Chapter 20: Cultivation on King Kai's Planet
"I have two powerful techniques. If you want me to teach you, you must first pass my test,"
King Kai said seriously.
"What test?"
Li Xu asked, already guessing that King Kai referred to the Kaio-ken and the Spirit Bomb.
"Catch Bubbles and strike Gregory with a mallet,"
King Kai replied with a grin.
"This shouldn't be too difficult for me,"
Li Xu thought in surprise, remembering he wasn't like Son Goku, he had already adapted to ten times Earth's gravity.
"That's why it'll be a little tougher for you,"
King Kai said slyly, then cast a technique and materialized heavy iron rings around Li Xu's wrists and ankles.
The moment the rings locked on, Li Xu was crushed to the ground.
Each ring weighed 200 jin, totaling 800 jin. Under the planet's tenfold gravity, it was equivalent to carrying 8,000 jin.
"As long as you complete both tasks with the rings on, I will teach you my two secret techniques,"
King Kai said proudly.
"I'll do it,"
Li Xu responded confidently, struggling but managing to stand.
Treating it as additional training, Li Xu assigned all his Auto-Training Plugin resources to mastering the Law of Force.
At 1% mastery, the Law of Force increased combat strength by 10%, with no strain on the body. The benefit was incredible.
While the bonus seemed small now, with higher combat power the Law's benefits would scale exponentially, proving far more efficient than gaining a flat 10 points of combat power daily.
"Let's begin!"
King Kai said.
"Ow…ow…"
Bubbles bounced mischievously in front of Li Xu, as if mocking his burdened movements.
"I'll deal with you!"
Li Xu trudged forward, giving chase.
But Bubbles' speed was astonishing; he would dart around and occasionally taunt Li Xu.
Li Xu didn't lose heart. Every time he fell, he got up again.
He knew once he adapted to the rings and gravity, he would catch Bubbles with ease.
"What a fine seedling,"
King Kai thought while observing silently.
Though usually unreliable in appearance, Li Xu displayed steadfast determination.
The two tests were designed not only to gauge his potential but also to observe his mental resilience.
...
In a flash, three months passed.
During the first month, Li Xu adapted fully to the iron rings' weight.
He eventually caught Bubbles, giving him a good playful beating in return.
In the second month, Li Xu managed to hammer Gregory with the mallet, causing the speedy cricket to hide whenever he saw Li Xu.
Afterward, King Kai began formally teaching his two signature techniques Kaio-ken and Spirit Bomb.
Li Xu learned the Kaio-ken after seeing it demonstrated once, thanks to his Intermediate Perception Plugin.
However, he struggled with the Spirit Bomb; no matter how he tried, he couldn't form it properly.
This was because creating the Spirit Bomb required a pure heart.
Li Xu, unlike Son Goku, lacked the kind of absolute purity needed, so even with heightened understanding, he couldn't succeed.
It was similar to the original Kamehameha technique—no matter how skilled, one needed sufficient internal energy to unleash it.
Li Xu wasn't frustrated.
Spirit Bomb had too many restrictions anyway, making it unsuitable for intense battle situations.
After mastering Kaio-ken, Li Xu didn't rush back to Earth but instead remained for an additional month, absorbing King Kai's vast martial arts knowledge.
"Lord King Kai, it's time for me to return,"
Li Xu finally said, realizing he had learned everything King Kai could teach.
"You have incredible potential. I hope you achieve even greater heights,"
King Kai said sincerely.
"Lord King Kai, I plan to travel across the universe next. Can you tell me about important planets?"
Li Xu asked, a thought occurring to him.
"I oversee only the Northern Galaxy. I can give you a map of its major planets, but you must beware one being in particular,"
King Kai warned seriously.
"Who is it?"
Li Xu asked.
"The Frost Demon Frieza,"
King Kai said.
Even uttering the name made him shudder slightly, indicating a lingering fear.
"I'll remember,"
Li Xu nodded solemnly.
He knew Frieza's terrifying strength.
Right now, he would avoid a confrontation.but in the future, Frieza was destined to become a stepping stone in his journey of growth.
After obtaining the planetary distribution map of the Northern Galaxy, Li Xu left King Kai's Planet.
This time, Li Xu took only half an hour to cross Snake Way and returned to King Yama's Palace.
"Why did you come back so quickly?"
King Yama asked in surprise. He was aware that Li Xu had gone to train under King Kai. Based on experience, he thought Li Xu would spend at least several years there, like Son Goku had.
"Everything I needed to learn has been learned, so naturally I returned,"
Li Xu said calmly.
"I'll inform Earth's Guardian to come pick you up now,"
King Yama said, without pressing for more details.
Before long, Kami arrived.
"It looks like you gained a lot this time,"
Kami said with a smile, sensing that Li Xu's aura had become even more profound and harder to gauge.
"It was indeed a substantial gain,"
Li Xu responded with a faint smile.
"Let's go."
Kami then brought Li Xu back to the Lookout.
"Guardian, I'll return home first. I may not stay long on Earth after this. If anything happens, you can have King Kai contact me,"
Li Xu said respectfully.
"Understood."
After leaving the Lookout, Li Xu flew straight back home.
He hadn't expected his training journey to take over half a year. Knowing Bulma's personality, she must have been terribly worried.
"Bulma!"
When Li Xu landed in his yard, he immediately saw Bulma sitting alone on a chair, lost in thought.
"Li Xu, you're finally back!"
Bulma cried out happily when she saw him. She rushed into his arms without hesitation and began sobbing uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry for making you worry,"
Li Xu said apologetically, gently patting her back.
"Where have you been all this time? If you didn't come back soon, I was ready to collect the Dragon Balls and wish you back!"
Bulma said between tears.
"I went to a special place to train... I didn't expect it to take this long,"
Li Xu explained.
"Next time, you have to take me with you no matter where you go,"
Bulma demanded with a pout.
"Alright. I promise I'll bring you with me from now on,"
Li Xu vowed solemnly.
"Okay!"
After being separated for so long, the two clung to each other tightly, their feelings overflowing.
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