Entering the Top Four

Early the next morning, spectators eagerly poured into the martial arts arena, and the atmosphere was blazing. When it was Jackie Chun's turn to face Man-Wolf, Jackie Chun stood calmly on the stage while Man-Wolf wore a faintly confident smile.

Because Goku had changed history at the previous tournament, Jackie Chun had not blown up the moon, and Man-Wolf held no grudge against him. Although Man-Wolf was fairly strong, with considerable improvements in both speed and power, he posed no threat at all before Jackie Chun. Jackie Chun calmly observed Man-Wolf's movements, and with only slight evasions, saw through every one of his openings.

The instant an opening appeared, Jackie Chun swiftly attacked and knocked Man-Wolf to the ground in a single move. Man-Wolf crashed heavily onto the stage, already unable to continue fighting. The referee declared Jackie Chun the winner, and thunderous applause immediately erupted from below.

After a short break, the next match began.

Krillin charged at Chiaotzu like a fierce tiger, launching a rapid barrage of attacks. However, Chiaotzu was extremely nimble and always managed to dodge at the very last instant, leaving every one of Krillin's punches striking empty air.

Unwilling to accept this, Krillin decided to speed up and actually vanished from the stage in an instant. The spectators cried out in amazement as Krillin's figure flickered continuously across the arena. Tien Shinhan anxiously shouted from the sidelines, "To the left, Chiaotzu, to the left!" But Chiaotzu muttered in confusion, "Which side is left?" Unable to tell directions apart, he panicked, and his movements slowed.

At that moment, Krillin finally seized his chance and landed a punch on Chiaotzu. Chiaotzu staggered back again and again, forced all the way to the edge of the stage, just one more step away from falling out of bounds.

Chiaotzu suddenly leaped up and actually began flying through the air. The audience stared in stunned disbelief, while Krillin looked in surprise at Chiaotzu floating in midair. He thought, How can this guy fly?

Chiaotzu smugly waved from the air, firing wave after wave of Dodon Rays at Krillin. Unable to fly, Krillin could only keep dodging back and forth across the stage. As Chiaotzu's attacks grew increasingly dense, Krillin evaded while thinking. Then inspiration struck—Chiaotzu could not distinguish left from right. Delighted, he decided to exploit that weakness.

Krillin began rapidly flickering from left to right across the stage. Chiaotzu stared wide-eyed, unable to tell which direction Krillin would attack from, and fell into complete confusion.

The moment Chiaotzu froze, Krillin seized the opportunity, sprang fiercely into the air, and swiftly threw a punch that struck Chiaotzu. Chiaotzu was sent flying backward, barely steadying himself in midair and narrowly dodging Krillin's follow-up attack. He continued gathering his energy, preparing to unleash an even stronger Dodon Ray.

"Chiaotzu, I won't hold back this time!" Krillin was also ready to go all out.

Chiaotzu suddenly pointed at Krillin and fired an even larger Dodon Ray, flooding the stage with a blinding light. When the light faded, Chiaotzu was shocked to discover that Krillin had vanished.

"What happened? Where did he go?" Chiaotzu looked around in surprise, never realizing that Krillin had already jumped behind him.

"Kamehameha!" Krillin fired the Kamehameha he had been charging for so long from the air, directly striking the defenseless Chiaotzu. Chiaotzu was blasted away by the powerful energy wave, his body plummeting rapidly toward the ground outside the arena.

Just before hitting the ground, Chiaotzu barely gathered the last of his strength and used the Sky Dance Technique once again, wobbling as he flew back onto the stage. His face was pale, his stamina nearly exhausted, and even standing steady took all his effort.

When Krillin saw Chiaotzu floating in the air again, he charged forward once more. Just as he approached Chiaotzu, Chiaotzu suddenly used psychic powers. A sharp pain tore through Krillin's abdomen, hurting so badly that he could barely remain standing.

"This guy can actually use psychic powers..." Krillin gritted his teeth, but the pain was nearly unbearable. Then he had an idea: he could test Chiaotzu with a math problem. Enduring the pain, he shouted, "Hey! Chiaotzu, what's three plus four?"

Chiaotzu froze at the question. Frowning, he raised his little hands and began counting on his fingers. "Three plus four is... um, it's..."

Krillin seized the chance, charged at him fiercely, and punched Chiaotzu straight out of the arena!

"Krillin wins!" the referee announced.

Seeing this, Master Crane stomped his feet in fury beneath the stage and pointed at Chiaotzu as he cursed, "You idiot! You can't even do such simple arithmetic!"

Goku walked up to Master Crane and said casually, "Oh, right, Master Crane. Do you remember your stupid little brother, Mercenary Tao? Three years ago, I beat him into pulp with my own hands."

Master Crane's face darkened at those words, and flames of fury burned in his eyes. His voice was filled with uncontrollable rage. "You actually dared to kill my brother!"

Master Crane finally turned to Tien Shinhan and ordered, "Tien Shinhan! If you run into Son Goku in the arena, make sure you kill him! Teach that brat a proper lesson for me!"

Seeing Master Crane hopping mad, Goku turned and leisurely walked away.

After today's matches ended, Goku and the others went to the hospital room to visit Yamcha, who was still lying in bed.

Krillin said proudly, "Yamcha, I beat Chiaotzu!"

Yamcha pushed himself up and asked curiously, "How did you win? Chiaotzu didn't look easy to deal with either."

Krillin pointed at his own head and grinned. "Well... with this! He's not very good at math. I just asked him a simple addition question, and he froze up. That gave me the perfect chance!"

Everyone immediately burst into laughter, and Yamcha could not help laughing along. "Krillin, you're getting smarter and smarter!"

Late at night, Goku, Krillin, and Master Roshi were all fast asleep in their hotel room. However, a dark figure suddenly appeared on the balcony—it was Master Crane, dressed in an assassin's outfit. He quietly approached Goku, cold light gleaming in his eyes. Master Crane had intended to finish Goku in a single strike, but Goku had long expected him to come. He deliberately pretended to wake in alarm, suddenly sat up, and loudly demanded, "Who's there?!"

His shout startled Krillin and Master Roshi awake, and both immediately looked toward the dark figure. Seeing that he had been exposed, Master Crane cursed inwardly and hurriedly leaped from the balcony. Goku and Krillin quickly rushed out of the room and chased after him toward the street below.

At a dimly lit intersection, Master Crane slowly emerged, his expression vicious. Krillin rushed at him without hesitation, grabbing Master Crane's hood and exposing his true face. Seeing this, Goku immediately told Krillin not to act rashly.

Master Crane looked coldly at Goku, his gaze overflowing with hatred. "Son Goku, my brother Mercenary Tao died by your hand! I will avenge him!"

With that, Master Crane suddenly launched an attack and charged straight at Goku. At that moment, a figure flashed forward and stepped between Master Crane and Goku—it was Tien Shinhan. He raised a hand to stop Master Crane and said calmly, "Master, leave Son Goku to me. I will personally finish him in the arena. Not only will I avenge Lord Mercenary Tao, but I will also show the world the might of the Crane Style!"

Seeing Tien Shinhan's resolute attitude, Master Crane slowly withdrew his hand and snorted coldly. "Tien Shinhan, I hope you don't disappoint me." With that, he turned and disappeared into the night.

After Goku and Krillin returned to their hotel room and closed the door, Krillin was still caught up in the tension from earlier. He muttered quietly, "Master Crane really will stop at nothing. He actually tried to sneak up on you in the middle of the night..."

Goku smiled and told him not to worry, then flopped onto the bed and stretched lazily. Looking at the ceiling, he thought helplessly, Sigh, playing along with them is really exhausting!

The next morning, Goku, Master Roshi, Krillin, Bulma, and Launch gathered at a restaurant for breakfast. The air was filled with the delicious aroma of food as Krillin asked curiously, "Do you know who Goku's opponent is today?"

Bulma smiled faintly and answered first, "It's Puff! He's a famous fighter in the martial arts world lately."

Master Roshi nodded and explained, "That's right. Puff is no simple opponent. He's received plenty of praise in the martial arts world, so Goku's match won't be easy."

Blushing, Bulma said, "And Puff is pretty handsome too. He has the aura of a celebrity."

Launch curled her lip beside them and snorted dismissively. "Hmph, I hate that type the most."

Goku looked up at Launch and could not help thinking, Launch likes Tien Shinhan.

Goku secretly chuckled, lowered his head, and continued eating breakfast as though nothing had happened.

Launch did not notice Goku's inner thoughts and continued complaining about how irritating Puff's "fake seriousness" was. Bulma smiled at everyone and said, "All right, all right, fill your stomachs first. The upcoming matches are the real highlight!"

As Goku was walking down the road, a black luxury sedan slowly pulled up in front of him. The window rolled down, revealing a smiling man in a suit with two bodyguards beside him. He said to Goku, "Hey, kid, the tournament venue has been changed at the last minute today. Come with us, and we'll take you there."

Goku sneered inwardly. This trick is way too childish. A crafty glint flashed through his eyes as he pretended to nod. The instant the car door opened, Goku struck swiftly, throwing three punches in rapid succession and knocking all three men unconscious. They collapsed in their seats without even having time to react.

Goku looked at their unconscious bodies and smiled. He lifted the car into the nearby bushes and hid it, dusted off his hands, and continued toward the martial arts arena.

The host cried enthusiastically, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome today's contestants!" The moment he finished speaking, everyone's attention focused on the air above the ring. Puff stood high above the martial arts arena, smiling faintly as he struck a confident pose. Then he leaped down from the sky, tracing a graceful arc as he flipped several times in midair before landing lightly in the center of the ring. He stood firmly and struck another stylish pose.

The audience immediately erupted into waves of cheers. Puff's female fans waved their support items and screamed, "Puff! You're so handsome!" Even Bulma's eyes sparkled as she could not help praising him. "He really is kind of handsome!"

Goku strolled onto the ring at an unhurried pace, looking completely relaxed. Puff looked at his small opponent with a disdainful smile, then suddenly threw a fierce punch at Goku's face. The punch stopped just a few centimeters from Goku's nose.

Puff frowned and asked in confusion, "Why didn't you dodge?"

Goku smiled softly and said calmly, "Because your punch has no strength."

Those words completely enraged Puff. With a cold laugh, he turned toward the wall behind the ring and threw a savage punch, smashing the thick wall to pieces. Chunks of stone rained down from it, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The host wailed, "Ah! That wall was just repaired!"

Jackie Chun and Krillin, who had witnessed the scene from behind the wall, watched as Jackie Chun smiled and said to Krillin, "Thanks to him, our view is much clearer now. We can finally see the match properly."

Puff said to Goku with complete confidence, "I can knock you down within thirty seconds." With that, he assumed a fighting stance and charged at Goku like a gale.

Goku merely smiled and lightly sidestepped. The next second, everyone watched Puff charge straight out of the ring. Puff stared blankly back into the arena, with no idea how he had fallen out.

The host froze for a moment, then quickly announced, "Son Goku wins!"

The audience burst into an uproar, discussing the outcome among themselves. They all thought Puff had simply fallen out of the ring by accident. Even Tien Shinhan, who had been watching Goku closely, had failed to see Goku's movement just now. Cold sweat ran down his forehead as he thought in shock, This Son Goku is definitely not as simple as he looks!

As the semifinalists were announced, the atmosphere in the arena reached its peak. The host revealed the results of the semifinal draw: Jackie Chun would face Tien Shinhan in the first match, while Goku would face Krillin in the second.