The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.
All eyes were on Krillin, filled with disbelief.
"What just happened?!
That little guy kicked his opponent straight into the wall?!"
"Am I seeing things? That wall is made of granite!"
Someone rubbed their eyes, as if trying to confirm reality.
Master Roshi, watching the scene, was stunned—yet sincerely happy for him.
"Incredible… Krillin has grown to this level already. Truly astonishing."
Another of Krillin's Orin Temple senior brothers saw the scene and turned pale, the towel in his hand dropping to the ground.
"How did that brat get so strong…?
This is bad—if he decides to get revenge for all the years we bullied him, we're finished!"
He hurried over to help his fallen senior.
Not far away, watching from the crowd, Launch's charming smile vanished, her red lips parting slightly.
"So that little bald guy is actually this terrifying…?"
She subconsciously touched her slim waist and prayed:
"Please don't let me face him…
And please, let him not end up in the top eight against me…"
Yamcha, hiding in the crowd, spat out his mouthful of water.
"You've got to be kidding me…
I thought avoiding the tailed kid was enough, but now this little bald guy is just as scary!
Looks like even second place is out of reach…"
When the referee declared his victory, Krillin pointed at himself in disbelief.
"I… I won?"
The referee nodded. "You did.
But remember—hold back a little. If you kill your opponent, you'll be disqualified."
Krillin immediately understood.
Goku was right.
He really had become strong—frighteningly so.
The senior brothers who used to bully him were now no match for him at all.
Light returned to Krillin's eyes as he nodded firmly.
"Understood. I'll be careful."
Seeing how polite he was, the referee moved on to announce the next match.
Krillin stared at his own hands, a new fire burning in his gaze.
"After training with Master Roshi…
I've become the complete Krillin!"
…
The rest of the preliminary matches went smoothly.
Both Goku and Krillin rampaged through their opponents, often winning in a single exchange.
Soon, the preliminaries ended, and both advanced to the main tournament—the top eight.
The finals were moved to the outdoor arena.
After the draw, the stands were packed to the brim with spectators.
The referee stepped onto the ring and announced loudly:
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience!"
"The finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament are about to begin! Here are the matchups!"
"Krillin versus Bacterian!"
"Jackie Chun versus Yamcha!"
"Namu versus Launch!"
"Son Goku versus Giran!"
"The first match will now begin—Krillin and Bacterian, please step onto the stage!"
Bacterian was disgusting, but with Krillin's regained confidence and solid skill, he defeated him with ease.
Namu defeated Launch, who tried to win with beauty.
Goku, of course, easily beat the dinosaur-man Giran.
And during Jackie Chun's fight with Yamcha, he discovered Yamcha's great potential, so he invited him to join the Turtle School.
When Yamcha realized who Jackie Chun really was, he was overjoyed.
Goku and Krillin had both shone brilliantly—true disciples of Master Roshi.
Yamcha finally understood just how powerful Roshi was.
Losing to him wasn't shameful at all.
In the end, Yamcha agreed to go to Kame House afterward and become his disciple.
Thus, the four who advanced to the semifinals were:
Son Goku, Jackie Chun, Krillin, and Namu.
The semifinal matches were:
Krillin vs Namu
Son Goku vs Jackie Chun
…
Krillin versus Namu was about to begin.
At the edge of the arena, Namu was so nervous that sweat poured from his forehead.
Seeing such a stoic-looking fighter sweating like that, Jackie Chun frowned.
He used his mind-reading technique.
What he saw was a dry riverbed, cracked earth, and barren fields.
In Namu's heart echoed a desperate prayer:
"Mom… little brother… everyone in the village…
I must win this tournament and take the 500,000 zeni prize…
I have to buy enough water to bring home…"
Understanding Namu's resolve, Roshi decided to help him—
But after the match.
This man had real strength. Let him properly test Krillin.
Krillin had just left the mountain; if everything went too smoothly, he might grow arrogant.
…
At that moment, Krillin and Namu stepped onto the stage.
A staff member struck the gong.
The referee shouted:
"Sixth match—begin!"
Krillin surged forward with explosive momentum.
He shouted and launched a lightning-fast kick straight at Namu's face.
But Namu was no ordinary opponent.
At the very last moment, he narrowly dodged it.
Krillin was shocked.
Master Roshi was right… there really is always someone stronger.
I've finally met a real expert.
A smile crept onto Krillin's face.
"Now this is getting interesting!"
Namu flipped through the air and counterattacked, using gravity to drive a powerful kick at Krillin.
Feeling the force behind it, Krillin's pupils shrank.
"So fast!"
This time, he didn't try to block it—he retreated instead.
The moment Namu's strike missed, Krillin stomped the ground and charged again.
His fists became a storm of blows, pouring down like torrential rain.
Namu's face tensed, but his arms moved nonstop, desperately blocking every strike.
In just a few breaths, they exchanged over a hundred blows.
Normally, spectators chatted and snacked during fights.
But this battle was so intense that the entire arena fell silent—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After the exchange, the two separated, both breathing heavily, both calculating their next move.
The referee exclaimed excitedly:
"Amazing! Truly amazing!"
"Both Krillin and Namu are incredibly strong!
What an incredible exchange—neither side giving an inch!"
The audience erupted into applause and cheers.
Then the next round began.
Namu attacked first.
Wanting to test his own strength, Krillin crossed his arms in front of his chest and took the blow head-on.
Bang!
Namu's fist slammed into Krillin's guard.
The impact forced Krillin back several steps, his feet carving shallow grooves into the stone of the arena.
But he held.
The crowd gasped.
"That kid… he actually blocked that head-on. He's incredible!"
Backstage, Jackie Chun couldn't help but marvel.
"Krillin's growth… is terrifyingly fast."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/NightShard525