Jackie Chun

Seeing this, the audience below the stage broke into applause, showering Krillin with praise; after all, the Wild Man had left such a terrible impression on everyone.

"Congratulations to contestant Krillin for advancing to the semi-finals."

Immediately after, the referee returned to the center of the ring, picked up the microphone, and announced Krillin's victory.

"We will now proceed to the second match, but before that, we ask our staff to sanitize the ring. Please wait patiently for a moment."

With that, the backstage staff donned gas masks and began spraying air freshener and disinfectant into every corner of the ring.

"The second match begins now."

"Contestant Ziye versus contestant Yamcha!"

"Will both contestants please take the stage!"

As the referee picked up the microphone and returned to the ring to announce the start of the second match, the two men walked out slowly, and the entire arena erupted once again.

"Go Ziye! You have to win!"

"You go too, Yamcha!"

In the spectator stands, Bulma shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Who exactly are you rooting for!"

Oolong rolled his eyes and said.

"Well... of course I hope they both win!" Bulma said hesitantly.

"Heh, women."

"Go Ziye, you have to win!" Oolong shot Bulma a look, then immediately began cheering loudly for Ziye.

"Go, Master Yamcha!"

Puar, not to be outdone, chimed in as well.

"What are they doing?"

"Why haven't they started yet!"

"Hey, are you going to fight or not?"

"Can you hurry up and stop dawdling?"

On the ring, Ziye and Yamcha looked at each other with calm expressions, showing no intention of making a move. The audience below was growing impatient and began to clamor loudly.

"Come on, Yamcha! Let me see how much your strength has improved during this time!"

Ziye chuckled, looking completely nonchalant, showing not a hint of the urgency of a match.

"Are you looking down on me that much?"

Yamcha couldn't help but smile bitterly, then assumed a fighting stance, carefully observing Ziye's movements.

Ha!

The next second, Yamcha let out a shout, leaped into the air, and using the momentum of his descent, concentrated all his strength into his right leg, kicking fiercely toward Ziye!

Facing Yamcha's ferocious offensive, Ziye seemed unbothered; he simply raised his arm slowly to block his face.

Bang!

As Yamcha's kick landed, his expression changed drastically. He felt as if he had kicked a solid iron plate; his heel immediately swelled up, and he fell to the ground clutching his foot.

"So painful!"

"I didn't expect you to have become this strong!"

"Truly worthy of being a disciple of the God of Martial Arts."

Yamcha said with a look of alarm, then stood up again, his expression turning grave.

"However, I will not admit defeat."

"Again!"

In the next second, Yamcha attacked Ziye with lightning speed, yet Ziye dodged every strike with ease. In Ziye's eyes, Yamcha's movements were riddled with openings.

"Wolf Fang Fist!"

Sensing the gap between himself and Ziye, Yamcha stopped holding back and unleashed his signature move.

In an instant, Yamcha's fists transformed into dozens of wolf shadows, launching a fierce assault on Ziye.

"The speed is sufficient, but there are still too many openings!"

"The match should end here."

After Ziye said this with a calm expression, his body vanished from the spot, reappearing behind Yamcha. With a single punch, Yamcha let out a cry of pain and was sent flying out of the ring!

"Contestant Yamcha has landed outside the ring; contestant Ziye wins the match!"

As the referee's voice rang out again, everyone in the audience was stunned, as the two were so fast that no one knew what had happened on the stage.

"Are you alright?"

Ziye walked quickly to Yamcha's side, reached out to help him up, and asked indifferently.

"Congratulations, Ziye."

"I never imagined the gap between us would be this vast. I accept my defeat to you wholeheartedly!"

Yamcha gave a bitter smile and shook his head helplessly, then stood up and walked toward the backstage area with Ziye.

"Ziye, you're amazing! You took Yamcha down in one go!"

Seeing the two of them, Goku ran up excitedly to say this, leaving Yamcha unable to hide the embarrassment on his face.

"I really don't want to run into you two."

Krillin spread his hands and said with a sigh.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next match is the third bout: Jackie Chun versus Nam."

As the referee's voice rang out, the group stopped their small talk and hurried over to watch the next match.

Jackie Chun and Nam walked onto the ring side by side.

"Huh? It's that old grandpa."

Seeing Jackie Chun, Goku spoke up suddenly.

"Goku, you know him?" Krillin asked, puzzled.

"Yeah!"

"I watched his previous match. He defeated his opponent with just one move. He's incredibly strong!" Goku nodded and explained calmly.

"Hello there, Mr. Nam!"

Jackie Chun chuckled and reached out a hand to greet him.

However, to his surprise, the other man ignored him and turned straight away!

"So cold? Walking off without even a greeting?" Jackie Chun said with a confused look.

"Such a serious expression—let me see what's on your mind."

Jackie Chun frowned slightly, his mental energy reaching out toward Nam's brain, and scenes from Nam's mind began to flicker before his eyes.

"So that's it. No wonder he's so determined. But I have my own mission; I cannot lose this match!" Jackie Chun sighed and muttered to himself.

"Now, the third match officially begins."

Dong!

As the referee's voice fell, the gong sounded, and both fighters immediately assumed their combat stances.

"I'm sorry, old man. For the sake of my village, I must win this match!" Nam pressed his palms together, took a fighting stance, and said with a heavy expression.

"Bring it on!" Jackie Chun replied nonchalantly.

Ha!

The next second, Nam let out a roar, stomped hard against the ground, and his body shot forward in an instant.

Facing Nam's attack, Jackie Chun shook his head, leaped lightly to dodge, and then tapped his toe against the top of Nam's head, sending him sprawling to the ground as he lost his balance!

"Give up. You can't win against me."

Jackie Chun said indifferently, then slowly turned his back to him.

"I can't lose. For the sake of the village, I must win."

"I'm sorry, old man."

Nam slowly climbed to his feet, his face showing a trace of resolve, then leaped high into the air, reaching a hundred meters in an instant.

"Sky Cross Fist!"

Nam roared as he descended rapidly, his hands crossed into a cross shape, charging toward Jackie Chun's back.

Boom!

The moment Nam landed, Jackie Chun's figure turned illusory. Nam's attack passed right through him and slammed heavily into the ground, instantly gouging a deep crater into the ring!

"What? How can this be?"

Nam rubbed his swollen arms, looking shocked.

Bang!

The next second, Jackie Chun's figure reappeared and delivered a fierce kick to Nam's waist!

Whoosh.

Nam cried out in pain as his body flew backward. Jackie Chun walked slowly to the edge of the ring, looked at Nam who had fallen outside, and said in a flat tone, "Remember, that move is called the Afterimage Technique!"

"That was truly spectacular! Nam has fallen out of bounds, and Jackie Chun is the winner of this match!" The referee was so stunned by the bout that it took him a moment to recover before he grabbed his microphone and shouted.

"Th-this old grandpa is way too strong. As expected, anyone who makes it this far is no simple character." Krillin stood frozen in place, his face full of astonishment.

"Yeah, but I don't know why... I keep feeling like his aura is so familiar!" Goku's eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"Nam has lost the match, and you can see how devastated he looks. But let's thank him for bringing us such a thrilling fight—everyone, give him a round of applause!"

The referee's voice rang out again. Perhaps truly shaken by the match, he began doing his absolute best to liven up the atmosphere!

Nam did not pay attention to the endless stream of praise and applause around him. Instead, he returned to the ring, bowed deeply to Jackie Chun, and said respectfully, "Old man, you are truly strong! I accept my defeat wholeheartedly."

Having said that, Nam straightened up and turned to leave. Seeing the man's dejected appearance, Jackie Chun could not help but call out to him.

"Are you just going to go back like this?"

"I no longer have the heart to continue watching the tournament," Nam replied, turning his head and letting out a soft sigh.

"Actually, even without me, your strength wouldn't have been enough to make it to the finals, so you don't need to dwell on it," Jackie Chun shook his head and spoke again.

"Old man, I know what you mean. I have no complaints about losing to you," Nam nodded in response.

"Mr. Nam, aren't you trying to save your village? Actually, there is another way; you don't necessarily have to win the tournament."

Seeing that the man had misunderstood his intentions, Jackie Chun began to explain again.

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise appeared on Nam's face, and he asked in disbelief:

"You... how did you know about that?"

Jackie Chun smiled lightly, then took a capsule from his pocket and tossed it to him.

"This is for you."

After examining it carefully, Nam realized he was not unfamiliar with the object and asked in confusion, "Isn't this a Hoi-Poi Capsule? Why are you giving this to me?"

"Don't misunderstand, it's empty inside! But this capsule can hold a lot of water. Mr. Nam, come with me."

With that, Jackie Chun turned around and walked quickly off the ring, completely ignoring the bewildered referee!

Seeing this, Nam quickly followed. After walking for about five minutes, Jackie Chun stopped at a well.

"Old man, who exactly are you? Why do you know about my situation?" Nam asked, looking puzzled.

"Haha, everyone calls me Master Mutten!" Jackie Chun stroked his beard, smiled lightly, and said.

"You... you are Master Mutten?"

Hearing this, Nam was so shocked that his jaw dropped.

"Shh! Keep it down. I hid my identity to enter the tournament because I didn't want so many people to know."

Nam could not help but ask in confusion:

"But, why did you..."

Jackie Chun sighed softly and then spoke again: "Sigh, have you seen those three children in the top eight? They are actually my disciples."

"Oh? No wonder. They don't look very old, yet their strength is more astonishing than the last. So they are your disciples!" Nam nodded and said.

"That's right! Each of them has more talent than the last, which should be a good thing. But I'm worried that if they win the World Martial Arts Tournament, they might become arrogant and ruin their path in martial arts!"

"You've seen it too—more and more people in the world today are giving up on martial arts, and most can't even dodge a bullet. If this continues, I fear martial arts will reach a dead end!"

"That is why I hid my identity to enter the tournament; I want them to know that there is always someone better, and there is always a heaven beyond our own. I don't want them to become complacent just because of a little success. Only then can they go further in the future."

Jackie Chun stood with his hands behind his back, exuding the demeanor of a true master—a far cry from the lecherous Master Roshi of the past!

"So that's it! Master Mutten, your intentions are truly profound!" Nam nodded and said.

Hearing this, Jackie Chun waved his hand and spoke again: "I saw the drought in your hometown in your mind, so this capsule is for you to carry water. I believe that once you return, you should be able to solve the problem!"

"Master Mutten, actually, even if you give me a Hoi-Poi Capsule, it's useless. I have no money to buy water at all!" Nam said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Jackie Chun was stunned. He pointed to the well beside them and asked in surprise, "Don't you know that the water here is free?"

"Nani?"

"How can this be!"

Nam's mouth hung open, unable to believe what was before him. He had fought so hard in the tournament just to earn money to buy water, and now someone was telling him that water was free and didn't cost a cent?

"Haha, go ahead and draw your water here. I'll be going now!"

Seeing the man's astonished expression, Jackie Chun found it somewhat amusing. He then turned around and walked back in the direction he had come.

"Thank you, Master Mutten! I will definitely repay you!" Nam pressed his palms together, bowed deeply, and said gratefully.

"No need to repay me. Just remember to keep my identity a secret!"

Master Mutten waved his hand, said those words, and left the scene.

"Everyone, we are saved!"

Nam looked at the capsule in his hand, his face filled with excitement.