After a brief rest, Tien Shinhan, still unsettled by Lin Fan's bizarre fight, and Son Goku, whose astonishing recovery had left him raring to go, returned to the ring for the final match.
The air was thick with even more tension and anticipation than before. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the true clash of titans to begin.
"Finals! Begin!"
The referee's voice even trembled slightly. As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly retreated.
No testing the waters, no holding back!
Son Goku and Tien Shinhan powered up almost simultaneously. Two vast surges of energy burst skyward, golden-white and blue-white light crashing violently against each other. The entire ring hummed under the terrifying pressure!
The hard ground cracked apart inch by inch!
"Kamehameha!!"
"Dodon Ray!!"
Right from the start, both unleashed their signature techniques without holding anything back!
A thick beam of blue-white light and a sharp, concentrated white ray, like two roaring dragons, slammed into each other!
Rumble—!!!
An unprecedented explosion swept across the arena! The blinding light left everyone momentarily sightless, while the violent shock wave crashed into the protective barriers around the ring, making them groan with a teeth-grating sound!
The entire stadium shook!
Lin Fan sat in the contestants' rest area, narrowing his eyes slightly. Even from far away, he could clearly feel the destructive energy at the heart of the explosion.
This was nothing like the attacks he had cleverly countered earlier. This was pure, overwhelming power clashing head-on!
As the light faded, two figures collided again through the smoke! The sounds of fists and feet striking each other burst like a string of heavy bombs!
They were even faster and stronger, and every clash sent waves of air rolling outward!
Son Goku only grew more fired up as the battle went on. Saiyan blood boiled in his veins, and he kept pushing past his limits mid-fight, his movements wild and explosive. Tien Shinhan, meanwhile, remained calm and ruthless, his third eye catching every detail. The Crane School's techniques were tricky and deadly. Though he didn't use the Four Witches Technique again, his fists still attacked like a raging storm!
The ring crumbled beneath their feet, sending huge chunks of stone flying in every direction!
The audience's cries of amazement rose wave after wave!
Lin Fan watched in silence, his thoughts churning.
This battle had completely overturned his previous understanding of "ki."
Such vast reserves of energy, such a ferocious way of wielding it, such terrifying destructive power... It all lay entirely beyond his current understanding of cultivation.
Even if he cultivated his True Qi to the late or even peak stage of Qi Refining, he would likely struggle to match these monsters in sheer quantity.
The Great Dao Source Scripture was an unparalleled Daoist classic, but cultivation could not be achieved overnight. What he lacked was time and accumulation.
Looks like... I'll have to make some trade-offs.
Lin Fan pondered, Since I can't greatly increase my total reserves of True Qi in the short term, the only way I can hope to stand my ground is by pushing quality and technique to the utmost.
As he thought, the battle in the ring reached its boiling point.
Both fighters were covered in wounds, yet neither would give an inch.
At last, after one straightforward, all-out punch from each of them, both ran out of strength at the same time. Like puppets with their strings cut, they fell backward and crashed onto the shattered ring, unable to move again.
Another draw!
After an urgent discussion, the tournament committee judged the result according to the rules and the order in which the fighters had fallen, among other factors. In the end, they awarded Son Goku the win by the narrowest of margins!
"The champion is... Son Goku!"
The announcer shouted at the top of his lungs!
The arena erupted! Applause and cheers roared like a tidal wave! Krillin jumped up in excitement, and Bulma let out a delighted shriek.
Medical staff rushed forward and carried the exhausted fighters away for treatment.
The award ceremony was simple but lively. Bruised and swollen, Goku held up the championship trophy and prize check, grinning like a child.
Once the commotion died down, the crowd gradually dispersed. Lin Fan was about to leave when a steady, aged voice rang out behind him.
"Young man, wait."
Lin Fan turned around and saw the real Master Roshi—Master Mutian—standing behind him. He had changed back into his signature floral shirt and sunglasses, but his bearing was entirely different from when he'd disguised himself as "Jackie Chun." He carried the imposing presence of a true master.
"Master Mutian."
Lin Fan bowed slightly in greeting, his manner respectful. Though the old man seemed like a lecher, he was in truth Earth's martial arts deity and deserved his respect.
Master Roshi walked up to him and looked up (Lin Fan was a little taller). His gaze seemed able to see right through him from behind his sunglasses.
He didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point:
"You're an interesting kid..." Master Roshi rubbed his chin, his tone probing. "What you use isn't 'ki,' is it?"
Lin Fan felt a slight chill in his heart. As expected, he couldn't hide it from someone of this caliber.
He neither denied it nor went into detail. He simply nodded. "It's another way of using energy."
"I could tell."
Master Roshi chuckled. "Your flying was clever, and you have a sharp eye. That last defense and the way you exerted force from a distance were things I'd never seen before. Your approach is unorthodox and unusual—one might even say... full of potential."
He paused, his tone suddenly turning serious. He raised a wrinkled finger and pointed lightly toward Lin Fan's lower abdomen. "But... your foundation is too shallow."
"It's like a little puddle,"
Master Roshi explained. "You can do all sorts of tricks with the water in it, turn it into a fountain or carve it into ice sculptures, but it's still just a little puddle. Once you run into a real river—or even the sea..."
He shook his head. "You'll be swept away without a trace in an instant."
Lin Fan listened in silence, his thoughts as clear as a mirror.
Master Roshi had seen straight through his greatest weakness: his cultivation was only at the middle stage of Qi Refining, and his total reserves of True Qi were woefully inadequate.
No matter how refined his techniques were, without enough power to support them, everything was just a castle in the air.
"Goku and Tien Shinhan..."
Master Roshi continued, "Their 'puddles' might not have been very big at first either. But they have their own ways—or rather, their constitutions and methods of training let those puddles quickly grow into ponds, then lakes... and perhaps one day, seas."
He looked at Lin Fan meaningfully. "Your method is unusual. In all my years, I've never seen anything like it. But if you can't make your 'puddle' grow bigger and deeper faster... then, in the future, they'll leave you farther and farther behind."
His words rang in Lin Fan's heart like the tolling of a great bell.
They echoed his own reflections, but struck even closer to the heart of the matter.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master Mutian."
Lin Fan bowed respectfully again, his tone sincere. "I understand. Building a solid foundation is the most important thing."
Seeing how quickly Lin Fan grasped his meaning and how humbly he responded, Master Roshi nodded in satisfaction. Then he slipped back into his usual shameless manner and patted Lin Fan on the shoulder. "Good! You've got a bright future, young man! Keep training! Who knows, maybe you'll bring this old man more surprises in the future! Heh heh..."
Chuckling, he ambled off with his hands clasped behind his back.
Lin Fan stood where he was, watching Master Roshi's retreating figure, his gaze calm and resolute.
The recognition and advice of a martial arts legend had made his path ahead clear.
He needed to study technique, but cultivation was the foundation!
He had to raise his cultivation as soon as possible and increase his reserves of True Qi!
He touched the money Bulma had given him inside his robe and thought of the laboratory and materials she had promised him.
Perhaps... it was time to try refining some real "pills" to aid his cultivation.
Lin Fan raised his head and looked toward the distant blue sky.
The road ahead was growing clearer.
Before you continue