That night, the lively atmosphere continued.
"Goku, you're grabbing food way too fast!"
"Ah-woo! Ah-woo! Ah-woo!…"
"Hey, are you eating so fast you don't even have time to talk?! — Phoenix! You're coming to snatch food too?!"
"Caw caw!"
"I worked so hard in the match today, hey, leave some for me!"
"Haha…"
Goku and Krillin were scrambling over a pile of plates, fighting for food. Not only that, a bird, bright red like fire, swooped down onto the banquet table, snatching delicacies from their hands like a streak of red lightning, causing Goku and Krillin to shout in surprise. Dr. Briefs, Gohan, and Hathaway watched with amused smiles.
Meanwhile, the servants were carrying piles of colorful, fragrant dishes and drinks back and forth across the banquet.
Most here were martial artists; although none matched Goku's Saiyan-level appetite, they all had impressive eating capacities. Tien and the others were happy today and ate heartily, and with Goku and the Phoenix being bottomless pits, they'd grab a plate, toss the food into their mouths after a couple of chews…
The robot servants simply couldn't keep up, so Mrs. Briefs quickly called in a dozen human servants to barely keep things running smoothly.
"Hehe…"
Gohan smiled kindly. His cultivation level was deeper than Goku, Krillin, and Tien, but when he ate, he didn't wolf down food. Instead, he took his time, picking food with his chopsticks calmly and occasionally chatting with Dr. Briefs beside him.
"Really!"
Bulma rested her chin on one hand and stabbed at the food on her plate absentmindedly with the other. Occasionally, she glanced at Goku on the other side with his cheeks puffed out full of food, and pouted.
Hathaway and Taro sat at the head of the table. Hathaway leaned in to whisper, when suddenly a delicate wristwatch-like device on her wrist trembled slightly. Raising her wrist, she flicked her hand gently into the air, and a faint ray of light shot out from the "watch."
"Heh, so Piccolo really entered the Muten Tower… Looks like progress is going well!" Hathaway glanced at the information that popped up on her watch and smiled. "And that Yajirobe, he's training in the Muten Tower now too. He had Jarvis fully scan the Muten Sword and bring it into the Virtual Earth Network. He's in the tower, integrating Muken into swordsmanship…"
Before Taro could speak, Gohan, sitting nearby, chuckled, "Compared to Piccolo, Tien, and Krillin, that little guy Yajirobe isn't bad either… He's a descendant of the old Noah Robe. It's a pity Noah Robe himself didn't live to see this era."
"Back then, his swordsmanship was peerless, practically divine, but limited by his own cultivation, he couldn't advance further. Such a shame! Such a shame!" Gohan sighed deeply.
Hathaway teased, "What, Gohan? Seeing Yajirobe's fusion of Muken and swordsmanship, are you thinking of entering this Muten Tournament too?"
Gohan shook his head, "That's a competition for the younger generation. I won't get involved…"
"That's right."
Hathaway pursed her lips and said to Taro, "Ah, Taro, with people like Goku, Krillin, Tien, Yajirobe, Piccolo… and that girl Chichi, who looks pretty good, all entering the tower one after another, this Muten Tournament will definitely be exciting!"
Taro sat upright, lightly tapping his fingers on the table. He glanced up at the brilliant stars overhead as if recalling some possible visions, and smiled softly.
---
Virtual Earth Network.
In this virtual world simulating the continent of Taro's previous life, there are nine major cities on the surface… The Virtual Earth Network now has daily active users exceeding hundreds of millions, with terrifyingly high engagement.
The World Martial Arts Tournament had ended, and the Virtual Earth Network Company was sparing no effort to promote the upcoming "Muten Tournament" inside and outside the network. Especially inside the Virtual Earth Network, the promotion was simple and direct — every logged-in user would get a popup panel playing a promotional video automatically.
The hype around the "Muten Tournament" was skyrocketing at the speed of light amid nationwide discussions.
"That's more like it! The World Martial Arts Tournament was exciting, but it always felt like something was missing!"
"A martial arts fight should be an all-out, life-or-death battle to be truly thrilling!"
"Exactly! I always thought the World Martial Arts Tournament was lame — so many rules, not even allowing real weapons on stage. What's that? Even underground fight clubs are better! How can that be the 'World's Number One' Martial Arts Tournament? Afraid to die and still call it 'Number One'?"
"Now it's perfect — in the Virtual Earth Network, there's no chance of accidentally killing someone!"
"Now we get to see the true power of the martial artists!"
"Yeah, I wonder how terrifying Goku's finishing moves will be? Under the rules of the World Martial Arts Tournament, Goku was already so scary. In the unrestricted Muten Tournament, how unstoppable will he be?"
"I don't know about that. Who says Goku will be stronger in the Muten Tournament than in the World Martial Arts Tournament?"
Everyone was discussing, guessing whether Goku, Krillin, Tien, and the others would participate in the Muten Tournament, and if so, how different their performance would be from the World Martial Arts Tournament stage.
"Heh heh, now that guy Piccolo's probably in for a tough time! Whether it was five years ago or at this year's martial arts tournament, he always relied on ruthless moves to take advantage! But at the Muten Tournament, he won't get off so easy…"
"Not only that, I heard this Muten Tournament doesn't have the under-the-table rules of the old tournaments. Lots of those old-school martial artists are coming! They're all long-established masters…"
"I heard some of the old-timers from above the fifth floor of the Muten Tower are going to participate. Not sure if that's true though?"
"Haha, what do those old guys matter? Can they compare to our Goku?"
"Maybe not. After all, Goku's still young…"
---
Data Sky, Main City.
Muten Tower.
Second floor, Muten Monument space.
"Goku… no, Kakarot—will he participate?" Chi-Chi flipped through the various discussions floating on the air-screen, her smile soft and murmuring. Her expression was a mix of joy and worry, sadness and anxiety. But quickly, she composed herself, her face resolute.
"Only about ten days left. I have to step up my training! Even if you don't look at me properly, I... I'll make you respect me!"
At that moment, not far from the second-floor Muten Monument, a group suddenly shouted:
"He's going up!"
"That Piccolo's a real freak. How long has he been in the Muten Tower? And he's already blasted from the first to the second floor, now charging to the third?"
"That speed's not far off from Goku's back then!"
"Maybe…"
---
Third floor.
A slightly chubby young man with long black hair draped messily behind him sat cross-legged in an open area not far from the third-floor Muten Monument. Around him, no one dared approach; others kept their distance, unwilling to disturb him.
On his lap lay a long sword that looked part gold, part wood, horizontally placed. On the hilt were the two characters "Muten," carved like silver hooks and iron strokes… Yajirobe squinted at the Muten Monument nearby, his eyes barely open, it was unclear if he was awake or asleep.
Suddenly, his expression shifted. He looked back once, seeing a cluster of green data streams coalesce into a strange figure with a blue face and white cloak. If not Piccolo, then who?
Many on the third floor also turned their gaze to Piccolo, who had just arrived.
Under so many eyes, Piccolo's expression was cold and unchanged. But among the countless gazes, Piccolo was the first to notice Yajirobe's. He glanced over coldly… and saw a short, chubby human with small eyes.
Muten…
Piccolo's body here was fully simulated by Jarvis based on his real-world physique. So even here, his vision was sharp, and he immediately saw the two characters "Muten" on the sword hilt on Yajirobe's lap.
This made Piccolo look at Yajirobe with new respect. After all, on this Earth, in this virtual network, especially inside this Muten Tower, no one had dared write "Muten" on their own blade before…
Yajirobe glanced at Piccolo a few times, then ignored him, continuing to grasp the fusion of Muten and swordsmanship.
Unlike others, Yajirobe wasn't satisfied with just climbing the tower through Muten alone. To him, no matter the martial skill, energy, or Muken, only what made his swordsmanship stronger was meaningful.
Therefore, he only used the "Muten Slash" to break through the tower. Without merging Muken with swordsmanship, it was meaningless.
Piccolo had no interest in the suspicious gazes. He snorted coldly and strode toward the third-floor Muten Monument. As he walked, those around the monument scattered to avoid him, but Piccolo paid no attention. He raised his head and stared at the even deeper mysteries of the Muten Monument.
Muten Tournament…
This Demon King is determined to redeem past humiliations…
---
Day after day passed…
Worldwide, countless people waited eagerly. The media bombarded nonstop with coverage. Countless martial artists rubbed their fists and prepared.
The Muten Tournament…
With a prompt from every virtual network login device, beep — it officially began!