt every day brought him heartfelt joy.

The results of his training soon became apparent. Not only had Chaya made tremendous progress in combat power, but he also seemed to have found the beginnings of an understanding of Ki. He could now faintly sense the flow of energy within another's body.

Two months later, on a vast plain.

The sounds of fierce combat rang out without end as Chaya and Selyne continuously exchanged blows. Their movements were as swift as a gale, and both floated in midair, staring solemnly at each other.

"Hah!" Chaya assumed an attacking stance. His palms trembled slightly as the energy within his body surged like enormous waves.

Bzz—

A powerful current of air formed between his palms, continuously compressing the surrounding atmosphere. Then, a dazzling blue light suddenly burst forth.

Ki Blast Shockwave!

Chaya thrust both palms forward. Scorching energy erupted at once as the deep-blue radiance stirred up towering waves and charged irresistibly into the distance, abruptly creating a vacuum in the air.

Rumble!!

Deafening explosions rang out within the vacuum.

The Ki wave coiled through the air like a dragon. As its terrifying energy spread wantonly outward, its might shot straight into the distance.

Energy Slash!

With a sharp cry, Selyne's petite body appeared before the Ki wave. Facing the oncoming Ki Blast Shockwave, a wild smile unexpectedly appeared on her little face.

The air collided. The instant the two shockwaves met, a blinding radiance surged forth like a rising sun and swallowed everything.

The massive ball of energy expanded in an instant, followed by thunderous roars that shook heaven and earth. World-destroying energy spread recklessly, as if it would devour all things.

When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, what came into view was a scorched land ravaged by bombardment. Craters like those blasted by artillery shells dotted the cracked plain.

By then, Chaya's combat power had broken through to 550, an increase of a full 90 points over two months. Selyne had also progressed rapidly, reaching a combat power of 520.