News of the Martial Arts Tournament

In the spring of Age 742, the day of registration for the World Martial Arts Tournament arrived. It was held on a large island in the East Sea, where a magnificent arena capable of accommodating tens of thousands of spectators stood. Kashu brought Son Goku, Krillin, Gore, and Lanno to the registration desk. The five Saiyans—Gore and Lanno had also decided to compete—wore matching orange Turtle School uniforms, drawing quite a bit of attention. "Little brats, are you here to sign up?" the staff member at the desk looked down at them, a hint of amusement on his face. "Yes." Kashu handed over the information for all five. "The registration fee is ten thousand per person." Kashu pulled five banknotes from his pocket and handed them over. The staff member took the money and gave them five registration tags: "The preliminaries start in three days; use these tags to enter. Good luck." The five of them walked into the venue, and the massive ring came into view. The stands were circular and could hold thirty thousand people. "So big!" Krillin exclaimed, "If we could fight in front of so many people, how cool would that be!" "Pass the preliminaries first," Gore said, "I heard hundreds sign up every year, but only eight make it to the main event." "Hundreds for only eight spots?" Lanno frowned, "The elimination rate is that high?" "That's why it's the 'World Martial Arts Tournament'," Kashu said, "but for us, advancing to the main event won't be a problem."

With five years left until the tournament, Kashu drafted a detailed pre-competition training plan. "Starting today, our training intensity will double," Kashu told Son Goku, Krillin, Gore, and Lanno. "Double?" Krillin's face turned green, "Senior Brother, we're already running a hundred kilometers and doing three thousand push-ups every day. Doubling that will kill us!" "It won't kill you," Kashu said calmly, "Saiyans don't die that easily, and neither will you. Trust me, as long as you endure this half-year, your combat power will at least triple."

Krillin gritted his teeth: "Fine, I'll do it!" The first item of the special training was the "Weighted Limit Run." Each person wore a weighted turtle shell and had to run from Mount Paozu to West City and back—a three-hundred-kilometer round trip—with a twelve-hour time limit. Gore and Lanno, being adults, finished with ease. Although Son Goku and Krillin were exhausted to the point of collapse, they gritted their teeth and persevered.

The second item of the special training was "Ki Wave Precision Training." Kashu taught them the "Ki Blast"—a variant of the energy wave that was low-power, high-speed, and low-consumption.

"Watch closely." Kashu extended the index finger of his right hand, condensing a golden ball of light the size of a soybean at his fingertip. The light ball shot out, hitting the dead center of the target a hundred meters away, leaving a hole the size of a needle tip. "That's amazing!" Krillin marveled. "Start practicing." A month later, everyone had mastered the Ki Blast. Son Goku and Krillin could even fire them continuously while moving. The third item of the special training was "Afterimage Technique and Ki Sensing." Kashu taught them how to use Ki sensing to see through afterimages and how to create more realistic ones.

"Gore, your afterimage is too fake," Kashu said, "You have to give the afterimage a sense of 'Ki' for the opponent to believe it." "Understood." The half-year of special training pushed everyone's strength to a new level. Son Goku's combat power rose from eight thousand to fifteen thousand; Krillin's from eight hundred to two thousand; Gore's from thirty-five thousand to fifty thousand; and Lanno's from one hundred thousand to one hundred fifty thousand (five million in Super Saiyan form). As for Kashu, he had spent another year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, his base combat power breaking through one hundred thousand, and his Legendary Super Saiyan First Grade reaching eight million.

Time flew, and five years passed in the blink of an eye. It was Age 747, five years since the last World Martial Arts Tournament. In these five years, New Vegeta City flourished, and the Saiyan population grew from one hundred thirty-two to nearly two hundred. Kashu, Son Goku, Krillin, and the others completed their basic training under Master Roshi, and their strength surged. Kashu was now fourteen. He stood one meter seventy, his long black hair tied into a high ponytail with a ribbon. His face was handsome and composed, his eyes as deep as the starry sky. Five years of cultivation had pushed his base combat power past 1.2 million, his Legendary Super Saiyan First Grade to 96 million, his Second Grade to 192 million, and his Third Grade to 480 million. He had even mastered the Legendary Super Saiyan Fourth Grade—the Seven-Colored Diamond Form—in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, reaching a combat power of 960 million and officially stepping into the threshold of the God of Destruction realm. Son Goku was twelve. He was half a head shorter than Kashu, his round face having lost its baby fat, and his eyes had become sharp and focused. His base combat power reached 600,000, and his Super Saiyan transformation reached 30 million. He had learned the Kaioken (fivefold) and the Spirit Bomb, and his ability to sense Ki had surpassed Master Roshi. Krillin was eleven. He remained bald, short but sturdy, his eyes sparkling with wit. As a pure-blooded Earthling, his combat power had risen to 80,000, and he had learned techniques like the Kamehameha, Destructo Disc, and the Afterimage Technique. He was hailed by Master Roshi as the "most talented Earthling martial artist in a hundred years." Gore was twenty-seven, his combat power exceeding 100,000; though he hadn't broken through to Super Saiyan, his combat experience and tactical literacy were indispensable to the team. Lanno was twenty-eight, stable in her Super Saiyan form with a combat power of 5 million, serving as the second-strongest fighter in the camp. Lanno was thirty, with a combat power of 50,000, remaining the core of maintenance and logistics. This year's World Martial Arts Tournament was destined to be extraordinary.

A rumor circulated through the martial arts world: the legendary King of the Demon Clan—Demon King Piccolo—had awakened from a three-hundred-year seal and would be participating in this tournament. At the same time, the successors of the Crane School, Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu, declared that they would defeat the Turtle School to prove that the Crane School was the strongest on Earth. A martial arts gala of new and old, of righteousness and evil, was about to unfold. Three things for the new book! Please read, please add to your library, and please tip!

World Martial Arts Tournament: Preliminary Match Day. The preliminaries used a single-elimination format, with five hundred and twelve contestants vying for eight spots in the main event. Kashu's first opponent was a muscular, bald brute. He knocked the man out of the ring in one move, taking less than a second. Son Goku's opponent was an old man wielding a long staff. He used a Ki blast to snap the staff, and the old man conceded. Krillin's opponent was a boy about his height. He used the Afterimage Technique to confuse his opponent, then kicked him out of the ring.

Gore's opponent was a karate expert. He fought steadily and won with solid fundamentals. Lanno's opponent was the strongest—a martial artist with a combat power of eight hundred. Lanno flicked him away with just one finger. All five Turtle School disciples advanced to the main event. The final eight were announced: Kashu, Son Goku, Krillin, Gore, Lanno, Jackie Chun (Master Roshi in disguise), Nam (the desert warrior), and King Chappa (a former tournament champion). "Five of the final eight are our people," Krillin said excitedly, "Senior Brother, we have a chance to sweep the top three!" "Don't be careless," Kashu said, "That old man Jackie Chun—he's Master Roshi in disguise. His strength is far more than what appears on the surface."

"What? Master is competing too?" Krillin's eyes widened. "He entered under a fake name to test us," Kashu said, "When you face Master, don't hold back."