"Boom... Snap... Crackle..."
Clinging to the Power Pole with one hand, Goku's body shot upward at breakneck speed, quickly becoming enveloped within a swirling mass of dark clouds.
Immediately thereafter, bolts of lightning began to erupt from the clouds, arcing down to strike at him.
Yet, Goku paid them no mind. The lightning simply lacked the power to breach his defenses.
Even if he made no attempt to dodge, the bolts striking his body were utterly incapable of penetrating the protective layer of Ki coating his skin. Thus, amidst the ceaseless onslaught of lightning bolts, he calmly passed through the clouds and beheld the Temple of the Sky God floating above.
The Power Pole fit perfectly into the circular socket at the base of the Temple of the Sky God, ceasing its further extension.
Meanwhile, Goku—carrying the bell and utilizing the FlyingTechnique he had just mastered—slowly flew up along the staircase winding around the base.
It was a circular plaza, spanning an area of several thousand square meters.
Lush green trees were planted all around the plaza, and at its far end stood a cluster of white buildings with somewhat peculiar architectural designs.
Because the Lookout—the residence of the Guardian—was situated at such an extreme altitude, the air here was quite thin.
However, for Goku—who had spent a long time training under the effects of gravity magic—this had virtually no impact whatsoever.
"Hello! Excuse me, is the Guardian in?"
Goku landed in the plaza; as he walked forward, he called out loudly.
Moments later, a figure appeared right in front of him.
The figure wore a white turban wrapped around its head; its skin was pitch-black and its build was stout. It sat cross-legged on a rug, puffing away on a small pipe.
"Hello! My name is Son Goku. Are you the Guardian?"
Goku stepped forward and offered a greeting.
The pitch-black figure smiled amicably:
"I am not. My name is Mr. Popo; I am the Guardian's attendant. You are quite impressive—to think you actually managed to defeat the Great Demon King Piccolo!"
"Yeah... mostly because he was just too weak."
Goku replied with complete honesty.
Mr. Popo blinked in surprise, thinking to himself: Well, that is certainly a personality devoid of even a shred of modesty.
Still, having managed to defeat the Great Demon King Piccolo with a single blow, the boy standing before him certainly had the right to give such an answer.
It was no wonder the Guardian had entertained the idea of taking him on as a successor.
"Did you bring the proof of endorsement from Korin?"
"You mean this bell?"
Goku handed the bell over to Mr. Popo.
Mr. Popo took the bell and looked back at Goku:
"I heard that the reason you agreed to come and meet the Guardian was that you wanted to train here to increase your strength?"
"How did you know that?"
A look of astonishment appeared on Goku's face.
Mr. Popo smiled gently:
"Because the Guardian knows everything."
"Yeah... I heard that the Guardian is incredibly powerful, and that training here can really boost one's strength. That's exactly why I came."
Goku admitted it quite openly. "Very good; you are a very honest child."
Popo nodded. Although this was their first meeting, he was quite pleased with the character Goku displayed.
He was the Guardian's subordinate—the majordomo of the Lookout—and had served generations of Guardians.
And he would continue to serve them for ages to come.
Guardians came and went like flowing water, but he remained—an immovable constant. In truth, his strength and abilities surpassed those of the vast majority of past Guardians.
Despite being merely a subordinate, he held a certain amount of sway in the selection of a new Guardian.
At the very least, he was reasonably satisfied with the successor whom the current Guardian held in such high regard.
"If you wish to train under the Guardian, you must first pass Popo's test.
You must defeat me in combat before you can begin your training with the Guardian."
"Alright! Then let's get started!"
The moment he heard they were going to spar, Goku lit up with excitement, immediately assuming the opening stance of the Turtle School.
Ever since the very first moment he laid eyes on Popo, he had sensed—albeit vaguely—that Popo was incredibly powerful.
However, he was unable to sense Popo's Ki—
it was as if there were absolutely no Ki within his body at all.
This was the first time he had ever encountered such a phenomenon.
"Come at me."
Popo extended a hand and beckoned to Goku.
Goku's figure flashed, vanishing from his original spot; the next instant, he reappeared directly behind Popo.
Goku's knife-hand strike was parried by Popo, yet even Popo couldn't help but stumble back several paces, and the small bird that had been perched on his shoulder was startled into flight.
"Such incredible speed! Such immense power!"
A look of sheer astonishment flashed across Popo's eyes.
He was well aware that Goku had defeated the Great Demon King Piccolo with a single blow, but he had never imagined that Goku's strength had actually reached such a level.
In his estimation, the Great Demon King Piccolo—having been sealed away for three hundred years—
was not particularly strong.
Even if he were to exert only one-fifth of his own power, he could still subdue the Great Demon King Piccolo with a single move.
Therefore, he had assumed that Goku's strength was roughly on par with just one-fifth of his own capabilities.
But now, having finally clashed with him, he realized that—
when judged solely by pure physical strength and Ki—
Goku might actually be even more powerful than he himself was right now.
"How is your reaction time so fast?"
Having repelled Popo with a single strike, a look of surprise now crossed Goku's face.
For in their brief exchange just moments ago, he had clearly sensed that Popo's raw power was inferior to his own; yet, Popo had somehow anticipated his attack intent in advance and successfully blocked his strike.
"It's not that my reactions are fast; rather, your Ki and your intent to attack are simply too obvious—they are very easily detected."
With that explanation, Popo vanished from his spot.
Now, it was his turn to attack.
Goku took a direct punch right to the face.
"That's incredible! How did you manage to hit me? I didn't sense a thing!"
Rubbing his face, Goku exclaimed in astonishment once again.
He had sensed Popo initiating an attack against him and was just preparing to intercept it, when suddenly, Popo's Ki signature vanished. Even the subtle physical sensation of a body moving through—and displacing—the air around it had completely disappeared.
Immediately thereafter, he took the punch.
Though, in truth, the blow had failed to breach his defenses.
At their current level of mastery, attacks and movements occur at such blinding speeds that relying solely on one's eyes to track them becomes nearly impossible.
The only exceptions are unique martial artists—such as Tien Shinhan—who possess the innate gift of a third eye.
More often than not, they track their enemies' movements by combining their perception of Ki with the subtle friction generated between the opponent's body and the surrounding air as they move.
Consequently, even if they were blindfolded, it would not hinder their ability to engage in combat.
Yet, the moment Popo's body vanished from his sight, every other telltale sign—every other sensory cue—vanished along with it.
That is why he only realized his opponent's presence the very instant he was struck.
"Your raw power is immense—even greater than my own. However, your technique is poor; you have too many superfluous movements, and your control over your Ki is far from perfect.
Furthermore, you are unable to effectively conceal the intent to attack that radiates from your body."
Popo did not hold back in offering his guidance.
Goku marveled at Popo's technique, while Popo, in turn, marveled at Goku's strength.
To think that he could take a full-force punch from Popo—delivered with every ounce of his power—and emerge completely unscathed...
It proved that Goku's true strength was considerably greater than he had initially surmised. If Goku could master these techniques,
his power level would undoubtedly see a massive boost.
He was becoming increasingly pleased with the successor to the position of Kami that Lord Kami had chosen.
He resolved, with even greater determination, to assist Lord Kami in properly training this next generation's Kami.
"So, how can I do what you just did?"
Goku asked humbly.
He, too, felt that if he could master the technique Mr. Popo had just demonstrated, it would be immensely helpful in elevating his own strength.
"You must be faster than lightning; you must be as still as the sky; and you must let your mind enter a state of 'nothingness'."
Mr. Popo smiled as he revealed the key to this training.
"Faster than lightning... as still as the sky... let my mind enter a state of nothingness..."
Upon hearing this, Goku murmured the words to himself.
His body stiffened as he suddenly recalled—from the book Kagaya Ubuyashiki had once given him—the description of the "Transparent World."
The two concepts, it seemed, shared a remarkable similarity.