The Turtle Hermit's expression turned solemn. When had such a force appeared in the martial arts world? Could some hidden sect have finally emerged?
The Turtle Hermit clearly shared Master Shen's suspicion. In their eyes, no newcomer to the martial arts world could possibly defeat men who had lived as long as they had. Everyone continued listening to Bulma's explanation.
But Bulma noticed the Turtle Hermit's serious expression and was surprised. "You old pervert, what's wrong?"
Hearing Bulma's question, the others also noticed that something was off with the Turtle Hermit. They all turned to look at him, as if they wanted to ask what was going on.
Seeing their expressions, a faint smile appeared on the Turtle Hermit's face. He spoke softly. "Back when I was young, she was still alive. She was my master's daughter..."
"Master Shen was also my fellow disciple. We used to be very close, but later... he went down an evil path, and from then on, we became like sworn enemies."
The Turtle Hermit began telling them about his past with Master Shen.
Although everyone had heard the Turtle Hermit tell the story of his time with Fangfang first, they listened attentively to the end. They were moved by his story, but then became furious at Master Shen's wickedness.
They also marveled at the Martial Alliance's strength. After all, defeating Master Shen, the Turtle Hermit's fellow disciple, was no small feat. Even after hearing the Turtle Hermit's account, they all understood that the Crane School was still quite powerful. The Martial Alliance's victory over it made the Alliance's strength all the more impressive.
"No way. Is the Martial Alliance really that powerful?"
Bulma asked in surprise. After seeing the Turtle Hermit's strength, she knew just how powerful the old man in front of her was. If that was true, wasn't the Martial Alliance even stronger than the old turtle?
"So the Martial Alliance is actually pretty powerful, then? I thought it was some kind of fighting organization. I had no idea it was this impressive!"
Bulma exclaimed. After hearing the Turtle Hermit's explanation, they all thought the Martial Alliance must be incredibly powerful—not to be taken lightly.
Only Goku was still a little confused. He said excitedly, "So the person called the Martial Alliance must be really strong! I can't wait to fight him!"
Everyone broke into a sweat. Kid Goku really was so innocent. Krillin poked Goku with a finger and quietly explained, "The Martial Alliance is the name of an organization, not a person. It's made up of lots of people."
Goku scratched his head, not embarrassed in the slightest. "Are all of them really strong?"
Krillin thought about it and replied uncertainly, "I guess so!"
After all, they sounded so powerful that Krillin figured there had to be some truly strong fighters among them.
"I can't wait to fight them!"
Kid Goku still looked eager to fight someone. Everyone was moved by his optimism, and they all agreed that they should go register first.
When they arrived at the venue, they found that registration was different from before. There were so many people entering the competition that the organizers had set up a strength-testing machine to keep people from sneaking in. It was much like the one used during the Majin Buu era, but contestants needed a punching score of at least 120 to compete.
The requirement left the ordinary people hoping to enter the competition staring at one another in dismay. They all began grumbling. "What kind of standard is this? Are they even letting people compete? I doubt many people can reach that score!"
"Out of the way! I'll do it! Trash like you shouldn't even bother entering!"
A particularly arrogant voice rang out. It irritated the crowd, and they all turned around to see who was making such bold claims. A muscular man, standing 2.8 meters tall, was striding toward the strength-testing machine. With his face covered in thick, fleshy folds, he clearly wasn't someone to mess with. No one said another word, and they hurriedly scattered out of his way.
But Goku and his group weren't among them, nor were the many other powerful contestants. Several people from the original story were there, along with a large number of unfamiliar faces. The Martial Alliance's publicity had clearly drawn them in, hoping to win the prize money.
The burly man clenched his fist and slammed it hard into the strength-testing machine. The machine's display changed at once.
"Kui Mu Lang, score: 158. Pass!"
The person announcing the scores was a member of the Martial Alliance, so the number didn't surprise him. The ordinary people, however, reacted very differently. They all cried out in astonishment.
"Holy crap, can a human really hit that hard?"
"Even a martial arts champion might only get a score like that!"
"Am I seeing things? A person actually got that score!"
They had good reason to be shocked. In the original story, Mr. Satan had scored only 137. Although he had slacked off a lot after the Cell Games, he was still quite talented. His daughter, Videl, had inherited his talent and was even more gifted, surpassing him at a young age.
Still, a few people looked disdainful. More contestants began taking the test, but only a handful passed. Among the ordinary people, only a few exceptionally gifted individuals made the cut. Then the martial artists and other extraordinary competitors took their turns.
Among them were people like the Werewolf and the Dinosaur Man from the original story.
Just then, a dinosaur-like contestant got a score that astonished many people. It was clear he had held back, too.
"Giran, score: 516!"
The scorekeeper announced it loudly.
"What? How could his score be that high? Is he cheating?"
"Shut up! Can't you see that's Giran? The one they say eats people!"
The person beside him had been talking, but the moment he heard Giran ate people, he was so frightened that he fell silent.
Jiang Yun now began bringing the Martial Alliance members into the competition. Among the contestants was a surprising sight: Mr. Satan and Lada had both come to participate in this World Martial Arts Tournament.
Jiang Yun had been quite surprised when he first heard the news. He hadn't thought much of Mr. Satan from the original story, who was always going on about tricks and had taken credit that should have belonged to the Z Fighters.
When he learned that Mr. Satan had actually joined the Martial Alliance, Jiang Yun found it hard to believe.
In fact, he had been just as surprised when Mr. Satan became a core disciple. When he saw his seniors produce Ki Blasts from their hands—things that looked like bombs—Mr. Satan had been dumbfounded, insisting they were just parlor tricks. "A trick! It's a trick!"
But his seniors soon showed him that it wasn't a trick. They merely had to teach Mr. Satan a lesson so he would understand.
When Mr. Satan learned that people could even fly if they trained to a high enough level, he couldn't wait to start training. He knew the greatest opportunity of his life was right in front of him, so he trained desperately, determined to make something of himself. At last, he was selected to participate in this World Martial Arts Tournament.
When Jiang Yun and the others appeared, Bulma and the rest quickly noticed him.
"Hey, it's that mysterious big brother! Is he competing this time, too?"
Goku said happily. He still remembered Jiang Yun and knew he was strong, and he really wanted to fight him. Bulma and the others had told Goku that Jiang Yun had saved them, but they hadn't told him that Goku had turned into a Great Ape. So he still had no idea just how powerful Jiang Yun was.
"That fierce guy!"
"That senior!"
The same thoughts flashed through Bulma and Yamcha's minds.
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