73: Chapter 72 Live Stream Begins: Recording the Entire Process of Extreme Physical Fitness

Undercurrents Before the Live Stream

Just as the morning sun warmed the bluestone slabs of the training hall, Lin Mo's tactical tablet emitted a sharp alert.

On the Global Martial Arts System's live stream reservation interface, the number of people registered for the "Chen Wu Extreme Physical Fitness Challenge" had exceeded 3 billion, and the golden numbers jumping on the screen were still growing at a rate of thousands per second.

The young man's fingertips glided across the virtual schedule, his eyes shining with excitement: "The Special Incident Response Department and the Council of Tomb Guardians have set the challenge location at an abandoned military factory on the outskirts of the city, where the Qi Energy environment can simulate seven types of extreme terrain."

Chen Wu's gaze fell on the challenge items displayed on the tablet.

"Traversing a toxic swamp with a heavy load," "Climbing a hundred-meter steel cable with bare hands," "Completing a Qi Energy circulation in a minus-twenty-degree ice cellar"... each item was marked with a corresponding point reward, and completing them all would unlock the ultimate authority for "Group Deduction" — real-time monitoring of the Qi Energy status of all mutants worldwide.

Grandpa Wang tapped his pipe against the list of items: "In the 1953 Korean battlefield, your grandfather practiced the 'Ice-Breathing Technique' in a tunnel at minus forty degrees, and his notes said the key was 'using energy to resist the cold, and using breath to warm the heart.'"

A black car from the Special Incident Response Department parked silently at the entrance of the alley.

The Chief of the Execution Division walked into the courtyard holding a silver metal case. The moment the case opened, a blue-gold Qi Energy rushed toward them — inside were seven sets of sensor equipment embedded with Tomb-Guarding Beast scales, capable of recording physical data in real-time and syncing it to the global live stream.

"The Department Head specifically instructed," the Section Chief said, her fingertips grazing one of the wristbands, "that the remnants of the Gray Shadow Organization have bribed three equipment maintenance workers. They might tamper with the monitoring data to make your physical fitness values appear to be experiencing abnormal decline."

The Flower Girl's basket was filled with strange plants. She stuffed a small plant with silvery leaves into Chen Wu's pocket: "This is the 'Ice Plains Resurrection Grass,' which can release a warm current of Qi Energy in low-temperature environments."

The tablet at the bottom of her basket was playing the live stream plan of the Mutant Mutual Aid Association: "We have organized 100,000 'data supervisors.' As long as they detect abnormal data, they will collectively flood the screen with alerts."

The young girl suddenly blushed, pulled a note from the flowers, and said, "This is an emergency prescription from Elder Zhou. If your Qi Energy reverses, fill this prescription."

Officer Zhang's body camera was aimed at a suspicious figure at the alley entrance.

Three men in work clothes were peering around sneakily, and black cables unique to the Gray Shadow Organization were visible in the gaps of their tool bags.

"The Technical Department has matched their facial features," the old police officer whispered, his knuckles turning white from the force, "One of them is a former special forces physical fitness coach, rumored to be able to tamper with the parameters of any sensor equipment within thirty seconds."

He suddenly pulled a bulletproof vest from behind his back: "This was modified from a discarded Qi Energy disruptor; it can shield all electromagnetic interference."

Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly became hot.

The countdown for the Global Martial Arts System had only ten minutes left. The surveillance footage of A-Ming's younger sister's hospital room popped up automatically — the little girl was holding a homemade peace lock wooden plaque, practicing the "Tomb-Guarding Beast Breathing Technique" she had just learned in front of the camera.

The System prompt showed that her gene rejection reaction had dropped to the edge of the danger line, and the Qi Energy transmission from this live stream would be her last chance for treatment.

"Prepare to start the stream." Chen Wu put the sensor equipment on his wrists, and the blue-gold Qi Energy traveled along the scale patterns, condensing into a layer of transparent protective film on the surface of the equipment.

The Qi Energy Labyrinth in the Toxic Swamp

When the global live stream signal cut into the abandoned military factory, 3 billion viewers saw a shocking scene at the same time: the hundred-acre swamp was churning with dark green miasma, and sensors floating on the water surface showed that the toxin concentration was enough to make an ordinary person pass out instantly.

Chen Wu stood on a piece of bluestone exposed above the water, the 50 kilograms of iron sand mixed with magnetic powder in his weighted bag shimmering with a faint golden light in the miasma.

"The first challenge begins!" The referee's voice came through the gas mask, with an imperceptible tremor hidden in the Qi Energy fluctuations.

Chen Wu's "Nine Palace Steps" stepped out a strange trajectory on the swamp.

Every time his foot landed, the blue-gold Qi Energy sank to the bottom of the water along his toes, pushing the surrounding miasma away by half a meter — in the energy spectrum of the live stream screen, his footprints connected into a continuously expanding golden ripple.

Lin Mo's tablet suddenly emitted an alarm: "The sensor shows your heart rate has soared to 180!"

The comment section exploded immediately, and the red warnings from the "data supervisors" flooded the screen: "It's the Gray Shadow Organization playing tricks! The actual heart rate should be around 130!"

At the 15th minute, black bubbles suddenly emerged from the center of the swamp.

Chen Wu's "Listening Energy" captured the sound of metal friction underwater, and the blue-gold Qi Energy instantly condensed into a shield under his feet — three glass tubes containing toxins shot out from the bottom of the water, exploding the moment they touched the shield, and the dark green miasma suddenly formed a rotating vortex.

"It's a 'Qi Energy Trap'!" Grandpa Wang's voice exploded through the live stream channel, his pipe tapping the table with a rhythm as urgent as a drum, "Use 'sinking shoulders and dropping elbows' to break the situation, and borrow the force of the vortex to speed up!"

Chen Wu suddenly turned around, and the weighted bag swung out a golden arc under the action of centrifugal force.

The magnetic powder reacted violently with the toxins in the miasma, and seven Qi Energy trajectories appeared in the exploding smoke — these were the ambush routes set by the Gray Shadow Organization in advance.

His toes tapped lightly on the edge of the vortex, his body spinning like a top to avoid all traps, and the real-time data on the live stream screen suddenly jumped back to the normal range — the collective screen-flooding of the mutants finally forced the maintenance workers not to dare to tamper with the data again.

In the monitoring station at the end of the swamp, the man in work clothes was sweating profusely as he operated the equipment.

Officer Zhang's body camera captured them clearly through the ventilation duct, with the black cables hidden under the table — these wires were connected to the Gray Shadow Organization's special jammer.

When one of the men reached out to unplug Chen Wu's sensor wire, the body camera suddenly burst into bright light, and the old police officer's voice carried a tremor of Qi Energy: "I am arresting you for the crime of endangering public safety!"

The live stream screen suddenly cut to the collective ward of the hospital.

Thirty-seven mutants were imitating Chen Wu's breathing rhythm while facing the screen, and each of them held a white magnolia petal in their palms — when Chen Wu's Qi Energy was transmitted through the live stream, the petals bloomed with blue-gold light at the same time.

A-Ming's younger sister's fingers were able to hold the wooden plaque completely for the first time, the curve on the monitor was like a gentle stream, and the doctors in the comment section collectively flooded the screen: "Qi Energy transmission efficiency 100%! This is a medical miracle!"

When Chen Wu stepped on the bluestone on the other side of the swamp, the magnetic powder in the weighted bag had turned dark green.

The Global Martial Arts System's point balance jumped to 2 million, and the System popped up a new prompt: "Detected 3 million mutants practicing the 'Nine Palace Steps' simultaneously, unlocking the 'Group Qi Energy Sharing' function."

The Flower Girl's voice suddenly came from the live stream channel, with a crying tone but exceptionally loud: "Elder Zhou says your Qi Energy can already stabilize the vital signs of ten critically ill patients at the same time!"

Life and Death Speed on the Ice Cellar Steel Cable

In the minus-twenty-degree ice cellar, the steel cable made a whimpering sound in the cold wind.

Chen Wu's eyelashes were covered with a layer of white frost, the sensor equipment showed that his body temperature had dropped to 35 degrees, and the blue-gold Qi Energy condensed into a layer of thin ice on his body surface.

"Second challenge: Climbing a hundred-meter steel cable with bare hands, time limit ten minutes."

The referee's voice carried a metal-like coldness, and the camera at the top of the ice cellar quietly adjusted its angle, aiming at a tiny gap in the middle of the steel cable — it was wrapped with the Gray Shadow Organization's alloy wire, which would suddenly snap when the load exceeded 80 kilograms.

The moment Chen Wu's palms pressed against the steel cable, a layer of white mist suddenly exploded on the ice surface.

The blue-gold Qi Energy was injected into the metal along his fingertips, turning the frozen water droplets into tiny Qi Energy rolling beads, forming a layer of lubricating energy film between his palms and the steel cable.

"The 1953 Battle of Lake Changjin," Grandpa Wang's voice came mixed with the sound of wind and snow, "Your grandfather used this trick to walk on ice ridges. The lower the body temperature, the more condensed the Qi Energy."

In the thermal imaging map of the live stream screen, Chen Wu's Dantian position always maintained a constant temperature of 37 degrees, like a small beating flame.

When he climbed to the 50-meter mark, the steel cable suddenly shook violently.

The Gray Shadow Organization's alloy wire began to tighten, and the sensor equipment showed that the load-bearing limit of the steel cable was rapidly decreasing.

Chen Wu's "Listening Energy" captured the frequency of metal fatigue, and he suddenly flipped and hung upside down on the steel cable — the weight of the weighted bag was transmitted through his legs, forming a stable triangular structure on the steel cable.

"It's a variation of the 'Upside-Down Hook'!" The martial arts coaches in the comment section exclaimed collectively, "He turned his weight into a balancing force!"

A gust of cold wind suddenly poured into the ventilation duct at the top of the ice cellar.

Chen Wu's left hand suddenly slipped, his body swayed violently on the steel cable, and the sensor equipment on his right hand was scratched by an ice ridge — the Gray Shadow Organization's maintenance workers took the opportunity to tamper with the data, and the physical fitness value on the screen instantly plummeted by 30%.

"Data abnormality!" The Flower Girl's voice carried a sharp, alarm-like tone, and the 100,000 "data supervisors" sent golden comments at the same time, like a torrent breaking through the false values, "Actual physical fitness remaining 78%! Don't trust the fake data!"

Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly exploded on the steel cable.

The blue-gold energy flow spread along the metal, shattering the Gray Shadow Organization's alloy wire into powder. The moment it snapped, his right hand accurately grabbed the hook at the end of the steel cable.

The slow motion on the live stream screen showed that the moment he flipped over, the "Ice Plains Resurrection Grass" in his pocket suddenly bloomed, and the silvery leaves drew an arc in the cold wind, plating the surrounding ice ridges with a layer of golden light.

In the hospital's monitoring screen, A-Ming's younger sister suddenly threw off her quilt.

The little girl stepped on the floor with bare feet, imitating Chen Wu's upside-down posture facing the screen. Although she was swaying heavily, she accurately found the Qi Energy balance point.

Elder Zhou's voice came from the medical channel, with unbelievable excitement: "Her gene sequence has begun to reorganize! The Qi Energy transmission triggered the self-healing mechanism!"

When Chen Wu landed at the bottom of the ice cellar, the Global Martial Arts System's points exceeded 4 million.

The sensor equipment suddenly emitted a pleasant beep, and the System automatically generated an "Extreme Physical Fitness Report": "Maintained Qi Energy circulation for 18 minutes in a minus 20-degree environment, breaking the 1953 record of the Council of Tomb Guardians."

Grandpa Wang's pipe tapped in front of the live stream lens, the sparks in the pipe bowl reflecting his proud smile: "Your grandfather took 22 minutes back then. The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves in front!"

The Light of Legacy in the Ultimate Challenge

The final challenge was set in the core control room of the military factory.

In the room filled with pipelines, seven pipes of different colors spewed out different Qi Energies — the scorching Qi Energy of the red pipe could melt steel, the cold current of the blue pipe could freeze energy, and the black pipe in the very center was releasing fluctuations with the same frequency as the Shadow Beast toxin.

"Final challenge: Complete the 'Great Heavenly Circulation' of the 'Tomb-Guarding Beast Breathing Technique' amidst the interweaving of seven types of Qi Energy."

A layer of white frost condensed on the referee's mask, and his voice finally carried a trace of awe.

Chen Wu's peace lock erupted with strong light the moment he stepped into the room.

The blue-gold Qi Energy wove into a transparent cocoon among the seven energy flows. When his "Tomb-Guarding Beast Breathing Technique" entered the seventh cycle, the Qi Energy of all the pipes suddenly reversed, forming a rotating energy vortex in the center of the room.

"It's the Gray Shadow Organization's 'Qi Energy Inverter'!" The Chief of the Execution Division's voice carried electrical noise, "They want to make your Qi Energy reverse in your body!"

The live stream screen suddenly cut to the emergency situation at the monitoring station.

Officer Zhang was firmly holding down a maintenance worker who was trying to escape, and the man was clutching a black remote control in his hand — it was the device that controlled the Qi Energy reversal.

"He confessed!" The old police officer's uniform was soaked with sweat, "The ultimate goal of the Gray Shadow Organization is to make your Qi Energy go berserk in front of a global audience and ruin the reputation of traditional martial arts!"

Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly changed its rhythm.

When inhaling, it was like a whale swallowing seawater, absorbing all the reversed energy into his Dantian; when exhaling, it was like a dragon spitting sweet dew, condensing the seven types of Qi Energy into a rotating colorful ball in his palms.

The real-time data of the Global Martial Arts System showed that the purity of his Qi Energy was rapidly increasing. When the colorful ball turned into pure blue-gold, all the pipes in the room burst at the same time, and the released energy flow actually formed a huge peace lock.

In the collective ward of the hospital, a miracle was happening.

A-Ming's younger sister's fingers could flexibly turn the wooden plaque, and thirty-seven mutants stood up at the same time. Their Qi Energy resonated with the peace lock in the live stream screen, interweaving into a golden pillar of light in the ward.

Elder Zhou's voice was choked with sobs: "The vital signs of all critically ill patients have stabilized! This is a historic Breakthrough!"

When Chen Wu's Qi Energy completed the last cycle, the Global Martial Arts System's points were fixed at 7 million.

The System popped up a golden prompt: "Ultimate authority for 'Group Deduction' unlocked; can monitor the Qi Energy status of all mutants worldwide in real-time and provide optimization plans."

The holographic image of the Council of Tomb Guardians suddenly appeared on the live stream screen, Chen Mo's white hair fluttering in the blue-gold light: "From today on, you are the Global Head Coach of the traditional martial arts Alliance."

The moonlight in the training hall carried a faint medicinal fragrance.

On Lin Mo's tablet, the final data of the global live stream was still jumping: 4.2 billion views, creating the largest-scale Qi Energy resonance event in human history.

In the Flower Girl's basket, the last white magnolia was blooming, and the dew on the petals reflected the starry sky, like countless eyes witnessing a miracle.

Chen Wu's gaze fell on the global Qi Energy map on the tablet.

Dense blue-gold light spots were lighting up all over the world, from Chinatown in New York to small villages in Africa, each light spot representing an ordinary person practicing traditional martial arts.

He suddenly understood that the meaning of this extreme physical fitness live stream was never to show how amazing his power was, but to let everyone trapped in illness or despair believe: Qi Energy is within themselves, and hope has never been far away.

When the last viewer left the live stream room, Chen Wu's peace lock trembled gently.

The home page of the Global Martial Arts System was replaced with a new image: no challenge items, no point rewards, only countless hands practicing breathing, forming a huge "Person" (people) character in the moonlight.

And in the very center of this character was the crooked yet incredibly firm — peace lock drawn by A-Ming's younger sister with her wooden plaque.

Chen Wu knew that this was not the end, but the real beginning.

There would be more challenges and more undercurrents in the future, but as long as the peace lock in his palm was still hot, as long as there were people following his breathing adjustments in the live stream lens, the light of traditional martial arts would always illuminate the road ahead.

Just like the bluestone slabs in the training hall at this moment, new footprints were forming, uneven in depth, but all heading in the same direction — that is the direction of hope, the direction of Legacy, and the trajectory that every ordinary person carves on the earth with their own courage and persistence.