Besides the three techniques of Time-Space Power, Intermediate Modification Technique, and Forced Fusion Technique, Rhode also had a technique he really wanted to achieve. He provisionally called it the Ultra Instinct-like Technique, corresponding to Aira's Self-Evolution Technique. Though he called it the Ultra Instinct-like Technique, in reality, he envisioned it as a simplified version of Ultra Instinct, or at least something that should achieve similar effects.
However, while he could imagine it, how to actually achieve it required careful study and continuous experimentation. Fortunately, Rhode had some understanding of Ultra Instinct, and based on that foundation, it wasn't impossible to explore.
The four techniques mentioned above were what he considered most crucial, as they represented directions and paths to change himself and enhance his power. If he could master even a few of them, his power and realm would undoubtedly undergo significant changes. In such a situation, the so-called bottleneck he was currently facing would no longer be an issue, and he could continue to advance to higher levels of power.
Of course, in addition to these four techniques, improvements to Kaio-ken, Mafuba, and so on were also possible areas of research, but their priority simply couldn't compare to these four techniques. However, the knowledge and theories involved in just these four techniques were vast, and the process of learning and researching them would undoubtedly be difficult. Achieving any results would be even harder.
It was fortunate that due to the Intermediate Modification Technique, Rhode's lifespan had increased to several thousand years. Coupled with the time difference in the Time Chamber, he could spend time making up for his shortcomings. Otherwise, let alone successfully developing any results, he might not even be able to complete the foundational knowledge and theoretical learning process required to create these techniques.
As time passed, Rhode spent most of his time in the Martial Arts Hall or the Time Chamber, researching techniques and Ki, refining himself, unearthing his potential, and advancing to higher levels. However, even though his lifespan had now reached several thousand years, such a lifespan still didn't allow him to wantonly use the internal and external time difference of the Time Chamber for research and creation. Therefore, while he would use the Time Chamber, he spent more time outside.
Rhode's process of researching these techniques was also a process of reinterpreting and re-examining himself. Thus, the so-called bottleneck he encountered was unconsciously broken, and he successfully transformed into Super Saiyan 3. After that, the speed of his power increase was no longer slow. Subsequently, he used the internal and external time difference within the Time Chamber to push his normal state power to a new limit. After reaching a new normal state power limit, Rhode once again focused his energy on researching several techniques.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another year passed on Earth.
"Rhode, a while ago, Bulma graduated from university. Now she's planning a graduation trip with Chi-Chi, Lazuli, and Kakarot. What do you think?" During a rare break, Aira, who had received guidance from Rhode and already had some ideas about breaking through to Super Saiyan 3, sipped tea and told him about Bulma's upcoming graduation trip.
"A graduation trip?" Hearing Aira's words, Rhode was a little surprised, but then, thinking about Bulma being sixteen years old now and her genius, he understood. However, why did this graduation trip sound so familiar? The next moment, he realized that this so-called graduation trip wouldn't be a dragon ball gathering journey in a different form, would it?
Thinking of this, Rhode took a sip of tea and couldn't help but laughingly joke with Aira, "Are they also planning to gather the dragon balls?"
Hearing Rhode's words, Aira looked very surprised: "Oh? You already knew?"
"They really are gathering the dragon balls!" Seeing Aira's reaction, Rhode couldn't help but exclaim.
"Yes, they discussed it and agreed that whoever contributes more during the dragon ball gathering process will get to make the wish at the end!" Facing Rhode's exclamation, Aira smiled and nodded.
"Heh, with their current power, isn't gathering the dragon balls a bit too easy?" Listening to Aira, Rhode complained, feeling that this whole thing was just playing house.
A year had passed, and the group had long since completed the initial stages of their training, successfully sensing and being able to control the Ki within their bodies. In fact, after a few months of formal training, the first stage of cultivation was basically completed. Seeing how quickly everyone progressed, Rhode postponed the so-called combat training and directly had everyone begin to improve their mental power and control over Ki in the simulated Planet Yardrat training ground. The next six months were spent this way, remaining in the initial stage of static training.
However, although they were all in the initial stage of static training, the extent of each person's power increase was completely different. The one with the greatest power increase was Goku. Before he officially began training, he only had a battle power of nearly a thousand.
However, after completing the initial weighted training, his battle power was already close to ten thousand, and after six months of static training in the Planet Yardrat training ground, his current battle power was approaching one hundred thousand! Goku was not yet an adult, but his battle power was many times stronger than in the original story timeline.
However, Goku was a Saiyan, had better training methods, had witnessed higher levels of power, had the guidance of Rhode's clone, and had his simple yet firm pursuit of martial arts. Therefore, with these many factors combined, Goku had such a great improvement.
Aside from Goku, the other three—Chi-Chi, Lazuli, and Lapis—had battle powers just over a thousand. Although not much, they were already invincible among Earth's martial artists at this stage. As for Bulma, the senior sister, her battle power was much stronger than the other three, already over ten thousand. Of course, with her on-again, off-again attitude, such a high battle power was mostly due to eating imitation spirit tree fruit. Bulma had eaten this thing a long time ago and had no particular pursuit of martial arts, so Rhode didn't bother with her.
However, Chi-Chi, Lazuli, and Lapis, regardless of their future, still had some pursuit of martial arts at this stage. Therefore, although they envied Bulma, they didn't eat this item. Of course, the most important thing was that Rhode wouldn't allow them to eat it either. After all, their martial arts training had just begun. Although the speed of improvement wasn't that fast, they were constantly getting stronger. Rhode's plan was to let them use external aids to improve once they reached their limit or lost their pursuit of martial arts. At this stage, having Bulma around as an enticement was, in a sense, a form of mental tempering for the group.
It was precisely because the weakest among them already possessed a battle power of over a thousand that Rhode couldn't help but complain about their playing house when he heard Aira say they were going on a graduation trip to gather the dragon balls.
"Hehe, so they agreed not to use power exceeding one hundred battle power, and even prohibited flying!" Facing Rhode's complaint, Aira also knew that their power was too strong for others now. Therefore, she couldn't help but smile and reveal their private agreement.