Formal Training Begins

"Right, Grandpa Master Roshi, just like that. Calm down and make yourself like a great tree..."

Of course, Wuchen couldn't actually call Master Roshi "Little Turtle," even though he had lived far longer than Wuchen's soul.

But Master Roshi didn't seem to like being called Grandmaster anymore, even though he hadn't objected before. Wuchen didn't know why, but he didn't want to be annoying.

So he settled on calling him Grandpa instead.

"Grandpa Master Roshi, breathe out, breathe in... out, in... Remember that rhythm... Imagine the centers of your palms and the soles of your feet like flowers on a tree, naturally facing the sky..."

Unlike when he had taught Goku, there were many restrictions on guiding Master Roshi.

For one thing, the language barrier made it difficult to explain. For another, he couldn't openly discuss the origins of the cultivation technique—that is, the story behind it.

So Wuchen's instructions were rather abstract.

"Good. You should be able to feel the power inside you now... Imagine that there's a tree inside you. Your abdomen is the base of the tree, the branches and leaves extend upward, and the roots reach downward..."

"...Slowly, try to make the power inside you flow. Follow the roots and the branches and leaves, connecting them... Let it happen naturally, and carefully sense the paths they take..."

Time passed quickly. It wasn't until night had fallen that the three of them sat down to dinner.

Even during the meal, Master Roshi kept talking with Wuchen and praising him.

He had no doubt that Wuchen had figured it all out himself, and that the tree must truly exist.

Otherwise, why would Wuchen have used a tree as an example when explaining it, and described it in such detail?

By giving Master Roshi the story of "comprehending the Dao by observing a tree" beforehand, then referring back to it as he explained things, Wuchen had naturally convinced him completely.

"Wuchen, that kind of energy you mentioned... the one you named 'spiritual energy'—why don't I feel it increasing yet?" Even when faced with a problem, Master Roshi asked humbly, without a trace of a martial arts grandmaster's airs.

"Grandpa, that's because we're still only imitating the shape of a tree. Tomorrow, we'll start learning how to produce spiritual energy." Just as he had when teaching Goku, Wuchen had only taught Master Roshi the breathing and meditation methods that day.

Master Roshi had learned them well, so tomorrow they could put the cultivation technique into practice.

This made Wuchen even more certain that Master Roshi must have his own cultivation system in this world, and that it had much in common with the methods of immortal cultivation!

"Good! We'll continue tomorrow!"

The next morning, the three of them sat side by side facing the sea.

Wuchen practiced the Yin-Yang Creation Art while explaining it in terms Master Roshi could understand as best he could. As for Goku, he focused on consolidating his cultivation.

In just three to five days, Master Roshi was able to produce spiritual energy.

He had also become fairly familiar with the paths of the Twelve Meridians. He simply didn't know what the "branches and leaves" and "roots" inside his body actually were, or what they were called.

He had also sensed some of the many acupoints, though not very clearly.

At the same time, Wuchen shared the Heaven-Propping Staff with Master Roshi, using a similar excuse.

After discussing it, Wuchen and Master Roshi—the two of them, both teacher and friend, grandparent and grandchild—decided to leave and look for a better place to cultivate.

Three hundred li north of Turtle Hermit Island lay a large island with mountains, forests, and a freshwater lake. They chose it as their training ground.

According to Master Roshi, Wuchen and Goku's grandfather, Son Gohan, had once trained on that island.

After choosing a place to stay, the two men worked out a training schedule for all three of them.

They would train with the staff early in the morning. After breakfast, Master Roshi would take charge of their training until lunch. From the afternoon until bedtime, they would devote all their time to cultivation.

The day after they moved, their formal training began.

They got up and washed before sunrise, then did their morning staff exercises alongside the rising sun. Once breakfast was over, Master Roshi took the lead.

Master Roshi's training was simple: he plowed fields, helping the island's residents work their land.

But he did it with his bare hands. According to him, this trained the hands, claws, arms, shoulders, mind, eyes, waist, legs, and feet all at once—in other words, it toughened the whole body.

Of course, there was only so much land to plow.

When they finished, Master Roshi would take them through other kinds of training: helping out at construction sites, delivering packages on foot across the island, extreme swimming drills, and all sorts of other everyday activities.

The key was to make everything as difficult as possible. For instance, he had them wear turtle shells weighing dozens of pounds while they trained.

In short, he put their bodies through the wringer, exhausting them and drawing out their potential.

At the same time, they could earn a little money to support their growing appetites. Of course, their everyday expenses still mostly came out of Master Roshi's savings.

Wuchen handled all their cultivation training.

Following the techniques step by step was standard practice, but reusing spiritual energy was the main focus.

Just as they had at Mount Paozu, they began selecting and planting various crops and plants.

It was worth mentioning that Wuchen had Goku start producing spiritual energy too, by practicing the Essence-to-Spirit Conversion method.

After genuinely practicing the Yin-Yang Creation Art, Wuchen realized that even without cultivating it deeply, the technique could still provide a solid foundation. It worked quite well.

There were no other immortal cultivators in this world, so there was no need to race against time. It was fine to make slower progress; they could just build a solid foundation.

Besides that, Wuchen also chose a suitable technique and cleverly passed it on to Master Roshi.

The Black Tortoise Raging Waves Transformation was a technique from an era when spiritual energy was scarce. It also required one to condense an Origin Soul. However, the Origin Soul could only be imbued with one of two attributes, water or yin, before the practitioner could continue with the later stages.

Those who mastered this technique enjoyed long lives, could avert calamities, and would not sink into ruin.

In stillness, it was like an ancient well, impossible to see or sense. In motion, it was like a raging sea, impossible to shake or resist! It lived up to the Black Tortoise's nature and the transformation of the raging waves!

That was how the three of them were cultivating now. Wuchen practiced the Yin-Yang Creation Art in its entirety.

Goku and Master Roshi practiced only its Essence-to-Spirit Conversion method, while focusing on the Nine Origin General Knowledge Art and the Black Tortoise Raging Waves Transformation respectively.

As for the Heaven-Propping Staff, a body-tempering technique, they all practiced it together.

Wuchen had a lot on his shoulders. For one thing, he needed to keep an eye on Goku and Master Roshi. Neither of them had any experience, so they could easily make mistakes.

Goku was especially concerning. The violent energy drawn out as he tried to eliminate his Great Ape Transformation also required Wuchen's attention to refine. The slightest slip could lead to disastrous consequences.

So Wuchen didn't dare let his guard down.

He also had to keep an eye on the spiritual plants and fruits.

Spiritual energy was certainly a good thing. It could transform plants and fruits, making them more nourishing for those who ate them. But they could also transform in undesirable ways. Some might even become poisonous!

So caring for the plants and fruits was part of Wuchen's work too. Classifying the spiritual plants, testing their properties, and other such tasks were all necessary steps.

The four essentials of cultivation were the Dao, wealth, companions, and a place to cultivate. Wuchen now had the beginnings of all four.

And time flew by. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

"Tap! Tap! Tap!"

The three of them hadn't made much progress in their training when two unexpected visitors arrived at their new home!