After that, the Martial Alliance swept through West City and the Crane School disciples in the surrounding area with lightning speed. Master Shen also received the news that Mercenary Tao had been forced to retreat.
He was stunned. In this world, aside from the major powers that could overwhelm Mercenary Tao with sheer numbers and weapons, only that old Turtle Hermit could defeat him.
Looking at the injured Mercenary Tao before him, Master Shen seethed with rage. He was determined to make the Martial Alliance pay. At the same time, he couldn't believe the Alliance was so powerful. He suspected that some hidden sect had emerged from seclusion.
Mutaito had once warned them to remain humble and remember that there was always someone stronger, but Master Shen had never listened. He believed his own school was the most powerful in the world. Great masters, hidden powers—he thought they were all just stories people had made up.
Now, with the Martial Alliance's appearance, he couldn't help but reconsider the rumors he'd heard. Could the Martial Alliance be the legendary hidden power?
Little did he know, the Martial Alliance was merely a force founded by Jiang Yun, a transmigrator who knew how the Dragon Ball World would unfold. Jiang Yun was destined to become someone they could only look up to!
Meanwhile, Jiang Yun had no idea that Master Shen suspected the Martial Alliance was a hidden power.
"Reporting to the Alliance Leader: we've cleared out the Crane School's bases in West City and seized a great deal of stolen property."
A Martial Alliance disciple reported, awaiting Jiang Yun's orders.
"Clear out the forces near our Martial Alliance, whether or not they belong to the Crane School. A tiger won't let another sleep beside its den! Also, have we sent the notice to the Crane School?"
"Reporting to the Alliance Leader, it's already been sent," the disciple beside him replied respectfully.
Jiang Yun's eyes gleamed. His gaze was so deep it seemed to draw people in, giving him an air of unfathomable power.
The others in the Martial Alliance looked at Jiang Yun and thought to themselves, No wonder he's the Alliance Leader. He has the bearing to match.
The reason Jiang Yun seemed so unfathomable was mostly that he had just broken through and couldn't fully conceal his aura. During this time, Bu Chen hadn't been the only one in seclusion; Jiang Yun had been training as well. As soon as the Gravity Training Room was built, he had eagerly gone inside.
For now, the Gravity Training Room could only reach ten times Earth's gravity. Not everyone was Dr. Brief or Bulma, so the room they'd built couldn't withstand much more. Stronger materials could raise the limit a little, but that would be incredibly wasteful. With the same materials, Dr. Brief's family could build a room that reached a hundred times Earth's gravity. That was the difference between them—more than tenfold.
Still, it was enough for now. Many people couldn't even handle ten times gravity. Apart from Jiang Yun, no one could withstand it. Even he could only just barely manage ten times gravity and hadn't fully adapted. Compared with Saiyans, Earthlings were physically weaker, but thanks to the way Vital Energy had tempered his body, Jiang Yun could endure far more gravity than ordinary people.
In just one month, Jiang Yun had doubled his battle power, bringing it to 2,000. That was already higher than Raditz's when he first arrived on Earth, but he was still nowhere near Frieza. The thought that he would have to face Frieza in only fourteen or fifteen years made Jiang Yun tense.
Vegeta had served under Frieza for more than twenty years, yet his battle power had only reached 18,000. Frieza had deliberately suppressed him, of course, but it still showed how difficult it was to increase one's battle power. Just thinking about Frieza's battle power of 120 million made Jiang Yun's scalp tingle.
That was why Jiang Yun had started planning early. This was a real world. Goku had gone from a few hundred to 150 million in just over a year, and Jiang Yun couldn't help thinking it was absurd. How could he put it? That was probably what people meant by being the protagonist.
Precisely because this was a real world, Jiang Yun didn't want to rely on the Saiyans. The only way to protect Earth was for its own people to grow strong enough to defend it. As an Earthling himself, protecting his planet and home was every Earthling's duty.
Since he had come to this world, he might have caused a butterfly effect. If he relied entirely on Goku, what if Goku didn't become a Super Saiyan on Namek? Then what? They'd be finished!
That was why Jiang Yun had always wanted to defeat his enemies through his own strength. That was what had inspired him to learn martial arts in the first place. Only by holding firmly to his convictions could he reach the pinnacle of martial arts.
Still, Jiang Yun was confident he could become strong enough to contend with Frieza within the next decade or so. For now, though, it was best to take things one step at a time!
Meanwhile, Master Shen had received a message from the Martial Alliance. It had been sent through the ancient method of written correspondence used in the martial arts world. The Crane School wasn't some sect that shunned all modern technology; it had kept up with the times. They even had electricity in the sect. Though they lived high in the mountains, their buildings were downright luxurious—almost as nice as a modern hotel. That showed just how much ill-gotten money the Crane School had made.
"Damn it! How dare they demand ten billion in compensation from us!"
Master Shen shouted furiously from inside the room, smashing every vase in sight.
Although Master Shen had threatened to make the Martial Alliance pay, he was still somewhat panicked. His disciples had discovered that Bu Chen, the man who had defeated Mercenary Tao, was the Martial Alliance's Vice Alliance Leader. That raised the question: just how powerful was this little-known Martial Alliance? He didn't believe that Jiang Yun, its Alliance Leader, could be weaker than the Vice Alliance Leader.
If even the Vice Alliance Leader could defeat Mercenary Tao, then the Alliance Leader would surely be even stronger. But demanding ten billion in compensation was outrageous! The damage they had caused the Martial Alliance in the first place had been worth, at most, a few million. This was simply too much!
"Mercenary Tao, what do you think we should do? A tiger fallen to the plain gets bullied by dogs. What a disgrace!"
Master Shen ground his teeth in anger, his mustache quivering. He had never considered that the Martial Alliance had only ever acted in self-defense.
"That damned Bu Chen did this to me! A gentleman can wait ten years to avenge himself. We'll swallow this loss for now. We'll get our revenge someday!"
Master Shen and Mercenary Tao were both devious men. They made backing down sound so righteous, as if they were the ones who had been wronged.
Master Shen knew this was the best course of action. If they refused to yield, the Martial Alliance's overwhelming strength would leave them nowhere to run. They would have to wait until later to settle the score.
He then sent a disciple to tell the Martial Alliance that the Crane School accepted its terms and would withdraw from West City while paying ten billion in compensation for the damage.
When the news spread, the martial arts world erupted. The mighty Crane School had actually backed down! The story spread farther and farther, until even people and organizations unfamiliar with the feud between the Martial Alliance and the Crane School had heard about it. They marveled at the rise of a major power. Even the king had heard of the Martial Alliance and was considering whether to invite its members to serve as military instructors.
In short, the Martial Alliance became famous. From then on, more and more people came to the Martial Arts Alliance to post missions, and more and more learned about it, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for martial arts!
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