The stars were especially bright at night in God's Realm.
Atop the world's highest man-made structure, Zhang Wutian, Son Wukong, and Krillin sat around the electric grill Zhang Wutian had brought out, roasting meat.
"The meat over here is ready too!" Son Wukong said with a grin. She grabbed a large piece, then settled comfortably into Zhang Wutian's lap and began munching on it.
"This meat tastes great. Is it something special?"
"I just added some seasoning beforehand." Zhang Wutian, a rich man who could afford to build a villa downtown, considered this the bare minimum for a trip.
"Also, could you stop sitting on me? It's cramped."
"No." Son Wukong flatly refused. "You smell really nice, Zhang Wutian." As if that wasn't enough, she added, "You smell even better than the barbecue!"
"So you really do like human flesh best?"
"I don't like human flesh! You always tease me!" Son Wukong pouted, but a moment later she was cheerful again. "Zhang Wutian, don't move."
"What is it?"
The next moment, Son Wukong leaned in, stuck out her tongue, and licked the grease from the corner of Zhang Wutian's mouth.
"There."
"What are you doing?" Zhang Wutian glared at Son Wukong in his arms, somewhat flustered after her damp tongue had licked the corner of his mouth.
"I was wiping the grease off your mouth," Son Wukong said unconcernedly. "You used to do that for me all the time, didn't you? I was just doing it for you once."
"All the time..." Not far away, Krillin looked at Zhang Wutian with an expression that said he understood everything. His gaze was painfully piercing.
"I used a handkerchief or a tissue to wipe it off for you..." Zhang Wutian said helplessly.
"But I don't have a handkerchief or tissues," Son Wukong replied with utter conviction.
Zhang Wutian suddenly felt exhausted. Was there something wrong with the way I'd raised her? He felt like he had no strength left.
Suppressing a laugh, Krillin called to Tien Shinhan, who was still training. "Tien Shinhan, come eat something. If you don't hurry, the meat'll be gone."
Tien Shinhan's cool voice came from far away. "You eat. One Senzu Bean is enough for me."
"What an antisocial guy. I wonder if the Tien Shinhan from my world is just like this," Zhang Wutian said.
"His master and his junior fellow student both died. It can't be helped if he turned out this way. If anything, I'm the one who seems to lack ambition," Krillin said self-deprecatingly.
"No, you're fine just the way you are. He's just abusing his body."
Before he'd even finished speaking, Zhang Wutian felt Son Wukong lick his other cheek.
"So stop licking me!"
"But there's a smudge on this side too," Son Wukong said plaintively. "I just wanted to help."
"Fine. Then, thanks for that." Seeing Son Wukong's wounded expression and Krillin's face as he struggled not to laugh himself sick, Zhang Wutian had nothing to say.
Out of reach of the light, an utterly exhausted Tien Shinhan ate a Senzu Bean, then began another round of hellish training.
The days of training flew by, and Mr. Popo's words brought the four of them to the end of their training.
"Now you're ready to enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Mr. Popo will open its door for you."
The four stopped training and rested briefly before following Mr. Popo to an exotic-looking doorway.
"This is the Hyperbolic Time Chamber," Mr. Popo explained.
Inside the door was a world apart from the outside. One year within equaled one day outside. The temperature inside was stifling, and its gravity was four times greater than Earth's—a terribly harsh environment for humans from Earth.
But words could only explain so much. It was only after the four actually entered that they felt the pressure of the space.
"W-what is this feeling?"
It was like being back in the days of training under Master Roshi, when they'd been forced to wear turtle shells heavier than themselves. Krillin struggled to straighten his bent back and spoke haltingly.
"Is this what four times gravity feels like? It's incredible. Wukong, are you okay?" Zhang Wutian was in even worse shape than Krillin; he could barely walk.
"This is so hard, and it's so hot. We have to stay here for a year?" Even Son Wukong couldn't withstand such a harsh environment, especially since she was still a young girl, coddled by Master Roshi and constantly being fed all kinds of food by Zhang Wutian.
"Good... This is what makes it worth training here." Tien Shinhan was the only one who gave the place his approval.
Their next task was to train until they could adapt to the gravity.
The first of the four to adapt wasn't the cheat-aided Zhang Wutian, but Tien Shinhan, who trained the hardest and already had the highest combat strength.
Krillin was right behind him, and Zhang Wutian was the third to adapt. Fighting against the gravity also fulfilled the conditions of his cheat: [Fight powerful opponents; win or lose, you will grow stronger]. In the harsh environment, his combat strength shot through the roof, and within a few months he finally surpassed Krillin, who had several more years of growth in this timeline.
Son Wukong was the last to adapt. She was still too young, and her not-yet-fully-grown body kept her combat strength from increasing by much.
Sometimes Zhang Wutian wondered, Was it too soon to bring her here? What if the gravity stopped her from growing taller?
But right after that came thoughts like, Being short isn't so bad. Petite and adorable, really.
Once everyone had adapted to the gravity, sparring became their daily lesson.
"So today's matchups are me against Tien Shinhan, and Krillin against Wukong?"
"Please go easy on me, Krillin's big brother." Son Wukong still called Krillin that.
"All right, go easy on me too." Krillin gave Son Wukong a wry smile. He'd given up trying to correct the stubborn girl.
"Come on, Tien Shinhan."
"Yeah. Show me everything you've got."
After training together for so long, Zhang Wutian no longer deliberately provoked Tien Shinhan, and Tien Shinhan could at least talk to him without getting worked up.
The two entered a high-speed exchange, seeming to vanish from everyone's view.
"So fast! And they're still moving this quickly under four times gravity. They'd be even faster outside!"
Their blows rang out like thunder, the sounds of combat rising and falling as they darted around at incredible speed, exchanging attacks. One moment they were above, the next behind.
Then Tien Shinhan punched Zhang Wutian out of the air.
Zhang Wutian flipped and landed on the ground, but he'd lost by a hair. Tien Shinhan immediately kept him on the defensive.
Several times Zhang Wutian tried to counterattack, only for Tien Shinhan's stronger attacks to force him back. Like prey caught in a net, he couldn't break free no matter how he struggled. Tien Shinhan had him thoroughly outmatched in every way—attack, speed, defense, and even combat experience. Zhang Wutian was suffering badly.
"Break through already!!" Light flared around Zhang Wutian's fist as he punched at Tien Shinhan. Tien Shinhan didn't dodge or move aside. He took the blow head-on.
"Is that all you've got?!" Tien Shinhan only shuddered as Zhang Wutian's punch landed. He took the full force of the attack, then threw a punch of his own, sending Zhang Wutian flying again after he'd abandoned his defense to attack.
"Volleyball Fist!" Tien Shinhan rushed beneath the airborne Zhang Wutian. One bump, a second set, then a third spike!!
With a crash, like a meteor striking the ground, Zhang Wutian was smashed into the earth and couldn't get back up.
"That was over the top, Tien Shinhan. This is only training. There was no need to use a move like that."
As Son Wukong hurried over to Zhang Wutian, who lay on the ground, and used the True Senzu Bean Breathing Method she'd somehow learned to pass a Senzu Bean into his mouth, Krillin walked up to Tien Shinhan and reproached him gently.
Faced with Krillin's reproach, Tien Shinhan looked at his clenched fist and said nothing.
Only someone who had fought Zhang Wutian could understand how quickly he improved. The pressure came from facing an opponent on the same level, someone who wouldn't give an inch and could only be fought by going all out.
Feeling that pressure had forced Tien Shinhan to hit hard.
Zhang Wutian had grown stronger at a terrifying rate in just a few months. Although Tien Shinhan was undergoing the same training, he was improving much more slowly. Unable to quiet his mind as he wondered when Zhang Wutian would surpass him, Tien Shinhan couldn't settle his emotions.
So this is the gap between us? I can't accept it!
Tien Shinhan clenched his fists tightly.
Before you continue