Second Layer, Fifth Level! Second Layer, Sixth Level! Second Layer, Seventh Level! Second Layer, Eighth Level! Second Layer, Ninth Level!
In the Muten Tower section, the main structure is shaped like a fifty-story tall tower outline. Starting from the first floor, countless tiny points of light densely fill the area. The first floor has many light points, the second floor has the most, then gradually fewer on the third and fourth floors. By the fifth floor, only a few scattered lights remain... Above that, there are no lights at all.
From the thirty-fourth floor up to the top, the fiftieth floor, this area is dim.
Because Gohan has only reached the thirty-third floor so far.
Each floor is further divided into ten progressive stages from bottom to top, corresponding to ten levels of challenges per floor... This sudden bright spot has been bursting through at an incredible speed, starting from the first level of the second floor, smashing through all the way to the last, the tenth level of the second floor!
"Who is this? So strong!" someone exclaimed, then opened the glowing point, and instantly a name popped up.
"It's Krillin!? The disciple of the Muten School, Goku's senior brother-in-arms, the third-place winner of this year's World Martial Arts Tournament, Krillin?!" someone shouted loudly, drawing the attention of many passersby who hadn't been paying attention to the Muten Tower. They also showed surprise and asked what was going on. When they opened their screens to check the real-time status, they were amazed.
"Amazing, it's only been a few minutes, and he's almost cleared the entire second floor!" Inside Muten City, members of the Martial Arts Association were shocked.
"Could it be that he'll just directly ascend to the third floor like this?" some hoped. After all, this is another record for ascending the tower, and witnessing it is a kind of fortune.
At this moment, at the tenth level of the second floor, in front of Krillin, a green data stream coalesced. It was the guardian of the "Muken Second Layer, Tenth Level." His energy intensity was exactly the same as Krillin's, and his moves and techniques were identical, but... he actually possessed three times the power of the Muken!
Defeating him was necessary to advance to the third floor.
The little bald guy closed his eyes, recalling the content on the Muten Monument he saw a year ago in the second layer of the Muten Tower — the patterns, the lines, the marks... all gradually etched into his mind. After witnessing those, Krillin had deeply engraved them in his heart and often reviewed them.
"Come on!" Krillin suddenly opened his eyes, showing a determined expression.
"Success! Krillin defeated the final guardian and ascended to the third floor!" Everyone in the Muten City and the nine main surface cities who had been following the Muten Tower's current situation were shocked.
Climbing the Muten Tower is harder than reaching the heavens!
If it were that easy, so many people wouldn't have strongly protested, forcing the virtual network company to compromise by adding ten additional levels of space in each floor of the Muten Tower... Remember, originally the Muten Tower had only fifty floors, not the current five hundred levels!
Krillin's rapid and forceful climb since the "Ten-Level" system appeared was unprecedented!
"Krillin, huh..." A white-bearded bald old man in Muten City sighed. He was the abbot of Orin Temple and had picked Krillin up from a creek below the mountain years ago. Who would have thought this kid was so dissatisfied with the temple, escaping on his own over a year ago? Now, he had become the favored disciple of the Muten School and was showing his prowess in the Muten Tower.
The abbot himself had only reached the third floor of the Muten Tower.
...
After Krillin ascended to the third floor, in the space where the Muten Monument stood, about ten people were present. They all turned their heads to look at Krillin with strange expressions. Obviously, they were also watching his tower ascent.
"Uh... why are they all staring at me like that?" Krillin scratched his face. Just then, Jarvis's voice sounded, explaining the situation. Krillin was speechless and asked, "Can I be anonymous? It feels... like too many people are watching me..."
Though Jarvis showed no form, his voice was there: "Lying isn't good, Mr. Krillin. Your mental fluctuations show you don't dislike being in the spotlight."
"That's sneaky, Jarvis," Krillin muttered.
"Also, Mr. Taro has already disabled your anonymity function..." Jarvis continued, "And one more thing I forgot to tell you — everyone in Muten City has a 'Guidance' feature. If others don't want to guide someone, they can turn it off, but you guys..."
Krillin guessed, "Could it be that Master also disabled this feature for us?"
"Exactly," Jarvis said calmly. "'Guiding' others costs money. Once your fame spreads, requests for your guidance won't be few. I will help filter those suitable in level and price for you... Guiding others not only solidifies your personal martial arts but also earns reputation and money, and indirectly trains new martial artists."
"Alright, alright... Since Master instructed it, there's no helping it." Krillin gave in, thinking that even though he was a martial artist and disciple of the Muten School, he still had to live in modern society — this matched Krillin's personality and wishes. He wasn't like Goku, who could live in the wild mountains without a problem.
This 'Guidance' function doesn't interfere with training, lets him show off in front of others, and even makes money. Actually... it's not bad.
With that thought, Krillin walked to the Muten Monument on the third floor, and the others unconsciously gave him way.
Krillin felt several gazes watching him. He touched his chin and suddenly said, "Actually... you should go check the first or second floor now. I think... another guy far stronger than me is rushing here at full speed!"
"What?!" The others were shocked, but Krillin was already looking up, immersed in the mysteries of the third-floor Muten Monument. They reluctantly opened their light screens and clicked on the Muten Tower section... Then, like many others in the ten main cities at this moment, they froze.
First Layer, First Level!
First Layer, Second Level!
First Layer, Fifth Level!
First Layer, Sixth Level!
First Layer, Ninth Level!
First Layer, Tenth Level!
A light point, after entering the first layer's ten-level ladder, immediately started breaking through without pause. It flickered every few seconds, instantly bursting into the next level, as if there was no resistance at all... Although the first floor of the Muten Tower is simpler and for most martial artists, with effort and comprehension, it can be quickly mastered.
But such speed, as if breathing or eating were that simple — this had never been seen before.
"It's… Son Goku…" Someone who hadn't paid much attention to the situation on the first floor was immediately shocked upon opening it.
What shocked them wasn't anything else, but the fact that Son Goku had won this year's World Martial Arts Tournament championship without even having practiced the Muken style!
"Is this guy even human?" Someone thought they must be dreaming. Not long ago, someone posted on a forum suggesting that Goku might have already mastered Muken, perhaps at a very high level, to the point that the old officials behind the tournament couldn't tell whether he used it or not… No one could find any record of him in the Muten Tower, so surely he was anonymous.
Now, the real facts had emerged.
"He never practiced Muken and still won the tournament? Has something like this ever happened before?" someone in the Muten main city muttered to a companion.
"Absolutely not! Even the old Son Gohan back then had already surpassed everyone else in Muken when he first entered the World Martial Arts Tournament!" the companion asserted, then urged, "Stop talking and look… Goku hasn't stopped! He's charging into the second floor now!"
"What?! He's not studying the second floor's Muten Stele?!"
"Who knows!"
On the first floor of the Muten Tower, many people still hadn't recovered their senses. When Goku appeared earlier, it even caused a stir, but Jarvis quickly created a separated space, allowing Goku to immerse himself in the first floor's Muten Stele content.
Goku studied the first floor's Muten Stele for a very long time—much longer than ordinary people.
"Why is he studying so long? I didn't spend that long, and I've already passed many levels!" someone murmured, gradually relaxing their mindset. That's right, although Goku was strong, he was still just a kid. Maybe his physical talent was outstanding and his martial progress lightning-fast, but when it came to delving into the profound mysteries of Muken, perhaps he just couldn't handle it.
Many people speculated, but Goku was isolated inside the partition space Jarvis created with permissions, so no one could disturb him.
Gazing up at the stele recording the introductory mysteries of Muken, Goku's pure eyes blinked not once; he had entered a state of deep comprehension.
The fifty steles throughout the Muten Tower had all been personally placed by Taro in Jarvis' data space back then. They contained Taro's unique spiritual fluctuations at the time. Even Jarvis' terrifying computing and simulation capabilities could not replicate these steles—though their forms existed, their spirit did not.
After Kuririn had already broken through the entire second floor, Goku finally moved. He stood up, eyes flashing with fighting spirit, and without a word, Jarvis immediately understood and teleported him to the first floor trial space of the Muten Tower!
And so… the previously unbelievable scene occurred.
The light point representing Goku advanced almost one level with every blink.
Within just a few breaths, his light point had already reached the first floor's tenth level.
Countless eyes watched him because the first floor's tenth level was a threshold. Passing it meant a martial artist had truly mastered their own power and could fully unleash it at one hundred percent.
But… Goku's light point didn't stop for even a moment. Just like at the first level, it flickered once and passed right through!
The second floor!
"Eleven seconds! Goku passed through the first floor in just eleven seconds!" someone screamed, holding their head as if witnessing something incomprehensible.
But Goku didn't stop.
At the moment people on the second floor saw him pass the first floor's tenth level, all their eyes immediately turned to him. Sure enough… Goku's figure appeared there! But to their surprise, he just glanced briefly at the second floor's Muten Stele and disappeared again.
"He went straight to the trial!" someone among the second floor crowd shouted, pointing at their holographic screen.
"What? Not even looking at the Muten Stele, going straight to the trial?" Someone quickly reopened their screen. Sure enough, Goku's light point was already on the second floor's first level!
It should be known that the second floor of the Muten Tower… was the most special floor in the entire tower!
If passing through the first floor and just arriving at the second floor was represented by the number "1," then to clear the second floor's first level, one must leap directly to "2.1"! This was a major qualitative transformation!
From this point on, the practitioners of Muken began to transform... the true path of transcendence started here. Many people actually fell at this threshold because it was simply too great. This is also why the second floor had the largest number of people stuck within the entire tower.
But now, after Goku had cleared the first floor... he only glanced once at the second floor's Muten Stele and went straight to the trial?
Many wanted to see Goku fail, but of course, some thought maybe Goku just wanted to try it out.
"No way. I've never seen anyone directly…" someone laughed. He believed that although Goku was a disciple of the Muten tradition and grandson of Son Gohan, he was still just a young man who, after winning the World Martial Arts Tournament championship, was bound to get a little cocky.
"Arrogant!" someone muttered quietly. "The Muten Tower doesn't care if you're the champion or a disciple of the Muten tradition... trying to… trying to…" His words gradually trailed off because the light point representing Goku only briefly paused at the second floor's first level before flickering and disappearing to appear at the second floor's second level!
Oh my god… was he going to repeat what happened on the first floor??
More and more people had this thought, and it scared them half to death because it was so insane. Maybe, back when the Muten Tower hadn't yet divided into "ten levels," before many even noticed the tower, the old Son Gohan might have been able to do this?
Unclear! Because it was terrifying!
Just thinking about it, many couldn't help but come to an uncontrollable conclusion... Goku and these people were living in absolutely different worlds.
"Come out! Come out! Come out!…" someone muttered desperately, watching the light point intently.
"What are you doing?" a friend beside him asked.
The man rolled his eyes: "Are you stupid? Of course, I'm waiting for Goku to come out so I can be the first to request 'guidance'! Knowing Goku's usual personality, he probably wouldn't refuse me as the first person asking for help, right?"
"Damn! That's so sneaky! I want in too!"
"Shh! Keep it down, others don't seem to have realized this yet…"
"That's right, maybe they've already accepted that Goku is on a completely different level from us…"
The two waited for quite some time. They saw Goku's light point blaze through the second floor of the Muten Tower and rush directly to the third floor. Just as it paused briefly, they were about to send the request—
"Sorry, the opponent is currently in the Muten Tower trial space and cannot accept guidance requests." The intelligent assistant responded.
"Ah?!" The two stared blankly. "Again?!"