The six contestants walked out one by one from the contestant passageway, each introduced by the host. Every time one stepped out, the audience erupted into applause.
With their appearances, the crowd cheered for the hulking figure of Uru, the man in white martial arts attire, Lanton, the well-built Monkey D., the bearded Fan with white bandages wrapped around his head, and Noah Robe with a wooden sword strapped to his waist... The audience cheered, clapped, and shouted encouragement, but when an elderly figure with grayish-white medium-length hair appeared last, walking steadily, the applause surged to an even higher level!
"Such popularity..."
"Really loved by everyone."
"The Master is so cool!"
"I wonder if this person will be on stage in the next round..."
The first five contestants, walking ahead, naturally felt the strong contrast in the audience's reactions. However, they couldn't help but acknowledge it. After all, the person behind them could very well be the legendary Muten Master, the very founder of the two martial arts schools they followed. If the two schools' last disciples were this formidable, then what about their founder?
Though they were shocked by Taro's age, the world had always been full of extraordinary people. There were indeed people who lived exceptionally long lives, and martial artists like them were more inclined to accept such extraordinary occurrences.
Furthermore, they were some of the most powerful martial artists on Earth, and even if they couldn't awaken the energy within themselves, it was only dormant. They knew that they were not far apart in strength from each other.
Thus, they all subtly realized... They could not perceive just how powerful Taro truly was.
Before a fight, skilled martial artists could often gauge an opponent's strength with just a glance. It was an instinct, a premonition before the awakening of their ki. With the right opportunity, a martial artist who had reached such a level could naturally unlock the power hidden within them.
Once that happened, whether it was concentrating energy waves or using ki to fly, it wouldn't be difficult.
But now... these five people couldn't even feel how powerful Taro was! What an astonishing realization! It was as if Taro was just a puff of air; if it weren't for the fact that they could see him with their eyes, they might even think he was an illusion.
Taro's martial arts had reached such a level that it was almost beyond belief. It was no longer something humanly possible.
The six contestants stood in a row outside the Arena.
The live camera moved slowly from left to right across their faces. When it passed over Monkey D., it lingered for a moment on his muscular body revealed by the torn martial arts uniform, drawing loud cheers from the female audience both in the live venue and watching the broadcast.
Second Round, First Match: Mu Taro vs Uru!
"Is Master Korin well?" Taro asked with a smile, looking across at the tall, dark-skinned Uru.
The man, filled with excitement and nervousness from facing Taro, was stunned by the unexpected question. "I haven't climbed Korin Tower yet... I haven't seen the Master Korin..." he quickly realized, letting out a breath and smiling. "You are indeed the one who ascended Korin Tower, the legendary one from our tribe!"
"Thank you... for the magical beans you gave me, Muten Master!" He respectfully bowed.
"What happened? I wonder what the two fighters on stage are talking about. Uru suddenly bowed deeply to Taro! Could it be... that Taro is truly the Muten Master, as the rumors say?" The host, also the judge, enthusiastically grabbed the microphone and commented outside the arena.
"You don't have to call me Muten Master, just call me by my name," Taro waved his hand nonchalantly, then glanced at Uru and joked, "Is it lucky or unlucky that you met me here?"
"It's an incredible honor to ask for guidance from Master Taro!" Uru, the burly man, spoke with sincere admiration.
Taro's eyes now were like a hawk's, his martial arts understanding far beyond ordinary, surpassing even the deep, mysterious cat immortal atop Korin Tower. With a single glance, he could tell that Uru was on the verge of comprehending the secrets of ki.
Once physical ability reached a certain level and the mind's enlightenment occurred, a martial artist would naturally be able to grasp the path of ki.
The ancient masters all went through this same process.
Only this "final step" was a huge gap, and whether one could cross it was a major challenge that had blocked the way of many geniuses throughout history.
Mutaito was the person who had crossed this gap himself. He often reflected on it deeply, and whenever he did, he felt the immense difficulty of martial arts. So, he created the Bankoku-Bukkiru-Shou and Kikoho as two extraordinary techniques, which he passed on to Taro and Tsuru, so they could use these techniques to understand ki martial arts more quickly and breakthrough in their own cultivation.
At the level of Taro and Tsuru, someone with the right potential could quickly guide out their ki with just a bit of advice from them.
The process of the match didn't need much explanation.
Taro, with his "coaching" stance, effortlessly won the match, a battle that was clear to anyone with eyes. His effortless movement and calm demeanor, captured by the cameras, made the crowd of martial arts fans, as well as Taro's students and admirers, scream with excitement.
"This is a true grandmaster! Look at his style!"
"The champion of the World Martial Arts Tournament must be Master Taro! I won't accept anything else!!"
"Are you all stupid? Don't you know Master Taro is the grandfather of Tam? Tam only organized this competition to make his grandfather, Master Taro, the acknowledged number one in the world! Do you think the champion can be slandered?!"
"Who dares to slander my Master Taro's championship? Tell me, who dares? Who has the ability to slander it? My Master Taro is invincible! Invincible!!"
"Hey, hey, hey, that's enough! Isn't this a bit overboard? He's just a slightly stronger ordinary person, what are you all hyping him up for?!"
A counter-post appeared, and immediately a flood of replies came rushing in, some agreeing, some supporting, some neutral, and others insulting, mocking, or dismissing it.
Ninn angrily turned off her phone and tossed it aside.
"What's wrong with you again, young miss? Maybe I should call your mother to discipline you!" Tam sighed helplessly.
Ninn ignored him, sulkily running over to sit next to Hathaway, fuming, "Grandma, we should have Grandpa tie those ignorant fools together and throw them into space! How dare they doubt Grandpa's strength? How dare they say Grandpa is just an ordinary person? It's driving me crazy!"
"Look at you, look at you..." Hathaway smiled kindly and reached out to tap Ninn's smooth forehead.
Ninn pouted, then suddenly clasped her hands together and began praying to the ceiling, muttering something.
When Tam walked over to listen, he heard her praying, "Meteor shower, come quickly! Alien invasion, come quickly! The end of the world, come quickly! Hmph, then those guys will cry and beg Grandpa to save them..."
---
"Remember this feeling! Use your thoughts to guide the hot energy inside your body! Yes, slowly..." Taro's voice, as clear as a bell, rang in Uru's ears. Uru, with a focused expression, naturally followed Taro's words, guiding the energy within his body.
Gradually, his feet left the ground.
"This..." Lanton and Monkey D. on the sidelines were envious. What kind of luck was this for Uru? He was getting personal guidance from Master Taro! He had immediately unlocked his ki and even learned how to fly! What incredible luck!
Beside them, Fan also clenched his fists, mentally chanting, I must win! I must win the next match!! I must stand before Master Taro!!!
Even Noah Robe, who usually didn't care about anything, was intently watching the changes in the match. However, after gripping the hilt of his sword, he sighed inwardly. It was such a pity that the match didn't allow him to use his best sword... he really wanted to have a real fight.