Senzu Bean

On Karin Tower.

Ever since breaking through the first layer of limitations, Mu Yang seemed like a completely different person. The shackles that had once bound him were gone, and his cultivation speed felt like he was on a plane, changing daily.

In the third month, Mu Yang snatched the water flask from Korin.

"My, my, when did you get so strong, kid?" After Mu Yang took his flask, Korin looked at him in astonishment. The boy's growth shocked it. It had only taken a mere three months to snatch the flask from its grasp. It should be noted that the previous person to grab the flask, Master Roshi, took a full three years, and that was considered fast.

"Not at all, Karin the Immortal praises me too highly. This is all due to your excellent teaching."

"Tch, don't try to butter me up."

Korin glanced at Mu Yang, swaying its plump body. "I've already taught you all the basics I can. The next, third stage, is the control and sensing of Ki. These are much more profound things. At your current stage, you can only learn Ki control. As for sensing, that's beyond the realm of a martial artist."

Mu Yang listened intently. Controlling Ki was far easier than sensing it; one only needed to achieve a state of mental tranquility. Sensing Ki, however, involved deeper mysteries, requiring the control of Ki fluctuations to an extremely fine degree.

That was the stage for practitioners in the Lookout.

From Korin, one could only learn Ki control. To learn how to sense opponents with Ki, one either had to achieve enlightenment on their own or gain Korin's approval and obtain the token to the Lookout, allowing them to train in the Heavens.

So, for now, Mu Yang dutifully continued learning Ki control from Korin.

Time flowed by like fine sand, quietly slipping away unnoticed.

In the blink of an eye, another half month passed. Under Korin's guidance, Mu Yang continued to grow rapidly. While continuously absorbing the essence of Korin's martial arts, Mu Yang also gradually grasped the essence of Ki. At this point, his Ki was contained and no longer overtly sharp as before.

"Sigh, I have nothing more to teach you." Korin looked at Mu Yang as if he were a monster.

This kid was simply a monster. In just over three months, it had taught him everything it knew. Such talent was definitely among the best on Earth. However, Korin was unaware that all of this was due to Mu Yang having a cheat, something called Acceleration Space.

Mu Yang accepted all of Korin's praise and said with a smile, "Thank you for your guidance during this time, Immortal."

"Mm-hmm."

Korin stroked its beard and nodded. "It wasn't any trouble. The purpose of Karin Tower is to cultivate outstanding martial artists. It's a pity that it's getting worse every year, and no one can climb it anymore."

"By the way, Karin the Immortal, I've seen you eating those dried, flat beans these past few days. Do those things really fill you up?"

Korin glanced at Mu Yang. "Oh, those are Senzu Beans. Eating one can sustain you for ten days without food."

Mu Yang's eyes lit up. He knew they were Senzu Beans, and they would become incredibly precious later in Dragon Ball. However, for now, they only served to fill one's stomach and hadn't yet revealed their true value.

"Oh, Karin the Immortal, you have such wonderful things, yet you make me eat flour every day! That's going too far!"

"Ahem, that's a form of training for you. A martial artist must endure hardship... Eating flour is a tradition passed down from ancient times..." Facing Mu Yang's gaze of disdain, even Korin felt a bit ashamed to continue. "There's no other way. The yield of Senzu Beans isn't high. The annual production is only about sixty beans. I consume about forty each year, so the quantity is really not much."

"Well, Karin the Immortal, how about we make a deal? What if I go down below and bring up a batch of seafood for you? I'm sure with the Immortal's ability, you can keep the seafood fresh. I'll trade this seafood for Senzu Beans, what do you say?"

Mu Yang narrowed his eyes, hatching a plan in his mind. If Karin Tower could store flour, there was no reason it couldn't store other things. Since the Senzu Beans' only purpose was to satisfy hunger, what difference did it make if seafood replaced them?

Moreover, Senzu Beans tasted bland, unlike the rich flavors of seafood. If he could have a little extra, wouldn't it be delicious every day!

"Seafood!"

Indeed, upon hearing Mu Yang's proposal to trade seafood for Senzu Beans, Korin's eyes widened, and its pupils seemed to gleam. However, to maintain its immortal dignity, it feigned calmness. "That's not a bad idea. It's inconvenient for me to leave Karin Tower. If you're willing to do this for me, it's not entirely unfeasible!"

Success! Mu Yang exclaimed inwardly, seemingly seeing a vast quantity of Senzu Beans waving at him.

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

"Of course, the more the better. I'll keep a bit for myself, and the rest I'll trade. Wait a moment, I'll go see how many Senzu Beans I have left."

With that, Korin walked to the bottom of Karin Tower and began rummaging through cupboards and drawers. Finally, in the innermost part, it found a large brown ceramic jar with the words "Senzu Bean" pasted on it in red.

Upon opening it, it was filled with dried green beans. Estimating roughly, there seemed to be about fifteen to sixteen thousand of them.

There were so many!

At this moment, Mu Yang couldn't help but resent the fatty Yajirobe, wondering how many Senzu Beans that glutton had wasted, forcing later generations like Son Goku to share just one bean among several people.

"This is all there is. This is what I've saved over eight hundred years. The production of Senzu Beans is getting lower and lower. I need to keep a few thousand as a reserve. The rest, I'll trade all of it for your seafood."

Korin paused and then twitched its ear. "Of course, Senzu Beans are filling, but your seafood..."

"...will be plentiful!" Mu Yang replied without hesitation.

"Hmm, then there's no problem." Korin nodded with satisfaction. One Senzu Bean was enough for ten days' worth of meals. If the seafood traded couldn't last ten days, then this deal wouldn't be fair.

Taking an empty ceramic jar from the side, Korin began filling it with Senzu Beans, saying, "Actually, Senzu Beans are much better than ordinary food. They are very suitable for martial artists to use after training. And they can also play a role when fighting enemies. Do you know why?"

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

Mu Yang answered truthfully. The simple hunger-satisfying function of Senzu Beans was already a great advantage, not to mention their healing properties, though Korin, perhaps never having been injured, might not know this.

"Not bad!"

Korin looked back at him and found that Mu Yang was very good at grasping the key points of an issue. It nodded inwardly and sighed, "Speaking of which, seafood doesn't have such good effects..."

Korin's paw paused, and Mu Yang felt a surge of anxiety.

He calmly said, "The Immortal speaks with reason. I've thought about it, and it seems that way. However, I can provide more seafood, enough to satisfy the Immortal! Also, we have a kind of stove on the ground that can roast all sorts of delicious food. I'll bring one down for you when I go."

"Heh heh, it's rare for you to have such thoughtfulness. Then bring me one." Korin smiled, narrowing its eyes.

Watching Korin's paw start filling the ceramic jar with Senzu Beans again, Mu Yang wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, thinking that Korin was indeed not to be trifled with, as it knew how to bargain. Fortunately, the main reason for failed deals in this world was not enough money.

When the money was right, the deal was made.