The 22nd World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament

A year later, Kapok City's sky was so blue it almost dazzled the eyes.

Colorful balloons and banners stretched across the streets on both sides, while the cries of street vendors could be heard from three blocks away. Outside the venue of the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, the crowd had already packed the place airtight.

Chen He stood beside the entrance to the venue, both hands tucked into the pockets of his black training uniform. Over the past year, he had cranked the dial on the Hundredfold Gravity Vest all the way to the limit, grinding through training every day under gravity strong enough to nearly crush his bones. Combined with his unwavering daily power-level check-ins, his strength had undergone explosive, fundamental growth, soaring directly to a terrifying power level of 40,000.

Yet at this moment, his mind was nowhere near the tournament that was about to begin.

The system interface that had accompanied him for so long had now turned into a dead, silent gray.

He clearly remembered that late night three months ago. The instant his power level broke through 30,000 in the gravity chamber, the system had suddenly begun to emit violent tremors without warning. Gone was its usual cold, mechanical prompt. For the first time, the "system" that had always lurked deep within his consciousness spoke in a hurried human voice tinged with fear—even trembling—as it threw out a single sentence in his mind:

"Damn it... the growth was too fast. It drew attention... I almost got discovered..."

After that, the system had inexplicably fallen into a complete slumber, offering no response no matter how Chen He called for it.

Chen He stared at the bluestone paving beneath his feet, his gaze terrifyingly deep. The system's final words—"I almost got discovered"—were like a thorn lodged in his heart. Discovered by whom? The gods of the underworld in this world? Or Frieza, the self-proclaimed emperor lurking in the depths of the universe? Or perhaps those lofty Gods of Destruction and Angels?

He did not know. But his practical nature, practical to the core, told him that the system could no longer be relied upon.

Fortunately, a power level of 40,000 was solid, tangible confidence. On Earth as it was now, that number amounted to an overwhelming strike from an entirely higher dimension.

"Chen He! What do you think of my new outfit?"

Goku bounced over from the side and tugged at the Turtle School gi that fit him a little too tightly. Over the past year, Chen He's self-destructive training methods had stimulated Goku greatly. In order to keep up with Chen He, the kid had trained like a madman among the waterfalls and wilderness of Mount Paozu.

Although Goku's power level still could not hold a candle to Chen He's, the aura around him had become as steady as a bottomless, unseen pool. He had also shot up in height, and faintly resolute lines had begun to replace the childishness on his face.

"Not bad." Chen He pulled himself from his thoughts, glanced at Goku, and answered in his usual practical tone.

"Chen He! Goku! It really is you!"

A crisp female voice filled with delighted surprise interrupted their conversation.

Bulma came running over in a fashionable short dress and high heels, with Krillin, Yamcha, and Puar following behind her. But when Bulma reached them and got a clear look at the two, her open mouth involuntarily froze.

"Wow... Goku, how did you get so tall? I almost didn't recognize you!" Bulma patted Goku on the shoulder, then her gaze landed on the silent Chen He standing nearby.

For some reason, Bulma instinctively took half a step back.

Chen He was clearly just standing quietly beneath the sunlight, not releasing even a trace of aura, yet Bulma felt a tightness in her chest. It was like an ordinary person accidentally wandering to the foot of a dormant volcano that could erupt at any moment, making every hair on their skin stand on end for no apparent reason.

"Chen He, where the heck have you been messing around this past year?" Bulma tugged awkwardly at the corner of her mouth, trying to break the oppressive atmosphere with a joking tone. "Why do you feel even scarier than you did last year?"

Yamcha's expression was even worse.

Over the past year, he had returned to the desert. Every day, he rose before the sun to temper his body, and his newly mastered New Wolf Fang Fist had begun to show results. He had been brimming with excitement, hoping to redeem himself at this tournament, but now that he stood before Chen He, he realized he did not even have the courage to look the other man in the eye.

Through Yamcha's martial senses, Chen He seemed to have merged with the surrounding space itself. It was a realm so high that Yamcha could not even begin to comprehend it.

Is this guy... really human? Cold sweat seeped into Yamcha's palms. The fighting spirit he had been holding in all this time was extinguished by more than half the moment they met.

"Senior Brother Chen He, Goku."

Krillin walked over while rubbing his bald head. He did not think too deeply about it, merely shaking his head with a bitter smile. "Looks like the special training regimen Master Roshi set for us this past year was completely left behind by you two. Just standing here is making my hair stand on end."

In the shadows on the second floor.

Jackie Chun, dressed in a suit and wearing sunglasses, leaned against the window with a cup of tea in hand.

His gaze passed through the window frame and locked firmly onto Chen He. The hand of this "God of Martial Arts," who had lived for several centuries, was trembling slightly. He did not even notice the ripples spreading across the tea in his cup.

"What is this oppressive feeling...?"

Behind Master Roshi's sunglasses, his eyes were full of shock and confusion. When the Red Ribbon Army headquarters had been razed to the ground overnight last year, he had known these two children had already reached an unimaginable height. But only one year had passed. He could understand Goku becoming stronger.

But Chen He...

The aura around Chen He was too clean—so clean that it had reached an almost terrifying state of nothingness. Master Roshi even had the illusion that if he fought Chen He now, the other man might not need to move so much as a finger. A single look might be enough to utterly crush his martial will.

"How could such a monster be born on the surface..." Master Roshi took a deep breath and set his teacup aside, his expression becoming incomparably complicated. He had originally intended to continue playing Jackie Chun to curb the youngsters' arrogance and let them know there was always someone stronger.

But now, it seemed the sky itself had already been pierced through by the monster called Chen He.

"Let's go draw lots."

Chen He ignored the looks around him, whether fearful or conflicted. He turned his head to call out to Goku, then took the lead into the preliminary round hall.

The system had gone dormant, and some unknown threat might be watching the surface. Those matters were incredibly troublesome, but they also made him more clear-headed. The 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament—and Tien Shinhan, the Crane School prodigy who would soon appear—were no longer mere "plot points" in his eyes. They were a touchstone for testing exactly what level his 40,000 power level had reached.

He had to move faster and seize everything in this world firmly in his own hands.