First Clash with Vegeta

These words struck another blow to Vegeta's pride.

His entire expression twisted into uncontrollable rage.

"Shut your mouth, Kakarot!"

Vegeta clenched his fists tightly, turning his head in fury as the veins on his forehead seemed ready to burst.

Son Goku could transform into a Super Saiyan, but he could not; this was the pain buried in his heart.

Yet these two kept harping on it, which was nothing short of rubbing salt into his wounds!

Seeing Vegeta's furious state, Son Goku opened his mouth, wanting to offer an explanation.

Vegeta gave him no chance to explain, instead turning his hostility toward Li Lin. "And you, aren't you just afraid of my challenge? Afraid of losing to me? Why bother making up so many excuses?"

Li Lin furrowed his brows, his expression darkening.

He actually quite liked the character of Vegeta.

But that was in the later stages of Dragon Ball; at this point in time, he was clearly still quite arrogant.

And arrogant to the point of being somewhat detestable.

"Fine then, let's settle this quickly!"

Li Lin looked at him calmly, his tone indifferent.

"Heh." Vegeta curled his lips into a cold sneer. "What, are you angry?"

Li Lin yawned and replied nonchalantly, "I wouldn't call it anger. I don't bicker with ants."

He wasn't truly angry, but looking at the situation today, he knew that if they didn't fight, this guy would likely cling to him like a plaster, which would severely hinder his training.

When the word "ant" was uttered, Vegeta was thoroughly enraged. In all his life, no one had ever addressed him that way.

Even when he served under Frieza, the tyrant had always viewed him as a threat and had never dared to describe him as an ant!

Vegeta gritted his teeth and snarled, "Bastard, I'll show you the power of an ant!"

"Haa!" A roar shook the surroundings.

The power within his body erupted instantly, waves of energy surging in all directions as a white aura enveloped him.

Feeling this formidable energy, the others retreated a distance, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire once the fight began.

"Heh, Vegeta's strength isn't bad at all!"

Son Goku looked ahead and offered a word of praise.

Back on Planet Namek, this guy hadn't reached this level yet.

He hadn't expected him to improve so much in such a short time.

Seeing the look of surprise on Son Goku's face, Vegeta felt a bit more satisfied.

However, he knew that this level of strength was nothing compared to Li Lin.

After all, the aura Li Lin had emitted earlier was far more ferocious than his own!

"Mm, not bad, not bad!"

Li Lin nodded and said faintly.

He could sense Vegeta's aura; aside from himself and Son Goku, every other powerhouse on Earth was a tier below him.

In that sense, he lived up to his title as the Saiyan Prince; his talent was indeed commendable.

"Hmph!" Hearing Li Lin's approval, a smug look finally appeared on Vegeta's face. He narrowed his eyes and declared, "Take this!"

The next second, Vegeta lunged forward with a punch.

The sound of sonic booms echoed incessantly. Wherever his fist wind passed, grass was uprooted, dust flew, and smoke billowed!

Seeing the overwhelming momentum of Vegeta's attack as it bore down on him, Li Lin decided to stop holding back. He steadied his mind, focused his gaze, and met the strike with a punch of his own.

"Bang!" A thunderous explosion erupted on the flat ground!

The two forces collided, instantly whipping up a gale that sent dust flying several yards into the air.

As the smoke cleared, Vegeta felt his arm go numb, and he exclaimed in shock, "Such tyrannical power!"

After trading that blow, both men retreated.

Li Lin nodded to himself; it seemed his control of force was quite good.

If he hadn't gauged his strength properly like before, Vegeta would likely be heading to hell to keep Frieza and his father company.

Though fear stirred in his heart, Vegeta did not retreat. He continued to charge at Li Lin.

His pride would not allow him to admit defeat; the two of them had to determine who was superior!

Li Lin did not hesitate any longer; after roughly gauging his own strength, he threw another punch.

"BOOM!" A violent explosion rang out, and rolling shockwaves swept across the area.

The ground in this entire sector trembled, and as Vegeta met the impact head-on, his body was sent flying back dozens of meters!

After rolling across the ground several times, he finally managed to bring his tumbling body to a halt!

Li Lin did not give him any chance to recover, using a flash-step to appear directly in front of Vegeta.

"THUD!" "THUD!" "THUD!"

Muffled sounds erupted as fists the size of sandbags landed squarely on his body.

"PUFF!"

Blood sprayed from Vegeta's mouth. He lowered his head, clutching his chest, his face twisted in agony!

Li Lin looked at Vegeta's state and raised an eyebrow slightly. "It seems my strength was a bit light; he hasn't lost consciousness yet."

He had originally intended to knock Vegeta unconscious without taking his life.

Because of this, he had held back, and while those few punches had left Vegeta in a sorry state, they hadn't achieved the desired effect!

Li Lin shook his head, looking down at him from above.

"WHACK!" Following that, his leg lashed out like a whip.

"ARGH!" Vegeta let out a miserable cry as he took the kick head-on, rolling across the ground another two times.

The blood flowing from his mouth traced a beautiful, elegant arc through the air.

He felt his head swell and his vision go black; this time, he had truly passed out cold!

"Hmm." Li Lin nodded indifferently and said slowly, "It's finally over."

The others watched the conclusion of the battle, their hearts filled with complex emotions.

They hadn't even clearly seen how Li Lin had moved before Vegeta was beaten to the point of vomiting blood and collapsing.

Although they knew beforehand that Vegeta was no match for Li Lin, they hadn't expected him to be defeated so quickly, and to be left completely unable to fight back.

"If it were me facing Li Lin, I wouldn't even dare to imagine it!"

Krillin patted his own chest, shaking his head with a sigh.

Piccolo shot him a sidelong glance and said mercilessly, "Don't flatter yourself; Li Lin was holding back significantly just now."

"If he had fought with the same aura he released earlier..."

"Even if Son Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan, the result likely wouldn't be much better, let alone you?"

"Heh heh." Krillin rubbed his bald head and laughed awkwardly.

He was just talking; with a powerhouse like Li Lin, he would be running away as fast as he could, let alone provoking him.

"So strong, so strong!" Son Goku clenched his fists, his entire body practically vibrating with excitement.

Having encountered such a powerful opponent for the first time, he could hardly wait any longer.

"Li Lin, it's our turn!"