The Final Four Emerge, Lin Fan the Dark Horse

The final two matches of the quarterfinals concluded quickly.

The monk named Nam defeated his opponent using a peculiar technique called the "Dodon Ray," which carried a cooling aura and was designed to drain the opponent's will to fight rather than inflict injury.

As for the blonde girl named Launch, her personality shifted drastically after a sneeze; she pulled out a submachine gun and began firing wildly (before being promptly stopped and disqualified by the referee), sparking a minor commotion before being "escorted" out of the arena by staff.

With this, the final four of the World Martial Arts Tournament were decided!

The host excitedly announced the list: "After intense competition, the four contestants advancing to the semifinals are—Son Goku! Tien Shinhan! Chiaotzu! And—Lin Fan!"

The big screen displayed the portraits and names of the four.

The reactions from the audience were varied. The names of Son Goku and Tien Shinhan drew deafening cheers, as their strength was plain for all to see.

Chiaotzu also received a fair amount of applause, his psychic abilities leaving a deep impression.

But when Lin Fan's name and portrait appeared, the atmosphere in the arena became much more complex.

There was surprise, curiosity, and a great deal of skepticism and whispering.

"Lin Fan? Is that the one who beat Giran?"

"How did he make it to the final four? It feels like he barely fought..."

"He's just lucky, he didn't run into any strong opponents in the draw..."

Almost no one favored Lin Fan.

In the eyes of most, his entry into the final four was far more a matter of luck than skill.

Whether it was his easy victory over Giran or the subsequent tournament bracket, it all seemed too effortless, lacking any convincing display of power.

Bulma listened to the surrounding chatter and stomped her feet in anger: "What is this! These guys don't understand anything! Lin Fan is actually very strong!"

Krillin, however, analyzed the situation objectively: "But... Lin Fan's next opponent is either Tien Shinhan or Goku... they are just too strong..."

Master Roshi pushed up his sunglasses and remained silent, merely watching the calm face of Lin Fan on the screen, his thoughts unreadable.

Soon, the semifinal matchups were decided by a draw.

"The first semifinal match—Contestant 98, Lin Fan, versus Contestant 38, Tien Shinhan!"

Once the result was out, the audience erupted into another uproar.

"It's over, it's over, he's facing Tien Shinhan directly!"

"That three-eyed guy is a monster who even fought Son Goku to a draw!"

"He probably won't even be able to take a single hit..."

Almost everyone believed that Lin Fan's run as a dark horse had reached its end.

The ring was quickly repaired.

Lin Fan and Tien Shinhan stepped onto the stage simultaneously.

Tien Shinhan crossed his arms, his third eye wide open, his gaze sharp as a blade, locking firmly onto Lin Fan with no trace of contempt left.

The oddities of the preliminaries, the eeriness of his easy victory over Giran, and the strange words he had spoken to Krillin all led Tien Shinhan to elevate this opponent's danger level to the maximum.

He would not be careless just because the other's aura felt weak.

"The match—begins!"

The referee's voice carried a hint of nervousness as he quickly retreated.

No probing, no wasted words.

Tien Shinhan knew his opponent possessed strange techniques and was determined not to give him any chances, opting to use a finishing move right from the start!

He let out a low shout, his body defying gravity as he slowly floated into the air!

"It's the Flight Technique!"

The audience gasped.

"Contestant Tien Shinhan is using a secret art of the Crane School right from the start! He's taken to the skies!"

The host shouted his commentary, "He has secured absolute air superiority! How will Contestant Lin Fan respond?"

Hovering several meters above the ground, Tien Shinhan looked down at Lin Fan coldly: "No matter what strange techniques you have, they are futile in the face of absolute strength and a height advantage!"

He began to condense his aura in his hands, a blinding light gathering in his palms; he was clearly preparing to unleash a powerful energy blast for an aerial strike.

Every spectator, including Bulma and Krillin, felt their hearts leap into their throats.

Unable to fly, he was a sitting duck on the ground!

However, Lin Fan looked up at Tien Shinhan in the air, his face still devoid of panic.

He took a gentle breath, and the true energy within his mid-stage Qi Refining body began to circulate at an unprecedented speed. It did not erupt outward, but rather followed a unique rhythm, creating a marvelous resonance with the air flowing around him.

Great Dao Source Scripture - Basic Chapter: Wind Control Art!

Though it was merely the most rudimentary method for leveraging the wind to lighten one's body and move with agility, in this world, it was already enough!

He stepped forward half a step with his right foot, his movement so soft it didn't look like a fight, but rather like the start of a dance.

At the same time, a gentle current of air silently gathered beneath his feet, lifting his body.

The next moment, to the disbelief of everyone present, Lin Fan's body slowly lifted off the ground and began to float!

Although he was only about a meter off the ground, he was undeniably hovering in mid-air!

There was no dazzling eruption of aura, no violent energy fluctuations, and not even a hint of powerful "ki" could be felt.

Around his body, there were only faint ripples of moving air, as if he were being naturally supported by a gentle breeze, his posture carrying an indescribable lightness and... elegance?

The entire arena fell into instant silence!

Everyone stared with wide eyes and dropped jaws, as if they had witnessed the most incredible thing in the world!

"He... he's flying?!"

The announcer's voice cracked from the intensity, "Contestant Lin Fan is also flying?! How is this possible?! He isn't emitting any powerful ki at all!!"

"What?!"

Krillin gripped the railing so hard his eyes nearly popped out, "He can fly too?!"

Bulma was so shocked that the binoculars slipped from her hands: "You've got to be kidding me?! How did he do that?!"

In the VIP box, Master Shen stood up abruptly, his cane clattering to the floor as his facial muscles twitched: "Im... impossible! That is not the Flight Technique! There is absolutely no energy fluctuation of the Flight Technique! What kind of sorcery is that?!"

Even Mercenary Tao, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open. For the first time, his cold eyes betrayed clear astonishment and scrutiny as he locked his gaze onto the figure in the air.

In the corner of the highest viewing stand, Kami and Mr. Popo were also slightly moved.

The most shocked of all was Tien Shinhan, who was still in the air.

His movement to condense a ki blast froze, his three eyes fixed intently on the effortlessly hovering Lin Fan below, his face written with disbelief!

His own Flight Technique relied on the powerful eruption of ki to forcibly counteract gravity, which consumed a significant amount of energy.

But the opponent... the way he flew was natural, effortless, as if he were meant to float in the air, with almost no detectable consumption of ki!

This completely subverted his understanding of "flight"!

"You... what kind of black magic is this?!"

Tien Shinhan couldn't help but shout, his voice carrying a tremor of instability he hadn't even noticed himself.

Lin Fan hovered in the air, his clothes fluttering gently in the breeze, his expression calm.

He looked at the shocked Tien Shinhan and spoke indifferently:

"This is no black magic."

"Nor is it the Flight Technique."

"It is merely borrowing three parts of the wind's strength to briefly depart from the mortal dust."

As his words fell, his figure shifted slightly. Like a willow catkin in the wind, he moved with a flexibility and speed far surpassing the Flight Technique, silently sliding several meters to the side and rear, easily dodging a stray ki blast that Tien Shinhan had fired instinctively out of shock.

The entire arena erupted once more!

This level of agility!

This fluidity of movement!

It was completely incomparable to the crude propulsion of the Flight Technique!

Tien Shinhan's expression changed completely.

This opponent was far more bizarre and troublesome than he had imagined!

The semi-finals truly began at this moment. And the true caliber of this "dark horse," Lin Fan, was finally forcing everyone to re-evaluate him!