Night fell, the sky dark and moonless, without a single star.
By a small stream on the vast plain, an orange campfire flickered, casting its light on Tienshinhan's face as he sat cross-legged. His clothes still bore the weight of his gear. Though tired from a full day of travel, his stubborn resolve kept him going.
His third eye remained open — a trait of his Three-Eyed Tribe and Earthling mixed heritage. Even in sleep, he could keep it half-open, half-awake. He wasn't meditating to cultivate Ki like Earth martial artists — who had no such training method — but to calm his mind.
Tien chose rigorous training to catch up with Goku.
Nearby, Chiaotzu and Yamcha slept wrapped in their clothes; Goku and Krillin lay side by side, a faintly glowing necklace beneath their chest clothes.
The Virtual Earth Network... Tien had heard of it before. He had even asked his master, Master Crane, if he could join the martial arts association inside this virtual network, since he heard it offered great convenience and benefits for martial artists.
Through Krillin, he learned that the greatest benefit for martial artists there was the Muken — the legacy and method left by the Muten Roshi.
At this moment, Goku and Krillin, lying side by side, opened their eyes simultaneously. Bald Krillin blinked, adjusting to the difference between the virtual network and the real world, still impressed by Goku's unstoppable progress in the Muten Tower, nearly breaking through the third floor.
"Goku, you're just too crazy..." Krillin sighed with admiration, just like he had felt often during the previous year on Muten Island. His good friend's martial talent was so extreme it inspired jealousy. That Goku continued to shine after entering the Muten Tower was no surprise. But Krillin understood: Goku's rapid rise from the first to the tenth level of the third floor was the result of more than ten years' accumulation — a massive buildup finally bursting forth.
This was also the expectation of Master Gohan and their master for Goku.
Lost in thought, Krillin was about to rest. Activity in the virtual Earth Network was mentally taxing and still required real rest. Yet suddenly, Goku sprang up.
"Hey, Goku, where are you going?" Krillin sat up, confused.
"I'm going to practice a bit!" Goku waved his hand and headed off into the night without looking back. The body in the virtual network was just a simulation calculated by Jarvis — realistic, but still different.
Though Goku often seemed simple and naïve, when it came to fundamental things, he was wiser than anyone, possessing a natural, profound intelligence.
Even if he didn't understand everything consciously, he instinctively felt it was better to truly integrate the third floor's ninth level Muken in reality... Besides, he was actually excited — curious to see what using 3.9 times the power of the Muken felt like!
"His aura seems to have changed... more unfathomable. Is this the mystery of the Muken?" Tien murmured quietly beside the campfire, watching Goku leap up and run off with eager anticipation.
Looking up at the dim moon hidden behind layers of clouds, he thought, "True Kikoho... Muken..." Then bowed his head to meditate again. His third eye partially closed, breath rhythmically flowing, muscles relaxing and contracting to relieve the day's fatigue.
Krillin glanced toward the direction Goku disappeared, then at Tien, muttering before wrapping himself in his clothes to sleep.
The night was quiet, except for occasional white flashes and faint rumbling a few hundred meters away.
At Mount Paozu, in an old cabin hidden in the forest.
Old Gohan sat by a small table under the eaves, reading a book titled "The Martial Artist's Notes". Eating a small dish, he drank in his master's words like wine, deeply moved and sometimes clapping his hands with admiration for the profound insights and subtle wisdom revealed in the text.
Suddenly, he raised his white eyebrows, glanced at the distant sky, and smiled: "Oh, Goku has finally started practicing the Muken... hmm..."
Although the Muken's ki was in a mysterious state, combining eruption and control, Gohan's deep immersion in it allowed him to discern its progress.
"Almost four times now... Heh, not bad. Ten years of accumulation, and he can nearly achieve fourfold power at once..." Gohan stroked his white beard with a kindly expression. He recalled many scenes of his grandson on Mount Paozu, realizing over ten years had passed — that mischievous yet well-behaved little boy was now so grown.
Goku and his friends traveled tirelessly every day, four in total, living as ascetics.
But the hardship was only the method. Along the way, they would often stop to spar and exchange martial experience. Of course, Goku was the strongest and had the highest martial realm. But Goku was too natural, not good at teaching. The only way to communicate with him was through fighting.
Through sparring with Goku, Tien increasingly realized that his martial art was full of spirit. Their battles at the World Martial Arts Tournament had been for victory, but now their exchanges were more about mutual learning, sometimes pausing to discuss.
Even the Muten Roshi... couldn't restrain this guy's innate spirit. Tien was amazed.
From fighting Krillin, Tien sensed an aura that marked a learner — Krillin hadn't surpassed the Muten Roshi's teachings yet, nor forged his own path.
But Goku was different. He possessed an authenticity of spirit.
"You're using your energy technique like this..." Near a waterfall pool, Tien was knocked down by an invisible punch from Goku, swift as a gazelle's leap. He was shocked. Chiaotzu and Krillin watched nearby; Chiaotzu made a surprised sound. Krillin scratched his head and asked, "Goku, are you using the Muken?"
"Heh... I just can't help it when I fight..." Goku laughed awkwardly.
"You really..." Krillin sweated, then took out two devices, tossing one to Chiaotzu and one to Tien: "These were given to me by Master's wife before we left. It's about time I gave them to you... Tien, if you want to learn the Muken, you can use this to enter the Virtual Earth Network."