The Hermit of Korin Tower

Early the next morning, Bora caught a large fish from a nearby river. After having breakfast together, Yuujin and Goku prepared to climb up Korin Tower.

"Yuujin, Son Goku, good luck."

Bora, holding his child Upa, wasn't much of a talker but expressed his encouragement with the simplest of words.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Bora."

"Goodbye, Bora, Upa."

After bidding farewell to the father and son, Yuujin and little Goku leaped onto the tower's structure, climbing swiftly using both hands and feet.

Watching the two quickly become tiny black dots in the sky, Upa waved his little hands while Bora showed a look of astonishment—

"So fast."

"Yuujin, Sun Goku, maybe they really can climb to the top of this Korin Tower..."

…

"Climbing, climbing, climbing, climbing, la la la..."

"Climbing, climbing, climbing, climbing, la la la..."

By now, the ground below was no longer visible. In mid-air, Yuujin and little Goku were climbing rapidly, and as they climbed, Goku was singing.

Korin Tower was carved with many ancient-looking patterns, reminiscent of the Stone Age, and every so often, there were small protruding ledges to step on, making the climb not too difficult.

However, the tower was extraordinarily tall, so much so that countless challengers had failed to reach the top after the Turtle Hermit did it. Some even tried using helicopters to fly up, but they all failed. It was said that unless one climbed up through their own strength, the tower's end would never be in sight.

Both Yuujin and little Goku had undergone rigorous training under the Turtle Hermit, so their climbing speed was incredibly fast. Before long, they had passed through the clouds and were already very high up.

They climbed continuously for half a day, and neither of them knew exactly how high they had gone, but the tower still shot straight up into the sky with no end in sight.

"Ugh… Yuujin, I'm so tired."

Little Goku's speed gradually slowed as she spoke.

Although she was already quite capable for her age, she was still only five years old, and climbing Korin Tower was indeed a bit much for her.

"If you're tired, hop onto my back."

"Okay!"

Little Goku climbed onto Yuujin's back, and a happy expression immediately appeared on her face.

Yuujin had not been using his full strength before to match Goku's pace, so even though he now carried the extra weight, his speed didn't decrease. In fact, he climbed even faster.

With a sudden burst of speed, Yuujin, carrying little Goku, shot up the tower at an incredible rate.

This time, it took them only about half an hour to see the end of the tower.

"Yuujin, look! Over there!"

Pointing at the temple that appeared above their heads, little Goku shouted excitedly.

Even Yuujin, though somewhat exhausted after climbing for so long, felt invigorated upon seeing the destination.

With a final push, Yuujin climbed up to the bottom of the temple.

There were several openings on the sides where the temple connected to the tower, but there were no stairs or ledges to help climb inside. For an average person, it would be extremely difficult to enter the temple without falling. However, this level of difficulty posed no problem for Yuujin and little Goku.

Yuujin first threw little Goku up through one of the openings, then leaped in himself, using the walls to propel himself into the temple.

"We finally made it up…"

Lying on the ground, Yuujin panted slightly.

"Hah…"

"Yuujin, look! It's so big in here!"

"Hey, Master Hermit, Master Hermit, where are you?"

Already curious, little Goku hopped around the temple, searching for the Hermit.

Yuujin also stood up and surveyed the surroundings.

The temple, which stood high in the sky, was indeed spacious and serene. From the balcony, one could even see the vast sea of clouds below.

"Little girl, stop shouting. You're going to burst my ears."

At that moment, a voice echoed, and then a large white cat walked down from upstairs.

Yes, it was a cat—walking on two legs, holding a wooden staff, and plump.

"Ah… There's a cat in the temple!"

"Big white cat, where is the Master Hermit? We're looking for him."

Little Goku exclaimed in surprise, then ran over to ask, while Yuujin quickly followed.

"Goku, be respectful. This is Master Karin, the Hermit of the temple."

"The Master Hermit is a cat?"

Little Goku widened her eyes.

"Why can't a cat be a Hermit? I am a sage cat."

"But young man, do you know me?"

Karin stroked his whiskers and looked at Yuujin with some surprise.

"Master Karin, my name is Yuujin, and this is Sun Goku. We are both disciples of Master Muten (Turtle Hermit)."

After introducing himself and little Goku, Yuujin bowed respectfully to Master Karin.

Although the Hermit was just a cat, it was an immortal cat that had lived for over 800 years, watching over and protecting the land from this temple. Therefore, Yuujin gave it the respect it deserved.

"So, you're Muten's disciples. No wonder, no wonder."

"Since Muten left, no one has climbed this temple for hundreds of years. It's quite rare for ones so young to make it up here."

Karin nodded, looking as if he had just realized something, and then offered praise.

"Hehe…"

"Not you, you just got carried up."

"Ugh, that's not fair…"

Receiving praise, little Goku showed a small, proud smile, but quickly fell into a slight slump after being teased by Karin.

"You young man, little girl, what brings you here?"

After a little playful teasing, Karin turned to business.

Since they were Muten's disciples, they should know that legends like the Ultra Divine Water were just myths.

"Master Karin, we would like to ask you to guide our training."

Yuujin didn't hide his intentions and stated them directly.

"Guiding your training, huh…"

"It's fine for the little girl, but young man, your power has already surpassed Muten's and even mine. I don't have much to teach you."

After sensing the energy of Yuujin and little Goku, Karin spoke.

"Possessing power does not necessarily mean being strong. If you don't know how to use it properly, it's just brute force. That's why I'm asking Master Karin to teach me how to use my strength."

Yuujin said earnestly.

"Well said, well said. I didn't expect someone so young to understand such a principle. If it's just teaching you how to use your power, I can still guide you."

"Thank you, Master Karin!"

Karin nodded, and Yuujin's face lit up with a smile.

"In that case, you can stay here for now. It's already late today, so I'll start instructing you tomorrow."

"Understood."

To be continued…

P.S

Master Roshi is also referred to as Muten Rōshi in the series.