Leaving

Seeing that Mu Yang did not press for details about the Immortality Elixir, Korin nodded, a hint of approval in his eyes. It was impossible to say that he had not been tempted when Korin spoke so bluntly about the Immortality Elixir. After all, immortality was something countless people dreamed of achieving!

To go to the Sacred Temple, one first had to gain Korin's approval. When Korin recommended candidates, what he valued most was a strong will, one capable of withstanding all kinds of temptation. Otherwise, if the person he recommended could not resist temptation, they would only cause trouble. Back then, Master Roshi had lost his chance to go to the Sacred Temple because he had failed to resist the temptation of the Immortality Elixir.

Korin kept Mu Yang's performance in mind, intending to recommend him to the Heavenly Realm once his strength met the required standard.

"Oh, right. Although I promised to recommend you to a higher place in the future, there's something I think you need to pay attention to."

"Please speak, Karin the Immortal."

Korin cleared his throat and said, "Your strength seems to have grown rather quickly lately. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it isn't entirely good either. I suggest slowing down for a while and mastering the strength you already possess. Don't rush to make another breakthrough."

In Korin's eyes, growing stronger was a good thing, but growing too quickly would generally make one's power unstable. As someone devoted to mastering every trace of energy in his body, Korin had to point it out.

Mu Yang fell silent for a moment. He trusted Korin's discernment. Of course, Korin said this more because of his martial arts philosophy, but after giving it some thought, Mu Yang ultimately accepted his advice. "I understand. I'll properly consolidate my foundation for a while."

Mu Yang knew his own situation best. Ever since breaking through the first limit of Earthlings at 100 Battle Power, he had felt as though a floodgate had opened within his body. He had encountered virtually no bottlenecks in his training.

Earth's martial arts philosophy might not be particularly brilliant in the universe; that was determined by one's level. Earth's martial artists, for example, certainly could not compare to the Guardian of Earth, and the Guardian of Earth could not compare to the King of Worlds. It was all because of their different positions. Those who stood higher always saw farther. However, after long periods of exploration, Earth's martial arts also had their own strengths. For example, the meticulous control over one's strength at lower levels was highly commendable.

This kind of control allowed practitioners to unleash even greater Battle Power when facing danger.

In any case, he would not encounter a bottleneck anytime soon, and there were no enemies on Earth that he needed to be wary of for the time being. Mu Yang decided to follow Earth martial arts' fine traditions and slow down first, mastering his strength before anything else.

Once he had completely mastered it, he could expand upon it in the future. Perhaps it would prove unexpectedly useful.

"Yes, that's exactly how it should be. A solid foundation is very important." Korin was in high spirits. Nothing made him happier than encountering someone willing to heed his advice.

"Karin the Immortal, it's getting late. It's time for me to leave as well. I hope that when we meet again, I'll have reached your requirements."

"Train well. I think highly of you."

Korin stood up, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. I have a kind of golden cloud here that can be used for travel. Would you like me to give you one?"

What Korin wanted to give Mu Yang was the Flying Nimbus. Only those with pure hearts and no evil thoughts could ride it.

Back then, Master Roshi could not ride it himself, yet he had shamelessly taken one anyway.

Mu Yang knew the Flying Nimbus's traits. He quickly waved his hands and declined. "No need. I believe the Sky Dance Technique is more important than external objects. Not relying on outside help is also a form of training!"

More importantly, he thought it would be useless even if he took it. He might not be able to ride it at all. If Korin discovered that, his carefully crafted image would fall apart.

"Karin the Immortal, I'm leaving."

With that, Mu Yang leaped from the top of Karin Tower. Amid white clouds like mist, his figure gradually vanished as he left Karin Tower.

"What a fine young man, so devoted to training..."

Gazing at the azure sky, with only white clouds drifting below, Korin realized that without comparison, one could never know the gap. Compared with Mu Yang, the Master Roshi of the past had simply been a stubborn rock—shameless and lecherous. Korin was left speechless. "Why did I give him the Power Pole and the Immortality Elixir back then?"

Shaking his head, Korin remembered the large stockpile of seafood Mu Yang had prepared for him and leisurely turned around.

Several thousand kilometers from Karin Tower, the vast blue ocean surged with rolling waves beneath the wind. At this moment, a merchant ship sailed across those expansive waters.

The cramped cabin swayed constantly with the waves. In the dim light, April curled up in a corner, clutching her beloved candy jar. Her clothes were wrinkled and had long lost their former brightness, while her somewhat worn little backpack lay beside her...

"Mmm, so sweet. So delicious." April sucked on her fingers, a pitifully adorable smile blooming across her face as she ate some delicious food in her dream.

Elsewhere, after leaving the Ophiuchus Legion headquarters, Commander Lusha gathered all his men overnight. Then, using the island from before as the center, he launched a carpet search, determined to find Claren's daughter and information about the blueprints.

In the command hall, Lusha clenched a cigarette between his lips and stared at a map of the surrounding waters on the wall, continuously marking it. Several nearby islands had already been crossed out in red.

"Boss, we've searched more than a dozen islands already, but there's still no sign of that little girl. Do you think she might not be on any island at all?" One of his subordinates swallowed and spoke softly.

"Have all the island residents been questioned?"

Lusha steadied the hand holding his pen, turned his head, and asked viciously.

The subordinate replied, "We asked them all. We found nothing."

With a smack, Lusha threw the cigarette to the ground. After stomping on it twice, he roared, "Didn't someone say they saw Claren fleeing with his daughter? How could we not find her? What are you standing around for? Send more men, expand the search area, and search every household. I refuse to believe we can't find her!"

"Y-Yes!" Hearing his boss's furious roar, the subordinate's face turned pale. Terrified out of his wits, he staggered out in a hurry.

"Damn it, where the hell is that little girl hiding?" Lusha was in an extremely foul mood. If he did not find those design blueprints soon, Commander Huai En at headquarters would never let him off. At the thought of Commander Huai En's bloodthirsty gaze, Lusha could not help but shudder.

"No, I have to use harsher methods. Otherwise, I'm really finished." A powerful desire to survive drove Lusha to urgently change his approach.