Preliminary Round

"We are approaching Delian Airport on Babaya Island, the host site for this year's World Martial Arts Tournament. Please fasten your seatbelts!"

The announcement echoed through the cabin. After several hours of flight, the plane touched down smoothly at the island airport.

As the group disembarked, the sea breeze hit their faces, and the roar of the crowd at the tournament venue could be heard from afar.

Bulma stretched her back. "Let's go. You guys better hurry and register; the registration window should be closing soon."

Krillin stood on his tiptoes, peering into the bustling crowd. "There are so many people. I wonder if Goku and Yamcha have arrived yet."

The line at the registration desk wasn't long, and when their turn came, a staff member handed them a form.

"Please fill in your basic information and draw a number for your preliminary group."

Everyone completed their registration without a hitch, even Master Roshi, who had snuck in a registration under the alias "Jackie Chun" by claiming he needed to use the restroom.

"Goku and Yamcha are really something. The deadline is almost here and they're still nowhere to be seen. Could they have gotten the time wrong?" Krillin complained.

Raditz remained silent. Surely his presence couldn't be the reason they both missed the tournament, could it?

Just as the group was heading toward the competitors' village, a familiar, surprised voice called out from behind: "Krillin! Bulma!"

They turned around to see two figures, one tall and one short—it was Yamcha and Goku.

"Goku!" Krillin greeted them happily. "You guys finally made it!"

"We just arrived a moment ago; we ran into each other at the docks," Yamcha said with a smile.

Goku's gaze immediately landed on Raditz. He looked him up and down, a flicker of surprise and excitement flashing in his eyes. "Raditz! You've changed so much! You feel so strong!"

"Goku! You guys should go register first. The deadline is almost up. We'll talk later," Raditz said, pointing toward the registration desk.

"Right! Almost forgot. We're going to register now! Wait for us!"

"Goku doesn't seem to have changed at all; he's still as full of energy as ever," Bulma remarked, watching Goku walk away.

Just then, an ill-timed voice cut in.

"Yo! Who do I see? Isn't this Master Roshi?" A man with a crane-like hairstyle and two thin, long mustaches walked over.

"Hmm?" Master Roshi turned at the sound of the voice. Upon seeing who it was, his tone immediately soured. "It's Master Shen! You're not dead yet?"

"Hmph! You're still the same—ugly and fond of sarcasm," Master Shen sneered. "I heard your students were quite active in the last tournament."

"But this time, I'm going to show everyone what true martial arts is. The championship belongs to my students, so you'd better pack up and head home early!"

"Half-bald, you really don't know your place!" Master Roshi retorted, refusing to back down.

"What did you say? You old bald-head!" Master Shen snapped back.

The two old men immediately began bickering like children.

Raditz, meanwhile, quietly shifted his attention to the two people behind Master Shen, sizing up Tien Shinhan with intentional or unintentional scrutiny.

Currently, he had reached his physical limit in terms of raw power and would have to wait for his body to mature before he could continue training.

However, he could certainly expand his repertoire of techniques. Tien Shinhan possessed many practical skills that remained useful even in the later stages of the Dragon Ball era.

With that thought, Raditz stepped forward to greet him. "Hey! You, the three-eyed one."

"Who are you calling three-eyed!" Tien Shinhan glared back with a fierce expression.

Uh... who else could it be?

"I'm looking forward to facing you in the tournament, you star pupil of Master Shen," Raditz said.

"Hmph! I don't fight kids," Tien Shinhan mocked.

Raditz: "..."

I just mentioned the third eye, did he really have to snap back like that? Besides, this body is still growing—wait a few years and see.

"I hope your martial arts are as tough as your mouth."

"Hmph! See if you can even make it past the preliminaries first."

"Attention all tournament participants: the preliminaries are about to begin. Please gather at the competition rings!"

Following the announcement, the group gathered and headed out.

"You all better make it through the preliminaries! We'll be cheering for you from the stands," Bulma said as a final word of encouragement.

Upon reaching the staging area for the competition rings, Goku and the others changed into their new martial arts uniforms. Raditz also pulled his own set from his luggage.

The preliminary groupings had been posted. There were eight sectors in total, and they would select eight fighters from nearly two hundred participants to advance to the finals.

Coincidentally, none of them were placed in the same sector, so they wouldn't run into each other before the finals.

The preliminaries were in full swing, continuing until it was Raditz's turn.

"Raditz is finally up," Krillin said.

"Yeah, let's see what Raditz can do," Goku added.

Raditz stepped onto the ring and found that his opponent was a tall, exceptionally burly man.

"Hey, hey! Look, isn't that King Chappa?!" a bystander near the ring exclaimed.

"King Chappa?!" Yamcha's gaze turned serious. "I didn't expect him to enter the tournament too!"

"Who is King Chappa?" Krillin asked.

"He's an incredibly formidable martial arts master. In previous tournaments, he once forced his opponents to forfeit the championship without even throwing a single strike!" Yamcha said in a low voice.

"Huh?" Krillin looked toward the stage in shock. "Doesn't that mean Raditz is in danger?"

"Not necessarily..." Yamcha shook his head slightly. Having seen a portion of Raditz's capabilities, he knew this wouldn't be enough to stump him.

Master Roshi, standing to the side, glanced at Yamcha with some surprise upon hearing this. In his view, Raditz might win, but the process shouldn't be that easy.

Judging by Yamcha's tone, this duel would be decided very quickly.

Well then, Raditz, let me see how much you've improved over these past three years, Master Roshi thought to himself.

On the ring, King Chappa bowed and looked at the person before him. "What a cute opponent you are."

"Don't worry, I won't kill you."

Raditz's gaze remained calm, turning a deaf ear to the opponent's trash talk.

"Hmph! It seems you're quite skilled, kid." Seeing his opponent so composed and confident, King Chappa couldn't help but set aside some of his contempt; he decided to hold nothing back.

Immediately, King Chappa assumed his stance, spread his hands, and lunged forward, striking rapidly—his speed making it look as if eight hands were dancing in the air.

Heavy palm shadows carried a fierce wind, shrouding the youth before him. The offensive was sharp, and the sense of pressure was overwhelming.

A commotion broke out in the audience.

"It's King Chappa's signature move, the Eight-Hand Fist!"

"So fast! It looks like he really grew eight hands!"

"That kid is in trouble."

"He hit him, it's over!"

Krillin also let out an exclamation.

On the stage, King Chappa's fist wind was already striking toward Raditz's face, yet Raditz didn't budge an inch.

A bizarre scene unfolded: the large man and the small youth stood in contrast, one moving and one still. The man's palms flew, his shadows striking the opponent repeatedly, yet the youth didn't move in the slightest, as if the attacks had no force behind them at all.

Raditz felt a bit disappointed. He had expected the opponent's signature move to have some merit, but it was merely "fast."

He stopped waiting, his hands flashing as he grabbed the dancing arms of his opponent.

"You! What kind of monster are you! Why can't I hit you!" King Chappa tried to break free in terror.

Just a moment ago, his hands had seemed to touch the opponent, but the sensation from his fists told him he had only struck thin air.

He was destined to never receive an answer; Raditz punched him directly in the abdomen and turned to walk away.

King Chappa's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.

"Contestant 18 wins!" After a moment of stunned silence, the referee delivered the verdict.

Seeing Raditz step off the stage, Krillin and the others went to meet him.

"Raditz, you guy, that was truly terrifying!" Krillin was stunned for a long while, then asked curiously, "Why did it look like you were just standing there?"

"I wasn't. I was moving; it was just a little bit fast," Raditz admitted.

Krillin: "..." Just a "little bit" fast?

"That was truly amazing. I really want to fight strong people like you as soon as possible," Goku said from the side, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.

On the other side, Tien Shinhan's expression turned grave. He had been able to see through Raditz's seemingly motionless movements—which had actually dodged every attack—but he knew this was definitely not the opponent's full strength.

This youth named Raditz was a hidden, formidable enemy.

"Tien, should I still arrange more opponents for him?" Chiaotzu asked in a low voice.

"No need. Wait for the finals; I will defeat him myself," Tien Shinhan said.