Training begins

Just as Rogue was reporting to the Silver Wolf Society that Jiang Nan was heading to West City, Jiang Nan was already aboard a plane bound for East City.

Asking Rogue how to get to West City had been a deliberate smokescreen.

He knew these people would contact the Silver Wolf Society to report his whereabouts, so he had deliberately led them outside the city and confiscated their phones. Meanwhile, he had found a private airline and taken the next available flight out of South City.

By the time the Silver Wolf Society made its move, Jiang Nan's plane was already cruising steadily over the ocean.

Jiang Nan was studying a world map he had bought at an airport convenience store. As it turned out, only South City occupied a separate landmass; the other four capitals were all on the same continent.

The continent looked a little like the combined landmass of Europe, Asia, and Africa on Earth in Jiang Nan's previous life. South City was much smaller by comparison.

Tch!

I thought the Silver Wolf Society was something impressive, throwing its weight around South City. Turns out it only ruled the roost in some backwater!

The region around East City closely resembled Dragon Country from his previous life. This flight's destination was White Cloud City, which fell under East City's jurisdiction. From the travel magazine provided in the cabin, he learned that White Cloud City lay south of East City. On the map, it did not look far from Mount Paozu-only about two thousand kilometers.

By his reckoning, Son Goku would not arrive on Earth until next year. He just did not know whether Goku's grandfather, Son Gohan, was already living on Mount Paozu.

The plane landed smoothly. Jiang Nan did not linger at the airport, instead taking a taxi and asking the driver to find somewhere he could eat.

As the taxi left the airport and headed into the city, a familiar feeling washed over him. This place was so much like Dragon Country in his previous life. The architecture and even the people's features gave him a sense of warmth and familiarity.

What really left Jiang Nan unsure whether to laugh or cry was that the moment he stepped out of the taxi, a middle-aged woman approached him with small cards in her hand. "Young man, need a room?"

Politely declining her offer, Jiang Nan found a small restaurant and ordered a bowl of noodles in clear broth. While he waited, he considered his next move.

He could not keep running forever. Jiang Nan wanted to settle down as soon as possible and live quietly-or lie low-for a few years. He just needed to decide whether to find some remote mountain forest and live like a caveman, or hide in plain sight in the city and enjoy a few years of ordinary life.

In the end, Jiang Nan decided to stay in the city for a while, at least until he had spent most of the money on hand. After three years at the Red Ribbon Army headquarters in North City, he desperately needed to reconnect with society.

In another three years, Jiang Nan's power level would pass 320. By then, no one in this world would be able to threaten him-except Doris, but fortunately, she was more or less on his side.

Three years from now, I'll go back to North City and find Doris!

The moment that thought surfaced, an indescribable sense of guilt welled up within him.

Jiang Nan thought of his family from his previous life, especially his wife, Wei Jun. They had just registered their marriage and were preparing for their wedding. Would she now have to bear the label of widow at such a young age?

And I still have the nerve to reminisce about Doris's tenderness. What a bastard!

(On the self-cultivation of a scumbag. There are actually quite a few people like this in real life, neither entirely scummy nor entirely decent. Call them scumbags, and they still have moral boundaries; call them good people, and they often have their own little ulterior motives. The characters in this story do not represent the author. The author himself has remained faithful for over a decade.)

I should go collect the Dragon Balls in a couple of years and see whether the dragon can help me return to my original world.

If Earth's dragon can't do it, I'll go to Planet Namek. If Porunga can't do it either, I'll keep waiting until I'm strong enough, then collect the Super Dragon Balls scattered across Universe 6 and Universe 7!

I have to go back!

Jiang Nan's deepest wish was that, when he returned to his original world, not too much time would have passed there. That way, his family would have suffered less.

Having thoroughly encouraged himself, Jiang Nan finished his noodles in a few quick mouthfuls and left the restaurant. He wandered around nearby, found a real estate agency, and asked whether there were any rental properties in the area.

The agent proved quite helpful, taking Jiang Nan through the streets and alleys on an electric motorbike to view several available apartments.

Jiang Nan quickly chose a one-bedroom apartment with a living room in a high-rise residential complex. Without haggling, he signed the contract on the spot and paid the entire year's rent of thirty thousand upfront.

After receiving his commission, the young agent kindly gave Jiang Nan a ride to a nearby large supermarket. Jiang Nan bought some daily necessities, and just like that, he finally had a refuge in this world that belonged to him alone.

After dinner, Jiang Nan sat on his bed and meditated. One question had been nagging at him: could he increase his power level through training?

System! Jiang Nan called silently.

"I'm here!" the system replied.

Can I increase my power level through my own training? Jiang Nan asked.

"Yes!"

Then will the power I gain through training also double when a full year is up? Jiang Nan asked again.

"Yes, master."

The system's answer delighted Jiang Nan. It had only occurred to him to ask about this today. Back in North City, he had barely had any opportunities to train. At most, he had gone jogging or done some basic exercise, which had done little for his power level.

Being able to train was excellent news, especially while his power level was still relatively low. Any gains he made now would have the most noticeable effect.

The simplest example was this: if Jiang Nan could raise his power level to 50 before the next doubling, it would become 100 afterward, a clear step above the original 80. After another two years of doubling, the difference would be 400 versus 320.

In a fight between two people whose power levels differed by 80, the outcome would already be almost certain.

So how should I train?

Jiang Nan immediately recalled the scenes of Kid Goku and young Krillin training under Master Roshi. That's it! I'll follow that routine!

The Turtle School's training philosophy was to strengthen the body with weighted exercise. First, physical labor such as plowing fields, hauling soil, and delivering milk steadily built bodily strength and endurance. Then dodging attacks from bees and sharks trained reflexes, improving combat ability.

Then I'll start by strengthening my body!

Having made his decision, Jiang Nan went to bed early.

The next day, Jiang Nan got up early, ate a simple breakfast, and hurried to the supermarket he had visited the day before. There, he bought a full set of weighted training gear: ankle weights, a belt, a backpack, dumbbells, and more. By the time he paid and came out, he was carrying an extra fifty kilograms of equipment.

Fifty kilograms was not much of a burden for Jiang Nan with his current power level of 40. He tried running, and sure enough, once he got moving, he could feel the equipment's effects.

After only half an hour, Jiang Nan was already panting, but he kept pushing forward, determined to find out exactly where his limits lay.

Another half hour passed. Jiang Nan gulped down air, and thoughts of giving up began to creep into his mind.

This is exhausting. Why not stop running? My power level will grow exponentially as long as I keep lying low anyway. Why put myself through this?

Stop. If I wear my body out, won't I lose more than I gain?

Stop. Look at me, working myself into the ground, and my power level is still 40. It hasn't changed at all!

One voice after another urged Jiang Nan to give up. Time and again, he wanted to stop, but whenever he was truly about to quit, another voice suddenly reminded him to hold on a little longer. Just a little longer.

Torn by hesitation and doubt, Jiang Nan kept running. He felt his awareness beginning to blur.

Just as Jiang Nan felt he was about to collapse, his entire body suddenly felt lighter, as though it had broken through some restraint. His exhaustion vanished, and his mind cleared.

Checking his power level again, Jiang Nan was delighted to find it had reached 42!

Jiang Nan maintained his pace as he ran back. He had achieved today's training goal, so there was no need to challenge his next physical limit. He understood that pushing too far could backfire, and that biting off more than he could chew would do him no good. The Turtle School's training principles also said to exercise well, eat well, and rest well. He had burned an enormous amount of energy today. Next came a proper meal!

He first took the weighted gear back to his apartment, then showered before going downstairs to eat.

Inside the noodle shop at the entrance to the residential complex, the diners kept exclaiming in amazement.

"Boss, another bowl!"

Jiang Nan's latest call sparked another burst of lively discussion in the restaurant.

"This young man's incredible. He's already eaten seven bowls, and he can still keep going!"

"Ah, to be young! Back when I was his age, I could eat three big bowls of noodles in one sitting after work!"

"Young man, you can't eat any more! Keep this up and you'll hurt your stomach!" someone kindly warned him.

Jiang Nan thanked the nearby diner for the well-meant warning. After finishing another bowl of beef noodles, he quickly paid and left the shop, not wanting to draw too much attention.

Even with eight bowls of noodles in his stomach, Jiang Nan merely felt that he was no longer hungry. He was still some way from being full. Apparently, training hard enough to break through his physical limits consumed a great deal of energy. So he went to the nearby cooked-food shop and bought a whole roast chicken to take home.

That lunch cost Jiang Nan over a hundred. After a quick calculation, he realized that if he trained and ate like this every day, the few tens of thousands he had left would not last very long.

Maybe I should get a job?

Jiang Nan had been a programmer in his previous life. Even setting aside whether such a job existed in this world, different programming languages and technical frameworks would still be a problem.

If he found an ordinary manual job, eighty percent of his time and energy would be wasted on work, leaving him little time for systematic training.

I'll take things one step at a time. If it comes to it, I can find a way to sell the jewelry I took from Henry Manor on Papaya Island. That should bring in some spending money.

On his first day of training, Jiang Nan ran for an hour and a half carrying fifty kilograms. On the second day, he increased that to two hours, but the breakthrough sensation from the first day did not return, and his power level remained unchanged.

Apparently, breaking through his physical limits was not so easy. Jiang Nan was not discouraged. He persisted until the fifth day, when, after three hours of hard running, he broke through his physical limits once again, raising his power level to 45.

His power level had risen by five points in just five days. Jiang Nan was quite satisfied, and his motivation to train grew even stronger.