Defense as Offense

Sunlight cleared the western roof of the venue and slanted across the ring, stretching the two men's shadows. The wooden planks had baked in the sun all morning and were already hot beneath their feet. Heat rose through the gaps in the grain, forming a faint distortion in the air.

Goku stood where he was, his chest still rising and falling. His breathing had slowed slightly from before, as though he was recovering during the break. His gaze remained fixed on Lin Chen without wavering. Lin Chen maintained a defensive stance as well, his feet set shoulder-width apart, his arms half-raised, his center of gravity lowered slightly. He could still feel the warm current within him moving slowly. It was no longer as obvious as it had been at the beginning, more like a steady warmth resting between his muscles and skin.

He tried moving his right ankle. He had twisted it slightly during his consecutive evasions earlier, and it had stung at the time, but the sensation had now vanished. When he moved it, the joint functioned normally, without stiffness or soreness.

Goku noticed. "You twisted your ankle earlier, didn't you? Is it better now?"

Lin Chen settled his weight back onto both feet. "It got better once I loosened up."

Goku did not press further. He stepped forward twice more, his movements lighter than before. Once he closed in, his right fist shot up from a low angle, aimed at the space between Lin Chen's abdomen and ribs. Lin Chen pressed down with his palm to block it. The moment his palm met the fist, he felt an impact slightly weaker than before. He was not pushed back and neutralized the force of the punch without moving from his spot. He noticed that Goku's punches truly had become a little weaker.

[Ding! Attack received. Strength light orbs collected ×3. Strength +9.]

[Ding! Saiyan bloodline fusion rate +1%. Current progress: 35%.]

He felt a faint ripple in the warm current within him, just as he had when he was struck before. It was as though his body was continuously absorbing the energy brought by those light orbs and using it to maintain his condition. His body temperature was slightly higher than normal, like he had just finished running, yet his breathing remained steady.

After several consecutive attacks, Goku stopped again. He stood about two meters away, panting. "My stamina's almost gone." He said it without much emotion, merely stating the situation. "You still seem to have plenty of stamina. Is this how you trained?"

Lin Chen adjusted his stance. "Ten years."

Goku fell silent for a moment before straightening again. "Ten years... no wonder your foundation is so solid." He rolled his shoulders, as if gathering every scrap of strength he had left. "Then for this last round, I'll put all my remaining strength into it."

Without waiting for Lin Chen's answer, he lowered his center of gravity again and drew both hands to his waist. Blue-white light gathered once more. This glow was brighter than any of his previous attacks. The edges of its halo had begun to turn white, as though the energy density had reached his current limit. His arms trembled faintly as he charged it, his shoulder muscles taut, sweat trickling from his forehead down his chin.

"Kamehameha!"

The beam fired. This blast was larger and faster than all the previous ones. It carved through the air, leaving behind a continuously burning trail of light, while the surface of the floorboards near the ground blackened under the intense heat. This time, Lin Chen neither dodged nor blocked. He stood firmly in place and raised his right hand the instant the beam reached him, fingers spread and palm facing forward. The beam struck his palm, forming an expanding ring of light at the point of contact, but it did not break through. His feet slid backward by about a palm's width under the beam's force. His heels nearly touched the ropes at the edge of the ring, pressing them into a depression before bouncing back into place. The beam paused briefly before his palm, then scattered to both sides like water meeting a round stone.

When he lowered his hand, his palm was visibly red, but it was not burned. The redness faded quickly, like a receding tide.

[Ding! Extreme energy attack received. Kamehameha fragments collected ×18. Kamehameha synthesis progress: 96%.]

[Ding! Saiyan bloodline fusion rate +3%. Current progress: 38%.]

[Ding! Immortal Physique · Beginner Tier remains active. Current recovery progress: 82%.]

Within a few breaths, his palm had returned to its normal color. The skin was smooth, without blisters or scorch marks. He flexed his fingers, and his knuckles moved smoothly, as if they had merely been soaked in warm water.

After firing the attack, Goku staggered. He braced both hands on his knees and bent over, gasping for breath. Sweat dripped from his chin onto the ring and quickly evaporated under the sun, leaving only pale marks behind. "You... caught it more easily than last time."

Lin Chen lowered his hand. "Your stamina really has dropped."

Goku straightened and looked at his hands. His palms still retained warmth from firing the energy wave, and his skin was faintly red. "Yeah," he admitted. "I can't even throw out one more attack now." He lowered his hands. "You win the finals."

He turned and took two steps toward the edge of the ring, then stopped and looked back at Lin Chen. "That way you caught the energy wave... can you teach me next time?"

Lin Chen did not answer immediately. He adjusted the belt of his martial arts uniform and rolled the scorched cuff of his sleeve up another turn. "Sure. Next time, work on your basic control first. Your energy wave is powerful enough, but your control isn't precise enough."

Goku nodded. "I'll remember that."

The referee walked to the center of the ring and cleared his throat. "Contestant Son Goku is unable to continue due to exhaustion. The match is over! The winner is Lin Chen!" His voice echoed briefly through the open venue before being drowned out by the applause gradually rising from the stands.

Lin Chen remained where he was, watching as the referee handed him a champion's sash and trophy. He did not take them immediately. First, he wiped the palm heated by the energy wave against his pant leg, brushing off a thin layer of dust, then reached out and accepted the trophy. When his hand touched it, the metal surface was cooler than he had expected, as though it had been kept in the shade.

"There's prize money too." The referee pulled a brown envelope from his pocket, its seal bearing the tournament emblem. "Because the number of participants changed this year, the prize is twenty percent higher than last year. The check is inside."

Lin Chen accepted the envelope without opening it and slipped it directly into the inner pocket of his uniform.

Goku stood on the steps at the edge of the ring, bending over to tie a loosened shoelace. Once he finished, he straightened, gave Lin Chen a thumbs-up, and smiled. "We'll fight again next time."

Lin Chen nodded. "All right."

The sunlight grew fiercer, illuminating every line in the wooden floorboards. Fresh footprints crisscrossed old scuff marks, as though the ring was recording every exchange of offense and defense from the match in its own way. Most of the spectators had already risen. Some were gathering their belongings to leave, while others were still discussing the details of the match.

Lin Chen stood in the ring for a while longer, feeling the sun's warmth against his uniform. Then he tucked the trophy under his arm and walked down the stairs of the competitors' passageway. The walls on either side were hotter than they had been in the morning, warm enough to sting when touched. Sunlight cast a bright diagonal line across the dust in the corner, sharply dividing light from shadow. The announcer was still saying something through the loudspeaker, but the voice became muffled as it passed through the walls, as though he were speaking to another crowd in another space.

When he entered the rest area, he saw the old man in round sunglasses sitting on a bench with a cup of tea in hand. Steam rose from the tea in a thin wisp beneath the slanting sunlight.

"You won," the old man said. "Would you be interested in staying at my place for a while? It's by the sea, and the environment is fairly quiet—good for training. There are also a few young people around your age. You can train together."

Lin Chen stood in the doorway, sunlight streaming in behind him and casting a long diagonal shadow across the floor of the rest area. "I want to return to the martial arts school first."

The old man nodded. "My address is... Kame House."