The emergency doctors and nurses on standby rushed over and carried the severely injured Puhui onto a stretcher. Meanwhile, Uru half-crouched on the ring, resting for a moment before finally standing up. He had won the second match of the first round.
'My next opponent... it's him!' Uru panted, filled with fighting spirit and a hint of longing. He didn't mind at all that he would soon face the mysterious and powerful old man, Taro. After all, wasn't the reason he left the great forest to experience the strength of the masters outside? To have the chance to spar with the legendary Taro was more than he could have hoped for!
At the edge of the ring, the monk Purin hurriedly ran over. His arrival caused some confusion among the front-row spectators, as the next match wasn't his. But when they remembered that he and the fallen monk were from the same temple, they understood.
"Don't disturb the injured! He needs immediate medical attention!" The emergency doctor supporting the stretcher frowned and pushed the blocking monk Purin aside.
"Is that you, senior brother...?" Puhui spoke weakly from the stretcher.
"Let me take a look!" Purin ignored the others and, with a slight exertion of strength, brushed the emergency doctor aside. He leaned over the stretcher and scolded, "Junior brother! I told you before, when facing an opponent, never hesitate! You were afraid of using too much force and hurting someone, but your opponent wouldn't hold back!"
Puhui's chin and clothes were stained with blood, making him look utterly miserable. At the same time, Purin pulled out one of the two Senzu Beans Taro had given him.
"Senior brother, what is this...?" Puhui smiled weakly, not offering any excuses, but he looked puzzled at the bean Purin handed him.
"This was given by that Muten Master... Master Taro. I don't know what it is, but he entrusted it to me, telling me to give it to you and Uru. I think... I think it's..." Purin didn't believe such a small bean could be of much use, but he trusted Taro and sighed, "I think it might help your injuries!"
"How can you give the injured something of unknown origin?!" The emergency doctor, nearly knocked off balance by Purin, suppressed his anger and tried to push Purin away from the stretcher. But Purin stood firm, unmoving.
The nurses carrying the stretcher lowered their heads, trying not to laugh, while the emergency doctor's face turned red with frustration.
"What do you know about the affairs of martial artists?" Purin glared at the annoying doctor behind him. Puhui weakly raised his hand to stop him, "Enough... senior brother, let me eat it. If it's given by the Muten Master, it surely won't harm me."
"Exactly!" Purin sighed and placed the Senzu Bean into his junior brother's mouth.
He recalled how Taro had flicked the bean with such force that it could have shattered a wall, yet when he caught it, he felt nothing... Taro was undoubtedly the legendary 'Muten Master' spoken of in rumors.
"If anything happens, I'll see how you..." The emergency doctor fumed, but soon his expression, like everyone else's, turned to shock. The last word, "handle," stuck in his throat.
Because before his eyes, Puhui, who had been on the brink of death, covered in blood and barely breathing, suddenly... suddenly opened his eyes wide and leapt off the stretcher, full of energy!
Puhui looked at his hands in confusion, patting his body and bones. His injuries... were completely healed? Not only that, but his strength had fully returned as well.
"This is unbelievable..." Purin murmured. A tiny bean could bring someone back from the brink of death and heal all injuries? He couldn't help but marvel, "The Muten Master... the title of 'Muten' is no exaggeration. Even the great master Mutaito, who once defeated the Demon King Piccolo, as recorded in our temple, might not compare..."
Purin trailed off, stunned.
"Yes, Mutaito... the great master 'Mutaito?" Puhui, still in awe, suddenly realized something. He and Purin exchanged glances and exclaimed in unison, "Mu Taro? The Muten Master'? The 'Muten School'?"
Both of them saw the shock in each other's eyes, their scalps tingling. They vaguely sensed a profound connection... If this Muten Master, Taro, was indeed related to Mutaito—or if they were master and disciple—then this pair had saved the world more than once!
---
"Huh? What's going on? We can see that Puhui, who was supposed to be taken away for emergency treatment, has been stopped by Purin, who rushed over from backstage. Let me introduce—Purin and Puhui, who just lost to Uru, are fellow disciples from the reclusive 'Dolin Temple'!"
The host noticed that Uru had already left the ring, but the stretcher at the edge hadn't been moved. However, this wasn't something he had time to deal with, so he covered the microphone and gestured to the staff offstage. Then, into the microphone, he said, "Uh, Uru, if you can, please escort Purin back to the rest area. His junior brother needs urgent treatment!"
Uru paused, nodded silently, and walked over to the stretcher. He knew full well that Puhui had held back at the last moment. Although he didn't agree with Puhui's merciful and indecisive fighting style, he was still a good person. Uru didn't want him to suffer any complications due to delayed treatment.
As Uru approached, he happened to see Puhui, surrounded by people, getting off the stretcher. 'Is he trying to get himself killed?' Uru thought, faintly hearing the gasps and exclamations of the nurses and doctors. 'What's going on?'
---
"By the way, this is the other one Master Taro gave me. He said it's for you," Purin patted the tall Native American man, who was standing there dumbfounded after seeing Puhui completely healed. Purin took out the other Senzu Bean and handed it to Uru.
The nurses and doctors present all followed the movement of the bean in Purin's hand with their eyes... They had just witnessed how this unassuming little bean was so, so, so incredibly miraculous!
"Is this the bean...?" Uru snapped out of his daze and carefully took the Senzu Bean, murmuring, "This is... the Senzu Bean from the Sage of Korin Tower? The Senzu Bean of Korin... How is this possible...?"
Their tribe recorded and passed down the stories of every warrior who had ever climbed Korin Tower, so he had heard of Taro and Mutaito's deeds. Now, all his doubts were gone.
'That old man, Taro... He really is the Muten Master who once saved the world! Just like his master, the great master Mutaito, he too was a savior of this world!'
Uru placed the Senzu Bean in his mouth and bit down with a *crunch*.
Behind him, the next contestant, Noah Robe, holding a wooden sword, followed expressionlessly behind the champion of Central City.
The audience erupted in cheers and applause, welcoming the fighters to the stage!
---
VIP Seats.
"It seems the atmosphere is heating up after that monk and the big guy's match... Well, the old man's matches are too straightforward, not very entertaining," Tam said, sitting by the window and shaking his head with a smile.
"I think Grandpa's style is really cool!" Ninn disagreed. She hadn't been paying much attention to the matches below, instead enthusiastically browsing through real-time reports and netizen comments about the World Martial Arts Tournament online.
Basically, everyone was expressing their awe and admiration for Taro's strength in various ways... The idea that Taro was the Muten Master, the founder of the Muten School, was gaining more and more acceptance.
However, the public seemed to prefer calling Taro "Master Taro".
His sage-like demeanor and masterful presence were undeniable.
Most of the eliminated contestants from various regional competitions also supported this title. If this man truly was the Muten Master, given his experience, his achievements, and his legendary strength, he certainly deserved to be called "Master" by everyone.
But this still treated Taro as a "person".
In Ninn's eyes, her grandpa wasn't a person at all! He was an omnipotent god! These people knew nothing and were still seriously discussing her grandpa... It was really... annoying!
Ninn tossed her phone aside, pouting, "These people are so pitiful. They have no idea that even if they trained their whole lives, they could never be as strong as Grandpa. Hmph..."
"You can't say that. Striving for self-improvement is the essence of martial arts..." Tam shook his head, glancing down at his phone. Seeing a message from his secretary—"Martial Arts Association document failed review"—he frowned slightly.
Hathaway, holding a delicate white porcelain cup, leaned back against the leather sofa, sipping fragrant tea with elegant grace. Though her face showed age, her elegance remained unchanged. Her eyes softened as she smiled and said, "Hehe... I agree with Ninn's point, Tam."
"See, I told you!" Ninn hugged Hathaway's arm, grinning at her father. "Grandma understands Grandpa best. She thinks so too!"
Tam put away his phone and shook his head. "You women..."