"You're a super-genius scientist, so you're not stupid—but then you go and act so stupid."
Li Xing didn't give the indignant Pilaf a chance to speak.
"Use that waterlogged brain of yours and think about it."
"Technology. Technology.
Our company isn't short on money anymore. Five hundred billion and five trillion make no difference to us right now.
It's time to focus on developing weapons and cultivation.
For example, all kinds of spaceships capable of flying through the universe, guns and cannons for combat, and laser weapons.
Mechs.
Gravity chambers for cultivation, detection systems, systems for gauging other people's strength, nutrient solutions, and nanomaterials for repairing the body."
Li Xing patiently explained his ideas.
These technologies were just a few ideas he had.
As they researched, their ideas could collide and spark countless more inspirations.
Li Xing's ultimate goal was to develop quantum technology.
He strongly suspected that the Time Machine Bulma built later used quantum technology to induce quantum collapse and then pierce through time or something like that.
He didn't understand it yet, but he was gradually learning more.
But he had realized something was wrong.
His foremost goal was to improve himself.
He needed to make as much money as possible before the Android Saga.
No, with the system, as long as he worked hard, he might even be able to reach the strength of a Super Saiyan God later on.
But catching up with everyone else by then would be incredibly difficult.
There might not be enough time, either.
You'd be grinding away at cultivation while someone else took a single leap.
Bam,
their strength would increase ten thousandfold.
How the hell were you supposed to compete?
Someone else could gain a million in battle power from a mere hundred-point increase.
How could he catch up?
Pilaf and the others' eyes lit up.
They understood now, too.
"Mr. Li, don't worry. I'll continue improving security."
Li Xing shot Ashu a fierce glare.
What kind of good-for-nothings had this guy hired?
Li Xing guessed Ashu's strength was probably over thirty, making him the strongest among them.
If he put in a little more effort, his battle power could easily reach fifty.
He just wanted to slack off.
"Do you understand?"
The three nodded repeatedly.
"Also, the weapons project—especially any technology that helps with cultivation—must be kept secret.
No one but the four of us can know about it.
You three are the people I trust most. Got it?"
He was using both carrots and sticks.
Li Xing wasn't stupid.
He went straight to this tried-and-true approach.
The three of them would be overwhelmed with gratitude.
He'd already made them enough money to squander for the rest of their lives.
Now it was time to make something of themselves.
For now, things were fine. Earth wasn't too dangerous.
But the future would be perilous.
Li Xing was already prepared to spend all his free time researching technology and building a super battle suit.
It would combine healing, combat, supercomputer assistance, and time travel.
Of course, technology still needed to advance.
He already had nanomaterials, but they needed improvement. Wasn't there a Baby with Dr. Myuu? The metal used for that should be pretty good, too.
And there was supposed to be a metal planet.
As for energy, didn't Dr. Gero have some? There was also the creator of Arale,
and Namek's technology was highly advanced as well.
Then there was Big Gete Star—the supercomputer that merged with Cooler.
Bulma should be able to handle quantum technology.
Technology in the Dragon Ball World was actually incredibly advanced, far more powerful than cultivation in countless ways.
It was just that no one paid attention to it.
Li Xing was different. Having grown up in a world of science,
his first instinct was to master these technologies and improve them.
Li Xing gestured for them to leave.
It was enough to set them straight and shift their focus from making money to researching ways to improve their strength.
There was no clear answer as to whether Pilaf or Dr. Gero was the more capable scientist.
But that didn't matter.
He had no intention of creating Androids anyway.
If Pilaf could develop something like Senzu Beans, even if it was just a technological substitute, Li Xing would be thrilled.
Even if it only worked a tenth—or a hundredth—as well, he'd still be happy.
Once they developed something, they could keep improving it over time.
In the Dragon Ball World, death might not be a problem, but ordinary people didn't live long.
Cultivation couldn't extend your lifespan unless you had a divine position.
A person's lifespan was pretty much capped by their race.
Cultivation couldn't do it, but technology certainly could.
He could research all these things gradually in the future.
Build them up over time.
How?
Obviously, he could just wipe out a whole race and take what he wanted.
He, Li Xing, wasn't exactly a good person.
Bah.
After cursing himself,
Li Xing got up and headed for the training room.
"Even after special modifications, it can only reach one times gravity. My energy only increased so much because I trained there."
As he walked, Li Xing mulled it over.
He needed to figure out what to do next.
The World Martial Arts Tournament had lost its appeal for him.
The prize money for the Martial Arts Tournament was twenty-five thousand.
(As mentioned earlier, this converts to about 500,000 yuan by our standards. I estimated it using a rate of 20, so don't worry about it.)
To him, it was nothing.
"Why bother with the Martial Arts Tournament? I can just hold one myself."
Li Xing's eyes flashed as he thought it over.
"The Super Choice System has detected that the host is preparing to greatly alter the plot. Activating."
"Choice one: Enter the Martial Arts Tournament and win the championship. Reward: Constitution +0.1.
Choice two: Enter the Martial Arts Tournament and kill a contestant during the competition. Reward: Mental Strength +0.01.
Choice three: Establish your own martial arts competition. Reward: Energy +5."
Li Xing's eyes lit up.
Five months.
It had been five months since the system appeared after he completed the mission to seize the Dragon Balls.
And now it was offering such a generous reward.
This time, Li Xing hesitated.
He had more than three years to improve himself.
That meant energy and constitution weren't especially appealing to him.
Mental strength, on the other hand—
He'd been in the Dragon Ball World for almost eight months, and the Martial Arts Tournament was only two months away.
In all that time, neither his Devour Ability nor the system had ever rewarded him with mental strength.
Before, it hadn't been in his interest. Now, though, he could give it a try.
He definitely couldn't kill Sun Wukong and the others yet.
As for everyone else, killing one or two just for fun didn't sound completely out of the question.
"System, after I choose a mission, can I still complete the others?"
Li Xing naturally favored the third mission.
That thought was what had triggered the system and given him these choices.
Of the three missions the system offered, the third was undoubtedly the easiest. All he had to do was have the Aurora Group announce the event and offer a generous enough prize.
The system had given him a mission that wasn't very troublesome and that he could easily complete. The reward was mental strength, which he'd been seeking for ages.
That was why he wanted to try option two.
If completing mission two meant he couldn't complete mission three,
Li Xing would naturally think it over carefully.
Compared to the other rewards, he was merely curious about mental strength and wanted to obtain some.
The reward for mission three held no appeal for him. He only needed to spend ten days in a gravity chamber to gain five points of energy. If he trained or fought, he could cut that time down considerably.
Before you continue