The Catalyst for Bloodline Awakening

Goku charged again, faster than before. As his fist closed in on Lin Chen, it kicked up a noticeable gust. The wind pressed his gi against his body, outlining the contours of his shoulders and back. Lin Chen twisted aside to evade the first punch, but Goku seemed to have anticipated his direction. His second punch was already waiting where Lin Chen would land, the edge of his fist grazing Lin Chen's ribs. A dull pain spread through him, heavier than any hit he had taken before.

[ Ding! Attack endured. Picked up Constitution Orbs ×5. Constitution +15. ]

[ Ding! Saiyan bloodline fusion rate +5%. Current progress: 25%. ]

He stepped back half a pace. A persistent dull ache throbbed in his ribs, but it was rapidly fading, as if a warm current inside him were washing it away. He adjusted his stance, shifting his weight onto his back foot to put as little strain as possible on his injured side.

Goku did not press the attack. He stood where he was and looked at Lin Chen. "You didn't completely evade that one. Are you running out of stamina?"

Lin Chen readjusted his breathing. Most of the pain in his ribs had faded within two or three breaths. "No. You sped up."

Goku did not deny it. He reset his stance and pressed forward again. This time, his attacks came in a tighter rhythm, his alternating fists and kicks as rapid as a continuous drumbeat. Lin Chen kept retreating as he blocked, his feet moving swiftly across the wooden boards. The friction between his soles and the planks was constant and sharp, like someone repeatedly scraping a stiff brush over wood.

[ Ding! Attack endured. Picked up Strength Orbs ×6. Strength +18. ]

[ Ding! Attack endured. Picked up Speed Orbs ×4. Speed +12. ]

[ Ding! Saiyan bloodline fusion rate +3%. Current progress: 28%. ]

He noticed that the warm current within him rippled every time he was hit, as though responding to the impact. The light orbs falling from Goku also changed color as they drifted into his body, gradually shifting from white and pale green to deeper shades, as if some force were dyeing them.

Goku stopped after a combination attack. His breathing was noticeably more labored than before. Sweat ran down from his brow and dripped onto the wooden platform, leaving small dark spots. A few drops landed in the grooves of the wood grain and slowly spread along them. "Your defense is tighter than before." He took two breaths. "I'm hitting you with everything I have, yet you can take every punch. Don't you feel tired?"

Lin Chen lowered his guarding hands. "I can still hold on."

Goku nodded and adjusted his stance again. He spread his feet, bent his knees, and drew both hands back to his waist. Blue-white light flared in his palms once more, brighter than at any previous time. The glow was so intense that its edges had taken on a whitish tint, as though it had been compressed even further. When he thrust both palms forward, the beam was roughly the same size as before, but much faster. A ring-shaped shockwave formed along its path toward Lin Chen, shoving the dust on the platform aside.

This time, Lin Chen did not catch it with his palms. Before the beam reached him, he stepped to the side. It grazed his shoulder and carved a shallow groove into the ground behind him. He turned to face Goku again. A coin-sized hole had been burned through the fabric on his left shoulder, exposing reddened skin beneath, but the injury was not severe.

[ Ding! Energy attack graze endured. Picked up Kamehameha Fragments ×10. Kamehameha synthesis progress: 82%. ]

[ Ding! Saiyan bloodline fusion rate +4%. Current progress: 32%. ]

The warm current felt more distinct than before, like a stream of hot water flowing up along his spine. It lingered around his shoulders and arms for a moment before spreading through his entire upper body. The burn on his shoulder was rapidly fading. Within a minute or two, the redness had lightened considerably, as if it were being repaired. He rolled his shoulder. The joint moved smoothly without pain, and the burned skin had already returned to its normal temperature.

Goku lowered his hands. "The speed you used to dodge that energy wave was faster than before. Not just a little faster. A lot faster."

Lin Chen glanced down at his shoulder. The burn mark had completely faded, leaving only a layer of new skin slightly lighter than the surrounding area. He raised his head again. "Your aura is indeed very powerful."

Goku fell silent for a while, then said, "I can feel your aura changing too. At the beginning, it was stable, like still water. Now, it's flowing. There are waves."

Lin Chen did not answer. He simply resumed his defensive stance.

Goku slowly exhaled, the rise and fall of his chest gradually settling. The numbers on the timer in the corner of the platform continued to tick. The match had already lasted nearly ten minutes.

Someone in the front row of the audience shouted, "Why hasn't there been a winner yet?!" His voice was especially jarring in the empty arena, like a stone striking the surface of water. But as soon as he finished speaking, it was swallowed by the crowd's low murmur. No one responded.

At the center of the platform, the two approached each other again. Their simultaneous steps on the wooden boards produced a double echo.

[ Ding! Saiyan bloodline fusion rate +2%. Current progress: 34%. ]

The warm current spread through his body to the tips of his fingers and toes, like warm water filling an entire vessel. He could feel his muscles heating up slightly. It was not the burning sensation that came after intense exercise, but more like a thin heated blanket wrapped around every muscle, maintaining its warmth with every breath.