The Unsurpassable Chasm

"Going first?"

Li Shu was somewhat surprised. He glanced at the confident Yamcha beside him and hopped onto the ring with a light leap.

Yamcha followed right behind, and the two locked eyes.

At the same time, in Area 4, Wukong was also the first to take the stage.

"Huh? Are both brothers going first? Who should I watch?" Krillin was momentarily torn; he didn't want to miss either of their fights.

After looking at Wukong's opponent and then at Li Shu's, Krillin ultimately chose to watch the duel between Li Shu and Yamcha.

He wanted to know where Yamcha's confidence came from.

"The match is one minute long. You may begin," the referee announced.

Li Shu cupped his hands. "Please, enlighten me."

Yamcha had never seen this etiquette before, but he mimicked the gesture and said, "Please, enlighten me!"

Yamcha then assumed an attacking stance, ready for anything.

Li Shu, however, stood there casually, showing no intention of attacking.

The standoff between the two sparked quite a bit of discussion among the onlookers.

They looked like evenly matched opponents; the fight promised to be spectacular.

Afraid to attack? Yamcha thought to himself. He suddenly pushed off with his feet, curled his fingers into the shape of wolf fangs, and launched an assault on Li Shu.

In Li Shu's eyes, Yamcha's movements were very slow; there was no need to rush a response.

He was contemplating the best way to defeat his opponent.

After all, he was Wukong's friend, so he should show a little bit of mercy.

Scared stiff? In Yamcha's eyes, Li Shu was completely stunned by his aura and was desperately searching for a countermeasure.

The helpless look on his face made Yamcha feel a bit disappointed.

Based on his combat experience, at this distance, Li Shu had no chance to react; his attack was guaranteed to land.

His Wolf Fist could leave deep craters in solid boulders; his opponent was bound to lose.

He had expected a strong opponent, but he hadn't expected someone so fragile.

Since he's Wukong's big brother, I'd better hold back some strength, Yamcha thought, pulling back his power for fear of killing him.

Just as the attack was about to land and Yamcha felt victory was in his grasp, Li Shu moved.

Yamcha felt a blur before his eyes, and Li Shu vanished. His sure-fire strike hit nothing but air; he hadn't seen Li Shu's movement at all.

"Oh no!" Yamcha's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly turned around to look behind him and assumed a defensive stance.

However, he didn't find Li Shu behind him; he only heard a voice from above.

"I'm up here. Get ready."

The moment he heard the voice, Yamcha looked up and saw a fist the size of a sandbag heading straight for his face.

Too fast!

Yamcha was horrified, unable to make any reaction at all, and took the punch square on.

With a bang, his head slammed hard into the ring with a dull thud.

"Such speed!" Outside the ring, Krillin watched this scene, dumbfounded. He imagined himself in that position and realized he wouldn't have been able to react either.

The other competing onlookers also let out gasps of surprise, their gazes toward Li Shu filled with a hint of fear.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

The referee rushed to Yamcha's side and began to count.

"Can't he even take this much force?" Li Shu looked at Yamcha, feeling a bit speechless; he had only used thirty percent of his strength.

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

Just as the referee reached seven, Yamcha regained consciousness after the brief dizziness. He shook his head and climbed up from the ground, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth and nose.

"I underestimated you. I'm going to use my full power now." Yamcha looked at Li Shu with extreme seriousness and reset his attacking stance.

"Wolf Fang Fist? I'd love to see it." Li Shu stood there casually, his face full of anticipation.

Yamcha didn't dare to be careless; he had been tricked by that casual stance just moments ago. He let out a fierce shout, his palms forming the wolf fang shape, one in front and one behind. His body arched slightly like a wild wolf, and he launched another attack.

This time, he used his full strength. The wolf fangs formed by his palms clawed viciously toward Li Shu, leaving bright streaks in the air.

At this moment, Li Shu realized that defeating his opponent with full power was the greatest form of respect—helping them recognize reality and understand that the gap between them was an unbridgeable chasm.

To be defeated so miserably in the first round, I wonder if Yamcha can handle such a blow. A hint of pity rose on Li Shu's face, undisguised.

In his eyes, Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist was full of openings!

Bang!

Li Shu delivered a textbook side kick, striking first despite moving second—after all, legs have a much longer reach than arms—and landed a direct hit on Yamcha's abdomen.

"Waaah—!"

Yamcha's entire body doubled over, a mouthful of blood spraying from his lips. Under the sheer force of the impact, his eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he was sent flying off the ring, smashing through a thick wall and leaving a gaping hole before falling completely unconscious.

As luck would have it, just outside that hole, Bulma was standing on Oolong's back, preparing to sneak a peek at her boyfriend Yamcha's preliminary match.

Yamcha came flying out, landing right at the hem of her skirt, completely senseless.

At this moment, the area around Ring No. 2 fell deathly silent, everyone staring in shock at the somewhat devil-may-care man standing on the stage.

Krillin's eyes were wide enough to pop out, his body trembling uncontrollably as he gulped repeatedly. "Too... too strong! How does he feel even stronger than Wukong?!"

Referee: "(ΩДΩ)!"

Three seconds later, the referee finally snapped back to reality. He rushed over to check Yamcha's breathing, and upon finding he wasn't dead, let out a sigh of relief. After calling for the medical staff, he ran back to the ring and announced:

"Contestant No. 34 is the winner!"

"Much obliged, much obliged." Mimicking the martial arts masters from the action films of his past life, Li Shu smiled and cupped his hands to the crowd before leaping off the ring.

Wherever Li Shu walked, the surrounding crowd instinctively parted, clearing a path for him.

"You're just too amazing!" Krillin exclaimed, though the frustration on his face was hard to hide.

"Don't sell yourself short, Krillin; you're very strong too." After replying, Li Shu added, "Yamcha's injuries look pretty severe. I'll go feed him a Senzu Bean; he is Wukong's friend, after all."

With that, under the stunned gazes of the medical staff, Li Shu fed a Senzu Bean into Yamcha's mouth and gave him a bit of water to help him swallow it.

Yamcha regained consciousness shortly after.

Bulma had been watching nervously from the side, and the moment Yamcha woke up, she cried out happily, "Yamcha, thank goodness you're okay! Who was your opponent? Was it Wukong? You were eliminated right at the start."