Before dawn the next day, the three were awakened by Master Roshi.
"Starting today, I'll officially guide you in the Turtle School martial arts."
"Awesome! Finally, we're gonna learn martial arts!" Goku and Krillin cheered excitedly, almost forgetting their hunger from skipping dinner the night before.
Master Roshi's face turned serious. "But first, I have to explain the purpose of training. Martial arts aren't for fighting, winning contests, or impressing girls. It's about strengthening your body and mind, and living a more meaningful life."
"Of course, if you run into villains who use their strength to harm others, you should teach them a good lesson! Got it?"
"Not at all!"
"Understood!"
"Hm, it's fine if you don't understand yet. The key is how you practice. Now, start jogging—follow me."
Master Roshi's training began with a morning jog, followed by… milk delivery.
Every day, they had to run long distances—roughly ten kilometers—to deliver milk to the local residents.
On top of that, they had to jump around, run back and forth, climb stairs, cross narrow logs, brave deserts, swim across rivers, and even race dinosaurs. After two exhausting hours, they finally completed all their deliveries.
Even Ray Chu, who'd done similar training before, felt utterly drained, let alone Goku and Krillin who sprawled on the ground, panting heavily.
After resting briefly, Master Roshi took them to a field. "That was your early-morning training. Next up is your morning training: plowing fields."
The three glanced at each other gloomily, grabbing hoes to begin the task.
"Stop right there! Who said you could use hoes?! You must do this training with your bare hands—this will strengthen your legs, waist, and arms!"
"Oh, god…"
"We'll die!"
Even Ray Chu held up a sign pleading: [Mercy, please!]
"If you can't handle this much pain, how will you ever learn martial arts?!"
With Master Roshi's stern yell, the trio rushed to the field, miserably digging through soil with their bare hands. They returned shortly afterward, utterly miserable.
Next came breakfast and study time.
Bulma had previously taught Ray Chu basic literacy, but there were still gaps. Studying with Master Roshi helped fill those in.
After their midday rest, Master Roshi began the afternoon's training—actually construction work. Carrying bricks, they realized this wasn't just labor, but martial arts training, which somehow made their arms stronger and waists ache less.
Finishing their vigorous brick-carrying workout drenched in sweat, Master Roshi took them to a lakeside. "Now, swimming practice. Hmm, you can all swim, right?"
Though they could, a full day of activities seemingly unrelated to martial arts had left the trio frustrated.
"Old man, what's the point of all this? Hurry up and teach us some real fighting moves!"
Even the innocent Goku complained, clearly puzzled by Master Roshi's training.
"Bah! You haven't even grasped the basics yet—how can you learn martial arts?! When you can…" Master Roshi hesitated, recalling Ray Chu's earlier astonishing performance, then quickly shifted to pointing at a giant rock nearby. "When you can move this giant boulder, then I'll teach you martial arts."
"But…that's practically a mountain!" Krillin protested.
"A martial artist challenges the impossible and constantly breaks their limits. Now, get back to training!"
Convinced again, the three jumped into the lake and started swimming. Notably, this freshwater lake housed a cheerful family of freshwater sharks, who happily pursued the trio in a game of deadly tag.
By the time their swim ended, the sunset filled the sky, marking the day's near-end.
"Alright, one last exercise, then we're done."
Master Roshi took a rope and tied the three beneath a large tree. "Now, reflex training—dodging enemy attacks at close range."
Goku glanced around curiously. "Enemies? Where?"
Master Roshi stealthily poked his cane into the tree, stabbing fiercely at a hornets' nest before swiftly running away.
Enraged hornets buzzed angrily, swarming toward their targets.
"Ahhh! Help!"
"Hey! Kid, no psychic powers allowed—use only your body to dodge!" Master Roshi shouted from a hidden spot, watching contentedly as the trio screamed and flailed. He sighed wistfully, "Ah, youth… savor every moment!"
...
Days passed, and Master Roshi steadily raised the difficulty. After a month, he made the trio train daily while wearing 20-kilogram turtle shells, effectively resetting their progress back to square one.
Despite the hardship, Ray Chu and the others gradually adapted. During this time, Master Roshi informed them of another event: the World Martial Arts Tournament, held in eight months in South City, which they'd also be joining.
The World Martial Arts Tournament gathered the strongest martial artists from across the globe to compete for the title of the world's best fighter, a globally popular event.
Every martial artist considered it an honor to compete in this tournament.
With the prospect of entering the tournament, Goku and Krillin became even more driven, training as if their lives depended on it, their strength steadily improving.
Interestingly, although several full moons had passed during this period, the dimension-hopping event Ray Chu anticipated never came. He still couldn't figure out what triggered it.
Since I'm here anyway, might as well go with the flow, Ray Chu thought, quickly immersing himself back into training.
...
Seven months later, normal training had become too easy. The turtle shells they carried now weighed 40 kilograms—challenging at first, but quickly manageable.
Finally, one day…
"Gramps! Gramps!"
Goku burst in, interrupting Master Roshi, who was secretly peeking at Launch and Mai in the living room.
"Oh, Goku. What's up?"
"Come quickly!"
Goku dragged Master Roshi to a massive boulder, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Look, gramps, we can move the rock now!"
Master Roshi gulped nervously. "What nonsense are you—"
With a huge crash, Goku pushed the enormous rock several meters away.
Ray Chu and Krillin quickly followed suit, each taking turns shifting the rock even further.
Afterwards, the trio looked at Master Roshi expectantly.
Previously, he'd promised that if they could move this rock, he'd teach them real martial arts.
Master Roshi turned away, silent for a moment, then cleared his throat awkwardly. "Actually, I have nothing more to teach you."
"Wha—what?!"
"In these past few months, you've mastered all the basics of Turtle School martial arts. Your vision, fists, limbs, and mind have been fully trained. Martial arts is about applying those skills creatively."
"Remember, martial arts isn't about victory—it's about surpassing yourself. Use what you've learned, reflect and explore on your own. The World Martial Arts Tournament isn't about winning; it's for testing your strength and gaining experience."
Master Roshi's words left the three thoughtful. These insights embodied decades of the old master's wisdom, benefiting them for a lifetime.
...
[DUE TO TURTLE SCHOOL TRAINING, LEVEL INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY +5]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 21]