75: Chapter 74 The moment of reaching the summit, blood and qi surged, breaking through to the early stage of Ming Jin.

The Final Barrier Before the Summit

The wind on the 300th-floor platform of Lingyun Tower carried a metallic stench.

Chen Wu pressed his palm against the rusted railing; the green-gold Qi Energy seeped from his fingertips into the steel, forcing the spreading rust back into fine, intricate golden patterns.

The timer for the global live stream stopped at 12 minutes and 19 seconds, and it felt as though the breathing of 4 billion viewers had frozen at this very moment—no one noticed that the Azure Cloud Vine on his wrist was withering at a visible speed, and as the last leaf fell onto the steps, it transformed into a crystal-clear Qi Energy crystal.

"Something is wrong." Lin Mo's tactical tablet suddenly emitted a shrill alarm.

The Qi Energy spectrum on the screen showed that the energy flow in Chen Wu's body was decaying at a rate of 17% per second, the originally stable curve looking like a ribbon torn by a gale.

The youth's fingertips danced frantically across the virtual keyboard, sweat dripping onto the screen and blurring into mist: "Grey Shadow's adsorbent is mixed with 'Spirit-Devourer Powder'! This is a prohibited drug that can consume internal force!"

Grandpa Wang's pipe tapped out a rapid rhythm on the monitoring screen of the broadcast vehicle.

The old man suddenly tore open his shirt, revealing a hideous scar on his chest—it was a mark of Qi Energy reversal left behind when he broke through to Brute Force in 1973.

"Make him sit cross-legged immediately!" The pipe bowl pointed at the Dantian position of Chen Wu on the screen, "Use the seventh variation of the Tomb-Guarding Beast Breathing Technique to force the Qi Energy toward the Life Gate! Your grandfather used this move to protect his internal force during an avalanche back in the day!"

The tomb guardians manuscript slipped from the old man's embrace, the page with the Qi Energy route map drawn in cinnabar fluttering noisily in the wind.

The emergency medical pod of the Special Incident Response Department unfolded at the edge of the platform.

The Chief of the Execution Division held a needle emitting a silver light, the magnets on the soles of her boots resonating with the steel of the platform, keeping her as steady as a rock in the gale: "This is 'Solid-Force Fluid' refined from Tomb-Guarding Beast scales; it can temporarily lock in the leaking energy."

She suddenly noticed an abnormal flush on Chen Wu's earlobes, "Oh no! His blood and Qi have begun to reverse; if this drags on for three more minutes, his Meridians will rupture!"

The Flower Girl's Azure Cloud Vine suddenly grew restless in Chen Wu's pocket.

The remaining vines suddenly pierced through the fabric, weaving into a verdant protective mirror over his heart, each new leaf that unfurled exhaling a wisp of green-gold Qi Energy.

"Elder Zhou said this is the 'Life-Substitution Vine'!" The little girl's voice came through the broadcast signal, tearful yet exceptionally clear, "It can bear 30% of the Qi Energy backlash for you!"

The tablet in the basket showed that mutants across the globe were simultaneously practicing the "Qi-Guiding Formula," countless weak energy streams gathering into a river along the network, surging toward Chen Wu in the broadcast screen.

Officer Zhang's bodycam was aimed at the ventilation duct in the corner of the platform.

Black powder was pouring out from the grille, shimmering with an eerie purple light in the sunlight—that was Grey Shadow's final trump card, "Lock-Pulse Smoke," which could freeze all Meridians within thirty seconds.

The old policeman suddenly tore off his bulletproof vest, using his body to block the ventilation duct, his uniform instantly stained purple-black by the powder: "Break through quickly! I can hold on for another two minutes!"

Chen Wu's peace lock suddenly erupted with scorching light.

The image of A-Mings younger sister's hospital room appeared before his eyes automatically; the little girl was holding a scorching peace lock wooden plaque, biting her finger to draw blood, and dripping it onto the plaque—green-gold Qi Energy suddenly surged out from the screen, resonating violently with the energy inside Chen Wu's body.

A System notification exploded in his mind: "Direct Bloodline Qi Energy resonance detected, meeting the conditions for Brute Force Breakthrough; do you wish to initiate 'Bloodline Deduction'?"

Life-and-Death Breakthrough Amidst Blood and Qi Reversal

The moment Chen Wu sat down cross-legged, the steel floor of the platform suddenly cracked.

Green-gold Qi Energy climbed up his spine, condensing into a lifelike Tomb-Guarding Beast phantom above his head, the beast's pupils reflecting the Qi Energy emitter hidden behind the steel cables—that thing was compressing the "Lock-Pulse Smoke" into a thin purple line, aiming at his Baihui acupoint.

"Use 'Crushing Fist' to break the situation!" Grandpa Wang's roar shattered the glass of the broadcast vehicle.

The old man suddenly grabbed a copper pipe and began practicing the lost "Thirteen Styles of Tomb Suppression" in front of the screen, every move and stance carrying a bronze-colored afterimage of Qi Energy: "Brute Force focuses on 'force rising from the ground, Qi penetrating the fist tip,' turning the corrosiveness of the Spirit-Devourer Powder into the sharpness needed to break the Realm!"

A page of the tomb guardians manuscript suddenly spontaneously combusted, the ashes forming a line of ancient seal script in the air: "When blood boils, Meridians open; when force penetrates, the Realm breaks."

Chen Wu's fist tip suddenly collided with the steel floor of the platform.

The green-gold Qi Energy exploded along his fist, blasting a three-meter-deep Qi Energy channel into the concrete, and the seven adsorbent conduits hidden underground were shattered into fragments.

Slow-motion footage from the global live stream showed that the splashing metal debris, the moment it touched his fist wind, was actually smelted by the Qi Energy into tiny golden particles—this was the hallmark characteristic of the Early Stage Brute Force: internal force manifested externally, capable of melting metal and stone.

At the 17th second, the Lock-Pulse Smoke finally arrived.

The moment the purple-black smoke touched the Tomb-Guarding Beast phantom, it suddenly turned into specks of light, swallowed by the phantom in one gulp.

At this moment, Chen Wu's blood and Qi suddenly boiled, his skin taking on an agate-like luster, the flow of Qi Energy in his blood vessels like surging magma, causing his entire skeleton to emit crisp popping sounds like roasted beans.

"Heart rate 190! Blood pressure breaking the critical point!" The medical instrument of the Chief of the Execution Division emitted a shrill alarm, and she hesitated to inject her needle—at this moment, any external interference could cause the Qi Energy to spiral completely out of control.

The Grey Shadow leader's wild laughter suddenly came through the broadcast: "Brute Force? How naive! The steel bars in this building are full of 'Force-Dissolving Water,' which can make any internal force vanish into nothingness!"

The steel cables at the edge of the platform suddenly emitted a harsh friction sound, countless black liquid beads dripping down and corroding dense clusters of small holes into the ground.

The bullet screen on the broadcast suddenly exploded into a golden barrier, the "Qi" characters sent collectively by the mutants forming a protective wall, temporarily blocking the spread of the liquid beads.

Chen Wu's Qi Energy suddenly completed a perfect cycle within his body.

The Tomb-Guarding Beast phantom plunged into his Baihui acupoint, the excruciating pain of the blood and Qi reversal vanishing instantly, replaced by a massive, irresistible force—this force coursed through his Meridians, re-condensing the internal force eaten away by the Spirit-Devourer Powder and forming a rotating green-gold Qi vortex in his Dantian.

"It's 'Qi Energy Rebirth'!" Lin Mo suddenly pulled up his grandfather's cultivation notes, a certain passage perfectly matching the scene before him, "The sign of Early Stage Brute Force is the ability to make internal force circulate and regenerate itself!"

Officer Zhang's bodycam captured a shocking scene.

Chen Wu's fist tip carved a golden arc in the Void Realm, the Qi Energy ripples exploding out of thin air and shattering all the Lock-Pulse Smoke into dust.

The old policeman's uniform had already been corroded with dozens of holes, but he still blocked the ventilation duct tightly, black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, yet he smiled brilliantly: "Kid... don't stop..."

The Golden Tide of Early Stage Brute Force

The moment the green-gold Qi vortex stabilized its rotation in his Dantian, Chen Wu suddenly opened his eyes.

In his beast-like golden pupils, the steel structure of Lingyun Tower was clearly visible, the Qi Energy flow of the 300-story staircase looking like a glowing Dragon.

The moment he stood up slowly, the steel floor of the platform suddenly bulged upward, forming a blooming golden lotus beneath his feet—this was the highest Realm of Brute Force internal energy manifestation, which even his grandfather had taken three months to master back then.

"Impossible!" The Grey Shadow leader's roar carried a sense of exasperation.

The gravity generator hidden behind the water tank suddenly operated at overload, and the platform's gravity instantly increased to three times its normal level.

However, Chen Wu's footsteps were steadier than before; the green-gold Qi Energy condensed into a layer of transparent air cushion beneath his feet, each step leaving a shallow golden footprint on the ground.

The energy spectrum of the global live stream showed that his internal force intensity had surged by 300% after the Breakthrough, and the corrosive effect of the Spirit-Devourer Powder had been completely neutralized.

Chen Wu's fingertips suddenly pointed at the Qi Energy emitter behind the steel cables.

A streak of green-gold Qi Energy slashed through the air, precisely hitting the core component of the emitter.

In the blast wave of the explosion, a bronze Tomb-Guarding Beast token flew out—the object rotated in the sunlight, finally landing in Chen Wu's palm and perfectly interlocking with his peace lock.

"This is... the 'Break-Realm Token' of the Council of Tomb Guardians!" Grandpa Wang suddenly wept with joy, "It only appears during a Brute Force Breakthrough, representing the Council's recognition of you!"

The broadcast screen suddenly cut to the collective ward of the hospital.

The Qi Energy shockwave generated by Chen Wu's Breakthrough spread along the signal, thirty-seven mutants simultaneously emitting comfortable groans, the genetic rejection marks on their skin rapidly fading.

The monitor for A-Mings younger sister suddenly emitted a pleasant chime, and a golden connecting line appeared on the genetic sequence map on the screen—the last set of rejection genes had been repaired by the Qi Energy! The little girl suddenly jumped off the bed and performed a standard Three-Body Stance in the ward, immature yet carrying the explosive power unique to Brute Force.

The armored vehicles of the Special Incident Response Department suddenly honked their horns in unison.

The Chief of the Execution Division rushed toward the platform holding a tablet, the screen displaying the certification just sent by the Council of Tomb Guardians: "Chen Wu, Early Stage Brute Force, awarded the title of 'Tomb-Guarding Guard', Authority Rank: A."

The moment the soles of her boots touched the golden lotus, they suddenly lit up with the same pattern as Chen Wu's—this was the mark produced by Qi Energy resonance, representing the recognition of the traditional martial arts Legacy.

The Grey Shadow's dark web betting pool collapsed completely at this moment.

The transfer records of countless anonymous accounts were automatically exposed, including those of parliamentarians from ten countries.

Hackers from the Mutant Mutual Aid Association took the opportunity to plant a Qi Energy monitoring program, and every Grey Shadow member who participated in the betting pool received a warning: "Your Qi Energy trajectory has been locked; surrendering can reduce your sentence."

The Future Toward Which the Golden Footprints Lead

As Chen Wu walked down Lingyun Tower, the sunset was stretching his shadow very long.

The green-gold Qi Energy left a trail of faint footprints behind him, and in each footprint lay a Qi Energy crystal, which the children who had rushed over to watch were carefully picking up and stringing into bracelets with red thread.

The point balance of the Global Martial Arts System exceeded 15 million, and the System automatically unlocked the "Brute Force Teaching" module, with the recommended video on the homepage being an analysis of the Qi Energy trajectory from Chen Wu's Breakthrough just now.

Countless cooperation requests popped up on Lin Mo's tablet.

The International Martial Arts Alliance wanted to invite Chen Wu to serve as a Brute Force examiner, Harvard University's genetic laboratory hoped to cooperate in researching Qi Energy repair technology, and even NASA sent an email asking if Brute Force training could be used to help astronauts condense internal force in a zero-gravity environment.

"The most ridiculous one is this," the youth laughed as he displayed a message, "Three core members of Grey Shadow applied to join the Mutant Mutual Aid Association, saying they wanted to learn the 'Tomb-Guarding Beast Breathing Technique' from scratch."

Grandpa Wang's pipe traced a golden arc in the moonlight.

The old man solemnly handed his grandfather's tomb guardians manuscript into Chen Wu's hands; the bronze lock on the cover suddenly popped open automatically, revealing a yellowed note tucked inside—it was the Brute Force insights written in his grandfather's own blood: "Force is not strength, but the direction of the heart and the destination of Qi. A Tomb Guardian does not use force to suppress others, but uses force to protect them."

A golden orchid never seen before suddenly bloomed in the Flower Girl's basket.

The patterns on the petals were exactly the same as Chen Wu's Qi Energy trajectory, and the fragrance permeated the night wind, making the Qi Energy in the entire alleyway become docile.

"Elder Zhou said this is called 'ming jin orchid'," the little girl's cheeks flushed in the floral scent, "It only blooms in the presence of pure Brute Force aura." She suddenly pulled a silk pouch from her bosom, "This contains the hair of all the mutants; Elder Zhou said it can be made into a 'Co-Heart Force' charm, allowing you to borrow everyone's Qi Energy in times of crisis."

Officer Zhang's bodycam was still working faithfully.

The old policeman's uniform had been sent to the evidence division, but the Qi Energy monitoring ring on his wrist was still flashing—the Qi Energy from Chen Wu's Breakthrough had left a faint golden pattern in his body, and the doctor said this could resist most toxin invasions.

"The document just issued by the bureau," he suddenly stood at attention and saluted, "Authorized to set up compulsory courses for traditional martial arts at the police academy, and we would like to invite you to serve as an honorary instructor."

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

The green-gold light points representing Brute Force were spreading rapidly; from Lingyun Tower to all corners of the world, similar golden ripples appeared in the Qi Energy trajectories of countless ordinary people.

System notifications showed that more than 3,000 people had awakened weak internal force in the shockwave of his Breakthrough, the youngest of whom was only seven years old—a little girl who had been imitating him practicing the Horse Stance in front of the live stream.

When the last viewer left the live stream room, Chen Wu's peace lock and the Tomb-Guarding Beast token became hot at the same time.

The homepage of the Global Martial Arts System was changed to a new image: the background was the 300-story staircase of Lingyun Tower, with a figure practicing traditional martial arts standing on each floor; from children to the elderly, a small golden lotus floated above everyone's head.

On the topmost platform, Chen Wu's phantom was reaching out toward the lens, the Brute Force Qi vortex in his palm shining brightly in the sunlight.

Chen Wu knew that Early Stage Brute Force was only the first step on the long road of cultivation.

In the future, there would be Dark Force, Transformation Force, and even higher Realms waiting, but the warmth currently coming from his palm was more real than any Realm—it was the hope condensed by 4 billion people, the Legacy guarded by three generations of Tomb Guardians with their lives, and the temperature of power that every ordinary person could feel in the moment their blood and Qi boiled.

Just like on the bluestone slabs of the training hall, new footprints were covering the old traces.

In these deep and shallow imprints, there was a faint golden luster; that was the trace left by Brute Force Qi Energy, the vow engraved by countless hands: the power of traditional martial arts was never the patent of a few, but something that everyone willing to believe in themselves could touch in the moment their blood and Qi boiled—the light of life.