Of course, segments like "Quiet as Sky Fast as Lightning" were original to the anime.
However, after returning from the training at the Lookout during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, Son Goku did indeed showcase the ability that would become one of the most significant powers in the history of Dragon Ball—Ki sensing! At that time, Goku was able to discern the stillness of Tien Shinhan even while his back was turned, observing his posture and actions!
Without relying on eyesight, Goku could detect the attacks of his opponents from any corner, as well as their gestures and expressions. This level of martial arts mastery was nothing short of extraordinary.
Initially, Yamiru had assumed that such Ki sensing training was part of the Lookout's curriculum.
But was that truly the case?
The most compelling counterexample—Master Roshi had never been to the Lookout, yet he possessed a profound mastery over his Ki!
Another example—Korin, even being able to assess the strength of Super Saiyan Goku and Perfect Cell. In terms of raw power, Korin was probably no match for the strength of Goku and his son at that time. But when it came to martial arts mastery, the gap wasn't nearly as wide. Otherwise, why would Goku not ask for advice from the newly revived Piccolo, Mr. Popo, Krillin, Master Roshi, or Vegeta?
No one knew whether Goku, during the two or three years of solitary training before the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, often reflected on his training with Korin or reconsidered the essence he had failed to grasp. But regardless, Korin's Ultra Divine Water contest, what it was truly teaching, had become clear…
That was the "Ki" that had taken Master Roshi three whole years to learn on Korin Tower, centuries ago!
It was undoubtedly one of the finest martial arts techniques of Earth's schools—a true secret to true mastery!
All techniques, all martial arts, hypnosis, telepathy, the Universal Palm, afterimages, Four Demon Fist, Solar Fist, meditation battles, Turtle School Kamehameha, Ki blasts, flight techniques, Dodon Ray... all of these ultimately came from one word—"Ki".
"Why aren't you moving?"
Korin saw Yamiru roll over to the railing and freeze, prompting, "Don't think about slacking off! Your skills are far from enough!"
Yamiru pushed off the ground and leaped up, his eyes fixed on Korin.
Korin felt a shiver from the intensity of his gaze, scratching his face with his claws and asking, "What's wrong with you?"
Yamiru then shared his thoughts with Korin.
"Heh... You may not be very skilled, but you have a lot of ideas," Korin nodded. "That's right, fighting for the Ultra Divine Water jug is just a formality. What I'm really teaching martial artists here is how to properly control 'Ki'! And the first step to mastering Ki is to minimize unnecessary movements and to achieve mental calmness..."
Yamiru took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
I see now.
It wasn't that Son Goku had taken shortcuts. In the manga, when the jug flew out, Goku dared to jump after it. That was indeed his own skill.
Putting himself in Goku's shoes, Yamiru knew he could never have done the same.
Firstly, he didn't have a tail, and jumping after the jug would likely result in a fatal fall. Secondly, he would rather wait for the jug to be brought back up and try again.
Goku had used his method to snatch the jug in three days, completing the training on the water's surface. However, the real training that lay beneath the surface… he didn't miss it. It was later that Mr. Popo helped him catch up on what he missed. If you were to count from Korin Tower, Goku had likely been learning to master Ki for over five years. Even if you only counted his time at the Lookout, it would have been around three years... Of course, there was no exact timeline, just rough estimates.
Nevertheless, Yamiru's mindset had calmed considerably.
"Let's go again!" he smiled slightly. "I won't rush anymore."
Korin chuckled, "It's not something you can just say and expect to master right away. You need to actually do it."
Without further words, they continued their training.
The days rose and set...
Months passed...
Yamiru became fully immersed in his training, no longer concerned about the passage of time, as he poured his efforts into mastering the techniques at Korin Tower.
But as Korin had said, some things truly couldn't be achieved overnight.
Eight more months passed on Korin Tower.
It had been ten months since Yamiru had left the Western Capital and Mount Paozu.
He still couldn't touch the Ultra Divine Water jug.
Korin's movements remained as elusive as ever, always vanishing and reappearing like a shadow—no matter what pose or action Yamiru tried, he could never get close.
"No! No!"
Korin repeatedly lectured him, but his tone never conveyed impatience. Perhaps Korin was the most patient teacher in the world.
"Excessive movements, unnecessary movements, it's not just about your visible body movements! For example, when you move your arm too much, or take an extra step forward—any fool can see those as 'excessive movements'! If a martial artist can't even control those basic movements, they'll never make it to the top of Korin Tower!"
Korin casually dodged Yamiru's attack, looking completely relaxed.
Meanwhile, Yamiru remained calm, practicing quietly, repeatedly, while listening to Korin's teachings.
"I'll give you an example," Korin suddenly said, its tail swishing, making an interesting comparison. It mimicked a boxer's stance, shifting its weight lightly and moving its upper body with small motions. "Though this is an extreme example, you probably know that many fighters in matches tend to keep their bodies in a constant state of excitement with little shuffling steps, ensuring that their muscles are ready to respond instantly when an opponent strikes, right?"
Yamiru gasped lightly and nodded.
"Well then, even someone like you, who is already considered a decent martial artist among mortals..." Korin stopped moving and waved its finger, "Even though your body may appear still, when you are in combat, your mind will always wonder: 'From which direction will the opponent attack?' If you judge that the opponent is attacking from the left, then even though your left half of the body is motionless, it will still be in a state of 'ready to move at any time'—this is what we call 'ready to strike', right?"
"..." Yamiru was speechless. This was obvious, wasn't it? He nodded.
"This is what I mean by unnecessary movement!" Korin said casually. "Your mind is itching, causing restlessness in your body, your muscles are excited, blood is surging, your heart is pounding—probably you don't realize, but from my perspective, you, so agitated, your whole body is full of openings. Every inch of your skin is screaming: 'Ah, be careful, I'm about to attack!' Do you understand?"
This was the first time Yamiru had heard such a theory, and it completely contradicted conventional thinking.
Without preparation, without mental vigilance, how could one respond quickly in battle?
If the body doesn't enter an active state of alertness, how can it keep up with the opponent's moves?
"So that's why I say your movements are too obvious. There are too many unnecessary movements," Korin continued in a lighthearted tone, "And in the end, it's because your mind is full of distractions. Honestly, I've never seen such a complicated mortal mind. Even the bad guys are mostly straightforward, like Shen and his brother. They're all pretty much the same."
Yamiru facepalmed. How could he, someone who came from another world, compare to these "manga characters" in terms of simplicity? No one could match that!
But at least now he understood where his shortcomings lay.
If the mind is not calm, it cannot hear the wind.
If the mind is not pure, it cannot perceive the ki.
Quiet as Sky Fast as Lightning...
While going through such training, Yamiru couldn't help but think of the place far above him.
If, according to logic, the training of "ki" should have been completed at the Korin Tower before entering the temple, then what was the point of mortals ascending to the temple?
When Goku saw Kami in the temple, Kami directly told him that the new Piccolo had not died and asked him to train before dealing with the newly reborn Piccolo. And after Goku defeated the new Piccolo at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, Kami immediately asked him a question—whether he wanted to become the new Kami?
The temple is where martial artists, who will succeed as kami, go.
In the manga, before the unprecedentedly strong enemy Vegeta appeared, people like Krillin were indeed not allowed to enter the temple, even though their power at the time was not weaker than the original Goku who entered the temple. So why did Kami ask Goku to take over, but not Krillin?
It was the heart.
Kami, due to an impure heart and evil thoughts, was rejected by the previous Kami, which is why he expelled the evil side of himself.
And Goku, among the new generation of martial artists, was the purest in spirit. After Goku refused Kami's offer, Kami did not ask seemingly "strong" individuals like Krillin. Even during the Android saga and before Piccolo merged with Kami, Kami never extended an invitation to anyone else to succeed him in the way he did to Goku...
Martial artists who ascend to the temple and gain the recognition of the current immortal are generally the ones who will succeed Kami...
Yamiru pondered.
He was resting against the Korin Tower's railing.
He had just eaten a Senzu Bean two days ago, so he couldn't use another one to recover his stamina—his stomach would explode.
And at this moment, more than a month had already passed.
It had been more than eleven months since he left West City, left Baozi Mountain...
"Whoo... whoo..." Korin, holding a wooden staff with a water jug at its tip, was dozing off. It wasn't worried that Yamiru would steal the water jug while it was asleep. Since Yamiru had already understood the true purpose of the training of grabbing the super holy water—that is, to truly complete the training—the actual act of stealing the jug was no longer important.
However, Korin still enjoyed the game of competing for the jug, enjoying the form of it.
Yamiru leaned against the railing, feeling the refreshing wind blow in waves.
As he wandered in his thoughts, suddenly, his pupils contracted, and he straightened his body, staring at the blue sky—or rather, the sky that had just been blue.
The sky suddenly turned dark.
"Hmm..." Korin, startled by the sudden dimming of the light, rubbed its eyes and woke up groggily, muttering, "Is it thundering? Is it raining? Huh?"
It noticed something was wrong.
"Umm... ah, this isn't just a regular darkening of the sky," Korin, supporting its staff, walked to the edge of the railing, staring at the sky. "This seems to be..."
Yamiru, sitting, turned his head to look at the sky, calmly saying, "It's the Seven Dragon Balls. Someone has collected all seven and summoned the Dragon."
"You really have good insight~" Korin stroked its whiskers, staring at the pitch-black sky. After a moment, the blackness quickly dispersed, and the sky returned to its peaceful blue state. Korin was about to turn and joke with Yamiru but noticed that he had widened his strange golden eyes, staring intently at something across from him.
"Is there something in the temple? What could it be?"
Korin also curiously looked over.
It rubbed its eyes, thinking it had seen wrong, and rubbed them again.
"Ah, what's this... how come there are suddenly two wandering souls in Korin Tower? Were they killed by some demon? Strange..."
Korin was greatly intrigued.
Meanwhile, Yamiru slowly stood up, his golden eyes wide open and unwavering as he stared at the two soul-like flames hovering in the Korin Temple.
Korin clicked its tongue in admiration, saying, "What's even more surprising is that you, kid, can see these ghosts too? Looks like your eyes have some unusual supernatural ability!" It frowned as it noticed that since the two wandering souls had appeared, Yamiru's expression had become slightly tense, and his body was subtly stiff.
The two ghostly flames flickered, seemingly speaking a language no one could understand.
Yamiru slightly widened his golden eyes, pursed his lips, exhaled a breath, and finally spoke, his voice low and serious, "Bardock, Gine, is that you?"