Contemplation on Martial Skills

"I have been in the Dragon Ball World for three years now, and there are still five years left before the original plot begins. I have grown much stronger, but my talent still pales in comparison to a Saiyan's. Although this body has great potential—even rivaling or slightly exceeding that of Krillin, who is known as the strongest Earthling—relying on myself alone is not enough."

The speaker was a boy of fourteen or fifteen, dressed in a martial arts uniform. He looked incredibly determined, with a heroic air about his brows. In reality, he was only twelve, but years of martial arts training had made him appear older.

The boy was named Jiang Yun, a person from Blue Star. He had been ecstatic when he realized he had arrived in the Dragon Ball World. Back in his original life, after becoming the CEO of a listed company, his greatest passion—aside from making money—was martial arts. He was obsessed with legendary internal martial arts and wuxia, though his world had been ordinary, devoid of any real martial arts.

However, his years of consistent exercise had forged a strong physique, one that did not lose out to professional fighters.

He had died unfortunately during an earthquake while trekking in the mountains in search of martial arts wisdom.

"My combat power is now roughly on par with Kid Goku when he first started out. It is time to establish a faction to assist my cultivation."

Cultivation requires vast resources. In the original story, Vegeta never lacked training facilities or money because of Bulma. As the saying goes, one needs wealth, companions, methods, and land; if Goku had been wealthy, Chi-Chi would not have been so opposed to Gohan's training, nor would the burden of marriage have fallen entirely upon her shoulders.

Chi-Chi had sacrificed so much for their home. She loved Goku deeply, and no matter how hard life became, she never let him go hungry. Even knowing how wealthy Bulma was, she never sought her help; it was always Bulma who took the initiative to assist Goku's family.

"Since I have come to this world, I must make up for these regrets. I will not let Earth become a stage solely for Saiyans while Earthlings are relegated to bit parts."

Jiang Yun's expression was incredibly serious. Under the rising sun, he looked high-spirited, his shadow stretching long across the ground, creating an atmosphere of ambition and progress.

"Sigh, it is a pity I haven't been able to find the Turtle Hermit. Relying solely on my own training is proving to be a bit slow."

Indeed, Jiang Yun had searched for the Turtle Hermit, but how could one easily find him in the vast, boundless ocean? In the various Dragon Ball fanfictions from his past life, protagonists would easily find the Turtle Hermit, successfully apprentice under him, or even surpass the "God of Martial Arts" after just a few years of casual training.

Having experienced the hardships of cultivation firsthand, he knew those depictions were undoubtedly absurd. If combat power were so easily increased, Vegeta would not have spent over twenty years under Frieza without significant growth. Even accounting for the fact that Frieza intentionally assigned him easy tasks, it was clear that increasing one's power was no simple feat.

However, Jiang Yun had not been without gains during his years here. By drawing on concepts from the internal martial arts of his previous life, he had managed to achieve some results.

In internal martial arts, there are stages like Ming Jin (Clear Power), An Jin (Dark Power), and Hua Jin (Transformation Power). In his hypothesis, Ming Jin was the process of tempering the body, but An Jin was entirely different. They were two distinct concepts; An Jin allowed one to project force through an object. Through An Jin, he could exert double his usual combat power.

This was a significant concept. In the original story, the only technique that could amplify combat power was the Kaioken, which remained a vital martial art for Goku throughout his life.

Jiang Yun had also touched upon the threshold of Ki cultivation through his practice of An Jin. One might assume his progress was due to peerless talent—which was partly true—but he also possessed a foundation. He didn't lack for physical training, but due to the passage of time, many traditions had vanished, and even the cultivation of Ki had not been passed down to the present day.

Jiang Yun speculated that the chaos caused by King Piccolo centuries ago had led to the loss of many traditions, leaving behind perhaps only the legacies of Mutaito—the current Turtle School and Crane School.

That Jiang Yun could touch the threshold of Ki was largely due to being a transmigrator; he possessed naturally strong mental power and a comprehension far superior to the average person. While his physical talent was similar to Krillin's, his insight was leagues ahead. One should not underestimate Krillin; as the strongest Earthling, he was formidable. He only seemed insignificant when compared to Saiyans, but if he were placed in the wider universe later on, few could rival him.

Returning to the subject, his practice of An Jin had allowed him to grasp some aspects of Ki cultivation and form a few theories. His An Jin involved striking with two layers of force simultaneously. This placed high demands on his body, and he suspected this was what multiplied his combat power. However, it was different from the Kaioken; it was a momentary burst rather than a sustained increase.

He was still refining it. He had achieved An Jin by accident and didn't fully understand the mechanics. He suspected it might have triggered the Ki within his body, but perhaps his Ki was too weak to be sensed, or he simply lacked the knowledge of how to cultivate it.

Yet, Jiang Yun firmly believed he had the capital to compete with the protagonists. In his view, the Dragon Ball World determined victory or defeat entirely through the level of one's Ki. There were few brilliant martial arts techniques, as everyone focused solely on increasing raw power while neglecting the exploration of technique.

To Jiang Yun, if Ki was the foundation, then martial arts were the extension of the human body—the weapon. When two people of similar combat power and experience fought, the one wielding a weapon would surely be the stronger.

The reason for this neglect might be that mastering martial arts required vast amounts of time, which would slow down the cultivation of Ki. In the original story, Goku conquered the world with the Kamehameha; perhaps he focused on that one technique because spending too much time on martial arts at the expense of Ki cultivation was counterproductive.

In reality, however, there was great potential in martial arts. For instance, Hit from Universe 6 possessed the Time-Skip, a technique so powerful it was showcased brilliantly in Dragon Ball Super. If not for Goku's extraordinary martial arts talent, breaking through the Time-Skip would have been nearly impossible.