Sparring Match

Li Lin looked at how excited Son Goku was and smiled as he nodded.

He quietly began checking the ki within his body.

Just as he'd expected, although his battle with Vegeta had been over in the blink of an eye, his ki had still increased a little.

It seemed his talent for growing stronger through battle was working perfectly.

Son Goku had no idea what Li Lin was thinking.

All he knew was that he'd soon get to fight this top-tier opponent, and he couldn't contain his joy.

He kept loosening up, getting ready to warm up first!

"Are those two finally getting started?" Piccolo murmured to himself.

He was really looking forward to their match. He wanted to see just how much Goku had improved.

What he'd said earlier—that even if Goku turned into a Super Saiyan, the outcome probably wouldn't be pretty—

had been based entirely on the strength Son Goku had shown on Planet Namek.

Now, it was hard to say which of them was stronger!

At that moment, Krillin and the others were on tenterhooks, barely daring to breathe.

They knew this was just a regular sparring session between the two of them.

Even so, they were incredibly excited and nervous, their palms slick with sweat.

After all, the two men before them were the strongest on Earth. Their match was bound to be thrilling.

Vegeta, who was already unconscious, naturally wouldn't get to see the show.

Unlike the tense onlookers, the two fighters themselves seemed quite relaxed.

Son Goku had finished warming up. With a smile, he said, "All right, let's get started!"

Li Lin nodded, then beckoned with one hand. "Come on. I'll let you make the first move."

"Heh!" Son Goku gave an awkward chuckle, then stopped holding back.

White ki surged out of his body. A powerful aura enveloped him, radiating outward in every direction.

In a flash, he appeared right in front of Li Lin.

Everyone watching held their breath and stared wide-eyed at the two men.

They were afraid that even a single blink might make them miss something spectacular.

Son Goku threw a punch with devastating force, an unstoppable blow aimed straight at Li Lin's face.

Li Lin shifted slightly to the side, and the punch skimmed past the tip of his nose.

"Whoa, you're fast," Li Lin thought, a flicker of surprise passing through him. He hadn't expected Son Goku to be so explosive in his base form.

As he marveled at it, he swung a hard kick toward Son Goku's abdomen.

His kick was almost as fast as the punch—if anything, it was a little faster.

When Son Goku saw that his first attack had missed, he immediately showed his seasoned combat instincts.

He pulled back at once, stopping his forward momentum. His legs sprang back like they were fitted with springs, and he hopped away two steps, dodging Li Lin's attack.

But that wasn't the end of it. After his kick hit nothing but air, Li Lin had no intention of giving up the initiative.

He quickly pursued Son Goku.

"Too fast!" Son Goku marveled inwardly. At that speed, he couldn't react in time at all.

Sure enough, Li Lin's right hand shot out and seized his left shoulder. The grip was powerful, clamping down on him tightly.

Son Goku winced slightly in pain.

"Now you can't dodge," Li Lin said calmly, looking at Goku's uncomfortable expression.

"Not necessarily!" Son Goku grinned through the pain.

He flipped up his left hand and grabbed the wrist gripping his shoulder.

Before Li Lin could react, a massive ball of ki gathered in Son Goku's right hand.

Boom!

A golden energy wave burst from his palm like lightning and surged forward.

The energy wave hit its mark. At point-blank range, Li Lin had no time to dodge.

His body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing straight into a nearby mountain.

Crash!

The mountain collapsed with a roar, burying him beneath a cloud of dust.

Seeing Goku's attack hit, Krillin excitedly threw his hands up and shouted, "Way to go, Goku!"

"Great work! You really didn't let us down!" Yamcha cheered just as loudly, seeming even happier than Goku himself.

Tien Shinhan didn't say anything, but he looked just as excited.

Hearing everyone cheer, Son Goku didn't seem especially pleased.

His eyes remained fixed on the collapsed mountain in the distance.

Piccolo looked at the celebrating crowd and poured cold water on their excitement. "Aren't you celebrating a little too soon? An attack at this level might not even hurt Li Lin, let alone defeat him."

Piccolo's words didn't discourage the others. They seemed unconvinced instead.

"Li Lin's strong, but Goku wasn't even using his full power."

"Once he turns into a Super Saiyan, his ki might be even more incredible than Li Lin's!"

Krillin said with a chuckle, brimming with confidence.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Y-you idiots!" Piccolo muttered, then stopped arguing with them.

He could tell that Li Lin's strength had been impressive just now.

The only reason Goku had gained the upper hand was that Li Lin lacked combat experience.

As long as the fight continued, that gap would soon disappear.

Then Goku would lose the advantage he was relying on.

Still, Piccolo wanted to believe Goku could win.

After all, becoming a Super Saiyan increased one's strength exponentially. If Goku could catch Li Lin off guard with that,

he might still have a chance of winning.

As for Krillin's claim that Goku's ki would surpass Li Lin's, that was pure fantasy. Piccolo didn't believe it for a second.

Unless Son Goku could keep increasing his power exponentially on top of his Super Saiyan transformation, it simply wasn't possible.

Piccolo really was sharp. If Li Lin had heard that analysis, he would definitely have given him a thumbs-up.

While everyone was still celebrating, the earth suddenly began to tremble.

Rumble!

At the collapsed mountain, chunks of stone suddenly rose into the air.

A shockwave shot straight into the clouds, and Li Lin stood suspended in midair.

An overwhelming force filled the land. The rocks swirling around him turned to dust in an instant.