"Yes, sir!"
The tension on Shin's face melted away, replaced by a relaxed smile — it felt good to finally have someone to rely on.
At that moment, Gran was busy preparing a feast, while Beerus and the Old Kai chatted idly nearby.
For once, the sacred Realm of the Kaioshin carried a faint hint of earthly warmth and liveliness — a rare sight indeed.
Even more surprising was Beerus and the Old Kai actually having a civil conversation. After millions of years of bickering, they were finally getting along — if only barely — discussing the current rankings of the universes.
"Old man," Beerus drawled lazily, "since I've awakened this time, I've already wiped out a batch of planets. The rest's up to you."
"Don't worry," the Old Kai replied calmly. "Shin and I will guide the civilizations in the right direction. Before long, our universe's rank will definitely start to rise again."
"Good. I trust your judgment. But if anything gets out of hand, call me — or Gran."
"Gran, that kid? He hasn't even mastered Destruction Energy yet. What if he runs into a powerhouse beyond his level?"
"..."
At some point, a few beach chairs had appeared beside the lake. Beerus lay back in one, sighing. "Our universe ranks second to last. What kind of 'powerhouses' could it possibly still have?"
The Old Kai reclined in another chair and glanced at him helplessly. Well, that's one way to look at it... But honestly, who could say for sure there weren't still hidden masters out there?
After all, Beerus had been asleep for so long — what did he really know about the state of the universe?
Of course, the Old Kai didn't say that aloud. Otherwise, the peace wouldn't last five minutes.
"Besides," Beerus continued confidently, "with Gran's current power, even if there were hidden elites, none of them could take him on."
His tone carried complete conviction. After all, Gran's strength had long surpassed his own from ages past.
Even without tapping into the Instinct Form, merely using that flawed yet explosive Super Saiyan transformation, Gran's combat power already exceeded fifty billion.
Who in Universe Seven could possibly rival that? — At least, that's what Beerus firmly believed.
The Old Kai didn't comment. He only glanced sideways at Beerus before asking, "By the way, when do you plan to teach Gran the Rules of Destruction?"
Beerus frowned. "Why are you asking?"
"Gran's already the Candidate God of Destruction. If he doesn't even understand the Rule of Destruction, isn't that a little... embarrassing?"
The Old Kai sighed.
The duties of the Gods were bound by order — Creation belonged to the Kaioshin, Destruction to the Hakaishin.
Each began as a candidate, required to learn divine knowledge and master the corresponding laws before they could truly assume the title.
Since Gran was the candidate for Destruction, it was only natural he needed to master the Rule of Destruction itself.
"That's something you'll have to ask Whis," Beerus replied lazily. "Gran's entire training schedule's his business. I just... step in to smack him around once in a while."
By the time he said that last part, Beerus was already chuckling to himself.
Whis: "..."
Old Kai: "..."
What a 'kind' teacher you are, Beerus... If Gran refuses to cook for you later, you'll deserve it.
Whis glanced over at Gran, who was just finishing up his feast preparations, then sighed.
"My plan was to let him rest once he finished mastering the second stage of Ultra Instinct's body reflexes — then move on to dimensional mastery, and only then to the Rule of Destruction."
"But who could've guessed that after returning from beyond the universe, he'd shut himself away for another half year — and actually refine his mind to the state of selflessness? It caught me completely off guard."
Whis's voice carried both pride and a hint of worry.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Beerus blinked.
"I know," the Old Kai interrupted suddenly, eyes narrowing in realization. "If I recall correctly, it's only been three and a half years since Gran became a candidate, right?"
Whis nodded.
The Old Kai sighed. "And in that short time, his progress in martial arts has been astonishing... Don't you think he's pushing himself too hard?"
At that, Whis cast a look of respect toward the old deity. "You're exactly right."
"Lord Beerus, have you really not noticed? Gran hasn't rested in all these years. He's kept himself wound tight the entire time — that's not healthy."
Gran's talent was remarkable — learning came easy to him — but martial cultivation wasn't meant to be a relentless sprint.
As the Turtle Hermit School once preached: Train well, study well, eat well, rest well.
True mastery required balance — the harmony of labor and leisure.
"Too tired...?" Beerus murmured, his mind drifting. He recalled their years together — and realized the old man was right. Gran really hadn't stopped even once.
Just then
"Dinner's ready!"
Gran's cheerful voice rang out as he carried a steaming pot filled with a bright red broth to the table, surrounded by trays of ingredients.
"What's that?"
Whis instantly blurred into motion, moving faster than time itself, appearing beside the table in the blink of an eye.
"Hotpot," Gran said with a grin.
"Hotpot?"
Beerus flashed next to him in a streak of violet light.
The bubbling red broth filled the air with a rich, spicy aroma that instantly made their mouths water.
"So fragrant!" the Old Kai exclaimed as he and Shin arrived, Jebit following close behind. "No wonder Shin was praising your cooking earlier — you really are something, boy!"
Gran lifted his chin proudly.
This time, he'd made Hotpot The process wasn't complicated: a deep-flavored broth, high-quality ingredients, and of course... the soul of the dish — the dipping sauce.
"So... how do we eat this? Do we drink the soup?" Beerus asked, his throat audibly gulping as the smell tempted him past reason.
Before Gran could respond
"Pfft! Lord Beerus, how uncouth!" Whis teased, already sitting down.
He picked up a slice of tripe, swirled it through the broth seven up, eight down, then dipped it into sauce and popped it into his mouth.
Fresh, savory, spicy — a cascade of flavors exploded on his tongue.
"This... this is amazing! Another new delicacy! Gran, how many of these dishes do you even know?!"
Whis's entire being seemed to glow as he trembled with delight — this, this was divine cuisine.
Gran blinked, a little taken aback.
He just looked once at the pot, the sauce, the ingredients... and instantly knew how to eat it right?
As expected of Whis — the true gourmet of the gods.
END OF CHAPTER
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