Training at the Lookout

Kast looked upward. He didn't leave Karin Tower, but flew up toward the Lookout.

"I need to learn how to sense ki, and train in martial arts."

Compared to training his own body, Earth's martial arts theory was far more advanced. And the one who knew the most about martial arts was undoubtedly the Guardian of Earth, who lived at the Lookout.

As he continued rising rapidly, the Lookout gradually came into view.

"So this is the Heavenly Realm?"

When he reached the Lookout, a circular plaza came into view. Rows of palm trees lined either side of it, and two people stood in the center.

"You're the Guardian of Earth, right?"

After landing on the plaza, Kast set the Senzu Bean, which he'd wrapped in ki, aside. Then he addressed the elderly green-skinned man standing before him, who was leaning on a cane.

"Mm... yes."

The Guardian of Earth broke into a cold sweat. Looking at Kast, he answered somewhat uncertainly.

Seeing how nervous the Guardian was, Kast reassured him. "Please don't worry. I didn't come here with any ill intentions. I only want to learn martial arts from you and how to sense ki in my surroundings. I won't harm you or destroy the Earth."

"Martial arts?"

Hearing Kast's words, the Guardian sensed the energy hidden within him and replied in surprise, "As far as I can tell, the energy within you is already incredibly powerful. No one on this planet is your match. Even so, you still want martial arts training?"

"Yes!"

Kast said solemnly, "Though my strength is indeed formidable on this planet, out in the vast universe, I'm just a grunt—not worth mentioning."

"And I think you know this already: I'm not a human from this planet. I'm a Saiyan named Kast, a member of a warrior race from the universe. I have plenty of strength, but I'm not very skilled when it comes to technique."

After pausing briefly, Kast continued.

"Still, though the people on this planet aren't very strong, their techniques are well worth learning."

After listening to Kast, the Guardian fell silent for a moment before agreeing.

"All right. I don't sense any evil in you, and from your expression, I can tell you're telling the truth. Since you're serious about learning martial arts, I'll teach you."

With that, the Guardian turned to the attendant beside him and said, "Mr. Popo, teach Kast to sense and detect ki first. Once he's mastered it, have him come to me for the second stage of training."

Then the Guardian leaned on his cane and walked back into the palace, leaving Kast and Mr. Popo standing in the hall.

"Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Popo." Kast cupped his hands and greeted him.

"No, there's no need to thank me. Since it's the Guardian's instruction, Mr. Popo will help you with your training." Mr. Popo waved his hands repeatedly, then walked over to Kast and handed him a blindfold.

"Then let's begin. First, tie on the blindfold, close your eyes, and sit cross-legged on the ground in a meditative state. I'll move around you from time to time, and you just need to figure out where I've moved to." As he spoke, Mr. Popo took a small bell from inside his clothes and hung it from his waist.

"To make it easier for you at first, I'll wear the bell. Listen carefully and sense where it rings, along with the feeling that comes to mind..."

Time passed, and before long, two months had gone by.

Atop the Lookout, an eight-year-old boy floated cross-legged in midair. Streams of ki surged around him, and strong winds began to swirl.

The boy was Kast. Though only two short months had passed, his appearance had changed greatly since then—he looked nearly two years older.

This was thanks to the Lookout's extraordinary room, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

That's right. After finishing his training in sensing ki, Kast had asked the Guardian for permission to train in the Room of Spirit and Time.

Inside the Lookout, the Guardian watched Kast in the sky through the transparent display in front of him, which showed him clearly.

"Kast's training is nearly finished, isn't it?"

"Yes, Guardian." Mr. Popo stood beside him with his hands behind his back, smiling simply.

"Mm."

As the Guardian watched Kast on the display, he recalled what had happened two months earlier.

Two months ago, when the Guardian had instructed Mr. Popo to begin training Kast, Kast's incredible willpower and talent had gradually become clear.

At first, Kast had to sense Mr. Popo as he moved. He could only rely on his hearing and perception. Mr. Popo deliberately shook the bell just once as he started moving to make a sound; the rest of the time, he made no noise at all.

It was difficult, but after Mr. Popo moved again and again, and Kast repeatedly guessed the wrong position, faint silhouettes gradually began to appear in Kast's mind.

As Kast's perception grew sharper, he became increasingly aware of Mr. Popo's position and began to find him more accurately. So Mr. Popo moved on to the second stage of training: he took the bell off his waist.

But even this step wasn't too difficult for Kast. Though the sound was gone, the silhouette in his mind remained. It gradually grew clearer, and at last Kast mastered the ability to sense ki.

The Guardian clearly remembered Kast returning with Mr. Popo after mastering ki sensing in less than a day.

"Saiyans! What a remarkable race."

The first thing Kast had asked after arriving before him was permission to train in the Room of Spirit and Time. The Guardian wasn't sure where he'd heard about it, but after thinking it over, he agreed.

But that wasn't the only thing that surprised the Guardian. Kast also asked for an extremely heavy Gravity Suit.

Watching Kast enter the Room of Spirit and Time wearing a fifty-kilogram Gravity Suit, the Guardian had thought he'd be lucky to last a month in there. He never imagined Kast would train inside for a whole year.

If Kast hadn't come out now and then to ask the Guardian for advice on technique and to have his Gravity Suit's weight increased, the Guardian might really have thought he'd died in there.

Kast was no longer training in the Room of Spirit and Time. When he finally came out, his ki was completely concealed. Unless someone saw him with their own eyes, they wouldn't have noticed he was there at all.

By then, the Guardian knew that Kast had almost finished his lessons. After that, he would be training on his own.

Kast's ki vanished from the air, and the storm around him gradually died away.

Watching this, the Guardian turned to Mr. Popo. "Mr. Popo, have you prepared everything..."