18: Chapter 18 Livestream Preview: "Challenge Wang Hai, Location Revealed"

In the training hall of the Oriental Sports Center, Chen Wu was instructing over thirty Awakened on practicing basic fist stances.

Zhao Mengmeng's rabbit doll hung from the pull-up bar, and its sensors broadcasted the accuracy of everyone's movements in real-time: "Uncle Zhang's punch is 3 degrees to the left, Auntie Li is collapsing her waist in Horse Stance, and Brother Wang's breathing rhythm is off!"

Sunlight spilled through the high windows onto the floor, illuminating the dust dancing in the air.

Ever since the trip to the deep sea, more and more people had come to believe in the authenticity of the "Dao of Martial Arts," and every day, Awakened from all over the country rushed to the Foundation, hoping to receive guidance from Chen Wu.

"Brother Wu, you have a package, but no sender is listed."

Xu Hao walked in carrying a cardboard box half his height, with a printed skull sticker on its surface.

"The courier said it must be signed for in person and added, 'Professor Wang Hai wishes you good luck.'"

Chen Wu's movements paused.

The training hall instantly fell silent, and the Awakened exchanged worried glances—the name Professor Wang Hai was like a thorn, stuck in the hearts of everyone following the Dao of Martial Arts.

He took the box, which felt heavy in his hands.

The box wasn't locked, and it opened with a gentle lift.

Inside, there were no bombs or threatening letters, only a half-meter square slab of bluestone, with three crooked characters painted in red lacquer in the center: "Dare to accept?"

On the edge of the stone slab, a line of small characters was carved: "Three days later, see you at our old spot. — Professor Wang Hai"

"Our old spot?"

Xu Hao leaned in to look, then suddenly slapped his thigh. "It's the Shanghai Gymnasium! The place where he held his press conference three months ago!"

Chen Wu brushed his fingertips over the texture of the bluestone.

Using "Listening Energy," he could clearly perceive the internal stress within the slab—it was an old piece taken from an ancient building, with extremely high density that an ordinary person couldn't break even with a hammer.

By choosing to issue the challenge this way, Professor Wang Hai was clearly implying: this time, it would be a "head-on collision."

"What is he trying to do?"

Zhao Mengmeng leaned in, clutching her doll, while the rabbit's electronic eyes scanned the stone slab.

"Detected metal powder in the red lacquer. Is it... radioactive material?"

Chen Wu shook his head and moved the stone slab to a corner.

"It's not radiation; it's lead powder. He's playing a word game—the 'accept' in 'Dare to accept?' means 'to take on a challenge,' but it also means 'to come into contact.'"

"He wants to tell us that this competition will be monitored with 'scientific instruments,' to let everyone see that so-called 'Internal Energy' is nothing more than a chemical reaction."

Sirens wailed outside the training hall.

Lin Xue walked in with two technicians in white coats, frowning when she saw the stone slab.

"We received intelligence that Professor Wang Hai's laboratory has recently been purchasing high-intensity X-ray machines and particle detectors."

She knelt down and used tweezers to take a sample of the red lacquer.

"Preliminary testing shows it's a lead-mercury mixture. Long-term contact will cause poisoning—he's implying the competition will be dangerous."

The Awakened were in an uproar:

"This is a dirty trick!"

"What is there to fear? Brother Wu can even block nanobots!"

"But what if he tampers with the instruments?"

"Exactly, if he claims Brother Wu's Internal Energy is just radiation, we won't be able to explain it!"

Chen Wu suddenly smiled.

He walked to the center of the training hall and declared loudly to everyone, "If he wants to compete, we will compete with him. But he cannot set the location, and he cannot set the rules."

At 3:00 PM, Chen Wu's live stream channel suddenly lit up.

No trailer, no buildup; a line of golden characters jumped directly onto the black screen: [Live Broadcast Announcement: Chen Wu Challenges Professor Wang Hai]

The number of online viewers skyrocketed like a rocket, going from one hundred thousand to a million, then to ten million, all in just three minutes.

The screen was instantly covered by comments:

"Holy crap! Is it really happening?"

"Finally waited for this day! I bet fifty cents on Chen Wu winning!"

"Where is the location? When is it?"

"Does Professor Wang Hai dare to accept? Hope it's not just empty talk again!"

When Chen Wu appeared on camera, he was offering incense to the bronze tripod.

The Taotie patterns on the tripod appeared and disappeared through the swirling incense smoke.

He was wearing a plain white martial arts uniform, holding the bluestone slab that Professor Wang Hai had sent.

"I accept Professor Wang Hai's challenge."

His voice reached across the globe through the microphone, clear and steady.

"But I have three conditions."

The comments on the screen instantly froze; the whole world was waiting for what he would say next.

"First, I will set the location."

Chen Wu held up the bluestone slab to show the camera.

"The 'old spot' you chose is too small; it cannot hold the people who want to see the truth. I choose the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, which can accommodate fifty thousand people. Is that enough?"

The live stream chat room exploded:

"Fifty thousand people! Is he holding a concert?"

"The Oriental Sports Center is a national-level venue! Has the government tacitly approved this?"

"If Professor Wang Hai dares to come, it will be a public execution!"

"Second, the rules will be jointly formulated by both parties."

Chen Wu put down the slab, his tone calm yet carrying an unquestionable power.

"You can bring your scientific instruments, and I will also invite third-party organizations to bear witness. But there is one condition—you cannot use any equipment that may endanger personal safety, including your lead powder, nanobots, and the junk Rex left behind."

These words were like a slap in the face to Professor Wang Hai.

Everyone knew about the dealings between Rex and Professor Wang Hai, but no one dared to say it publicly.

Chen Wu's words effectively brought their conspiracy out into the light.

"Third, the content of the competition will be decided by audience vote."

Chen Wu brought up a voting interface with five options listed: Basic Fist and Foot Combat, Internal Energy Strength Test, Weapon Sparring, Combat Simulation, and Listening Energy Competition.

"Voting ends at noon seven days from now. What we compete in will be decided by you all."

This decision completely ignited the enthusiasm of the audience.

As soon as the voting interface went live, the number of clicks per second exceeded one million.

Even passersby who had been watching from the sidelines couldn't help but participate—this was no longer a simple competition, but a "debate on truth" with nationwide participation.

"Why choose the Oriental Sports Center?"

Xu Hao looked at the massive oval building on the map, looking puzzled.

"The venue fee there is ridiculously high, and it's full of high-tech equipment, which would just make it easier for Professor Wang Hai to play tricks."

Chen Wu was adjusting the live streaming equipment and didn't look up as he replied, "It's precisely because it's full of high-tech equipment that we must choose it."

He pointed to the venue layout on the screen.

"See these red dots? Those are holographic projection devices and sensors distributed in every corner. Seven days from now, we will let the whole world see that the Dao of Martial Arts is not only unafraid of scientific testing but can also integrate perfectly with technology."

Zhao Mengmeng's grandfather walked in, leaning on a cane.

The head of the old man's cane was a small bronze tripod, a "Qi Sense Amplifier" that Chen Wu had specifically exchanged using points.

"Xiao Wu chose well."

The old man tapped the floor.

"Thirty years ago, that was just a barren lot. Your Master and I built a martial arts hall there using wooden stakes."

Chen Wu was stunned.

"You knew my Master?"

"More than just knew him."

The old man smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening.

"Back then, your Master used a set of Xingyi Fist on that very ground to defeat seven Muay Thai fighters who came to challenge the hall. It's a pity that the hall was later demolished, under the pretext that we were engaging in feudal superstition."

He stroked the small bronze tripod.

"It's good now. You are going to go there and reclaim the honor, to let everyone see that the things of our ancestors are not superstition."

Lin Xue walked in with the venue manager, holding a thick contract.

"All equipment has been checked to ensure it won't be tampered with. We will also arrange three hundred special police officers and deploy a defensive perimeter of 'Qi Sense Awakened' on the outside—as long as Professor Wang Hai dares to bring any contraband, we can take him down within three minutes."

Chen Wu took the contract.

As he signed it, the "Qi" at the tip of his pen made the paper vibrate slightly.

He suddenly remembered the newly unlocked "Martial Arts Holographic Projection" function in the System store, which could display the flow of Internal Energy in the form of 3D images.

With the support of the equipment at the Oriental Sports Center, this function could achieve maximum effect.

"By the way," he looked up at Lin Xue, "can you contact the CCTV Sports Channel? I want this competition to be broadcast simultaneously on national television."

Lin Xue's eyes lit up.

"I'll get it done right away!"

Professor Wang Hai's live stream started two hours later.

The background was a laboratory filled with instruments.

He was wearing a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses, holding a recording of Chen Wu's live broadcast.

"Fellow netizens, don't be deceived by him!"

He pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light.

"The Oriental Sports Center is his home turf; the equipment there has long been tampered with by him! The so-called third-party witnesses are just shills he hired!"

He brought up a so-called "internal document."

"Everyone look, this is the procurement list of Chen Wu's team, which includes 'Qi Sense Simulation Devices' and 'Holographic Projection Equipment'—to put it bluntly, he wants to perform a massive magic show in front of fifty thousand people!"

The arguments in the comments were exceptionally intense:

"Professor Wang is right! It must be a magic trick!"

"So bitter! If you don't dare to accept, just say so!"

"I checked, that list is fake, the serial numbers don't match up."

"Regardless of whether it's true or fake, won't we see the results in seven days?"

Professor Wang Hai clearly hadn't expected Chen Wu to take the broadcast to television, and his expression was somewhat ugly.

"Of course I dare to accept! But I want to add one competition item—a radiation resistance test!"

He held up a Geiger counter.

"If his 'Internal Energy' is really that powerful, he should be able to block gamma rays!"

This request was extremely insidious.

Gamma rays have a highly lethal effect on human cells, and even if Chen Wu could block them, it would cause irreversible damage to his body.

Chen Wu's team immediately held an emergency meeting.

"You can't agree to this! This is murder!"

Xu Hao slammed his tablet onto the table, the screen displaying an explanation of the dangers of gamma rays.

Professor Li pushed up his glasses.

"Theoretically, the energy field of 'Qi' can indeed deflect rays, but it requires an extremely high concentration. Chen Wu might..."

"I accept."

Chen Wu suddenly spoke up, his fingers pausing as he wrapped a bandage.

"But I want to add one condition—he must be tested as well."

When this response appeared in Professor Wang Hai's live stream, the man's face instantly turned pale.

He only wanted to make things difficult for Chen Wu; he had never considered that he himself would have to be exposed to gamma rays.

"He won't dare to."

Chen Wu smiled at the camera.

Sunlight fell on him through the window, coating him in a golden edge.

"Seven days from now, at the Oriental Sports Center, I will let everyone see what the true Dao of Martial Arts is. It can not only strengthen the body and defend against enemies, but it can also... confront dangers that even science is helpless against."

His gaze swept over the Awakened who were practicing diligently in the training hall.

Zhao Mengmeng was teaching a blind child to use "Listening Energy" to perceive the surrounding environment, and the old man's cane tapped out a rhythmic cadence on the floor, forming a wonderful resonance with the children's breathing.

"That's all for the live broadcast announcement."

Chen Wu waved at the camera.

"Seven days from now, see you there."

When the live stream ended, the number of online viewers was fixed at 370 million.

On Weibo, the topic #Chen Wu vs Professor Wang Hai Ultimate Showdown# exceeded 5 billion views, with over 200 million discussions.

Merchandise for the Oriental Sports Center event sold out within an hour, and people even began reselling admission tickets.

Chen Wu watched the sky darkening outside the window, the bronze tripod glowing softly in the corner.

He knew that this competition was not only to defeat Professor Wang Hai but also to provide an answer to everyone who believed in the Dao of Martial Arts, and to give those forgotten traditions a chance to prove themselves.

"Seven more days."

He clenched his fist, the "Qi" at his fingertips making the air vibrate slightly.

"It's time to prepare properly."

The lights in the training hall stayed on all night.

The muffled thuds of fists hitting sandbags, the synchronized breathing, and the prompt sounds from the rabbit doll intertwined, like an overture composed for the coming battle.

And far on the other side of the city, in Professor Wang Hai's laboratory, the ticking of the Geiger counter grew faster and faster, as if counting down to his failure.