Volcano Refines Spirit, Qi Core Triple Split; Deep Sea Forges God, Perception a Single Thought

At dawn the next day, a small boat departed from the beach of Turtle Hermit Island. Its prow split the azure waves as it headed straight for the southern borderlands. Besides Qi Tian and the three others, Bulma had come along as well, idly fiddling with several new silver-gray gravity suits.

"This third-generation gravity suit has thermal insulation coating and a pressure-resistant structure. It can withstand temperatures of three thousand degrees and water pressure at a depth of ten thousand meters. It can also stimulate acupoints in sync and accelerate the circulation of qi and blood." She tapped the detector on her wrist, data streams flashing rapidly across its screen. "The maximum setting has been raised to eight times gravity. That should be enough for you guys to have fun with."

Two days later, the group arrived at an active volcano deep in the southern borderlands. From afar, black smoke billowed from the crater, crimson magma churned at its mouth, and the heat scorched their cheeks even from several miles away. Master Roshi landed at the crater's edge with his cane, found a flat rock, and sat down. "This old man won't be going down there to join the excitement. I'll keep watch up here for you."

Goku had long been unable to restrain himself. He put on the gravity suit and leaped into the crater. The deeper he went, the higher the temperature rose. The rock walls glowed red from the heat, a churning pool of magma lay beneath his feet, and scorching air carrying the stench of sulfur rushed toward him. Under the dual suppression of sevenfold gravity and extreme heat, even breathing became difficult, and the circulation of his qi grew noticeably sluggish.

"This is the place." Qi Tian stood suspended above the magma, his black-gold divine essence forming a barrier that kept the heat at bay. "The fire qi from the earth's core is at its most concentrated here. Using high heat and pressure to compress your qi cores is several times faster than training under gravity alone. Remember—guide the fire qi into your bodies and merge it with your own qi. Don't resist it head-on."

The three immediately sat cross-legged and closed their eyes to regulate their breathing. Goku took the lead. The qi core in his dantian spun rapidly, actively drawing the earth-core fire qi into his body. The heat spread through his meridians, and under the burning and pressure, his qi core continually contracted. Its refinement was nearly twice as fast as it had been on Turtle Hermit Island. He held back a fierce determination, determined to fully master the Triple Fission he had failed to complete that day.

A day and a night later, a thunderous shout suddenly rang through the depths of the volcano.

Pale blue qi flames surged around Goku's body. The qi core in his dantian abruptly contracted, splitting layer by layer in nested fissions before finally condensing into a deep-blue point of light no larger than a grain of rice, its aura refined to an almost tangible degree. He brought his hands together at his waist, and a tiny point of light formed between his palms. Even the scorching air around him was wildly dragged toward it.

"Kamehameha: Triple Fission!"

The point of light shot through the air and plunged straight into the depths of the magma pool. After several seconds of silence, the magma suddenly caved inward before exploding with a deafening boom. A pillar of magma dozens of meters high erupted into the sky, fiery rain showered down, and even the volcano walls shook loose falling rocks.

"I did it!" Goku exclaimed, pumping his fist. Even under sevenfold gravity, his movements remained light and nimble. "It's more than twice as strong as the Double Fission!"

Not far away, Krillin had made a breakthrough as well. The Destructo Disc at his fingertip was no longer a pure energy blade. It was wrapped in a layer of scorching fire qi, producing a sizzling sound as it spun at high speed. With a flick of his hand, he hurled it out. The energy blade swept across the rock wall, instantly melting a smooth cut through the hard volcanic stone. The incision glimmered with glassy molten traces. More importantly, he could guide the blade's path with his mind, making it change direction and circle back midway. It was no longer a straight-line attack.

"Destructo Disc: Molten Soul Pursuit!"

Three energy blades flew out at once, circling three stone pillars before the pillars broke apart in unison, their cuts smooth as mirrors. Krillin withdrew his qi, sweat beading on his forehead, but his eyes shone brightly. "I used to worry about the Destructo Disc being dodged. Now let's see where they can run."

Yamcha took a path that combined movement techniques and fist force. The scorching heat waves interfered with his senses, but he used that interference to hone the Afterimage Technique. Several figures darted and shifted around the magma's edge, every afterimage distorted by heat currents, making it impossible to tell real from fake with the naked eye. When he threw a punch, fire qi condensed around his fist. Wherever it struck, it not only carried piercing force but also an explosive burning effect, detonating fire qi inside the enemy's body and inflicting secondary damage.

"Wolf Fang Fist: Explosive Flame Heart-Piercing!"

His fist slammed into the rock wall. First, the fist force pierced through the stone; then the fire qi inside exploded, blasting the entire rock wall apart as flaming shards scattered in every direction.

The three men's combat strength soared in the volcanic environment. Both the refinement of their qi cores and the power of their techniques rose to a new level. If they encountered the incomplete Android 17 and Android 18 again, the three of them could firmly suppress them together without Qi Tian needing to act.

At the deepest point of the magma pool, Qi Tian floated cross-legged at the core of the earth. Thousands-degree molten magma surrounded him, and the terrifying pressure was enough to crush steel, yet it was steadily held back by a golden aura barrier thirty meters thick around him. His black-gold divine essence merged with the earth-core fire qi, continuously tempering his muscles, bones, and organs as the strength of his body steadily increased.

[ Ding! Detected that the host is tempering his body in the extreme environment of the earth's core. The Divine-Tier Body Refinement Art continues to advance, triggering a special sign-in. ]

[ Sign in? ]

The system notification sounded, and Qi Tian silently confirmed.

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

[ 1. Permanent combat power +2500. Current normal combat power: 22700. ]

[ 2. Divine-Tier Body Refinement Art—Mid Fifth Layer: Aura projection can reach thirty meters and carries a recoil effect, capable of reflecting thirty percent of close-range physical and energy attacks; bodily regeneration doubles, while the strength of internal organs and bones increases twofold. ]

[ 3. Divine Essence Heaven-Burning: Divine essence can be condensed into black-gold flames that specifically burn sinister energy. It has a strong suppressive effect against demonic aura and mechanical energy circuits. ]

A warm current swept through his body, and fine crackling sounds came from his muscles, bones, skin, and flesh. Qi Tian raised a hand, and a wisp of black-gold flame danced on his fingertip. Its temperature did not seem high, yet even the surrounding magma began boiling and churning from its heat. This Divine Essence Heaven-Burning happened to counter demonic yin force and the energy cores of modified humans. If he faced Piccolo and Dr. Gero's creations in the future, he would have another trump card.

Meanwhile, in a demonic cavern deep within the mountains a thousand miles away.

Blood-colored energy surged through the depths of the cave. Piccolo floated in midair, and the demonic armor around him had changed from dark purple to blood red. Demonic light flowed through its patterns. This was the advanced form of Demonic Essence Armor—Demonic Essence Blood Armor. After a month of secluded cultivation, he had not only mastered Demonic Essence Surge but had also comprehended the Demonic Shadow Clone Technique, allowing him to split into three clones with seventy percent of his original body's combat power.

"Qi Tian..." Piccolo's crimson eyes opened. His gaze pierced through the rock layers toward the volcano, and when he sensed that increasingly steady pressure, he showed no fear. Instead, a cold smile curled across his lips. "The stronger you become, the more interesting it will be to defeat you. Once I completely integrate my demon blood, I'll go meet you."

He closed his eyes again, and the blood-red demonic qi around him surged even more violently, staining even the black frost within the cave dark crimson.

In an underground laboratory beneath the desert, Dr. Gero stood before two fully activated incubation chambers, his face filled with feverish excitement.

Android 17 and Android 18, clad in silver-gray shells, slowly stepped out of the chambers. Their appearances were no different from when they had been incomplete, but their auras were several times steadier. The red glow in their pupils had become more restrained, faint divine essence fluctuations lingered around them, and their energy dissipation fields could now cover their entire bodies. Ordinary qi would be dissolved by more than half the moment it approached them. With perpetual-motion cores paired with demonic regenerative genes, they could regenerate endlessly as long as their cores were not destroyed.

"Perfect... absolutely perfect!" Dr. Gero circled the two of them, his voice trembling. "Divine essence factor integration at thirty percent, demonic gene compatibility at ninety-five percent, and combat power more than ten times that of Number Nine!"

He turned toward the deepest part of the laboratory. There stood an enormous spherical incubation chamber, inside which floated a mass of insect-like flesh and blood tissue, labeled "Cell."

"Once you gather Qi Tian's complete divine essence data, it will be the day Cell officially takes form." Dr. Gero let out a sinister cackle. "Go. Find them, and bring back all the data."

Android 17 and Android 18 gave slight nods. With a flash, they vanished through the laboratory exit.

The volcano training continued for half a month. After refining their qi cores to the limit, the group headed east toward a deep-sea trench ten thousand meters below the surface.

The ocean floor was dark and lightless, and the water pressure was terrifying. Ordinary steel would be crushed flat at such depths. Wearing eightfold gravity suits while enduring the external water pressure, Goku and the others had to mobilize all their qi with every step to resist it. There were no visual references here; every judgment relied entirely on aura perception. It was the perfect place to hone spiritual awareness and control over one's aura.

"Hold your breath and focus. Use qi in place of your eyes." Qi Tian's voice echoed in everyone's minds. "Water pressure is everywhere. The tighter you draw in your aura, the less pressure you'll have to bear."

The three followed his instructions, concealing the auras around their bodies and spreading their senses outward. At first, they were extremely unaccustomed to it. Their perception was blurred by the water currents, and even their attacks were sluggish. Ten days later, however, they could already move freely through the deep sea. Their perception had expanded several miles, and they could clearly sense even small fish swimming past.

Goku could steadily unleash a Triple Fission Kamehameha under extreme pressure. His qi was compressed to the utmost, and even the water currents were undisturbed when he attacked, yet its power did not diminish in the slightest. Krillin's tracking Destructo Disc became even more agile underwater, able to turn along the paths of water currents with exceptional stealth. Yamcha's Shadow-Hiding Movement Technique had fully reached mastery. His afterimages and real body completely merged into one, and even their auras could be perfectly imitated. It was difficult to distinguish real from fake even with spiritual perception.

The month-long deadline had arrived, and everyone's cultivation had undergone a complete transformation.

That day, just as they were preparing to return to the surface, Qi Tian's eyes suddenly narrowed. In his divine essence perception, two extremely powerful auras were rapidly flying in from the desert, crossing the sea and heading directly toward them. The auras were condensed and cold, carrying the intertwined traits of divine essence and demons. They belonged to the complete Android 17 and Android 18.

They had arrived even sooner than expected.

"They're here," Qi Tian said softly.

Goku's eyes immediately lit up. He clenched his fists as qi slowly began circulating around his body, making the deep-sea currents tremble faintly. "Perfect! After a month of hard training, we'll use them to test how strong we've become!"

Krillin and Yamcha exchanged a glance, and both saw fighting spirit in the other's eyes. This was no longer like before, when they had barely managed to defend themselves. This time, they were confident they could face their enemies head-on.

Under the sea, hidden currents surged. Above the sea, storm clouds began to gather.

The complete modified humans were about to clash head-on with the group after their extreme training. A true battle of force against force was about to begin.