Seeing Tien Shinhan cripple Yamcha without hesitation, Master Shen burst into a wild, triumphant laugh.
"Hehehe… well done, Tien!
That's how you make them understand the terror of the Crane School!
I'd love to see that Turtle Hermit's face turn green…
And this wasn't even Tien's full strength!"
He didn't care at all that Tien's brutality had disgusted the crowd. To him, fear was respect.
At that moment, the referee announced again,
"Alright! The second match begins!"
"Man-Wolf versus Jackie Chun—please step onto the stage!"
Without the moon, Man-Wolf couldn't transform anymore, and he'd blamed Jackie Chun for it ever since.
For three straight years, he'd trained with one goal—defeat Jackie Chun.
But Jackie Chun was Master Roshi in disguise. A normal fighter was never beating him.
The fight ended quickly: Man-Wolf was knocked out of the ring.
But Jackie Chun didn't stop there.
To resolve Man-Wolf's obsession, he used Krillin's shiny bald head as a "replacement moon," forcing Man-Wolf back into human form.
"Winner of Match Two: Jackie Chun!"
The referee raised his voice.
"Now, for Match Three—Son Goku versus Chiaotzu! Please come to the stage!"
Chiaotzu and Goku stepped onto the ring.
The announcer spoke excitedly:
"As everyone knows, Son Goku and last tournament's champion Krillin are disciples of Master Roshi—
while Chiaotzu is the prized student of Master Shen!
Turtle School vs Crane School—let's see which style prevails!"
The moment the crowd recognized Goku, a wave of shocked chatter exploded.
"That's the little kid from three years ago?!"
"He got taller—and he's handsome now!!"
"Yeah! He used to be adorable—now he's dangerously hot!"
"I want to see his abs—please take your shirt off!"
"Last time he turned into a giant ape and then—uh—came back naked… I saw everything!"
"Time flies… he's a full-grown young man now. I hope he's still as strong as before!"
Goku's face darkened slightly at the shameless comments.
Thankfully, the referee shouted, "Begin!" and Goku refocused on Chiaotzu.
Chiaotzu still looked blank and puppet-like, but the instant the match started, he burst forward and kicked at Goku.
Goku's figure blurred—almost like he vanished.
Chiaotzu's kick hit nothing.
"Huh?! He disappeared?!"
From below, Tien shouted,
"Chiaotzu—LEFT!"
Chiaotzu froze, panicked.
"Chopsticks go in the right hand… bowl goes in the left hand…"
After a painfully slow bit of reasoning, he finally figured out which side was left.
Goku pinched the bridge of his nose, then casually flicked out a kick.
Chiaotzu didn't even react in time—he went flying.
The audience gasped.
"Woah—he flew so far…!"
The announcer squinted into the distance.
"It looks like Chiaotzu got kicked out… is it over in one hit?"
Cheers erupted.
"Nice!"
"Goku was already amazing last time—now he's even stronger!"
"He's so handsome!!"
But then—
Chiaotzu stopped in mid-air.
He floated there, perfectly stable.
Jackie Chun narrowed his eyes.
"This kid… he can use the Flying Technique.
Goku won't be able to win just by knocking him off the ring."
The announcer nearly yelled into the mic.
"Incredible! Chiaotzu hasn't fallen out—he's floating freely in the air!"
"So pushing him out won't be enough!"
Krillin shouted from below, furious:
"Goku! That little freak seriously injured someone in the prelims—beat him up properly!"
Chiaotzu hovered directly above the ring, refusing to land.
A golden glow lit up at his fingertip as he pointed at Goku.
"Dodon Ray!"
Goku looked up, smiled faintly… then closed his eyes.
The Dodon Ray fired.
Goku, eyes shut, moved like he was taking a stroll—sidestepping it effortlessly.
But Chiaotzu's Dodon Ray turned into a machine-gun barrage, firing nonstop.
Krillin's eyes widened.
"He's using Tao Pai Pai's move—and he can rapid-fire it?!"
Goku kept his arms crossed, eyes still closed, dodging every shot.
Each blast that struck the ground left a smoking crater. It looked absurdly dangerous.
The crowd tensed.
"Isn't that too reckless?! He's closing his eyes—if he gets hit, he'll lose!"
From the stands, Launch shouted anxiously:
"Goku! Be careful! Don't get hit!"
Bulma folded her arms, completely calm.
"Relax, Launch. Even if that attack hits, it won't hurt Goku."
Launch clicked her tongue.
"I'm not worried he'll get hurt—I'm worried he'll ruin the new clothes!"
Violet laughed.
"Launch, you really don't need to worry about his clothes either.
This is easier than dodging logs under the waterfall. He won't get hit."
Launch hesitated, then nodded.
"True… but even if he mastered this kind of dodging, it only works on weaklings.
Against real monsters, it's too risky."
Violet stared at Goku, thoughtful.
"I don't think he's fighting that kid at all.
Honestly… it feels like he's using Chiaotzu as training."
Launch blinked hard, stunned.
"Now that you mention it… Goku still hasn't even attacked yet."
Jackie Chun's eyes sharpened.
"Unbelievable… what kind of training did he go through these three years?
Dodging silent energy beams with his eyes closed, in a chaotic environment…
That level of calm—his mindset has reached a frightening stage."
Krillin grinned, unable to hide his pride.
"Goku's insane now. Eyes closed and nobody can touch him."
"Of course! Even Tao Pai Pai couldn't beat him three years ago—this kid has no chance!"
The moment Krillin said that name—
Tien's head snapped toward him, eyes sharp as blades.
"Hey, bald guy. What did you just say? That technique… who does it belong to?"
Krillin turned, confused.
"Huh? What's your problem?"
"I asked you—who was the person you mentioned?"
Krillin scratched his head.
"You mean the assassin Tao Pai Pai?
He tried to kill Goku three years ago… and Goku killed him."
Tien's face went stiff.
"What…?"
"You're saying Son Goku killed Tao Pai Pai?!"
Krillin nodded.
"Yeah. Why? Is there an issue?"
Krillin had no idea about Tien's connection to Tao Pai Pai.
Tien stared, completely shaken, disbelief boiling on his face.
"No… that's impossible…"
Krillin frowned.
"How is it impossible? I'm not making it up—I saw it with my own eyes!"
Hearing "I saw it," Tien felt like his world tilted.
His expression turned ugly—then he abruptly turned and walked away, fists clenched.
At that moment, Jackie Chun stepped up beside Krillin and asked quietly,
"Krillin… did Goku really defeat Tao Pai Pai?"
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