One month later, on the plaza of the Lookout.
"Transparent World!"
With a mere thought, Goku instantly entered the Transparent World.
In this state, he felt as though time itself had slowed down around him; everything in his field of vision became predictable and traceable.
This included the figure charging at him—a puppet crafted by Mr. Popo using strands of his own hair.
He had arrived at the Lookout a month prior, and through a sparring match with Mr. Popo, he had gained the insight necessary to utilize the technique known as the Transparent World.
However, his mastery of it was rudimentary back then; he could only successfully activate it once out of every ten attempts.
In Mr. Popo's words, his "state of mind" had not yet reached the necessary level.
Consequently, with the assistance of Mr. Popo and Kami, he embarked on a rigorous regimen of diverse training exercises.
He was sent to special locations to practice dodging bolts of lightning; he sought out master fishermen to learn the art of angling, thereby honing his mental discipline.
He even utilized the power of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to travel back in time, where he trained under Master Mutaito and learned to precisely manipulate his Ki to cleave through a cascading waterfall.
Finally, Mr. Popo created a puppet—imbued with power equal to Goku's own—to serve as his sparring partner.
Thus, through this ceaseless training, he had finally reached the point where, as of today, he could activate the Transparent World with a single thought—
Achieving a one hundred percent success rate.
However, this was not yet the ultimate limit.
The ultimate goal was to achieve a "constant" state of the Transparent World—a condition in which his body remained immersed in that heightened state of awareness at every single moment.
To transform the Transparent World into pure instinct.
Yet, achieving this would require extensive combat experience.
Therefore, he resolved that once he had completed his training here, he would venture forth to explore new worlds.
Additionally, he had acquired a wealth of techniques regarding the manipulation of Ki from Kami.
These included mind-reading, intimidation via Ki pressure, repelling opponents with sheer aura, the "Ki-Sight" technique, telepathic communication, Kami's Sky Dance (flight), and many others.
His overall proficiency in controlling Ki had improved by leaps and bounds.
With effortless grace, Goku dodged the puppet's attack, then shattered the automaton on the spot with a single, sharp "hand-blade" strike.
"Truly terrifying talent... I had originally assumed it would take him at least several years to successfully clear all these trials and tests."
Upon seeing Goku effortlessly defeat the puppet, the Guardian and Mr. Popo exchanged glances, voicing the same sentiment in unison.
The training regimen arranged for this past month was, in fact, merely the first phase of a three-year training plan they had devised for Goku.
As it turned out, Goku's aptitude, abilities, and every other facet of his potential far exceeded their wildest expectations.
A training plan intended to span three years had been completed in a single month.
From this point on, it would simply be a matter of passing the time—slowly refining his skills through gradual practice—for they had nothing left of substance to teach him.
However, the Guardian had no intention of immediately passing his title on to Goku.
While Goku's power level was certainly sufficient, and his temperament perfectly met the requirements, he was still far too young; he needed time to mature.
Moreover, the Guardian still had over twenty years of life remaining; there was no need to rush matters.
"Mr. Popo, Lord Guardian—is there any other training scheduled for today?"
Having finished dealing with his puppet opponent, Goku approached the Guardian and Mr. Popo, his face beaming with anticipation.
That sensation—of learning new techniques every day and making tangible progress with each passing moment—was truly exhilarating.
"Ahem!"
The Guardian gave a slightly awkward cough.
"That is all. For the time being, we have taught you everything we possibly could. From here on out, you may remain here to slowly contemplate and refine your skills; there is no need to rush."
Sometimes, when a student possesses such extraordinary talent—learning at a pace so rapid that they completely exhaust their teachers' knowledge—the teachers can only look on with a sense of helpless resignation.
"Is that so?"
A flicker of disappointment crossed Goku's face, though he quickly regained his composure. Turning to the Guardian and Mr. Popo, he said:
"In that case, I would like to leave this place and head out to train on my own for a while. Perhaps that would help me better internalize and digest everything I've learned so far."
Lord Guardian was undoubtedly powerful; however, ever since he had split himself to create Piccolo, his own power level had plummeted significantly, making it impossible for him to engage in sparring matches with Goku.
Now that he had mastered everything there was to learn within this sanctuary, there was no longer any need for him to remain cooped up here day after day.
To do so would be highly inefficient in terms of training; who knew how long it would take him to grow strong enough to defeat the likes of Odin, the Ancient One, and those fearsome Dimensional Demon Gods?
"If your intention is to accelerate the process of internalizing what you've learned over this past month, I would not particularly recommend that you venture out to train elsewhere."
Upon hearing this, the Guardian shook his head:
"Because in this world, there is no longer any martial artist more powerful than you."
In his view, the most formidable martial artists currently in the world—Master Roshi, Tien Shinhan, and Krillin—
all fell far short of matching the Goku.
As for the rest of the martial artists in the world, they weren't even worth mentioning.
Therefore, rather than traveling the world in search of masters with whom to spar and train, it would be better to remain at the Lookout.
At the very least, Popo's strength was respectable, and the puppets he created possessed a battle power sufficient—albeit barely—to serve as sparring partners for the Goku.
Furthermore, he could even send the Goku to face off against powerful martial artists from the past who had long since passed away.
"No, I don't intend to train in this world, but rather to go to other worlds."
Realizing that the Guardian had misunderstood, the Goku immediately explained the general details of his previous training experiences in other worlds.
Having spent a month in their company, he felt that both the Guardian and Mr. Popo were trustworthy mentors and friends.
Thus, there was no need to keep such matters a secret.
"To think such things are actually possible! No wonder your strength surpasses everyone else's by such a wide margin—so that's the reason."
Upon hearing this, the Guardian of Earth suddenly understood.
He had been wondering—why was it that, a while back, he had suddenly lost all sensory connection to the Dragon Balls he himself had created?
It turned out that Goku had taken them to another world.
Furthermore, under normal circumstances, when the martial artists of an entire world generally hover around a certain power level, it is rare for anyone truly exceptional to emerge.
Even if such a person were to appear, their superiority wouldn't be too glaringly obvious.
For instance, if the average martial arts master were at the level of King Chappa, and a select few reached the caliber of Master Roshi, that would already be considered quite extraordinary.
Yet, here was Goku—at such a young age—possessing a power level that seemed to exist on an entirely different plane of existence compared to everyone else. It truly defied all conventional logic.
It was only after hearing Goku's explanation that the Guardian finally grasped the reality of the situation.
Surprising as it was, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
As the Guardian of Earth, he possessed a certain degree of knowledge regarding various hidden mysteries of the universe.
He knew that civilizations far beyond Earth existed, and that there were deities of a higher rank than himself.
He even knew that the universe they inhabited was not the only universe in existence.
He surmised that Goku must have caught the eye of a higher-ranking deity—one who had granted him the privilege of freely traveling to other universes to pursue his training.
This was a positive development, so naturally, he gave his full consent.
"Very well, then—go forth. Be sure to prioritize your safety, and remember to return once your training is complete."
"Got it! I'll go find Krillin and the others first."
Goku waved goodbye to the Guardian and Mr. Popo. Focusing his senses to pinpoint Krillin and the others' Ki, he instantly vanished from the spot using the technique of Instant Transmission.
During his month-long training at the Lookout, his mastery over Ki control had improved dramatically; consequently, the effective range of his Ki-sensing abilities had expanded significantly as well.
While he couldn't quite blanket the entire planet with his senses just yet, he could certainly cover the vast majority of it.
When he reappeared, he found himself on the small island where Master Roshi's Kame House was located.
Upon the island, however—aside from Kame House itself—there now stood a second, larger structure. Emblazoned across its exterior were the words: "Gravity Training Room."
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