21: Chapter 21 Livestream Begins! Global Online Viewers Surpass One Million

The backup generator at the Oriental Sports Center let out one final roar, and the venue suddenly plunged into darkness.

Before the gasps of fifty thousand people could even settle, emergency lights flickered to life, the eerie green light outlining the contours of the bronze tripod in the center of the stage—the taotie patterns on the tripod's body were glowing, blinking like countless eyes in the dark.

"30 seconds remaining." Chen Wu's fingertips rested against the inside of the bronze tripod lid, where the seal script characters "Livestream Starting" were flickering in sync with his heartbeat. "Xu Hao, has the signal jamming been lifted?"

"It's lifted!" Xu Hao held up the signal tester, the waveform on the screen shifting from chaotic noise to a smooth sine wave. "The technical department just opened the global satellite link; even the Antarctic research station can receive the signal now!"

Zhao Mengmeng crouched beside the bronze tripod, clutching her rabbit plushie. The electronic screen on the doll displayed the real-time online viewership: 987,654. The little girl gripped the doll's ears nervously. "It's almost at one million... Grandpa said there would be a rainbow of 'Qi' once it passes one million."

Professor Wang Hai's team, temporarily isolated on the west side of the venue, gritted their teeth as they stared at the monitoring screens. The Chief Technology Officer typed furiously. "Professor Wang Hai, our interference signal has been bounced back! The other side isn't using conventional satellites; it's... it's an unknown energy band!"

Professor Wang Hai tore off his tie and stared at Chen Wu's figure on the screen. "Activate the backup plan. Have the 'expert group' stir up the narrative on all major platforms; tell them he's using VR streaming technology!"

[System Prompt: Forced Livestream Started]

[Current Online Viewership: 1,002,378]

[Coverage Area: 196 countries and regions globally]

[Livestream Perspective: 360° holographic + 'Qi' Sense visualization]

When the cold mechanical voice echoed in Chen Wu's mind, the venue's emergency lights suddenly extinguished.

A second later, the bronze tripod erupted with blinding golden light, illuminating the faces of fifty thousand people as if it were broad daylight—this radiance pierced through the stadium's dome, transforming into a pillar of golden light that shot straight into the clouds, clearly visible on satellite cloud imagery.

The giant screen in New York's Times Square, which had been playing a fashion show, suddenly cut to Chen Wu's feed. Pedestrians stopped in their tracks, pointing at the suspended bronze tripod on the screen in astonishment; at the Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, Chen Wu's figure on the massive screens intertwined with the traffic, and office workers raised their phones to film, causing a brief traffic jam; in an African tribe, a shaman pointed at the golden light on the satellite TV, believing it to be a divine descent, and led the tribe to kneel before the screen.

"Good afternoon, viewers." Chen Wu's voice rang out through every connected device across the globe; whether it was a high-end speaker or an old radio, the clear and steady tone came through. "Today, we aren't here to debunk fakes; we are only here to discuss the Dao of martial arts."

He raised his hand, signaling Zhao Mengmeng to walk forward with her plushie. The little girl placed the rabbit on the ground and tapped it lightly with her fingertip. The doll suddenly levitated, dissolving into countless motes of light within the golden glow, only to reassemble into a miniature bronze tripod.

"This is not magic." Chen Wu's voice carried a hint of a smile as the camera suddenly switched to the 'Qi' Sense visualization perspective—countless pale golden threads extended from Zhao Mengmeng's fingertips, guiding the flow of light like an exquisite energy dance. "This is the application of 'Qi', which every ordinary person can master through training."

The comments in the global livestream room exploded:

"Witnessing from London! My TV switched channels automatically; this is definitely supernatural power!"

"Don't panic, those above. My cousin who works at NASA says an unknown energy field is interfering with electronic equipment."

"Just showed the stream to my cat, and it's bristling at the screen. Can cats also perceive 'Qi'?"

"Viewership is at 1.5 million! It's a record-breaker!"

Professor Wang Hai's team sat in dead silence in the monitoring room. On the holographic screen, their carefully prepared "VR livestream" skepticism posts were drowned out by a massive wave of real-time witness posts; even the paid trolls couldn't turn the tide of public opinion.

"Activate Plan B." Professor Wang Hai's voice trembled. "Get the fighters to rush in; tell them the equipment is malfunctioning and needs maintenance!"

Chen Wu was demonstrating the power-generating principle of "Stance Training". He spread his feet to shoulder-width and slowly squatted. Every breath caused ripples on the floor tiles—this was proof of 'Qi' being transmitted through the soles of his feet. Under the 360° holographic lens, even beginners could clearly see the trajectory of the energy flow.

"Pay attention to the angle of the knees," he said, adjusting his posture for the camera. "Many people slouch their lower backs during Stance Training; in reality, it's because they haven't found the support point for 'Qi'..."

Suddenly, a commotion broke out on the west side of the venue. Five fighters in black vests broke through the security line, charging toward the stage while holding signs that read "Equipment Maintenance". The leader was the retired MMA fighter who had previously questioned whether Chen Wu's side kick violated ergonomic principles.

"Move aside! Equipment failure, we need an emergency shutdown!" The burly man brandished a wrench, attempting to get close to the bronze tripod—the source of the livestream signal.

Chen Wu didn't stop his explanation, merely smiling slightly at the camera. "Perfect, let's demonstrate a practical application of 'Listening Energy'."

Just as the man's wrench was about to touch the bronze tripod, Chen Wu suddenly sidestepped. His movement was not fast, yet it perfectly avoided the attack, and he simultaneously extended his palm, pressing it lightly against the man's chest.

"Bang!"

There was no earth-shattering boom; the man was sent flying as if by an invisible wall, tracing a parabolic arc through the air before landing steadily on a soft mat three meters away, without even a scratch.

"Did you see that?" Chen Wu displayed his palm to the camera. "'Listening Energy' isn't about sensing muscles; it's about sensing the opponent's center of gravity. Before his wrench even touched the bronze tripod, I knew exactly where he intended to strike the signal interface."

The remaining four fighters stood frozen in place, while the online viewership in the livestream room surpassed 2 million at that very moment.

"Hahaha, is this the legendary 'four ounces deflect a thousand pounds'?"

"The fighter: Who am I? Where am I? Why did I just fly?"

"Just watched it in slow motion; Chen Wu's palm didn't use any force at all—the fighter ran into it himself!"

"Checking in from the Paris Opera House! The whole audience is applauding!"

Zhao Mengmeng suddenly pointed at the sky and cheered, "The rainbow Grandpa talked about!"

Everyone looked up. The golden light from the bronze tripod refracted into a seven-colored halo against the dome, perfectly corresponding to the colors of the comments in the global livestream room. Even more miraculously, countless tiny figures emerged within the halo—it was the 'Qi' of Awakened individuals from all over the world resonating. Through the livestream, they felt the existence of their own kind for the first time.

[System Prompt: Online viewership surpassed 3 million]

[Unlocked Function: Global Qi Sense Sharing (Can view the location of other Awakened individuals within 10 kilometers)]

[Obtained Points: 5 million]

[Triggered Hidden Mission: Establish a Global Martial Arts Network]

Chen Wu's fingertips glowed, and a blue world map appeared in his mind, with countless points of light flickering across it—those were the Awakened distributed across the globe. He could even "hear" the inner thoughts of an office worker in London: "So I'm not a monster; the reason I can make a coffee spoon stir automatically is because of 'Qi'!"

"This is a gift for all Awakened individuals." Chen Wu raised his palm to the camera, the phantom of the map rotating in his palm. "From today on, we are no longer alone."

Police sirens wailed outside the venue. Lin Xue led the SWAT team into Professor Wang Hai's monitoring room, catching the technicians in the act of trying to destroy the hard drives. "Caught red-handed." Lin Xue produced a search warrant. "You are suspected of illegal interference with satellite signals; come with us."

Professor Wang Hai slumped in his chair, watching the screen where Chen Wu was teaching African children Stance Training—the 'Qi' of those children, though weak, was real. He suddenly recalled his first time debunking a fake ten years ago; he had once believed that science could explain everything, but only now did he understand that true science is having the courage to admit the unknown.

The global livestream's online viewership finally settled at 3,789,215. When Chen Wu announced that he would teach everyone the "Three Basic Forms of Qi Sense" tomorrow, the donation amount instantly exceeded 100 million—this money would be used to establish martial arts teaching centers across the globe, from the slums of New York to refugee camps in Africa.

The sunset shone through the hole in the dome onto the bronze tripod, casting a long shadow of Chen Wu. He knew this livestream wasn't an end, but a beginning. When three million pairs of eyes across the globe witnessed the existence of 'Qi', and countless people who had been viewed as "abnormal" found a sense of belonging, a new era had quietly arrived the moment the livestream began.

"See you tomorrow." Chen Wu waved at the camera, the golden light on the bronze tripod gradually dimming, leaving behind a crowd of captivated viewers and the words "See you tomorrow" scrolling across screens worldwide.

In the monitoring room, Professor Wang Hai watched his team being taken away by the special police, and suddenly smiled. He pulled out his phone, donated one yuan to Chen Wu's livestream room, and left a comment: "I was wrong."

This comment was quickly drowned out by millions of well-wishes, yet like a stone thrown into a lake, it stirred up a tiny ripple in a certain corner.