Finding the Balance Point

Almost in an instant, the two forces were still testing each other. Then, like beasts suddenly set alight, they violently rejected one another and began tearing at each other with all their might.

"Tsk!"

Jiang Che's face turned deathly pale, as if he'd been struck by lightning.

The red aura around him began to fluctuate wildly. He was like a candle about to go out in the wind—surging violently one moment, as if about to explode, then shrinking until only a thin thread remained, ready to vanish completely at any moment.

A restless scent filled the air. The tiles beneath his feet cracked slightly, and the shock waves kicked up bits of rubble, which then smacked back down onto the ground.

Jiang Che gritted his teeth until they creaked, veins bulging across his forehead like coiling dragons.

The agony blurred his vision, but he kept staring straight ahead, fighting with all his might to keep from giving in.

He forcibly urged the power within him onward. His arms trembled uncontrollably, and his fingers dug so hard into his palms that thin trails of blood began to seep out.

It was as if countless blades were cutting through every inch of his meridians at once. The pain came in layer after layer, wave after wave, surging up from deep in his bones like a tide and pursuing every nerve.

"No... That's not right..."

He forcefully restrained the power within him, which was on the verge of running wild, and abruptly drew both hands back toward his chest. His movements carried a remarkably steady rhythm, as if he were holding down a ferocious beast about to break free of its cage.

The red aura slowly faded, and the dense cracks across his body disappeared as well.

"Whew..."

Jiang Che exhaled a breath of stale air. It turned into a cloud of white mist that lingered for a long while.

His shoulders slumped, and he looked as if he'd finally relaxed, but his gaze remained serious.

He raised a hand and examined his palm. A few faint streaks of blood still glowed.

"Just as I thought. It's not that simple."

He muttered under his breath, sounding somewhat helpless, but even more stubborn.

The power of Super Saiyan God and ordinary ki were on completely different levels.

It was God Ki, an elevation of one's realm, not merely an accumulation of energy.

It was like a deep pool, calm on the surface, with undercurrents below that could swallow everything at any moment.

It was quiet, steady, and solemn, carrying a kind of irresistible pressure.

Kaio-ken was entirely different. It crudely compressed and exploded ordinary ki.

Every time it was activated, it was like a violent detonation, pushing the power within his body to its limit before releasing it in a furious burst.

Wild, fierce, almost brutish—like a hurricane bent on sweeping everything away and leaving nothing standing.

The two forces simply wouldn't align. One was like a dormant volcano, the other like a raging storm.

Make them coexist?

Easier said than done.

"I have to find a balance point..."

Jiang Che sat down, still a little stiff. His leg muscles continued to twitch, but he ignored them.

He didn't rush to try fusing them again. Instead, he closed his eyes and let his consciousness sink into the deepest part of his body.

This time, he was far more patient. He no longer hurried to urge his power onward, but instead sensed the two entirely different forces with the care of a cultivator sitting in meditation.

He "saw" them—

The power of Super Saiyan God was quiet and steady, like a dormant volcano hidden in the deepest part of his body, covered by thick layers of rock and dust.

Yet beneath those layers, magma flowed slowly, releasing a shiver-inducing aura of destruction. It wasn't in any hurry to erupt, but its overwhelming might was always there.

And Kaio-ken?

It was nothing less than a hurricane that never stopped, rampaging through his meridians and wildly stirring up every current of energy.

It howled and roared like a beast that could never be satisfied, yearning to tear through everything and break every barrier.

For the two to coexist... he had to find a rhythm in which they could dance together.

Jiang Che furrowed his brow slightly and traced a shallow line across the ground with his fingertip.

It was as if an invisible musical score were taking shape in his mind. Two melodies mingled, clashing, pulling at each other, tearing apart.

He had to find the one chord that could make them resonate together.

"Then let's try it."

He closed his eyes again.

This time, his breathing was much calmer. With each inhale and exhale, he almost seemed to be breathing in time with the world around him.

One month later.

The Hyperbolic Time Chamber was quiet, and time seemed to flow by without a sound.

The white ceiling remained as dazzling as ever. Layer upon layer of battle scars covered the walls, like old dust accumulated over the years.

The air was thick with the smell of blood and sweat, a testament to the countless times his body had been put through hell.

Jiang Che had lost count of how many times he'd tried. A hundred?

A hundred and thirty?

Or even more?

The Super Saiyan God form appeared and disappeared again and again.

With every failure, the red aura was like a candle burning out, leaving behind only scorching heat and charred marks.

Before the old wounds on his body could heal, another wave of new ones appeared.

Parts of his skin had grown increasingly rough, like the bark of an old tree that had been roasted again and again.

At that moment, he lay sprawled on the ground, arms and legs spread out, like a dismantled puppet.

Sweat mixed with blood ran from his forehead onto the floor, drop after drop.

Jiang Che stared at the unchanging ceiling, his gaze blank, as if every last bit of his strength had been drained away.

"One hundred and thirty-seven failures..." He gave a bitter smile, his voice hoarse as sandpaper rubbing together.

"I'm pretty tough, huh."

His meridians throbbed faintly, as if each one had been stretched and torn, then barely stuck back together.

Still, it was much better than the first few attempts, when he'd passed out from the pain.

At least now, he could maintain Kaio-ken for three seconds in the Super Saiyan God state.

Three seconds.

He raised a hand and stared at the faint red glow lingering on his fingertips. A self-mocking smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Three seconds..." he repeated softly, then closed his eyes and let exhaustion swallow him.

Beneath the white ceiling, his body was covered in scars, as if he'd just finished a grueling battle no one knew about.

Three seconds.

It had taken him a whole month to go from zero to three seconds.

Jiang Che slumped onto the floor, his back against the wall. Sweat dripped from his temples and landed on the ground with a soft patter.

His fingers still trembled faintly, and the tips retained the warmth of the aura's scorching heat.

He raised his right hand and examined the faintly glowing red mark on his palm—the imprint left behind by extreme compression.

His breathing was heavy, like a bellows in motion. Every breath drew in the lingering heat in the air.

"Not bad," he said quietly, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper scraping against stone. "At least I haven't been standing still."

He braced himself against the floor and slowly pushed himself up, exerting strength through his knees.

Sweat left a dark ring on the floor.

He rolled his neck, and his joints cracked.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and once again sank his consciousness into the two forces within him.

The red aura flared to life.

It wasn't an exaggerated blaze, but a deep, heavy red, like magma flowing beneath his skin.

The air warped instantly, and fine cracks appeared in the floor, spreading from beneath his feet like a shattered mirror.

His hair turned from black to bright red, and his pupils were dyed crimson. The power of Super Saiyan God had quietly awakened.

Immediately afterward, another force roared out from deep within his body.

Kaio-ken.

With an even more violent red-edged aura, it was like a mad horse charging wildly through his meridians.

Jiang Che's muscles tensed, and the veins on his neck bulged. But this time, he didn't rush to suppress it or try to fuse the two forces.