But the power of the system was his own power, so He Lingxuan didn't feel the least bit embarrassed about it.
Just as Son Goku had recovered enough to stand, Piccolo, who was right behind him in the distance, happened to witness Son Goku being instantly defeated. In that moment, it was as if something shattered in his mind.
It was Piccolo's own pride—the pride of having no rival except Son Goku, the pride of believing that once he defeated Son Goku, he could rule the world.
But at that very moment, when someone else had so effortlessly defeated Son Goku, Piccolo's insignificant pride crumbled.
After all, from the moment he was born, he had been given the mission of defeating Son Goku and ruling the world. Even he wasn't sure how to go about it, whether it was good or bad, or whether it was right.
During these years of training, he had often helped people who had lost their way or found themselves in danger out in the wilderness. It was only because he was this morally ambiguous person that he would later be redeemed in the story.
"Damn you, Son Goku! I haven't even beaten you yet, and you've already lost to someone else! Then I'll just have to beat the person who defeated you first, and then kill you. That way, I can rule the whole world!"
As he spoke, Piccolo formed Ki Blasts in both hands and hurled them at He Lingxuan.
Boom!
The tremendous shock wave from the exploding Ki Blasts kicked up clouds of dust, making it impossible to see what was happening.
At that very moment, Piccolo plunged downward, as if trying to take advantage of the chaos to attack He Lingxuan.
But He Lingxuan watched him with interest, wondering what he would do next.
After all, at this point in time, He Lingxuan was practically invincible. Piccolo's power was barely over 400; he couldn't hope to affect him in the slightest.
Even if Piccolo used his trump-card technique, the Special Beam Cannon, concentrating all his power into an attack with a power level of over 1,000, it would still be far too weak against He Lingxuan, a Saiyan whose power level was a full 100,000 even in his normal state.
Unexpectedly, though, Piccolo didn't launch another attack during the brief moment when the dust was swirling. Instead, he helped Son Goku, who had just managed to stand, and frantically retreated.
Piccolo's lips curled into a slight smile. In a voice full of mockery and arrogance, he said, "Son Goku, looks like you've fallen into my hands, huh?
"Remember, you can only die by my hand!
"Don't think I'm saving you. I'm only doing this so I can beat you fair and square someday, then rule the world!"
Though Piccolo said that, Son Goku knew he wasn't the evil Demon King Piccolo from before. He was a new life, with an entirely different nature. Deep down, he was kind.
That was what Son Goku believed. He nodded and said, "I still have to thank you, Piccolo. Otherwise, I might have been in real trouble."
But suddenly, a voice that sent a chill down their spines rang in Piccolo and Son Goku's ears.
"You're still standing here chatting? You don't even know to hurry up and run. You're both so weak."
It was He Lingxuan. No one knew when he had appeared behind the two of them. He spoke in an unhurried tone, delivering words that sent a chill down their spines. To them, it was practically like seeing a ghost.
A hand gently patted Son Goku, who had one arm around Piccolo's shoulders. In an instant, wave after wave of terrifying pressure bore down on them, crushing Piccolo and Son Goku from the air into the ground—or rather, beneath it!
Thud!
"Ding! Congratulations, you have defeated the original character Newborn Piccolo and received 100 Upgrade Points. As this is your first time defeating this target, you have been awarded a small skill gift pack."
Hearing the familiar notification, He Lingxuan smiled. Piccolo and Son Goku, meanwhile, lay piled together on the ground, their faces filled with bitterness.
Suddenly, the sound of someone cutting through the air came from the distance. Krillin and the others had arrived, too. Seeing this, He Lingxuan was practically grinning from ear to ear. With several more people here, just how many Upgrade Points and skill gift packs would he get?
The next second, He Lingxuan vanished from the spot.
Son Goku came to his senses and was about to shout at Krillin and the others to run, but before he could make a sound, they dropped out of the sky. They didn't have the slightest chance to resist before they were instantly defeated.
"Ding! Congratulations, you have defeated the original character Krillin and received 100 Upgrade Points. As this is your first time defeating this target, you have been awarded a small skill gift pack."
"Ding! Congratulations, you have defeated the original character Tien Shinhan and received 100 Upgrade Points. As this is your first time defeating this target, you have been awarded a small skill gift pack."
"Ding! Congratulations, you have defeated the original character Chiaotzu and received 100 Upgrade Points. As this is your first time defeating this target, you have been awarded a small skill gift pack."
Watching the Upgrade Points and skill gift packs keep rolling in, He Lingxuan was overjoyed.
The next instant, he was back in front of Son Goku and Piccolo. Son Goku shouted,
"What did you do to Krillin and the others?!"
"Heh. What did I do to them? So what? Do you think you're capable of resisting me? Do you really think that pitiful power of yours can stop me?"
"You're a fellow Saiyan, just like me, yet you're so weak. Pathetically weak. But seeing how confused you look, I'll be kind and explain it to you."
"You and I both come from the Saiyan race, a famous warrior race in the universe. We belong to the Frieza Force, which uses us to wage war across the universe.
"Judging by your appearance, perhaps you suffered a severe blow to the head when you were young, which caused your memories to become confused.
"Otherwise, according to the memories traditionally implanted in Saiyans, your mission would be to wipe out every human on Earth."
He Lingxuan rubbed his chin, pretending to think. He had come up with this whole story when he saw the System Options and learned that Son Goku was on his way.
He would reveal that he was a Saiyan and make his position clear, so he could live peacefully on Earth.
"Then you're supposed to wait for Frieza's army to arrive and sell them this planet. That would complete your mission. But because something went wrong, it might not be long before other members of our race come here."
Watching Son Goku's expression shift again and again, He Lingxuan gave a slight cough and continued.
"Of course, I only came here to find a place to stay and train in seclusion for a while, so I can take revenge on our race's mortal enemy."
"I knocked you all down simply because you were too weak. By the standards the universe uses to measure strength, you two have power levels of just over 400, while those humans over there are only a little over 200. As for me, my power level is a full 100,000!"
"Even so, this level of strength is still too weak against our race's mortal enemy."
At last, Son Goku had recovered. After hearing He Lingxuan's explanation, he understood just how enormous the gap between them was.
It was no exaggeration to say that if He Lingxuan wanted to, they could find themselves somewhere else in an instant—or be wiped out by a simple Ki Blast.
Before you continue