Scouts Arrive at the Island, Revealing Their Edge; Demonic Shadows Spy on the Game, Secretly Brewing Killing Moves

Morning light broke through the sea mist and spilled across the beach of Turtle Hermit Island, gilding the crisscrossing fistprints and footprints in the sand with a golden edge.

After three months of grueling training, the entire island felt completely different.

Krillin stood bare-chested, the lines of his muscles several times more defined than before, explosive power hidden beneath every inch of skin. Standing atop a reef, he focused and held his breath, slowly clenching his fists. The force of his qi suddenly burst forth, forming two visible vortices at his sides.

"Ha!"

With a low shout, he drove his right fist forward. Condensed qi detached from his knuckles, becoming a half-meter-long white qi blade that tore through the air and smashed into a massive boulder dozens of meters away. The thunderous impact shook the shore as the several-ton granite rock exploded down the middle, spraying shards like rain.

"I did it! I can finally unleash qi blades!" Krillin stared at his fist, his face full of joy.

Yamcha, standing nearby after withdrawing his fist, smiled as well. Qi flowed around his fingertips. As he chopped with the edge of his palm, the gust of force became a line, cleaving the incoming wave cleanly apart. Curtains of seawater surged to either side before slowly closing again.

"Not just you. My Wolf Fang Fist has finally reached the threshold of condensing qi into blades."

The two exchanged a glance, each seeing the joy of progress in the other's eyes. Three months of weighted training, Master Roshi's precise guidance, and the occasional breathing techniques taught by Qi Tian had nearly doubled their combat strength. They had long surpassed the level they had shown at the martial arts tournament.

On the beach not far away, Goku floated in midair, his aura steady and profound. He was no longer the boy who only knew how to charge headlong into battle. With every breath, he could freely draw in and release his qi. At a thought, he left an afterimage where he stood and appeared a hundred meters away in an instant, far faster than before.

"Qi Tian, look! I can control my qi proficiently now!" Goku landed and waved excitedly toward the cliffside.

At the top of the cliff, Qi Tian slowly withdrew his divine sense and gave a slight nod.

His own cultivation had not stopped over these three months either. The third stage of the Divine-Tier Body Forging Art had long been perfected, pushing his physical strength to the peak of his current realm. His black-gold divine essence had grown ever more refined, and his normal combat power had steadily surpassed sixteen thousand points. More importantly, his control over his perception of divine essence had become increasingly precise. Nothing within a thousand miles, not even the slightest rustle of wind or grass, could escape the sweep of his divine sense.

Just then, Bulma, standing before the cabin, suddenly looked up at the newly upgraded detection radar in her hands. Her brows immediately furrowed.

"Something's wrong. High-energy signals are approaching fast!" She hurried to the edge of the cliff. Three red dots on the screen were racing over the sea toward Turtle Hermit Island. "Three targets. Their energy readings are far beyond those modified humans from the village last time. They're coming for us!"

Hearing this, Master Roshi paused with his pipe between his fingers. A sharp glint flashed through his clouded eyes. "They've come knocking. Looks like Dr. Gero has set his sights on Turtle Hermit Island."

"Perfect!" Goku cracked his knuckles, eager to fight. "I'll go meet them!"

"We'll go together." Qi Tian leaped from the cliff, his black robe tracing an arc through the air as he landed steadily on the beach. "Krillin, Yamcha, face them head-on with Goku. Test the results of your training. Bulma, stay on the island and keep monitoring."

"Understood!" everyone answered in unison.

A moment later, three metallic whistles cut through the air from afar. Three silver-gray humanoid androids hovered above Turtle Hermit Island, red lights flickering in their mechanical eyes as cold electronic voices spoke in unison. "Target combat power group detected. Beginning battle data collection. Executing elimination order."

Before the words had faded, three energy beams shot from the androids' palms toward the people below. The air itself warped faintly wherever the beams passed.

"Bring it on!"

Rather than retreat, Goku charged forward and leaped into the air. Thick qi wrapped around his right fist as he slammed it straight into the incoming beam. White qi collided with the energy blast in a blinding flash, and shockwaves rolled outward, whipping sand and dust into the sky.

Krillin and Yamcha rushed forward from the left and right, moving as swiftly as afterimages.

"Wolf Fang Fist!"

Yamcha shouted low, his fist shadows layering over one another and becoming a sharp whirlwind of qi that crashed into the android on the left. His condensed fist force was like a blade, tearing a deep gash through the android's metal torso. Sparks crackled from its exposed circuits.

The android on the right had just turned to counterattack when Krillin circled behind it. He brought his palms together, pouring all his qi into their tips.

"Qi Blade Palm!"

Sharp qi condensed into a blade and precisely chopped into the core module at the back of the android's neck. With a crisp crack, the android's body shuddered, the red lights in its mechanical eyes abruptly went out, and it crashed heavily onto the beach, leaving a shallow crater.

In just a few breaths, one android had been declared scrap.

"Not bad progress." Master Roshi stroked his beard as he watched from the cliffside, nodding slightly.

Seeing this, the two remaining androids in the air rapidly flashed their mechanical eyes. Layers of armor suddenly unfolded across their bodies, revealing densely packed cannon barrels. The next moment, a barrage of energy rounds poured down like a rainstorm, covering the entire beach.

"Watch out!"

Goku flashed forward, placing himself before Krillin and Yamcha as he quickly brought his hands together before his chest.

"Kamehameha—Wave!"

A thick blue energy wave burst from his palms and met the rain of energy rounds. Roars of explosions rang out one after another, fireballs linking together in the sky as scorching shockwaves churned the surface of the sea.

Using the smoke from the explosions as cover, Yamcha and Krillin shot into the sky from opposite sides, working in perfect coordination. One restrained the android's frontal assault while the other circled behind to strike its vulnerable core. Before long, the second android came plummeting down in a trail of black smoke.

The final android was clearly more advanced. Layers of energy shields appeared around its body, allowing it to take one of Goku's heavy punches head-on. It was only blasted several meters backward, not damaged at all.

"High-combat-power individual Son Goku detected. Priority collection target." The android's electronic voice remained cold. The armor over its chest suddenly opened, and a pitch-black energy sphere slowly formed within. Its violent energy fluctuations made the surrounding air tremble.

"Interesting." Goku's eyes lit up. Instead of being afraid, his desire to fight grew stronger. He took a deep breath, and the qi around him surged wildly. Every strand of his hair stood on end in the torrent of energy. Just as he prepared to strike with all his strength, a black-gold streak of light moved even faster.

Qi Tian flashed like lightning, appearing at the android's side before anyone knew it. A thread of black-gold light as thin as a hair swept casually from his fingertips.

Sss—

With a soft sound, the energy shield was sliced apart as easily as paper. The thread of light continued onward, piercing straight through the android's chest core. The android froze. Its forming energy sphere instantly collapsed, and the red lights in its mechanical eyes flickered frantically.

"Data... transmission..."

It spat out the fragmented words before its body began to swell violently from overload. Qi Tian frowned and waved a hand. A gentle yet irresistible force wrapped around the android and hurled it far into the depths of the sea.

Boom—

A massive explosion thundered across the ocean, sending a towering column of water into the sky. The blast wave was blocked outside by qi, leaving Turtle Hermit Island completely unharmed.

"So fast..." Krillin stared in stunned disbelief. He had only seen a black shadow flash past, and the android that even Goku had needed to take seriously was already dealt with.

Goku scratched his head and grinned. "Qi Tian is still so amazing."

Qi Tian landed on the beach, but his expression was far from relaxed. He could clearly sense that, before exploding, the android had transmitted the battle data through an encrypted signal. Though Dr. Gero had lost three scouting units, he had also obtained the group's current combat power data.

"The enemy's probing will only grow stronger," he said gravely. "These three were merely the vanguard. Stronger androids will arrive soon."

Bulma ran over with a computer in her arms, her fingers flying across the screen. "That's right. I intercepted an encrypted signal coming from deep within the western desert. Dr. Gero's lair is most likely hidden there. And..." She paused, her expression turning grave. "The signal also mentioned the testing progress of Android 7. It sounds far stronger than the ones we faced today."

At those words, the mood among them grew heavier.

They had improved rapidly, but their enemies were evolving without pause as well. Just because they could win easily today did not mean they would remain so composed next time.

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains several hundred miles from Turtle Hermit Island.

Piccolo withdrew his distant gaze, coldness surging within his crimson eyes.

He had sensed every fluctuation of energy from that battle. The increase in Son Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha's strength had far exceeded his expectations; Qi Tian's casual strike, in particular, deepened the wariness in his heart.

"They're growing at an astonishing rate..." Piccolo muttered, dark energy unconsciously churning around him. "But it's still not enough."

He had intended to use the androids to wear down Qi Tian and the others, but now it seemed these low-level creations could not drain their strength at all. Instead, they had become mere practice targets for them.

"Looks like I'll have to speed things up."

Piccolo slowly closed his eyes. Demonic energy swept over his body, and the pressure within the cave abruptly surged. He could wait no longer. Before stronger androids emerged, he had to push his own power to an even greater level. Otherwise, let alone revenge, he might not even be qualified to reap the benefits from the sidelines.

At the same time, inside a secret underground laboratory beneath the desert.

As Dr. Gero looked over the battle data transmitted back on the screen, there was no anger on his aged face. Instead, it was filled with a fanatical smile.

"Good... excellent!" His trembling fingertips traced the data curves. "Son Goku's power level has surpassed three thousand. Krillin and Yamcha are nearing two thousand as well. And that Qi Tian... his data overwhelms everything by an entire order of magnitude. His depth is unfathomable..."

The stronger the samples, the more likely they were to produce perfect androids.

He turned toward the incubation chamber behind him. Within it floated an even larger humanoid body, its surface crisscrossed with tubes, its energy core emitting a faint blue glow.

"Android 7's data upload is complete. Begin final calibration immediately." Dr. Gero's voice was hoarse with obsessive excitement. "In three days, we strike Turtle Hermit Island. I'd like to see whether these martial arts experts can withstand my masterpiece!"

The hum of machinery echoed through the depths underground as icy killing intent slowly crept toward Turtle Hermit Island.

As the sun set, Turtle Hermit Island returned to calm.

On the beach, no one relaxed after their victory. Instead, they immediately threw themselves into another round of training. Son Goku repeatedly refined the compression of his Kamehameha against the waves, while Krillin and Yamcha practiced linked offensive and defensive techniques under Master Roshi's guidance.

Qi Tian stood by the cliff, his divine sense sweeping over the two places where auras converged—the western desert and the deep mountains—before he raised his head to gaze at the vast starry sky.

Deep in the universe, those two violent Saiyan auras had drawn closer once more. At their current speed, they would reach Earth two months earlier than he had expected.

"Time is getting tighter."

He murmured to himself as threads of black-gold light slowly flowed around his fingertips.

The scouts had arrived, and the great battle was nearing. Dr. Gero's androids and the lurking Piccolo were merely storms brewing within Earth itself. The true calamity was still racing toward them through the sea of stars.

Only by seizing every moment and growing stronger without cease could they protect this island and this land when that storm came.

The evening breeze carried the sound of waves up the cliff, while the young men's shouts pierced the twilight, resolute and burning.

The tempering had not ended; their edge awaited its bloom. Everyone was waiting for the next, fiercer storm.