Breakthrough: 1% Ultra Instinct

The weekend.

It was a rare school holiday, and Gohan had originally planned to find a more convenient place to train, but he had made a promise to Videl.

The girl had shown up at his house first thing in the morning.

She dragged him straight out the door, even more proactive than he was.

"Gohan, you promised me! You said today you'd spend time with me!"

Videl looked over with a playful expression, a sly smile tugging at the corners of her mouth; after all, she had already made up her mind.

Since he refused to admit the truth, she would just follow him around—perhaps she would discover something.

That was why she had taken the initiative to find Gohan and head to the metropolis to wander around!

Gohan had no choice but to accompany her on the shopping trip; after several days of training, today was a rare moment of leisure.

It made him feel exceptionally relaxed, which was also beneficial for his mental cultivation.

Moreover, just as he was strolling around with Videl, his Ultra Instinct, which had been at 0.9%, suddenly surged upward just from the casual walk.

It had actually reached 0.95%!

This was truly strange. Did the cultivation of something like Ultra Instinct rely not only on training but also on the improvement of one's state of mind?

Just like Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan God, increasing one's strength in the later stages really wasn't just about combat power.

It required mental cultivation and the enhancement of spiritual energy!

This was an unexpected result for Gohan, and he really had Videl to thank. Sensing her suspicious gaze, he realized she had been observing him the entire way, wanting to uncover his true strength.

Finding it amusing, and wanting to thank Videl for helping him improve his Ultra Instinct, he spotted a stall, took her hand, and walked over.

"By the way, you've been walking with me for a while now. Let me get you a gift—consider it a memento of our first date!"

Once inside a shop, he focused on choosing a beautiful gemstone for Videl.

It wasn't expensive—a cheap trinket for less than 200 yuan—but when he helped her put it on, he could clearly see her face flush red.

Videl had never expected Gohan to give her a gift; it was clear that he valued this date.

Thinking back on her suspicion throughout the day, how she hadn't enjoyed the date at all but instead kept doubting him, she felt a pang of guilt. Looking at the fake gemstone necklace, she raised her head and said, "I'm sorry. I... I don't deserve this gift."

"I've been doubting you from the very beginning. I shouldn't have. I never treated this as a formal date, and that's my fault!"

She truly regretted it. Faced with Gohan's "sincerity," she now felt as though she had deceived him.

As she apologized, she clenched her fists, determined to treasure this gift.

Suddenly, an explosion erupted not far away!

BOOM!

"Ah! Robbers!"

"Robbers! They're robbing the shop and have taken hostages!"

"Get out of the way! If you don't want to die, move!"

A gang of robbers was actually holding up a shop in broad daylight. Videl's expression shifted the moment she saw them, her face turning serious.

"Gohan, wait here for a second, I'm going over!"

Videl's sense of justice was indeed strong; seeing the robbers, she rushed forward without a second thought.

Gohan watched her, his brow furrowed.

After all, she was just an ordinary human; the current Videl definitely had a combat power of less than 100. There was no way she could defend against standard firearms.

Yet, she didn't hesitate for even a second. Before the police could arrive, she charged in and began to grapple with the robbers.

The robbers, who were busy holding hostages at gunpoint with submachine guns, were caught off guard by the girl rushing at them.

When one of the robbers was knocked to the ground by Videl, the leader's expression changed. Furious, he raised his submachine gun and fired directly at her.

"Damn it, where did this brat come from? Go to hell!"

BANG! BANG!

A hail of bullets flew toward her. Videl relied on her speed to dodge, but unfortunately, she was careless.

A bullet grazed her leg, and she lost her balance, nearly falling to the ground.

Even though she didn't go down, she clutched her bleeding leg and couldn't stand back up. She looked up at the leader in front of her with a pained expression.

He raised his submachine gun, aimed it at her, and wore a cruel grin.

"You want to be a City Superhero? Looks like you're just looking to die!"

At such close range, there was no way for Videl to dodge.

Gohan watched everything, especially when he saw Videl get hurt. He felt a sudden jolt; he hadn't expected that he actually cared about Videl a little.

She was his future wife, after all; no one but him was allowed to hurt her!

Seeing blood trickle down her delicate leg in particular caused a flame to erupt within his heart.

At the same time, Ultra Instinct sensed this flame and surged once more.

The cultivation of one's state of mind requires not only tranquility but also fury, combined with the fighting spirit ignited by the desire to protect someone!

With these combined, Ultra Instinct broke through!

He finally understood the essence of Ultra Instinct, and in that very instant, the technique that had been stuck at 1% for so long finally shifted.

It broke through directly to 1.1%!

He had achieved a true transformation, reaching the entry-level of Ultra Instinct.

[Completed 1% Ultra Instinct, obtained entry-level. Combat power increased by 100%, capable of dodging all close-quarters combat, becoming a master of melee fighting!]

As expected, the close-quarters combat of Ultra Instinct is the most formidable!

A 100% increase in combat power meant that his combat strength had just jumped by units of hundreds of millions.

It truly lived up to its reputation as the strongest technique of the gods.

With a sneer curling his lip, Gohan felt the changes within his body. Casting aside all restraint, he immediately unleashed Ultra Instinct.

In that instant, a mass of energy swirled around him, and his hair nearly turned white for a split second.

As he moved, the ground beneath him shattered instantly.

Ordinary humans could never hope to track his movements!

The people around him had no idea how fast he was moving; to an average person, this all happened in 0.01 seconds.

Even Videl was still staring grimly at the submachine guns, wondering how to dodge them.

The next second!

Amidst a spray of blood, the several robbers before her, including their leader—ten people in total—were instantly decapitated, sliced in two.

Standing before her was Gohan. With a casual wave of his hand, he had appeared in front of her with effortless ease.

Having wiped out the ten robbers, Videl was stunned. She was particularly struck by the energy swirling around Gohan; even though she didn't yet understand what ki was, she knew clearly that Gohan was powerful—far more powerful than she had imagined!

Even compared to the City Superhero, his strength was immense. Could he perhaps compare to her father?

No, he must be far beyond her father; her father had never possessed such terrifying pressure.

Standing before her, he made it hard for her to even breathe.

The pressure he exerted was absolute, filling her with a deep sense of trepidation. Was this... was this really that harmless Gohan?