CHAPTER 357: CHAPTER 457: “THE DIVINE ELIXIR”!

Dusk gradually faded, the afterglow of the setting sun lingering only in faint patches, reluctantly spilling over the island’s sandy beach, inching inch by inch toward the dark sea... A black shadow swiftly darted across the black surface of the ocean.

When Son Goku flew back, Bulma and the others were outside having a barbecue.

The sky had already darkened, with multicolored string lights hung on the lawn’s frame, softly shimmering and creating a great atmosphere. Smoke swirled, meat sizzled on the charcoal grill, and the aroma wafted through the air...

"Wow, it smells so good!"

Goku swooped down from the sky, rushing over to Bulma who was flipping the skewers, reaching out to grab some meat to eat.

Bulma dodged, pointed a skewer at him, and snorted. "Why are you so late, coming back only now?" She suspiciously leaned in, staring him down. "Did it really take that long to deal with that guy?"

Krillin was beside her, flipping a skewer of vegetables and drizzling sauce on it, and said, "Yeah, Goku, he’s really not a match for you, right?"

Goku bit into the skewer Bulma was pointing at, chewing a couple of times and mumbling, "He asked me some things... then Kakarot came out too... gulp... fought him... hmm, but..."

Kakarot fought him too? Krillin thought for a moment, then shook his head, feeling sorry for Vegeta. He must have been beaten badly!

"But what?" Bulma pulled the skewer from Goku’s mouth.

"Mom, me too~" Son Gosen, at Bulma’s side, tugged at her pants, lifting his little head.

Bulma handed him the skewer.

Son Gosen wagged his little tail happily as he bit into it.

"But, whatever this ’Super Saiyan’ thing he talked about is, I don’t understand it at all... such a strange person," Goku scratched his head.

Bulma pulled out a tissue and wiped the sauce and oil off Goku’s mouth.

Goku grabbed a new skewer, eating while looking around, and asked, "Hey, where’s Grandpa?"

He hadn’t sensed Gohan’s energy on the island.

Krillin said, "He left, probably went back!"

"Oh." Goku nodded, then hungrily wolfed down the food, patted his belly to fill his stomach first, and said, "I’ll go ask Master, see if he knows anything about this Super Saiyan thing!"

"Feels like... it’s something really powerful!" He smiled, his eyes shining with fighting spirit.

---

Online.

Ever since Frieza’s "30-day countdown" to his legion’s arrival was announced, everyone felt a sense of urgency!

During the "Earth Defense Battle," the Earthlings had experienced the strength of Frieza’s army more than once, as well as... Frieza himself, terrifying beyond measure!

In Martial Path Mode, Frieza’s legions arrived one after another!

Some of the powerful bosses among them required multiple, even a dozen or so martial artists working together to defeat!

Even the elite-level legion soldiers who refreshed weekly required warriors at least at the seventh or eighth layer of the Muken tower to challenge them! Those with base strength below one thousand didn’t even qualify to face these "elite monsters"!

A boss with tens of thousands of combat power refreshed weekly!

A boss with a hundred thousand combat power refreshed monthly!

Fortunately...

Since the Virtual Earth Network company launched the Gene Optimization Serum and widely promoted it worldwide, over five years many martial artists have started using it. Though this serum doesn’t directly increase combat power, it optimizes the Earthling’s genes, deepening their potential!

Those with little innate talent could suddenly sense ki!

Those already at a deep level could improve their skills by leaps and bounds!

Now, on Earth, there are countless martial artists with base combat power above one thousand. Plus, at this level, these martial artists generally have mastered at least the fourth or fifth layer of Muken... this number can be estimated to be above five thousand!

There are even more martial artists whose actual combat power exceeds the ten-thousand level!

As for the old masters like Master Jifen, Master Yixin, and the venerable monk from Orin Temple, perhaps because they were already elderly when taking the Gene Optimization Serum, its effects weren’t as obvious as with younger people... but their base strength still rose above the ten-thousand level after five years!

These masters had long since broken through to more than a dozen layers of Muken—some nearly reaching twenty layers!

Over these five years, the bosses with hundred-thousand-level combat power in Martial Arts Mode were usually handled by them!

These were the older masters with high Muken realms.

Then there were young people who, after taking the Gene Optimization Serum, soared in base strength but hadn’t broken through ten layers of Muken yet, yet still reached a hundred-thousand-level actual combat power—emerging like bamboo shoots after rain!

These five years marked the first major leap of martial arts on Earth!

Everyone seemed to be evolving!

Rapidly improving!

All shared a common enemy and a common crisis. This consensus created an atmosphere where martial artists’ ki cultivation progressed even more efficiently!

However... now the announcement that "Frieza’s legion will arrive on Earth in 30 days" was made public.

Many people panicked.

Because no one had truly witnessed Frieza’s real power in Martial Path Mode!

Frieza refreshed in the game every six months!

The old masters had once teamed up to fight this Universe Emperor... but were easily defeated by his million-level combat power!

Frieza has transformation abilities!

One transformation multiplies his combat power several times over!

He has three transformation opportunities!

This data was gradually unlocked in the online game mode. It was then that people discovered... Frieza’s true power was 200 million!

That number was terrifying—too terrifying to believe.

But this terrifying 200 million was really going to arrive on Earth.

Not in the game.

In reality.

Only 30 days left!

And soon... it would become 29 days!

Many felt suffocated facing this cold countdown.

"Two hundred million, who can stop that?" said some extremely pessimistic voices.

"Muten Roshi can stop him! Don’t forget, in the game Frieza’s right arm was cut off!" said an optimistic believer in Muten Roshi, firmly convinced.

"Yes, since the Muten Roshi can provide such detailed info about Frieza’s design, he must have fought Frieza before!"

People speculated like this, but there was no official answer.

Besides that, others worried about different aspects. They posted on the Virtual Earth Network’s official forum:

"The enemy is a legion rampaging across the universe. Even if our top Earth martial artists can hold back their elite forces, their numbers are just too vast. Most of them are ordinary soldiers, and even one low-level warrior can cause massive destruction! What are we going to do?"

This topic sparked heated discussions.

Finally, the Martial Arts Association and Virtual Earth Network company officially issued a statement—

"Virtual Earth Network will provide a divine medicine called Senzu Beans. As long as you don’t die, even if you’re heavily injured, near death, or disabled in battle, it can fully heal you! For details, check the latest link on the official website... You can also view video footage from over a hundred years ago of the first and subsequent World’s Greatest Martial Arts Tournaments, including videos of Muten Roshi and Son Gohan using Senzu Beans, now unsealed and freely accessible..."