The sun hung high in the sky, and a thousand years had passed on Earth… This phrase seemed familiar.
Clearly, the peaceful and stable days of training at Korin Tower had once again passed by unknowingly for a long time.
It had been nineteen months since Yamiru left Mount Paozu and bade farewell to Tights, coming to Korin Tower for training. One year and seven months.
Bardock and Gine's souls had also stayed at Korin Tower for eight months.
They were dead souls, so they didn't have physiological needs like eating or sleeping.
Gine was a simple Saiyan woman, and to some extent, parts of Kakarot or Son Goku's nature certainly came from her.
Bardock, who was once steady and even somewhat melancholic, only softened when interacting with Gine and a few close friends.
Having observed Yamiru and the cat's unchanging daily training routine for eight months at Korin Tower, they both experienced a tranquility that they had never felt in Saiyan society.
Today, Bardock's soul floated within Korin Hall, watching Yamiru and the cat spar.
Hmm? Bardock was surprised; Yamiru's movements seemed to have changed today.
Korin also quickly noticed the shift. Yamiru was clearly exhausted and breathing heavily, but he stared at Korin with intense focus. Without Korin expecting it, Yamiru naturally reached out for Korin's wooden staff and water bottle.
As soon as Yamiru's fingers touched the bottle, Korin immediately reacted, jumping backward to avoid him.
It was a sudden moment, coming and going quickly.
Bardock's soul thought, "This fool… has he finally made some progress? I've been watching for so long, and even I've had some insights... but without a body, I'm not sure if this is just my imagination…"
"Whew… whew…" Yamiru panted, staring blankly at his hand. "Why did I just reach out like that?"
He couldn't even remember his own actions from a moment ago!
"This shows that your body has slightly grasped the trick, but your mind still hasn't fully comprehended it."
Korin placed the water bottle back on the top of the fountain.
"What's going on?" Yamiru asked, confused. "Why are you putting the water bottle back?"
"Go away." Korin said without turning around.
"Ah!?" Yamiru didn't understand the old cat's meaning. With a bitter face, he said, "It's not even been three years yet, you're not kicking me out already, are you? Master, I think I'm starting to feel something. Let me try again."
Korin replied grumpily, "No! Do you think I have a prejudice against you? I'm a sage, my heart isn't that narrow." After a pause, Korin scratched its whiskers and muttered, "I just think different people should train in different environments. Roshi, and even the Saiyan Bardock next to you, and the other woman, Gine, all fit the environment of Korin Tower for training. But you're different. Your path might only be found on the ground… So, kid, go down and take a walk~!"
"..." Yamiru was confused and unwilling, but he was not an irrational person. After carefully thinking about Korin's words, he understood the sage's good intentions. He was indeed more restless and complicated compared to those simple "cartoon characters". Korin Tower, a place so quiet that even the buzzing of flying insects was absent, sometimes made him feel inexplicably uneasy. "Walk on the ground, huh… I'll do it, Master."
"Perhaps, one day, you'll be like I saw you today, and you'll see many other 'yous' on the ground." Korin chuckled, tapping Yamiru's shoulder with the wooden staff. "Then you'll probably understand that the way I see you today, and the way you can't see me today, that is when you've truly completed your training."
Yamiru thought deeply, and Korin pointed to the water bottle on top of the fountain, smiling, "I told you already, it's just a formality~ To put it broadly," it stepped on the cold floor of Korin Hall, "this hall, this tower, is just a bigger formality. Whether you complete your training, when you complete it, or where you complete it, ultimately depends on you."
The wooden staff tapped Yamiru's chest, and he nodded firmly.
"But where has Gine gone?"
After educating Yamiru, Korin turned around only to see the "ghost fire" belonging to Bardock, feeling slightly puzzled.
Bardock looked around, but he couldn't find when Gine had disappeared.
"Don't worry, with the power of the Dragon Balls maintaining it, Aunt Gine won't get lost." Yamiru smiled and used his sharp eyes to scan the area. He spotted Gine's soul flame on the lower floor of Korin Hall. "Found her, she's downstairs."
Korin, Yamiru, and Bardock's ghost all went down and found Gine's soul near a water vat.
"Cat Sage, what is this water vat for?" Gine's soul sent a curious feeling. "I seem to feel strange power inside…"
Korin jumped up, saying, "Either call me Korin Sage, or just Sage! What is this 'Cat Sage' business?" But inwardly, it thought, "She can feel the magic in the vat? This female Saiyan's soul is quite pure... It's a shame she was born among Saiyans."
"Hehe," Gine's soul, even without a body, had already regained her optimistic nature. "Because you're as cute as a cat."
"Really…" Korin shook its head. "This vat is something I use to observe the mortal world. It can show any place, you know~" It licked its paw to calm down.
Gine's soul suddenly froze for a moment, likely stunned... Then, she asked, "Can I see Goku? My child, Kakarot...?"
Yamiru glanced at Korin. He could clearly feel Bardock's soul's attention shift to Korin as well.
Korin hesitated for a moment, then thought, "Is it really okay to show this to a mortal? Isn't this supposed to be used for something else?"
It nodded, using its staff to lift the cover off the vat.
"Son Goku, huh… He should be with Son Gohan at Mount Paozu… Alright, take a look."
Korin cast a spell, and immediately, after a slight ripple in the dim water, a crystal-clear image appeared as if it were in 4K quality.
…In a forest, Son Goku could be seen, tongue hanging out, drooling, giggling with all four limbs on the ground. Like a mad dog, he was wildly chasing a leopard, with his monkey tail trailing behind him, stretched out straight due to the speed.
Yamiru: "......"
Bardock: "......" What in the world is this kid, who looks exactly like me, doing?
Gine's soul trembled violently, and once again, Korin was shocked. This female Saiyan was crying in her soul form. Yamiru could probably imagine that if Gine had a body right now, she would be desperately wiping her tears, unable to stop crying, probably sobbing uncontrollably... Bardock's soul moved closer to Gine, silently keeping her company.
"Wuwuwu… I'm so happy, Goku is so healthy, so joyful… Wuwuwu…"
---
No matter what, Yamiru, who had not completed his training, decided to leave.
With two invisible ghosts following him, he went to the exit on the lower level of Korin Tower. As soon as he stepped outside and looked down… he silently walked back in.
Yamiru: "......"
After thinking carefully, he realized that, having completed the Korin Tower trial, he was the only unlucky one who couldn't fly or ride the Nimbus Cloud…
…Damn.