The second semifinal that followed was equally exciting, but compared to Sun Wuxiu’s grandmaster-level performance, it inevitably felt somewhat immature.
Son Goku and Krillin, fellow disciples who knew each other inside and out, fought with exceptional intensity.
Krillin pulled out all the stops.
The Afterimage Technique.
Various feints.
Constant changes in rhythm.
He used every trick he had learned from Master Roshi.
Unfortunately, in the face of an absolute gap in strength, clever tactics could only delay defeat.
They could not change the outcome.
In the end, relying on his Saiyan Physique and astonishing durability, Son Goku endured one of Krillin’s flying kicks head-on before counterattacking with a powerful punch that blasted Krillin completely out of the ring.
Thus, the finalists were decided.
Sun Wuxiu versus Son Goku.
A battle between brothers.
…
Inside the competitors’ lounge.
The unconscious Jackie Chun finally stirred awake.
Master Roshi rubbed the back of his aching neck, his eyes still somewhat unfocused.
Soon, however, memories flooded back into his mind.
“I…
lost?” He stared at the ceiling for a long time before revealing a bitter smile.
“I couldn’t even force that kid to use his full strength…” Master Roshi could clearly feel it.
Sun Wuxiu had held back during that final strike.
If the attack had been even slightly heavier, or landed at a slightly different angle, his old bones might have remained unconscious for far longer.
“Sigh…” “The younger generation is truly frightening.” Master Roshi removed the black Zhongshan suit and tore off the silver wig.
His familiar appearance returned.
Walking over to the window, he looked toward the freshly repaired tournament arena.
Two figures stood facing each other there.
One was Son Goku.
His most talented disciple.
The other was Sun Wuxiu.
A disciple so monstrous that even Master Roshi occasionally felt powerless before him, yet also incomparably proud.
“Let me see it, Wuxiu.” Master Roshi adjusted his sunglasses, hiding the complicated emotions in his eyes.
“How far have you truly reached?” …
“The final match begins!” As the referee’s voice echoed throughout the arena, the atmosphere instantly exploded.
The audience erupted with excitement.
“I’ve finally been waiting for this moment, Big Brother!” Son Goku assumed the Turtle School’s fighting stance.
His fighting spirit surged to its peak.
The heat radiating from his body was so intense that the surrounding air seemed to distort.
“Come, Goku.” Sun Wuxiu stood calmly with one hand behind his back.
Only his right hand was extended in an inviting gesture.
“Show me the results of your training over the past year.” “YAAAHHH!!” Son Goku roared.
His figure disappeared instantly.
Fast.
Incredibly fast.
To most spectators, everything became a blur.
In the next moment, Goku had already appeared directly before Sun Wuxiu.
A storm of punches and kicks erupted.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The sound of fists colliding echoed continuously like exploding firecrackers.
Yet Sun Wuxiu continued using only one hand.
Block.
Deflect.
Catch.
Redirect.
No matter how fast Goku attacked.
No matter how tricky his angles became.
That single hand remained an insurmountable barrier.
From beginning to end, Sun Wuxiu’s feet never moved even a single step.
“Not enough.” His voice remained calm.
“Too slow.” “Your strength is too scattered.” “Focus your Qi.” “Damn it!!” Goku gritted his teeth.
His tail whipped against the arena floor.
Using the momentum, he launched himself into the air and delivered a powerful flying kick aimed directly at Sun Wuxiu’s temple.
“Now that’s better.” A hint of approval appeared in Sun Wuxiu’s eyes.
For the first time, he raised his left hand.
Bang!
He caught Goku’s ankle effortlessly.
“However…” “The opening is too large.” Before the sentence was even finished, Sun Wuxiu twisted his wrist.
Goku’s body swung through the air.
Boom!!
The arena floor shattered as Goku was slammed heavily into it.
A large crater appeared instantly.
Fragments of stone scattered everywhere.
Yet Goku’s reaction speed was astonishing.
The instant he landed, his tail pushed against the ground.
Like a spring compressed to its limit, he bounced back up and immediately retreated to create distance.
“Haa…
haa…” Son Goku panted heavily.
His eyes never left his brother.
The difference was simply too great.
He had become so much stronger during the past year.
Yet standing before Sun Wuxiu still made him feel like a powerless child.
Not only Goku.
Everyone watching was stunned.
Bulma clasped both hands over her chest.
Stars practically sparkled in her eyes.
“Wuxiu is so cool…” Meanwhile, Master Roshi stood silently among the crowd.
His expression had become extremely serious.
“That composure…” “That complete control over the flow of battle…” “He isn’t fighting.” “He’s teaching.” Master Roshi saw it clearly.
Every block.
Every counterattack.
Every movement.
Sun Wuxiu was forcing Goku to improve.
Correcting his mistakes.
Guiding him forward.
Drawing out his hidden potential.
This wasn’t how one treated an opponent.
This was how a teacher instructed a student.
And an extremely strict one at that.
“What a monster…” Master Roshi muttered softly.
“This child’s martial arts realm has already touched the threshold of something higher.” (The “higher realm” here refers to martial arts mastery itself, not the divine realms introduced later in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super.) On the ring.
Sun Wuxiu finally felt the warm-up had gone on long enough.
The hand behind his back lowered slowly.
The smile on his face disappeared.
What replaced it was unprecedented seriousness.
The atmosphere around him changed instantly.
If he had resembled a silent mountain before…
Now he resembled a volcano on the verge of eruption.
A tsunami preparing to sweep across the world.
The terrifying pressure alone forced even the nearby referee to stumble backward several steps.
His legs trembled uncontrollably.
“Goku.” Sun Wuxiu’s deep voice echoed across the arena.
“The warm-up is over.” “Next…” “I’m going to become slightly serious.” “Are you ready?” The moment those words entered his ears, every hair on Son Goku’s body stood on end.
It was instinct.
The instinctive warning of a living creature facing a natural predator.
Yet instead of fear, excitement flooded through him.
“COME ON, BIG BROTHER!!” Goku dropped into a defensive stance.
Every sense.
Every nerve.
Every instinct.
Everything was pushed to its limit.
“Good.” The word had barely left Sun Wuxiu’s mouth.
Whoosh!
He disappeared.
This was not the extreme burst of speed he had used against Jackie Chun with the Rabbit Talisman.
It was pure physical speed.
Pure movement generated by his own body.
Yet even so, Goku could not see him.
Nothing appeared within his vision.
“Where?!” “The left?” “The right?” “Above?” His mind raced frantically.
Then suddenly…
A memory surfaced.
The masked man from years ago.
The mysterious fighter wearing an oni mask in the forests of Mount Paozu.
And the strike Sun Wuxiu had used against Jackie Chun earlier.
“BEHIND ME!!!” Goku’s instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, he abandoned thought completely.
Trusting only instinct and muscle memory, he spun around while driving his right elbow backward with all his strength.
At that moment, time seemed to slow.
As Goku turned around, Sun Wuxiu’s figure indeed appeared directly behind him.
The familiar knife-hand strike was already raised.
Ready to descend.
But Goku’s elbow had arrived first.
It occupied the exact path through which the knife-hand would travel.
“Hmm?” For the first time during the match, genuine surprise appeared within Sun Wuxiu’s calm eyes.
“He predicted my movement?” “And reacted through pure instinct and muscle memory?”