Martial Arts Preliminaries Crushed, Everyone Advances, Master Roshi is Wary

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

At dawn the next day, the Central Martial Arts Arena in Southern Capital was already packed with people. Massive stone rings stood in rows, spectators crowded around the barriers, referees in martial arts uniforms took their places, and loudspeakers blared throughout the venue.

The twenty-first World Martial Arts Tournament's preliminaries had officially begun.

A total of 276 martial artists had entered this tournament. They were divided across twelve rings to fight simultaneously under a single-bout elimination format: stepping out of bounds or falling to the ground meant defeat. In the end, sixty-four contestants would be selected for the official knockout rounds.

Son Goku, Qi Tian, Yamcha, Krillin, and Master Roshi had all registered to compete. Bulma sat in the stands with Puar and the Pilaf Gang, while Pilaf had long since prepared portable recording equipment to document the combat data from every match.

"Qi Tian, do you think the opponents in the ring will be strong?" Son Goku clenched his fists, battle intent boiling through his body as his tail swayed briskly. Ever since his Great Ape transformation had been sealed, his nature had become increasingly pure, and only martial arts sparring remained in his eyes.

"Just fight them," Qi Tian said indifferently. With his aura concealment fully activated, he steadily suppressed his power level of 5,500 down to 500. He looked like nothing more than an ordinary teenage martial artist, utterly unremarkable among the contestants.

He deliberately held back his power for two reasons. First, he did not want to reveal his trump cards too early. Second, he wanted genuine hand-to-hand fights to hone his physical combat skills and stack the Battle Makes Me Stronger passive to its fullest extent.

Before long, the ring draw results were announced.

Qi Tian was assigned to Ring Seven. His first-round opponent was the owner of a local Southern Capital martial arts school, a practitioner of powerful external techniques with a power level of 920. He was considered one of the stronger preliminary contestants and had dominated the championships of local fighting tournaments for years.

The referee raised a hand and dropped the flag. "Ring Seven, begin!"

The middle-aged martial artist slammed his fists together, his bones cracking sharply. He kicked off the ground and charged straight in, his fists carrying fierce wind as they targeted Qi Tian's chest and abdomen. His moves were vicious and seasoned, practical techniques forged through countless real battles.

Cries of alarm rose from the stands. Yamcha's expression tightened slightly. "That guy's external techniques are powerful. One punch can smash through blue bricks."

Facing the oncoming assault, Qi Tian did not move his feet. He shifted to the side and precisely evaded both fists, seeing through the trajectory of the attack with his martial arts insight. Then he lifted his elbow and struck the opponent's forearm meridian with pinpoint accuracy.

Crack!

A faint snap of bone rang out.

The martial artist's entire arm went numb and limp, agonizing pain sweeping through his body as his attack instantly collapsed. Qi Tian then casually pushed out a palm, controlling his strength with perfect precision and sending the man just over the ring's white boundary.

"Ring Seven, Qi Tian wins!"

The entire exchange had taken less than two seconds—clean and decisive, without a single unnecessary movement.

The venue fell silent for an instant before a wave of discussion erupted.

"Too fast! I didn't see his move at all!"

"It looked like a casual strike, but he precisely exploited the opening. His martial arts foundation is terrifying!"

In the elevated viewing section, Master Roshi, disguised as an ordinary old man, slightly raised his sunglasses, his eyes growing even more grave.

He had seen it clearly. Qi Tian had not used even a trace of qi or internal force. He had won purely through physical strength and combat technique. His movements were minimal, his expenditure nonexistent. His realm of martial clarity far surpassed Master Roshi's own.

[ Ding! Victory in the first preliminary match has triggered ring battle check-in. ]

[ Check in? ]

"Check in."

[ Ding! Check-in complete. ]

[ 1. Permanent power level +420. Current power level: 5920. ]

[ 2. Great Ape Fragment ×6 (Total progress: 85/100). ]

[ 3. Combat Mastery: Close-range fist-and-kick attack and defense prediction increased by 100%. Perfectly evade all attacks from opponents with lower power levels. ]

A warm force flowed into every limb and bone, once again raising the speed of his physical reactions. In close-range combat, he had now become virtually unbeatable against opponents of the same level.

On another ring, Krillin faced a muscular fighter. Using the nimble kicking techniques he had learned at Orin Temple, he borrowed the man's momentum to flip around and kick him in the neck, easily winning and advancing. Son Goku encountered a strength-based opponent and, relying only on brute physical force, caught the man's heavy blow with his bare hands before lifting him up and carrying him out of the ring, advancing just as easily.

Yamcha faced a martial artist skilled in leg techniques. The Wolf Fang Fist swept forth like a gale, its fist wind sealing off his opponent's movement. Within a few dozen seconds, he overwhelmed the man and secured his spot in the next round.

Master Roshi took the stage last. He deliberately concealed his strength, pretending to be old and weak as he slowly raised his hands to block. Feigning great effort, he narrowly defeated his opponent and advanced quietly, never revealing any of his true abilities.

By the halfway point of the preliminaries, martial artists from every corner had been eliminated one after another. Many martial arts school experts who thought highly of themselves were consecutively defeated by Son Goku's group.

Qi Tian continued using the same minimalist style in his next three preliminary matches.

Whenever an opponent made a move, he spotted the opening at a glance. Sometimes he flicked a finger to send them back; other times he sidestepped and seized them. He never needed more than three moves, winning every match with ease and effortless poise. Countless female spectators in the arena cheered and applauded him.

With successive ring victories, the Battle Makes Me Stronger passive continued stacking. His physical resilience and explosive strength rose steadily in small increments, while his foundation grew increasingly profound.

During a break, Krillin walked up to Qi Tian with a serious expression. "Your skills are incredible. In the knockout rounds, I want to fight you."

"Sure," Qi Tian readily agreed.

Krillin had a pure heart and was wholeheartedly devoted to martial arts. Sparring with him would do no harm and could help refine Qi Tian's real combat skills, so there was no reason to refuse.

At noon, the preliminaries came to a complete end.

The list of the tournament's top sixty-four was finalized: Qi Tian, Son Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and Master Roshi had all advanced. The remaining contestants were all outstanding martial artists from various regions, with power levels generally exceeding one thousand.

The referee announced the knockout draw rules. The sixty-four competitors would randomly draw lots for one-on-one matches, with the winners advancing to the top thirty-two.

The lottery box spun as everyone drew their numbers in turn.

Qi Tian unfolded his slip. His opponent in this knockout round was a veteran Southern Capital fighter with a power level of 1,350, proficient in the Iron Head Skill.

Yamcha's draw was not particularly favorable. His first opponent was a veteran martial artist skilled in ninjutsu, making for a difficult match.

Son Goku drew a massive strongman, making it a pure contest of strength.

What surprised everyone most was that Master Roshi had deliberately manipulated his draw. In the first round of the knockout stage, he would face Yamcha directly.

Yamcha looked at the slip of paper, his face stiffening as he let out a bitter laugh. "Master Roshi in the first round? My luck is seriously terrible."

Master Roshi took off his sunglasses, revealing a crafty smile. "Kid, your Wolf Fang Fist has far too many openings. This old man will give you some pointers."

Qi Tian looked over the matchups, his gaze settling on the entry for his opponent. His expression remained calm.

A practitioner of Iron Head Kung Fu with a power level of 1,350 could not break through his indestructible physical defense even at full power. There was no suspense in this match.

Bulma waved from the stands and shouted, "Go, Qi Tian! Win the championship!"

Pilaf stared at the power-level record sheet in his hand, his fingertips trembling as he wrote: While suppressing his power level, Qi Tian's fighting ability crushed the entire field. Once he released his power, no one in this Martial Arts Tournament could stand against him.

The setting sun slanted across the venue as the countdown to the elimination rounds began.

Battle intent surged across the arena. Qi techniques, ancient martial arts, and brutal hand-to-hand combat were about to take the stage one after another, while Qi Tian's journey of crushing the arena had only just begun.