"Of course. My Wolf Fang Fist is no joke.
If he runs into me, I'll teach him a lesson."
Sun Wukong wasn't that powerful yet, and his senses weren't especially sharp.
"Yeah, Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist is really powerful.
I couldn't even handle it back then."
Krillin stared at Yamcha with envy.
"Really? That's so cool."
He and Sun Wukong had joined Master Roshi's school at the same time. For the past few months, they'd only been doing basic training and hadn't learned any techniques.
Krillin still hadn't learned any specific moves under Master Roshi.
He'd learned the principles and methods of training, but not a single offensive technique.
Hearing that even Sun Wukong couldn't handle it, Krillin was naturally envious.
Sun Wukong stared intently at Li Xing.
"That guy's ruthless. If you run into him, be careful. Don't take him head-on. He's really strong."
Yamcha just grumbled, not taking the warning seriously at all.
Krillin, on the other hand, was a cautious kid. He nodded with a grave, serious expression.
Everyone Li Xing had fought had ended up severely injured or crippled. Krillin didn't want that to happen to him.
Li Xing leaned casually against the wall, a cold aura radiating from him.
His raw energy alone reached 150, and with all his fighting experience, his normal battle power was no weaker than Master Roshi's.
At that moment, he was discussing things with the system in his mind.
If he didn't complete this mission, the system wouldn't release any new ones. It was seriously holding back his progress.
For instance, right now.
He wanted to kill the contestants outright.
But things might not go smoothly. The system had given him a mission without specifying how it would judge whether he'd completed it.
He had to work his way through the tournament and then make his move.
That was troublesome. He'd have to waste a great deal of time.
As he was thinking, he felt someone staring straight at him.
Li Xing turned his head. Master Mutaito hastily looked away.
The corner of Li Xing's mouth curled up.
Had he caught Master Roshi's attention?
He hoped one of Master Roshi's disciples would provoke him.
At this point, Sun Wukong, Krillin, and Yamcha were already far ahead of the others in battle power.
If he could fight them before the official matches and absorb some of their energy to strengthen his body, it would be a good deal for him.
After absorbing energy twice, perhaps he could increase his constitution by 0.01.
Even that would raise his strength by 15 points—a considerable boost.
Unfortunately, they'd all received strict training and wouldn't act impulsively.
The qualifying round soon ended, and it was time to draw their match numbers.
"Hey, kid. Watch yourself.
Didn't your parents teach you to go easy on people?"
A cocky, self-satisfied voice suddenly rang in Li Xing's ear.
His hand stopped as he was about to draw a match number, and a cold smile tugged at his lips.
He paused and turned to look at the smug Yamcha.
"What number did you get?"
Yamcha looked quite pleased with himself.
"I'm number three. Pray you don't draw me."
Li Xing raised an eyebrow.
Numbers one and four had already been drawn. There were three balls left in the box, and he needed to pick number two.
That way, he could face Yamcha in the second round, the match for a place in the final.
Li Xing had checked the draw as well. Yamcha's first-round opponent seemed decent, but not particularly strong.
As for Li Xing, if he drew number two, he'd have to face Krillin first.
A strange, mysterious smile on his face, Li Xing turned around and reached into the box, stirring the balls around with both hands.
He pulled out a ball and handed it to the scorekeeper.
He didn't have any special powers or mutant abilities.
But sensing which ball he needed was a trivial matter for him.
"Number two!"
"Heh heh, just you wait, kid."
Yamcha immediately grew excited. He rubbed his hands together and stared eagerly at Li Xing.
Yamcha had been showing off all along because he wanted to prove he wasn't so bad after all, and that with enough training, he could catch up to those who'd studied under Master Roshi.
That was why he'd picked Li Xing, a tough opponent, to challenge.
The others, after all, were people he knew fairly well. Being so brazen with them just wouldn't have been appropriate.
Li Xing had already sentenced Yamcha to death.
Li Xing's opponent in the first round was Master Roshi.
That suited Li Xing just fine.
Compared with fighting some ordinary person, facing Jackie Chun—the form Master Roshi had taken—was far more appealing to him.
And it would give his battle power a substantial boost.
This was Master Roshi, after all.
At this point in time, he was definitely one of the strongest ordinary humans around.
Once he'd dealt with Master Roshi, his strength would rise by a huge margin. Then he could rest for a while.
Next, he'd get another boost to his constitution from Yamcha, and finally kill Yamcha to claim the system's reward: increased mental strength.
Li Xing had still been somewhat frustrated and dissatisfied, but—
Once he saw how things had turned out, his mood lifted.
Most of the murderous aura around him faded.
"Young man, why do you practice martial arts? You're carrying so much killing intent."
Li Xing grinned, staring at Jackie Chun, who had approached him with a solemn expression to strike up a conversation.
"You'll find out soon enough."
"Young man, before you train in martial arts, you must first cultivate virtue. You're far too brutal when you attack. It won't end well for you.
You should focus more on cultivating your mind and improving your character.
Martial artists are supposed to uphold justice.
Your actions go completely against the principles of martial arts."
Li Xing didn't argue with Master Roshi.
It wasn't worth wasting his breath over something so trivial.
Master Roshi had his own ideas, and Li Xing had his own convictions.
As someone at the bottom of the ladder, Li Xing didn't believe in right or wrong.
What was right, and what was evil?
They were just rules established by those who already held power, to keep things stable and maintain control.
Over time, those rules became deeply ingrained in people's minds.
As far as the world—and this planet—was concerned, the only rule was survival of the fittest. There was no benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, or trust.
Li Xing didn't believe in those things either.
He didn't care if people called him a heretic.
Everything he did was for the sake of becoming stronger.
Those people had dared to attack him.
It was only right that he crippled them.
Master Roshi had lofty ideals. Li Xing didn't think he was putting on an act or pretending to be noble.
He agreed with all of Master Roshi's principles, but he wouldn't follow Master Roshi's way of doing things.
He had his own methods.
No one could change that.
Li Xing wouldn't meddle in Master Roshi's affairs. As long as he practiced what he preached and wasn't putting on a false front, Li Xing wouldn't dislike him.
Whether someone was bloodthirsty, concerned for the world, saintly, cruel, or anything else, Li Xing didn't care.
If they crossed paths and got along, they could have a chat.
If they didn't, they could pass each other by without getting involved.
As long as someone wasn't pretending to be virtuous to line their own pockets or scheming against him, that was all that mattered.
"Just wait. You'll soon see what my martial virtue is like."
A golden glint shone in Li Xing's eyes as he stared at Master Roshi, a confident smile on his lips.
"I'd also like to see just how capable the renowned Master Roshi really is."
Master Roshi had been about to continue advising him, but when he heard Li Xing's words, a flicker of panic crossed his eyes.
"Young man, what are you talking about? Who's this Master Roshi you mentioned? I don't know him."
A teasing smile appeared on Li Xing's face.
"Is that so? There are martial artists on Earth who don't know Master Roshi, the God of Martial Arts? That's quite a rarity."
Before you continue