30: Chapter 30 Second Livestream: Daily Training Revealed

Section 1: Warm-up Before the Lens

At six in the morning in the Public Welfare Foundation's training hall, the morning light sliced diagonally through the high windows, casting bright spots on the floor. Chen Wu stepped on the spots of light as he warmed up. When he pressed his legs with his palm against the wall, the "Qi" at his fingertips caused fine ripples to appear on the wall's surface—this was a subtle change after Body Tempering, difficult for ordinary people to see with the naked eye, but nowhere to hide under a high-definition camera.

"Brother Wu, the equipment is all set up!" Xu Hao ran over holding a tablet computer. On the screen was the live broadcast room's real-time feed; the number of people online had already surpassed 5 million, and the bullet comments were scrolling like a waterfall. "This time we're using a 4K holographic lens provided by the Bureau of Abnormal Incident Management. It can even capture the sweat beads in your pores clearly!"

Chen Wu moved his wrists, his joints making a slight cracking sound. "Don't bother with those flashy things. Today, we'll just broadcast daily training, from warm-up to basic stances, without any faking."

These words were meant for the audience in the livestream. Since the last broadcast at the Science and Technology Museum, there had been constant skepticism online, saying his "Martial Dao" relied entirely on special effects and editing, and that his true daily training wouldn't stand up to scrutiny. This livestream was intended to tear away the mask of those rumors.

At exactly seven o'clock, the livestream began on time. Chen Wu wore the most ordinary grey training suit and stood in the center of the frame. Behind him were neatly arranged wooden dummies and sandbags; there was no bronze tripod, no holographic projection—only the simplest training scene.

"Hello everyone, today I'll show you real Martial Dao training." Chen Wu bowed slightly to the camera, his tone as casual as if he were greeting a neighbor. "There are no flashy Moves, only day-after-day repetition."

He began his basic warm-up—chest expansions, waist rotations, and leg kicks—slowing down every movement so the audience could see the details clearly. When he did a side leg press, his right leg was flush against the wall, his body forming a perfect right angle with the wall's surface, and the sole of his foot could even touch the back of his head. This movement, which would be considered high-difficulty even in gymnastics, he performed with natural ease. The bullet comments in the livestream instantly became lively:

 "Holy crap! This flexibility is insane! I'd tear my groin just trying a split."

 "Don't be salty, person above. This is all from training! Can't you see the muscle lines on Brother Wu's legs?"

 "5.5 million online! It seems everyone wants to see the real deal."

 "Now this is professional! Way better than those fitness bloggers who only know how to talk trash."

Zhao Mengmeng slipped into the training hall clutching her rabbit plushie, making faces at the edge of the frame. Her rabbit plushie had been modified into a small "Qi Sense Detector," and the display screen on its ear was jumping with numbers: "Detected flow intensity of 'Qi' in Chen Wu's body: 8.7 (Ordinary person: 0.3-0.5)."

"Mengmeng, come over and practice together." Chen Wu beckoned to her. "Let everyone see how an ordinary person can improve their 'Qi Sense' through daily training."

The little girl came skipping over and mimicked Chen Wu's leg kicks. Although her movements were immature, they were quite decent. By her third kick, the wind generated by her toes suddenly caused a nearby sandbag to sway slightly—this was a sign of "Qi Sense" beginning to take shape.

"Did you see that?" Chen Wu explained to the camera. "Martial Dao is not an unreachable myth; it's hidden in these simple movements. Three months ago, Mengmeng didn't even know how to hold a Horse Stance, and now she can already mobilize 'Qi'."

Section 2: Fist Shadows on the Wooden Dummy

After the warm-up ended, Chen Wu walked over to a wooden dummy. It was a semi-old elm dummy, its surface covered in fist and footprints of varying depths. In the deepest indentation, there were still traces of faint gold—marks left by the long-term impact of "Qi."

"Next, I'll practice the 'Six Great Openings' of Baji Fist." Chen Wu cracked his knuckles. "This is the core technique of Baji Fist. It looks simple, but every punch must mobilize the 'Qi' of the entire body."

He didn't punch immediately but first took a standard Horse Stance, knees aligned with toes, back straight, and arms held in front of his chest. A few seconds later, his breathing became long and deep, and each exhalation caused the wooden dummy to vibrate slightly.

"Ha!"

With a low shout, Chen Wu suddenly stepped forward and punched, his right fist accurately striking the "chest" of the wooden dummy. There was no world-shaking boom, but a visible shockwave of air rippled out from the point of impact. The dust on the wooden dummy was shaken into the air, forming a clear airflow trail in the sunlight.

"First Opening: Prop!"

Immediately after, he flipped his wrist, turning his fist into a palm, and struck the "throat" of the wooden dummy with the base of his palm. The hard elm surface was actually struck into a shallow pit, emitting a crisp "crack."

"Second Opening: Embrace!"

The bullet comments in the livestream went completely crazy:

 "My god! That's elm! It's harder than stone!"

 "Watch it in slow motion! There's a faint light on his fist! It's 'Qi'!"

 "6 million online! This is real kung fu! Ten thousand times better than those special effects!"

 "My grandfather said this is called 'Internal Strength Penetrating Bone'; it's the essence of Baji Fist!"

Chen Wu's movements became faster and faster as the "Single, Lift, Slant, and Wrap" of the "Six Great Openings" were executed in succession. His figure moved around the wooden dummy, fist shadows interlacing and palm winds whistling. Every contact made the wooden dummy groan in pain, yet it remained standing—this was the "hard strike, hard entry" characteristic of Baji Fist, requiring both the power to destroy everything and the precision to control it.

The most amazing was the "Wrap" technique. Chen Wu's arm wrapped around the dummy's "arm" like a spirit snake. It seemed gentle, yet it made the hard elm emit a "creak" sound, and spiral-shaped cracks even appeared on the surface.

"This is the rotational force of 'Qi'." Chen Wu explained while demonstrating. "It's like wringing a towel; by exerting force along the wood grain, even the hardest things can be torn apart."

When he released his hand, the dummy's "arm" had actually been twisted away from its original angle, and faint wood dust seeped from the cracks—this wasn't violent destruction, but a perfect combination of clever knack and power.

Standing to the side, Zhao Mengmeng watched dumbstruck as her rabbit plushie's display screen jumped frantically: "'Qi' rotation speed: 1200 RPM! Equivalent to a small electric drill!"

Section 3: The Secret Behind the Sandbag

For the sandbag segment, Chen Wu chose the most ordinary canvas sandbag, filled with solid fine sand, weighing a full two hundred pounds. Xu Hao specifically set up the camera directly in front of the sandbag to make it easier for the audience to see the impact effect.

"Many people think hitting a sandbag is just about who has more strength, but it's not." Chen Wu feinted twice with his fist in front of the sandbag. "The key is the penetrative nature of 'Qi'."

He punched the sandbag; the bag didn't swing violently, but merely dented inward at the point of contact. However, the slow-motion footage in the livestream showed that the fine sand inside, under the impact of the fist's force, formed a funnel-shaped hollow that pierced through the sandbag, only being refilled by the surrounding sand a few seconds later.

"This is 'Penetrating Force'." Chen Wu withdrew his fist; the surface of his hand wasn't even red. "The power doesn't stay on the surface but must penetrate inside to destroy the internal structure. Just like in a fight, it's not about punching someone away, but about injuring their internal organs."

He punched continuously, his speed increasing. The sandbag only ever vibrated slightly, yet dense hollows formed inside. The training hall was filled with the "rustle" of fine sand friction, forming a strange resonance with Chen Wu's breathing.

"Brother Wu, someone is challenging you!" Xu Hao suddenly ran over holding his phone. On the screen was a video from a foreign combat blogger who was whipping a sandbag with a chain. The sandbag was swinging violently, and the marks from the chain were clearly visible. "He says your 'Penetrating Force' is a lie; if you really have power, you should knock the sandbag flying!"

Chen Wu glanced at the video and smiled. "Tell him that knocking someone flying isn't a skill; making them stand still while their internal organs rupture—that is the prowess of Baji Fist."

To give the audience a more intuitive understanding, he found a two-centimeter-thick steel plate and placed it in front of the sandbag.

"Watch closely."

With one punch, the steel plate emitted a dull thud, and a shallow dent appeared on the surface. Meanwhile, the slow-motion footage inside the sandbag showed the funnel-shaped hollow in the fine sand was deeper and clearer than before.

"This is 'Combining Hardness and Softness'." Chen Wu pointed to the dent on the steel plate. "When the fist contacts the steel plate, the 'Qi' will instantly contract, protecting the fist from injury; at the same time, another surge of 'Qi' will penetrate the steel plate and act upon the sandbag."

The number of people online in the livestream surpassed 7 million, and donation amounts poured in like a tide. An account from the domestic military left a message: "This is the kind of power needed for actual combat! Requesting cooperation to develop related training methods!"

Section 4: An "Accident" During Stance Training

The final segment of the livestream was stance training. Chen Wu chose the "Bear Stance" of Baji Fist, legs spread slightly wider than his shoulders, body leaning slightly forward, arms rounded as if holding something, like a bear poised to strike.

"Stance training is the Foundation of Martial Dao; it's even more important than punching." He closed his eyes, his voice as steady as an ancient well. "Many people think standing still is easy, but the hardest part is 'Stillness'."

He stood for half an hour. The training hall was very quiet, with only his breathing and the scrolling bullet comments of the livestream. The audience watched his motionless figure, moving from initial curiosity to later admiration, and the bullet comments shifted from lively to solemn:

 "7.5 million online, yet no one is talking. This must be what they call an aura."

 "My grandfather also does stance training and says he feels refreshed afterward. It turns out it really works."

 "Look at Brother Wu's feet; it's like they're connected to the ground. Even his shadow hasn't moved."

 "Suddenly I feel very moved. It turns out those world-shaking skills are all built up stance by stance like this."

Just as the livestream was about to end, the training hall door was pushed open. Several people in black suits burst in, led by Lin Xue from the Bureau of Abnormal Incident Management. Her expression was grave, and she held a document in her hand.

"Chen Wu, something happened." Lin Xue's voice was kept very low, yet it spread through the livestream via the microphone. "Genetic Warriors from the 'Grey Shadow' organization have caused chaos in the city center; three people are already injured."

Chen Wu snapped his eyes open. The "Qi" inside him erupted instantly, the surrounding air suddenly distorting, and the wooden dummy and sandbags all emitted a slight hum.

"Address." His voice carried a cold killing intent, a complete contrast to his stillness during the stance training just moments ago.

"Shanghai People's Square." Lin Xue handed over the document. "They named you specifically to go there, otherwise they'll detonate the bombs on their bodies."

Chen Wu didn't take the document, merely saying to the camera: "That's all for today's livestream. Next time, I'll show everyone 'Baji Fist in Actual Combat'."

He turned and left, the wind from his footsteps causing the camera to shake slightly. Zhao Mengmeng chased after him clutching her rabbit plushie; on the plushie's display screen, the intensity of "Qi" had already soared to 15.3.

The number of people online in the livestream hit 800 million at that moment, with worry and support interlaced in the bullet comments:

 "Be careful, Brother Wu! Genetic Warriors are not easy to deal with!"

 "Finally a real fight! Baji Fist vs. Genetic Warriors, just thinking about it is exciting!"

 "8 million viewers online waiting for your safe return!"

 "Go for it! Brother Wu!"

Only Lin Xue and Xu Hao remained in the training hall. Lin Xue looked in the direction Chen Wu had disappeared, then at the scrolling blessings in the livestream, and suddenly said to Xu Hao: "Edit the video of the stance training just now and send it to all Awakened. Tell them that this is the root of Martial Dao."

Xu Hao nodded heavily, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard. The morning light remained bright, shining on the wooden dummy covered in fist marks, as if one could see the countless days and nights Chen Wu had spent here, sweating profusely.

This livestream exposing daily training ultimately ended with an emergency incident. But what the audience remembered was not just the danger Chen Wu was about to face, but the reality of him sweating before the lens and that simple sentence:

"There are no shortcuts in Martial Dao, only day-after-day repetition."

And behind that repetition lay the courage and strength to step forward when facing danger.