Turtle Island's Harsh Training Sharpens the Blade Anew, Remnants Seek Vengeance as Undercurrents Surge

After returning to Turtle Hermit Island, all the clamor faded away, and life returned to its quiet rhythm of training.

Every day before dawn, Krillin and Yamcha would carry dozens of pounds of weight and run laps around the island, leaving strings of uneven footprints across the beach. Goku, meanwhile, kept pestering Qi Tian to teach him how to circulate divine essence. He often trained for entire days at a time, needing Bulma to call him repeatedly from the courtyard gate before he would come eat. Master Roshi still sat in the sun with his pipe every day. He looked leisurely, but he kept a close eye on everyone's progress. Whenever he occasionally stepped in to offer a few pointers, he always struck at the heart of the matter.

Most of the time, Qi Tian sat cross-legged at the edge of the cliff, breathing in and out as he faced the sea. After advancing his divine essence perception, his grasp of the auras between heaven and earth became increasingly refined. The moisture in the sea breeze, the earth vein energy beneath the crust, even the life fluctuations of fish swimming in the deep ocean—all of it was clearly reflected within his divine sense. The black-gold divine essence within his sea of qi grew ever more condensed, while his divine-tier body refinement technique advanced steadily. His physical body became stronger with each passing day.

That afternoon, Bulma hurried to the cliffside with a laptop in her arms, her brows tightly furrowed. "Qi Tian, come take a look. I dismantled Tao Pai Pai's mechanical fragments, and the core chip is full of Red Ribbon Army technical markings."

Qi Tian opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the intricate mechanical diagrams on the screen. The circuit layout carried the unmistakable style of military-standard designs, while the energy core's design philosophy perfectly matched the technological path of the Red Ribbon Army from his memories.

"Didn't Goku break up the Red Ribbon Army?" Krillin leaned closer, looking astonished. "Are there still remnants that slipped through the net?"

"I'm afraid it's more than just remnants." Bulma tapped an encrypted module on the screen. "This technology is far beyond the Red Ribbon Army's level back then. It looks more like someone has been continuing the research in secret. Their modification of Tao Pai Pai definitely wasn't just about taking revenge on Goku."

Before she could finish, a system notification suddenly rang in Qi Tian's mind.

[Ding! Detected that the host has contemplated the sea and comprehended the Dao atop the cliffs of Turtle Hermit Island. Scene check-in triggered.]

[Check in?]

A faint gleam passed through Qi Tian's eyes as he silently thought, Check in.

[Ding! Check-in complete. Rewards issued.]

[1. Permanent combat power +800. Current base combat power: 15,600.]

[2. Divine-tier Body Refinement Technique · Third Layer: Physical defense doubled. Can withstand conventional energy blasts without injury.]

[3. Qi Force Projection · Microscopic Precision: Can condense qi force down to the smallest fraction, greatly increasing penetration.]

A warm current flowed through his meridians and spread across his entire body, seeping into his muscles, bones, and flesh. Qi Tian clenched his fist and could clearly feel his body's heaviness and solidity rise to another level. With a slight movement of his fingertips, a thread of black-gold light as thin as a hair flashed past—sharp enough to slice through steel.

"Who cares if they're remnants? If they dare cause trouble, we'll beat them away!" Goku clenched his fists, his face full of anticipation.

The moment he finished speaking, a tiny figure suddenly flew in from the distant sea. Oolong rode the Flying Nimbus, shouting at the top of his lungs from far away, "This is bad! A group of armed men showed up in the village at the foot of the western mountain! They're asking everywhere about the Dragon Balls, and they even captured the village chief!"

Master Roshi's expression darkened as he knocked his pipe against the sole of his shoe. "So they've come looking after all."

"Let's go take a look." Qi Tian rose to his feet, his black robe stirring in the wind. The remnants of the Red Ribbon Army were nothing to fear, but whoever was hiding behind them was worth watching.

The capsule aircraft headed west and reached the village in less than half an hour. More than a dozen armed soldiers guarded the open ground at the village entrance. Their leader, a one-eyed officer, was kicking at the village chief's door as he cursed and demanded the whereabouts of the Dragon Balls.

"Stop!"

Krillin shouted and charged out first. The soldiers turned at the sound and had only just raised their guns when Yamcha flashed forward. His palm strikes came down in rapid succession, knocking all their weapons flying in moments. The two worked seamlessly together, and within only a short while, every ordinary soldier was on the ground.

"Not bad." The one-eyed officer sneered and pressed a button at his waist. The rear compartment of the vehicle behind him burst open, and two man-sized mechanical cyborgs strode out. Red light flickered in their eyes as their arms transformed into gun barrels, unleashing a barrage of dense energy blasts.

Krillin and Yamcha dodged aside at the same time. The energy blasts struck the ground, exploding into one dirt crater after another.

"This thing's much weaker than Tao Pai Pai!" Yamcha barked as he lunged forward. His improved Wolf Fang Fist struck in a rapid chain, all its force condensed into a single point as it smashed into the cyborg's chest. Its metal shell caved in, and sparks burst from its circuitry.

Krillin circled behind the other cyborg, gathered qi into his fist, and unleashed a short-range burst against the core at the back of its neck. The cyborg swayed before crashing to the ground.

In mere seconds, the two cyborgs had become heaps of scrap metal. The one-eyed officer's face changed dramatically, and he turned to flee, only to find Goku already standing in front of him on thin air. Goku grinned. "Trying to run? Not that easy!"

Qi Tian slowly walked over, his eyes settling on the one-eyed officer as divine essence pressed down slightly. The man felt as though he had fallen into an ice pit. His legs went weak, and he nearly dropped to his knees.

"Who sent you?"

"It... it was Dr. Gero!" The one-eyed officer's teeth chattered. "The doctor ordered us to collect the Dragon Balls and gather battle data from Earth's strong fighters to improve the android project... I've told you everything I know. Spare my life!"

Dr. Gero.

Qi Tian's eyes darkened slightly. So it really was him—the Red Ribbon Army's chief scientist and the creator of the android series. It seemed that he had long set his sights on Earth's martial artists. Tao Pai Pai had merely been a pawn sent to test the waters.

Qi Tian was about to question him further when the one-eyed officer suddenly convulsed. Black blood spilled from the corners of his mouth. He had hidden poison in his teeth long ago, and in the blink of an eye, he was dead.

"The android project..." Bulma crouched to inspect the cyborg wreckage, her expression grave. "I've heard my dad mention Dr. Gero. He's an extremely deranged scientist. If he's been researching cyborgs in secret all this time, even more troublesome enemies may appear later."

Qi Tian said nothing. His divine essence perception swept across the surroundings. In the mountains a hundred li to the west, a cold demonic aura lay dormant and unmoving. It was clearly Piccolo. He had evidently sensed the battle here as well, yet he had not shown himself, merely observing from the shadows.

At the same time, within a cave deep in the mountains, Piccolo slowly opened his eyes. A trace of coldness flashed through his red pupils.

"The Red Ribbon Army, Dr. Gero... a bunch of insignificant clowns."

Black qi churned around him, and his aura was several times more powerful than it had been during the martial arts tournament. During this period of secluded training, he had not only absorbed all the power of the demon egg, but had also discovered a deeper method of wielding demonic essence. His strength was already nothing like before. Yet even so, whenever he recalled Qi Tian's effortless demeanor that day, wariness still rose in his heart.

"Androids... I can use their hands to test that man's true strength."

Piccolo sneered and closed his eyes again. The black qi around him surged even more fiercely, and the rocks within the cave shattered inch by inch beneath the pressure of his demonic aura. He needed to grow stronger—strong enough to wash away the humiliation of the martial arts tournament.

After dealing with the village's troubles, the village chief thanked them profusely as he saw them off. On the return flight, the atmosphere was noticeably heavier than it had been before.

"I thought things would calm down for a while after the martial arts tournament, but now some doctor pops up." Krillin scratched his head and sighed. "Why does one problem keep coming after another?"

"That is the path of the strong," Master Roshi said calmly. "Earth may appear peaceful, but countless dangers lurk beneath the surface. The only thing you can do is keep becoming stronger."

Goku showed no sign of worry. Instead, his eyes shone brightly. "Androids sound really strong! I can fight them when the time comes!"

Qi Tian looked at the clouds racing backward beyond the cabin window, his divine essence perception unconsciously extending into the depths of the cosmos. Those two cold, overpowering auras had drawn closer than before. Carrying dense killing intent, they were crossing the stars at astonishing speed, heading for the solar system.

At this pace, the Saiyans would reach Earth in a year at most.

"One year..." he murmured.

The timing was perfect. It was enough time for Goku and the others to break through their bottlenecks, and enough time for him to push the divine-tier body refinement technique to an even higher realm. Dr. Gero's androids, the lurking Piccolo, the approaching Saiyans—every danger was becoming intertwined, yet they would serve as the finest whetstone.

By the time they returned to Turtle Hermit Island, dusk had already fallen. The setting sun dyed the sea molten gold, while waves crashed against the reefs and scattered fine sprays of foam.

Goku was sparring with Krillin on the beach, the dull thuds of their clashing fists and feet mingling with laughter that carried far across the shore. Bulma crouched in front of the wooden house, typing away at her computer while muttering about upgrading the Dragon Radar and developing a detection device specifically for cyborgs. Master Roshi leaned beneath a coconut tree with his pipe between his lips and his eyes half-closed, looking perfectly at peace.

No one knew that a storm capable of overturning the Earth was accelerating through the vast cosmos.

Qi Tian stood at the edge of the cliff, his black robe snapping in the evening wind. He gazed into the boundless sea of stars as black-gold qi slowly circulated around his fingertips.

The winds and waves were rising, but training never ceased. The true trial had only just begun.