It was finally Lin Xuan's turn to take the stage!
His opponent was a mild-mannered, seemingly frail old man who looked like he might blow away in a stiff breeze.
When the two ascended the platform, it wasn't just Lin Xuan's entourage who were stunned; even Son Goku and the Dragon Ball team were taken aback. To the vast majority of onlookers, this contestant named "Shen" didn't look like a powerhouse at all.
"That old geezer looks like the Guild Leader is going to kill him with a single tap!" Uchiha Izuna voiced his opinion bluntly.
Senju Tobirama immediately retorted, "If he were truly that weak, he wouldn't have secured a spot in the Top 32."
The others paused to consider this. It made sense. While the preliminaries were filled with small fry, there were still some capable fighters mixed in. If "Shen" were truly just an ordinary old man, making it to the Top 32 would have been impossible.
Uchiha Izuna, however, remained unconvinced and stubbornly muttered, "Maybe he just got lucky!"
Tobirama merely chuckled and didn't bother arguing further.
All eyes returned to the ring.
Lin Xuan and his opponent were sizing each other up. In reality, it was mostly the Earth's Kami—disguised as the human Shen—observing Lin Xuan, as he still harbored many doubts about this stranger. Lin Xuan, on the other hand, knew everything there was to know about the Earth's Guardian.
On the stage, the blond announcer sensed the strange atmosphere between the two. He coughed lightly and asked tentatively, "Contestants, are you ready to begin?"
Under normal rules, he would have simply announced the start. However, Lin Xuan was different—he was a major shareholder of the tournament, and the announcer knew to show proper respect.
Hearing this, Lin Xuan smiled faintly. "I have no problem."
The host looked at Shen, who also nodded. "No problem."
"Then, let the match officially begin!"
The announcer waved his hand ceremoniously before quickly retreating off the stage.
Lin Xuan didn't rush to attack. Instead, he smiled at his opponent. "You've been staring at me this whole time. Do you have questions? If so, why not speak up? We can discuss them first."
Kami hadn't expected Lin Xuan to be so open. However, after glancing at Piccolo hiding in the crowd below, he decided against it. "I have no questions. Let's fight!"
Lin Xuan also glanced at Piccolo, then spoke directly into Kami's mind via telepathy: "I didn't expect the majestic Guardian of Earth to be so timid and fearful of trouble."
Kami's eyes widened instantly.
He wasn't shocked that Lin Xuan could use telepathy. In the Dragon Ball world, several people possessed this ability—like the Crane Hermit, who had been watching from the crowd until Tao Pai Pai's defeat.
What truly shook him was that Lin Xuan had seen through his disguise and knew his true identity!
While Kami was still reeling from the shock, Lin Xuan's figure flashed, appearing instantly in front of him with a sweeping kick!
"Not good!"
Kami's expression changed drastically. He immediately raised his arms to block.
Unfortunately, his defense was too hasty.
Boom!
He was sent flying, nearly tumbling out of the ring. He managed to scramble and stop himself at the very last moment, keeping his body within the ring's boundaries.
Seeing this, many in the audience and watching the live broadcast around the world burst into laughter.
Even Krillin, who had just lost his match, couldn't help but chuckle. "I told you that old grandpa only made it to the Top 32 through sheer luck!"
In reality, Krillin didn't know that Kami had been intentionally acting like a clumsy, ordinary person during the preliminaries to avoid exposing his identity. But this time, he had been genuinely caught off guard, resulting in his pathetic state.
Kami ignored the crowd's reaction. He climbed up from the floor and stared intensely at Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan merely smiled. At the same time, his voice rang out in Kami's mind again: "Kami, if you don't get serious, you really won't have a chance to fight Piccolo."
This statement caused Kami's expression to shift once more. He even knows about my intention to fight Piccolo!
Having said his piece, Lin Xuan attacked again. He rushed Kami, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks.
This time, Kami was mentally prepared. He wasn't as flustered as before, but he was still beaten back step by step. Forced to the edge of the ring, he could only circle the perimeter, desperately parrying Lin Xuan's onslaught.
In the waiting area, the other contestants watched in astonishment, especially Son Goku and his friends.
Yamcha spoke up in surprise, "His moves... they look familiar. Isn't that... isn't that our Turtle School style?"
Hearing this, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and the others realized it too. "That's right! It is the Turtle School style! But how does Lin Xuan know our martial arts?"
The group turned their gaze in unison toward Master Roshi, the founder of the Turtle School.
Seeing their stares, Master Roshi gave a light cough. "Alright, I'll tell you the truth. Actually, Lin Xuan counts as half a student of mine. He has studied the Turtle School martial arts with me!"
"What?!"
"Really?"
Son Goku and the others exclaimed in shock.
Not far away, the members of the Ninja Guild were also surprised. They turned their attention to Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama.
Hashirama's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected Master Roshi to enjoy showing off this much!
He glanced at Uchiha Madara, his eyes seemingly saying, "This is all your fault. You led him astray." After all, Uchiha Madara was quite fond of posturing.
However, after thinking about it carefully, Hashirama realized there was nothing technically wrong with what Master Roshi had said. So, he nodded to the others. "He isn't lying. Lin Xuan did learn martial arts from him."
The ninjas were even more stunned.
"Unbelievable!"
"Is this Master Roshi actually that powerful?!"
"I couldn't tell at all... even the Guild Leader sought him out for instruction!"
Hearing these whispers and feeling the reverent gazes of the Ninja Guild members, Master Roshi felt his life elevate to a new level in that instant. It was a peak experience!
However, he tried his best to maintain an air of nonchalance, holding himself with the reserved dignity of a true martial arts grandmaster.
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T/N:
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