Ki: The Sublimation of Martial Arts

The "Da Qingshan Training Ground" Aisafu spoke of was located in a remote gorge behind the Da Qingshan Mountains. Mu Yang remembered visiting it a few times as a child. It had originally been a fault zone formed by fractures in the mountain rock, later slightly leveled by human hands to create a vast open space for training.

It had always been a place where the elders of the school cultivated themselves.

Following Aisafu, the three gradually made their way behind Da Qingshan Mountains and arrived at this secluded training ground.

As their view widened, oddly shaped mountain peaks came into sight. They were tall yet narrow, dark green at their summits and covered in shades of light and deep green through their middles. Their shapes resembled inverted parabolas, rising from the ground. The towering peaks were like stone pillars, with immense vertical drops between them.

By the standards of his previous life, Mu Yang could not understand how such peaks could have formed naturally. Yet in the Dragon Ball world, these strange mountains could be found everywhere.

"We're here." Aisafu stopped, his deep voice sounding beside them.

"This is it?" Mu Yang steadied himself and looked around. They had reached their destination: an open stretch of flat ground, bordered by heaps of bizarre rocks. Looking down from the edge was like peering into an abyss; one careless step would leave someone smashed to pieces.

"Mu Yang, you're here. Oh, Meixia came too. It's fine for her to watch."

Aisafu, Yula, Xis, Carl, Clarissa, and Bearos—the six elders of the Tianxin Style—were all present.

"Greetings, uncles and aunts..." Mu Yang hurried forward and bowed.

"Haha, no need to stand on ceremony," the cheerful Carl and the others said with hearty laughter, showing none of an elder's airs.

Mu Yang smiled. After paying his respects, he stepped aside. Seeing all the elders gathered here, he became even more certain that today's matter was no ordinary one. He quietly waited for his teacher to make the announcement.

"Aunt Yula, what exactly is going on?"

Unlike Mu Yang, Meixia was not one to fuss over etiquette. She went up and wrapped herself around Yula's arm, pressing her face close again and again as she acted cute like an affectionate kitten.

Yula stroked Meixia's soft hair and glared at her. "Stop fooling around. Mu Yang is the main character today. You're only here to watch."

Meixia said, "Oh."

She stopped making a fuss and obediently stepped aside.

Aisafu watched his daughter, who seemed as though she would never grow up, and secretly shook his head. But when he looked at the dignified Mu Yang beside her, a smile returned to his face. Comparison truly hurt—his own daughter seemed to have been spoiled when it came to martial arts, but fortunately, Mu Yang was a fine disciple who satisfied him in every regard.

The burden of the Tianxin Style would likely fall upon Mu Yang's shoulders in the future. As the saying went, one could see the adult in a three-year-old and the elder in a seven-year-old. Judging by his current performance, he surely would not disappoint them.

Thinking of today's purpose, Aisafu gave a light cough and beckoned Mu Yang over. "Mu Yang, we called you here today because there is something important to tell you."

"Please speak, Teacher."

"Mhm." What Aisafu appreciated most was Mu Yang's humble attitude. Smiling, he said, "This matter... is very important to you. After discussing it with your uncles and aunts, we have decided that from today onward, we will formally teach you the ultimate secret of Tianxin Style martial arts—the method of cultivating ki."

The method of cultivating ki?!

At first, Mu Yang froze at Aisafu's words, then quickly came to his senses.

Ki!

What a familiar name. Was this not the most famous and iconic power in the Dragon Ball world?

On Earth, there were not many martial arts schools that truly possessed a legacy of ki cultivation. The most renowned were the Kame Style and Crane Style, and the earliest origin of the ki arts of both schools came from the grandmaster of martial arts—Master Mutaito.

It could be said that only the most elite schools possessed the secrets of ki cultivation.

Mu Yang had never expected that the Tianxin Style he belonged to, a martial arts school of only moderate size, would also possess a ki cultivation legacy.

When he had first discovered that he was in the Dragon Ball world, he had already decided that if he ever had a chance to venture out in the future, he would definitely learn how to cultivate ki. He simply had not expected that before he even left, Aisafu and the others would give him such an enormous surprise.

His own school actually had a method for cultivating ki. Naturally, that was the best possible outcome.

"Dad, what is ki? Is it different from what we usually practice?" The moment Meixia heard it was the ultimate secret of their school's martial arts, her eyes lit up.

Aisafu looked at his daughter with a serious expression. "Of course it's different. All your previous training, whether fist techniques or combat moves, was ultimately just laying a foundation. At best, it was relatively advanced fighting skill, preparing you for the training that comes afterward."

"But ki is different. It is the sublimation of martial arts, the true path leading to the martial way." At this point, the corners of Aisafu's lips curled upward, and he could not help feeling somewhat proud. "Let me tell you, in the entire martial arts world, there are only a handful of schools with a ki legacy. Our Tianxin Style is one of them."

Though the Tianxin Style had few members and was not particularly high-ranked, it possessed a method envied by countless other schools.

Ordinarily, at Mu Yang's age, he should not have come into contact with ki cultivation so early. But considering that his body had already been honed to perfection and that he was exceptionally dedicated in his usual training, Aisafu and the others decided to make an exception for him.

"That amazing!" Meixia stared wide-eyed, then proudly puffed out her chest.

Though she still did not understand the true significance of ki, that did not stop her from getting carried away.

She had always said her school was incredible. Look, other schools did not even have this!

She made up her mind. When her father taught her senior brother ki cultivation later, she would study hard as well. She had to master this secret of the school!

Yula and the other elders saw her reaction and naturally understood what she was thinking. They could not help shaking their heads with amused smiles.

Without a special training method, merely watching someone cultivate ki would not reveal its secrets. If ki were so easy to learn, it would not have become a legendary martial arts technique with such a lofty reputation.

That was why Aisafu and the others did not mind bringing Meixia along when they brought Mu Yang here. Whether she could understand it was another matter entirely. Besides, Meixia was still far from reaching the level where she could condense ki.

What Aisafu and the others did not know was that beyond Earth, pure energy attacks such as Ki Blasts were actually the mainstream throughout the universe. Any fighter with even a little reputation could casually use energy attacks.

It was simply that the rich focused on quantity while the poor focused on quality. The attack methods and applications of the wealthy were rather crude.

A region shaped its people. Only Earthlings—martial artists like Master Roshi, who needed decades of relentless cultivation just to develop the tiniest bit of ki—would make the most of their circumstances and study their limited Ki Blasts so thoroughly, wishing they could invent tricks with every last strand of energy.

Compared with other planets in the universe, Earth's level was still far too low, and Earthlings were not particularly gifted either.

Shallow water could not raise a divine dragon, but it could produce highly efficient loaches. That was the principle.

"As the ultimate secret of the Tianxin Style, the cultivation method of Tianxin Ki has always been our school's greatest secret. So remember, you must not leak it. Your junior brothers and sisters have not yet met the requirements for cultivation. Teaching them rashly would only harm them. You must keep this firmly in mind."

Aisafu earnestly cautioned Mu Yang. Ki cultivation could neither be seen nor touched, and reckless practice was its greatest taboo. Even Aisafu himself did not dare claim that he had mastered ki to a truly proficient degree.

"This disciple understands!" Mu Yang answered loudly, his eyes shining with brilliant light.

Aisafu looked at his disciple's reaction with great satisfaction, then turned and nodded to his fellow elders.

"No matter how much I say, it cannot compare to seeing it with your own eyes. Better yet, let you experience the power of ki for yourselves and deepen your impression. The ki of our Tianxin Style is called Tianxin Ki. Watch carefully."

With that, Aisafu retreated several steps, opening a distance of more than ten meters between himself and Mu Yang. Then he closed his eyes, focused his mind, and adjusted the flow of energy throughout his body.