Chapter 37: John vs. Tien Shinhan

The next day, everyone enjoyed a hearty breakfast before heading to the Martial Arts Tournament venue. Although the top eight matches had not yet begun, the area around the stage was already packed with spectators, buzzing with excitement.

John and his companions parted ways with Bulma at the entrance of the venue, as Bulma and her group went to watch from the stands. Coincidentally, they ran into Tien Shinhan and Chaoz from the Crane School right at the entrance.

Especially with the first top-eight match about to take place, a spark of rivalry ignited between John and Tien Shinhan as they exchanged glances.

At that moment, Master Shen, standing beside Tien Shinhan, let out a harsh laugh and said, "A few little turtles! Where's your master? Why isn't that old turtle here?"

"Is he too afraid to watch his disciples lose?" 

John momentarily shifted his focus from Tien Shinhan to Master Shen and retorted, "Your laugh sounds like a duck quacking—it's unbearable. If you want to find my master, he's over in the spectator area waiting for you."

Without waiting for a response, John strode confidently into the venue. Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha followed closely behind him.

Master Shen's comment about John's laugh infuriated him; he longed to teach John a lesson himself. However, for better effect, Master Shen suppressed his anger and instructed Tien Shinhan, "This arrogant kid is yours; make sure you beat him so badly he can't take care of himself."

"Don't worry, Master," Tien Shinhan replied fiercely as he glared at John's back, vowing to teach him a lesson in the arena.

Soon after, the first match of the top eight was about to begin. The host stood on stage and announced loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, the highly anticipated top eight matches of the World Martial Arts Tournament are about to commence."

"Without further ado, let's welcome our first contestants: John from the Turtle School and Tien Shinhan from the Crane School!"

As the announcer's voice echoed through the arena, John walked toward the stage amidst cheers from Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha. Upon reaching the entrance of the stage, he locked eyes with Tien Shinhan; both could sense each other's fighting spirit.

The host continued introducing them: "Today's audience is in for a treat! Contestant John hails from the Turtle School and was last tournament's runner-up."

"And contestant Tien Shinhan comes from the equally renowned Crane School."

"This match will be like a collision between Mars and Earth—fire meets water! Who will emerge victorious?!"

"I declare that the first match of the top eight begins now!" With that declaration, the host dramatically swung his arm down.

With a loud clang of a gong, John and Tien Shinhan immediately assumed their fighting stances. John launched an attack first; both fighters exchanged punches fiercely without yielding.

The intense battle captivated all spectators present. Cheers erupted as each fighter had their supporters.

With a loud *thud*, both struck each other in the face simultaneously before springing back to reassess their positions. 

Tien Shinhan remarked, "Is that all you've got? If so, you might as well just give up!"

John smiled slightly and replied, "Just warming up; I had a big breakfast this morning! I can't help but fill my stomach when I see food."

"Hmph! Don't think that will shake my confidence; I was just warming up too," Tien Shinhan said defensively while heightening his vigilance.

Despite feeling like they were evenly matched during their earlier exchanges, Tien Shinhan sensed that John's true strength was likely much greater than what he had shown so far.

John indeed wasn't boasting; he had merely been warming up. Now prepared to unleash his full power, an immense aura began to rise from John's body.

Those unfamiliar with martial arts might not notice anything unusual; however, those who could sense energy felt John's presence transform into that of a colossal beast lying in wait on the stage.

Especially for Tien Shinhan—facing John directly—he felt John's form grow larger while he appeared smaller in comparison.

"I can't let this be just an illusion! I can defeat him!" Tien Shinhan encouraged himself loudly.

With hands positioned beside his face, he shouted: "Solar Flare!"

Suddenly, an intense light burst forth on stage like a rising sun. The blinding brightness illuminated everything around it; anyone without cover felt their eyes nearly blinded and instinctively shut them tight.

As Tien Shinhan prepared his attack under this guise, John anticipated his move. He quickly closed his eyes and relied solely on sensing Tien Shinhan's energy to locate him.

As Tien Shinhan took advantage of this moment to attack, John ducked under his strike and delivered a powerful punch to Tien Shinhan's abdomen. The impact caused Tien Shinhan to gasp in pain as he looked at John in shock exclaiming: "This is impossible! How could you not be affected by my Solar Flare?!"

Afterward, clutching his stomach tightly, Tien Shinhan bent over and fell to the ground.

John replied calmly: "Even though I can't see you with my eyes closed, I can clearly feel your energy. As long as I can grasp your energy fluctuations, I can counterattack."

Turning toward the host, John added: "Hey! Aren't you going to start counting down? Given his current state, he should be considered unable to fight back."

"Oh! Right!" The host rushed over to Tien Shinhan's side and began counting down: "One... two... three... seven... eight!"

As he counted down, Master Shen shouted frantically from outside the stage: "Tien! How can you lose to someone from Turtle School? Get up! Do you hear me?!"

Under everyone's watchful gaze, when the host reached eight in his countdown, Tien Shinhan stirred. Slowly getting up from the ground he said: "Wait! I just didn't sleep well last night; I was merely resting for a moment."

"Now that I'm rested up properly... let's begin the real fight!"

After standing upright again slowly,

the host exclaimed loudly: "Did you see that? Ladies and gentlemen! The previous battle was truly exciting!"

"But based on what we heard from both contestants just now—it seems that battle was merely a warm-up! The real fight is about to begin! Let's look forward to it!"

The host's words ignited cheers from all spectators in attendance.