Cultivation

By the time Raditz landed his spacecraft on the island, Master Roshi and the others had already been waiting for quite a while.

After a brief exchange, Master Roshi announced, "Starting tomorrow, Krillin, you will take Yamcha with you for your daily training. The workload will be doubled. You don't want to fall too far behind Goku, do you?"

Krillin and Yamcha certainly didn't want that. They were brimming with motivation; if he said double, they would triple it.

"Raditz, wait for me here tomorrow. I'll tell you what to do then. It's getting late, so everyone go wash up and get some sleep."

With that, the group dispersed, carrying a hint of drowsiness.

The night passed quickly, and Raditz rose early to wait at yesterday's spot.

He had been too excited last night, to the point where he had barely slept at all.

Master Roshi only came to see him after providing some basic guidance to Krillin and the others.

"Bring out your spacecraft. I'm taking you somewhere."

Following Master Roshi's instructions, Raditz loaded him up and headed toward their destination.

A massive island leaped into view, featuring vast stretches of rainforest and large swaths of desolate rocky terrain. In the rocky areas, one could even see enormous dinosaurs hunting other creatures.

"We're here. That's the place."

Master Roshi pointed to a spot near the edge of the rainforest where a simple wooden cabin stood.

"For the next few months, or perhaps longer, you will live here alone."

"During this time, you must obtain your own food and water from this forest."

"Furthermore, while you struggle to survive, you must complete the designated training every day. It's all written on this paper."

Without waiting for Raditz to answer, Master Roshi left a sheet of paper covered in writing, stepped onto his giant sea turtle, and drifted away toward the distance.

"If you can't keep it up, then just leave," came the final words from afar.

Raditz watched Master Roshi disappear over the horizon before turning his gaze to the paper in his hand.

"This really is hellish training." The paper read:

Daily Physical Conditioning Summary

"Complete horse stance, frog jumps, and running around the island."

"Chop wood, till the land."

"Trek through the forest and rocky terrain."

"Go into the sea to catch fish."

"P.S. The last two items can be adjusted according to your ability once you have the power to protect yourself; the first two can be increased or decreased at your discretion."

After reading Master Roshi's requirements, Raditz felt this wasn't something a normal person could complete.

However, for someone like me with Saiyan abilities...

And so, the fledgling warrior began his life alone on the island.

On the first day, Raditz did not begin the training as requested, but instead headed into the forest to find a water source.

In truth, Master Roshi had left a large amount of food in the cabin, but it was only enough for one person for a month, so finding a water source was an urgent matter.

The forest was dense with trees and crawling with snakes and insects. While there were no major dangers, it was easy to lose one's way.

Fortunately, he found the right spot; not far from the cabin was a lake, and one could even see several large fish swimming within it.

On the second day, having solved the water issue, Raditz began his routine training life.

At first, just one of the three tasks—horse stance, frog jumps, or running around the island—was enough to leave Raditz collapsed on the ground, the pain in his body reminding him that he had reached his limit.

Yet, this pain could not stop Raditz's belief in becoming stronger.

Thinking of the future bosses in Dragon Ball, he knew that if he wanted to survive those crises, he couldn't rely solely on the Z Fighters. Fate had to be in his own hands!

Slowly, day after day, he moved past the initial hardships, and Raditz's body adapted to this high-intensity training.

His stamina and endurance improved significantly; he was now able to complete the first three tasks in a single day and even increase the training volume accordingly.

Of course, the Saiyan abilities within Raditz played a crucial role. Every time Raditz fell asleep like a corpse, he would wake up the next day full of vitality.

"The Saiyans are truly a warrior race. This recovery speed leaves Earthlings in the dust."

Raditz flexed his sturdy arms.

"After training for a while longer, my physical fitness should be enough to complete the full day's training load set by Master Mutten."

Time slipped away quietly as Raditz poured out his sweat day and night, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

During these three months, Raditz not only managed to complete the tasks set by Master Roshi, but he also unexpectedly began to sense the ki flowing within his body.

This was thanks to his repeated treks through the dangerous rainforest and rocky terrain.

When roaring dinosaurs or coiled giant pythons posed a threat, Raditz had to use the device on his right hand to gather the ki within him and release energy waves.

Through these narrow escapes, Raditz gradually felt the circulation of ki inside him.

Although he still couldn't mobilize his internal ki purely on his own, this laid a solid foundation for his future.

"Hoo—"

Raditz let out a long breath after finishing his daily training.

I wonder how much longer this training will last. Staying on this island alone for so long is starting to make me a bit neurotic.

What Raditz didn't know was that Master Roshi was observing his every move from a tree not far away.

Master Roshi actually came to this small island every day. Although he required Raditz to survive on his own, he wouldn't let him actually die here.

He had seen the changes in Raditz with his own eyes; from being unable to meet a single requirement at the start to now handling everything with ease, he had truly been reborn.

No matter what, as long as you stay true to your heart, I will surely teach you just as I taught Goku, Master Roshi thought to himself.

Seeing that the time was right, Master Roshi climbed down from the tree.

He walked up to Raditz and said, "This stage of basic training is over. You have done an excellent job."

"Starting tomorrow, I will truly teach you the martial arts of the Turtle School. I hope you will continue to work hard."

"Understood." Raditz didn't react much to Master Roshi's sudden appearance.

Instead, he felt that the old man truly had the air of a grandmaster.

The night passed without incident.

Rising early in the morning, Raditz adjusted his spirit and energy to ensure he could meet the upcoming instruction with a fresh outlook.

Unfortunately, he had overthought it.

Master Roshi didn't teach him any special martial arts; it was the same old routine: running, horse stance, frog jumps, chopping wood, plowing fields, and swimming.

The difference was that he now had to chop wood and plow fields with his bare hands, and he had to wear the weighted turtle shell at all times.

Hmm, very Dragon Ball style, Raditz thought, too tired to even complain.

However, he understood that this was the martial way of the Turtle School—"finding joy in hardship, simplifying the complex."

By integrating ordinary life activities into the physical tempering of martial arts, chopping wood, farming, running, and swimming could all be transformed into training scenarios. Of course, adequate rest and a full diet were also essential.

Master Roshi didn't just let Raditz train blindly either. After three months of intensified exercise, Master Roshi began sparring with him.

Through direct attacks, he demonstrated how to exert force and how to block.

Through physical strikes, he showed the techniques of how to dissipate and neutralize incoming power.

A morning of sparring would always leave Raditz bruised and battered, feeling both pain and joy.

Then, he would continue with physical training in the afternoon.

This kind of training lasted for another six months. When Raditz was finally able to exchange blows with Master Roshi, the master let him leave the island and return to Kame House.

"From now on, you will train together with Krillin and Yamcha, and at the same time, I will teach you the theory of Ki," Master Roshi said.