Over here.
As soon as Pilaf received Li Xing's arrangements, he got straight to work researching them.
After Xiao Wu received the relevant plans, she also arranged for people to start discussing and carrying them out in earnest.
Since President Li had given the order,
they just had to follow his lead and carry it out properly.
The three of them had their priorities straight.
Following Li Xing meant eating lavish meals every day.
Only Ashu was left in tears, overwhelmed with gratitude.
"My boss, you finally understand how hard things have been for me.
It's not that I don't know about powerful martial artists. It's just that those people are impossible to find.
This Aurora Martial Arts Peak Tournament is practically a ray of hope in the darkness, an oasis in the desert.
With this, recruiting security personnel for the Aurora Group will be a piece of cake. We'll have it all under control."
With snot running down his nose, Ashu choked out his thanks to Li Xing for giving him this brilliant suggestion.
Since Li Xing had given everyone advance notice, they didn't cause any trouble and carried out the plan smoothly.
Meanwhile, Li Xing—
kept himself busy with training.
Putting together the entire Aurora Martial Arts Peak Tournament wasn't something one or two people could settle.
It involved massive logistical needs, staffing, material resources, and other issues.
There was no way to explain it all in just a few words.
Time slipped by unnoticed.
Before long, the World Martial Arts Tournament arrived.
Li Xing brought Ashu along to compete.
It wasn't that he didn't want to bring Xiao Wu and Pilaf.
It was just that they weren't strong enough yet, and they would only be going through the motions if they came.
There were also the issues of the group and its research.
It wouldn't be a good idea to bring them along.
And so—
"Sir, with our skills, this'll be a piece of cake. You'll take first place, and I'll take second."
Li Xing silently headed toward the registration area.
They had both put on simple disguises. Li Xing looked very different from his usual fair-skinned self, like a farmer who worked in the fields.
Ashu looked like a clown and even wore a voice changer.
On the way, Li Xing repeatedly warned Ashu not to reveal his real identity under any circumstances, and not to let anyone know he was a shareholder in the Aurora Group.
Ashu nodded vigorously in agreement.
They also had an organization operating in secret.
This was no small matter; their identities absolutely couldn't be exposed.
"I understand, sir."
"Hmm?"
"Yes, I understand."
Li Xing didn't say anything. He stared at the group of people ahead, lost in thought.
Thump!
Ashu crouched on the ground, grimacing and clutching his face.
Li Xing glared at him.
"Are you blind?"
Ashu muttered under his breath, but didn't dare vent his frustration.
Li Xing had suddenly stopped. How could anyone be expected to handle that?
Meanwhile, after Master Roshi had registered Sun Wukong and the others, he happened to run into Bulma and the others, and they were chatting away like old friends.
"Isn't that—"
Ashu had somehow gotten back to his feet and opened his mouth curiously.
Li Xing snapped at him under his breath.
"Shut your damn mouth. You talk too much.
From now on, don't say a word when you're standing beside me unless I tell you to."
Ashu immediately clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes filled with alarm.
Li Xing ignored Ashu and watched the group, considering his options.
Of the eight participants in this first Martial Arts Tournament, four spots had already gone to Sun Wukong and his friends.
His task was simply to kill someone at the tournament and break the rules.
It didn't say how or when he should do it.
If he got it wrong, all his efforts would be wasted.
In that case, I'll wait a little longer. If I get the chance, I'll kill Yamcha. If not, I'll just kill someone else.
A thoughtful look passed through Li Xing's eyes.
If he wanted to keep causing a stir, he needed to get the main characters' attention.
He could make trouble for them and keep them coming after him.
That would give him plenty of chances to fight them.
And he could keep getting stronger.
Li Xing had never considered training alongside Sun Wukong and the others.
Their path wasn't right for him.
Only after watching them walk away, still chatting and laughing, did Li Xing lead Ashu toward the registration area.
"Use your alias. Once you lose, leave immediately."
"Uh, well..."
"What is it?"
Ashu could only nod in agreement.
"After the tournament, go back to your normal identity and recruit some capable fighters.
Don't recruit anyone from Master Roshi's school."
Ashu looked confused.
He wasn't smart enough to understand what Li Xing meant.
"Anyone with the character 'Turtle' on their back, or anyone associated with them, is off-limits."
That explanation made Ashu understand at once. He grinned and nodded.
Li Xing and Ashu registered and made it through the preliminary rounds.
Things went about as Li Xing had expected.
Ashu was strong, but his luck wasn't great.
He faced Sun Wukong in the preliminaries and lost after a tough fight.
Master Mutaito, disguised as Jackie Chun and hiding in a corner, narrowed his eyes until they were almost closed.
"How is that possible? Why is that man so experienced in battle?
It's a good thing Sun Wukong was the one who faced him. If it had been Krillin, he would definitely have lost."
Li Xing kept his eyes fixed on Master Mutaito, disguised as Jackie Chun.
Seeing how serious and grim he looked, Li Xing couldn't help wanting to laugh.
As expected.
The old man had a remarkably sharp eye.
He had noticed something was off immediately.
Ashu was pretty strong. He could probably rank in the top ten here.
With the wealth of combat experience he'd gained fighting alongside the various martial artists he'd recruited, he should have easily made the top eight.
At the very least, Krillin, Nam, and Yamcha shouldn't have been able to beat him.
But his luck was so bad that he ran straight into the protagonist, Sun Wukong.
Even so, Ashu's exceptional combat experience caught Master Mutaito's attention.
"Not bad. You didn't embarrass me. Now it's my turn."
The tournament preliminaries finally came to an end, swift and decisive.
Li Xing had made it through, and he was one of the most highly regarded contenders.
Everyone, including Master Mutaito, viewed Li Xing as a formidable opponent.
There was no helping it.
Every time Li Xing fought, he sent his opponent flying with a single blow and left them crippled.
It was all within the rules of the tournament, but he was still utterly ruthless.
Everyone knew Li Xing was a merciless man.
He also followed the rules to the letter.
If they ran into him, whether they'd make it out unscathed was anyone's guess.
And there was no way to gauge Li Xing's strength.
Naturally, he drew plenty of attention.
Jackie Chun lowered his gaze.
"This man is carrying murderous intent, yet his aura is incredibly strange. Where did he come from? Why have I never heard of him?"
Sun Wukong, Krillin, and Yamcha gathered together.
"That guy's so brutal. Every time he attacks, he cripples his opponent. I hope I don't have to fight him."
Krillin's eyes darted around. Every so often, he glanced toward Li Xing, then quickly looked away, too afraid to meet his gaze.
"Yikes, he's scary."
Yamcha, however, looked confident.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of him."
Krillin shuddered and stared at Yamcha in surprise.
"Yamcha, aren't you afraid?"
Yamcha scoffed.
"Afraid of what? He's nothing but a weakling. I'll take him down in no time."
"Really?"
Krillin stared at Yamcha in shock.
Was this person Bulma had brought along really that strong?
Yamcha looked utterly confident.
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