Krillin's Regret, Lin Fan's Promise

The dust on the arena finally cleared, revealing two figures teetering on the brink of collapse.

Son Goku and Tien Shinhan both stood at the edge of the ring, covered in wounds and gasping for air, barely able to remain upright.

The earth-shattering collision just moments ago had drained nearly every ounce of their strength.

The referee approached cautiously, observed for a moment, and finally raised his hand to announce loudly, "Both contestants are unable to continue! This match is a draw!"

The entire stadium erupted in an uproar!

A draw!

It was an extremely rare occurrence in the history of the World Martial Arts Tournament!

Medical staff rushed onto the stage to support the nearly exhausted Son Goku and Tien Shinhan as they were led away.

"Too... too incredible..." Krillin watched, mesmerized, muttering to himself before clenching his fists, his young face filled with tension. "Next... it's my turn."

Soon, the broadcast echoed: "Next match, contestant number 18, Krillin, versus contestant number 56, Chiaotzu! Will the contestants please take the stage!"

Krillin took a deep breath to psych himself up. "Come on, Krillin! You can do this!"

He glanced at the departing Goku, his gaze hardening with resolve, and stepped onto the arena.

His opponent, Chiaotzu, was already hovering weightlessly at the other end of the ring, watching him with an expressionless face.

The match began!

Knowing that Chiaotzu's psychic powers were bizarre and difficult to guard against, Krillin immediately adopted a high-speed movement tactic, constantly shifting positions to seek an opening for a close-quarters attack.

His movements were agile, his foundations solid, and his ki was quite refined—it was clear he had undergone rigorous training under Master Roshi.

"Contestant Krillin is launching a fierce offensive! But contestant Chiaotzu is floating in the air, dodging with great agility!" the announcer called out.

Lin Fan watched quietly from the stands.

He could sense that while Krillin's ki was far less in volume than that of Son Goku or Tien Shinhan, it was indeed, as taught by the Turtle School, quite dense and methodical in its circulation. However...

"Useless."

Chiaotzu, standing on the arena, suddenly said softly, his eyes glowing with a faint light.

Krillin, in the midst of his high-speed movement, suddenly felt his body stiffen as if bound by invisible ropes. His movements distorted instantly, and he stumbled, nearly falling!

"It's Chiaotzu's psychic power! He's immobilized contestant Krillin!" the announcer shouted.

"Damn it!"

Krillin struggled fiercely, his ki erupting within his body to barely break free from the restraint, but his rhythm had already been disrupted.

Chiaotzu seized the opportunity to float forward, his small hands striking toward Krillin with ki infused.

Krillin blocked in a rush, only to be driven back repeatedly.

The match fell into a stalemate.

Krillin kept trying to close the distance, but Chiaotzu always managed to interfere with various bizarre psychic abilities—immobilization, paralysis, illusions...

Although Krillin managed to break free each time through his own ki and willpower, he was being run ragged, left in a sorry state with his stamina rapidly depleting.

"This isn't going to work..." Bulma said anxiously. "That little guy's abilities are too troublesome!"

Lin Fan shook his head slightly. Krillin's ki was refined, but his method of application was too singular and direct, lacking versatility.

Facing an unpredictable opponent like Chiaotzu, blindly rushing in only played right into his hands.

Sure enough, a long defense eventually leads to a mistake.

While attempting to use the starting stance of the Kamehameha to force Chiaotzu back, Krillin's ki flow faltered for a split second due to his previous exhaustion.

Chiaotzu seized this fleeting opportunity!

He unleashed his psychic power to its full extent!

Krillin felt as if his brain had been pricked by a needle; a sharp pain and dizziness washed over him, and his movements froze completely!

Thud!

Chiaotzu's small hand, imbued with significant ki, struck Krillin precisely in the chest.

"Urgh!"

Krillin groaned as his body flew backward, crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena. He struggled a few times but could not immediately get back up.

The referee ran over and began the count: "Ten! Nine! Eight..."

Krillin gritted his teeth, trying to struggle to his feet, but the tightness in his chest and the dizziness in his head made it impossible to focus his strength.

"...Three! Two! One! Time's up! The winner is—number 56, Chiaotzu!"

A sigh of regret rippled through the audience.

Chiaotzu descended slowly, said a soft "My thanks" to the Krillin being helped up by the medical staff, and floated off the arena.

Krillin hung his head as he was helped down, his small face etched with frustration and disappointment. He walked over to Goku, his voice choked with emotion: "I'm sorry, Goku... I lost... I'm so useless..."

Goku, having just regained a bit of strength, waved his hands hurriedly: "It's okay, Krillin! Chiaotzu really is strong! Let's work hard together and beat him next time!"

Master Roshi also leaned on his cane and walked over, offering raspy comfort: "No need to be discouraged, Krillin. You did very well; your opponent's abilities are truly unique."

Bulma patted his bald head: "Exactly! There's nothing shameful about losing to a psychic power!"

But Krillin's dejection was clearly not something a few words of comfort could resolve. He walked alone to the corner of the contestant tunnel, sat down against the wall, and buried his face in his knees, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Lin Fan watched this scene, remained silent for a moment, and then walked over slowly.

He stood in front of Krillin without saying a word.

After a while, Krillin seemed to sense someone there and looked up, his eyes slightly red. Seeing it was Lin Fan, he hurriedly wiped his eyes and forced a smile: "Oh, it's you, Lin Fan... Congratulations on your win. I... I'm just so embarrassed."

Lin Fan shook his head, his voice calm: "There is no need to belittle yourself. Your 'qi' has a very solid foundation, and its level of refinement far exceeds that of your peers."

Krillin was stunned, not expecting Lin Fan to say such a thing. He stammered: "But... but I still lost..."

"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in life."

Lin Fan looked at him with clear eyes: "Your defeat was not due to a lack of 'qi', but a lack of 'versatility'."

"Versatility?" Krillin looked up, confused.

"Yes," Lin Fan said slowly. "Your 'qi' is concentrated but lacks variation, direct but lacks finesse. It might hold its own against brute force, but against strange and unpredictable techniques, rigidity is easily broken."

He paused, recalling some of the most fundamental energy-refining methods from the Great Dao Source Scripture, and continued: "The way of utilizing energy in this world is not limited to just concentration and explosion. It can be as winding and penetrating as flowing water, as enduring and self-renewing as vegetation, or as stable and steadfast as a boulder... If you have time in the future, perhaps... you could try other paths; you might just find a new way forward."

His words were like a small pebble cast into Krillin's fixed perception, stirring up a ripple.

Krillin stared blankly at Lin Fan, the dejection in his eyes gradually replaced by a hint of confusion and contemplation. "Other paths... like water... like a boulder..."

He muttered to himself, seemingly struggling to grasp the meaning of these words.

What Master Roshi had taught them was always how to more effectively concentrate and explode their 'qi'; he had never mentioned that 'qi' could have such different forms and applications.

Lin Fan said no more, simply patting his shoulder lightly: "The road is still long."

With that, he turned and left, leaving Krillin sitting there alone, lost in deep thought.

Bulma leaned in and asked curiously: "Lin Fan, what did you say to that little bald guy? Why does he look like he's in a daze?"

Lin Fan smiled: "I just told him that if you fall, changing your direction might allow you to see a different kind of scenery."

Bulma gave an "oh" of partial understanding.

In a corner on the other side, Tien Shinhan, who had just finished his treatment, opened his three eyes just a sliver. He watched Lin Fan's departing back, then looked at the contemplative Krillin, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

That guy named Lin Fan... he always seemed to say things that made people take notice, quite by accident.

At this moment, Krillin rubbed his smooth, bald head, the words "concentrated but lacks variation... like flowing water... like a boulder..." echoing repeatedly in his mind.

A seed called "another possibility" had been quietly planted.