As John was training with Goku in the new gravity chamber, Bora, Upa's father, arrived at Bulma's house with a message from the Cat Hermit.
Goku stepped out of the gravity chamber and saw Bora and Upa standing in Bulma's yard. He happily ran to Upa and embraced him, rejoicing in their reunion.
Bora then spoke to Goku and John, "Mr. Goku, Mr. John, the Cat Hermit has sent me with a message. He wants you two to go to the Karin Tower, as he has something to instruct you."
John and Goku exchanged glances, and John had a vague idea of what this was about, while Goku was still wondering the reason.
However, John didn't explain anything to Goku. He borrowed an airplane from Bulma, and the four of them set off towards the Karin Tower again.
In less than half a day, they reached the bottom of the Karin Tower. Naturally, Bora and Upa couldn't climb the tower, so John and Goku bid them farewell and ran towards the top of the tower.
John said to Goku, "Let's have a race to see who can reach the top of the Karin Tower first."
Goku excitedly agreed.
After the countdown, the two of them sprinted towards the top of the tower like two gusts of wind, disappearing from Bora and Upa's sight in an instant.
By now, John and Goku's strength had far surpassed their previous levels. In the end, John reached the top of the tower several seconds ahead of Goku.
The Cat Hermit, looking at the two young men before him, couldn't help but exclaim, "Meow, I never expected you two to be so powerful, especially John. Even the Great Demon King Piccolo is no match for you."
John humbly replied, "It's only because Goku wasn't holding back. Otherwise, he could easily defeat the Great Demon King Piccolo as well."
The Cat Hermit nodded and said, "Meow, you two are indeed formidable. I knew it when you drank the Super Divine Water."
"Karin Hermit, may I ask why you summoned us here?" Goku asked curiously, genuinely intrigued, especially since the Cat Hermit had specifically asked him to bring the Nyoi-Bō.
The Cat Hermit smiled and said, "Meow, it's not that I wanted to see you, but the God wants to see you."
"What? God!" Goku exclaimed in surprise, knowing that the Dragon Balls were created by the God, but he wasn't sure if the God truly existed.
However, the Karin Hermit had now confirmed that the God did exist, and he was preparing to meet them.
John didn't want to waste time here, as the pressure of the Saiyans and Frieza weighed heavily on his mind. He wasn't even sure if he could transform into a Super Saiyan before facing Frieza.
If he couldn't transform, they would have to rely on Son Goku. Regardless, one of them must be able to transform into a Super Saiyan in front of Frieza.
So, John immediately asked, "May I ask, Cat Hermit, how can we meet the God?"
The Cat Hermit stroked his beard and slowly said, "The God resides in the Temple of Heaven, which is located on the top of the Karin Tower." He spoke with such formality that he didn't even use his usual "Meow" at the end of the sentence.
"Ah! The Temple of Heaven is on top of the Karin Tower!" Goku exclaimed in amazement. He immediately walked to the edge of the tower and peered upwards.
But there was nothing there, just an empty expanse of deep blue sky.
Goku said in confusion, "But there's nothing up there!"
The Cat Hermit explained, "That's because the Temple of Heaven is too high, and you can't see it with your eyes. That's why I specifically asked you to bring the Nyoi-Bō."
"Huh?" Goku looked at the Cat Hermit with a puzzled expression.
The Cat Hermit said, "Follow me." After saying this, the Cat Hermit walked outside and began climbing towards the top of the Karin Tower.
John and Goku followed behind him, and soon the three of them reached the top of the tower.
The Cat Hermit pointed to a small hole at the top of the tower and said, "Goku, insert the Nyoi-Bō into this hole."
Goku obediently inserted the Nyoi-Bō into the hole.
Then, the Cat Hermit took two bells and tied them to Goku and John's wrists, saying, "These are my tokens, proving that you have my approval to meet the God."
"Hold the Nyoi-Bō tightly, and then, Goku, you can say, 'Nyoi-Bō, grow!'"
Goku and John gripped the Nyoi-Bō as instructed, and Goku shouted, "Nyoi-Bō, grow!"
Instantly, the Nyoi-Bō extended rapidly, lifting Goku and John upwards.
As the Nyoi-Bō grew longer, the sky gradually darkened, and countless bolts of lightning crackled around John and Goku. Some of the lightning struck them, instantly igniting and burning their clothes.
However, with their current strength, these lightning bolts posed no harm to John and Goku.
Soon, they passed through the thick cloud layer and once again saw the deep blue sky and the Temple of Heaven floating above them.
Goku looked up at the Temple of Heaven and exclaimed in amazement, "Wow, John, the Temple of Heaven really exists, and it's so high up!"
John nodded and said, "Perhaps only in a place like this can the God reside, undisturbed by mortals."
The Nyoi-Bō soon reached its full length, perfectly inserting into the lowest hole of the Temple of Heaven.
Goku was about to climb up, but John said, "No need." He then held onto Goku and used the Bukūjutsu technique to fly towards the top of the Temple of Heaven.
Soon, the two of them reached the massive front of the Temple of Heaven, which was paved with square tiles, and tall trees grew on both sides, but there wasn't a soul in sight.
Goku shouted, "Hey, is anyone there?"
John didn't speak but headed straight for the central hall.
Just as they were about to enter the hall, a man with dark skin and a head wrap emerged from the hall.
Goku asked curiously, "Are you the God?"
Unexpectedly, the dark-skinned man replied, "No, I'm Mr. Popo, the God's servant."
"If you want to see the God, you must first pass my test," Mr. Popo said expressionlessly.
Seeing his attitude, Goku immediately became interested and excitedly asked, "How do I pass the test? Is it a fight?"
Mr. Popo nodded expressionlessly.
John wasn't very interested in fighting Mr. Popo, even though he had lived for a long time. John's current understanding of martial arts was based solely on using ki to determine an opponent's position.
However, John had already mastered this skill through his own insights. What he wanted to practice most was the prerequisite skill for the Ultra Instinct technique, which involved emptying the mind and allowing the body's muscles to react instinctively.
Seeing that Goku was interested, John said, "Goku, why don't you have a match with Mr. Popo while I rest on the side?"