Wild Encounter with Yamcha, Sign-in for Great Ape Bloodline Fragment

The speedboat sped westward along the coastline for half a day, and the coastal cities gradually gave way to endless barren mountains. Bulma shut off the engine and stopped at a riverbank. The dot on the Dragon Radar's screen was pressed close to the canyon ahead, flashing more and more rapidly.

"The fourth Dragon Ball is in the valley ahead. The radar shows it's less than two kilometers away." Bulma put away the device and looked toward the depths of the dense forest. "But I heard bandits haunt these wild mountains. We should be careful."

Goku had long since run out of patience. Carrying the Power Pole, he bounced into the forest, his tail swishing from side to side behind him. Qi Tian strolled along at the rear, his gaze casually sweeping over the surrounding bushes. He had already caught the scent of concealed presences from a hundred meters away.

Yamcha, the desert bandit from the original story, along with Puar, a talking cat-like creature. The classic ambush scene was about to begin.

"Whoosh!"

Two black shadows suddenly shot out from the bushes on either side. The black-haired youth wielding a short staff moved with astonishing speed, rushing straight at the isolated Bulma with the intent of abducting her in an instant. Puar transformed into a flying claw and followed close behind, lunging for Goku's back.

"Watch out!" Bulma cried out.

Goku hurriedly turned and swung his Power Pole to block, but Yamcha's tricky footwork slipped around him. The short staff was about to strike Bulma on the shoulder.

Just then, a calm voice sounded. "Ambushes are boring."

Qi Tian did not move his feet. With a casual flick, he sent out a small stone. Carrying tremendous force, it cut through the air and struck a pressure point on Yamcha's wrist with perfect accuracy.

"Urgh!"

Yamcha grunted in pain, his short staff falling from his hand. He staggered back several steps and stared at Qi Tian in shock. Seeing this, Puar immediately returned to normal and crouched behind Yamcha, growling warily.

"How did you find me?" Yamcha clenched his numb wrist. He had roamed the wilderness for years, and his stealth attacks had never failed before. Yet today, a mountain youth had effortlessly broken through his move.

"You breathed too heavily. I could hear you from far away." Qi Tian walked forward with his hands in his pockets, his gaze settling on Yamcha as the system prompt appeared in his mind right on schedule.

[Ding! Plot event triggered: First encounter with Yamcha and Puar. Special plot sign-in permission unlocked.]

[Use special sign-in?]

"Sign in."

[Ding! Special sign-in complete. Rewards distributed:]

[1. Permanent combat power +620]

[2. Bloodline Fragment · Great Ape Transformation Fragment ×1 (Total progress: 1/100. Once collected, allows free control of the full-moon Great Ape form without losing rationality.)]

[3. Passive Ability: Ki Concealment. Freely hide your own combat power fluctuations, with the level entirely under your control.]

[4. Advanced Compressed Rations Gift Box ×5]

Warm power coursed through his limbs. The Great Ape fragment gently stirred the savage Saiyan source hidden within him. Qi Tian subconsciously touched the tail at his lower back, feeling a newfound sense of steady control deep within his bloodline. Others lost their minds when they transformed into Great Apes, but as long as he gathered enough fragments, he would be able to perfectly control the transformation. It was a perfect fit for his pure physical-body path.

Seeing Qi Tian momentarily distracted, Yamcha mistook it for an opening. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward again, attacking fiercely with fists and kicks that swept up wind and sand. He had trained in the Wolf Fang Fist since childhood. His moves were fast and vicious, making him a genuine powerhouse of the wilderness.

The gusts from the Wolf Fang Fist rushed toward him. Bulma nervously clenched her fists, while Goku had already raised the Power Pole, ready to help.

Yet Qi Tian merely sidestepped and casually raised a hand to catch Yamcha's incoming fist.

"Your speed isn't bad. Your strength is far too lacking."

Yamcha felt as though his full-force punch had struck a slab of hardened steel. Pain shot through his wrist, leaving it impossible to move. No matter how hard he exerted himself, he could not shift Qi Tian's hand in the slightest. His face was filled with disbelief. "Impossible! How can your body be this tough?"

"I just trained more." Qi Tian gave a slight twist, redirecting the force. Yamcha lost his balance and fell onto the dirt.

Puar hurried over to help his boss up, then whispered a few words into Yamcha's ear. Yamcha's weakness—a fear of girls—was just as it had been in the original story. At Puar's reminder, the instant he looked at Bulma, his ears turned red uncontrollably. His body stiffened, and his limbs went weak.

Bulma saw through his weakness at once. With her hands on her hips, she teased, "So you're scared of girls? What kind of cowardly bandit boss are you?"

Yamcha was embarrassed and angry, but he could not move at all. He was utterly stifled. "Kill me or torture me, do whatever you want! Just don't talk about that!"

"There's no need to kill you." Qi Tian let go and pointed toward the valley ahead. "We're looking for Dragon Balls. If you lead us to the Dragon Ball other than the four-star one, we'll call everything that happened before even."

Yamcha weighed his options for a moment. Knowing he was no match for Qi Tian, he could only nod helplessly. "Fine. That ball is in a cave in the valley, guarded by a huge monster."

The group followed Yamcha deeper into the valley. Vines covered the entrance to a dark cave, from which low growls constantly echoed. A giant lizard monster several meters long lay coiled in the center of the cave. Beneath its claws was a Dragon Ball with three stars on an orange background. Sensing the intruders, it immediately opened its mouth and spewed scorching flames.

The flames swept across the cave entrance. Just as Goku was about to swing the Power Pole and disperse them, Qi Tian had already stepped forward, facing the blazing inferno barehanded.

Basic Physical Immortality activated automatically. The stinging pain of the burns healed at incredible speed. He walked straight through the sea of fire and drove a fist into the lizard monster's head.

With a thunderous boom, half the monster's skull caved in, and it collapsed unconscious on the spot.

Qi Tian casually picked up the five-star Dragon Ball from the ground and tossed it to Bulma.

A new dot instantly appeared on the radar. Bulma was overjoyed. "Great! We found another one!"

Yamcha stared blankly at Qi Tian, who had resisted fire with his bare hands and knocked out the giant beast with a single punch. He completely abandoned any thought of fighting, and even began to consider traveling with them. "Are you going to keep looking for Dragon Balls? There are plenty of dangerous places on this continent."

"We can travel together if we're going the same way." Qi Tian raised an eyebrow. Taking in a free guide was no loss, and he could also ride along on future plot sign-ins. Seeing his boss nod, Puar obediently landed on Yamcha's shoulder.

After resting for a while, the group used the compressed rations from the sign-in rewards to settle lunch.

They set out again in the afternoon and passed through a rural town. The roadside bulletin boards were plastered with wanted notices for Pilaf's group. Bulma frowned as she stared at them. "Those Pilaf bad guys seem to be searching everywhere for Dragon Balls too. We need to pick up the pace."

Qi Tian rubbed the five-star Dragon Ball in his pocket with his fingertips, silently making calculations.

The Pilaf Castle arc was just ahead—another excellent opportunity for a special plot-node sign-in.

As the sun sank, its afterglow spread over the country road. The five people and one cat headed toward the desert where Pilaf Castle stood. Yamcha occasionally stole glances at Bulma along the way, awkward and shy. Goku was full of anticipation for the adventures to come, constantly asking Qi Tian whether they would encounter even stronger beasts on the road.

Qi Tian looked toward the outline of the distant desert. The passive ability that made him stronger through battle lay quietly dormant, waiting for repeated fierce fights to continuously build the foundation of his body.

He would not follow the path of divine cultivation, nor rely on external divinity. By relying only on sign-ins to temper his body, he would sooner or later beat every powerhouse in the Dragon Ball universe one by one.