Korin Tower

Li Shu sat at the entrance of the yakitori shop just like that, watching others eat while tears streamed uncontrollably from his mouth.

Passersby cast sidelong glances at him, and a couple dining by the window took one look at the rustic, wild-looking Li Shu and filled their eyes with disdain.

"My apologies." Li Shu consciously averted his gaze; it was indeed impolite to sit there drooling while watching others eat.

Some customers intending to patronize the shop shook their heads and left after seeing Li Shu sitting at the entrance.

"It seems I'm affecting their business." Li Shu felt a bit awkward; his Wait-for-the-Cat Plan had suffered an unprecedented setback.

Just as Li Shu stood up, intending to leave and find a spot that wouldn't disrupt the shop's business to continue his plan, the owner ran out.

"From the countryside, are you? Take this and go beg somewhere else; don't ruin our business." The owner handed a food box and 100 yen to Li Shu with a look of disgust.

"..." Li Shu was speechless. He glanced at his dragon-skin coat and said, "Actually, I'm not a beggar, but a dinosaur hunter. Does your shop need to try some new ingredients? Let me tell you, dinosaur meat is delicious. I've even thought of a name for the dish: 'Roasted Dragon.' Sounds pretty good, right?"

The owner was stunned. Roasted Dragon? The name did sound quite good, and he felt a flicker of interest.

When he was a child, he had the fortune of eating dinosaur meat once with his father, and the taste was indeed incomparable to chicken.

Nobi Bear re-evaluated the wild man from the mountains before him; that leather coat of his really did look like dragon skin.

Even after twenty years, the taste of roasted dragon skin remained fresh in his memory—it was a hundred times better than chicken skin.

"A dinosaur hunter?" Nobi Bear glanced at the eighteen-pack abs the wild man inadvertently revealed, and his suspicions lessened significantly.

"That's right." Li Shu quickly took the food and money, ate the tender, juicy chicken skewers, slipped the 100 yen into his pocket without a trace, and continued, "I can give you a dinosaur leg for free. If it tastes good, how about you buy more from me later?"

Hearing this, a smile instantly appeared on Nobi Bear's face, and he apologized repeatedly: "I'm sorry, sir. I offended you just now. I would be very happy to try it."

"My name is Nobi Bear. May I ask your name, sir?"

"Li Shu."

"Mr. Li Shu, when might the dinosaur leg be delivered?"

"In one..." Li Shu had only said two words when he saw Korin finish his yakitori and walk out of the shop. He quickly added, "I have an urgent matter to attend to. I'll come find you in a few days. That's all for now, thanks for the food."

Li Shu finished his meal, wiped his mouth, and left without looking back, under the stunned gaze of Nobi Bear.

He swaggered along behind Korin, feeling quite good. He hadn't expected an unexpected gain from this Wait-for-the-Cat Plan—he had secured a way to make money.

As for the dinosaur protection plan, it had long since been cast to the back of Li Shu's mind.

Li Shu's tracking skills were extremely superb, but he didn't use them, because in the face of absolute strength, even the most superb tracking skills would have nowhere to hide.

At this current stage, Li Shu was well aware of Korin's formidable strength.

Rather than being cautious, it was better to be bold.

He was soon discovered by Korin. Li Shu didn't panic in the slightest; under the other's puzzled gaze, he smiled and greeted him: "May I visit Korin Tower?"

"Hmm?" Korin hadn't expected this little fellow to recognize him. Perhaps he was the descendant of an old friend, so he smiled kindly: "You may, little one, but can you tell me your name?"

"My name is Li Shu. I love traveling. My grandfather told me that Korin Tower is the tallest tower in the world, but I didn't know where it was. Today, I happened to run into Master Korin, and I didn't want to miss this opportunity."

"Who is your grandfather?" Korin asked again.

Li Shu replied: "Son Gohan."

Son Gohan? Korin thought for a long time before finally remembering. The smile on his face became even kinder: "So you are the grandson of Master Roshi's eldest disciple."

Li Shu explained: "Actually, I was rescued by my grandfather from the mountains; he took me in."

Li Shu slowly recounted the sequence of events and the stories of his five years on Mount Paozu.

Along the way, Korin listened attentively. When he learned that Son Gohan had passed away, he felt deeply moved.

Korin Holy Land.

A totem pole towering into the clouds rose from the ground, its end nowhere to be seen.

"We're here, child. That is Korin Tower. I can only bring you this far. If you want to go up, you must rely on your own strength." Korin pointed to the distant Korin Tower and said kindly.

Li Shu gazed at the distant Korin Tower, feeling deeply shocked.

Although he had seen it many times in the anime, only by being there in person could one truly appreciate the awe-inspiring majesty of the structure.

"I will wait for you at the top of the tower, child. Remember, you can only succeed in climbing to the top by using your own power." After saying his final words, Korin took to the air and left.

Li Shu naturally knew the rules for climbing Korin Tower, and he also knew that the legend of the Super Holy Water at the top enhancing one's power was false.

The process of climbing the tower and obtaining the Super Holy Water from Korin was the true training that could elevate one's strength.

Although he knew this, Li Shu still intended to fly up, complete the check-in task to get the reward, and then come back to train.

I learned the Flight Technique through my own ability, so that should count as my own power, right?

Thinking of this, Li Shu walked toward Korin Tower. He was stopped in front of a tent by a man holding a spear who looked like a Native American, with a small child following beside him.

Bora looked at Li Shu vigilantly and scolded: "Who are you? What are you doing here? Leave at once."

Li Shu remembered this father and son; they were the ones who had guarded this place for generations, so he said politely: "Sir, I am here to climb Korin Tower. Master Korin said he would wait for me at the top."

"Ma... Master Korin?" The man was stunned. Although they had guarded this place for generations, they had never seen the immortal on Korin Tower and had always assumed it was just a legend.

Even so, he had no intention of easily letting a stranger climb the holy land they protected.

"Only by defeating me will you be qualified to climb Korin Tower," Bora said solemnly.

Li Shu smiled, not refusing; he would take this opportunity to test the fruits of his five years of training.

He sensed the ki radiating from Bora, which was significantly weaker than his own.

If his own combat power was 30, then Bora's was likely only around 10, just slightly stronger than an ordinary person.

Li Shu immediately felt relieved; he shouldn't make a fool of himself.