Son Gohan turned to look and saw a young man standing behind Yamiru, with a third eye on his forehead.
Muscles well-defined, his aura surging… Son Gohan nodded inwardly—this young man was a skilled fighter. Based on Yamiru's explanation, anyone capable of entering this spiritual realm had to at least be on par with Son Gohan's own strength. The fact that such a young three-eyed fighter had made it here left Son Gohan quietly impressed. Truly, heroes emerge from the younger generation!
"It's you, Tien Shinhan." Yamiru turned to see Tien Shinhan looking completely bewildered, clearly not understanding what had just happened or how he had ended up in this place.
"Where is this?" Nearly four years had passed, and the now nearly twelve-year-old Tien Shinhan had grown to a height of about 1.4 meters. He frowned. "I was just at Kame House… How did I suddenly end up here?"
"Kame House?" Son Gohan was surprised.
Yamiru quickly explained the situation to Son Gohan, who then learned that this talented young martial artist was originally the disciple of Master Shen but had later joined Master Roshi's school, turning away from his former path. Son Gohan mused, Training under Master Roshi… No wonder his skills are so refined! But it's also a testament to the kid's natural talent…
"This is the spiritual realm," Yamiru said. "Tien Shinhan, you've gotten much stronger over these years."
"But you're still stronger," Tien Shinhan responded after a brief assessment, realizing that he was no match for Yamiru—he would likely lose in just one move. A skilled martial artist, even without mastering ki, could judge the difference in strength through experience, especially when the gap was as vast as this. "But… a spiritual realm?" Tien Shinhan still looked confused.
Yamiru smiled. "Let's wait a bit and see who else shows up. I'll explain everything then."
Tien Shinhan quickly understood what Yamiru meant.
Before long, the three of them witnessed the arrival of an elderly, short and thin man with a bald head, white beard, floral shirt, and baggy shorts.
It was none other than Master Roshi.
"Oh my," Master Roshi adjusted his sunglasses. "If it isn't Son Gohan… and Yamiru… Ah, Tien Shinhan, you're here too."
"Master Roshi, you've arrived as well," Tien Shinhan greeted respectfully. "What about Chiaotzu? Isn't he with you?"
Master Roshi shook his head. "I have no idea… Just a moment ago, Chiaotzu and I were looking for you, but then you suddenly vanished…" As he spoke, Master Roshi seemed to be deep in thought and suddenly disappeared.
Tien Shinhan was stunned by what he had just seen. But moments later, Master Roshi reappeared. He looked intrigued and then turned directly to Tien Shinhan. "Chiaotzu is still at Kame House. He's fine, but he doesn't seem able to enter this place like we did."
Through his sunglasses, the reflections of Yamiru, Son Gohan, and Tien Shinhan could be seen. He mused, "It seems that those appearing here… are all accomplished martial artists."
Sharp observation! Yamiru praised him internally. Indeed, Master Roshi was still quite reliable when he wasn't being perverted.
Yamiru had originally planned to wait a bit longer, thinking that Son Goku might show up as well, but after waiting for quite some time without any more arrivals, he decided to explain things to Master Roshi and Tien Shinhan. He omitted any mention of the Dragon God—explaining that part would be too complicated, and leaving it out wouldn't affect their understanding of the situation.
"So it was the Dragon Balls…" Master Roshi nodded. "That day when the sky suddenly turned dark—it was your wish."
Tien Shinhan broke into a sweat. "You can actually do something like this…?"
He glanced around at the surroundings, which were as real as the physical world. Did this mean Yamiru had essentially created an entirely new world?
Just then, more newcomers appeared.
A fat cat… and a fat man.
"Isn't that Korin!?" Master Roshi exclaimed, running over with some respect to greet him.
Korin, looking confused, responded, "Oh, Master Roshi? What are you doing here? And also, where is 'here'? Strange… I thought I knew every place on Earth, but I've never heard of this one…"
Son Gohan was surprised. "So this is Korin…"
Yamiru was equally taken aback. "I thought Korin would have surpassed the entry requirement…"
So his strength is only a little over a hundred? Is my perception too weak, or is he just hiding it too well?
"…I get the feeling you're thinking something very rude, Yamiru." Korin licked his paw and squinted at Yamiru. "It's been nearly two years. How's your understanding of ki progressing?"
Yamiru replied humbly, "Only minor improvements, nothing worth mentioning…"
Master Roshi was surprised. "No wonder your martial arts have improved so much! So you've been to Korin Tower?" He mentally calculated the timeline—even if Yamiru had gone there immediately after the tournament, it had been less than three years. "So right now, you should still be at Korin Tower?"
Yamiru shook his head. "For some reasons, I left the tower early."
"His temperament isn't suited to training on the tower for long," Korin said, licking his paw and feeling more at ease. "Moreover, just like he said, there are indeed some reasons…"
Son Gohan understood. The "some reasons" were probably referring to the revival of Bardock and Gine.
The only one still completely confused was Tien Shinhan. Master Roshi then introduced Korin to him, and he sighed, "I worked for three whole years before passing the hermit's test!"
Yamiru added, "It's been two years, but I'm still on my way…"
Son Gohan felt embarrassed. "I haven't even climbed Korin Tower…"
"Impressive…" Tien Shinhan felt like he was stepping into a whole new world, and the pressure was immense. Was the road ahead still that long? Despite his hard training after the World Martial Arts Tournament, it seemed like the gap between him and Yamiru hadn't shrunk at all… Just as they were all contemplating, the little fat boy who had come with Korin the Hermit complained, "Hey, isn't anyone going to pay attention to me?"
Yamiru glanced at him. "Oh, it's Yajirobe."
Yajirobe fumed, "Oh, 'oh'? I haven't even settled the score with you yet! You tricked me into coming to some godforsaken place and almost got me killed!"
Korin the Hermit looked at the little fat boy in surprise. "Isn't this the kid from under my Korin Tower?"
"You're the so-called sage on Korin Tower?" Yajirobe sneered at the white cat. "Doesn't seem like much…"
"Heh…" Korin the Hermit chuckled, tapping Yajirobe's head with his staff.
"Ouch!" Yajirobe yelped, his sharp teeth bared as he angrily growled, "Why'd you hit me all of a sudden!"
Korin casually replied, "Didn't you hear Yamiru just say? This is the training ground he created with the Dragon Balls… Since you've come here, why not train too? Take this!" He swung his staff again. Yajirobe immediately started panicking, shouting, "This is pure revenge! Ah, it hurts!"
Yamiru was speechless. Even without Senzu Beans, they were already fighting. Was this just bad chemistry?
Tien Shinhan was eager to try as well. A place for training, huh… Master Roshi, never one to shy away from mischief, encouraged, "Go ahead. Even with you joining in, I'm sure Korin won't have any trouble."
Yamiru gave him a side-eye. "Master Roshi, are you sure you're not just venting some old resentment from your three years of eating plain water and beans on Korin Tower?"
---
Cold… Tremors…
Master Shen suddenly opened his eyes and sprang to his feet, scanning the surroundings warily.