Beam Clash!

On an unknown island, the sky was a flawless blue, white clouds drifting leisurely past the enormous tournament arena.

The stands buzzed with noise as martial arts enthusiasts from all over the world waved colorful flags, eagerly awaiting the thrilling matches of the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament.

Lin Yuan stood in the contestants' waiting area with his arms folded, watching the arena.

Beside him stood Bulma, Launch, and Puar, as well as the three Freys who had been eliminated in the preliminaries.

"The competitors are much stronger overall than they were in the last tournament," Lin Yuan assessed.

On the arena, the announcer held a microphone and boomed, "Ladies and gentlemen! After intense preliminary rounds, we have finally reached the quarterfinals! The first match—Contestant Jackie Chun versus Contestant Sate!"

The audience erupted into enthusiastic applause.

Contestant "Jackie Chun," dressed in a traditional martial arts uniform and wearing sunglasses, slowly walked onto the arena. Across from him, Sate rolled his joints as he headed toward the ring, looking eager to fight.

That was right. Master Roshi, as Jackie Chun, had entered the tournament this time as well, while Sate had successfully made it into the quarterfinals.

The two of them had met in the very first quarterfinal match.

"Begin!"

Sate launched the first attack, shooting toward Jackie Chun like lightning.

"Ha!"

He threw a straight punch at his opponent's face.

Jackie Chun remained unruffled. With a slight tilt of his head, he easily avoided it.

Sate switched moves quickly, sweeping his right leg at Jackie Chun's lower body.

"Not a bad combo," Jackie Chun commented as he lightly leaped into the air, "but it's too straightforward."

He spun in midair and delivered a roundhouse kick straight into Sate's shoulder.

Sate barely managed to block with his arms, but he was still kicked back several steps.

"What a strong old man!"

Sate gritted his teeth.

After steadying himself, he suddenly formed his right hand into a blade. Ki gathered in his palm and continued extending outward, gradually forming a twenty-five-centimeter energy blade! He then charged Jackie Chun again.

Jackie Chun narrowed his eyes. Just as the energy blade was about to strike him, his body suddenly split into three.

"Afterimage Fist!" the audience cried out.

Sate's eyes widened.

"What?"

Before he could react, the back of his neck took a hand chop.

Jackie Chun's true body had somehow already circled behind him. "You can't rely on your eyes alone in battle, young man," Jackie Chun's voice sounded by his ear.

Sate staggered forward and barely managed to turn around to defend himself, but Jackie Chun's attacks came crashing down like waves. Before long, Sate was knocked out of the arena.

"Contestant Jackie Chun wins!" the referee announced.

The audience burst into loud applause. Lin Yuan nodded. "That kid Sate uses ki pretty well. He's improved! Too bad he ran into Teacher Muten."

The second match began soon afterward. "Contestant Tien Shinhan versus Contestant Krillin!"

After the two stepped onto the arena and bowed to each other, the battle began.

Krillin attacked first, using his small stature to quickly close in on Tien Shinhan.

After exchanging blows for a while, Krillin threw a feint, then vanished from sight.

"Perfect!" Krillin swiftly circled behind Tien Shinhan and threw a heavy punch at the center of his back.

However, the instant his fist touched Tien Shinhan's body, Krillin sensed that something was wrong—his fist passed straight through Tien Shinhan's body!

"An afterimage? When did—" Krillin was shocked.

"Up here."

Tien Shinhan's voice came from above. Krillin looked up to see Tien Shinhan floating in the air, firing an energy blast down at him.

Krillin hastily crossed his arms to defend himself. The blast exploded, sending shattered stones flying everywhere. When the smoke cleared, Krillin was already covered in injuries.

Knowing he was no match for his opponent, Krillin shouted his surrender despite his unwillingness to accept it.

"Contestant Tien Shinhan wins!" the referee announced.

The outcome of the fight had been decided in an instant. The second match had lasted less than three minutes from beginning to end.

Next up were Nam and Yamcha.

Last year, Yamcha had been far stronger than Nam, but during the past three years of training, Yamcha had clearly not worked as hard as Nam.

So Yamcha lacked confidence in this match.

Even going all out, Yamcha lasted only thirty exchanges against a still-holding-back Nam before he was defeated.

The final match was Goku versus Chiaotzu.

At the referee's command, the match began!

Chiaotzu was the first to use his psychic powers, trying to freeze Goku in place. Goku suddenly felt his body stiffen. "Huh? I can't move?" he said in surprise.

Seizing the opportunity, Chiaotzu flew forward and unleashed a rapid barrage of punches on Goku. "Bang bang bang!" The sounds of fists striking flesh echoed through the arena.

"What is Goku doing?"

Bulma asked anxiously from the stands.

Lin Yuan smiled.

"Don't worry. That level of attack can't hurt Goku."

In the ring, after taking more than a dozen punches head-on, Goku suddenly grinned. "Your fists are so light!" He flexed with force and broke free from the psychic restraint. Chiaotzu was shocked and hurriedly retreated.

"My turn!" Goku appeared before Chiaotzu in an instant, sending him flying with an uppercut. Chiaotzu hurriedly adjusted his posture and steadied himself in midair.

So fast! Chiaotzu thought in shock.

Goku did not pursue him. Instead, he stood where he was and beckoned. "Come on again!"

Gritting his teeth, Chiaotzu rapidly formed hand seals. An even stronger psychic force enveloped Goku, attempting to restrain him once more.

This time, Goku did not break free immediately. Instead, he deliberately pretended to be frozen in place.

"It worked!"

Chiaotzu dove down, gathering ki in his right palm as he aimed straight for Goku's chest.

Just as the blow was about to land, Goku suddenly blinked and shifted slightly to the side. Chiaotzu's palm brushed past the edge of his clothes. At the same time, Goku lightly struck the back of Chiaotzu's neck with a chop.

"Bang!" Chiaotzu crashed facedown onto the ring and could not get back up for a while.

"Contestant Son Goku wins!" the referee announced.

Goku immediately crouched down and helped Chiaotzu up. "Are you okay? Your psychic powers are really amazing!"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Chiaotzu gave a bitter smile. "You clearly could have ended the match much faster..."

Goku scratched his head and laughed. "Hehe, if I hadn't gotten a lot stronger lately, I wouldn't have been able to break free that quickly!"

The quarterfinals ended, and the four semifinalists were decided.

The host loudly announced, "After fierce competition, our four semifinalists are: Jackie Chun, Tien Shinhan, Nam, and Son Goku! The semifinal matchups have been decided by drawing lots—Jackie Chun versus Tien Shinhan, and Nam versus Son Goku!"

After a brief rest, the semifinals officially began.

First Match

Jackie Chun (Master Roshi) vs. Tien Shinhan

The battle began!

Tien Shinhan struck first, his body shooting forward as his fists and kicks whipped up fierce gusts of wind and bore down on Jackie Chun!

Jackie Chun was not slow in the slightest. He sidestepped and countered with an elbow strike, but Tien Shinhan blocked it. Their fists and feet crossed as they exchanged dozens of moves in an instant, their surging force scattering sand and stones!

The audience below watched in stunned disbelief.

"Hmph, you've got some skill!" Tien Shinhan suddenly accelerated and drove a heavy punch toward Master Roshi's abdomen.

Jackie Chun gave a muffled grunt and staggered back several steps, but quickly regained his footing. Then his body began to sway rapidly.

In an instant, several afterimages of Jackie Chun appeared before Tien Shinhan. He snorted coldly.

"Cheap tricks!"

A gleam flashed in his third eye as he instantly saw through the real body. He swept out with a roundhouse kick, forcing Jackie Chun to retreat. The afterimages vanished.

From Tien Shinhan's every move, Jackie Chun noticed something amiss. With a puzzled expression, he asked, "Kid, are you a disciple of the Crane Hermit?"

Tien Shinhan froze, unable to understand why this old man knew his former identity. He shook his head.

"I used to be. Not anymore."

Jackie Chun nodded. No wonder. He could sense a cold, murderous intent hidden within every one of his opponent's moves.

Though it had faded considerably, Master Roshi could still detect traces of his junior disciple, the Crane Hermit, in the other man's techniques.

"Let's continue, young man. I'm going to get serious now."

Master Roshi's gaze sharpened. He suddenly pressed his palms together, and the force around his entire body surged!

"Thunder Shock Surprise!"

Blinding golden light burst from his palms, transforming into countless electric beams of energy that instantly wrapped around Tien Shinhan's body! Tien Shinhan stiffened as the current numbed his muscles, leaving him unable to move for the moment!

"Damn it...!" Tien Shinhan gritted his teeth and struggled, but Master Roshi gave him no chance to catch his breath. Energy gathered between his hands once more—

"Kame... Hame... Ha..."

At the critical moment, Tien Shinhan roared and forcibly broke free from the electric restraints, gathering energy between his hands as well—

"Kame... Hame... Ha!"

"Kamehameha!"

Two earth-shaking energy waves collided with a thunderous crash! In an instant, the entire martial arts arena shook violently. Gale-force winds swept through the spectator stands, while the ring cracked apart and collapsed beneath the impact of the energy!

Veins bulged across Tien Shinhan's forehead as he pushed his energy wave forward with every ounce of strength. Cheng Long was drenched in sweat, having never expected his opponent to break free of the paralysis so quickly and launch a counterattack.

In the end, Cheng Long gradually lost ground. He was defeated.

—The victor had been decided!

Master Roshi climbed up from beneath the ring, dusted himself off, and sighed.

"Looks like the future belongs to you young people now~"

Cheers erupted...