Progress in Battle, Self-Improvement Through Combat

Kami's Lookout's broad platform had now become a battlefield.

As they had agreed beforehand, Kairos used his control over ki to suppress his battle power to between 200 and 300.

If Kairos had not painstakingly trained his way up from a battle power of 100, and if he had not only recently awakened the system and rapidly grown stronger, he would not have been able to control his strength so precisely.

After all, his proficiency in ki training was only at the proficient level for now.

It seemed impressive, but in reality, its applications were still limited. By his calculations, it was only comparable to Son Goku's level when he defeated Piccolo Jr.

Even if he was somewhat stronger, at most, he would only surpass Kakarot at the beginning of the Z storyline.

After all, his true strength had long since exceeded four million battle power.

As for Kakarot after returning from training with North Kai, there was indeed still a vast gap. Even with overwhelmingly greater strength, the difference in realm could not be made up.

Otherwise, Kakarot would never have been able to fight Vegeta to that extent.

In a battle between opponents of the same level, Vegeta would be beaten until he questioned his entire life.

"I'm ready. You can come at me now, Mr. Popo."

After getting accustomed to his current strength, Kairos spoke to Mr. Popo, who stood not far away.

"All right! Then I won't hold back. Please guide me!"

As he spoke, Mr. Popo first clasped his hands in salute toward Kairos, then assumed an attacking stance.

Seeing this, Kairos likewise took up his fighting posture.

The next second.

With a dull whoosh—

Mr. Popo pushed off with the tips of his feet and shot forward like an arrow, his dark figure flashing past in an instant.

He was so fast that ordinary people would never have been able to react, much less see him.

Only because Kairos was absolutely powerful—even with his battle power suppressed, his body and senses could not possibly be suppressed as well.

"Good!"

Seeing Mr. Popo's imposing punch, Kairos excitedly raised an arm to block it.

BANG!!!

A shockwave rippled outward.

An intense close-quarters battle erupted in the next instant.

The wind from their fists howled as their attacks poured down upon one another like rain.

Even at a level of only two or three hundred battle power, the intensity of their clash had already reached the pinnacle of Earth's martial arts.

Not far away, Kami Piccolo watched the battle unfold, his heart constantly stirred by the fight.

He had not fought for many, many years.

This fierce battle reminded him of his younger days.

Back then, he too had been a warrior who yearned to grow stronger! In pursuit of great power, he had come to Kami's Lookout on Earth!

In the end, he had gained immense power and eventually become Kami.

[In just a few days, Mr. Popo has grown stronger as well. Kairos's arrival has already brought changes that have affected both Mr. Popo and me...] Kami Piccolo thought to himself.

Bang!! Thud!! Smack!! Bang!!...

Every punch and every kick landed solidly.

Throughout the battle, they tested each other's techniques, compared their strength and reflexes, and competed in their control over ki.

After more than a dozen exchanges, Kairos learned even more through the fight.

It was something he had never experienced when sparring with companions of the same level back on Planet Vegeta.

Nor was it something that could come from training alone.

Improve through battle. Elevate oneself through battle.

Kairos finally understood the deeper meaning behind those words.

The reason warriors in the original story found it easier to break through in battle was because real combat was the fastest way to become stronger.

A life-or-death battle against an equal, or a challenge that surpassed one's limits, could often rival the results of a year—or even several years—of grueling training.

He gradually familiarized himself with Mr. Popo's attacking rhythm, then learned from it, imitated it, and finally refined it into his own combat experience.

A flash of surprise passed through Mr. Popo's eyes. He could clearly sense the changes Kairos was undergoing through their fight.

His fighting style had begun incomparably fierce and forceful, but after absorbing Mr. Popo's strengths, it became flexible—advancing or retreating as needed, borrowing force to counter force!

His use of ki had also become more skillful. At first, he could only crudely mobilize it and spread it over his body, but he gradually became able to concentrate it at a single point to unleash the greatest explosive power.

That terrifying learning ability left Mr. Popo shaken.

After all, he had trained bitterly for many years to reach his current level of attainment.

Over so many years, everything he had mastered had been copied by Kairos in a single battle—half of its essence, no less.

Only then did he realize why Kairos had suppressed his strength and requested a fight with them.

"Now Mr. Popo will go all out."

As those words fell, Kairos's expression sharpened.

He suddenly sensed a tremendous change in Mr. Popo's attacks.

Caught off guard, Kairos was thrown off by Mr. Popo's fighting rhythm and suffered a relentless barrage of attacks.

In the end, a palm strike to his chest sent him back more than a dozen meters.

"A seemingly powerless push can contain such an ingenious technique for channeling qi? Let me try it too!" Kairos's eyes lit up.

The next second, he controlled the qi within his body, swiftly gathering it in his right palm. Imitating the way Mr. Popo had exerted force just now, he thrust out a horizontal palm strike.

"Boom!!!"

Like an air cannon, an invisible shockwave shot straight at Mr. Popo.

Mr. Popo did not panic. Smiling, he threw another punch.

The technique was the same, but a different method of attack naturally resulted in different power.

"Bang!!!!"

The two shockwaves collided in midair, instantly setting off a terrifying sonic boom.

The invisible blast of qi became a violent gale, nearly snapping the trees planted atop Kami's Lookout.

Neither side gained the upper hand.

But Kairos had undeniably expended more energy.

"You learned it after only one look. Kairos, you truly are a genius. Back then, Mr. Popo needed a long time to learn how to control and release qi for attacks. It is clear that your control over qi has already reached the point where practice makes perfect," Mr. Popo praised Kairos.

Kairos's true strength was indeed far greater than theirs.

But when it came to the realm of qi control, they truly surpassed Kairos.

When they first learned that Kairos had not cultivated qi very deeply, both he and Kami Piccolo had found it unbelievable.

They could not understand how someone who did not cultivate qi could reach such a level of strength merely by tempering the body and the energy within it.

Only after learning more did they realize that every race possessed different bloodline talents, and each race also had its own unique methods of growing stronger.

They were very pleased that Kairos was willing to absorb their cultivation experience.

Now that they saw Kairos reach this level, they were even somewhat excited.

"Compared to Mr. Popo, I still have a long way to go. Whether it is his grasp of technique or his use of qi, Mr. Popo is far more refined than I am. I have benefited greatly," Kairos said. He assumed an attacking stance again and declared excitedly, "Next, it's my turn to take the initiative!"