Martial Arts Reignited

Three years passed in the blink of an eye. Though Papaya Island was battered by torrential rain, it still could not dampen the enthusiasm of tourists from around the world.

A sea of people surged before the registration desk for the Twenty-Third World Martial Arts Tournament. A tall, upright figure held a red oil-paper umbrella as he slowly made his way through the crowd. Even when he approached, the staff had yet to notice him.

Ye Bai lightly tapped the desk. The staff member looked up and froze. The face before him was more handsome than that of any popular star, with sharply defined features and a chiseled profile. He looked less like someone here for a martial arts tournament and more like a contestant who had just walked out of an idol audition.

"Hello, I'd like to register." Ye Bai tapped the desk again, reminding him.

"Oh, oh, okay. Sorry, I was distracted just now." The staff member hurriedly apologized and hastily handed him a registration form.

After filling out the form, Ye Bai turned and disappeared into the crowd. Aside from the two staff members at the entrance, no one else seemed to have noticed his arrival.

"Contestants participating in the martial arts tournament, please be sure to complete your registration today. Those who fail to do so will be unable to take part in tomorrow's preliminaries. Please take note!" the broadcast announced.

Not far from the registration desk, Master Roshi and Launch stood beneath an umbrella, anxiously waiting by the roadside. There was still no sign of Goku and the others.

Before long, a taxi stopped nearby. The door opened, and Oolong and Puar climbed out.

"Puar, Oolong, over here!" Master Roshi hurriedly waved them over.

The two walked over under an umbrella and greeted him, "Master Roshi, it's been a long time."

"Oolong, do you still love collecting girls' panties after all these three years?" Master Roshi teased out of habit.

"We haven't seen each other in three years, and that's the first thing you ask?" Oolong shot back awkwardly.

"You're still just as perverted as ever."

"Oh, please. That's the pot calling the kettle black!"

At that moment, Bulma also got out of the taxi beside them. The moment Master Roshi saw her, he immediately returned to his lecherous demeanor. While everyone was exchanging greetings, a little girl came crying as she chased after a balloon drifting into the air, running over to them.

Bulma kindly stepped forward to help. After giving the little girl her umbrella, she realized she could not reach the balloon. She wanted Oolong to transform into someone tall enough to get it, but while Oolong was reluctantly preparing to do so, Master Roshi sidled over to curry favor and made a lecherous request.

One look at his eyes, and Bulma guessed what he was thinking. Just then, a tall, handsome young man holding a red paper umbrella identical to Ye Bai's gently plucked the balloon from behind Bulma and handed it over, saying softly, "Here you go, Bulma."

"How do you know my name?" Bulma turned around, her face full of confusion.

The newcomer did not answer. Instead, he looked at Master Roshi first and exclaimed in delight, "Grandpa, you've come back to life! I'm so happy! Is everyone doing well?"

"Gr... Grandpa?" Master Roshi's face was filled with shock and bewilderment.

"Where are Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien Shinhan?"

"Could it be... you're Goku?" Only then did everyone realize it. They all stared at the tall, handsome young man before them in disbelief.

"What's wrong with you all? Of course it's me!" Goku said as though it were only natural.

They had barely exchanged a few words when the rain gradually eased, then the sky cleared. The broadcast sounded again, urging people to register. Goku could only hurry off to complete the procedure first.

After registering, Goku returned to find that the others still had not arrived. Just as he was frowning in worry, he sensed several familiar auras and suddenly said, "They're here!"

Everyone looked toward the registration desk, but it was still completely empty. Just as the staff prepared to pack up and leave, four figures flashed past with the sound of rushing wind and arrived at the registration desk in an instant.

By the distant roadside, Ye Bai, still holding his red oil-paper umbrella, watched the scene before slowly turning away. He folded his umbrella and walked off into the distance.

The next morning, ceremonial cannons boomed as the Twenty-Third World Martial Arts Tournament officially began.

Ye Bai wore a black weighted shirt paired with bright red martial arts pants, with a black jacket casually tied around his waist. At six feet tall, standing in a corner of the crowd, he did not look particularly conspicuous. Yet an almost intangible air of detachment surrounded him, as though he did not belong there.

He found a spot against the wall, closed his eyes to rest, and waited for the competition to begin. When his gaze casually swept over to the other side, he saw Goku and the others confronting Piccolo Jr., who had just left.

As soon as Piccolo Jr. left, a pretty, adorable girl hurried toward Goku and softly called his name, "Son Goku!"

The others looked surprised, but Goku thought for a moment in confusion before asking, "Who are you?"

Chi-Chi was instantly stunned upon hearing that, then flew into a rage and shouted, "You idiot!"

Yet Goku still looked utterly baffled. "I really... don't know who you are!"

Looking at the apparently amnesiac Goku before her, Chi-Chi grew furious. She turned and stomped away in a huff, not wanting to pay any attention to that idiot anymore.

From the corner, Ye Bai muttered quietly, "Serves you right for flirting with girls everywhere."

The announcer stepped onto the stage and finished his opening speech. Ye Bai looked toward Goku and the others in the distance and thought to himself, I wonder which unlucky guy will get assigned to my group.

Soon afterward, everyone followed the crowd to line up in front of the drawing box and draw lots.

Goku drew Group One of Area One, Krillin drew Group Two of Area One, Yamcha drew Group One of Area Two, Tien Shinhan drew Group Two of Area Two, Chiaotzu drew Group Two of Area Three, while Ye Bai drew Group Two of Area Four.

After a morning of preliminaries, the eight finalists were decided one after another. In the end, the first spot in the quarterfinals went to Ye Bai. At his feet lay a familiar figure—the fat man whom he had knocked unconscious with a single blow during the morning's preliminaries.

The quarterfinal roster was officially confirmed:

Star (Ye Bai), Son Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Name Unknown (Chi-Chi), Demon Jr. (Piccolo), Tao Pai Pai.

The familiar announcer appeared at the entrance and called out loudly, "Will the eight contestants who have advanced please come over? We will decide your opponents by drawing lots!"

The results of the draw were quickly announced:

Tao Pai Pai vs. Tien Shinhan

Goku vs. Name Unknown (Chi-Chi)

Demon Jr. vs. Krillin

Star (Ye Bai) vs. Yamcha

It had originally been Ye Bai versus Goku, but after drawing lots, he had quietly swapped his number with Chi-Chi's.

The intermission slipped by quietly. The host climbed onto the open-air arena, picked up the microphone, and announced in a booming voice, "Now, the Twenty-Third World Martial Arts Tournament officially begins!"

"Seventy-two contestants are taking part in the preliminaries. Although that's far fewer than last time, after a series of intense, high-level battles, the eight elite fighters who advance will compete here for the honor of being number one under heaven!"

After warming up the crowd, the host announced the first match: "Match one: Tao Pai Pai versus Tien Shinhan!"

As the two stepped onto the arena, the cheers from the audience were overwhelmingly one-sided. Clearly, Tao Pai Pai did not have a good reputation. Tien Shinhan also lived up to expectations. Even in the face of Tao Pai Pai's foul tactics, he casually defeated his opponent.