A regular town south of Central City.
Calling it "regular" was only in comparison to the nearby Central City, also known as the Royal Capital—a crucial metropolis where the king resided. The only cities that could be mentioned in the same breath were the four great cities of the east, west, north, and south. Compared to the small town near Mount Paozu, this place was as prosperous as if it had come from the future.
The high average income and spending power had led to the widespread use of Capsule products. Walking down the street, one could see someone pulling out a Capsule and materializing a backpack, a car, or even a robot almost every minute. On the surface, there seemed to be no obvious divide between beastmen, monster people, and ordinary humans—discrimination and prejudice appeared nonexistent.
Yamiru and Tights were temporarily staying here.
They were lodging in an employee residence of a Capsule Corporation branch. Though called a dormitory, it was actually an independent apartment, seemingly intended for senior management's temporary stays. However, Tights didn't mind using her family's influence for convenience while traveling with Yamiru. And as for Yamiru, he couldn't care less about such matters and simply settled in with Tights.
Living in a larger city also made things easier for Tights' writing. During their usual travels, she could only send her manuscripts via mail, and events like book signings had to be declined. Since his girlfriend had never once complained about wandering through mountains and wilderness with him, Yamiru naturally didn't mind making accommodations for her. Besides, urban life was indeed comfortable.
As for why they didn't stay in a Capsule house… It was because, ever since Capsule housing products became available, urban regulations had quickly been established, prohibiting personal deployment of Capsule houses within city limits, especially in public spaces. Technically, this rule also applied to the outskirts, but given the vast open areas outside the city, enforcement tended to be lax.
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Wiping the fine sheen of sweat from Tights' rosy face, Yamiru whispered, "Good night."
"Good night." The girl wrapped her arms around him and quickly fell asleep.
A few hours later, having had enough rest, Yamiru opened his eyes in the darkness.
He didn't move but instead focused inwardly, adjusting his connection to the Spiritual Realm. This time, rather than setting entry criteria based on identity, he changed it to... power level.
He carefully determined the threshold—anyone who could perceive the method to enter the Spiritual Realm would have a battle power of around 100 to 200.
Restricted to: Earth.
In the next instant, his figure disappeared from beside the sleeping Tights.
When he reappeared, he was already in the "Spiritual Realm . Mortal Court . Seventh District . Earth Island."
"..."
Yamiru silently got up from the ground and glanced at his bare body. "I actually forgot… entering the Spiritual Realm directly transfers my body… meaning my clothes and posture remain unchanged…"
Now that he thought about it, the sensation of entering the Spiritual Realm was somewhat similar to when the old Dragon God had pulled him into the Dragon Realm.
Perhaps, when the Dragon God brought Yamiru to the Dragon Realm, he had been experimenting with the method Yamiru had wished for—one that allowed entry into the Spiritual Realm.
Without hesitation, Yamiru vanished from the Spiritual Realm and returned to the Capsule Corporation apartment in Earth's Seventh Universe, reappearing beside Tights in their bedroom.
However, there was one small difference—when he had left, Tights' arm had been resting on his chest. After he disappeared, her arm naturally fell onto the bed. But when he returned in the exact same position, he ended up pressing down on her arm.
Fortunately, his reflexes were quick.
The moment he felt the touch on his back, he tensed his muscles and immediately activated Flight, suspending himself in midair.
"Mmm… what's wrong?" Tights, still half-asleep, noticed the movement. "Are you… getting up early to train?"
"Yeah." Yamiru kissed her cheek and asked softly, "Where are my clothes? In the suitcase?"
Now fully awake, Tights opened her eyes and answered, "I took them out and put them in the wardrobe. What time is it?"
"Around four-thirty." Yamiru landed on the floor. Tights sat up, the blanket sliding off, revealing her delicate figure. She glanced at the bedroom clock—4:47.
"Go back to sleep." Yamiru tucked her in. "If anything comes up, find me in the Spiritual Realm."
Tights blinked. Indeed, the method to enter the Spiritual Realm still lingered in her consciousness, accessible at any time.
Yamiru went to the wardrobe, took out clean clothes, and put them on.
He thought to himself, "It's been a while now. I wonder if anyone has already entered the Spiritual Realm. Martial artists usually have the habit of waking up early..."
With that in mind, he once again vanished from the Mortal Realm.
When he reappeared on Earth Island within the Spiritual Realm, he immediately spotted a figure not far away. The person had likely arrived a short while ago and was curiously observing the surrounding landscape.
The sky in the Spiritual Realm had no sun, moon, or celestial bodies, nor was there a cycle of day and night. The ambient light remained at a constant brightness at all times. Since there were no native life forms in the Spiritual Realm, and the vegetation here was merely an illusion conjured by the Dragon God, projected from the Mortal Realm through magic, there was no need for natural environmental factors to sustain their growth.
"Hm?"
Noticing Yamiru's arrival, the observer turned around with a look of surprise. "Yamiru?"
"Master," Yamiru greeted with a nod, quickly walking over with a smile. "It's been a while since we last met. How have you been?"
The person who had entered the Spiritual Realm was none other than Son Gohan, who was supposed to be far away in Mount Paozu.
Yamiru was well aware of his master's habit of waking up early for a morning stroll in the deep mountains of Mount Paozu. So he wasn't too surprised that Son Gohan had been one of the first to enter the Spiritual Realm. First, in terms of power level, his master's strength was just a little over one hundred, fitting within the range Yamiru had set. Second, not everyone who sensed the mysterious guidance would actually choose to follow it. Some might find it meaningless and ignore it entirely. However, Yamiru knew that Son Gohan was an elderly man with a youthful spirit, and if there was one defining trait of such people, it was curiosity. So his early arrival wasn't surprising in the least.
"Heh, my body is still as strong as ever," Son Gohan laughed heartily. "But you… it seems like your skills have improved once again. Not bad, not bad."
Yamiru smiled humbly. "It's nothing special. I'm just doing my best."
After some words of encouragement, Son Gohan asked if Yamiru had also suddenly experienced a bizarre inspiration—an intuitive method that led him to this place. He then inquired whether Yamiru knew what exactly this place was.
Yamiru briefly explained that this was a training ground he had obtained through a wish to Shenron.
"A martial arts exchange platform, huh? That's quite the idea," Son Gohan quickly grasped the practicality of the Spiritual Realm. The most obvious advantage was that just moments ago, he had been at Mount Paozu, and now he was here, speaking face-to-face with Yamiru. What could be more convenient than this?
Just as Yamiru was about to ask whether Son Goku was still asleep, a voice suddenly called out beside them—
"Yamiru?"