The secret of the Kamehameha

"Although my master understood the importance of mastering ki, his approach differed from that of his junior fellow disciple, Master Shen. Master Shen devoted all his efforts to controlling ki, while my master always believed physical conditioning was the foundation."

"That is why the Kamehameha my master created centers on the body, gathering the ki within it into a single energy wave. Its power depends on how strong the user's foundation is. Physical conditioning and willpower both determine how much destruction the Kamehameha can cause."

Son Gohan's explanation made sense to Jiang Nan. It wasn't that Master Shen's thinking was wrong, but as someone who had transmigrated here and knew the future, he found Master Roshi's theory more reliable.

Take the Dodon Ray Mercenary Tao had learned from Master Shen, for example. Very few people in this world could withstand a direct hit from it, but when Mercenary Tao faced an opponent stronger than himself, the Dodon Ray could do little.

Especially later on, energy-wave techniques became less and less useful, mostly contributing to those iconic moments where there was plenty of smoke but no damage.

Still, nothing was absolute. Precise control over ki could bring quite a few unexpected benefits.

Even setting aside the practically cheat-like Instant Transmission Son Goku had learned from the Yardratians, techniques from the Crane School such as the Solar Flare and Tri-Beam often played crucial roles at critical moments.

Then there was the Destructo Disc Krillin had created. Not only had it nearly killed Nappa, the Saiyan who invaded Earth, but it had also sliced clean through Frieza's tail despite a hundredfold gap in Battle Power.

After turning these thoughts over, Jiang Nan said, "Mr. Son, I've seen Master Roshi use the Kamehameha before. He was willing to teach me, but I wasn't perceptive enough. Although I can form an energy ball, I can tell its power is barely satisfactory. It falls far short of my actual strength."

Son Gohan tore off a small piece of fish and tasted it. "The fish needs a little longer. Since my master was willing to teach you, why not demonstrate it while we wait? I'll take a look. I wouldn't call it instruction-let's just consider it an exchange of ideas."

Jiang Nan accepted without fuss. He stood and walked some distance away, then planted his feet, steadied his breathing, and focused. Sinking into a horse stance, he cupped his hands together in the shape of a lotus and began gathering his body's strength into his palms.

"Bzzzt!"

Electrical sparks began flickering between Jiang Nan's palms.

"Hummm!"

An energy ball appeared, radiating silver light. Jiang Nan continued gathering energy until the ball between his palms reached the size of a volleyball. Then he thrust his hands forward, sending a bright silver energy wave shooting straight ahead.

The energy wave struck the large boulder Jiang Nan had aimed at. With a thunderous boom, the Kamehameha blasted it to pieces.

"Wow, that's amazing! Old geezer, I want to learn that too!" Kid Goku exclaimed.

Jiang Nan walked back with a glum expression. "You saw that, Mr. Son. That's all the power I can get out of it."

Son Gohan had already recognized Jiang Nan's mistake. Stroking his beard, he smiled. "You truly are a martial arts prodigy, young Jiang Nan. To have come this far at your age is already remarkable. But you have indeed made the same mistake I did when I learned this technique in my youth."

Jiang Nan bowed his head earnestly. "Please teach me, Mr. Son!"

Son Gohan set down the stick he had been tending the fire with and walked over to where Jiang Nan had performed the Kamehameha. Rolling up his sleeves, he said, "When you gathered your ki just now, I noticed you were focusing on your hands. In other words, all you gathered was the strength in your hands."

Son Gohan stood straight, and the energy throughout his body began gathering at his center. Jiang Nan could see his Battle Power rising slightly, and he could sense an astonishing amount of energy forming in Son Gohan's lower abdomen-the area commonly called the dantian.

Understanding struck Jiang Nan like a bolt of lightning. He was supposed to gather energy within his body, then release it through his hands, rather than focus entirely on his hand movements from the start.

That also explained why Son Goku could later fire a Kamehameha from his feet. He had already gathered the energy inside his body. The key lay within the body; where he released it mattered far less.

Only after that astonishing energy had fully condensed did Son Gohan spread his legs and cup his hands into a lotus shape. Jiang Nan keenly sensed the energy moving within Son Gohan's body.

"Hummm!"

A dazzling energy ball the size of a basketball appeared between Son Gohan's palms. His muscles bulged, and with a loud shout, he fired an energy wave at a small hill in the distance.

The energy wave whipped up a blast of wind and struck the hill with overwhelming force, punching straight through its tens of meters of height. The Kamehameha continued beyond it without losing any power, blasting another massive hole in the cliff behind it before Son Gohan finally stopped.

"Holy shit!"

Jiang Nan cried out in shock. Although Son Gohan's Battle Power was lower than his, the difference between their Kamehamehas was like night and day.

Son Gohan walked back wearily and said modestly, "That was nothing special. Ah, I'm getting too old for this. Every time I use that technique, I need a few days to recover."

Sure enough, Son Gohan's Battle Power had fallen to 70. Using that technique had clearly drained a great deal of his energy.

Moved by how much Son Gohan had exhausted himself just to demonstrate the technique for him, Jiang Nan bowed deeply. "Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Mr. Son. I've learned a great deal."

"Grandpa, sit down and rest." After seeing how powerful the old man really was, Kid Goku's gaze turned much more innocent. He even ran over of his own accord to massage Son Gohan's shoulders.

The fish was finally about done. Son Gohan first tore off a large piece of tender belly meat and handed it to Kid Goku. Goku eagerly devoured it in a few bites, then waited with pleading eyes for Son Gohan to give him more.

Jiang Nan received a large piece with a fin attached. After going so long without food, he was already starving, and he hurriedly took a big bite.

The fish was white, silky, and tender. Although hardly any seasoning had been added, the flesh had a faint natural saltiness that made it delicious.

As they ate, Jiang Nan asked Son Gohan more about training. "Mr. Son, I suppose I'm halfway to being a Turtle School disciple now. I regularly do weighted training and reaction drills as Master Roshi instructed. They helped at first, but why has my martial arts progress stalled over time?"

Son Gohan slowly swallowed his mouthful of fish and smiled. "Training in martial arts is a long-term process. I can sense that your ki is very powerful, even stronger than my master's. To be so strong already and still maintain that desire to improve is truly rare."