Over the next three days, the stone fragment continued to heat up. Every morning when Lin Chen opened the wooden box to inspect it, he could feel a higher temperature spilling out from within than the day before. By the evening of the third day, its surface had become so hot that he needed to use a dry cloth to pick it up, as if something inside were continuously releasing energy.
The analysis progress on the system panel steadily advanced to 27%, slightly faster than in the previous few days, as though the stone fragment had triggered a more efficient analysis mechanism upon nearing a certain state. No new prompts appeared on the panel. The progress bar simply moved forward at a steady pace.
On the morning of the fourth day, when Lin Chen returned to the courtyard after his morning run, he saw someone standing by the gate. The man was short and stout, with dark skin and a white cloth wrapped around his head. Mr. Popo stood beneath the porch with nothing in his hands, as if he had been waiting for some time. "Kami's Lookout sent me to pass along a message. Lord Son Gohan would like to invite you to stay there for a while," he said. "He said the environment there is different from this place and better suited for further training. If you are willing to go, you can set out in three days."
Lin Chen stood in the courtyard. "How long would I be going for?"
"That depends on you. You can stay as long as you want," Mr. Popo said. "The view from Kami's Lookout is broader than it is here. Once you go up there, you will be able to see farther."
After saying that, he did not linger. He turned