Although he was thinking this way, Muyang didn’t intend to say it, nor did he have the heart to correct Master Roshi’s misjudgment.
With this matter out of the way, he generously and ungraciously offered his farewell to the Master Roshi once again, “Master Roshi, I’ll take the Power Pole with me. I have something else to do with Gohan, so I’ll take my leave first.”
Master Roshi nodded and turned to Son Gohan, who was standing beside him, “Go to Korin Tower and listen to Immortal Korin’s guidance. He’s much more powerful than I am.”
“Yes, Master Roshi.” Son Gohan respectfully said.
Right after that, Master Roshi watched Muyang and Son Gohan leave the Kame House. After they turned into two small black dots and disappeared into the watery skyline, Master Roshi squared up with emotion.
Then, his expression turned nasty again. He picked up his small book depicting unspeakable colors, covered his head, and exhaled to sleep.
This old man was hopeless.
…………….
When Muyang and Son Gohan came back to the top of the tower, it was only one day since they left.
Korin received the Power-Pole from Muyang and nodded a moment later, “That’s right. This is the thing.
Son Gohan, you stay on the first floor first. I will take Muyang to the Lookout’s entrance.” After saying that, he walked straight towards the second floor.
When Muyang saw the situation, he hurriedly followed.
Son Gohan was curious, but he knew there was nothing for him there. So he simply sat on the floor and rested.
…..………..
The second floor of the Korin Tower.
This wasn’t the first time Muyang had been here, but it still seemed a bit too empty. The view here was vast and sweeping. There were no walls around the edges. There were only twelve embossed stone pillars supporting the upper and lower levels.
Except for a stone table in the middle of more than a hundred square meters that held the Ultra Divine Water, and a Crystal Ball suspended above the stone table that served to stabilize Korin Tower. There were no other unnecessary decorations.
Muyang asked Korin, “How do we get up to the top of Korin Tower now?”
“It’s simple, don’t you know how to use Dancing Sky Art? Now, follow me.” Korin said as he walked ahead of him to the fence at the edge of the second level of Korin Tower.
Stretching out the crutch in his hand and hooking it outwards, Korin nimbly jumped onto the curved arc filled side of the tower’s exterior and then tilted himself towards the top as if he were walking on level ground.
Muyang saw the situation and cast the Dancing Sky Art to follow.
“Immortal Korin, looking at the curvature of this tower. The top layer is just as thick as the first layer, is there still a space inside?” Floating on the outside of the curved tower’s top, Muyang casually asked.
Korin casually replied, “There is indeed a third layer inside, which communicates the Crystal Ball’s inner space. It is where I planted the Senzu Beans. I need to use the crystal ball to get in.”
Muyang nodded his head. It was a solution to the doubt in his heart.
“Here it is!”
Korin stopped at a golden curved bump at the very top of the tower. It resembled a small spire with a small hole in the center where the Power Pole was placed.
“Just insert one end of the Power Pole into this small hole and shout for the pole to extend. It will take you to space where the Lookout is located. You may have to experience lightning along the way.” Korin paused and continued, “Remember to wear your string of bells. They are tokens. The Lookout’s administrators will only allow you to stay up there if you wear that one. Otherwise, you will be struck down as an intruder.”
“I see.”
These points of attention Muyang had noticed while reading the original story. Now that Korin had reminded him again, it only made him more impressed.
He then inserted the Power Pole into the empty space at the top of the tower. After making sure it was fixed, Muyang held the Power Pole tightly in one hand and yelled.
“Power Pole Extend!”
As soon as the words fell, the Power Pole emitted red light and stretched. It stretched and grew faster. Soon disappeared into the turquoise sky with Muyang.
Looking at the sky where he could no longer see Muyang’s silhouettes, Korin rubbed his face with his paws and thought to himself,
“This guy should be able to pass the test. Forget it… don’t bother, no one will die anyway. Rather, that disciple of Roshi, I need to hone him.”
After that, Korin leisurely walked towards the first floor of Korin Tower.
……………
The sky was rumbling with dark clouds.
As the Power Pole carried Muyang higher, he was almost out of the atmosphere’s range. Yet, miraculously… the air around him didn’t disappear.
Instead, many dark clouds had gathered. There was a loud rumble, and a crystal lightning bolt struck down, hitting Muyang’s body, causing him to shiver and nearly loosen his grip on the Power Pole.
“There’s something odd about this space. It should no longer be on Earth.” Muyang was bitter. His martial clothing had been split by lightning just now.
He had long known that the path to the Lookout wasn’t simple. He would have to endure all sorts of tests, and his heart was prepared for that, but now… he could only keep on persevering.
He had crossed this alternate space layer before he could enter the dimension where the Lookout was located.
Time passed gradually, Muyang couldn’t remember exactly how many lightning strikes he had suffered. In short, every time he was struck, he could clearly feel his body crackling like fried beans. The numbness all over his body was both unbearable and somehow comfortable.
Finally, such a day came to an end. As the space filled with thick dark clouds came to an abrupt end, the azure landscape was once again in sight.
“I’m almost here.”
Muyang’s heart was surging. He could already see a red dot appearing among his sight.
The high-rise space was vast and empty. This part of the world neither belonged to Earth nor the outer universe.
The hemispherical temple that looks as delicate as fire floats there unchanged. In fact, the Lookout could be moved, but it had remained in the same place for so many years.
With a “pop” sound, the other end of the Power Pole fits perfectly into the Lookout’s bottom.
Muyang flipped over and climbed up a ladder along the edge of the Lookout.
“Finally, I’m here. So this is the Lookout.”
As he climbed onto the Lookout’s platform, Muyang took a deep breath. He was preparing to take a look around with anticipation before a black silhouette suddenly appeared in front of him in silence!
“Yah!” Muyang shouted and jumped back a step in a row, only to discover that the person who was so dark was Mr. Popo.
That was right. In addition to Kami in the Lookout, there was only Mr. Popo.
However, Mr. Popo appeared really fast. Just after he came up, he appeared without any trace. Was this the real state of “heart as calm as water and as serene as the sky”? It was inevitably too quiet for him to compare.
After recovering from his fright, Muyang returned his greeting and said, “Hello, this is my token.”
Muyang knew that as Mr. Popo had lived in the Lookout for a long time, his strength might be above the Kami. So, to avoid trouble, he took out his token early on.
“Oh…this thing…”
Mr. Popo examined the string of bells as if he was trying to distinguish between the real and the fake. This made Muyang panic for no reason.
In this state…could he not recognize this string of bells? It made Muyang’s heart dropped into his stomach.
“…I know, you’re a disciple of the Heavenly Sky School.” After a while, Mr. Popo said hello.