We've All Grown Stronger

The World Martial Arts Tournament was about to begin, and the venue was packed with a sea of people.

Master Roshi led his three disciples, squeezing through the crowds to reach the registration desk.

"Welcome, visitors please head this way."

Master Roshi quickly explained, "Ah, we're not here to visit—we're here to compete!"

The receptionist looked at Sun Mo, Goku, and Krillin, and asked, "Is he entering? And what about the other two kids?"

Master Roshi continued, "They're all here to compete."

Though surprised, the receptionist registered them anyway—there was no junior division back then.

"Alright, please head to the back of the venue to prepare."

Master Roshi looked at the three and instructed, "Now it's time to test the fruits of your training. Do your best—go on in!"

The three nodded in unison and followed the directions into the venue.

Only after their figures disappeared did Master Roshi hurry to the restroom, change into his Jackie Chun disguise, and squeeze back to the registration desk.

"Excuse me, sign me up—Jackie Chun."

Inside the venue, the three had changed into the Martial Arts Gi specially made for them by Launch.

A bright orange main body, a blue belt tied at the waist, and the character "Turtle" printed on the chest and back.

Wearing the outfit he'd dreamed of since childhood, Sun Mo instantly felt his combat power skyrocket.

Goku was also wearing this kind of clothes for the first time, and found it just as novel.

"Wow! Such comfortable clothes!"

But Krillin, watching the bustling crowd, felt a bit nervous.

"Aren't we dressed too flashy? If we lose, it'll be pretty embarrassing..."

Sun Mo said, "Don't worry. After all this training, not a single drop of sweat was wasted."

Krillin nodded. "Right! We're disciples of Master Roshi—we can't disgrace him!"

Goku had never seen so many Martial Artists gathered in one place before, and couldn't help marveling, "So many martial arts masters—amazing!"

Just then, a man several times taller than Krillin walked past.

A hint of mockery hung in his eyes.

That little look said nothing, yet seemed to say everything: "A little brat like this joining the tournament? What a joke."

Krillin instantly deflated.

"With so many experts, I'm losing confidence..."

Sun Mo patted Krillin on the shoulder and said, "Krillin, courage is also a necessary quality for a Martial Artist. Don't be timid—have some confidence!"

"I know!"

Soon, the tournament director arrived.

"Today marks the once-every-five-years World Martial Arts Tournament. Thank you all for traveling great distances to participate."

"According to the tally, this tournament has gathered one hundred and thirty-seven masters from around the world. We will determine eight finalists through the preliminaries to compete in the finals."

"Now, the host will explain the drawing and match rules."

"..."

After the host's explanation and the drawing session, everyone received their numbers.

Then, the preliminaries began inside the venue.

With over a hundred competitors and only eight spots, it was a battle of crossing a single-log bridge over a thousand troops.

The matches were intense.

Soon, Goku encountered the burly man who had passed by earlier—several times his size.

The big man looked down at the little bean of a Goku, his opponent, and couldn't help sneering.

"What kind of nonsense is this?

Even if I win against a runt like this, there's nothing to be happy about."

Krillin saw Goku matched against that giant in the preliminaries and couldn't help sweating for him.

"Goku, hang in there!"

Goku showed no fear at all and fought seriously.

But the gap in strength was enormous, and Goku was dead earnest.

The moment they clashed, just one exchange, the big man stumbled, clutching his stomach in pain as he collapsed to the ground.

"It hurts... hurts like hell..."

The watching contestants were all stunned.

"What happened?"

"What just happened?"

"Did that big guy lose his footing and fall on his own?"

The referee inside the ring raised Wukong's hand and announced loudly, "Contestant number 70 wins!"

Wukong stared blankly at his own small fist, then walked off the platform thoughtfully.

Krillin sincerely congratulated him: "Congrats, Wukong. That guy just fell over on his own!"

Wukong shook his head.

"No, that's not it. He didn't fall on his own!"

Krillin was baffled.

"Wukong, what are you saying?"

Son Goku immediately warned him seriously: "Krillin, if your opponent isn't too strong, make sure you don't use too much force!"

Krillin scratched his head. "What are you talking about?"

Sun Mo said, "Krillin, haven't you figured it out yet?"

"Figured what out?"

"That fat guy might look tough to ordinary people, but our strength far exceeds theirs. He didn't fall on his own—he was knocked down by a light punch from Wukong."

"Knocked down by a light punch from Wukong?"

Wukong nodded. "Yeah, Krillin. Under Master Roshi's training, we've both gotten really strong!"

Krillin stared blankly at his own hands, still doubtful.

"Really? Am I that strong too?"

Just then, a fat monk and a tall skinny monk walked up to Krillin, both wearing hostile expressions.

"Oh, if it isn't Krillin?"

Hearing that familiar, terrifying voice, Krillin couldn't help but shudder. Turning around to see two nightmare-like faces, and confirming they were his senior brothers, his courage drained by eight-tenths.

"Se, Senior Brother..."

"So it really is you. Haven't seen you since you left Orin Temple!"

The fat monk laughed. "Speaking of which, what are you doing here?"

The tall skinny monk rudely rubbed Krillin's bald head while sneering, "Don't tell me you're here for the World Martial Arts Tournament?"

Back at Orin Temple, Krillin had been bullied by them for a long time, and his fear of them was hard to shake off in an instant. He could only say weakly, "Yeah, I entered."

The tall skinny monk scoffed. "Heh, that's hilarious. Someone like you dares to enter this kind of competition? You're here to joke around, right..."

Krillin hung his head, completely unable to talk back.

Sun Mo walked over, looking at the two monks with disdain.

"Hey, you two baldy, you here to pick a fight or something?"

Sun Mo was much taller, with a cold, sharp gaze—he didn't look like an easy target. The fat and skinny monks were cowed by Sun Mo's presence and froze on the spot. The arrogance they flaunted in front of their junior brother shrank by half, and the fat monk didn't dare retort.

The tall skinny monk blustered, "Hmph, what's it to you!"

Sun Mo said, "Of course it's something to me. Krillin is now my fellow disciple."

The fat monk tugged at his companion's sleeve and lowered his voice: "Forget it, forget it... this guy doesn't look easy to mess with."

The two had always bullied the weak and feared the strong, so they stopped trying to assert themselves over Krillin and hurried off.

Krillin said gratefully, "Thanks, Sun Mo!"

Sun Mo looked at Krillin and warned him, "Krillin, I just checked the match board. You'll be fighting him soon."

Krillin was startled.

"What? Me and my senior brother fighting..."

His legs started trembling.

Sun Mo said disdainfully, "Krillin, what are you afraid of?"

Krillin hung his head and said weakly, "I, back at Orin Temple, they always bullied me. I can't beat them..."

Sun Mo didn't argue with him but instead instructed, "Krillin, let me remind you: when you fight your senior brother later, make sure you don't use force."

Krillin looked up in confusion. "Huh? Don't use force?"

I'm already scared stiff—shouldn't you be encouraging me to go all out and not be afraid?