Cultivation

After taking a beating for five hours, Ye Bai had spent all but a few lucky moments dodging by pure chance getting whipped. Nearly every part of his body had been struck at least once, including his face.

"Today's training ends here."

Mr. Popo's voice reached him. Ye Bai could no longer tell which direction it came from—it seemed to be ahead of him, yet also everywhere around him. It was clearly just a little stick, but every blow felt like it came with true damage and critical hits.

"Do not train in any way for the rest of today. Empty your mind. Be as tranquil as the sky."

Mr. Popo's voice came again. This time, Ye Bai heard clearly that he was not far ahead. Once he recovered his senses and pulled off his blindfold, he realized that Mr. Popo was still standing before him with the same dark expression.

"Okay. Thank you, Mr. Popo."

Ye Bai's voice was a little hoarse. As soon as he finished speaking, exhaustion washed over his entire body. He simply sat down cross-legged on the spot and began to think.

As tranquil as the sky? Isn't that just spacing out? I'm good at that.

Ye Bai stood and walked to the edge of Kami's Lookout, staring blankly at the distant sky. After watching for a while, he felt something was off. He simply closed his eyes and spread out his awareness. His waist unconsciously bent, and his whole body felt completely relaxed.

Being as tranquil as the sky isn't spacing out. I need to empty my consciousness and feel like I'm part of the world—like the wind, like the clouds, like the stone tiles beneath my butt.

As he thought, Ye Bai deliberately shut out his five senses and began imagining himself as the wind, as the stone tiles. The "ki" within his body began to change, flowing through him in rhythm with the wind. Then, little by little, he could no longer sense the existence of his ki, nor could he feel the stone tiles beneath him. It was as if he had merged with the wind, or become the stone tiles themselves.

Mr. Popo watched from afar. The presence within his perception had vanished, as though there was nothing before his eyes. The corner of his mouth rose by an almost imperceptible degree.

Ye Bai was suddenly awakened by a wave of hunger. When he opened his eyes and turned around, Mr. Popo was already gone. Looking at the distant sky, he had no idea how much time had passed. The sky above Kami's Lookout was always locked in perpetual daylight.

He headed toward the temple in the distance, only calling out once he got close.

"Mr. Popo! Kami!"

After a while, Mr. Popo emerged alongside Kami.

"What is it, Ye Bai? Do you need something?"

"I'm hungry."

Ye Bai scratched the back of his head and spoke somewhat sheepishly.

"I see. Mr. Popo and I don't need to eat, so I forgot that you are still a mortal who needs food."

"There's only flour at Kami's Lookout. If you want to eat, I can have Mr. Popo go elsewhere to find you something, but you'll have to wait a while."

After speaking, Kami looked at Goku. Since Kami was a Namekian and only needed water to survive, Kami's Lookout had never stocked much other food.

After thinking it over, Ye Bai decided to fill his stomach with Senzu Beans for now. He could worry about a proper meal later, so he said, "I still have some Senzu Beans on me, so I can eat those for now. But, Mr. Popo, why does it feel like a long time has passed? I feel like I'm about to starve to death."

"About seven days," Mr. Popo said, glancing at the sky.

"Seven days? You mean I sat in that spot for seven days?"

"That is correct."

"No wonder it felt like such a long time had passed. This is practically like cultivating immortality. Mr. Popo, are we continuing the training now?" Ye Bai asked after taking out a bag he had prepared beforehand containing a small portion of Senzu Beans and eating one.

"We can, but this round of training needs to be upgraded." With that, Mr. Popo took the lead toward the open area of Kami's Lookout.

"Upgraded? Was the original training method no good anymore?" Ye Bai hurried after Mr. Popo, voicing his question from behind.

"My attacks before had a rhythm. This time, I will simply attack without a rhythm." Having reached the open space, Mr. Popo stopped, turned around, and answered Ye Bai expressionlessly.

As usual, Mr. Popo took out the stick and the other tools from before. Then he handed Ye Bai the cloth strip, and the training began.

This time, Mr. Popo swung his stick without any warning. Ye Bai only heard the bell ring once before taking a blow to his left side, the familiar pain flaring through him.

The difference was that this time, he could clearly feel the direction the attack came from. It was not something he consciously noticed; rather, his left arm distinctly felt the attack striking toward him. Yet by the time his mind received the signal, there was no time to react before he was hit.

Ye Bai seemed to understand something. He began trying to focus his attention on his body's reactions, but he still could not respond in time.

And so, Ye Bai began another stretch of getting beaten. After each session, he would sit cross-legged at the edge of Kami's Lookout and repeat his previous state, though he no longer immersed his entire consciousness in it.

The days passed one by one. During his free time, Ye Bai also watched Goku's adventures from Kami's Lookout, and every day felt fulfilling. Until one day, while he was free, Ye Bai saw Goku find a pirate's treasure while searching for Dragon Balls beneath the sea. After informing Mr. Popo, he left Kami's Lookout and flew at full speed toward the direction of Goku's ki. Upon arriving, Ye Bai did not interfere with Goku and remained hidden in the shadows.

Only after Goku obtained the Dragon Ball and left did Ye Bai appear in the cave just before it collapsed, collecting all the treasure before leaving the place. No one noticed a thing.

After leaving, Ye Bai flew toward Bun Mountain. When he arrived, he felt somewhat sentimental looking at the courtyard before him. After coming to this world, he had lived with Goku in this little house for nearly half a year. After opening the door and taking a look at the bedroom, Ye Bai went to the table where the Four-Star Dragon Ball had once been kept. He moved aside the cushion and poked a hole with his finger, one slightly larger than a Capsule Corp capsule. He stuffed the capsule containing the treasure inside, then returned the cushion to its original position.

"Goku, consider this payment for taking me in."

Looking at his handiwork, the corner of Ye Bai's mouth unconsciously curled upward.

"The matter is settled. It's time to go back and train."

With that, Ye Bai walked out of the house, carefully closed the door, and leaped into the air, flying toward Kami's Lookout.