"In the heart of the great forest on the southwestern Indian plains-that's where Korin Tower is."
Wumu had run at full speed for three days before coming across a village, where he stopped to rest and ask about Korin Tower.
The old man before him had also tried climbing Korin Tower in his youth, only to fail.
After thanking the old man, he continued running at full speed toward Korin Tower.
Several days later, a great forest appeared before him.
Wumu did not stop, continuing to race into the depths of the forest.
By the time Wumu passed through the woods and reached the center of the forest, it was already late.
"So this is Korin Tower!"
Wumu raised his head and looked at the white pillar soaring into the sky before him, just like in the original anime.
He marveled inwardly. Only seeing it in person could truly convey its impact; he could not feel it at all through a screen.
"Who are you? Have you come here to challenge Korin Tower?"
Just then, a sturdy man exuding a fierce air emerged from the tent beneath Korin Tower, with a child behind him. Both wore traditional Indian clothing, had dark skin and painted faces, and had several feathers resembling pheasant tail feathers tucked into their hair.
Their clothing alone told him that they were Upa and his father, the guardians of Korin Tower from the original story.
In the original story, Upa's father, Bora, was also very powerful and had helped Son Goku, but later, when the Red Ribbon Army was searching for the Dragon Balls, he died protecting Upa.
Thinking of this, Wumu decided to try saving him if he could. For now, he planned to climb Korin Tower first.
"My name is Wumu. I heard this is where an immortal lives, and I've come to learn," Wumu said with a gentle smile.
Bora was used to this. "Then why not rest for the night first? We have a spare tent here."
Listening to Bora, Wumu thought about how he had been running at full speed for days and really did need some rest, so he agreed.
After he tidied up a little, Bora and his son called to Wumu again, and he stepped out of the tent.
"Brother Wumu, I've just roasted some meat. Come have some and replenish your energy."
Wumu nodded and sat opposite Bora. The fire before him gave off scorching heat, its light illuminating their surroundings.
A skewer of large chunks of pork rested over the fire. Seeing the fat dripping from the pork, I swallowed.
Seeing Wumu's awkward expression, Bora laughed. "It's ready. Don't stand on ceremony-dig in!"
Already unable to hold back, Wumu tore off a piece of meat at Bora's words and wolfed it down.
It's so delicious!
Wumu /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~
I've been traveling all this time and haven't had a decent meal. Boo-hoo-hoo... any more and it'll be nothing but tears.
"I'm not trying to discourage you, Brother Wumu, but our tribe has guarded Korin Tower for generations. We've seen many challengers, and only Master Mutaito succeeded three hundred years ago."
Bora tilted his head to look at Korin Tower soaring into the clouds, shook his head, sighed, and spoke solemnly.
"The lucky ones among those who failed made it back alive. The unlucky ones fell and were smashed to pieces. I tried climbing it myself once, but this tower seemed to have no top at all. Brother Wumu, I still want to offer you some advice: come down if you feel you can't hold on."
Wumu swallowed the food in his mouth. Although he knew that with his current strength, which rivaled Master Roshi's, he could climb it, he did not want to draw too much attention.
"Mm, mm... thank you for the advice, Brother Bora. I'll come down if I feel my stamina won't hold out."
Hearing Wumu's reply, Bora smiled and nodded. "All right, get some rest as soon as you're done eating. I'll be watching from below tomorrow."
After eating his fill, Wumu rolled his neck, stretched his body, then stood and walked to the river to wash.
After washing, he spoke to Bora.
"Brother Bora, I'm going to bed!"
"Mm, all right..."
The next day.
Wumu rose early, practiced several rounds of Bajiquan by the river, then sat cross-legged there, sensing the Ki within his body.
He had suddenly broken through during his final match against Master Roshi. In terms of cultivation realm, he could probably be considered at the middle stage of hidden force now.
National Martial Arts realms had never been divided into early, middle, and late stages. This was Wumu's own assessment. After spending enough time in a realm, one would naturally break through when the time came, and Wumu was not sure how to subdivide the levels now that he was cultivating Dragon Ball Ki.
His breakthrough had happened entirely because his body's capacity suddenly expanded, followed by more Ki surging forth.
Judging by the power-level system, I should have a power level of around a hundred and forty or fifty now. Once I've climbed the tower and trained, I'll head out into the universe to travel.
"Brother Wumu, are you ready?"
Bora walked over just then, looking at Wumu as he asked.
Wumu nodded. "Brother Bora, I'm ready."
Bora patted Wumu's shoulder. "Remember, come down immediately if you sense danger. Korin Tower may be mysterious, but life is more precious."
Wumu replied with a smile, "Don't worry. I'll be careful."
They walked to the base of Korin Tower together. Wumu gazed up toward its top, which towered into the clouds, and a resolve to take on the challenge rose within him.
He began climbing, using both hands and feet to make steady progress upward.
"Brave child, may the gods bless you," Bora prayed softly, his gaze never leaving Wumu.
At first, the surface of Korin Tower proved smoother than Wumu had imagined, and finding suitable handholds and footholds took more time.
Wumu silently repeated Bora's words to himself, trying to remain calm, and slowly found his rhythm.
As he climbed higher, the wind grew stronger, and Wumu felt a challenge unlike any he had faced before.
He could feel the Ki flowing within his body, as though responding to Korin Tower's call.
After each stretch of climbing, Wumu would stop to regulate his breathing and sense the flow of Ki within him, gradually calming his heart.
Time seemed to lose all meaning during the climb. Wumu did not know how long he had been climbing. His fingers were beginning to go numb, and his muscles protested the relentless exertion.
But he did not stop, because he knew this was an opportunity not only to train his physical strength, but also to temper his willpower.
After climbing for several hours, Wumu felt his stamina gradually dwindling, and every upward pull became exceptionally difficult.
He stopped and rested against a protrusion on Korin Tower, closing his eyes and breathing deeply in an attempt to recover his stamina.
Just then, he heard a faint voice.
"Wumu, don't give up. You're already very close to the top."
Wumu opened his eyes and looked around for the source of the voice, but saw nothing.
He realized that it might have been his own inner voice, or perhaps Korin of Korin Tower encouraging him.
"I can keep going!"
Wumu rallied and continued climbing.
Finally, when Wumu used his last ounce of strength to pull himself onto the top of Korin Tower, he collapsed into a sitting position on the ground. Gazing at the boundless scenery around him, his heart filled with an unprecedented sense of achievement and awe.
A moment later, standing at the top of the tower, Wumu looked around. Clouds drifted slowly beneath his feet, and the entire world seemed to lie below him.
At that moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of freedom and achievement.
"Is this what it feels like to surpass your limits?"
Wumu murmured to himself, feeling his heart fill with strength.
Then Wumu sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
He wanted to remember how this moment felt. He believed this experience of surpassing his own limits would give him endless strength on his future journey.
Wumu sensed the Ki flowing within his body. It seemed that, at this moment, he had become one with the entire universe.
Just then, a gentle voice sounded beside his ear:
"Welcome to Korin Tower, young man."
Wumu turned and saw a cat slowly approaching him with a walking stick. Wumu knew he was Master Korin.