Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
Tien Shinhan raised his cup and downed the entire cup of Ultra Divine Water in a few gulps.
An intense burning sensation instantly surged into his chest.
No wonder Yajirobe had rolled on the ground in agony after drinking just one drop in the story.
Even Kid Goku had been left on the verge of death after drinking a cup.
Tien Shinhan was unsure whether the Ultra Divine Water was highly poisonous, but the strain it placed on the body after drinking it was indeed tremendous.
If Tien Shinhan had not first drunk from the Fountain of Youth to replenish his vitality, and had not spent three months training at Kami's Lookout to increase his power level, that instant shock alone would probably have been enough to make him pass out and go into shock.
But for Tien Shinhan as he was now, one cup of Ultra Divine Water was not his limit!
"Another!"
Having downed one cup of Ultra Divine Water, Tien Shinhan immediately picked up the large earthenware jug and refilled his cup.
"Me too!"
Seeing Tien Shinhan already starting on his second cup of Ultra Divine Water, Kid Goku could no longer hold back.
As soon as Tien Shinhan finished pouring his second cup, Kid Goku took the large earthenware jug and poured himself a cup too.
Although Kid Goku had lost to Tien Shinhan at this World Martial Arts Tournament, he still wanted to beat him at the next one.
How could he stand by and watch Tien Shinhan be the only one to drink the Ultra Divine Water and grow stronger?
Gulp! Gulp!
Throwing caution to the wind, Goku quickly gulped down an entire cup of Ultra Divine Water too.
"Aaaah-it burns!"
The moment the Ultra Divine Water hit his stomach, Kid Goku began crying out from the intense sensation.
Beads of sweat instantly broke out across his forehead.
Fortunately, his power level had also improved considerably over the past three months. Otherwise, just one cup of Ultra Divine Water would have sent him rolling on the ground on the verge of death.
Seeing how Tien Shinhan's expression had not changed after drinking a cup, Kid Goku had thought there was nothing frightening about the Ultra Divine Water.
Only after trying it himself did he discover just how terrifying that intense burning sensation inside his body was.
Just then, Tien Shinhan, who had finished his second cup of Ultra Divine Water, finally lost control of the searing sensation within him.
Even a real man like Tien Shinhan could not help crying out in pain at the terrifying burning brought on by twice the amount of Ultra Divine Water.
"Hmph, if Tien Shinhan's having a second cup, so am I!"
Goku gritted his teeth. Despite the unbearable pain wracking his body, his intense desire to grow stronger drove him to pour himself a second cup of Ultra Divine Water with difficulty.
Under the onslaught of excruciating pain, Kid Goku's arms trembled slightly beyond his control.
Fortunately, he managed to hold on, spilling very little of the second cup of Ultra Divine Water in his hands.
Gulp! Gulp!
Master Korin watched Goku struggle, then looked at Tien Shinhan doing everything he could to endure, and felt as though the worldview he had held for hundreds of years had been turned upside down.
In the hundreds of years since becoming the immortal of Korin Tower, Master Korin had seen many extraordinarily gifted martial artists, as well as many with astonishing perseverance.
Possessing either extraordinary talent or astonishing perseverance was enough to make someone a first-rate martial artist on Earth in any given era.
Yet now, not only did Tien Shinhan and Goku possess talent far surpassing every martial artist Master Korin had ever seen, their perseverance was also astonishing beyond anything he had witnessed!
"Madmen. They're absolute madmen!"
Genius martial artists like these, who would stake their very lives on pursuing greater heights in martial arts, were already beyond the realm of mere geniuses.
They were madmen among geniuses, geniuses among geniuses!
"Haha, Tien Shinhan, you drank two cups, and so did I. I won't let you leave me behind.
Let's have another good match at the next World Martial Arts Tournament!"
After finishing his second cup of Ultra Divine Water, Goku revealed a faint smile of relief before finally passing out from pain pushed to the limit.
When Chiaotzu first saw Tien Shinhan drink a cup of Ultra Divine Water without a change in expression, he had also planned to challenge himself by drinking a full cup outright.
But after seeing the obvious pain on Goku's face following his first cup of Ultra Divine Water, Chiaotzu changed his mind.
Challenging the Ultra Divine Water carried risks. It was not something to approach on impulse.
Goku had insisted on drinking a second cup just like Tien Shinhan not only because he refused to be outdone, but also because he had a robust physique and a power level second only to Tien Shinhan's.
Although Chiaotzu had also trained alongside Tien Shinhan for three months, his current power level was only slightly higher than Krillin's before receiving Kami's guidance.
His power level was still far below Goku's, let alone Tien Shinhan's. Even though he had also drunk from the Fountain of Youth, challenging an entire cup of Ultra Divine Water would still be pushing it.
After weighing it over and over, Chiaotzu finally took out his cup and filled it three-quarters full with Ultra Divine Water.
That amount was already the limit of what he could challenge.
A moment later, Chiaotzu drank the Ultra Divine Water too and began rolling around in excruciating pain.
Of the three who had challenged the Ultra Divine Water, the only one who could still barely remain standing was Tien Shinhan, who occasionally roared to ease the intense burning within his body.
Watching Tien Shinhan and the other two-one screaming, one rolling around, and one unconscious, all reduced to miserable states by the Ultra Divine Water's potent poison-Krillin became even more certain that Tien Shinhan's earlier advice had been right.
If he attempted it now, he would probably count himself lucky to barely survive half a cup of Ultra Divine Water.
He should wait until he had trained at Kami's Lookout for a while and grown stronger before trying it.
As Krillin thought this, Master Korin remained where he was, quietly observing the three.
Although he had confidence in all three of them, he still needed to watch them constantly so he could intervene and treat them in time.
If the Ultra Divine Water's poison truly proved too potent for a martial artist, even Master Korin would be unable to save them.
Still, he made every preparation he could, lest some minor, unexpected mishap lead to regret.
Tien Shinhan, hang in there!
Not far away, Blue-haired Launch silently cheered Tien Shinhan on in her heart, lest suddenly speaking aloud disturb him.
Yet just when everyone thought all that remained of the Ultra Divine Water challenge was for the three to quietly endure the strain it brought, Tien Shinhan moved his hands again from where he had been standing like a statue.
He held the jug in one hand and his cup in the other, looking as though he actually intended to attempt a third cup of Ultra Divine Water!
"Kid, have you gone mad? No one has ever successfully endured even one cup of Ultra Divine Water before.
You and Goku are already lucky to have survived two cups. If you drink a third now, you really could be poisoned to death on the spot!"
Ever since the three began their challenge, Master Korin had maintained an outward air of composure, remaining calm and unruffled without a change in expression.
But at this moment, seeing Tien Shinhan's insane actions, this behavior that was nothing short of gambling with his life, he completely lost his composure!
Having a martial artist's heart with an intense desire to grow stronger was a good thing, but becoming overly greedy because of it was not.
Thinking Tien Shinhan had lost his head over his greed for the Ultra Divine Water's effects, Master Korin shouted for him to stop, disregarding the image he had been maintaining.
Yet to his surprise, although Tien Shinhan's reply was strained through gritted teeth, his tone was exceptionally calm.
"Don't worry... Master Korin. I... I know my limits!"
As he spoke, Tien Shinhan tilted the jug again, pouring Ultra Divine Water into his cup.
This time, however, he clearly did exercise restraint and did not fill his third cup to the brim.
Instead, he poured exactly half a cup.
Two and a half cups!
That was what Tien Shinhan sensed to be the limit his current power level and vitality could withstand.
Gulp!
Downing that final half cup of Ultra Divine Water in one swallow, Tien Shinhan collapsed to the ground amid a redoubled surge of searing pain.
To everyone else, he appeared to have passed out just like Goku.
But perhaps because Tien Shinhan's mental strength was the fusion of two and therefore more powerful, his consciousness remained clear even as his body lay unconscious.
Observing with that clear consciousness, Tien Shinhan could distinctly sense the potential within his body being drawn out, bit by bit, by the two and a half cups of Ultra Divine Water he had drunk!