The next day.
The World Martial Arts Tournament on Earth was bustling once again. Although Wumu's whereabouts remained a mystery, this did nothing to diminish the intensity of the martial arts competition. Tien Shinhan's turning point would unfold here.
Ohhh!
Cheers rose in waves from the audience below. With the announcer's declaration, the atmosphere reached a fever pitch. The two contestants, Man-Wolf and Master Roshi, stepped into the ring, ready to begin their contest.
At the signal, the match officially began.
Dong! Gongs and drums thundered, stirring the heart.
Man-Wolf rushed toward Master Roshi and attacked.
Like a wild beast, Man-Wolf charged swiftly at Master Roshi, launching a ferocious assault.
Master Roshi stood with his hands behind his back, weaving left and right to evade with ease. His movements in the ring were remarkably nimble, as though he were enjoying the match. Though Man-Wolf's attacks were fierce and swift, Master Roshi drifted unpredictably like a ghost, deftly dodging at every critical moment. The spectators watched without blinking, gasps of amazement erupting from the crowd from time to time.
"Hmph, looks like I need to get more serious." The fighting spirit in Man-Wolf's eyes intensified. A powerful aura suddenly erupted from within him, and his speed instantly increased.
At this moment, even Master Roshi's expression turned serious. He knew Man-Wolf was about to use his ultimate move.
"Thousand Transformations of Wolf Shadows!" Man-Wolf roared. His entire body seemed to turn into countless phantoms, attacking Master Roshi from every direction. This skill was not only extraordinarily fast but constantly shifted directions, making it difficult to defend against.
For a time, the battle in the ring grew even fiercer. Man-Wolf's attacks came like a violent storm.
At this moment, Master Roshi stopped holding back as well. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then snapped them open. His hands moved rapidly, each swing striking Man-Wolf's phantoms with unerring precision. With every blow from Master Roshi, Man-Wolf's phantoms began disappearing one after another.
Finally, when all the phantoms had vanished, only the real Man-Wolf remained standing before Master Roshi, looking somewhat exhausted. Master Roshi smiled gently and said, "Young man, you're very fast, but against an experienced opponent, speed isn't the only magic weapon for victory."
"I accept my defeat wholeheartedly. I gained a great deal from today's battle," Man-Wolf said sincerely.
Master Roshi walked over with a smile and patted Man-Wolf on the shoulder. "You're very strong, and you still have a long road ahead of you. Keep working hard."
The audience below burst into enthusiastic applause once more, excited by the splendid match. Although Man-Wolf had lost, he was not discouraged; instead, he expressed his respect for Master Roshi. He knew he had learned a great deal through this match.
This scene differed somewhat from the original story.
In the original story, because Master Roshi had pushed the moon away, Man-Wolf could not turn into a human and therefore harbored murderous intent toward him.
But here, without that hatred, Man-Wolf's attitude seemed more natural.
In the original story, Man-Wolf's hatred stemmed more from wanting to turn human to pick up girls. He mistakenly believed that, after the moon was destroyed, he would never be able to turn human again, which was why he bore a grudge against Master Roshi.
Below the ring, Tien Shinhan gazed at Master Roshi, who was disguised as Jackie Chun, and said gravely, "So my opponent in the semifinals will be this old man. His martial prowess is unfathomable. In all my past battles, few have reached his level."
Chiaotzu looked puzzled. "You can tell just from that?"
Such a question was perfectly normal. It was only because Wumu was absent; otherwise, he really would have wanted to snark that Master Roshi hadn't displayed any moves at all in the original story, so what could Tien Shinhan possibly have seen?
"Indeed. His movements, breathing, and footwork alone are enough. Watch how his movements flow like the wind, with hidden dragons and crouching tigers within his breathing. Every detail displays the bearing of a master. Hmm, my fighting spirit has been thoroughly ignited," Tien Shinhan explained.
Fine, fine, you're a martial arts master, you're fucking amazing. Early on, figuring out who was stronger really was all guesswork.
At this point, the announcer in the ring strode forward and declared in a booming voice, "In this atmosphere of surging passion and boiling blood, let's press our advantage and finish the quarterfinals right away!"
Tien Shinhan turned to Chiaotzu and said, "Chiaotzu, it's your turn now!"
"Coming up, the third match is about to begin! Contestants Chiaotzu and Krillin will face off in an incredibly exciting showdown." The announcer's voice echoed above the ring, adding a measure of prebattle tension.
The two contestants each took one side of the ring, their gazes piercing the empty space like sharp arrows to lock onto each other. This was not merely a match but a contest of honor between the two martial arts schools, the Turtle School and the Crane School.
As the announcer's voice gradually faded, the atmosphere throughout the ring grew even tenser. Chiaotzu and Krillin stood at opposite ends. Though neither had attacked yet, the clash of their gazes already foreshadowed how fierce this match would be.
The gongs and drums signaling the start of the match sounded, and Krillin charged toward Chiaotzu almost instantly. His speed was astonishing; for a time, all that could be seen in the ring was his figure flickering constantly.
Chiaotzu was more composed. His body floated gently upward, seemingly free of gravity's restraints, and he moved nimbly through the air, avoiding Krillin's attacks.
Unwilling to attack so passively, Krillin began employing techniques that combined punches and kicks. Every punch and kick carried astonishing power; even when they struck empty air, they produced bursts of thunderous sound.
Although Chiaotzu drifted nimbly through the air, he had to respond with great care against Krillin's assault, which covered almost every corner.
Just as Krillin was about to launch another attack, Chiaotzu suddenly unleashed his psychic powers.
He thrust both hands forward, and a seemingly invisible yet immensely powerful force instantly pinned Krillin in place, leaving him unable to move. Surprise appeared on Krillin's face as he discovered he was immobilized in midair and could only watch helplessly as Chiaotzu prepared his next attack.
"Wh... what is this..." Krillin said in panic.
Gasps immediately erupted from the spectator stands. They had not expected Chiaotzu to possess such an extraordinary technique as well. Krillin struggled to move, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not escape the control of Chiaotzu's psychic powers.
"Dodon... Ray!"
Chiaotzu seized the opportunity to counterattack. Brilliant energy gathered at his fingertip, then he fired a dazzling wave of energy at Krillin.
Although Krillin was immobilized, he still refused to give up easily and resisted that energy with all his might.
The energy wave finally struck Krillin, pushing him to the other end of the ring, but Krillin remained tenacious and unyielding.
As Chiaotzu's psychic powers gradually subsided, Krillin regained his freedom.
He staggered to his feet, a determined expression appearing on his face.
The two faced off again, the atmosphere between them even tenser.
Chiaotzu quietly watched Krillin from the air, while Krillin, unwilling to do nothing but passively take a beating, resolved to unleash his still-imperfect ultimate move-the Kamehameha.
He assumed the familiar stance, a powerful aura beginning to gather between his palms, then thrust them toward Chiaotzu without hesitation.
"Kamehameha!"