Karin Sacred Land

Zhang Wutian is a man who clings to the past.

For instance, if he has used a teacup for a long time, even if it becomes dirty, old, and coated in layers of scale, he will simply wash it clean and continue using it as long as there are no cracks, rather than buying a new one.

To give another example, back when Zhang Wutian was a web novelist, even when a certain site looked down on his genre and treated authors like him as fringe figures to be cast aside, he continued to update his work on that familiar platform instead of jumping ship to a site that valued his type of writing more.

There is no other reason; he is simply nostalgic.

Therefore, he truly could not bring himself to kill the Tyrannosaurus that had followed him for so long.

Clearly, he is not a man of ruthless, decisive action.

If he were to let such a beast run wild in areas inhabited by humans, the consequences would be predictable. Zhang Wutian did not want to cause a tragedy due to his own negligence, yet he could not simply kill the Tyrannosaurus either. Fortunately, the wild animals of the Dragon Ball world are clearly more intelligent than those in Zhang Wutian's original world, and the Tyrannosaurus he had tamed was a standout among them, giving Zhang Wutian a better option.

"I think you can understand me, so let's make a pact."

"From today on, you are not allowed to eat people, nor are you allowed to attack humans unprovoked. If you can agree to my terms, I will let you go."

Hearing Zhang Wutian's words, the Tyrannosaurus stared at him with its vertical pupils, then slowly nodded.

"Very good." Zhang Wutian felt a weight lift from his heart. He had truly been afraid that he would have to personally finish off this mount that had been with him for nearly half a month. To be honest, by the tenth day, he had already found it difficult to bring himself to do it.

The night passed.

Watching the Tyrannosaurus leave with its tail wagging—though a section of it was missing—Zhang Wutian gathered his spirits and headed deep into the forest.

Before long, he saw a tribe consisting of tents that looked like teepees.

"Is anyone home?"

A burly man crawled out of one of the tents. He wore traditional tribal attire, or rather... he wore nothing on his upper body and very little on his lower half. In short, it was the father of the little tribal boy Upa—the man whose name Zhang Wutian could no longer recall.

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

"I am a wandering martial artist. I've come to this place to challenge the Korin Tower behind you."

"A wandering martial artist?" The man, whose real name was Bora, looked Zhang Wutian up and down before nodding. "It has been a long time since someone like you appeared. I am the guardian of this Karin Sacred Land. Guiding martial artists who come here to Korin Tower is my duty. Your reason is legitimate, and I am willing to show you the way. Please, follow me."

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

"You want to fight me?" Bora was slightly taken aback by Zhang Wutian's request.

"No, not a fight. Just a small test. I want to gauge my own combat power."

Seeing Bora frown, Zhang Wutian added, "Don't worry, I'm not one of those battle-crazed maniacs who won't stop until someone is injured. We'll stop at a touch."

"Fine, I can agree to your request, but I have one of my own."

"Please, go ahead." Zhang Wutian gestured for him to speak.

"I would like my son to watch our spar. I want him to feel the valor of a warrior."

"Of course, no problem."

And so, Upa—who looked a bit like a girl and was even cuter in appearance than young Goku—made his entrance.

"Your son?" Looking at the bear-like, burly Bora and then at the frail, chick-like Upa, Zhang Wutian knew they were father and son, but he couldn't help but tease, "You... you're a bit doting on your son, aren't you?"

"Haha, Upa is still too young. When he grows up, I will make him as strong as I am."

Bora chuckled and then took a stance facing Zhang Wutian.

"Let's begin."

"Right."

Zhang Wutian assumed a stance as well. He had copied it directly from young Goku, and at a glance, it still carried a bit of the shadow of the old man Son Gohan—the half-baked Turtle Hermit School style.

Although this stance wasn't very solid, it was at least somewhat effective. Facing such a Zhang Wutian, Bora did not dare to be careless. He let out a roar and charged at Zhang Wutian first.

I always seem to lose the initiative. Am I being too cautious?

While chiding himself, Zhang Wutian charged toward Bora without backing down.

Bora threw a straight punch at Zhang Wutian, and Zhang Wutian didn't show weakness, throwing a punch of his own. Their fists met in mid-air, causing both to shudder. Then, the much stronger Bora forcefully suppressed Zhang Wutian's fist.

Suppressed, Zhang Wutian withdrew his fist and followed up with a roundhouse kick toward the side of Bora's head. That kick was blocked by Bora's arm. The next moment, Zhang Wutian hooked his heel around Bora's arm, borrowed his strength to launch himself into the air, and kicked at Bora's head with his other foot.

Bora tilted his head to dodge the second strike, then grabbed Zhang Wutian's leg and threw him aside.

Although he was thrown, Zhang Wutian controlled his center of gravity well. In other words, Bora's throw didn't have the intended effect. Zhang Wutian adjusted his posture in mid-air, used the momentum of the throw to land on a tree trunk, pressed his feet against it, and sprang back like a coiled spring.

Borrowing the force of the rebound, Zhang Wutian threw a punch at Bora.

Facing an attack that combined the force of Bora's own throw, the rebound of the tree, and Zhang Wutian's own counter-force, Bora did not dare to be careless. He held his arms vertically in front of his chest and carefully took the brunt of the punch.

When Zhang Wutian's fist made contact with Bora's arms, it didn't make a "slap" sound, but rather a roar like an explosion.

The burly Bora was knocked back repeatedly, sliding across the ground and kicking up a trail of dust. He only managed to stop after sliding back about ten meters.

After landing, Zhang Wutian did not pursue the attack. He stopped and watched the now-stationary Bora.

"Let's stop here."

It wasn't that Zhang Wutian wanted to end it just because he had gained the upper hand; it was that up to this point, both sides were using strength suitable for a spar. If they continued, it would turn into a real battle, and someone would inevitably get hurt, which would violate Zhang Wutian's intention of "just wanting to test his combat power."

Bora clearly understood this as well. He nodded and dropped his defensive stance.

After the battle ended, Upa hurried to his father's side and threw his arms around his leg.

Bora patted Upa on the head, then said to Zhang Wutian, "Although you are young, your strength is quite impressive. It is no wonder you have the confidence to come and challenge Korin Tower."

"What do you think, Mr. Bora? Can I succeed in this challenge and meet Master Korin at the top of the tower?"

Bora paused to look at Zhang Wutian before speaking, "To be frank, I don't think you can. At least, not as you are now."