It was truly amazing.
The strength he had lost seemed to return all at once. Noah Robe tightly gripped the wooden sword that was now connected to his bloodline, feeling an unprecedented surge of power. He couldn't wait to strike... He was already itching to swing it... As he raised the sword, Noah Robe's spirit and energy soared higher and higher. When the long sword was fully raised, the energy he had concentrated reached its peak.
Strike!
Strike!!
"YAAAHHH——!!" Noah Robe let out a wild scream for the first time. Holding the wooden sword, white energy flames enveloped the blade, and in the moment of his swing, WHOOSH, the energy broke through the limit of the long sword, turning into a massive beam of light over a hundred meters long!
Monkey D., who was lying on the other side, and the eliminated contestants in the audience like Fan, Lanton, Uru... along with all the other spectators—whether at the scene, or watching from their televisions and computers—were all stunned by the brilliance of this strike.
However... this dazzling blow came crashing down from the sky.
It was heading straight for the audience!
"Hey, hey, hey... It's really moving, but why is it heading towards us?!"
"Run!! AHHHH!!!"
The audience was initially frozen in shock, but soon chaos erupted. Could they really survive a hit from that?
It resembled the scene from before, when Tao Pai Pai's battle had played out in a similar way. Taro's voice, just like back then, cut through the panic-stricken crowd in time: "Don't panic!" Boom, a powerful force spread through the audience, pressing everyone back into place. By now, the spectators understood Taro's unparalleled abilities. Instead of being confused like before, they either closed their eyes or mustered up the courage to look up—
A large hand made of white flames caught the descending light sword firmly in midair.
The source of the fiery hand was Taro's back, where an energy-formed arm had separated from him, extending outward.
Taro frowned slightly, staring at Noah Robe, who was still holding the broken wooden sword and had fainted. "First time using that sword, and you've already overextended yourself… Heh, I forgot, others aren't like me after all…" Taro thought with a wry smile. He silently recited an incantation and placed a magical seal on the long sword he was holding.
A temporary, removable seal should do...
...
The World Martial Arts Tournament had come to an end.
"Noah Robe's astonishing strike was effortlessly neutralized by Muten Master with his bare hands! Is this true magic, or the ultimate limit of human potential?"
"Expected by all, Master Taro has taken the championship of the World Martial Arts Tournament!"
"Is Mr. Tam really Master Taro's son or grandson? Several photos tell you the answer!"
"Ninn and the mysterious elderly woman snapped on the street, suspected to be Tam's biological mother!"
The next day, major global media outlets released their reports.
Some included detailed recaps of the final day of the World Martial Arts Tournament, using words like "incredible", "beyond imagination", "unbelievable", "magical", and "shocking".
There were also some sensational, gossip-filled pieces, but there was some substance among them. For instance, when Hathaway accompanied Ninn on a shopping trip, they were accidentally photographed together. However, since it wasn't anything shameful, Hathaway didn't mind being photographed.
Hathaway's parents—her father had passed away a few years ago—had moved into a private residence owned by Tam. The elderly woman, who was too old to follow the news on TV or the internet, spent her time in the house, often with the company of maids. She wasn't aware of the World Martial Arts Tournament and, of course, didn't know that the artist son-in-law she and her late husband had always thought of had become the world-famous martial arts immortal.
The World Martial Arts Tournament had truly captured global attention.
Its impact on modern human society was profound. More and more people were learning about the ancient martial arts path, which had been gradually overtaken by modern science and firearms. From this tournament, people had seen the allure of these ancient techniques... and of course, the main attraction was their power.
Learning these ancient martial arts could make you fly!
Who Doesn't Want to Fly?
Learning this ancient martial art allowed you to unleash waves of light from your hands!
Who doesn't want to have superhuman strength?
Thus, many people who had become well-known at the World Martial Arts Tournament, like Uru from the Indian tribe, a giant who learned the ability to fly right in front of everyone during his match against the Muten Master! Another example was Fan, a low-key expert from the Three-Eyed Tribe, who displayed strength that was no less than Monkey D.'s in their match, where Monkey D. claimed second place!
As for the martial artists who were promoted by Planet Company, such as the martial arts flow representatives Monkey D., Lanton, and others, they had become the new leading figures in Earth's emerging martial arts world!
Of course, there were other martial artists too, like the two other contestants from central capital. Though they weren't as famous as the star competitors, they had still fought their way through multiple tough battles to make it to the global finals.
The nationwide enthusiasm for martial arts continued to rise. But as more and more people realized they couldn't endure the hardships of training, the fervor began to cool.
People also started to understand that reaching the level of Master Taro and those two figures of the Muten School—being able to fly, to release ki blasts—required not only hard work, persistence, determination, and talent, but also other factors.
Most martial artists, in the end, were just slightly stronger, faster, and more agile than others. Like everyone else, they could get sick, feel emotions, and fail at certain things. They could also... die.
So, in the end, Tao Pai Pai, who had been described by the media and officials as mentally unstable, became a contestant who many now felt sorry for. After all, he had been the one to awaken the ability to use ki, and aside from Taro, Monkey D., Lanton, Uru, and a few others who clearly displayed ki abilities, who else was there?
Unfortunately, this person had suddenly lost his mind and attacked the audience... He really had mental issues.
"Fame and fortune are just illusions... Martial arts? Who are these people to be discussing martial arts?"
Tsuru walked down the street, his face full of disdain. Over these past days, all he had heard were endless discussions about the aftermath of the martial arts tournament, along with the adulation and obsession with the so-called Martial Arts Immortal...
"What are you really trying to do, Taro...?"
He glanced at the newspaper in his hand. In the corner, there was a news piece about Star Planet Company, which had been behind the scenes of the World Martial Arts Tournament, trying to establish a Martial Arts Exchange Association for Earth's martial artists. Unfortunately, their application had been rejected by the relevant government departments.
"Martial Arts Association... Martial Arts Association..." Tsuru muttered to himself, remembering something from many years ago... it was truly a long time ago.
In the blink of an eye, it had been two hundred years since that day when Taro spoke to him about his master's dying wish. How old had he been back then? Forty? Thirty? Or was it twenty? He couldn't remember. Who could remember such things after living for so long?
"Everyone practicing martial arts, everyone strengthening themselves... Could that even be possible?"
Tsuru's figure flickered and disappeared into the crowd. The crumpled newspaper in his hand was casually discarded. A speeding car rushed by, and the wind it created lifted the paper into the air, sending it flying toward the distant sky.