Karin Sacred Land

Zhang Wutian was a sentimental person.

For example, take a teacup. He might have used it for a long time, and even if it got dirty, worn out, and accumulated a thick layer of limescale, as long as it wasn't cracked, he would clean it and keep using it rather than simply buying a new one.

Or take the time Zhang Wutian spent as an online writer. Even when a website treated authors like him with disdain, practically pushing them to the sidelines, he still kept posting on the site he knew instead of moving to another site that valued writers like him more.

There was no other reason. He was simply sentimental.

So when it came to the Tyrannosaurus that had followed him for so long, Zhang Wutian simply couldn't bring himself to kill it.

Clearly, he wasn't the ruthless type.

If he let such a ferocious beast wander into an area where people lived, the consequences were obvious. Zhang Wutian didn't want his negligence to cause a tragedy, but he really couldn't bring himself to kill the Tyrannosaurus just like that. Fortunately, the wild animals in the Dragon Ball World were clearly more intelligent than those in the world he'd come from, and the Tyrannosaurus he'd tamed was one of the smartest of them all. So Zhang Wutian had a better option.

"I think you can understand what I'm saying. Let's agree on a few rules."

"From today on, you're not allowed to eat people or attack them without provocation. If you can agree to that, I'll let you go."

At Zhang Wutian's words, the Tyrannosaurus fixed its vertical pupils on him, then slowly nodded.

"Good." Zhang Wutian felt the weight lift from his shoulders. He'd really feared he might have to kill the mount that had been with him for nearly half a month. To be honest, by around the tenth day, he'd already found it hard to go through with it.

A night passed.

Watching the Tyrannosaurus walk away, swishing its tail—though it was missing the tip—Zhang Wutian steeled himself and headed deeper into the forest.

Before long, he came upon a village made up of tents resembling those of Native Americans.

"Is anyone home?"

A burly man emerged from one of the tents. He wore traditional Native American clothing—or, more accurately, he wore nothing on his upper body and very little on his lower half. In any case, he was the father of the little Native American boy Upa. Zhang Wutian couldn't remember the man's name, but there he was.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the burly man asked sternly.

"I'm a wandering martial artist. I came here because I want to challenge the Korin Tower behind you."

"A wandering martial artist?" Upa's father, a man named Bora, looked Zhang Wutian up and down, then nodded. "It's been a long time since we've had someone like that come here. I'm the guardian of this Karin Sacred Land. It's my job to guide martial artists who come here to the Korin Tower. You have a good reason for being here, so I'd be glad to show you the way. Follow me."

"Thank you very much," Zhang Wutian said with a smile. "But before that, could we have a little spar?"

"You want to fight me?" Bora asked, taken aback.

"No, not a fight. Just a little sparring match. I want to test my fighting strength."

Seeing Bora frown, Zhang Wutian added, "Don't worry. I'm not the kind of battle maniac who insists on fighting until someone gets hurt. We'll stop once we've had a chance to test each other."

"Fine, I'll agree to that. But I have one condition of my own."

"Go ahead." Zhang Wutian gestured for him to continue.

"I want my son to watch us fight. I want him to see the courage of a warrior."

"Of course."

And so, Upa made an early appearance. He looked a bit like a girl, and was even cuter than Little Wukong.

"Your son?" Zhang Wutian looked at the burly, bear-like Bora, then at Upa, who was as delicate as a little chick. Though he knew they were father and son, he couldn't help but tease Bora. "You spoil your son a little, don't you?"

"Heh. Upa's still too young. Once he grows up, I'll make him as strong as I am."

Bora smiled, then faced Zhang Wutian and took up a fighting stance.

"Let's begin."

"All right."

Zhang Wutian took up a stance too. He'd copied it straight from Little Wukong's. At a glance, it also bore some resemblance to Old Man Son Gohan's style—in other words, a somewhat rough version of the Turtle Hermit School.

The stance wasn't particularly solid, but it had some merit. Faced with Zhang Wutian, Bora didn't dare let his guard down. He roared and charged first.

"I keep failing to seize the initiative. Am I being too cautious?"

As he grumbled to himself, Zhang Wutian charged toward Bora without backing down.

Bora rushed forward and threw a straight punch at Zhang Wutian. Zhang Wutian met it with a punch of his own. Their fists collided in midair, and both men shuddered. Then the stronger Bora forced Zhang Wutian's fist down.

Zhang Wutian withdrew his fist and followed through with a spinning kick aimed at the side of Bora's head. Bora blocked it with his arm. In the next instant, Zhang Wutian hooked his heel around Bora's arm and used Bora's strength to launch himself into the air, kicking at Bora's head with his other foot.

Bora tilted his head to dodge the second kick, then grabbed Zhang Wutian by the leg and hurled him away.

Though Zhang Wutian had been thrown, he kept his center of gravity under control. In other words, Bora's throw hadn't worked. Zhang Wutian adjusted his position in midair, using the force of the throw to land on a tree trunk. He planted both feet against it, coiling up like a spring before launching himself forward again.

Using the rebound, Zhang Wutian punched at Bora.

Faced with an attack powered by three forces—the force of Bora's throw, the tree's rebound, and Zhang Wutian's own counterattack—Bora didn't dare take it lightly. He raised both arms in front of his chest and carefully braced himself against the punch.

Zhang Wutian's fist struck Bora's arms, but instead of a slap, the impact boomed like an explosion.

The burly Bora staggered backward, skidding along the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. He slid for about ten meters before finally coming to a stop.

After landing, Zhang Wutian didn't press the attack. He simply stopped and watched Bora, who had halted his retreat.

"That's probably enough."

It wasn't that Zhang Wutian wanted to call it quits after gaining the upper hand. Up to that point, they'd both been using the strength they'd need for sparring. If they went any further, they'd have to use the strength they'd need in a real fight, and someone would likely get hurt. That would go against Zhang Wutian's intention to "just test his fighting strength."

Bora clearly understood that too. He nodded and lowered his guard.

Once the fight was over, Upa hurried over to his father and wrapped both arms around his leg.

Bora patted Upa's head, then said to Zhang Wutian, "You're young, but you're quite strong. No wonder you're confident enough to challenge the Korin Tower."

"What do you think, Mr. Bora? Can I make it to the top and meet Master Korin?"

Bora stopped and looked at Zhang Wutian before speaking. "To be honest, I don't think so. At least, you can't do it yet."