NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Master Shen
'Life is truly odd. Who would've thought I would die a virgin in my thirties and transmigrate into a man over 300 years old? That's more than a whopping tenfold increase in age.'
"Sigh! Fate reveals itself in rather unexpected ways, it seems," he exclaims out loud, confusing the people before him.
These are his students, lined up training in the horse stance with their toes pointed forward, knees bent, and backs straight, supported by their hips.
On this hot, sunny morning, sweat shines majestically on their bald heads.
Reflecting their school, their attire consists of fully green pants and sleeveless shirts, with yellow belts tied around their waists. Everyone here wears a pair of black laceless shoes; typical of martial artists.
As the master of this school, the old man naturally resembles his students: a green, Eastern-style sleeveless long coat, underneath which he wears matching yellow pants and shirt...
Weirdly—or not so weirdly, in his case—the man also sports a cap with a crane figurehead on top.
"Master? Do you have any new instructions for us?"
The students ask their master, who just a moment ago was standing there as if in some kind of trance. Of course, they didn't dare call him out of it. Why risk being punished when, for all they knew, he could simply have been meditating?
"No, no! Keep on going with what you are doing. I will be leaving the school grounds for a while. Something requires my immediate attention."
Before the students could ask any further, Master Shen disappears...
A certain cranky old man walks down the stairs of the mountain upon which the acclaimed Crane School sits.
If one is ignorant of the man's prestigious identity, at first glance they may think of him as a regular old street swindler or a crook, the kind that will scam even a poor beggar... But of course, such thoughts should be left where they came from—in the head.
For someone who would dare say such a thing is certainly either brave or stupid, though mostly stupid. Like who in their right mind would call a person they just met a crook?
The master takes one step at a time as he figures out his current situation. "sigh!" 'I have no idea how many years prior to the main story I am in....'
'When will Son Goku arrive on Earth?' Unknowingly, his fingers start stroking his catfish-like whiskers. "This is really a dilemma..."
"Hmm?" 'What did I do just now? I never had a habit of feeling my facial hair in the past. How did I suddenly develop such a habit?...' To have such a habit, you need to have facial hair. In his previous life, his facial hair were few and far between, so he always had them shaved clean.
'Did the old geezer's memories affect my mind? That's the only explanation!'
'Obtaining the original Master Shen's memories was like experiencing my favorite movie. I viewed those events unfold as if I was right there when it happened.'
'But even so... although I felt somewhat connected to the events in his life and could even acquire all the knowledge and wisdom that Master Shen gained throughout his whole lifetime, I wasn't taken over by those memories.'
He hypothesizes that this happened because the soul inhabiting this body is his, while the actual soul; Master Shen, has vanished, leaving behind his material body and mind full of memories and experience but no familiar soul to be attached to them.
'But it seems I am not entirely correct. Albeit not enough to wholly change my personality, it looks like I have been somewhat altered by his memories.'
Wandering down the steps, he lays his eyes on an out-of-place well at the foot of the mountain.
Magnetized by the well for no specific reason, he walks up to this source of life. Gazing down, he sees a reflection.
"That's me, huh?" One really can't get used to looking like a fossil after living for just 30 years. This is a brand-new experience for him.
'I must fix this... Dragon Balls, yes! Finding them must be my topmost priority.' Thankfully, he was a huge fan of Dragon Ball in his last life. Rewatching the series more than ten times, you could even say he was obsessed with it.
'But before that, I quickly need to improve my strength.' With his current strength, he is nothing but a frog inside a small bucket, which is floating at the bottom of a well, and surrounding the well is a vast ocean filled with uncountable sea creatures.
'These old bones haven't worked for a long time. They have become rusty. I reckon the fastest and simplest ways to get stronger for me right now are probably Korin Tower and a gravity chamber. However, there are problems with both approaches.'
'To climb Korin Tower, my body has to be at its best, but currently, that certainly is not the case. I could ask a scientifically advanced organization to make me a gravity chamber, but that would probably take a long time to create.'
'After all, in this time period, advanced technology is pretty rare on this planet. Though I did hear Hoi Poi Capsules have just been invented by Dr. Brief, Bulma's dad, so thankfully it's not impossible.'
'For now, I suppose I need to do it the crude way: carrying rocks and wearing weight bands. They are always evergreen.'
Walking through the village at the foot of the Crane School mountain, he encounters many of the regular villagers going about their day.
"Good morning, Master Shen." "Did you have your breakfast Master Shen?" They exchanged all kinds of greetings, mostly normal stuff that goes on when you meet a revered community member.
Some, however, had important requests for the old martial arts master. "Please save us from the wild animals that are ravaging the lands." "Please take my son in as your disciple."
Even though the old Master Shen was a greedy old geezer, in the eyes of the villagers, he still maintained his image as a wise old martial saint, apparent with his title as the Tsuru-Sen'nin (Crane Hermit).
Assuring the villagers that their requests will be looked into, he returns to the school.
The students were arduously continuing their training. Right after completing their one hour of horse stance exercise, they had moved on with their daily 500 push-ups regimen.
He spends the next few hours guiding his students in training. This is no big deal for him; after all, he has the same knowledge and experience that the old Master Shen had.
It was already time for lunch when the whole school took a break. Their lunch consisted of healthy fruits and juicy meat. After politely devouring their food like the starving monks they are, everyone takes their afternoon nap.
Move well! Learn well! Play well, eat well, and rest well! [AN- the Greatest line ever told]
After his nap, Master Shen yet again descends down the mountain.