Seeing that Piccolo's potential development had ended, Vegeta did not wait for Old Kai to call him, and without any hesitation, used Flight to leap in front of Old Kai.
"Come on! I'm the last one! You'd better go all out, otherwise, hmph!!!" The prince's arrogance, coupled with his current impatience, made Vegeta once again give off a conceited feeling.
He truly was not afraid that Old Kai would secretly hold back on him.
Of course, Old Kai really would not do such a thing; he would not care about someone like Vegeta.
However, if Lin Chuan had not asked him to act, he would not have developed the potential of someone like Vegeta.
"You'd better maintain a calm mindset and emotions, otherwise if any accident occurs during the potential development process, this old man will have no way to save you." Old Kai narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully sizing up Vegeta.
In terms of verbal sparring, as an old monster who had lived for so many years, how could Old Kai not know how to deal with someone like Vegeta.
In his eyes, he could see clearly what kind of person Vegeta was.
Obviously, after hearing Old Kai's words, Vegeta calmed down.
Even if he had anger, he had to suppress it, forcibly emptying his mind and calming himself.
...
Just like that.
Vegeta's potential development ritual proceeded smoothly, with a time difference not much different from Piccolo's, and also similar to Krillin and Tien, all around three hours.
"Alright, your potential has already been developed." After finishing the final potential development, Old Kai let out a sigh of relief.
After consuming so much energy in one go and persisting for so long, if he had not been consolidating his divine power during this period, he would have long since collapsed.
Of course, it was also thanks to Lin Chuan's assistance, otherwise with his divine power, he would not have been able to accomplish such a feat in one go.
Potential development was not a joking ability to begin with; the consumption was enormous.
If it were developing some small fry, it would only take a few minutes, at most an hour—how long would that add up to?
Now doing it six times consecutively had nearly cost him his old life.
And just after Old Kai left with foresight, because there was no longer Old Kai by his side being in the way, Vegeta stood up and immediately unleashed all his power in his base form.
'Boom~~!!!!!!!!!!!!'
In an instant, a white aura tinged with a trace of light purple transformed into a massive tornado, sweeping across this world.
This destructive aura shook the entire Supreme Kai World, and even crossed dimensions, transmitting to the lower universe.
"This level of strength? It's not far off from what I expected. Hahahahaha~! Although it didn't reach this prince's expectations, it's not bad." Vegeta clenched his fists, his mood fairly good.
At least, with his current strength, he wasn't weak! Not weaker than Son Gohan!
Not far away, Piccolo crossed his arms and, after sensing Vegeta's erupting aura, gave his evaluation: "After potential development, Vegeta can reach this level even without turning into a Super Saiyan. Before potential development, he would at least need to transform into Super Saiyan Second Grade or above to have this kind of presence."
"As expected, Saiyans are still too monstrous… After Vegeta developed his latent ability, he improved by more than a hundred times." Krillin wiped cold sweat from his face and said with lingering fear.
"It seems we still underestimated him. With his strength, even without transforming, he's not something we can compare to now." Tien felt unwilling, but there was nothing he could do.
What he was unwilling about was not that Saiyans could transform, but that even without transforming, he couldn't compare.
"There's no need to belittle yourselves! Vegeta only improved by one small realm. After your potential development, you directly crossed two units! And under my ability, you improved greatly! So what I said at the beginning wasn't wrong—if Vegeta's strength were equal to yours, his base increase would be far inferior to yours." Lin Chuan crossed his arms and analyzed.
He also learned through the system's prompt what level Vegeta's battle power index reached after potential development.
[Target: Vegeta.]
[Battle Power Index: 1500 quintillion]
Before potential development, Vegeta's battle power index was around 25 quintillion. A month ago when he fought Broly, Vegeta was actually only about 10 quintillion; after that battle, it rose to 25 quintillion and had not improved further.
After developing his latent ability, his battle power surged dozens of times, though not reaching a hundredfold.
And with Vegeta's current battle power, it was already roughly comparable to the fusion warrior Vegito Xeno; he might even be able to win.
...
Raising his hand and clenching his fist, Vegeta couldn't help but test his base battle power, then restrained his ferocious aura.
[Hmph! That old guy's potential development still has some use. Now, it's time to find someone to test how far this prince's power has reached.] Vegeta generated the desire to fight in his heart.
His gaze swept across the people present.
Lin Chuan was directly ignored by him, because he still had some self-awareness and knew he absolutely couldn't compare.
Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu—these three, even if their strength improved, were far from being his opponents.
At his current strength, a breath could kill them; how could he have any fighting spirit against them?
In the end, only Piccolo remained.
Before potential development, Piccolo's strength had always been roughly equal to his.
Now that both had developed their potential, who was stronger would only be known after fighting.
However, compared to Piccolo this time, Vegeta was more interested in Son Gohan.
Just in time to use this opportunity to see what level of strength Son Gohan reached after potential development.
The previous feeling still lingered in his heart; he had to break it himself.
Straightening his posture, Vegeta looked directly at Son Gohan.
This situation undoubtedly conveyed fighting intent.
Anyone could see it.
"Come, let me see your power now, Gohan." Vegeta's deep shout spread with unmatched momentum, also pressuring Son Gohan.
"Uncle Vegeta." Feeling Vegeta's intense fighting intent, Son Gohan slightly opened his mouth.
Just as he was about to refuse, he heard Piccolo say: "Fight him, Gohan. After your strength increases, if you don't engage in real combat, your power might regress."
As soon as these words came out, Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu all nodded along.
They were all veteran warriors; they understood this principle best.
On the path of cultivation, if you don't advance, you fall behind—that was one.
Secondly, after gaining strength, if you don't consolidate it and don't fight, then this strength will only be superficial.
"If Vegeta wants to fight, then fight properly! If you don't even dare face Vegeta, how can you talk about becoming stronger?" Lin Chuan also said to Son Gohan.
To be honest, at this time, the strength Son Gohan possessed could absolutely rival the awakened Son Gohan during the Tournament of Power in the original work.
To make Son Gohan grow stronger and stronger, there was one thing he must learn—that was to have his own judgment and purpose in battle.
Not just simply improving strength and becoming complacent.
"Yes, I understand." Son Gohan nodded. From the words of his elders, he found a new belief; the hesitation on his face disappeared, replaced by a confident smile.
His aura released, and in his mysterious state, his strength seemed to improve again.
Ordinary people couldn't see it, but Lin Chuan and Piccolo felt it.
[Target: Son Gohan]
[Battle Power Index: 10 quintillion (Note: Early stage of mysterious state gives a thousandfold increase, Battle Power Index: 1 septillion)]
Just by understanding his true heart, his strength doubled!
The key point was that the thousandfold increase at the early stage of the mysterious state allowed him to possess eighth-dimensional level strength.
The clash of auras—two invisible pressures expanded, canceling out Vegeta's aura.
Son Gohan's strength had already completely surpassed that of his father Son Goku and his uncle Raditz at this time.
'Boom~!!!!!!!'
Facing Son Gohan's aura impact, Vegeta did not hesitate to increase his pressure.
The storm produced by the collision of auras swept in all directions before quickly dissipating.
Vegeta's interest was completely piqued, a playful look flashing in his eyes.
Son Gohan stepped forward, cracking his knuckles as he walked.
The battle was about to begin; Old Kai, Supreme Kai Shin, and Kibito also came to Lin Chuan's side for protection.
"Use that form's power directly, don't hold back! Learn in battle, improve in battle—your potential should still be greater!" As the battle was about to start, Lin Chuan recalled the evaluation of Son Gohan in the original work and encouraged him.
"I… still have greater potential? Improve in battle? Okay!!!" Receiving Lin Chuan's encouragement and affirmation, Son Gohan felt greatly satisfied and more excited.
In an instant, the aura within his body erupted, his terrifying presence released without restraint, and his power surged.
Although it was the mysterious form, he did not bring out true eighth-dimensional level power.
His combat experience and control over power were still far from sufficient.
After erupting, Son Gohan acted first, gathering strength in his legs to shatter the ground beneath his feet, rushing at Vegeta at an extremely terrifying speed, and throwing a sharp punch.
Vegeta's eyes became sharp, instinctively raising both fists to guard in front of him.
'Bang!!!!' a loud explosion.
Even though Vegeta was prepared, Son Gohan's explosive power was formidable; without turning into a Super Saiyan, he was blown away by this terrifying force.
After finally stabilizing his body, before Vegeta could react, Son Gohan erupted again and chased up, throwing another punch toward his face.
This time, Vegeta did not hesitate, mobilizing the Super Saiyan energy pool in his body, nimbly dodging the punch and launching a counterattack.
The Prince's battle style unfolded, fierce and rapid punches and kicks striking toward Son Gohan.
Facing Vegeta's counterattack, Son Gohan handled it with ease, even effortlessly.
At present, the difference in strength between the two sides was too great.
Even though Vegeta mobilized the Super Saiyan energy pool, without truly transforming, he still couldn't suppress Son Gohan.
After consecutively resolving more than a dozen of Vegeta's attacks, Son Gohan erupted with power to seize the initiative; the boost in mysterious state raised his battle power to 8000 quintillion!
A heavy punch sent Vegeta flying.
Under increasing pressure, Vegeta frowned slightly.
He hadn't expected that in base power, he would be far inferior to Son Gohan.
Vegeta had not yet realized that Son Gohan was not in base form.
"Haaah!!!!" Son Gohan roared, launching another attack with both fists breaking through the air.
'Bang!! Boom!!!' two consecutive muffled impacts.
Son Gohan's fists were firmly blocked by Vegeta.
"What?!" His fists locked, Son Gohan trembled, trying to pull back, but Vegeta's strength made it impossible.
And Vegeta?
He no longer held back. His black upright hair moved without wind, faintly flashing golden light.
As golden aura surged around his body, his strength rapidly increased.
"Not bad, but you still need practice, brat!!" Vegeta grinned, delivering an unstoppable blow to Son Gohan's abdomen.
'Puaaah!!!!' The heavy punch embedded into his abdomen; Son Gohan spat out bile and was sent flying uncontrollably.
The difference in strength between the two was actually not that large once Vegeta mobilized the Super Saiyan energy pool.
Even after potential development, there was still a considerable gap between Son Gohan and Vegeta.
This gap lay in the Super Saiyan transformation.
Vegeta's full power could even reach the ninth-dimensional octillion unit.
With base battle power above a thousand quintillion, Vegeta's Super Saiyan 4 Extreme Evil Evolution reached 5 octillion to 10 octillion!
The domain of a quasi-God of Destruction.
Even though base Vegeta was indeed inferior to mysterious Son Gohan.
After knocking Son Gohan back with a heavy punch, Vegeta turned defense into offense again, completely taking control of the battle's initiative.
Under the relentless pressure of the Prince's battle style, Son Gohan could only defend passively.
[Is this Uncle Vegeta's strength? After truly fighting, I actually have no power to resist…!!] Son Gohan gritted his teeth, doing his best to defend.
Every attack from Vegeta had destructive power beyond imagination. Even if he blocked them in time, the impact made Son Gohan feel like his body was about to shatter.
"What's wrong, brat? After developing your potential, your battle power shouldn't be only at this level, right?! Your aura should be even stronger!!" Vegeta provoked Son Gohan with words, hoping he could grasp the essence of battle.
This kid didn't know how to fight!
What was the point of fighting someone who couldn't fight?
Hearing the provocation, a sharp light flashed in Son Gohan's eyes.
He clenched his teeth and seized the moment, erupting all the energy of his mysterious state in an instant, reaching the eighth-dimensional septillion unit!
A sharp flying kick struck Vegeta's abdomen, catching him off guard.
"Interesting!!" Vegeta, knocked back, laughed instead of getting angry.
Not only did his smile grow wider, but he also mobilized even more of the Super Saiyan First Grade energy pool.
He wondered whether Son Gohan could force him to use the Super Saiyan First Grade transformation.
With fighting spirit ignited, Vegeta burst forward.
His instantaneous speed was beyond imagination; Son Gohan couldn't dodge in time and could only cross his arms to block head-on.
But even with defense, the impact of Vegeta's burst was too terrifying.
He only felt his body swept by an unimaginable force and was blasted thousands of meters away.
[So strong!! This is still without transforming!]
[If what Uncle Lin Chuan said is true, if Uncle Vegeta had killing intent toward me, I would have been killed the moment we clashed.]
Feeling Vegeta's terrifying strength, Son Gohan's pressure increased greatly.
Stabilizing his body and locking onto Vegeta's position, Son Gohan did not hesitate to erupt again and rush toward Vegeta.
Now, only by fighting properly could he become stronger.
If he retreated in fear, he would only lose more miserably.
"Good!" Vegeta, completely fired up, also rushed toward Son Gohan.
'Boom!!!!!!!!!!!' The moment the two collided, heaven and earth changed color, explosions overlapped, and the divine realm trembled.
A blinding light burst forth, forcing everyone to raise their hands to shield their eyes.
Vegeta and Son Gohan entangled in combat, each move fierce, every casual strike possessing the power to destroy planets.
To others, this seemed like a life-and-death battle!
But in reality, it wasn't so. Vegeta was playing, while Son Gohan was gradually being drawn in, fighting more and more enthusiastically.
...
"They're completely absorbed in fighting, but I have to say, this battle is a release for Vegeta and also the best opportunity for Gohan to experience higher-level combat." As a bystander, Lin Chuan said calmly.
At his level, the battle between Vegeta and Son Gohan was like children playing house.
Strength, speed, reaction, techniques, and energy control all still needed further refinement.
"Hey, I say, kid Lin." At this moment, Old Kai suddenly spoke, making Lin Chuan slightly startled.
Turning to look at Old Kai with hands behind his back, Lin Chuan asked, "What is it, Old Kai?"
"Kid Lin, if I'm not mistaken, you've already reached a bottleneck, haven't you?"
"Do you want me to develop your potential again? Although the improvement won't be much, it should help you reach a higher level."
Old Kai's sudden topic shift not only surprised Lin Chuan but also shocked everyone else.
Such goodwill—Lin Chuan wanted to accept it, but it wasn't what he needed.
Lin Chuan smiled calmly: "Instead of watching this rare battle, you're paying attention to me. Old Kai, although potential development is indeed a good thing and can help me break my current limits, even breaking that limit would be useless."
"What I need now is a greater breakthrough, and that breakthrough point must be realized by myself!"
"So, thank you for your kindness, Old Kai."
Lin Chuan declined Old Kai's proposal; he had his own plans for his future.
"Since you already have a plan, then this old man worried too much." Old Kai stroked his chin and shifted his gaze to the battle that had already entered a heated stage in midair.
Hearing this, Lin Chuan said nothing more and turned his attention back to the battle.
The others, after remembering Lin Chuan's words, also looked back at the battle.
...
The scene shifted back to midair.
Facing the immense pressure from Vegeta's attacks, Son Gohan was completely forced into passivity, only able to defend.
"What's wrong?! Son Gohan, are you still not planning to become a Super Saiyan?! If you keep fighting me like this, you'll definitely lose!" Vegeta attacked aggressively while urging Son Gohan to transform.
This was what he was most looking forward to.
However, he didn't know the inside story, so an awkward scene occurred—Son Gohan had already transformed.
"Uh, um, I also want to, but it seems I can't…"
Son Gohan didn't know how to explain, but Vegeta was smart enough to guess two possibilities.
"Hmph! Did you forget how to become a Super Saiyan?! Or is your current power obtained by abandoning transformation?!" Vegeta's judgment was sharp.
Abandoning the original Saiyan power to obtain this strength.
With that thought settled, Vegeta recalled the future Son Gohan he had seen before.
"I remember that transformation again! So, can you transform into that form now?" Vegeta asked again.
Son Gohan smiled bitterly and shook his head: "At present, I've only reached the early stage of the mysterious form… As for achieving that transformation, I don't know how long it will take."
After getting the answer, Vegeta's lips curled slightly, revealing a teasing smile.
Since he couldn't reach it, then he would give him more pressure so he could try to break through.
In an instant, his energy surged explosively, golden aura bursting as he entered the Super Saiyan state.
His battle power skyrocketed, stepping from the seventh dimension into the eighth dimension.
'Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!!' Three unstoppable heavy attacks struck Son Gohan solidly.
The terrifying force sent Son Gohan flying, and Vegeta seized the opportunity to press further.
"Galick—Gun!!!!" Gathering energy, a white-purple beam shot toward Son Gohan.
"Damn it! I won't lose like this—Masenko!!" Seeing this, Son Gohan endured the pain and unleashed his ultimate technique.
'Boom!!!!!!!' The two energies collided, the terrifying force shaking space and turning the sky of the Supreme Kai World dark.
The pressure changed drastically, even compressing the entire planet.
The golden beam and white-purple beam clashed in midair, forming a spectacular scene.
Son Gohan and Vegeta—Son Gohan had already gone all out, reaching his limit.
But Vegeta had not yet shown his true strength.
After all, Super Saiyan Full Power Vegeta had a battle power of 12 septillion!
Son Gohan had only reached 1 septillion.
"This battle should end now. Although I'm not satisfied, at least you didn't embarrass yourself—you managed to fight me to this point after taking my attacks." Vegeta suddenly exerted force.
The Galick Gun broke through the Masenko, but when it reached Son Gohan, Vegeta changed its direction.
'Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!'
A massive explosion erupted in the sky, incomparably terrifying.