Among everyone present, Tien Shinhan was the strongest.
He had already mastered techniques that utilized Ki, so it came as no surprise that he was also the first to sense it.
Almost the moment he entered meditation, he became aware of the life energy flowing within his body and instinctively began gathering it.
“So…
this is Ki.”
A faint glow appeared between Lazuli’s hands.
The tiny sphere of gathered energy immediately drew everyone’s attention.
“It wasn’t that difficult.”
No sooner had she spoken than Lapis also condensed a small cluster of Ki in his palm.
Everyone stared at the siblings in astonishment.
“So this…”
“…is what real talent looks like.”
Yamcha laughed bitterly and scratched the back of his head.
“I’ve really been humbled.”
His strength ranked just below Tien’s among those present.
Yet he still hadn’t managed to sense Ki.
Meanwhile, these two complete beginners—people who had never practiced martial arts—had succeeded before him.
Alvin paid little attention to the commotion.
His entire consciousness remained focused inward.
He carefully searched for the life energy hidden within his own body.
Then…
He gathered it.
[Power Level +20]
The chaotic life energy that had once flowed aimlessly throughout his body gradually became orderly under his control.
It transformed into true Ki, circulating through his meridians like a flowing current.
This newly awakened Ki didn’t instantly strengthen his physique.
Instead…
It unified all of his physical strength into a single whole.
The result was exactly what the system displayed.
A substantial increase in power level.
“So…”
“This is Ki.”
Alvin slowly opened his eyes.
“It’s the process of gathering scattered life energy into one unified force.”
“A force capable of unleashing attacks powerful enough to split mountains…”
“…or even destroy stars.”
“And besides offense…”
“Ki can also strengthen the body.”
“If trained to an extraordinary level…”
“It might even extend one’s lifespan…”
“…or perhaps allow someone to ascend to godhood.”
Thinking back to the system’s explanation of Life Level, Alvin couldn’t help feeling excited.
“But for ordinary people…”
“…breaking through the limits imposed by Life Level is incredibly difficult.”
“Earthlings begin with a Life Level of 0.1.”
“If each Life Level corresponds to fifty million points of power…”
“Then a normal Earthling’s theoretical limit is around five million.”
He smiled wryly.
“Even Krillin…”
“The strongest pure-blooded Earthling in the original story…”
“…probably never reached that level, even by the time of the Battle of Gods era.”
Alvin quickly pushed those thoughts aside.
Instead, he focused on another goal.
Rather than sensing his own Ki…
He attempted to perceive the Ki of everyone around him.
Unfortunately, the results were disappointing.
Perhaps because he lacked proper guidance…
His perception remained extremely vague.
He could sense that Ki existed.
But he couldn’t pinpoint anyone’s exact location.
Nor could he predict movements the way Goku eventually could.
Still…
He noticed something.
Far away…
Somewhere beyond the city…
A sinister aura pulsed faintly.
It was unimaginably evil.
He couldn’t determine its direction.
Nor could he estimate its distance.
He only knew one thing.
It existed.
“Ki sensing…”
“This ability will be essential if I want to fight Demon King Piccolo.”
“Only by mastering it can I hope to defeat someone stronger than myself.”
While everyone continued training, the aircraft finally arrived at Bulma’s home in West City.
After landing, Bulma and Lapis immediately headed to her laboratory.
Working through the entire night, they began building two new Dragon Radars along with a special container capable of shielding Dragon Balls from detection.
Everyone else went to sleep.
The following morning, the group gathered in the spacious garden outside the Brief family residence.
Alvin walked straight toward the smallest member of the group.
“Chiaotzu…”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“I’d like to spar with you.”
Chiaotzu blinked in surprise.
Among everyone present, he was the weakest fighter.
Even Alvin—who had only joined the group the previous night—had already surpassed him.
“Me?”
Chiaotzu asked uncertainly.
“Can I really help?”
“I have psychic abilities.”
“I can tell your energy is already stronger than mine.”
Alvin smiled.
“This isn’t about winning or losing.”
“It’s a very specific form of training.”
After thinking for a moment, he explained what he had experienced during meditation.
“Last night, while learning to sense Ki…”
“I tried perceiving everyone else’s life energy.”
“I succeeded…”
“But only vaguely.”
“I could tell your Ki existed.”
“I could even sense all of yours.”
“But I couldn’t determine your exact positions.”
“I also felt an incredibly powerful…”
“…and incredibly evil…”
“…source of Ki somewhere far away.”
“I just couldn’t tell where it was or how far away.”
He looked at Chiaotzu earnestly.
“My instincts tell me this ability will be extremely important when facing Demon King Piccolo.”
“But I can’t improve it on my own.”
“So…”
“I’d like to spar with you.”
“I’m hoping you can help me complete this training.”
Alvin explained his discovery to everyone.
“A powerful, evil Ki…”
Master Roshi’s expression immediately turned serious.
“You think it’s Demon King Piccolo?”
“How strong does it feel?”
Alvin closed his eyes once more, concentrating on the distant, sinister presence before answering.
“It should be him.”
“His Ki is definitely stronger than ours.”
“But I still can’t accurately judge how much stronger.”
“My Ki sensing isn’t refined enough yet.”
Master Roshi nodded thoughtfully before turning to Chiaotzu.
“Chiaotzu.”
“Whether you help him or not…”
“…that’s your decision.”
“I won’t choose for you.”
Chiaotzu instinctively looked toward Tien Shinhan.
The two had grown up together, and he relied heavily on Tien’s judgment.
Tien gently rested a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s your choice.”
“I’ll respect whatever you decide.”
Chiaotzu smiled softly.
“I’ll help.”
He looked at Alvin.
“Should we spar here?”
Alvin nodded.
“Right here is fine.”
“We’ll only use hand-to-hand combat.”
“No Ki blasts.”
“That way we won’t destroy the surroundings.”
As he spoke, Alvin pulled a strip of cloth from his pocket and tied it securely over his eyes.
“I think the key to sensing Ki…”
“…is calming your mind.”
“The same way we sense the Ki inside ourselves…”
“…we should be able to sense the Ki outside as well.”
“I don’t think this technique is particularly difficult.”
“With enough practice…”
“Everyone here should be able to learn it.”
Master Roshi, Yamcha, and Tien had all successfully sensed their own Ki the previous night.
Hearing Alvin’s theory, all three nodded seriously.
Master Roshi, in particular, fell into deep thought.
Years ago, Korin had taught him the basics of Ki cultivation atop Korin Tower.
From that foundation, he had eventually developed the Kamehameha.
Yet…
Never once had it occurred to him to use Ki not only as power, but also as a means of perceiving the world around him.
“Chiaotzu.”
Alvin bowed respectfully.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Let’s begin.”
With his vision completely blocked, Alvin could no longer rely on his eyes.
Everything now depended on his ability to sense Ki.
Gradually, his other senses sharpened.
“I’m coming!”
Chiaotzu clasped his hands together in greeting before suddenly bursting forward. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Whoosh!
Air split with every movement.
Chiaotzu darted around Alvin at incredible speed.
His rapid changes in direction quickly disrupted Alvin’s concentration.
His thoughts became chaotic.
His breathing grew uneven.
Master Roshi immediately noticed the problem.
“Don’t panic.”
“Calm your mind.”
“Focus only on sensing Ki.”
“No matter how confusing someone’s movements become…”
“…the instant they attack…”
“…their Ki becomes clear.”
Although Master Roshi still couldn’t sense other people’s Ki himself, his understanding of martial arts was among the finest in the world.
He instantly identified Alvin’s weakness.
Hearing the advice, Alvin forced himself to settle down.
The distracting thoughts gradually faded.
At that exact moment—
Thump!
Chiaotzu’s fist struck him squarely in the chest.
Caught off guard, Alvin was knocked back several meters.
He twisted in midair, landed smoothly, and immediately resumed his defensive stance.
Chiaotzu attacked again.
Alvin avoided the first punch…
Only to be swept off his feet by a kick moments later.
Don’t lose focus.
Calm down.
Ignoring the pain, Alvin steadied his breathing once again.
Time passed.
Half an hour later…
Something changed.
Alvin gradually adapted to Chiaotzu’s rhythm.
The constant high-speed movement no longer disrupted his concentration.
Every movement Chiaotzu made created subtle ripples in his Ki.
Even though Alvin’s perception remained rough and occasionally indistinct…
It was enough.
He could follow every attack.
Every step.
Every shift in position.
Another exchange.
Chiaotzu lunged forward once more.
This time…
Alvin’s hand landed gently on his shoulder.
An overwhelming force pressed down.
Chiaotzu couldn’t move another inch.
“I lose.”
He admitted defeat without hesitation.
His breathing had become ragged.
The prolonged battle had drained much of his stamina.
At the same instant…
The system notification appeared.
[Power Level +22]
Combined with the 20 points he had gained after successfully gathering Ki the previous night…
Alvin’s total power level rose to 162.
He was now closing in on Tien Shinhan’s estimated 180.
Just as Alvin and Chiaotzu ended their sparring match and sat down to rest…
Bulma finally emerged from the house.
Beside her were Lazuli and Lapis.
“Everyone!”
Bulma called out excitedly.
“The Dragon Radars are finished!”
“So is the Dragon Ball container!”
She proudly held up one of the newly completed Dragon Radars.
Walking beside her, Lapis carried a sturdy metal chest.
Dark circles were visible beneath both of their eyes.
It was obvious they had worked through the entire night without rest.
Bulma continued her explanation.
“This container completely blocks every type of radiation emitted by the Dragon Balls.”
“As long as the lid stays closed…”
“No Dragon Radar will be able to detect them.”
She raised a finger.
“But the moment it’s opened…”
“The Dragon Balls’ radiation will escape.”
“At that point…”
“Any nearby Dragon Radar will immediately pick up their signal.”
Lapis carefully placed the heavy metal chest onto the table.
“Dragon Balls are…
unusual.”
He patted the container.
“Because of that, we couldn’t miniaturize it into a Capsule Corp capsule.”
“So we had to build it the old-fashioned way.”
“We’ll have to transport and store it as an ordinary metal case.”