"That's no problem, of course. I'd just like to ask you something, if you don't mind. You're already so powerful, so why are you still working so hard to become stronger?"
Hearing Kami's question, He Lingxuan's expression suddenly turned calm. He replied evenly, "That's because I'm still far too insignificant. There are countless beings in this universe who are stronger than I am.
"Even though I've surpassed most people, I'm still not invincible.
"Besides, as a Saiyan, I have to keep pursuing greater strength. I can't stop training just because I've reached a certain level, can I?
"After all, my current strength in my normal state is still far from enough to face the enemy of our race, Frieza..."
After all, my normal-state battle power was only a million or so.
He answered Kami, then added silently to himself.
Hearing those words, Kami couldn't help imagining just how powerful the enemy of someone as strong as He Lingxuan must be.
He Lingxuan gazed at the boundless sky, and beyond it, the seemingly endless reaches of outer space, where countless stars glittered.
Any star system might give rise to life. Who could guarantee that some freakishly powerful being wouldn't emerge from one?
One might even be born stronger than the Frieza Race.
"System, open the panel."
He Lingxuan silently thought the words, and a golden data panel appeared before him.
[Infinite Upgrade System] [Host: He Lingxuan] [Age: 19] [World: Dragon Ball World (???)] [Battle Power: 1,500,000 points (can be increased)] [Mental strength: 100,000 points (can be increased)] [Talents: Top-Tier Saiyan Bloodline (cannot be increased), Top-Tier Physique Talent (cannot be increased; all physique-related costs reduced by 300%, defense increased by 1000%, recovery ability increased by 1000%, grants the ability to regenerate severed limbs, energy storage increased by 100%, toxin resistance increased by 1000%...), Humanoid Great Ape Transformation (cannot be increased; can increase battle power tenfold)] [Technique: Micro-Control (use of his own power has reached nearly 100% perfection; can be increased)] [Skills: Immortality +1 (cannot be increased), Yuan-Devouring Scabbard +1 (cannot be increased), Omni-Vibration +10 (cannot be increased), Ki Blast +3 (cannot be increased), Ki Wave +3 (cannot be increased), Flight Technique +3 (cannot be increased), Kaioken (cannot be increased), Advanced Psychokinesis (cannot be increased), Ability Theft (cannot be increased)] [Upgrade Points: 1,000] [Items: None]
That's right. After unleashing his maximum battle power in space, He Lingxuan had upgraded his Saiyan Bloodline to prepare for his training. He hadn't expected it to cost a full million upgrade points.
But the improvement it brought was astonishing. The upgrade immediately boosted his battle power by 300,000, and over the following days it increased by another 200,000. That was why He Lingxuan's normal-state battle power was now 1.5 million.
Moreover, because his bloodline had reached the top tier, his normal-state battle power would automatically increase by one-thousandth every day. That meant a daily increase of 1,500.
It might not seem like much, but the gains would become astonishing over time. And once his normal-state battle power reached hundreds of millions, or even tens of billions or hundreds of billions, his daily increase would be tens of millions or even over a hundred million!
Besides that, during battle, his strength would increase in proportion to the intensity of the fight. He Lingxuan didn't know exactly how much it would increase, but he was certain it would play a crucial role in combat.
There were plenty of other hidden benefits, too, but there was no need to list them all. In short, the Top-Tier Saiyan Bloodline he'd bought for a million upgrade points was countless times more advanced than Vegeta's royal bloodline in the original story.
It might still fall somewhat short of the Legendary Super Saiyan Bloodline, but not by much. The gap came down to the rate at which battle power grew and the various freakish abilities it granted.
There was one advantage, though: He Lingxuan wouldn't go berserk. If his current Top-Tier Saiyan Bloodline advanced one more level, he might even match or surpass the Legendary Super Saiyan Bloodline.
But the upgrade points that would take were sure to be astronomical. It might even cost over a hundred million.
Besides all that, He Lingxuan had also raised his Psychokinesis to the advanced level. He could now use his powerful mental strength almost perfectly and with incredible precision.
Based on He Lingxuan's own calculations, Advanced Psychokinesis powered by 100,000 points of mental strength was enough to defeat enemies with battle power in the hundreds of thousands. It was also surprisingly effective for clearing out mobs.
He could precisely control it to eliminate hundreds of thousands or even millions of targets!
That meant he wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone else, which was extremely rare.
Just look at how often people in TV shows and movies who had great power but couldn't control its destructive force attacked when enemies and allies were mixed together, only to injure their own teammates.
But with Advanced Psychokinesis and He Lingxuan's 100,000 points of mental strength, that could never happen.
In any case, He Lingxuan was very satisfied with how well-rounded he had become.
He put his thoughts aside and closed the system panel, then heard Kami speak.
"Let Mr. Popo take you to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. I still have work to finish here. I'm sorry."
"It's fine, it's fine. So this is Mr. Popo?"
As he spoke, He Lingxuan looked toward the expressionless Black servant standing nearby.
"That's right. Mr. Popo will take you from here."
Mr. Popo introduced himself, then held out his hand in a welcoming gesture.
He Lingxuan set off, following Mr. Popo.
As they went, He Lingxuan took in the sights of Kami's Lookout and couldn't help marveling at how exquisite the architecture was. It truly was the home of a god.
After passing through two corridors, Mr. Popo stopped and said to He Lingxuan, "This is the entrance to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. You can enter whenever you like, but remember that each person only gets two days—that's two years inside. If you stay longer, you'll never be able to come out."
Seeing how serious Mr. Popo looked, He Lingxuan nodded to show he understood, then studied the entrance to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
After observing it for a while, his powerful mental strength let him just barely sense that the space around the entrance was subtly different from the outside world. There was also a strange, indescribable feeling about it.
That must have been the difference in the flow of time, right?
Grrr—grrr—
He Lingxuan heard his stomach rumble. He hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so he was hungry.
That Saiyan stomach of his really was something else!
He turned toward Mr. Popo, who was waiting quietly nearby, and asked, "Do you have anything to eat here? I'm hungry right now."
Mr. Popo immediately replied, "Of course. Follow me, please, though you may have to wait a little."
He Lingxuan's face lit up with delight. He was genuinely hungry, and since there was food ready, why not get a free meal?
At that thought, He Lingxuan remembered another problem. Would he be stuck eating dough made from flour and water while training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?
The more he thought about it, the less he could accept it. He decided he'd go into the city later and gather food that could be stored for a long time, then pack it into Capsule Corp Capsules. He'd prepare enough for several years, just in case.
After following Mr. Popo and eating his fill, he said goodbye to He Lingxuan, Kami, and Mr. Popo, then temporarily left Kami's Lookout.
First, he checked on Son Gohan's training and was surprised to find that he had already made his way to Korin's place to begin training.
Satisfied with the result, He Lingxuan temporarily left the area around Korin Tower. After receiving a generous amount of money from a few people, he headed to Window of the City to go on a shopping spree.
He stuffed all kinds of large-capacity Capsule Corp Capsules full of food and clothes. After all, his clothes were bound to get torn up while training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
After going on a wild shopping spree for an entire day, He Lingxuan checked on Son Gohan again. He was sleeping soundly, so He Lingxuan didn't disturb him.
Knowing that he would soon enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for grueling training, He Lingxuan spent several carefree days playing around in the city.
He also made sure to check on Son Gohan from time to time, and even took him home once to visit Chi-Chi. Son Goku was still out looking for Dragon Balls and hadn't returned yet.
On the fifth day after leaving with Son Gohan, He Lingxuan went to Son Goku's home.
Son Goku was back, and he had brought all seven Dragon Balls with him. He Lingxuan nodded in satisfaction.
When Son Goku saw him arrive, he immediately came forward with the seven Dragon Balls and handed them to He Lingxuan.
"These are the Dragon Balls you wanted. If you want to make a wish, you have to say it to the Dragon Balls, right? 'Shenron, grant my wish.'"
Hearing Son Goku whisper to him, He Lingxuan nodded. He took the Dragon Balls, arranged all seven neatly on the ground, and called out loudly,
"Come forth, Shenron! Grant my wish!"
In an instant, the sky darkened. The once-bright sky turned black, and the seven Dragon Balls transformed into beams of golden light that grew larger and larger, until they formed a long, slender dragon.
Shenron lowered his enormous head and looked at the familiar Son Goku and the unfamiliar He Lingxuan before speaking.
"State your wish. I can grant any wish, but you may only make one!"
Seeing Shenron's spectacular appearance, He Lingxuan couldn't help feeling excited. He'd grown up watching Dragon Ball, after all. But he quickly composed himself and spoke to Shenron.
"Shenron, please use your full power to give me a bracelet that can adjust the gravity acting on me!"
Hearing his wish, Shenron replied, "No problem. Your wish is simple, but I can only make the bracelet increase the gravity acting on you up to 10,000 times. Are you sure you still want to make this wish?"
Hearing that, He Lingxuan thought, Ten thousand times? That's pretty good. Under the tenfold gravity in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, it'll let me reach up to 100,000 times. That'll be enough to train for a long time.
"Of course I'm sure!"
Shenron nodded. Red light gleamed in his eyes, and a bracelet appeared on He Lingxuan's right wrist.
"Your wish has been granted. Goodbye!"
Shenron vanished, and the seven Dragon Balls scattered in every direction.
At that very instant, He Lingxuan split into seven afterimages and collected the seven stones. After tossing the Four-Star Dragon Ball to Son Goku, he said,
"Son Goku, if I have another wish to make in a year, I'll come find you. Keep this Four-Star Dragon Ball for now."
As He Lingxuan was about to leave, he sensed Son Goku's intense confusion and desire to ask him something. Clever as he was, He Lingxuan immediately understood. He called down to him from the sky,
"When we Saiyans train under high gravity and with heavy loads, we get tremendous results. Don't you know a scientist? You can ask her to build you a Gravity Chamber. Your strength will increase really quickly!"
After saying that, He Lingxuan vanished into the sky, leaving Son Goku behind to process what he'd heard and murmur to himself, "A Gravity Chamber?"
As he flew toward Korin Tower, He Lingxuan adjusted the Gravity Bracelet on his wrist. But he didn't dare set the gravity too high while he was in the air. If he couldn't adapt in time, he might fall straight out of the sky.
After setting the gravity to three times normal, He Lingxuan felt his body grow heavy, and he nearly fell out of the air. He spent a while getting used to it before continuing his flight.
After reaching Korin Tower, He Lingxuan went to pick up Son Gohan, who had nearly finished training with Korin. The two of them then headed to Kami's Lookout.
Seeing the familiar faces, He Lingxuan greeted them. "Hi, Kami, Mr. Popo! I'm back, and this time I've brought Son Gohan to train."
Kami and Mr. Popo nodded to He Lingxuan, then looked at the little boy hiding behind him.
As someone who could watch over the human world, Kami knew very well that the child behind He Lingxuan was Son Goku's son. He Lingxuan had also said during his last visit that he would bring the boy here, so Kami wasn't surprised.
Besides, the child had recently climbed Korin Tower and received training from Korin.
"Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Popo. Please take us both to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. I plan to train in there for a year. Gohan may come out partway through, so please look after him or train him if you can."
Kami and Mr. Popo nodded and agreed. Mr. Popo led the way once more, and He Lingxuan took Son Gohan by the hand and followed right behind him.
Son Gohan hid his little face behind He Lingxuan, peeking in every direction. Everything around him seemed to fascinate him.
Before you continue