Fellowship of Disciples, Heart of Martial Arts!

Lin Xuan and Yamcha's match had ended, but the atmosphere in the arena had not cooled down at all. Instead, it grew even more heated.

Because many people felt that the upcoming match would be even more exciting than the last one.

Amid thunderous cheers, Goku and Krillin stepped onto the ring one after the other.

The two exchanged a glance, their expressions a little strange—excited to face a worthy opponent, yet also somewhat resigned that they had to fight each other.

"What's this about? Why did we have to meet in the first round?" Krillin scratched his bald head and said with a pained expression.

"Hehe, can't be helped. That's how the draw turned out!" Goku did not seem to mind. He rolled his wrists, his eyes full of fighting spirit. "But I won't go easy on you, Krillin!"

"Same to you!" Krillin took a deep breath and assumed his stance as well.

After Master Roshi's hellish training, both of them wanted to know just how large the gap between themselves and their companion really was.

"The match begins!"

The referee sharply swung down his arm.

But neither of the two on the ring moved.

They simply stood there, staring at each other wide-eyed, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

The spectators below were completely baffled.

"What's going on? Why aren't they fighting?"

"Yeah, hurry up and fight!"

Just as everyone was wondering, the two on the ring suddenly extended their hands at the same time.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"

Their clear childish voices rang throughout the arena.

The entire audience: "???"

The announcer: "..."

In the contestants' area, Master Roshi sprayed out a mouthful of water and nearly choked.

He wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole. Those two idiot disciples—what did they think the World Martial Arts Tournament was?

Bulma, meanwhile, laughed so hard that she nearly cried.

Only Lin Xuan watched the two serious figures on the ring with a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

"I won!"

Goku excitedly raised his paper hand and cheered at Krillin's rock.

Then, with a single stride, he rushed in front of Krillin, extended a finger, and flicked Krillin's bald head with neither too much nor too little force.

It produced a crisp bonk.

Krillin clutched his head and pretended to be in great pain, baring his teeth as he shouted, "You little—Goku! Take this!"

The next second, the scene took a sudden turn.

The two no longer stood still. Instead, they began a chase across the ring.

Krillin chased after Goku, trying to tickle him.

Goku ran while turning back to make faces at him.

The two leaped and darted about, using all of the Turtle School's movement techniques to play tag.

The spectators below froze at first, then erupted into booming laughter.

The originally tense atmosphere of the match instantly turned into a giant children's game.

"Hahahaha! These two brats are hilarious!"

"This is the first time I've ever seen a match fought like this!"

Amid the joyous atmosphere, after circling the ring several times, the two came to a stop almost simultaneously.

They looked at each other, and the playful expressions on their faces gradually faded.

What replaced them was the pure, serious gaze of martial artists.

The warm-up was over.

"Krillin, I'm getting serious now!"

"Bring it on, Goku!"

The instant those words fell, both figures vanished from where they stood.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

A rapid series of dense impacts exploded from the center of the ring!

The spectators could only see two blurry orange figures wildly weaving and colliding within a tiny area.

The wind kicked up by their fists and kicks carved shallow marks into the hard surface of the ring.

They were too fast!

So fast that even the announcer's commentary couldn't keep up with their pace!

"F-Fast! Both contestants have already exceeded the limits of what the naked eye can see! All we can make out are countless shadows dancing through the air!"

"Afterimage Fist!"

Krillin shouted low, and his figure flickered. In an instant, seven or eight identical copies of him appeared across the arena.

"Heh, I can do that too!"

Goku grinned and split into several afterimages as well.

For a moment, the entire arena was filled with the two of them, real and fake indistinguishable, leaving everyone dizzy.

Master Roshi stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction.

This was the strength his Turtle School disciples ought to have.

In the contestants' section, Lin Xuan watched quietly.

Unlike the others, he did not marvel at their speed or power.

To his senses, their pure friendship and love for martial arts shone more brightly than any technique.

All at once, he gained a deeper understanding of his own "Way of Guardianship."

Before, he had believed that guardianship meant eliminating evil, saving lives, and making all the bad things in this world disappear.

But at this moment, watching those two figures sweat and battle in the arena, he understood.

Guardianship could take another form as well.

To protect this pure passion, protect this sincere friendship, and protect these precious sparks that belonged to humanity.

To ensure that beautiful things would remain untainted and endure forever.

This, too, was part of the Way.

Just as Lin Xuan came to this realization, the battle in the arena reached its climax.

After an intense exchange of fists and kicks, both had expended a great deal of stamina and staggered apart, panting heavily.

"Huff... huff... Krillin, you've gotten so much stronger!" Goku wiped away his sweat and praised him sincerely.

"You're the... real monster!" Krillin panted, every muscle in his body aching, yet his eyes were exceptionally bright.

He knew that ordinary fighting would no longer decide the victor.

It was time to use that move.

"Goku! Take my final attack!"

Krillin sprang backward more than ten meters, planted himself in a firm horse stance, and assumed a classic pose with both hands at his waist.

Blue ki began gathering in his palms.

This was the still-incomplete Kamehameha Goku had taught him before.

"Oh?" Seeing that stance, Goku not only did not dodge, but instead revealed an excited smile. "All right! Then I'll answer you with the same move!"

He took up the same stance, and an even greater, more scorching ki began to gather wildly in his palms.

Below the arena, Master Roshi's pupils suddenly constricted.

"Th-That is...!"

"Ka... me... ha... me... ha!"

Two youthful yet powerful cries rang out almost simultaneously.

Two equally brilliant blue pillars of energy tore through the air and slammed violently into each other!

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening explosion rang out!

At the center of the arena, a blinding sphere of light suddenly formed, and violent energy shockwaves swept in every direction!

The front-row spectators were blown stumbling about, and the entire venue shook violently as though a massive earthquake had struck.

"My god! What terrifying power!"

"Those two children... can actually use the same technique as Master Roshi!"

At the center of the glowing sphere, the two streams of energy were locked in a frenzied struggle.

Krillin gritted his teeth and poured every last bit of energy into the attack, his body trembling slightly beneath the immense strain.

On the other side, Goku's eyes gleamed with the excitement unique to encountering a powerful opponent.

"Yaaahhh—!"

With an enraged roar, the energy within him surged again.

His Kamehameha flared several times brighter, and with an unstoppable force, instantly overwhelmed Krillin's energy beam!

"Not good!"

Krillin cried out and tried to twist aside to evade the beam, but in the next instant, the raging torrent of energy grazed his entire body.

Another tremendous crash rang out, and a huge cloud of dust erupted from the edge of the ring.

When the dust settled, Krillin was already lying unconscious on the ground outside the ring.

The entire venue fell silent at first, then erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.

"Th-the winner! Contestant Son Goku!"

The referee stood there in a daze for several seconds before remembering his duties and stammering out the result.

Goku panted heavily. That last strike had nearly drained all his strength as well.

But he paid no attention to his own exhaustion and immediately rushed off the ring to check on Krillin.

After examining him, he let out a breath of relief. They were only scrapes—nothing serious.

A little while later, Krillin woke up.

Looking at Goku's concerned expression, he showed no trace of disappointment. Instead, he smiled in relief.

"I lost, Goku. And I accept it wholeheartedly."

"Hehe, you were really strong too, Krillin! I almost lost!" Goku said with an honest grin, scratching his head.

The two exchanged a look and raised their fists at the same time, lightly bumping them together in midair.

No words were needed. Their bond as fellow disciples, their brotherhood, became stronger than ever in that moment.

Watching this, Master Roshi quietly removed his sunglasses and wiped at the corner of his eye.

"Those two brats... I didn't teach them for nothing..."

As this thrilling battle between fellow disciples came to an end, the announcer stepped onto the ring again and declared loudly:

"Ladies and gentlemen! All matches in the upper half of the quarterfinals have concluded! Contestants Lin Xuan and Son Goku have successfully advanced to the semifinals!"

"Please don't go anywhere! Next comes the showdown in the lower half! First up, Ranfan will face the ascetic monk Namu! And afterward, what kind of clash will take place between the mysterious veteran Jackie Chun and the fearsome contestant Giran? Let us wait and see!"