Compared to a serious martial arts competition, the so-called World Martial Arts Tournament felt more like a festival.
Although it wasn't as influential as it would be in later years, the venue was still packed with people on the day of the competition.
The tournament format was a little strange. All the matches had to be completed in a single day, which was obviously not very reasonable. The number of competitors was also relatively small. Even so, this tournament could still be considered a major clash between the strongest fighters in the world.
A shadow passed overhead as Zhang Wutian descended from the sky.
He landed lightly without causing any earth-shaking commotion. That, in itself, showed that he had begun to master his control. A few passersby who happened to be nearby stared in stunned amazement. Meanwhile, Zhang Wutian, the object of their attention, calmly made his way to the registration desk.
"That's right. My name is Zhang Wutian." After giving his name, he asked, "Has a competitor named Son Wukong come to register?"
After finding Son Wukong, Krillin, and the others' names on the first few pages of the list, Zhang Wutian smiled and entered the passage reserved for competitors.
There were more than a hundred competitors. That didn't seem like many, but with all of them crammed into the preliminary-round hall, it was still quite a crowd. Zhang Wutian managed to spot Son Wukong and Krillin farther away, but he didn't go over to greet them.
She hasn't grown at all. I thought she'd develop earlier after becoming a girl. Looking at Little Wukong, Zhang Wutian appraised her. Is that the strongest Earthling, Krillin, beside her? Does that guy really not have a nose? How does he breathe?
Then Zhang Wutian spotted Yamcha.
Now that I've joined in, how will the tournament turn out? Am I strong enough to surpass Master Roshi yet? I can't wait!
"Number 144, step up!"
The referee's call from the ring interrupted Zhang Wutian's reverie.
Zhang Wutian stepped onto the ring. His opponent was a muscular brute with a menacing face.
"Lucky me. They've sent out a runt." The hulking man leered at Zhang Wutian. "Surrender now, and I might let you off easy. You don't want any broken bones, do you?"
"Tch. This is what's wrong with the Dragon Ball World. Even the extras are too arrogant and have no manners," Zhang Wutian said disdainfully.
The brute couldn't understand the first half, but the second half was clear enough. He snapped, "You dare call me an extra? Don't think the rules of the tournament can protect you, kid. I'll make sure you get a taste of hell."
Zhang Wutian didn't even look at him. Instead, he turned to the referee beside him. "Can we start?"
"Begin!"
The next moment, the brute reached out and charged at Zhang Wutian.
"Damn brat, how dare you look down on me! I'll crush your bones!"
The moment he finished speaking, he went flying backward.
Zhang Wutian punched the brute in the face, knocking out nearly ten of his teeth and sending the man flying.
The brute shot straight off the ring, while Zhang Wutian took out a handkerchief and wiped his fist.
"His spit got on my fist. Disgusting."
"Number 144 wins."
The referee seemed unable to believe how easily Zhang Wutian had won, and stammered as he announced the result.
Down below, Yamcha had just finished his own match and happened to wander over. Drawn to Zhang Wutian's fight, he stared in shock.
"He's strong! Even I might have had trouble handling that punch!"
"Just as you'd expect from the World Martial Arts Tournament. The competition's so strong. I'm getting excited."
Zhang Wutian had of course spotted Yamcha below. He smiled at him, and Yamcha, realizing Zhang Wutian was looking his way, answered with a challenging grin before turning to leave.
Yamcha's pretty fired up at this point. Did reality beat him down so badly later that he lost his drive to improve?
Come to think of it, Yamcha doesn't seem to have been gender-swapped, and neither has Krillin. I haven't seen Master Roshi under his alias, Jackie Chun, yet. So Wukong's the only one who became a girl?
While Zhang Wutian stood on the ring, lost in thought, a skinny monk suddenly flew over from the neighboring ring at tremendous speed.
Like Zhang Wutian's opponent, he'd been sent flying by Krillin on the next ring over.
Unlike Zhang Wutian, who had held back a little and merely knocked the brute off the ring, the skinny monk had clearly taken the full force of Krillin's attack. If nothing intervened, he would probably fly straight out of the hall and become a star in the distance.
Zhang Wutian stood directly in the monk's path. As the monk neared him, Zhang Wutian pushed with his left hand and guided him with his right, tracing a circular path with his feet. He effortlessly dispelled the force acting on the monk and set him down gently.
The skinny monk had barely managed to land on the ring with Zhang Wutian's help when he paused for a moment, then collapsed with a crash. In fact, he'd already lost consciousness before he was sent flying.
Krillin really doesn't know how to hold back at this point. If I hadn't been here, this monk would've been done for.
Zhang Wutian thought for a moment, then took out a Senzu Bean and placed it in the monk's mouth. "It's not really any of my business, but a life is a life. And he hasn't done anything particularly evil, so I'll save him."
After eating the Senzu Bean, the skinny monk abruptly opened his eyes. He looked left and right, then at Zhang Wutian. "What happened to me...?"
"You were sent flying. I gave you a little help."
At the same time, the skinny monk's companion, a fat monk, hurried over and whispered in his ear for a while.
Once he understood what had happened, the skinny monk shuddered with fear. He pressed his palms together and said to Zhang Wutian, "Thank you for saving my life, benefactor. I'll never forget it."
"Don't thank me. Just do more good deeds from now on, and consider that repayment," Zhang Wutian replied.
The skinny monk nodded repeatedly, then backed away as if he'd seen a ghost.
The person the skinny monk feared was Krillin. He and Little Wukong had come over to Zhang Wutian.
"I thought he was going to crash into someone. What you did just now was amazing, wasn't it, Wukong?"
Krillin spoke to his junior sister, who had been with him day in and day out, but got no answer.
Little Wukong stared at Zhang Wutian, visibly excited. A moment later, she rushed straight at him.
As Son Wukong charged, Zhang Wutian threw a punch at her head. Of course, Little Wukong dodged it with ease.
At the same time, Little Wukong counterattacked. As soon as she landed, she quickly kicked at Zhang Wutian.
Zhang Wutian dodged as well. The two traded attacks and defenses, fighting with a flurry of blows all the way from the ring to the corridor, then from one side of the hall to the other.
"S-so strong! Wukong and that guy are both so strong! What are they doing? Is he Wukong's enemy?"
"That young man can actually keep up with Wukong? Wait, neither of them has any fighting spirit or killing intent. They're not showing their true abilities. Are they just playing around?"
An older woman in a red martial arts uniform, still possessing a mature beauty, narrowed her eyes as she watched the two figures, moving too quickly for ordinary people to see. A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on her face.
"I thought Wukong alone was enough to represent the tide of a new era. So there's someone else here, too?"
"How interesting. Let big sister test your strength, Wukong—and you too, you adorable young man..."
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