Senzu Beans

At Karin Tower.

Ever since breaking through the first limit, Mu Yang had seemed like a different person. The shackles that had once bound him were gone, and his cultivation speed was like he had boarded a plane—changing by the day.

In the third month, Mu Yang snatched the water jug from Korin's hands.

"My, when did you become this formidable?" After Mu Yang took the water jug, Korin stared at him in astonishment. The boy's growth shocked him. In just three short months, Mu Yang had managed to seize the jug from him. The previous person to do so, Master Roshi, had needed a full three years, and that had already been considered fast.

"Not at all. Karin the Immortal, you flatter me. It was all thanks to your fine instruction."

"Tch, stop buttering me up."

Korin glanced at Mu Yang and swayed his plump body. "I've already taught you all the basics I can teach. The third stage is the concealment and sensing of ki. That is far more profound. At your current level, you can only learn to conceal your ki. As for sensing it, that has already surpassed the realm of martial artists."

Mu Yang listened attentively. Concealing ki was far easier than sensing it. One merely needed to attain a state of mind as still as water. Sensing ki, however, involved deeper mysteries and required one to control the fluctuations of one's aura down to the finest detail.

That was the realm of Sacred Temple cultivators.

At Korin's place, one could only learn to conceal ki. To learn how to use ki to sense an opponent, one either had to comprehend it alone or earn Korin's approval, obtain a token granting passage to the Sacred Temple, and cultivate in the Heavenly Realm.

So for now, Mu Yang obediently continued learning how to control his aura from Korin.

Time slipped away like fine sand, passing quietly without notice.

In the blink of an eye, another half month had passed. Under Korin's guidance, Mu Yang continued to grow rapidly. As he constantly absorbed and made up for the essence of Korin's martial arts, he gradually grasped the true nature of ki. His aura could now be drawn inward, and he was no longer as sharply aggressive as before.

"Alas, I have nothing left to teach you." Korin looked at Mu Yang as though he were a monster.

This kid was simply a freak. In just over three months, he had left Korin with nothing more to teach. Such talent was undoubtedly among the very best on Earth. However, Korin did not know that all this was because Mu Yang possessed a cheat called the Acceleration Space.

Mu Yang accepted all of Korin's praise and smiled. "I've troubled you during this time, Immortal."

"Mhm."

Korin stroked his whiskers and nodded. "It wasn't much trouble. The purpose of Karin Tower is to cultivate outstanding martial artists. Unfortunately, things have gotten worse year by year. No one can climb up here anymore."

"By the way, Karin the Immortal, I've noticed that you've been eating some shriveled beans these past few days. Can those things fill your stomach?"

Korin gave Mu Yang a sidelong glance. "Oh, those are Senzu Beans. Eat one, and you won't need food for ten days."

Mu Yang's eyes lit up. Of course he knew those were Senzu Beans. They would become incredibly precious in the later stages of Dragon Ball, but for now, they merely served to stave off hunger and had yet to reveal their true value.

"Oh, Karin the Immortal, if you had something that good, why did you make me eat flour every day? That's going too far!"

"Ahem, that was part of your training. A martial artist must endure hardship... Eating flour is a tradition passed down from ancient times..." Faced with Mu Yang's contemptuous gaze, even Korin could not continue. "There's no helping it. Senzu Beans don't have a high yield. Only around sixty are produced each year, and I consume about forty of them annually. There really aren't many."

"Um, Karin the Immortal, how about we make a deal? I can go down and bring up a batch of seafood for you. With your abilities, I'm sure you can keep it fresh. I'll trade the seafood for Senzu Beans. What do you think?"

Mu Yang narrowed his eyes, quietly working out his little scheme. If flour could be stored atop Karin Tower, then there was no reason other things could not be stored as well. Since Senzu Beans were only used to satisfy hunger anyway, what difference did it make if seafood replaced them?

Besides, Senzu Beans were tasteless. How could they compare to the variety offered by seafood? If he set up a little kitchen, there would be delicious food every day!

"Seafood!"

Sure enough, the moment Mu Yang proposed trading seafood for Senzu Beans, Korin's eyes flew wide open, and his pupils nearly shone. Yet to maintain an immortal's composure, he feigned calmness. "That is not a bad idea. It is inconvenient for me to leave Karin Tower normally. If you are willing to handle it for me, then it is not impossible to consider."

It worked! Mu Yang cried inwardly, as though he could already see vast quantities of Senzu Beans waving at him.

"Karin the Immortal, how many Senzu Beans are you planning to trade..." Mu Yang asked cautiously.

"Of course, the more the better. I only need to keep a little for myself. I'll trade away all the rest. Wait here. I'll see how many Senzu Beans I have left."

As he spoke, Korin went to the lowest level of Karin Tower and began rummaging through boxes and cabinets. At last, he pulled out a large brown clay jar from the innermost corner. The two red characters for "Senzu Beans" were pasted on it.

When he opened it, it was filled with shriveled emerald-green beans. By rough estimate, there were probably fifteen or sixteen thousand of them.

There were actually so many!

At that moment, Mu Yang could not help but resent Yajirobe. Just how many Senzu Beans had that damn fat man wasted for Son Goku and the others in later years to have to share even a single bean among several people?

"This is all there is. I've saved these over more than eight hundred years. Senzu Bean production is getting lower and lower now, so I need to keep several thousand in reserve. I'll trade all the rest to you for seafood."

At this point, Korin paused, his ears twitching. "Of course, Senzu Beans will fill you up, but your seafood..."

"...will be more than enough!" Mu Yang replied without hesitation.

"Mm, then there's no problem." Korin nodded in satisfaction. One Senzu Bean was enough to replace ten days' worth of meals. If the seafood he received could not last ten days, then this deal would not be fair.

Taking an empty clay jar from the side, Korin began filling it with Senzu Beans as he spoke. "Actually, Senzu Beans are much better than food from the ground. They are especially suitable for martial artists after training. They can also serve a purpose when facing enemies. Do you know why?"

"Because they work quickly! They can rapidly restore stamina!"

Mu Yang answered truthfully. The hunger-satisfying function of Senzu Beans alone was already an excellent advantage, not to mention their added ability to heal injuries. Korin had probably never been injured, so he did not know that.

"Correct!"

Korin looked back at him. Seeing how good Mu Yang was at grasping the heart of an issue, he nodded inwardly and sighed. "Still, seafood does not have such wonderful effects..."

Korin's paw stopped, and Mu Yang's heart leaped into his throat.

Remaining calm, he said, "What you say makes sense, Immortal. Thinking about it, that does seem to be the case. But I can provide even more seafood and guarantee your satisfaction! Also, down on the ground, we have stoves that can grill all kinds of delicious food. I'll bring one up for you when I go down."

"Hehe, it is rare for you to be so thoughtful. Then bring me one." Korin narrowed his eyes and smiled.

Watching Korin resume filling the clay jar with Senzu Beans, Mu Yang wiped away a bead of sweat. Korin truly was no easy person to deal with. He even knew how to haggle. Still, it was fine. When a deal falls through, it is usually because the price was not high enough.

Once the price was right, the deal was done.