July 17, 650. The sky was a brilliant blue, not a cloud in sight.
Outside Sayuan City, at the grand arena of the World Martial Arts Tournament finals.
"Alright, to all the spectators here at the venue, in front of your televisions, and watching via online streaming, the results of the draw for the twelve contestants in the first-ever World Martial Arts Tournament global finals are in!"
"These twelve fighters hail from all over the world, having secured the championship, runner-up, or third place in their respective divisions—East City, West City, South City, North City, and Central City! If you've been following the regional tournaments, you've undoubtedly witnessed their incredible individual strength multiple times already!"
"Some of them even possess abilities akin to superpowers! Oh, and one of them, in fact, does have a natural-born supernatural ability!"
"Who will claim the title of World Martial Arts Champion and be recognized as the strongest fighter in the world?"
"Now, let's begin the first match of the first round!!"
"Contestant number one... Mu Taro!"
"Alright, we can see Mu Taro making his way from the contestant draw area to the ring at a calm and unhurried pace... Hmm, I'm sure many of you are eager to hear about the controversy surrounding this mysterious contestant, right?"
"As everyone knows, Mu Taro's age and identity remain an enigma! No one truly knows the extent of his strength! In the West City division, he effortlessly won match after match, securing the championship without ever revealing his full power! No one has a clue just how terrifyingly strong this seemingly older contestant truly is when he gets serious!"
On the reconstructed tournament stage, built upon the remnants of a mountain behind the Muten School dojo, the announcer passionately spoke into his microphone.
"How terrifying when serious?" Hathaway propped her chin with one hand, a slight smile on her lips. "Probably enough to shake the Earth itself?" She was seated in a VIP viewing room with her son, Tam, and granddaughter, Ninn, watching the matches unfold.
"Grandpa is so mean! If he's competing, no one else stands a chance at winning!" Ninn giggled as she leaned against her father, her youthful beauty radiant, with a pair of high-gloss frog-style sunglasses resting atop her hair.
Tam simply smiled in response.
Meanwhile, on the arena stage, Mu Taro's gray-white, shoulder-length hair flowed freely behind him as he ascended effortlessly, as if taking a casual stroll.
Using flight to enter the ring wasn't about showing off—it was just second nature at his level. For someone like him, flying was as ordinary as walking or breathing. If there was a raised platform in front of him, and stepping onto it seemed inconvenient, he would simply fly up.
This was no different from how Son Goku and others acted in the original manga.
But to the spectators, it was anything but ordinary!
This was the first time Mu Taro had publicly displayed the ability to fly!
So he really could do it!
Then… could he also unleash those energy blasts from his hands?
"Now this is what I came to see!" A journalist with a camera hanging around his neck had stars in his eyes. "Fight! The more intense, the better!"
"Is Mu Taro truly the founder of the Muten School? That seems more and more likely." Some reporters were already drafting their articles, though whether they could publish them would depend on whether Taro continued his streak of effortless victories.
Tam and the officials at Kuanto Entertainment had brought in an announcer who bore an uncanny resemblance to a certain yellow-haired, slicked-back, mustachioed commentator from Taro's memories.
Looking at the announcer, then glancing at the tournament contestants—including Huntun, who seemed suspiciously like Chiaotzu's ancestor, Noah Robe, who strongly resembled Yajirobe's forebear, the monks Purin and Puhui from Orin Temple, who were likely Krillin's predecessors... and even a young man named Tao Pai Pai...
Taro couldn't help but smile.
All that was missing was a "God of Martial Arts".
How... interesting.
The announcer continued, gripping his microphone. "Alright, next up... let's welcome contestant number two, Mu Taro's opponent for the first match of the first round—Tao Pai Pai!"
Tao Pai Pai stepped forward at the announcer's call, making his way toward the edge of the ring amidst the cheers of the crowd. He cast a glance at Mu Taro's back, who stood facing away from him, and let out a silent scoff before lifting off the ground and effortlessly floating onto the stage.
"This is contestant Tao Pai Pai, a young martial artist from the mysterious 'Crane School'! We don't know much about the 'Crane School,' but judging by its name, it seems to stand on equal footing with the currently dominant 'Muten School'!"
"One contestant is suspected of having deep ties to the 'Muten Master School'—Mu Taro. The other, a master from the school that shares its name—the 'Tsuru School' warrior, Tao Pai Pai! What kind of showdown will they bring us? Stay tuned!"
At a hotel, Tsuru watched the broadcast with a dark expression, lost in thought as he listened to the announcer's words.
On the stage, Tao Pai Pai walked past Taro and glanced at him. Their eyes met as if by fate, and in an instant, Tao Pai Pai's heart trembled. He felt as though his chest had been gripped by an invisible force, as if those indifferent and serene eyes had pierced right through him, leaving a chilling sensation in his soul.
Finally, the two contestants stopped about seven or eight meters apart.
"Now then, the first round of the tournament begins now!" The announcer declared before quickly leaping off the stage, positioning himself below to observe the match and provide commentary as needed.
The reason for "as needed" was simple—based on the previous regional matches, these super martial artists fought at a level far beyond what an ordinary person like him could hope to narrate. Sometimes, he couldn't even see their movements clearly.
Especially that contestant, Mu Taro.
In every match he had fought, no one had ever managed to capture how he actually defeated his opponents. Even high-speed cameras failed to record the moment of attack…
The match had begun, yet no action had taken place.
The audience roared with excitement, their cheers and applause shaking the arena.
But on the stage, the two fighters remained still, locked in a tense standoff amidst the deafening noise.
One stood motionless, calm and composed. The other, however, was rigid with tension, like prey caught in the gaze of an ancient beast, his every nerve on high alert.
"What a clear contrast in skill," remarked two monks in the waiting area. The grandmasters from Orin Temple, Purin and Puhui, shook their heads as they watched the broadcast. "That Tao Pai Pai… He's already lost."
In the corner, Noah Robe silently polished his longsword, saying nothing.
Nearby, the tall, broad-shouldered Native warrior, Uru, focused intently on Mu Taro, murmuring, "Mu Taro… I feel like I've heard a name like that in the tribe's legends…"
Back in the ring, Tao Pai Pai clenched and unclenched his fists, taking a deep breath. He recalled some of the words his sworn brother, Tsuru, had spoken to him, and his heart grew even heavier.
Before this match, he had assumed that all the reports about Taro—how he had effortlessly dominated every opponent in his regional tournament—were just exaggerations.
But now, standing before him, he hadn't even exchanged a single blow, yet the moment he locked eyes with Mu Taro, an overwhelming sense of "impossibility" had flooded his mind.
This feeling… this crushing powerlessness…
He despised it.
It reminded him of—
"Young man, your name is Tao Pai Pai, correct?" Mu Taro suddenly spoke, breaking the tense silence.
Tao Pai Pai froze, snapping back to reality, and then heard Mu Taro's cold, indifferent voice continue:
"'Taokuan'—what is your connection to it?"
Taokuan?!
How does he know about the Taokuan?!
"Interesting."
Mu Taro nodded. In that instant, he had already used telepathy to peer into Tao Pai Pai's memories.
"You are the last heir of the Taokuan lineage, yet you deceived and manipulated your way into becoming Tsuru's disciple… You never told him of your origins in the assassin organization Taokuan, did you? Then I suppose Tsuru never told you that he and I once killed one of their assassins years ago."
How does he know everything?!!
Tao Pai Pai hadn't even uttered a word, yet this man had already laid bare his entire history! Even the fact that he had tricked a memory-wiped Tsuru into taking him in!
Was this man even human?!
Terror gripped his heart.
"I'll give you one chance…" Mu Taro continued in his calm, detached voice.
He planted his feet slightly deeper into the ground.
BOOM!
A circular indentation, over a meter in diameter, formed around him on the ring's surface.
"If you can step inside this ring," he pointed at the mark, "or…" He gestured at the footprints he had just created beneath him, "if you can make me move even a single step from this spot—"
"So if I do, you'll admit defeat?" Tao Pai Pai cut in with a sneer. "You may be strong, but don't you think you're looking down on me a little too much?"
"No."
Taro's voice was chillingly calm.
"If you can do that, you won't have to die."