Improving Combat Power

Looking at Jackie Chun's serious expression, Li Shu didn't wait for him to speak, laughing instead: "Master Mutaito, my apologies for earlier. It was a victory without honor, a victory without honor."

"..." Master Roshi was speechless for a moment before saying, "So, you had figured it out long ago."

Nearby, Son Goku and Krillin were watching the tournament with great interest. Hearing this, they turned their heads in surprise, looking at Jackie Chun in disbelief.

At this point, Master Roshi saw no need to hide it any longer and shed his disguise.

"Goku, Krillin, you two focus on the match. I need to have a private word with Li Shu."

Master Roshi led Li Shu to a secluded spot. After a sigh, he explained the purpose of his disguise.

To summarize in one sentence: he wanted to stop Son Goku from winning the championship. At such a young age, one shouldn't be too arrogant; a bit of a setback was necessary.

"Li Shu, you are quite a bit older than Goku and Krillin, so you should understand this logic. Since I have already failed, I hope to entrust this important task to you."

Li Shu was overjoyed. Wasn't this an achievement delivered right to his doorstep? How could he refuse?

Regardless of whether he could actually beat Son Goku, he would accept the mission first. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it!

"Don't worry, Master Mutaito, leave this to me." Li Shu agreed without hesitation.

The system's notification chime arrived right on cue!

"Triggered achievement mission 'Victory Without Arrogance, Defeat Without Discouragement!' Defeat Son Goku head-on at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament! Mission Reward: [Battle Heart]!"

Battle Heart?

Li Shu was startled. After [Battle Eye] and [Battle Nose], this was yet another combat-related skill. It seemed this was truly a set of skills.

If he collected all the battle skills, he wondered if there would be a set bonus? Or perhaps an achievement?

Judging by the system's patterns, it was highly likely.

"It seems I really have to fight for that first place." Li Shu felt a weight in his heart.

He didn't have much confidence in defeating Son Goku head-on; he had at most a thirty percent chance.

Even though he had just beaten Master Roshi, who was stronger than Goku, he would likely lose in a direct confrontation.

Unless he used the Flight Technique to remain inherently invincible, he wouldn't have a chance to defeat Master Roshi head-on.

But at this stage, with no one else capable of flight, using the Flight Technique felt too cheap. Li Shu wasn't sure if that would count as a head-on victory; after all, it would also be a victory without honor.

With his achievement points now at 28, for the sake of caution, Li Shu decided to consult the system. He could afford to spend 1 achievement point.

If he could use the Flight Technique, his chances of defeating Goku would soar to eighty percent.

The system replied quickly: "It does not count. Answer complete! [Achievement Points] -2! [Current Achievement Points: 26]!"

A mere two-word answer cost Li Shu 2 achievement points. The consultation fee had quietly doubled, leaving Li Shu both furious and helpless.

"If I can't use the Flight Technique, the mission difficulty is quite high." Li Shu glanced at the tournament bracket.

If nothing went wrong, his next opponent would be Krillin, and then he would meet Goku in the finals to compete for the championship.

He still had time to improve his combat power. At the very least, he needed to bring his power level on par with Goku. Fortunately, the gap wasn't large; two more successful upgrades to [Dinosaur Legs] should be enough.

"By the way, where did you learn the Kamehameha?" Master Roshi suddenly asked.

Li Shu lied without blushing or skipping a beat: "Ah? That? I learned it by following you."

"Me?" Master Roshi said, looking confused. "I don't recall teaching you that move."

Li Shu shamelessly replied: "I watched you perform it once, so I mimicked your movements and tried it out, and then I learned it. It didn't seem very difficult."

"..." Master Roshi opened his mouth, but ultimately chose to remain silent.

Other than that, Master Roshi couldn't think of any other reasonable explanation. He had to admit that the kid in front of him was indeed a genius.

He had learned a signature move that Master Roshi had spent fifty years painstakingly researching just by watching it once.

"Congratulations, you have obtained the achievement 'Genius?', reward [Thick Skin], Achievement Points +1!"

"[Thick Skin]: Skin thickness comparable to a city wall, can reduce your sense of shame."

Li Shu: "..."

This was the first time Li Shu had ever obtained an achievement, but it was not a happy occasion.

"I didn't mean anything else, I was just curious." Seeing the strange expression on Li Shu's face, Master Roshi quickly explained: "I was actually planning to teach you all after the tournament ended."

"Big Brother! Master Mutaito! It's Goku's turn to fight! But Goku is missing!"

Just then, Krillin's panicked voice came from afar. Li Shu and Master Roshi's conversation ended there, and they hurried toward Krillin to understand the situation.

Upon learning the news, Li Shu was shocked. Goku was missing? Was this part of the original plot? He couldn't recall it at all, so he had to gather more people to help search for Goku everywhere.

He was very worried that his own appearance had caused the storyline to deviate.

If Goku were eliminated just like that, his achievement mission would go down the drain!

A few minutes later, Li Shu found Goku. Looking at Goku, who was fast asleep leaning against a wall, Li Shu was speechless. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.

"Wake up, Goku, it's your turn to fight!" Li Shu hurriedly dragged Goku toward the ring.

Goku woke up at that moment and laughed sheepishly: "The sun felt so comfortable, I accidentally fell asleep."

Hearing Goku's explanation, everyone collapsed to the ground in a faint.

After a brief interlude, Son Goku's match officially began.

His opponent, Giran, was a winged monster, and Li Shu quickly recalled this part of the plot.

The subsequent events unfolded almost exactly as he remembered them.

After the monster Giran exhausted all his tricks to no avail against Goku, he ultimately chose to surrender.

During this time, Li Shu used one bottle of [Super Blessing Potion] and 4 achievement points to successfully upgrade the Never-ending Dinosaur Leg to LV3.

[Never-ending Dinosaur Leg - Lv3]: A renewable edible weapon. Can be equipped to the leg. Increases combat power by 4% when equipped!

With the boost from the equipment, Li Shu's combat power reached 78 points, barely a hair's breadth away from Goku's 80.

Li Shu did not continue to upgrade the Dinosaur Leg; he estimated that upgrading from LV3 to LV4 would likely cost 8 achievement points, and he was somewhat reluctant to spend them.

If his luck was poor, the remaining 23 achievement points would simply go down the drain.

23 points was a significant amount, so he decided to try upgrading his [Saiyan Bloodline] instead!

"Upgrade [Saiyan Bloodline]!" Li Shu issued the command, silently praying in his heart: Don't fail! Don't fail! Please, don't fail!