The Vain Yamcha and the Preliminary Matches

"What are you two up to? I can never find you when something's going on," Bulma complained as soon as she saw the Wuchen brothers.

It turned out that after Goku and Wuchen left West City last time, they went to Mount Paozu to deliver a message, unsure if the two knew about the martial arts tournament being moved up.

They didn't see the brothers there. After waiting for five days and still not seeing them return, Bulma had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

Goku and Wuchen exchanged an awkward smile. What a coincidence.

They hadn't been away from Mount Paozu for long, not even during the Kami's Lookout incident. What seemed like over a year was actually only a month or two, and Bulma happened to run into them both times.

Seeing their silence, Bulma grew even more annoyed and was about to say something else.

"No, Bulma, wait a second," Yamcha interrupted Bulma, his jaw dropping. "Goku and Wuchen, look at their hair!"

This successfully diverted Bulma's attention. "You... who have you been with all this time..."

"We're done for, we're done for. Our innocent kids have turned into delinquents," Oolong chimed in, egging them on.

Bulma walked forward and raised her hand, ready to grab Goku's hair as if to test the dye.

However, she didn't manage to grab a single strand, as Goku instinctively dodged.

Seeing this, Wuchen could only smile faintly. "It's not from external factors; our physiques are just special."

"That excuse again, you..." Before Bulma could lash out, Wuchen's gaze fixed on Yamcha.

Sensing Yamcha's aura, Wuchen frowned slightly. Yamcha wasn't in good shape; he seemed weak and depleted, as if his energy was drained. Could it be...

"Yamcha, let me see your hand."

"Huh?" Yamcha was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly extended his hand, which Wuchen immediately grasped.

'Hmm, essence spilled, it's indeed excessive indulgence!' Wuchen's heart stirred as he took Yamcha's pulse.

He wanted to offer some advice, but it was really inappropriate at this moment. There were too many people, too many eyes, and too many ears. And Bulma was here, so Wuchen immediately fell silent.

He'd have to find an opportunity to talk in private. Although this wasn't something he should meddle in.

But excessive indulgence harmed the body, especially in the early stages of cultivation. Unless it was a special technique, the spilling of vital essence and yang would make it difficult to preserve the internal organs' vital energy, hindering cultivation.

Yamcha didn't think much of it and laughed. "I'm fine. It's all Bulma's fault; she's tormented me for the past two years. If anything, it's also your fault, you two brothers."

Towards the end, Yamcha looked at Wuchen as if complaining.

Wuchen instinctively leaned back. He couldn't agree with that assessment.

While Yamcha's relationship with Bulma had started with the two brothers, such matters were personal. No matter how much joy one found, moderation was still necessary.

Of course, Wuchen wouldn't expose him in front of everyone. He just smiled faintly and didn't reply.

The others showed no particular reaction, except for Master Roshi, whose eyes gleamed with gossip as he seemed to be contemplating something.

Bulma shot Yamcha a glare but said nothing.

After this commotion, the issue of Goku and Wuchen possibly being delinquents was put to rest.

Later, with Krillin's help, everyone received arrangements and accommodations from the tournament organizers. This included Bulma, Wuchen, and others who weren't competing.

Three rooms of varying sizes were assigned: Goku, Wuchen, Krillin, and Master Roshi shared one.

Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar shared another, and Bulma had a small room to herself.

They were all located not far from each other, and soon everyone went to sleep.

The night passed without incident until dawn.

"Good luck, everyone."

"Good luck, Master Yamcha!"

"Yes, everyone needs to do their best. I'm calling it now: if anyone shows up in the audience during the official matches this afternoon, they'll have to treat everyone to a meal."

Although they could stay in the tournament's rest area thanks to Krillin's championship title, unauthorized personnel were still not allowed to watch the preliminary matches.

Thus, the group temporarily parted ways.

Goku, Krillin, Master Roshi, Yamcha, and others went to participate in the preliminary matches. Wuchen, on the other hand, went sightseeing with Bulma and the others.

The preliminary matches were held indoors, but the space was still quite vast.

It could accommodate eight competition stages with ample room left over for nearly four hundred participants, staff, eight referees, and five substitute referees.

"Goku, why isn't Senior Wuchen competing?" Krillin couldn't help but ask while queuing to draw lots.

"Kami said there might be trouble at this martial arts tournament, so Big Brother decided to observe from the shadows while I... one in the light, one in the dark."

"Kami? Trouble? What are you talking about?" Krillin looked bewildered. Goku just scratched his head. "That's how it is."

"Alright, Krillin, don't make it difficult for Goku. Wuchen told me the general situation, so we just need to focus on our matches," Master Roshi said at the opportune moment, a hint of worry in his brow.

Wuchen had indeed explained things to him yesterday, and it had shocked him.

King Piccolo, he hadn't expected that demon to descend upon the human world again.

It was his teacher, Mutaito, who had sacrificed his life to seal that demon away.

Since Master Roshi had spoken, Krillin naturally didn't press further.

The drawing of lots ended quickly.

Numbers 1 through 398 were distributed as evenly as possible across eight zones, which meant eight separate tournament stages. One winner would emerge from each stage to advance to the main tournament.

As luck would have it, Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and Master Roshi were all assigned to different stages.

Everyone felt a sense of relief, especially Yamcha and Krillin, whose mouths were practically splitting from ear to ear.

With Goku and Master Roshi competing, the two of them naturally had no designs on the championship. However, failing to even make it into the main tournament would be a massive blow to their pride, far worse than the cost of treating everyone to a meal.

While the group secretly rejoiced, someone in the distance watched them with a cold, predatory sneer, much like a hawk.

"Laugh while you can, you Turtle School disciples."

"Only by defeating you in the main tournament, right before everyone's eyes, will the world realize that the Crane School is the number one school in the world!"

Indeed, the underhanded tricks had naturally been orchestrated by Master Shen through Chiaotzu. He intended to crush the Turtle School disciples in full view of the public.

As the preliminary rounds raged on, Wuchen, led by Bulma, was busy eating ice cream at a stall near the venue to escape the scorching sun.

"Bam!" Bulma slammed her hand onto the table and stood up abruptly.

"I should have signed up for the tournament myself. It wouldn't have mattered if I lost right at the start. If things got dangerous, I could have just forfeited, but at least I would have been inside to watch the others fight."

Yes, Miss Bulma was feeling a bit bored and was itching to watch the matches.

As she spoke, she began brainstorming ways to get a look at the action.

Just then, Wuchen, who had been quiet the entire time, suddenly stood up as well.