About a month had passed since Zhou Zilong began training on King Kai's Planet.
"Kaioken!" Zhou Zilong roared. Red flames enveloped his body. After countless days and nights of grueling practice, he had finally mastered this powerful technique—the Kaioken.
At present, he could easily raise the Kaioken to ten times its normal power. But with every increase, his body had to bear a greater burden.
On the training ground, Zhou Zilong launched a fierce assault on the small rock formations North Kai had set up. Every punch packed incredible force, as if it could shake the entire planet. Yet under North Kai's mysterious power, the rocks stood firm, making them the perfect training partners.
Day after day, Zhou Zilong spent long years training on King Kai's Planet.
In February of Era of Ai 748, Zhou Zilong stopped training and walked over to North Kai. "Lord King Kai, I've trained here long enough. I'm getting ready to head back. I was in a bit of a hurry when I came, so I didn't bring you anything. Once I'm back, I'll bring you some things from Earth!"
North Kai nodded with a smile. "Sounds good! Now that you've taught me that teleportation technique, I can visit you on Earth next time!"
After North Kai finished speaking, Zhou Zilong, dressed in his tracksuit, pressed the index and middle fingers of his left hand together and traced a circle in the air. A blue ring expanded, and a stream appeared within its inner circle.
This was a spatial teleportation technique Zhou Zilong had figured out using the Space Cultivation Law. He'd only done it for fun, drawing a portal like Doctor Strange from the Marvel movies.
"Goodbye, Lord King Kai!" Zhou Zilong waved at North Kai, his voice carrying a hint of reluctance. North Kai smiled and waved back. He knew Zhou Zilong was about to embark on his own path of martial arts.
As Zhou Zilong stepped through the blue ring, he felt his body grow light. A moment later, he appeared in a beautiful landscape.
After asking Xiao Ling when the Dragon Ball story began, Zhou Zilong muttered, "There's still about a year before the Dragon Ball story officially starts. I'll use the monthly dividends from my Capsule Corporation shares to set up a few businesses first. My system's pretty expensive, after all!"
Zhou Zilong left the beautiful area and arrived in a remote part of West City. After making his way out, he withdrew a large sum of money from the bank and began putting his plans into action.
About half a year later, the businesses Zhou Zilong had founded began to flourish across the region and throughout the Dragon Ball World. It didn't take long for him to join the ranks of the world's wealthy.
On June 22, 749 of the Era of Ai, the sky over West City was bright and clear. Sunlight streamed through the clouds and bathed the bustling metropolis, lending it a touch of vitality.
In a luxurious, high-tech office in a prestigious building in central West City, a woman in an elegant business suit gently knocked on the door, which bore a "CEO" sign.
A steady voice came from inside. "Come in!"
The woman opened the door and spoke to Zhou Zilong, who was practicing his balance by supporting himself on his right index finger. "Mr. Zhou, Dr. Brief from Capsule Corporation wants to discuss a partnership with us. He plans to visit this afternoon!"
Zhou Zilong stopped what he was doing and looked up with a smile. "All right, I understand. I'll handle this partnership in person!"
The next afternoon, Zhou Zilong arrived on time at a private room the company had reserved for important clients. Before long, Dr. Brief walked in with several assistants. When he saw Zhou Zilong, he looked surprised. "I didn't expect it to be you! I thought it was someone else with the same name!" Zhou Zilong stood up and warmly shook Dr. Brief's hand. "I didn't expect you to seek out one of my companies for a partnership either, Uncle. What's going on? Has something happened at Capsule Corporation?"
Dr. Brief shook his head. "Nothing's gone wrong. It's just that after the online shopping platform Kanbafang opened recently, Capsule Corporation joined it. I never expected sales of our capsule products to increase several times over so quickly. We're having trouble keeping up!"
Dr. Brief continued, "I wanted to find a reliable delivery company to handle our shipments. While I was in West City, I heard about a company called Lightning Delivery. It's very efficient, with fast deliveries and reliable security. So I wanted to discuss a partnership with them!"
Zhou Zilong replied with a smile, "Uncle, there's no need to talk about a partnership. If you hadn't transferred those shares to me back then, I wouldn't have had the money to start my businesses. From now on, my company will handle all of Capsule Corporation's deliveries, and I won't charge you a delivery fee!"
Dr. Brief looked at Zhou Zilong in surprise. "How can we do that? Wouldn't you be losing money?"
Zhou Zilong shook his head. "Uncle, there's no need to be so formal. I've never forgotten how much you've helped me. How about this? From now on, Capsule Corporation can pay just ten percent of the usual delivery fee!"
Dr. Brief was deeply pleased. "All right, then. It's a deal!"
After the meeting, Zhou Zilong asked, "By the way, is Bulma doing well?"
Dr. Brief sighed. "She's doing well, but she's missed you ever since you left. A little while ago, she set out to find something called the Dragon Balls. She said she wanted to gather them all so she could see you!"
Zhou Zilong was momentarily taken aback. He remembered that, in the original story, Bulma had set off on an adventure to find the Dragon Balls. A warm feeling welled up inside him, and he understood how Bulma felt about him.
"I understand. I'll take care of a few things, then go find her!" Zhou Zilong took a deep breath and decided to get everything in order before setting out to find Bulma and Little Goku, who was still on Mount Paozu.
He knew the adventure in the Dragon Ball World had only just begun. He couldn't miss this chance.
Dr. Brief nodded in support. "All right. I'll help you prepare some essential gear and supplies. But be careful. This world is far more dangerous than you think!"
Zhou Zilong nodded gratefully. He knew Dr. Brief was only worried because he cared about him.
That afternoon, Zhou Zilong held several meetings in the conference rooms of his businesses to make the necessary arrangements.
Once everything was in order, Zhou Zilong changed into a black short-sleeved shirt with a dragon emblem on the chest, a white jacket, jeans, and a pair of brown combat boots. Then he set off on his journey.
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