Since Whis had assessed Raditz's capabilities, they began formal training encompassing both combat techniques and spiritual development. Raditz often practiced while wearing weighted clothing, throwing punches and kicks through the air as Whis stood on the grass enjoying Earth's delicacies.
Through Whis's guidance, Raditz mastered the Super Saiyan God state with increasing proficiency. Though he'd achieved independent transformation before, it hadn't been refined—requiring emotional preparation each time. Now things were different. Whenever Raditz desired the change, he could enter that realm instantly.
According to Whis, Raditz had truly established a solid foundation in the Preparatory God realm. Further exploration would focus on energy level enhancement. It seemed that freely entering and maintaining the divine state served as an important criterion for judging mastery.
However, Raditz sensed this was merely the journey's beginning—Super Saiyan God was just the starting point for reaching higher levels. Attaining Beerus's power might require countless years of training, let alone matching the Angel family's strength like Whis and the Grand Priest.
While Raditz trained, Whis observed carefully and offered critiques.
"You still show hesitation in your movements. Though your speed prevents ordinary opponents from detecting such subtle gaps, those at your level or higher might notice this weakness."
"They don't hesitate?"
"Naturally not—that's why you must eliminate it." Whis appeared before Raditz instantly.
At that moment, Raditz's punch was already committed, showing unstoppable momentum. But Whis moved faster, lightly tapping his finger against Raditz's fist before the strike could fully extend.
"This..." Raditz staggered backward, shocked that Whis's gentle touch contained infinite power while his speed allowed him to intercept the attack preemptively.
"Exactly like that—observing your hesitation allows one to crack your assault."
"I understand now. But how can I eliminate this problem? My fighting style accumulated gradually through years of battle," Raditz said.
He'd learned techniques from Vegeta, studied moves from King Kai and Earth's warriors, acquired skills from martial artists on other planets, and received guidance from Pabados. He'd integrated numerous martial arts styles to form his own approach—a process that made change difficult.
Whis considered this thoughtfully before smiling slightly. "It's a lengthy process requiring gradual improvement. For now, let's proceed to the next exercise—cleaning Lord Beerus's chambers."
Cleaning Lord Beerus's room counted as training? Raditz raised his eyebrows with disbelief. Yet Whis's expression remained confident that this constituted proper practice.
"Don't underestimate this exercise—you could die if you're not careful!"
"Just be cautious and follow me."
"Alright, alright." Raditz couldn't fathom why Whis proposed such training, but the angel's words were always correct. The joke-like mention of "death" carried ominous implications.
Under Whis's guidance, they arrived at Beerus's resting palace together. Beyond a long crystal pathway stretched a conical rock seat suspended in mid-air. Multiple hourglasses wrapped in thin light floated around the space, while a massive stone serpent's head in front opened its bloody maw with hideous, terrifying features.
Beerus lay peacefully on his personal floating metal platform, half-covered by quilts in a peculiar sleeping position.
"This is the place. You need to change Lord Beerus's bedding and clean the floor, but be careful of those floating hourglasses. Touching them could trigger explosions."
Whis explained the situation.
Those suspended hourglass devices served as timing mechanisms, specially designed by Beerus to prevent oversleeping. Once their time expired or external forces disturbed them, they would detonate.
Such violent design could only come from a God of Destruction.
After Whis outlined the general arrangement, he withdrew while leaving cleaning supplies for Raditz. Initially, the task seemed manageable—just avoid waking Beerus while completing everything quietly! He cleaned the floor, cleared debris from the stone platform, and swiftly removed and replaced Beerus's quilts in fluid motions.
After more than ten days, Raditz finally encountered difficulties.
Beerus's sleeping position had changed—he clutched the bedding with his hands while sleeping on his side. The quilt was trapped in Beerus's grip, making replacement impossible without prying his fingers apart...
Raditz wiped nervous sweat as his heart pounded frantically. This wasn't a joke—Beerus didn't know him yet. What if he accidentally triggered instant annihilation? No wonder Whis called this life-threatening training.
"Stay calm, stay calm... move slowly..." Raditz reassured himself, quietly reaching toward Beerus.
His arms trembled as sweat streamed down his face, the tension indescribable. Perhaps if he acted quickly enough—too fast for sleeping Beerus to respond—he might succeed.
Taking a deep breath, Raditz grasped the quilt's corner and pulled gently.
The bedding shifted slightly. Beerus seemed to react, suddenly flicking his tail! Raditz went pale with terror, quickly retracting his arms and hiding below the platform.
Cold sweat drenched his entire body as his breathing became uncontrollably shallow. But he heard Beerus's voice from above—thick and deep, seemingly still asleep.
"That scared me to death," Raditz sighed, showing his head again to try once more.
He grabbed the quilt, preparing for a decisive attempt, but Beerus had assumed an even more awkward position—hugging half the bedding in deep slumber.
Just as Raditz seized a corner, Beerus's tail swung again! Another close call? Raditz retreated abruptly, dodging at maximum speed. He couldn't let Beerus detect him, leaving immediate withdrawal as the only option.
But Raditz had forgotten about the rocks and floating time bombs throughout the space. While backing away, he accidentally collided with an hourglass device! In that instant, heat flooded his body while his heart went ice cold.
BOOM!
The tremendous explosion shook heaven and earth, rattling the entire palace.
In the distance, Whis looked up. "Oh my, it seems something's happened..."
Raditz now stood covered in smoke, eyes glazed, watching as Beerus gradually opened his eyes on the platform. The God of Destruction remained drowsy but cracked his eyelids slightly—razor-sharp light gleaming through that narrow gap.