The Winner

A glowing fist grew ever larger before Mary Sue's eyes.

However, just as Mary Sue had punched through Zhang Wutian's afterimage earlier, this time, Zhang Wutian's full-force strike merely passed through an afterimage of Mary Sue.

Having left an afterimage in place with blinding speed, Mary Sue's true form had long since flashed to the other side.

"Heh, just as I expected."

Yet, it was Zhang Wutian who was smiling.

When evenly matched, using one's brain to fight becomes the only way to gain the upper hand. Zhang Wutian had deliberately used a move similar to the Afterimage Strike to dodge Mary Sue's attack; he was gambling that, having seen this technique, Mary Sue would also use a similar move to counter.

This was all built on Zhang Wutian's understanding of Mary Sue—or rather, of Master Roshi. Because he knew Master Roshi possessed such techniques, he had intentionally guided the flow of the fight in this direction.

The moment Mary Sue used the Afterimage Strike to dodge, Zhang Wutian abruptly pulled back his fist, twisted his feet with force, and used the strength that nearly shattered the arena tiles to pivot his body to face Mary Sue. The next moment, his long-accumulated finishing move erupted.

"Got you!!"

A circular energy blast shot from Zhang Wutian's fist. Unlike the flashy Kamehameha from before, this was a technique Zhang Wutian had honed through rigorous training. Though it looked unremarkable, it was the move best suited to him, allowing him to unleash 100% of his combat power.

The watermelon-sized sphere flew toward Mary Sue. Theoretically, this move could be compressed further to achieve greater power, but Zhang Wutian had not yet mastered that. Forcing it would only lead to failure, much like his attempt at Korin Tower. In actual combat, Zhang Wutian generally didn't push himself to achieve the perfect output; this level was sufficient.

Having just completed the Afterimage Strike and still in a state of recovery, Mary Sue watched in shock as the energy blast flew toward her. She was unable to dodge, leaving defense as her only option.

With no other choice, Mary Sue crossed her arms in front of her chest and took the hit head-on.

"Ohhhhhhh!!" With a shout, Mary Sue was pushed backward by Zhang Wutian's energy blast. The World Martial Arts Tournament arena suffered greatly; following the various destructive blows, two deep trenches were carved into the ground once more.

Mary Sue exerted all her energy to resist the force of the blast, struggling to adjust the angle of her arms. Finally, just before being pushed out of the ring, she deflected the energy blast and sent it into the sky.

As the blast soared upward, Zhang Wutian released his control after about three seconds. The unstable energy sphere detonated, a violent flash of light obscuring the sky over the entire tournament grounds. The scene, as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth rending, caused all the spectators to instinctively cover their eyes.

Having just deflected the blast and not yet recovered her breath, Mary Sue sensed the danger hidden beneath the explosion.

Zhang Wutian was coming.

Mary Sue tried to shake her arms, but she couldn't lift them.

The previous defense had consumed too much of her energy, and the strain had pushed her arms beyond their limit, leaving them in a state of temporary numbness.

A flying kick landed on Mary Sue's chest, sending her—defenseless and at the edge of the ring—flying out of bounds.

When the audience finally recovered from the impact of the explosion, they were astonished to find only Zhang Wutian left on the stage, while Mary Sue had already landed outside the ring.

"The... the winner is contestant Zhang Wutian!!!!!"

The announcer, who seemed to have regained his senses faster than anyone else, used his voice to whip the crowd into a frenzy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament has emerged! It is the young contestant Zhang Wutian! He has defeated contestant Mary Sue to become the champion of this tournament. He is the world's number one martial artist!!"

"Heh, have the footsteps of the new generation already overtaken me and moved ahead..." Below the ring, a lonely smile appeared on Mary Sue's face.

Taking advantage of the cheering crowd, she slipped into a deserted corner.

The next moment, her figure underwent a drastic change. Her lithe, youthful frame gradually shrank until she transformed into a short, stout old woman.

"Oh my, I really am getting old. Just a little bit of that and my whole body aches. I'll never catch a young, handsome boy like this..." Tapping her back, she returned to her Master Roshi form and strolled leisurely toward the spectator stands.

On the stage, amidst the applause, Zhang Wutian was being interviewed by the announcer.

"As the world's number one martial artist, what are your thoughts?"

"World number one? I'm still far from that. The path of martial arts is endless; my journey has only just begun."

"You are truly too humble."

Before the announcer could finish, Son Wukong had already rushed onto the stage.

She threw herself at Zhang Wutian, hugging him, and laughed heartily. "That was amazing, Zhang Wutian! You're the champion!!"

"Congratulations on becoming the world champion." Krillin also walked over. Although his chest still ached, he expressed his respect for Zhang Wutian as a powerhouse.

"Thanks," Zhang Wutian said with a smile at Krillin. He then pulled Son Wukong off him, held her at arm's length, and said, "Stop messing around. You're all sweaty, it's too hot to be stuck together."

"Hehehe." Held in front of Zhang Wutian, Son Wukong grinned, clearly genuinely happy that Zhang Wutian had won.

Seeing Son Wukong so joyful, the expression on Zhang Wutian's face softened, and he began to smile as well. Unlike the polite smile he had given Krillin, this was a smile from the heart.

"Are you hungry? I'll take you to get something to eat."

"Yeah!!" Son Wukong's answer was crisp. For a Saiyan, perhaps only eating could be mentioned in the same breath as getting stronger and fighting.

"You come too, and the others," Zhang Wutian said to Krillin.

"Is that okay?"

"No problem. The tournament prize money is plenty to treat everyone to a meal."

After Zhang Wutian received the 500,000 prize from the announcer, the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament finally came to a close.

Afterward, the group—consisting of Son Wukong, Krillin, Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, Puar, and Master Roshi—headed to a nearby Chinese restaurant, followed by a bout of gluttonous eating.

Although he had expended a lot of energy in the tournament, Zhang Wutian couldn't eat several times his body weight in food like Son Wukong.

Thus, by the end of the meal, it had basically turned into a one-woman show by Son Wukong.

As she picked up a chicken leg and took a bite, Son Wukong suddenly stopped. She looked at Zhang Wutian, who had long since put down his bowl and chopsticks and was sitting to the side, and asked in confusion, "Zhang Wutian, aren't you eating?"

"I'm full."

"That won't do!" Son Wukong said, knitting her brows. "How can you get strong if you don't eat? Eat more, come on, open wide."

As she spoke, she held the chicken leg she had already taken a bite of up to Zhang Wutian's mouth.

"To think Wukong would actually pay attention to someone else while eating?" Miss Bulma hinted at a secret affair.

"No, what's most surprising is that she'd actually share her food with someone else?" Oolong, who had been traveling with Son Wukong the whole way, declared it unscientific.

Looking at the chicken leg held before him, still bearing her tooth marks, Zhang Wutian was left between laughter and tears. With a helpless expression, he took a bite, covering the spot where Son Wukong had bitten.

"Hehe..." Seeing her feeding attempt succeed, Son Wukong smiled happily. She took a bite of the chicken leg, covering the spot where Zhang Wutian had bitten with her own tooth marks, then held it out to him once more.

Zhang Wutian could only helplessly take another bite.

The two of them went back and forth like this, and in a few quick bites, the chicken leg was reduced to a bone.

"So blinding, I can't even open my eyes!" Oolong covered his eyes, his face full of jealousy.

"Bulma, maybe we should..." Yamcha suggested.

"No, never mind..." Miss Bulma's face flushed slightly, but she rejected the suggestion Yamcha hadn't even finished voicing. After all, that was too embarrassing; she was no mountain monkey girl!

"..." Krillin watched the two of them, suddenly feeling that the world was full of malice. Perhaps he really should just convert to Buddhism.

"Like father and daughter..." Master Roshi's smile was quite profound as he sized up Zhang Wutian with the satisfied gaze of a man looking at his son-in-law.