The Bargain Hunt Begins

Cheers from the direction of the main ring continued for a while. After the referee announced Krillin's victory, another wave of applause erupted from the stands. Lin Chen sat on the bench, shifting his gaze away from the main ring and onto the concrete floor on the other side of the contestants' rest area. Several old cracks ran across it, packed with dust and fine grit.

He tried to summon the interface he had seen earlier in his mind. It appeared again, still translucent, hovering in the upper-right corner of his vision.

[Host: Lin Chen]

[Combat Power: 94]

[Basic Four Attributes: Strength 31｜Constitution 38｜Speed 27｜Spirit 41]

[Bloodline Slot: (Empty)]

[Martial Arts Library: Basic Fist and Kick Techniques (Mastery), Basic Footwork (Proficient)]

[Skill Library: None]

[Talent Traits: None]

[Backpack: Empty]

[Pickup Range: 1 meter]

His gaze paused on the "Pickup Range" entry before moving away. Once he had taken in the details, the interface vanished on its own. There was no chime or notification sound, as though it knew he was finished reading.

The contestant on the neighboring bench who had been wrapping his fingers stood up, rolled his wrist, and headed toward the other side of the arena. The soles of his boots made a faint rubbery scrape against the ground, leaving behind a long, thin dark streak. After taking a few steps, he looked back at Lin Chen as if he wanted to say something, but he never opened his mouth and simply kept walking. Lin Chen was the only one left in the contestants' rest area.

The commotion in the distance continued. Another match seemed to have started on the main ring, and cheers from the stands mixed with the sounds of tables and chairs being bumped into. Lin Chen stood up, smoothed the wrinkles from the clothes on the bench, then headed toward the contestants' passageway.

Several match schedule boards were posted along the walls on either side of the passage. One listed the morning's matches and competitors. He gave it a glance, but did not slow down when he saw the advancement mark beside the name "Lin Chen."

When he emerged from the passageway into the outer grounds, the midday sunlight was falling directly onto the concrete, making the ground somewhat hot. He stopped in the shade beside a pillar. From there, he could see both Ring Three and part of the main ring, as well as the entrance to the contestants' area.

The match on the main ring had already begun. Two contestants were exchanging blows rapidly in the center. One was the young man in the orange gi from earlier, his movements swift and his footwork as nimble as a dance. His opponent was a larger contestant in dark shorts, whose attacks were fierce but monotonous. After several exchanges, the young man in the orange gi slipped sideways past his opponent's heavy punch and pushed a palm into his back. Unable to stop his momentum, the big man crashed straight into the ropes at the edge of the ring.

As the fight continued, spheres of light began appearing at the edge of Lin Chen's vision. They drifted over from the direction of the ring, more numerous than those he had seen earlier. White ones, pale green ones, and occasionally several deeper blue ones mixed among them. Like fallen leaves in a stream, the light spheres drifted with the flow of air, passing through gaps between the crowd and pillars as they converged toward him.

When the first blue light sphere touched him, the palm of his right hand felt as though it had been scalded. Then the warmth swiftly spread through his entire arm.

[ Ding! Picked up Turtle School basic force-generation technique fragment ×1. Martial arts force-generation efficiency +3%. ]

Next, two white light spheres drifted side by side into his chest, sinking in almost simultaneously. He felt a slight adjustment in his breathing rhythm, as though his body had found a smoother interval for drawing breath on its own.

[ Ding! Picked up basic ki control fragments ×2. Ki control precision +2%. ]

Another pale green sphere drifted down from above his head and landed on his left shoulder. This system notification was different from the previous ones.

[ Ding! Picked up Speed Light Sphere ×1. Speed +3. ]

He remained where he was without moving or looking around. Every so often, he flexed his fingers to ease the stiffness from standing too long. It was as though an invisible route connected those light spheres to his location, carrying them across half the grounds toward him without end. Whenever he noticed a new sphere approaching, it was already about to brush against his collar or wrist, precise as if it were navigating automatically.

Another blue sphere drifted over from the main ring. It was slightly larger than the others, and the flowing light on its surface was denser, as though it had been formed from countless tiny points of light gathered together. It paused about one step in front of him, then slowly drifted into his chest.

[ Ding! Picked up Flight Technique basic structure fragment ×1 (Progress 1/10). Current Flight Technique comprehension: 5%. ]

Lin Chen froze for a moment. His hand hung in midair as if he had been about to catch something, then naturally lowered again. He looked down at his palm. There was nothing there, and the temperature of his skin was unchanged.

The match on the distant main ring was nearing its end. The young man in the orange gi was performing a simple closing stance, while his opponent lay at the edge of the ring, trying to push himself up as the referee counted. The referee finished counting to ten and waved to signal the end of the match.

Scattered applause and whistles sounded from the stands. The young man in the orange gi jumped down from the ring and headed toward the contestants' rest area, his steps light and nearly silent when his feet touched the ground. His bald companion was waiting beside the ring. The two slapped palms and exchanged a few words, but they were too far away for Lin Chen to hear.

Lin Chen remained in the pillar's shade for another two minutes or so. Only after confirming that no more light spheres were drifting over from the main ring did he turn and leave. By the time he returned to the contestants' rest area, the two men were already seated on the benches. The young man in the orange gi was drinking water, while the short bald man adjusted the straps on his wrist guards. They spoke quietly about the techniques used in the match just now.

As Lin Chen passed through the aisle beside them, the young man in the orange gi lowered his cup and looked at him, as though he had something to say. But when he saw that Lin Chen had already walked past, he took another sip and withdrew his gaze.

Lin Chen found a chair farther inside the rest area and sat down. Sunlight filtered in through the gap at the entrance, cutting diagonally across the floor and leaving a bright triangle on the concrete. The air was thick with the scent of dust and sweat, occasionally mixed with the earthy smell blowing in from outside, like the scent of ground drying beneath the sun after rain. He leaned back in the chair for a while, feeling the changes within his body slowly settle.

Two more tiny light spheres drifted through gaps in the venue walls and sank into his back.