Semifinal Showdowns, Fellow Disciples Duel, Mechanical Killer Appears in the Finals

On the day of the semifinals, the venue was even more crowded than yesterday. Energy barriers had been installed around the ring, and even the organizers had vaguely realized that this year's contestants were far more destructive than those of previous tournaments.

The host held a microphone, his voice ringing out. "First semifinal match—Yamcha versus Qi Tian!"

Yamcha took a deep breath and leaped onto the stage. He knew his chances of winning were slim, but there was not a trace of retreat in his eyes. Three months of hard training, along with Qi Tian's guidance, had long since transformed him from the street fighter he once was. Even if he lost today, he would lose with style.

"Please enlighten me." He clasped his fists in salute as his aura suddenly rose, making his robes flutter loudly.

Qi Tian gave a slight nod. "Make your move."

As the gong sounded, Yamcha moved first. His body became a gust of wind as he closed in, unleashing a flurry of punches—the improved Wolf Fang Fist. Layer upon layer of fist shadows overlapped, each strike packed with ki force, their piercing whistles as sharp as eagle cries.

Krillin watched without blinking. "Yamcha's fist technique... is so much more refined than before!"

Master Roshi nodded. "He got rid of the unnecessary flashy moves. Every strike goes for substance. That's a good thing."

Qi Tian shifted his feet lightly, calmly weaving through the dense barrage of fists. Though Yamcha's punches were fast, they were full of openings to Qi Tian's divine essence perception. He did not counterattack, merely tapping the incoming fists with his fingertips. Every touch made Yamcha's arm go numb and caused his assault to falter.

"Your center of gravity is too far left. Your waist isn't keeping up."

"You're punching too hastily. Thirty percent of your ki is leaking away."

His calm voice accompanied each light tap of his fingertips. Sweat broke out on Yamcha's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and forcibly adjusted his moves. At the height of the exchange, he suddenly sprang backward, gathering ki between his hands as pale blue spheres rapidly swelled in his palms. "Wolf Fang Fist: Ki Blast Barrage!"

Dozens of small ki blasts shot forth like a storm, covering more than half the ring. Qi Tian casually waved a hand, and a black-gold ki wall appeared out of nowhere. Every ki blast struck it and instantly vanished without a trace.

"You still have a long way to go."

Before his words had even faded, he had closed in. He lightly pressed a palm to Yamcha's shoulder. Yamcha felt a gentle yet irresistible force surge into him, forcing him backward. His feet carved two deep furrows into the ground before he finally stopped at the edge of the ring.

"I lost." Yamcha gave a bitter laugh, but seemed relieved instead. "Thank you for your guidance."

"You have a good foundation. Train steadily, and you will improve in time," Qi Tian said calmly.

The second match was Son Goku versus Krillin.

The two stood on the stage, looking at each other. Then they suddenly both laughed.

"Krillin, I won't go easy on you!" Goku clenched his fists, his eyes brimming with excitement.

"Like I want you to!" Krillin curled his lip and took up his stance. "I've improved a lot these past three months too. Don't come crying when you lose!"

The moment the gong rang, both figures charged forward. The dull thuds of fists and feet colliding came one after another. Having grown up together, they knew each other's moves inside out. Every attack and defense was precisely anticipated, and the fight was exceptionally close.

Krillin moved nimbly, circling around Goku and occasionally throwing a condensed ki punch from tricky angles. Relying on his greater strength and reaction speed, Goku met him head-on. A faint divine essence glow surrounded his fists and feet, and every blow carried astonishing weight.

"Take this! Kamehameha!"

Krillin suddenly pulled back, gathered ki in both hands, and fired a white beam. Goku neither dodged nor retreated. He too gathered power at his waist, and a pale golden Kamehameha thundered forth to meet it. The two forces collided, sending shockwaves sweeping across the venue and cracking the ring floor like a spiderweb.

When the dust cleared, Goku was still standing firmly in place, while Krillin had been forced back three steps, his breathing slightly ragged.

"So strong... How did your ki become so pure?" Krillin gritted his teeth. He knew the gap between them was widening, but he refused to admit defeat. He suddenly clenched his teeth, his body accelerating sharply as he used the close-range inch force technique Qi Tian had taught him. He launched a barrage of short-range strikes, every punch aimed at a vital point.

For a moment, Goku was actually forced back again and again, drawing cries of amazement from the crowd.

"Interesting." Qi Tian's lips curved slightly. Krillin's comprehension was indeed impressive. He had actually integrated inch force into his own fighting style.

After dozens of exchanges, Goku gradually adapted to the rhythm. Seizing an opening, he placed a palm on Krillin's shoulder and gave a light push. Krillin flew backward uncontrollably, but just before falling from the ring, he flipped over and caught the edge with one hand, narrowly avoiding elimination.

"Whew... I still lost." He flipped back onto the ring, wiped away his sweat, and laughed as he punched Goku lightly. "You guy, you're getting strong way too fast."

"You're really strong too!" Goku scratched his head and smiled. "You almost knocked me out of the ring just now."

With the two matches over, the finalists were decided—Qi Tian versus Son Goku.

The atmosphere throughout the venue completely erupted. The audience had long been waiting to see these two strongest fighters clash, and their cheers made the ceiling hum.

"It's finally the finals!" Goku bounced in place, battle intent nearly overflowing from him. "Qi Tian, I'll definitely give it everything I've got this time!"

"I'll be waiting." Qi Tian slowly walked onto the ring, black-gold currents of ki circulating around him.

The instant the final gong sounded, Goku erupted first. Pale golden ki surged into the sky. With a flicker, he vanished from where he stood, his fist wrapped in divine essence as it shot straight at Qi Tian's face.

Qi Tian raised a hand to block it. With a dull bang, the tiles beneath his feet instantly shattered. A trace of approval flashed through his eyes. Goku's control over divine essence was several times greater than it had been three months ago.

The two began an ultra-fast exchange across the ring, moving so quickly that only afterimages remained. The collisions of fists and feet came as densely as a torrential downpour, ki scattering in all directions. If not for the energy barriers, the front-row spectators would likely have been caught in the blast.

"So fast... I can't see anything at all!" Krillin's eyes widened.

Master Roshi's expression was grave. "This is no longer the level of mortal martial artists..."

In the midst of their fierce battle, Goku suddenly pulled away and raised both hands above his head. A dazzling golden sphere rapidly formed. "Qi Tian, take my strongest move! Kamehameha!"

A golden beam several times larger than usual crashed down with terrifying force. Qi Tian stood in place, drawing his hands back to his waist as well. Black-gold ki intertwined around him, restrained yet domineering—it was the improved Divine Essence Kamehameha.

"Go."

He gave a gentle push, and the black-gold beam flew forward steadily. The instant the two beams collided, there was no earth-shaking explosion. Only an extreme brilliance spread outward. The golden beam was swallowed at a visible speed, while the black-gold beam continued onward before suddenly dissipating half a meter in front of Goku.

Everything became calm.

Goku remained in his pushing stance, stunned for a moment before grinning. "I lost! You're still the strongest after all!"

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue. The host rushed onto the stage and loudly announced, "The champion of this World Martial Arts Tournament—Qi Tian!"

The staff brought up the trophy and prize money. Qi Tian casually accepted them, then handed them to Goku beside him. "Here, play with it."

"Really?" Goku's eyes lit up. He hugged the trophy and turned it over and over in his hands, grinning from ear to ear.

Just as the entire venue was celebrating, an abrupt change occurred.

The ceiling suddenly exploded, and a silver-white figure descended from above, crashing heavily into the center of the ring amid billowing dust.

"Son Goku! Die!"

A shrill, chilling voice rang out. From within the dust, a figure slowly emerged. His entire body was covered in silver-white mechanical armor. His left eye glowed red, and his right hand was a sharp energy blade. It was the modified Tao Pai Pai.

"It's you!" Goku recognized him, and his expression darkened.

Tao Pai Pai gave a cold laugh, his mechanical eye sweeping over the venue. "Today, I won't just kill Son Goku. Everyone here has to die!"

He raised his hand and fired several energy blasts toward the audience. The venue immediately descended into screams and chaos. Krillin and Yamcha's expressions changed as they hurried forward to block them, only to be driven back again and again by the blasts.

"This guy... How did he become so strong?" Yamcha gritted out.

Tien Shinhan also leaped onto the ring. All three of his eyes opened as he raised a hand and fired a Tri-Beam, but Tao Pai Pai sidestepped it and sent an energy blade back at him, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

"A bunch of trash." Tao Pai Pai sneered, locking his gaze on Goku. "I'll deal with you first!"

His body shot forward, the energy blade flashing coldly as it stabbed straight toward Goku's heart. Goku was just about to move when a black-gold figure stepped in front of him first.

Qi Tian raised a hand and lightly caught the energy blade between two fingers. A harsh metallic screech rang out as the supposedly indestructible energy blade shattered inch by inch between his fingers.

"Who are you?!" Tao Pai Pai was horrified. His mechanical eye scanned frantically, yet it could not detect the other man's battle power at all.

"You disrupted the tournament. How do you think you should compensate for that?" Qi Tian's tone was calm as he applied a slight force with his fingertips.

With a crisp crack, Tao Pai Pai's entire mechanical arm shattered.

He screamed and was about to flee when Qi Tian waved a hand. A black-gold burst of ki pierced through his mechanical core.

Boom—

Tao Pai Pai's entire body exploded, becoming a rain of metal fragments that scattered across the ring.

The chaos quickly subsided. The audience was still shaken, but soon burst into even more fervent cheers.

[Ding! Detected that the host has won the Martial Arts Tournament championship. Special check-in triggered.]

[Check in?]

The system prompt sounded, and Qi Tian's eyes shifted slightly.

"Check in."

[Ding! Check-in complete. Rewards issued.]

[1. Permanent battle power +1000. Current normal battle power: 14800.]

[2. Divine essence perception advanced: Perception range expanded tenfold. Can conceal one's own aura from detection by beings below god level.]

[3. Healing divine essence: Can use divine essence to restore injuries to oneself and others. Has a purifying effect on demonic ki corruption.]

An even purer divine essence merged into his sea of ki. Qi Tian felt his perception suddenly expand, and the auras across all of West City became clearly imprinted in his mind. He instinctively swept his senses over the mountain forests outside the city, only to pause slightly—Piccolo's aura was gone.

"Did he leave..." he murmured.

Piccolo, who had been lurking in the shadows, had retreated without hesitation the instant he saw Qi Tian kill Tao Pai Pai in seconds. He understood very clearly that with his current strength, he was no match at all. Only continued training could give him any chance of turning things around.

As the sun set, the Martial Arts Tournament came to a complete close.

Everyone packed up and prepared to return to Turtle Hermit Island. Bulma held her tablet and muttered nonstop, "That robot from earlier was way too scary... I need to study his fragments later and see where he came from."

Goku carried the trophy on his back, enthusiastically discussing the battle just now and insisting that he would definitely defeat Qi Tian next time.

Qi Tian walked at the very back, raising his head to look toward the horizon.

Through his advanced divine essence perception, he could vaguely sense several faint yet powerful auras in the depths of the distant universe, slowly approaching Earth.

"Looks like peaceful days won't last much longer."

His eyes darkened slightly. Piccolo was only the beginning. The real storm still lay ahead.

The sea breeze swept over them with its salty dampness, and the outline of Turtle Hermit Island was already visible in the distance. A grand martial arts event had drawn to a close, while the crisis facing Earth had only just revealed the tip of the iceberg.