Bam ultimately lost.
It was inevitable. His opponent was a super expert with a peak battle power of over sixteen million, while Bam, even after using his Tenfold, Twelvefold, and even Fifteenfold Kaioken, pushing his body to the brink of madness, could barely reach over three million.
Even a fraction of the opponent's power was still out of reach.
Although a brilliant martial artist could win against a stronger opponent, that was only within certain limits. When the gap was as vast as this, no technique, martial art, belief, or perseverance mattered. Gigantic and insurmountable strength could crush everything.
"..."
Jiam's expression became serious as he knocked Bam to the ground once more. He quickly moved forward, grabbing Bam by the arms as he fell helplessly backwards, grunting, "Your spirit is strong..."
The square arena was covered in blood — blood from Bam.
Bam's muscles had expanded to an abnormal size, stretching his clothes so tightly that some parts had ripped. Jiam had originally thought that the huge power gap would make Bam surrender, but he admired his persistence.
"Heh... I lost," Bam managed to say, standing up with Jiam's help, shaking his head.
Jiam helped him up, rolling his eyes. "It's not unfair for you to lose to me."
"31st victory," came the announcement from the Grand Kai, and the blue line for Jiam's 31st number on the massive tournament board extended upward, marking his advancement.
"Next group, step up."
Taro flew up onto the arena, nodded at Jiam, and took the weakened Bam.
Even Son Goku, with a Saiyan body, had nearly collapsed after using the Twentyfold Kaioken. How could Bam, with a regular Earthling body, stand a chance? He had trained for fifty years to barely use the Fourteenfold Kaioken, but he had just forced himself to use the Fifteenfold Kaioken, leaving his body shattered.
When Taro pulled him over, Bam cried out in pain. This was a man who had once entered the Demon Realm alone without flinching, yet now, he couldn't even muster the strength to scream.
"What's with the showoff?" Taro scolded, seeing Bam's bloodied state.
Bam could barely respond. He had pushed himself so hard, partly to test his limits and partly because he had sensed that his opponent had some negative attitude towards Wuxian, which irritated him. Unfortunately, his strength wasn't enough, and he couldn't even land a punch.
Taro shook his head and pulled out an Senzu Bean. It was a great item, something Taro always carried with him, replenished whenever he ran low, courtesy of Korin at the Korin Tower.
Bam had eaten one of these before. His eyes lit up, eagerly taking it. His hands shook so much from his exhaustion that he almost shoved it up his nose, but once he swallowed the bean, he stood up as if nothing had happened.
Jiam stared in surprise. Just moments ago, Bam looked on the verge of death, and now, he was full of energy again.
"You're impressive," Bam said as he stretched his body, feeling rejuvenated.
Jiam raised an eyebrow. "I know."
Bam continued, "But you can't beat Master Muten."
He paused and casually gestured to Taro, indicating that he was the one he was talking about.
Jiam's eyebrow twitched, his smile turning cold. "Heh... It seems you still don't understand how big the gap between us really is. This person may be a little stronger than you... but it's still limited." He eyed Taro without restraint.
'This guy? I can't beat him? What a joke.'
Jiam, although not able to see ki or understand the standard combat power numbers used by Frieza and his allies, could still sense Taro's power of over four million, which he found clear and distinct.
In the end, it was nothing special. Compared to his full power, it was completely inadequate.
To Jiam, the so-called Master Muten that Bam referred to — who participated in the tournament with a mortal body — was no different from Bam. They were just small obstacles for him to overcome before his next challenge.
Taro silently sighed. He could guess the unknown contestant's thoughts. He had no intention of engaging in verbal sparring; instead, he directly dragged Bam off the stage.
Jiam snorted and floated away, glancing at Duan, the cold-faced man with white hair from the previous tournament who stood alone with his arms crossed, remaining silent until it was his turn.
"Just wait... you'll see what kind of training I've undergone these past years." Jiam clenched his fist quietly.
---
On the King Kai's platform.
"That kid was it really necessary to go that far for a martial arts tournament?" the King Kai shook his head. He felt regret for Bam, who might have had a fighting chance against the previous 4th or 5th place if he had used his Tenfold Kaioken normally. But because he faced Jiam so early, it was all for nothing.
Behind him, there was a constant noise.
Unable to ignore it any longer, the King Kai turned around, hands behind his back, and caught sight of a laptop on Hathaway's lap. The screen was full of rapidly scrolling lines of code, reflected in his small round sunglasses.
Instantly feeling the weight of being outmatched, the King Kai cleared his throat and curiously asked, "Taro's... uh... what are you doing?"
"Just call me Hathaway, Lord Kai," Hathaway replied with a slight smile. Her fingers stopped abruptly on the keyboard, leaving behind a faint trail of afterimages as she glanced at the screen, the mystery deepening in her voice. "I'm creating life."
"Creating life?" The King Kai was puzzled. While he didn't know how to make a comment, he understood the literal meaning of the words. But how did this relate to what Hathaway was doing?
"Haha." Hathaway laughed carelessly. Seeing the King Kai's clueless expression seemed amusing to her. She stifled her laughter, then flicked a lock of lavender hair and looked toward the arena, her gaze softening. "I don't have much time. I just want to do something for him before I leave."
"What?" The King Kai was still confused.
"Nothing," Hathaway said, not wishing to explain further. She lowered her head and continued typing rapidly on the keyboard.
The King Kai's mustache twitched as he stole another glance at the object plugged into the side of Hathaway's laptop. Though puzzled, he refrained from asking further, instead turning his focus back to the match.
---
The tournament progressed smoothly.
Round by round, half of the contestants were eliminated. After each round, the Grand Kai would reset the numbers of the advancing contestants randomly. The huge tournament board above the arena also saw the numbers steadily decrease, halving each time.
Time passed — how much, no one knew, as there were no celestial bodies like the sun or moon on the Grand Kai's planet. After Taro briefly teleported back to Earth to bring Hathaway some food and snacks, the massive tournament board above the arena finally showed only four numbers.
The remaining four: Duan, Jiam, Taro and another expert with a power level of around three million, the previous third-place winner. Because the Grand Kai only announced numbers and not names, Taro didn't know this contestant's name.
The tournament had finally reached the semi-final round.
For the semi-finals, naturally, there would be only two matches.
The four remaining contestants were all masters among masters. Everyone present — the countless souls in the stands, Gaya, the previous Kai, Garga, Fortuneteller's master, the eliminated contestants beneath the stage, the King Kai, and the Grand Kai — were all watching intently. Even Hathaway, who had been munching on bread and sipping hot coffee (heated with Taro's Ki), closed her laptop and focused her attention on the match.
The first match began soon after.
Contestant 1 vs. Contestant 2. The two contestants ascended the stage.
Taro vs. Jiam.
---
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