Gilo

When Mu Yang and Xis returned to the inn, they discovered that they had already become celebrities. Quite a few disciples from mid-sized and small schools came forward under the guidance of their team leaders to greet them. Their enthusiasm gave Mu Yang his first taste of this world's warmth.

"Haha, you young people chat among yourselves. I won't intrude."

Xis laughed heartily, looking thoroughly satisfied as he went off to drink with the team leaders from the other schools.

Mu Yang, who had been left behind, felt rather helpless. Still, this was a good chance to make some friends! Just like Son Goku in the original story—hadn't he met a whole bunch of companions through the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament?

People went from strangers to becoming familiar with one another. In a classroom, it might not be easy for poor students and top students to strike up a conversation, but if a top student took the initiative to lower himself and chat with poorer students, the results would definitely be different. It was the same principle as a goddess pursuing a guy.

What Mu Yang had not expected was that while he was chatting happily with a group of "poor students," the uninvited Wuting actually joined them as well. Wuting was rather burly, somewhat resembling Jura, one of Fairy Tail's Ten Wizard Saints. However, he looked younger and more refined than Jura.

The two immediately hit it off, discovering that their values and understanding of martial arts were surprisingly compatible. If Mu Yang had known whether Dolin Temple's monks could drink, he would have wanted to drink with Wuting until neither of them could stand.

Time was fleeting, and the night was cool as water.

In the end, Mu Yang did not drink. He talked with Wuting until late into the night, then returned to his room and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Early the next morning, the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament officially began its quarterfinals.

If the matches in the previous eight divisions had merely been appetizers, then the quarterfinals were the true core that gathered the finest of the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament.

Because of the importance placed on every quarterfinal match, everyone moved to the main arena starting from this round, and the matches were no longer held simultaneously.

The matchups and order of matches were decided through an on-site draw, just as they would be in later generations.

After drawing his lot, Mu Yang came to the contestant viewing area. This stand had been specially prepared for the quarterfinal competitors and their schools, offering a much broader view.

The first match was Lis of the Qianhe Style against Bani of the Cross Fist school.

It was an evenly matched and highly entertaining battle. Bani of the Cross Fist school was a sturdy, muscular man standing over 1.8 meters tall. He specialized in Cross Fist, and every move he made was broad and forceful, bursting with explosive power. Lis of the Qianhe Style, meanwhile, was a petite beauty under 1.6 meters tall. Her body was supple and agile, her long hair flowed behind her, and she excelled at dodging and short-range power.

One was hard and one was soft, one tall and one petite. Together, they staged a real-life Beauty and the Beast, drawing continuous cheers from everyone present.

Mu Yang and Xis watched attentively from below the stage. Even as they commented on the fight, they did not forget to seriously consider how they themselves would respond if placed in the same situation.

Mu Yang watched especially carefully. Of course, it was not because Lis was beautiful—though she really was quite pretty. That was not where Mu Yang's attention lay. He was more eager to learn by observing the battles of others.

A martial artist needed to keep striving forward. Any complacency or slackness could cause one to stagnate or even fall behind others.

Compared with the other people of Earth, Mu Yang understood far more clearly just how terrifying this world was. In the universe, there was no shortage of ruthless figures capable of destroying worlds, even treating planets like marbles. Earthlings' potential was not particularly outstanding to begin with. If they did not work hard and strive to catch up, they would truly be left at the mercy of others in the future.

Only by personally entering the Dragon Ball world could one understand this. It was absolutely not as entertaining as it appeared on television or discs.

In truth, if someone lived on a planet that could be destroyed at any moment, and knew it, they could not possibly find it fun. All that would remain was heavy pressure, followed by even more diligent training.

Nothing was more effective at driving someone onward than a crisis that threatened their life.

Lis and Bani's match lasted more than twenty minutes. This highly entertaining opening bout gave the quarterfinals an excellent start, drawing wave after wave of applause from the spectators. In the end, Lis won by a narrow margin, but Bani also earned the audience's applause.

One match followed another, and soon it was Mu Yang's turn to take the stage again.

His opponent was Gilo, who came from an ordinary mountain village. He was a dark-skinned youth, perhaps even younger than Mu Yang. It was said that he had never received formal martial arts instruction, but the fact that he had reached the quarterfinals of the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament showed that he was no weakling.

After stepping onto the stage, Mu Yang swept his gaze seriously over his opponent. "He received no formal instruction, yet managed to reach the quarterfinals through self-study. It seems his talent is quite impressive."

This Gilo might have been an Yajirobe-like figure.

In fact, ever since the draw had revealed Gilo as Mu Yang's opponent, everyone had thought Mu Yang was lucky. Gilo was the least favored among the quarterfinalists, and Mu Yang was practically guaranteed to win this match.

"The match begins."

As the starting whistle sounded, Mu Yang and Gilo both turned serious and assumed attacking stances.

There was little suspense in this match. Mu Yang's combat power far surpassed Gilo's, and before long, Gilo had been pushed into a disadvantage by Mu Yang's relentless offense. In the end, he was defeated.

"Thank you. This match allowed me to see many things." After the match ended, Gilo's sincere voice reached Mu Yang's ears.

Mu Yang looked at Gilo in surprise, and his favorable impression of him immediately grew.

"No need to thank me. If you received formal instruction, you could become even stronger. Would you be interested in joining a major martial arts school?"

Gilo shook his head. "No, at least not for now. I want to struggle through my own efforts. I don't want to be bound by the frameworks left behind by those before me..."

Mu Yang froze upon hearing that and began to regard him differently.

This Gilo seemed to be the same kind of person as him. He had his own aspirations. But without guidance from those who came before, there was a greater chance of entering a wrong path. He might eventually find his way out, but he would waste a great deal of time.

A good teacher could help someone avoid many detours, and the experience of predecessors was also worth learning from.

Then again, experience depended on the person. If one encountered an incompetent teacher, that experience would become harmful, leading them even deeper down the wrong path.

Seeing the resolute conviction in Gilo's eyes, Mu Yang nodded, jumped down from the arena, and said nothing more.

Xis watched from beside the arena, his face filled with admiration. "This Gilo has the makings of a fine martial artist. Although I do not entirely agree with his views, this persistence of his deserves our respect."

"Yes, but it is destined to be a difficult road." Mu Yang sighed as well, while inwardly directing those words at himself too.

Based on the memories brought from his "past life," Mu Yang could ensure that he would not take too many detours during the early stages of his training. But once he reached the later stages, Earth's level would no longer be able to keep up with his growth. At that time, perhaps he too would have to be like Gilo and carve out a path through his own understanding.

That, too, was destined to be a difficult road.