World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament

Birds of a feather flock together, and even in the martial arts world, there are distinctions of high and low, strong and weak.

This is a realistic topic—between individuals, between schools, they may band together due to shared martial philosophies, or be unconsciously divided into different tiers by strength.

Complete equality doesn't exist. The stronger a school, the more it emphasizes the display of courtesy, but this courtesy is actually built on a foundation of strength.

If strength isn't matched, the courtesy shown may only be symbolic or polite. Only when strength is equal will genuine respect be demonstrated between parties.

For example, in how the organizers treat the seeded contestants and disciples of major schools in past tournaments, they arrange for their own disciples to greet them early on. This is strength speaking!

Only some overlooked, ordinary schools have to make their own way up the mountain.

"The most famous schools in today's martial arts world include the Kame Style, the Crane Style, Dolin Temple, the Maple Leaf Style, the Qianhe Style, the Cross Fist, the Monster Group... and the guardian lineage of the legendary Holy Land."

Xis listed these schools as if counting treasures, then shook his head at Mu Yang. "But in recent years, the Kame Style and Crane Style have basically gone into seclusion, and the guardian lineage is said to have clan rules that keep them from easily leaving Karin's Holy Land."

"So in this martial arts world, over the past few decades, Dolin Temple, the Maple Leaf Style, the Qianhe Style, and others have been the schools with the strongest presence."

Speaking of the current state of the martial arts world, Mu Yang could hear a note of melancholy in Xis's tone.

This isn't to say that the experts of those famous schools are necessarily stronger than those of other schools. Small schools also have great masters—for instance, Mu Yang's teacher, Aisafu, is definitely a strong fighter. But because the Tianxin Style is small in scale overall, it's ranked among the mid-tier schools.

The major schools have more disciples, so their overall quality naturally appears stronger compared to other schools.

Beyond these experts, there's also a special group of strong fighters on Earth: monsters that can speak human language. They generally have the appearance of beasts, but because they possess intelligence, it's not quite right to classify them as mere animals...

Maple Leaf Island is an island with a raised center and lower surroundings.

Like many islands, the temperature on Maple Leaf Island is quite pleasant. Even when the southern region is in the depths of winter, a gentle breeze blows across the island.

At the center of the island stands a main peak called Maple Leaf Peak. Halfway up Maple Leaf Peak sits an imposing Martial Arts Hall. This is the Martial Arts Hall of the Maple Leaf Style, and the current World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament is being held there.

Along the winding path leading to the foot of the mountain, the forest is lush and green, birds sing in the quiet peaks, and the dense leaves on both sides of the bluestone path rustle. Through a gap in the mountain pass, one can see the clear blue sea in the distance, shimmering with beautiful, rippling light. A gentle breeze carries the scent of the sea.

Entering the Martial Arts Hall, more and more martial artists gather around.

Mu Yang swept his gaze across the area and saw many people in Maple Leaf Style uniforms leading groups on tours. He judged that those were disciples of major schools.

"Mu Yang, come over here." Xis called out from the side. Mu Yang hurried over and wrote his name at the registration desk.

"Tianxin Style, Mu Yang!"

The staff member read it aloud, confirmed it was correct, and handed over a number tag.

"This is your number. When the time comes, you'll draw lots directly and compete based on the number."

"Thank you."

Mu Yang politely expressed his thanks, glanced at the number "241" on the tag, and carefully put it away.

At this time, the tournament wasn't yet an entertainment event aimed at an audience, so the rules were somewhat different from later generations.

On this stage, there were no preliminary selections to increase spectacle. Every match was held directly in front of the experts from various schools.

First, the level of the participants was vastly different from later generations, so no selection was needed. Second, the professional spectators had sharper eyes. Competing before them allowed more strengths and weaknesses to be observed, making every match a trial for each contestant!

Of course, this format also increased the pressure. In every match, participants had to give their all, so as not to disgrace their school.

After registering, Mu Yang was led by a Maple Leaf Style disciple on a tour of the Martial Arts Hall. Then he sat down in the shade of a tree not far from the registration desk, quietly watching the contestants coming to sign up.

By now, the setting sun was hanging low on the horizon, and seagulls were crying in the distance. Checking the time, the staff in charge of registration began to pack up. Mu Yang and Xis didn't linger either and returned to their lodgings.

Three days passed in a flash. By the time registration closed, Mu Yang learned from the tournament office that a total of 315 contestants had signed up for this tournament.

This number was considerably larger than the 21st World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament in the original story, showing that martial arts training was still quite thriving at this time.

However, in the later period, due to the rise of technology and the tournament's shift toward entertainment, many schools chose to go into seclusion, and the number of professional contestants gradually decreased. This was a historical trend, and there was no helping it.

Early that morning, the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament finally began!

The Maple Leaf Style Martial Arts Hall was packed with a surging crowd.

"Ah, look over there! That's Master Xiulin of Dolin Temple, and the one beside him must be his disciple, right?"

An exclamation rang out nearby, and the entire Martial Arts Hall immediately erupted.

Mu Yang turned his head and saw, from a distance, an old monk in a yellow robe entering the Martial Arts Hall, accompanied by Maple Leaf Style disciples, with a clear-eyed young monk at his side.

"Dolin Temple... Isn't that where Krillin stayed before he became Master Roshi's disciple?" Mu Yang narrowed his eyes. From the old monk's presence, he sensed a vast aura.

He quietly took out his Energy Detector and scanned. The data he got was actually 105!

A battle power of 105 was already extremely formidable among Earthlings.

For reference, Master Roshi's battle power during the Dragon Ball Z era was only 139.

Though this Master Xiulin wasn't as strong as the "Martial Arts God," he was still one of the giants of the martial arts world.

"No wonder it's a school with such a long heritage—its foundation is truly deep." Xis looked in the direction of the Dolin Temple contestants, unsure if he was envious or admiring.

"Uncle Xis, I'm not inferior to them." Mu Yang's gaze fell on the young monks beside Master Xiulin.

"Then you'd better work hard." Xis smiled and patted Mu Yang's shoulder encouragingly.

For him, as long as Mu Yang could make it into the Top Eight in the tournament, he would already be more than satisfied.

As for competing with prestigious names like Dolin Temple, forget it.

Seeing that Xis hadn't taken his words seriously, Mu Yang grinned and said nothing more.

This Uncle Xis clearly didn't have as much faith in him as Aisafu did, but that wasn't surprising—the Tianxin Style had been weak for too long, and compared to other illustrious schools, being underestimated was only natural. He wondered what expression Xis would wear when he finally showed his true strength.

At the current martial arts tournament, the older generation of martial artists mostly stood on the sidelines; it was the younger generation that played the backbone role.

As for that master named Xiulin, Mu Yang admitted he was no match for him. But the others... he felt a strong urge to take them on.