70: Chapter 70 unlocks the simulation and plans a "live broadcast of extreme training".

The morning dew in the training hall had not yet dried when Chen Wu's tactical tablet emitted a piercing alarm. The credit balance of the Global Martial Arts System flashed a blinding red on the screen: 0. Lin Mo crouched on the bluestone floor holding the tablet, his finger sliding across the gray icon of the "Deduction" function, his voice sounding muffled as if soaked in rainwater: "The last 1 million was spent cracking the Grey Shadow Factory last time; now we can't even start a basic Deduction."

Grandpa Wang's tobacco pipe knocked out Mars on the altar table. The old man pulled a yellowed piece of paper from the tomb guardians manuscript, which had a training map drawn in cinnabar by his grandfather: "The Council of Tomb Guardians encountered a similar predicament in 1968, and your grandfather earned enough energy through three public martial arts demonstrations." His pipe bowl tapped the four characters for "Extreme Trial" in the map, "The value of traditional martial arts must sometimes be proven through sweat."

The encrypted channel of the Special Incident Response Department suddenly lit up. The Chief of the Execution Division sent a holographic image: the remnants of the Gray Shadow Organization were livestreaming a "Genetic Warrior Challenge" on the dark web, where mutants used drugs to stimulate their potential, and the bloody fights attracted hundreds of millions of viewers. "They are deliberately hyping up underground fighting," the Section Chief's voice carried anxiety, "if we don't act now, the reputation of traditional martial arts will be completely smeared."

Chen Wu's gaze fell on the livestream backend of the tablet. The official account of the Global Martial Arts System had received a hundred thousand messages, all asking when the "Deduction" function would restart. One message from A-Ming made his heart tighten: "My sister's genetic rejection reaction has worsened, and we need a Deduction for the best treatment plan." In the attached hospital surveillance footage, the little girl's fingers were unconsciously gesturing an imprecise Three-Body Stance.

"We must gather enough credits within three days." Chen Wu suddenly pulled back the sleeve of his training uniform, revealing a forearm burned by Qi Energy—the scar from the last Deduction was still throbbing with pain. Blue-gold Qi Energy was injected into the tablet through his fingertips, and a System prompt popped up: "An Extreme Training Livestream can trigger special credit rewards; the higher the difficulty, the richer the returns."

Lin Mo's fingertips slid quickly across the virtual map. The youth marked the abandoned factory in the west of the city as the training ground, where the residual Shadow Beast toxins could perfectly simulate a real combat environment: "I've designed seven trial stages, each corresponding to a defense mechanism of Grey Shadow." He suddenly pulled up a design blueprint, his eyes shining, "The Special Incident Response Department is willing to provide a 'Qi Energy Pressure Chamber' that can simulate a ten-times gravity environment!"

Officer Zhang's body camera appeared at the courtyard gate. The old policeman's uniform was stained with mud, followed by six officers carrying equipment: "The bureau has approved the livestream security plan." He pointed to the armored vehicle at the entrance of the alley, "This is an Explosion-proof Livestream Van, capable of resisting Qi Energy impacts to ensure global viewers see the most authentic training footage."

The Flower Girl walked in carrying a huge flower basket, the scent of white magnolias instantly dispelling the gloom. She pinned a dew-covered magnolia to Chen Wu's lapel: "I've discussed it with the people from the Mutant Mutual Aid Association; we will be responsible for the online commentary during the livestream." The tablet in her basket was playing a "Qi Energy Science Map" she had made overnight, with every meridian node drawn as a cute flower shape.

When the livestream signal of the Global Martial Arts System cut into the abandoned factory, the number of online viewers instantly surpassed 1 billion. The seven stages on the virtual map were like coiled venomous snakes, each marked with a terrifying warning: "Stage One · Poison Mist Corridor: Contains 37% Shadow Beast toxin, requires breath-holding to pass"; "Stage Four · Gravity Labyrinth: Qi Energy suppressed by 80%, only Basic Footwork can be used"; "Stage Seven · Mirror Illusion: Copies all attacks, must find the true body within 30 seconds."

"This is simply suicidal!" Medical experts in the bullet chat began spamming collectively, "Holding one's breath for over two minutes will lead to brain death!" "Forcing the circulation of Qi under ten times gravity will cause the Meridians to shatter!" Chen Mo's virtual image suddenly appeared in the corner of the screen, the bronze badge of the Council of Tomb Guardians shining on his chest: "The Council of Tomb Guardians guarantees that all trial parameters are within safe thresholds and are equipped with the world's top medical team."

Grandpa Wang's tobacco pipe tapped out a rhythm on the monitoring screen of the livestream van. The old man tied a red string to Chen Wu's peace lock, with seven silver needles hidden in the knots: "Your grandfather used this trick when he braved an Ancient Tomb in 1957; pricking the corresponding Acupoints according to the stage number can temporarily increase the purity of Qi Energy." He suddenly lowered his voice, "Remember, the Stage Seven illusion will stir up the Heart Demon; crushing this piece of the peace lock fragment can break the situation."

The poison mist of the first stage instantly permeated as Chen Wu stepped in. Blue-gold Qi Energy condensed into a cocoon-like barrier around him, and the livestream camera captured an amazing scene: the moment the toxins touched the Qi Energy, they turned into golden powder, fluttering around him like fireflies. "It's the residual effect of the nine-turn soul returning ointment!" Elder Zhou's voice came from the medical channel, "He stored the ointment's energy under his skin!"

As Chen Wu performed the Nine Palace Steps within the poison mist, the System credits began to tick up frantically. Every standard footwork step added 1,000 credits, and when he perfectly avoided the area with the highest toxin concentration, a 100,000-credit reward suddenly popped out. Lin Mo's tablet showed that over thirty million viewers globally were imitating him in sync, and the online classroom of the Mutant Mutual Aid Association was instantly packed.

The Gravity Labyrinth of the fourth stage caused the livestream image to shake violently. Under ten times gravity, Chen Wu's knees bent at a strange angle, and the sound of sweat hitting the ground was amplified by the microphone like a heavy drumbeat. "This is a variation of the 'Thousand-Pound Drop'!" Old martial artists in the bullet chat exclaimed collectively, "He is converting gravity into Qi Energy; every step is refining his Foundation!"

The most thrilling turn occurred in the fifth stage. A rubber bullet fired by a mechanical arm was suddenly mixed with a live round—evidently, a mole from Grey Shadow had tampered with the equipment parameters. Chen Wu's Listening Energy captured the subtle difference in the metal, and his body twisted at an angle that defied the laws of physics as the bullet grazed his ear and embedded itself in the wall. The slow-motion replay of the livestream showed his peace lock lighting up instantly, with the shield formed by Qi Energy becoming three times thicker than usual.

"It's A-Mings younger sister's peace lock resonating!" Lin Mo suddenly cut to the hospital footage, where the little girl was clutching a lock fragment and praying toward the screen; her Qi Energy was transmitted through the livestream signal, merging with Chen Wu's Qi Energy into a warm current. This scene caused the bullet chat to fall silent instantly, followed by a surge of "mutual devotion" blessings, with tips from a single message breaking 500,000 credits.

The Mirror Illusion of the seventh stage suddenly distorted as Chen Wu stepped in. Countless "Chen Wus" walked out of the mist, each wearing training uniforms from different eras—there were the coarse cloth short-suits of his grandfather's generation, Chen Mo's black combat gear from overseas, and even the figure of A-Ming practicing Horse Stance in a hospital gown. "These are the Qi Energy memories in your Bloodline," Grandpa Wang's voice echoed, "defeat them to truly master Deduction."

The mirrors simultaneously assumed the starting posture of the Cross-Strike, their blue-gold Qi Energy weaving into a net within the illusion. Chen Wu suddenly discovered that every mirror's footwork had subtle flaws—the grandfather's center of gravity was too far back, Chen Mo's hips were too tight, and A-Ming's knees extended past his toes. "They are shadows of the past, not the current you!" Officer Zhang's roar pierced the illusion, and the strong light from his body camera suddenly broke through the mist.

When Chen Wu used the Tomb-Guarding Beast Breathing Technique to adjust his rhythm, a miracle happened. The movements of all the mirrors suddenly slowed down, and the trajectories of their Qi Energy became clearly visible to him. The growth rate of the System credits broke the threshold, and the goal of 1 million was achieved the moment the illusion collapsed. In the upper right corner of the livestream screen, the icon for the "Deduction" function lit up again, flickering with a soft golden light.

But the ultimate test of the illusion had only just begun. A phantom of the Grey Shadow Master walked out of the mist, holding a broken peace lock: "Take a look at your Deduction." On the virtual screen, Chen Wu had overextended his Qi Energy to gather credits, eventually turning into an irrational mutant. "This is your future," the phantom's mouth split into a cold sneer, "the end of traditional martial arts is, after all, destruction."

"You miscalculated one thing." Chen Wu suddenly crushed the fragment Grandpa Wang had given him, and blue-gold light instantly tore the illusion apart. The livestream cut to various places around the world: Grandpa Wang was teaching children the Horse Stance in the training hall, Chen Mo was starting a gene purification device at the overseas branch, and A-Mings younger sister was sharing peace lock fragments with her fellow patients. "Deduction can calculate trajectories, but it cannot calculate the warmth of the human heart."

When the illusion completely dissipated, Chen Wu's credit balance stood at 1.5 million. The System automatically popped up a new prompt: "Unlocked 'Group Deduction' function, capable of simultaneously simulating the optimal Qi Energy routes for 1,000 people." In the bottom right corner of the livestream screen, in A-Mings younger sister's hospital room, the doctor was adjusting the treatment plan based on the real-time Deduction, and the little girl's fingers could finally straighten.

The identity of the Grey Shadow mole was exposed at this moment. The Special Incident Response Department's surveillance captured the abnormal operation of a maintenance worker; it was he who had secretly swapped the rubber bullet. When the special police burst through the door, they found this person was actually a hospital orderly—a mutant who had once been coerced by Grey Shadow using his family. Chen Wu's Qi Energy was suddenly injected into his peace lock through the livestream signal: "It's not too late to turn back now."

The orderly's tears suddenly burst forth. Trembling, he pressed the detonator hidden in his bosom—the bomb that was originally meant to destroy the livestream equipment instead blew a large hole in Grey Shadow's hidden toxin warehouse. "This is the compensation I can offer." His Qi Energy resonated with Chen Wu's, forming a fragmented peace lock on the screen, "Tell A-Ming not to follow my misguided path."

When Chen Wu walked out of the abandoned factory, the morning sun was piercing through the clouds. In the Flower Girl's flower basket sat a brand-new bronze token, a "Successor Certification" just issued by the Council of Tomb Guardians. The livestream data of the Global Martial Arts System stayed at a staggering 2.3 billion viewers, setting a viewership record in human history.

Lin Mo's tablet popped up with countless cooperation requests. The IOC wanted to include the "Extreme Trial" in new events, Harvard University's medical school hoped to co-build a Qi Energy research center, and even NASA sent an email asking if the "Nine Palace Steps" could be used to train astronauts for walking in zero-gravity environments. "The most ridiculous one is this," the youth laughed as he showed a message, "remnant members of Grey Shadow have applied to join the Mutant Mutual Aid Association, saying they want to relearn the Horse Stance."

The Special Incident Response Department's victory banquet was set up in the training hall's courtyard. The Chief of the Execution Division raised a bronze wine cup exchanged for credits and clinked it against Chen Wu's with a crisp sound: "The Director said, this cup is to toast the courage that 'Deduction' cannot calculate." Her uniform had a new badge, cast from the credits of the livestream tips, "The people from the Council will arrive next week; we are going to launch the Global Qi Energy Monitoring Network."

Grandpa Wang's tobacco pipe drew an arc in the moonlight. The old man looked at the training queues spontaneously forming in the alley, from seven-year-old children to seventy-year-old elders, every person's Horse Stance bore traces of blue-gold Qi Energy. "When I first opened the hall in 1949, my greatest wish was to be able to teach a full hundred disciples." He suddenly laughed aloud, "Now there are two hundred million people globally practicing the footwork you taught; this makes one feel more settled than any Deduction."

Chen Wu's tactical tablet suddenly vibrated. The "Group Deduction" function automatically started, generating personalized training plans for all online mutants worldwide. As his gaze swept over A-Mings younger sister's treatment plan, a holographic image of his grandfather suddenly popped up: "It's been 70 years, and someone has finally turned 'Extreme Training' into 'Universal Cultivation'." The old man's finger tapped lightly on the virtual screen, "Remember, the true limit is not challenging the body, but making more people believe they can break through their limits."

In the training hall late at night, Chen Wu pulled up the ultimate interface of the "Deduction" function. The System prompt showed that to unlock the highest authority, 10 million credits were needed, but the small print below made him smile knowingly—"Or collect the Qi Energy resonance of 100 million people." The tablet's background was a word cloud composed of messages from global viewers, every word shimmering with a faint light, like a sea of stars that would never go out.

When the last viewer left the livestream room, Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly grew hot. The homepage of the Global Martial Arts System was replaced with a new poster: the image contained no thrilling trials, only a group of ordinary people practicing the Horse Stance in an alley, with a banner in the background reading "Improve a Little Bit Every Day." The countdown below showed that there were seven days until the next "Extreme Training Livestream."

Chen Wu knew that this was not the end, but a new beginning. Credits could be earned slowly, and Deduction functions could be unlocked step by step, but the Qi Energy trajectories pulsing in every corner of the globe at this moment were the most precious harvest—they might be faint, yet they authentically proved that the power of traditional martial arts was never the extreme challenge of a few, but the daily accumulation of the many.

Just like those footprints of varying depths on the training hall's bluestone floor—there were his, Grandpa Wang's, the Flower Girl's, and even the marks ground out by A-Mings younger sister's wheelchair. These seemingly messy imprints formed a complete pattern in the moonlight—not a precise Deduction model, but a vivid character for "Human," standing firmly upon the earth, more trustworthy than any virtual future.