I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 217 Are you interested in participating in the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament?

The so-called "automatic dodge technique" is not actually a move, but a state of martial arts mastery.

In other words, it relies on years of accumulated martial arts experience to instinctively predict the opponent's tactics and attack patterns, thereby enabling one to anticipate and evade the enemy. In principle, it is somewhat similar to the "Transparent World" in the Demon Slayer world.

In addition...

"This white-bearded old man, why does he look like he knows Observation Haki?"

Yamato watched for a while, then suddenly spoke up.

That's right.

In the world of One Piece, Observation Haki, when mastered to a high level, is said to allow one to foresee an opponent's attacks. This is somewhat similar to "Transparent World" and "Automatic Evasion Technology," albeit through different paths.

"Tanjiro, watch closely, this is a live demonstration by the 'God of Martial Arts'."

Hikaru Uchiha patted Tanjiro on the shoulder: "Recall your father's teachings and see if you can glean anything from them."

In the original work, Tanjiro learned the "Transparent World" from his father Tanjuro when he was young, but he could not use it freely. He only remembered it again when he was chasing Hantengu's true form. Later, in the final battle against Akaza, he finally mastered its principle and used it to kill Akaza.

Now, the appearance of Uchiha Hikari and the chat group has changed Tanjiro's growth trajectory. He has not been able to confront any Upper Rank demons other than Daki and her brother, and therefore has not been able to fully understand the function of the "Transparent World".

This battle might be an opportunity for him.

"Okay, I understand."

Tanjiro opened his eyes wide and watched intently.

the other side.

Esdeath, facing the slippery Master Roshi, gradually grew more and more enraged: "Hmph, is this all you can do? Then try this move... Demonic Manifestation: Frosty Purgatory!"

Accompanied by a sharp shout.

Boundless cold air erupted from Esdeath's body, instantly filling the area within a radius of several hundred meters. It then transformed into countless white ice shards, shooting towards Master Roshi as if to imprison him!

"?!"

Now, Master Roshi had nowhere to hide, so he could only raise his internal "ki" and let out a sudden roar:

"The World-Shaking Palm!"

In an instant, tens of thousands of watts of bright golden high-voltage current burst forth from Master Roshi's palm, slamming head-on into the white ice shards!

This move is one of Master Roshi's signature techniques, originating from his master, Mutaito.

At that moment, wherever the electric current passed, even layers of ice several feet thick were rapidly melted and disintegrated. Then, large amounts of light and heat burst forth in all directions, transforming into an overwhelming cloud of scorching steam that enveloped the entire sea area!

boom--!!

Before the steam could even reach the location of Uchiha Hikaru and the others, the mist condensed again, and amidst the frost, a massive ice throne rose behind Esdeath, charging towards Master Roshi. Master Roshi finally exhaled, activating his more powerful muscular form.

From an observer's perspective, one can clearly see his withered and thin body rapidly inflating like a balloon, his entire size nearly doubling!

"So this is your true strength?"

Esdeath's triumphant laughter echoed across the battlefield: "With such strength, I acknowledge you! Of all the opponents I've faced so far, I would call you the second strongest!"

"...The second strongest?"

So, the first one, couldn't it be...?

Bulma and Yamato noticed Esdeath's choice of words and turned their heads in unison to look at the silent Uchiha Hikaru.

Under the watchful eyes of the others, Uchiha Hikaru pursed her lips, a hint of embarrassment appearing on her fair face.

Esdeath's line was obviously learned from her.

Well...

When you say those lines yourself, it feels pretty cool.

However, as an observer, hearing someone say it to your face can feel a bit like being publicly shamed for having a case of adolescent delusions, and an awkwardness that makes you want to dig your toes into the ground.

Fortunately, Bulma and the others didn't seem to care.

After all, their average age is only in their teens, and they haven't completely outgrown their teenage years. Yamato, in particular, gripped her spiked club tightly, seemingly wanting to rush in and fight Esdeath, vying with Master Roshi for the title of "second strongest."

The battle continues.

From the moment Master Roshi activated his muscular form, the battle truly entered its most intense phase.

As the momentum of both sides intensified, the previously frozen ice surface began to crack, shatter, and transform into surging waves that rose high before being frozen solid once more. Golden electric currents, like giant serpents, roamed freely in the surrounding air, emitting a crackling and buzzing sound.

The seawater, vaporized and rising into the sky, gradually formed a dark, heavy cumulonimbus cloud.

click-

The clouds collided, and a deep purple lightning bolt disappeared high in the sky, accompanied by rolling thunder.

The sea surface, more than ten kilometers away, began to churn and surge, forming giant waves more than ten meters high.

A storm is brewing.

In this situation, Esdeath stepped onto the ice and rose to a height of 100 meters. With just a snap of her fingers, a huge ice meteorite appeared in mid-air and was gently pushed by the military princess, plummeting downwards.

Faced with the enormous shadow descending from the sky, Master Roshi took a deep breath, brought his hands together in the shape of a calyx, and then gathered the remaining "ki" in his body into his palms, transforming it into an increasingly bright ball of energy.

at last……

"Frozen Meteor!"

"Kamehameha!"

The falling ice meteorite and the release of the energy wave occurred almost simultaneously.

The next second, the slender beam of light collided with the huge meteorite, penetrating from the bottom of the ice layer. After a brief calm, a faint light could be seen shining through the outer surface of the meteorite, and then more and more... During this process, spiderweb-like cracks spread from the initial point to the entire ice surface!

Splash...

In the blink of an eye, the ice meteorite, made of ice, was pierced and crushed. The Kamehameha wave emanated from the middle of the meteorite. Although it appeared to have shrunk in size, it continued to fly into the sky with undiminished momentum, piercing through the clouds in one breath before gradually dissipating.

"call……"

Taking advantage of the temporary pause in the battle, Master Roshi turned around and quickly ran back to the island: "Let's stop here. If we keep fighting, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect this little island."

After a pause, Master Roshi looked at Esdeath in the air and spoke again: "Your strength is quite impressive. Despite not having systematically studied 'ki,' you managed to force me into this situation solely through your physique and superpowers. If this continues, I'll be the one who loses."

"..."

Esdeath seems a little unsatisfied.

However, since Master Roshi had so readily admitted defeat, she couldn't force him to continue fighting. She could only sigh, snap her fingers in annoyance to disperse the surrounding ice, and then slightly restrain her aura as she stepped onto the ice and landed back on Kame-no-Island.

Until this point.

Tanjiro, having just snapped out of his spectator mode, exclaimed in admiration, "Miss Esdeath is amazing! Master Roshi is amazing too! I never imagined that 'ki' could be used to this extent; it's truly an eye-opener... Thank you both so much for allowing me to observe your fight!"

"Oh...you're too kind, little one."

Master Roshi responded with a chuckle, though he sounded a little out of breath.

no way.

While the muscular state is stronger than normal, it also consumes "ki" much faster. If it were Master Roshi back in his middle age, he could probably last longer, but now, even without directly surrendering to Esdeath, Master Roshi will be forced to exit the "muscular state" very quickly.

Furthermore...

Even if he still had plenty of energy, Master Roshi estimated that he would still lose. With his keen eyesight, he could vaguely tell that the blue-haired woman he was fighting was not using her full strength.

—That's indeed the case. If Esdeath had activated "Mahavairocana" right from the start, Master Roshi, who wasn't yet in a serious fighting state, would likely have been instantly killed by her. Even if Master Roshi were to unleash his full power, he wouldn't have been able to withstand the effect of the frozen space.

From this perspective, "Mokpa Temo" is also a kind of ability that can kill upon first sight.

"...Truly, the younger generation is formidable. I never imagined that after only a few decades of seclusion on the island, such a master would appear outside...May I ask who your master is?"

Master Roshi hesitated for a few moments, but finally asked out of curiosity.

Regarding this issue...

Esdeath responded calmly: "I have no master."

As a descendant of a minority ethnic group in the northern border of the empire, Esdeath honed her skills through sheer hard work and fighting. If she had to name a "master," her father during her childhood would probably be the only one. After that, she hunted dangerous species and northern tribes on her own, won first place in the Imperial Capital Martial Arts Tournament, and climbed the ranks step by step by joining the military.

Compared to schools with clear lineages like Turtle Hermitage and Crane Hermitage, it can only be considered a wild path that he figured out on his own.

"This... I actually cultivated it myself?"

Master Roshi looked surprised.

Uchiha Hikaru nodded and chimed in, "That's true. As you've seen, Bulma's friend and I are skilled in using superpowers. There's no teacher who can teach us that; we can only rely on our own exploration and understanding... However, we'd like to ask you for some guidance on matters related to 'ki'."

"Give me some pointers...?"

Before Master Roshi could say anything more...

Suddenly, the sound of surging waves came from the sea not far away.

Uchiha Hikaru and Tanjiro were the first to notice the commotion. They turned their heads and looked in the direction from which the sound came, and saw a motorboat cutting through the waves and speeding toward the island.

It only took about half a minute.

The speedboat arrived at Turtle Island and stopped. Goku and Krillin, wearing fighting outfits with the character "turtle" on them, jumped off the speedboat. Behind them followed Launch, the blue-haired girl, carrying large and small bags, who seemed to be going out to buy groceries.

Speaking of which, this Miss Lanqi is quite interesting.

According to the original Dragon Ball setting, she is a rare case of dissociative identity disorder. Whenever she sneezes, she switches from a gentle, soft-spoken blue-haired form to a volatile, ruthless blonde form. In a way, this can be considered a rare talent. Unfortunately, her fighting power is a bit low, and she has never learned "ki," so she can only work as a cook on Kame Island.

"Oh, Bulma, you're here?"

Goku noticed Bulma immediately, and then looked at the others in turn.

Upon seeing Uchiha Hikaru, Goku was visibly startled, tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then suddenly extended a finger:

"It's you! You're the sister who pricked me with a needle!"

"……what?"

Uchiha Hikaru was slightly taken aback.

She...did prick Little Wukong with a needle.

Last year, when I was collecting Dragon Balls, I wanted to collect some Saiyan blood samples as well, so I managed to get some blood and skin samples from Goku. I didn't expect this little guy to have such a good memory; after all this time, he could still recognize me at a glance…

But seeing her reminds me of needles. Could it be that he was pricked during the blood draw last year?

Recalling the original work's setting that Goku was afraid of injections, Uchiha Hikaru couldn't help but have a strange expression.

Surely this weakness isn't caused by her?

the other side.

After Bulma introduced Uchiha Hikaru and the others, Krillin nodded and greeted them. Then he turned to look at the sea beside him—where many large and small, partially melted ice floes still floated, and the rain clouds in the sky had not completely dissipated.

"Master Master Roshi, what exactly happened just now? When Goku, Miss Launch, and I came from the town, we saw lightning and thunder here. Is it related to you and these guests?"

"What lightning and thunder? You must have seen wrong."

Master Roshi casually explained, "It's a beautiful sunny day today, where would the lightning come from? Have you and Goku finished your training? Hurry up and do it, or you won't get any lunch."

"yes……"

Klin scratched his bald head, his face full of doubt.

After another round of pleasantries, the group followed Master Roshi into the house.

Lanqi brought the vegetables and meat she had just bought into the kitchen, put on an apron, and started cooking.

Meanwhile, Goku and Krillin were sent outside by Master Roshi to do push-ups and sit-ups, which was said to be their daily pre-meal exercise.

then.

Master Roshi hesitated for a moment before responding to the topic of "guidance on training" that Uchiha Hikaru had just mentioned:

"Let's put aside the matter of 'guidance' for now. I have a small question I'd like to ask you all first."

Master Roshi paused, then looked up at Uchiha Hikaru and the others: "I wonder if you guys are interested in participating in the 'World Martial Arts Tournament' in two weeks?"

(End of this chapter)