Leaving the Pass

"Oh, Goku, you've come too."

Piccolo turned his head to look at Son Goku.

"Yeah, how long has Lei Chen been in there, Piccolo?"

Son Goku asked Piccolo curiously.

"Exactly 24 hours, which is exactly one year."

Piccolo thought for a moment before replying.

Just as Son Goku was about to remark that Lei Chen had managed to reach a combat power comparable to his own in only a year, the pressure suddenly vanished rapidly.

At the same time, both Piccolo and Son Goku suddenly sensed Lei Chen's aura. Although it was significantly stronger than it had been a day ago, it was still well within Piccolo's range of acceptance; it wasn't just weaker than Son Goku's, it was still a far cry from Vegeta's.

"Heh, it looks like Lei Chen is practicing a very impressive technique. To be able to completely suppress his aura like that—this move must be quite formidable."

Son Goku said with an excited expression.

"Right, right."

Piccolo nodded. Seeing the look on Son Goku's face, he knew that Goku was itching for a big fight with Lei Chen, though he didn't know why Lei Chen hadn't come out yet.

Logically speaking, anyone who entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber would come out after staying for a year, but Lei Chen had already stayed for a full year and still hadn't emerged.

Son Goku, who had also assumed Lei Chen would be coming out soon, sat down on the ground and waited.

One minute passed, then five minutes.

After more than an hour, Son Goku could no longer wait. He used Instant Transmission to leave the lookout, telling Piccolo to let him know once Lei Chen came out.

Meanwhile, Lei Chen was still training inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He had no idea that Son Goku had waited for him outside for over an hour before finally losing his patience and leaving.

Time ticked away bit by bit.

Soon, another year had passed. Lei Chen had now been in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for a full two years.

Lei Chen's power hadn't increased by much, reaching only 100 billion—an increase of 30 billion, leaving him just 20 billion shy of Vegeta's 120 billion.

However, the duration of Lei Chen's Super Saiyan God transformation had increased by 30 seconds; if he were to fight, he could now maintain the Super Saiyan God form for a full minute.

"It seems it's time to head out."

Lei Chen muttered to himself. Continuing to stay here wouldn't increase his power much further. Although his raw strength hadn't grown significantly, his control over his own energy, aura, and every aspect of his body had reached a state of perfection.

While it wasn't as heaven-defying as Ultra Instinct—where the body would automatically dodge danger—his control over his own aura and energy had reached a level of mastery that bordered on the supernatural.

To give an example, if someone else fired an energy blast of the same magnitude at the ground, they might create a crater a hundred meters wide, with half the energy wasted in the air. Lei Chen's energy blast, however, would land entirely on the ground, causing twice the destruction of the others.

"It's already been two days. If this guy doesn't come out soon, he might never get out."

Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze fixed on the Hyperbolic Time Chamber as he spoke with a calm expression.

No sooner had Piccolo's words fallen than the sound of footsteps suddenly reached his ears.

"What, this sound?"

Piccolo's expression changed. His hearing was dozens of times sharper than an ordinary person's, so he naturally heard that the footsteps were coming from the direction of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

"What is it, Piccolo?"

Son Goku asked curiously, not knowing why Piccolo had suddenly made that face.

"It seems that guy is coming out, but the strange thing is, I can't sense any aura at all. Is he intentionally hiding his presence?"

Piccolo explained while looking toward the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.