"I'm not tired. I'll stay here and watch you train." Linoshi smiled gently and shook her head.
"Okay." Reiz nodded and didn't insist.
He found another flat rock, sat down cross-legged, and slowly closed his eyes.
Before long, Reiz entered that state of mindlessness again, merging his body with nature.
The sensation was utterly intoxicating.
The wind, the chirping of insects, the gentle burble of a stream in the distance—even tiny creatures moving through the soil beneath the rocks—all of it registered with crystal clarity.
He wasn't listening with his ears. He was feeling it with his body, as if his skin had become countless tiny feelers reaching in every direction.
And this way of training was far more comfortable than cultivating energy.
Training his energy took a tremendous amount of stamina. Every punch required his full strength, and every outburst drained every last trace of energy from his body.
That kind of training was effective, but it also put a huge strain on his body. He was often completely exhausted afterward.
But merging his body with nature didn't consume his stamina. In fact, it increased it.
No, stamina wasn't the right word.
It was a very strange, special kind of energy.
This special energy was entering his body, replacing the energy he had before.
The sensation was subtle, like rain falling on parched earth, or a dormant seed beginning to sprout.
A warm, gentle force surged toward him from every direction, seeping slowly into his body through every pore and mingling with the Saiyan energy already inside him.
If Reiz's guess was right, this energy was most likely divine power.
I've only been at it for a few hours, and I've already cultivated divine power?
No wonder I was classified as a Super Genius Warrior.
So divine power is what I'm truly suited to cultivate!
No wonder I've only reached a Combat Power of two million after all these years.
With my talent and knowledge, it would've been normal for me to reach at least twenty million Combat Power by the age of sixteen.
It was only natural for Reiz to think that way.
After all, Reiz had started training at the age of three. He had already spent nine years at it.
Over those nine years, Reiz had had gravity-assisted training and plenty of resources.
He'd had to watch out for King Vegeta and Frieza, but once he'd learned to hide his energy, that was no longer a problem.
And yet, it had still taken him nine years to reach a Combat Power of two million.
To Reiz, that was nowhere near enough.
His training was progressing too slowly!
He'd never expected that he would understand divine power so quickly once he started cultivating it.
Reiz felt a tangle of emotions.
He stopped thinking about it and immersed himself in that wondrous state, letting the strange force wash over his body.
Time slipped by.
At that moment, Reiz felt completely at one with nature.
In a daze, he seemed to have a dream.
A very long dream.
In it, he was still in the same remote wilderness, at Star-Shattering Cliff.
The jagged boulders, the howling winds, the distant horizon—everything was so familiar.
But the girl named Linoshi stood there quietly.
She wore her Saiyan Battle Suit, her long black hair fluttering gently in the wind. Her blue eyes gazed his way, as tender as a pool of spring water.
Night turned to day.
Then day turned to night.
Darkness and daylight alternated again and again, as if someone had pressed fast-forward. The sun rose and the moon set; light and shadow flowed past.
At some point, a light rain began to fall from the sky.
Fine raindrops pattered softly against the rocks, weaving a hazy curtain through the air.
The rain grew heavier.
Huge drops pelted the ground, splashing up in little bursts of water.
Linoshi gently raised a hand, and an umbrella appeared in it.
It was pure white, with a faint glow shimmering across its canopy. Raindrops slid right off it, leaving no trace.
She seemed like a celestial maiden, stepping through the rain with light steps across the slick rocks until she reached Reiz. Then she raised the umbrella high and tilted it over him.
The rain fell harder and harder.
It struck Linoshi's shoulders.
But an invisible Force Field seemed to cover them, instantly keeping the rain away.
The raindrops slid aside when they came within an inch of her shoulders, then trickled down the unseen barrier to the ground.
She stood beside Reiz, holding the umbrella over him, her blue eyes fixed on him without blinking.
At last, the rain stopped.
The sun emerged, and golden light spilled through the clouds.
A beautiful rainbow appeared on the horizon, its seven colors tracing a brilliant arc across the blue sky, as lovely as a scene from a painting.
Linoshi lowered her umbrella, then tilted her head and gazed at Reiz in a daze, her cheeks flushed.
Sunlight touched her fair cheeks, bathing them in a warm glow.
Her blue eyes were as clear as two lakes, reflecting his image.
A moment of silence passed.
Linoshi blushed and lowered her head, looking bashful as her fingers began absentmindedly rubbing at her Battle Suit again.
Gradually, the sky darkened once more.
The cycle repeated...
The sun rose and set; the clouds drifted by.
Reiz had no idea how much time had passed.
He took a deep breath, suddenly came back to himself, and slowly opened his eyes.
The sunlight was a little blinding. He squinted until his eyes adjusted, then opened them fully.
A clear blue sky stretched above him. A few white clouds drifted by, and birds soared across the distant horizon.
"You're awake?" a gentle voice sounded beside him.
Linoshi tilted her head toward Reiz, her blue eyes full of delight.
A soft smile played on her face. In the sunlight, she looked especially radiant.
"How long... was I training?" Reiz asked, rolling his stiff neck.
"Seven days and seven nights." Linoshi smiled, her voice carrying a hint of pride, as if she were happy for him.
"Really? That much time has passed already!" Reiz exclaimed in amazement, hardly able to believe it.
It had felt as if he'd merely closed and opened his eyes, yet a full seven days had gone by.
Then Reiz looked around and saw the muddy ground and the rain-soaked rocks.
The ground was covered in marks left by dried puddles. A few shallow pools remained in the low spots, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.
The rocks, which had been dry before, were covered in water stains, and the moss looked greener than it had earlier.
"Drip... drip..."
A stream babbled through the mountains, its sound exceptionally pleasant.
Rainwater had gathered into a stream and flowed down from higher ground, leaping between rocks with a clear, cheerful sound.
The air was fresh with the scent of rain, mingled with the fragrance of soil and grass. It was enough to lift anyone's spirits.
At that moment, Reiz's heart stirred.
Could that just now not have been a dream?
Was it something I saw while training?
Had this lovely, adorable Apprentice Angel stayed by my side the whole time?
Before you continue