The Mad Scientistess and the Cultivation Apprentice

Bulma rode the motorcycle at high speed, the engine emitting a low hum; it was far more refined and stable than the crude jeep the farmer had yesterday.

The cold wind blew against Lin Fan's exposed skin. Though still chilly, the faint circulation of true qi within his body kept it from feeling as bone-piercingly unbearable as it had the previous night.

He sat sideways on the back, doing his best to maintain his balance and distance to avoid touching the young girl in front of him.

Even so, the embarrassment of riding with a stranger while stark naked still made his face burn, leaving him no choice but to keep his eyes fixed on his nose and his mind centered on his heart.

He silently circulated the foundational techniques of the Great Dao Source Scripture to calm his restless mind.

Before long, the view ahead suddenly opened up, and the end of the dirt road connected to a smooth, wide, modern highway.

Bulma turned onto it with practiced ease, and the bike's speed increased a notch.

"Hey, strange wild man," Bulma said, not looking back as her voice carried through the wind, "that thing you mentioned earlier... the heavenly divination, can it really help me find the Dragon Balls?"

Her tone held more curiosity than skepticism; clearly, she was still dwelling on Lin Fan's startling words from before.

Lin Fan had already calculated his response. He spoke unhurriedly, "Heavenly secrets cannot be lightly revealed. The hexagrams are ever-changing and cannot be explained in a few words. It was merely that I happened to see a thread of fate connecting us, so I spoke a few lines. Whether it succeeds or not depends entirely on your own fortune."

His words carried a vague, ethereal quality, neither fully confirming nor denying, leaving plenty of room for maneuver.

Bulma pursed her lips, clearly unsatisfied with the ambiguous answer, but she did not press further.

After traveling a bit further, she suddenly pulled the motorcycle over to a vacant lot by the side of the road.

"Wait here on the bike."

She hopped off, took a capsule marked with an "H" from the exquisite capsule case at her waist, pressed the button with practiced skill, and tossed it forward.

Bang!

A soft explosion sounded, accompanied by a puff of white smoke that rose and quickly dissipated.

On the previously empty lot, a sleek, high-tech red convertible now stood!

"Whoa!"

Bulma patted the car body proudly, looking at Lin Fan as if to show off. "How about that? Never seen it before, right? Hoi-Poi Capsule, the latest technology from my family's company! You can even fit a whole house into a little box like this and carry it around!"

Her large eyes blinked with anticipation, as if waiting to see the "mountain savage" look stunned and shocked.

Lin Fan's eyes flickered with surprise. While he was indeed amazed that the technology of this world was so magical and far beyond the Earth of his past life, he remained composed on the surface, instead revealing a perfectly measured look of realization mixed with a hint of scrutiny.

He nodded slightly, his tone carrying a subtle, imperceptible note of appraisal. "So that is how it is. 'Storing Mount Sumeru in a mustard seed, hiding the sun and moon in a pot.' This artifact of yours shares the same ingenuity as the 'Pot-Heaven Technique' or 'Universe in the Sleeve' recorded in ancient texts. To think such feats could be achieved through mechanical craft—it is truly admirable."

"Pot-Heaven Technique? Universe in the Sleeve?"

The proud expression on Bulma's face froze, replaced by confusion and curiosity. "What's that? Is it also a type of technology? Is it even more powerful than my capsules?"

Having spent her life with her parents in the world of science, she was completely unfamiliar with these esoteric, ancient terms. But hearing Lin Fan's tone, it seemed like something even more incredible, and her curiosity was piqued.

Seeing that he had successfully diverted her train of thought, Lin Fan felt a sense of relief. He maintained his calm, high-expert demeanor and shook his head slightly. "It is not technology, but rather the arts of the ancient qi practitioners. A pot can hide a world; a sleeve can contain mountains and seas. But these are merely ethereal legends, not to be taken as truth. By comparison, your capsule technique is tangible and far more practical."

His words were half-explanation, half-flattery; they elevated her while making his own background seem mysterious, knowledgeable, and unfathomable.

Sure enough, Bulma's eyes widened and her mouth parted slightly. She murmured, "A world in a pot? Mountains and rivers in a sleeve? Is that for real... it sounds even more magical than the Dragon Balls..."

The way she looked at Lin Fan now held more inquiry and respect. The initial dismissal of him as a "savage" had long since vanished; she only felt that this man, with his strange origins and profound speech, was shrouded in mystery.

"Get in!"

She shook her head, as if trying to cast aside the metaphysical questions she couldn't grasp, and jumped into the driver's seat.

"Since I pity you, this young lady will see it through to the end and take you to a nearby town. But it's a deal: you have to help me calculate where the Dragon Balls are!"

Lin Fan thanked her, opened the passenger door, and sat inside.

The interior was exquisite and the seats were comfortable; compared to his desperate flight yesterday and his naked hitchhiking today, it felt like a lifetime ago.

The sports car's engine let out a low, powerful roar and shot onto the highway like an arrow from a bow, its speed far surpassing the motorcycle.

As the scenery outside the window blurred by, Bulma seemed to be in a great mood. She chatted away while driving, talking about everything from the various models of Hoi-Poi Capsules to the prosperity of West City, and complaining about the various setbacks in her search for the Dragon Balls.

Lin Fan mostly listened quietly, occasionally feigning ignorance when she asked about common knowledge of the outside world, cementing his persona as a "mountain recluse."

Every now and then, when she mentioned certain technological creations, he would casually toss out an esoteric metaphor, such as, "This object is as swift as riding the wind," or "That lens observing the star-sea is akin to the Heavenly Eye."

This left Bulma constantly amazed, making him seem all the more mysterious.

The atmosphere in the car was quite harmonious.

Lin Fan leaned back against the seat, the trace of true qi within him continuing to circulate on its own, constantly absorbing the thin spiritual energy from the world outside the window.

Though still faint, it was endless, bringing a sense of grounded security.

His gaze swept over the rapidly passing landscape of this strange world and then landed on the lively, intelligent blue-haired girl beside him.

Dragon Radar... Hoi-Poi Capsule... Bulma...

He knew that his dangerous situation, having suddenly transmigrated into this world, had finally found a preliminary turning point upon meeting Bulma.

He had, for the time being, successfully latched onto this sturdy thigh belonging to the "protagonist group."

Though the road ahead remained uncertain and the label of "trash with a power level of 5" weighed on him like a thorn in his back, at least for this moment, he was no longer a naked soul fleeing through the wilderness, but someone with a seemingly safe temporary foothold and a valuable channel for obtaining information about this world.

The sports car roared on, carrying two people with their own hidden thoughts, speeding toward the nearest human town.