Don't Clash Beams with Anyone Named Son!

In the sky, two figures had almost become afterimages, their constantly flickering forms impossible to catch with the naked eye!

Bang!

Looking at Goku, whose fighting spirit was blazing, Li Ming gradually grew feverish amid their exhilarating exchange of fists and kicks. He had not felt this long-lost rush of hot-blooded excitement in a very long time.

Perhaps only Saiyans could truly enjoy battle. For any other race, fighting was ultimately for victory or destruction.

Saiyans were different. The battle instinct in their blood drove them to relentlessly seek ever-stronger opponents in a state akin to fervor!

Not for resources or conquest, but solely for more intense battles!

"Heh."

Li Ming's fighting spirit was ignited. Gradually, he began to unleash even greater speed. He had just dodged Goku's straight punch when a faint smile appeared on Goku's face. The next instant, Li Ming flashed behind him.

Bang!

"Urgh!"

Struck heavily from behind without warning, Goku cried out and fell from the sky. He was descending rapidly; if he hit the ground directly, it would not be pleasant!

Boom!

When he was still over ten meters above the ground, he finally forced himself to recover from the heavy blow. His eyes narrowed, and he fired an energy wave from his palm!

The energy wave suddenly blasted into the ground, stopping his descent using the same method Long Qing had used before.

"You learned that pretty well, but how are you going to deal with the next move?"

A deep crater was blasted into the ground. Goku had indeed used the force to offset his fall, but the instant he landed, he still sprang backward several meters.

At that moment, Li Ming's voice came from behind him! Goku froze, turning his head almost mechanically as every muscle in his body tensed!

Boom!

Li Ming raised a hand and fired an energy wave. Goku was blasted into the sky by white light, unable to control his body for the moment. However, this kind of instantaneous energy wave had limited power and could not cause any substantial injury.

But it was enough!

Li Ming vanished again, chasing after Goku's disappearing figure. The purpose of this move was to disrupt Goku's rhythm and give him no chance to catch his breath.

As a martial artist, Goku understood better than Li Ming just how important energy and rhythm were in battle. If he was allowed to recover, this would become a drawn-out fight.

Li Ming wanted to see the results of Goku's training, but he did not want to get played by Goku.

"Kame... hame... ha!"

At that moment, a dazzling blue-white radiance lit up in the sky! A powerful energy surged instantly to a terrifying level, and everyone on the ground who could sense energy began to sweat coldly.

"H-Hey, no way... Th-that's Goku's energy!?" Krillin said with a slight tremble. It was not fear, but instinct.

Tien Shinhan beside him nodded. They had both trained under Korin for a time, so their ability to sense energy had only just begun to take shape.

But this energy was simply too immense. In their senses, Goku's energy at that moment was like a blazing sun!

"Th-this is!"

Suddenly, an energy no weaker than Goku's, perhaps even stronger, appeared within their senses! If Goku's energy was merely dazzling, then this energy was truly boundless!

Unlike the energy of Kami and the others, which they could not sense because it was skillfully concealed, this energy was so powerful that it simply could not be perceived!

"No way! Th-this energy!" Kami was also stunned at that moment, so shocked that he could barely speak coherently.

"Kame... hame... ha!"

Li Ming's voice followed. He had never studied his own techniques, but the Kamehameha was one of the simplest energy techniques there was. Li Ming could learn it after seeing it once.

Perhaps his energy was not as condensed as Goku's, but his foundation was there. There was no reason for him to lose!

Boom!!

The two energy waves collided and wrestled against one another in the sky. Goku's energy wave was indeed more stable, its leading edge maintaining the same round shape it had when fired.

Li Ming's energy wave was thicker, but its tip was constantly being scattered apart, wasting quite a bit of energy for nothing.

"The difference is really this obvious?" Li Ming frowned. This amount of energy expenditure was nothing to him.

Still, it made him realize that during a beam clash, besides having more energy, one also needed the ability to control it.

That was precisely the foundation of martial arts mastery. Goku had already walked his own path, and this Kamehameha had been integrated with his own understanding.

Li Ming was merely borrowing it. It was clearly impossible for him to compete with Goku in terms of quality.

"Looks like I'll have to find a way to develop my own techniques. As for now, this fight can end!"

Whoosh!

An immense energy erupted once more!

Li Ming's energy output at that moment was nearly one and a half times Goku's! Relying on his overwhelming energy, he directly suppressed Goku's Kamehameha.

Seriously, if he still could not suppress Goku with such a gap, there would be no point in continuing the fight.

"What!?"

Goku began to panic as well. Veins bulged all over his body. Perhaps under the pressure, his energy actually began to steadily grow stronger and more condensed!

"Hmph!" Seeing this, Li Ming increased his energy output again. He thought, You want to compete with me? Don't think I'm scared of you just because your surname is Son. I'm standing on... which side is this, left or right?

"Kamehameha Wave!"

The primal power within Goku seemed to erupt along with that powerful shout. The terrifying soundwave even drowned out the noise of the two energy waves clashing!

"Ha!"

"Damn it! Referee! He's cheating! I'm not playing anymore!"

Li Ming was cursing inwardly. His energy had already been less condensed than Goku's, and even one and a half times the output had only been enough to suppress him. Now Goku had suddenly unleashed an even stronger Kamehameha Wave, and the terrifying energy pillar instantly swelled!

Both its output and intensity had increased severalfold! This was completely unreasonable!

A larger energy sphere shot from Goku's palm, charging along the path of his previous energy wave!

As for Li Ming, his half-baked Kamehameha had truly let him down. Although he increased his energy output at the crucial moment, its intensity became even lower instead!

In an instant, Goku's Kamehameha Wave split it down the middle and forced it back!

BOOMM!

The explosion kicked up a huge cloud of dust that drifted with the wind for several kilometers.

I'm never clashing beams with anyone named Son again...

That was Li Ming's final thought before the Kamehameha Wave struck him. Even though his own energy was stronger, taking such a massive energy wave head-on with his body did not feel good.

As the dust from the explosion gradually dispersed, Li Ming's left shoulder was slightly caved in. Still, he had avoided any vital spots, though his breathing was somewhat unsteady.

"You were trying to kill me!" Veins bulged on his forehead as he looked at the equally battered Goku.

With eighty or ninety percent of his energy depleted, Goku's eyes were a little unfocused. He drooped his eyelids and grinned foolishly in Li Ming's direction. "I didn't think even my ultimate move wouldn't be enough to defeat you. You're too strong, Li Ming."

"Hmph! Don't think praising me means I won't beat you up! That hurt, you bastard!"

As he spoke, Li Ming grabbed his left arm and shoved it upward, enduring the agonizing pain as he forced the dislocated joint back into place. The bruising and ruptured blood vessels inside would have to be healed with a Senzu Bean.

"Hiss!" His eyes twitched, and he could not help sucking in a cold breath through clenched teeth. This fucking hurts!

After moving it around and confirming that it would not affect his movements in the short term, Li Ming clasped his hands together and looked at Goku with ill intent.

"Gulp..." Goku's face fell. There was too little energy left in his body, and a powerful sense of weakness washed over him. Maintaining the Flight Technique was already his limit at a time like this!

But he had looked forward to this battle for so long that he was unwilling to surrender just like that.

Bang!

Li Ming did not give him much time to think. In just a few exchanges, he suppressed Goku, then unleashed a brutal barrage of fists and kicks!

Thinking that this guy was tough and that there were Senzu Beans anyway, Li Ming did not hold back at all!

Boom!

In the end, Goku was punched into the ground. After another burst of shocked cries from the arena, the match ended with Goku being knocked unconscious.

Looking at Goku's bruised and swollen face, Chi-Chi, who had just entered her first romance, was heartbroken. She even wanted to fight Li Ming, but Goku was soon revived with a Senzu Bean, and this World Martial Arts Tournament finally came to an end.

"The champion of the Twenty-Third World Martial Arts Tournament is contestant Li Ming!"

"What a shame. Goku didn't win the championship again," Bulma said. She had witnessed Goku narrowly miss the World Martial Arts Tournament championship twice.

Krillin and the others nodded in deep agreement. It truly was a pity.

"And I heard this is the final World Martial Arts Tournament. After missing this one, Goku won't have another chance."

"Hahaha, it's okay. I'm already very happy that I got to fight Li Ming." Goku scratched his head and smiled.

No matter when it was, Goku's smile was filled with sincerity and infectious warmth. The sadness everyone felt over their coming separation was instantly washed away. Even Li Ming watched the scene with a faint smile.

Until Goku said something...

"Hey, Li Ming, can I challenge you again? I feel like the gap between us is still huge, but Kami said there's nothing more he can teach me, so I was thinking..."

"No, you weren't!"

Li Ming turned and flew away immediately, silently making a ruthless vow in his heart: I'll die before I clash beams with anyone named Son again!