Semifinals! Zhang Wutian VS Son Wukong

The battle between Yamcha and Mary Sue was one-sided from the very start.

All of Yamcha's attacks were completely ineffective; he couldn't even graze the hem of his opponent's clothes, while his opponent landed hit after hit, toying with him and spinning him around.

Following Zhang Wutian's advice, Yamcha had not actually underestimated his opponent; from the beginning, he had decided to go all out against this obscure fighter.

But his attacks failed to create any opening, leaving him firmly suppressed with no room to counter.

"What's wrong? Handsome, your punches are so soft. Are you trying to go easy on me? I didn't realize you were such a gentleman."

"Cut the chatter, take this!" Yamcha's full-force punch was once again easily dodged by Mary Sue. Despite being within arm's reach, Mary Sue felt like a mirage to Yamcha—all his attacks failed to land on anything solid, striking only empty air.

"Is this how it is? I'm being toyed with like a baby."

"Don't look down on me, you jerk!" The next moment, Yamcha assumed the starting stance of the Wolf Fang Fist.

A wave of continuous attacks, like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey, unfolded one after another. Utilizing the technique, Yamcha's speed increased by nearly half, yet he still couldn't inflict any damage on Mary Sue.

"It's useless," Zhang Wutian remarked from the sidelines. "I don't know how strong Master Roshi is in the original story, but this Mary Sue is undoubtedly terrifyingly powerful. If she is on par with the original Master Roshi, then how strong must King Piccolo be, who could easily defeat him?"

"Or perhaps this Mary Sue is even stronger than the original Master Roshi?"

As Zhang Wutian pondered, Yamcha's offensive reached its end.

"An interesting martial art, but the performance is about over. Any longer and the audience will get bored."

Mary Sue suddenly rushed into Yamcha's attack range, parried his strike, and tucked her body in, closing the distance to his chest.

This was the first time Yamcha's attack had made contact with Mary Sue's body, yet he felt no joy. Before he could even react, his body was sent flying by a massive force.

Even as he landed on the grass outside the ring, Yamcha remained dazed. His body didn't seem to have sustained any injury; his opponent had pushed him out with a gentle force, but that only served to highlight Mary Sue's prowess.

"So... so strong!" Yamcha stared at his older female opponent in a daze.

"Amazing!" Son Wukong's eyes sparkled. "That lady is so strong, I really want to spar with her."

"She's my next opponent. What do I do? I don't think I have a chance at all." In contrast, Krillin's fighting spirit plummeted.

"She is indeed strong, and she hasn't even used her real skills yet—she's just been playing with Yamcha. Could she really be Master Roshi? What a bizarre world."

Then, the third match began. Zhang Wutian stopped his musings and leaped onto the ring.

Third match: Zhang Wutian vs. Nam.

Because his hometown lacked water, Nam had traveled a great distance to the World Martial Arts Tournament to win the prize money to buy water. Therefore, he would not hold back; as long as he didn't kill his opponent, he would go all out.

"Full of fighting spirit—a good opponent. Let's have a match that leaves no regrets!" Zhang Wutian said this to signal he would fight fairly.

"I'm sorry, but I must win this fight!" Nam pressed his palms together and said solemnly.

"Match start!" Following the host's command, Nam launched a fierce attack.

However, his punch hit nothing but air.

"What?!" Nam was stunned, frantically searching for his opponent, but Zhang Wutian had vanished as if he had melted into the air.

"So fast!" Mary Sue, watching from the edge of the ring, looked up.

Another person who spotted Zhang Wutian also looked up at the sky and shouted, "He's above!"

"Shut up, monkey girl!" Zhang Wutian, who had leaped into the air at some point, roared.

Prompted by Son Wukong, Nam looked up only to be met with the blinding sun; the white glare made it impossible for him to see what was above.

"Where is he?" Enduring the stinging sunlight, Nam searched for Zhang Wutian with half-closed eyes.

By the time Nam looked up, Zhang Wutian had already landed on the ground and delivered a punch directly into Nam's stomach.

"Wha..." It wasn't until Zhang Wutian's fist made contact that Nam reacted, but by then, he had already lost control of his body and was sent flying.

Then, he landed on the grass outside the ring.

The battle was over in a flash, ending before most people—including the participant Nam—could even react.

Having defeated his opponent with nearly a single punch, Zhang Wutian stood on the ring and raised his fist high.

Applause erupted all around.

"So strong! Zhang Wutian is amazing." Son Wukong was excited once again.

"That's too strong! When did he strike? I didn't see it at all!!" Krillin was shocked once more.

"Although I knew he was strong, I didn't expect him to be this powerful. He's going to be a handful." Mary Sue watched Zhang Wutian on the ring with a serious expression, her previous flippancy completely gone.

"I lost..." Nam looked dejected. The plight of his village surfaced in his mind, leaving him crestfallen.

"Hey, catch." Following Zhang Wutian's voice, an empty Hoi-Poi Capsule flew toward Nam.

Nam caught the capsule and looked at Zhang Wutian in confusion.

Zhang Wutian didn't like tragedies. Besides, in the original story, Master Roshi had reached out to help him; if Nam ended up worse off because of his own existence, that would be too ironic.

His own appearance causing misfortune for others? To that conclusion, Zhang Wutian's answer was NO!

To hell with the bad end; I, Zhang Wutian, will absolutely trample you into a pulp!

"The water resources here are abundant. Even if you want to buy water, there's nowhere to buy it. Just go to the lake or a well to draw it!"

"How do you know about my situation?"

"Why? Everything is guided by fate (the original work)."

"Could it be that you are the reincarnation of the Buddha?" Nam, a devout believer, said with excitement.

"Obviously not." Zhang Wutian touched his jet-black, energetic short hair and said with a smile.

After bidding farewell to Nam, who had rushed off to fetch water, it was time for Son Wukong's match.

Son Wukong's opponent was the same as in the original work: the flying dragon that could spit out sticky gum to trap its foes. In the original story, Son Goku could easily defeat this opponent, and here, due to Zhang Wutian's interference, Son Wukong—who seemed even more formidable than her counterpart—won even more effortlessly. Because of the overwhelming gap in combat power, Giran's gum didn't cause Son Wukong any trouble at all; she simply burst out of it with a surge of energy.

Facing a Son Wukong who was on an entirely different level, Giran decisively surrendered, ultimately granting Son Wukong the victory.

Then, the tournament entered the second round of the semifinals, starting with Krillin versus Mary Sue.

"Good luck, Krillin!" Son Wukong cheered for her fellow disciple.

"Mr. Zhang Wutian, do you have any advice?" Because Zhang Wutian's strength appeared unfathomable, and he had previously offered tips to Yamcha, Krillin took the initiative to ask him for help.

"Your opponent is very strong. Just do your best; even if you lose, it will be a great learning experience."

"Sigh... I suddenly feel like I have no motivation at all." Krillin walked onto the ring, dejected, though the match itself was not hard to watch.

After a fairly brilliant instructional bout, Krillin was eventually defeated, and Mary Sue secured another victory.

To engage in such an instructional bout with Krillin, is this person really Master Roshi? But what's with the appearance? A half-height old woman versus a mature woman around forty—that's not something you can just brush off by wearing a pair of sunglasses.

With these doubts in mind, Zhang Wutian stepped onto the ring once again.

Opposite him, Son Wukong had already jumped up, unable to contain her impatience.

"I can finally fight you, Zhang Wutian. While training under Master Roshi, I often dreamed of this day coming. This time, it's finally real."

"In your dreams, what was the outcome of our fight?" Zhang Wutian asked.

"I don't know," Son Wukong said with a grin. "Every time, the dream would end after just a couple of exchanges."

"This time, I guarantee you'll get your fill."

"Yeah!" Son Wukong nodded heavily.

The next moment, without waiting for the announcer to declare the start, both figures suddenly vanished, only to collide fiercely in the center of the ring an instant later.

A shockwave erupted, forcing the announcer to retreat repeatedly.