"Why? Why did you surrender?! You didn't even use your full strength!"
Tien Shinhan was overwhelmed by a storm of emotions, a mix of conflicting feelings.
Master Roshi turned back to look at Tien Shinhan, smiled slightly, and made the same decision as in the original work: "I'm old now. Seeing you younger ones grow so well, I'm at ease that the martial arts of Earth have not declined. You must walk the right path, otherwise it would truly be a shame. Follow your heart and do the things a true martial artist should do. The Crane Hermit is unworthy of being your master."
"What??!" Tien Shinhan was upset by these words, but Master Roshi knew he understood. Without hesitation, he turned and left the arena.
By now, the entire audience was in an uproar. The Crane Hermit, furious at Master Roshi's move, was practically fuming, but his voice couldn't reach him.
He could only rely on telepathy to communicate with his disciple, urging him not to be swayed by Master Roshi's words.
But before he could even say much, Tien Shinhan firmly ignored him.
Tien Shinhan was not foolish. In fact, he had long been aware of everything. The actions taken over the years, the true nature of his school.
He had always been torn, wondering if it was right or wrong.
His master and master's brother had instilled the belief that strength was above all. Once you had power, anything you did was right.
But as his strength grew, as he experienced more, he gradually realized that, as a martial artist, he should not be acting as an assassin, committing wrongful deeds for money against his conscience.
Realizing the truth and finding his way back to the right path.
Tien Shinhan was only one step away.
Still, in a sense, he had indeed betrayed his school. That was why, when facing Mercenary Tao later, he often held back and was unwilling to fight.
...
The first quarterfinal match ended. Fortunately, it had been a battle that seemed incredibly exciting to ordinary people, earning thunderous applause.
The second quarterfinal, however, was not like the first.
Against Yamcha's strength, his opponent was nothing more than a trash with 5 power level. With just a casual wave, Pamput was sent flying out of the arena, knocked out cold without even blocking a single strike.
The strength Yamcha displayed shocked everyone; most of all Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Master Roshi who was in disguise.
Not Goku though, as his strength was on an entirely different level by now.
In just a few months, he had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
Still, Goku gave Yamcha some face, offering a few words of praise, calling him impressive and formidable.
He likely also understood that without the help of Brother Talot, Brother Raditz, and Sister Salari, his own strength would not surpass Yamcha's by much.
The third quarterfinal was Krillin against Man-Wolf.
This match inevitably brought back one of the more amusing plots from the original work.
Because the moon had been destroyed, Man-Wolf could no longer return to human form under the full moon. To take revenge on Jackie Chun, who had destroyed the moon, he entered the World Martial Arts Tournament, seeking vengeance.
But this time, it was obvious that Man-Wolf entered so that his girlfriend could see him as a powerful martial artist.
Unfortunately for him, he faced Krillin, whose strength surpassed even Yamcha's.
Unlike Yamcha though, Krillin gave Man-Wolf the chance to show his abilities before finally defeating him.
At last came the match between Chiaotzu and Goku.
It looked like a children's fight, but it was not.
Goku personally experienced just how formidable Chiaotzu's psychic powers were. If not for his own overwhelming strength, he would never have been able to completely ignore it.
After giving Chiaotzu every opportunity, Goku effortlessly defeated him.
Such a composed victory over Chiaotzu naturally left Tien Shinhan and the Crane Hermit, who both knew just how strong Chiaotzu was, utterly stunned.
Especially after confirming that Mercenary Tao had indeed died at Goku's hands, they felt a heavy pressure in their hearts with no outlet for release.
The top four were decided, and with the afternoon matches, round 1 came to a close.
But there wasn't much time to rest. After the semifinal lineup was announced, there was less than twenty minutes of break before the two finalists would be decided.
Tien Shinhan Vs Goku.
Krillin Vs Yamcha.
The situation of the tournament had once again completely changed.
These matchups even piqued Talot's interest, when before he had found things boring.
After all, once the plot changed, the outcome would be entirely different as well.
In terms of strength, there was no way Tien Shinhan could possibly defeat the current Goku.
And indeed, that was the case. Once the match began, Tien Shinhan started off with a barrage of taunts, leaving Goku at a loss for how to respond.
All in all, those months of harsh training with Talot, Raditz, and Salari had tempered his mind as well.
Simply put, he possessed absolute strength and joined the World Martial Arts Tournament with the sole purpose of fulfilling his long-cherished wish: to win the championship.
Tien Shinhan's strength was not bad, but it wasn't nearly enough to make Goku take him seriously.
Even using only one-tenth of his strength, Goku could still treat Tien Shinhan like an insect. He could let him take an arm, a leg, even both arms and legs, and still win.
Unmoved by the mockery and provocations directed at him, Goku stood calm, while Tien Shinhan, enraged, launched his assault.
In the midst of his inner turmoil, he needed both to vent and to prove himself.
After a bout of fighting, Goku still hadn't exerted himself, while Tien Shinhan had already exhausted his arsenal.
Even when he staked everything on his Tri-Beam, hoping to destroy the arena and force Goku out for an arena-out victory, to Goku the attack wasn't even worth mentioning.
The Tri-Beam was indeed a finishing move capable of defeating enemies by surpassing levels, but Goku's level was so vastly higher that the gap was insurmountable.
Simply put, their strength wasn't even in the same dimension.
In the end, drained of all strength, Tien Shinhan could only watch as Goku, respecting his refusal to surrender and his martial artist's spirit, personally put an end to his past.
All it took was the release of aura and a casual strike to send him flying out of the arena.
Tien Shinhan was eliminated. This time, he suffered an immense blow, but with Master Roshi's guidance, he finally caught a glimpse of light along his dark path.
The Crane Hermit, however, was unwilling to accept it. Consumed by revenge, he resorted to every underhanded means, ultimately choosing to launch a sneak attack.
Goku himself didn't care to stoop to his level, but this move provoked Raditz, who was fiercely protective of his younger brother.
The Crane Hermit was nothing but an insect, yet to dare attack his brother right in front of him. Was that not asking for death?
It was only because Master Roshi stepped in that he didn't die, but the Crane Hermit had no regard for his own life.
Even after being spared, he shamelessly declared that he would return for revenge, even threatening Chiaotzu and Tien Shinhan to comply. At this critical moment, even Master Roshi couldn't hold back his anger.
"I just saved your life, and you still don't know your place."
Yet Master Roshi, just as in the original work, simply used a Kamehameha to blast him tens of thousands of miles away.
It was Master Roshi who ultimately saved Crane Hermit's life, otherwise, Crane Hermit would have certainly met his end.
Not to mention anyone else, Raditz alone had already made up his mind to kill.
...
Please support on pat*eon for extra chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]
https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations
You can read ahead upto 20 chapters on my pa*reon.