4: Chapter 4 Mirror Image Roar

The torrential rain fell like ten thousand arrows, slamming into the cobalt alloy floor of the Nanshan arena and splashing up a half-meter-high curtain of water.

Chen Wu knelt on one knee, the bandage wrapped around his right shoulder soaked through with blood.

Pale red blood droplets trickled along the weave of the bandage and dripped into the accumulated water, like an epiphyllum blooming and fading in an instant.

He looked up at Xu Mang on the opposite side of the arena.

Water droplets slid down his firm jawline, gathering at the tip of his chin into crystalline beads that refracted the cold white lights surrounding the arena.

The spectator stands were silent; the metal seats, scrubbed clean by the rain, shone brightly, reflecting the two figures in the center of the arena.

But in the virtual world, 3.7 billion viewers worldwide were staring intently at this battle of the century through the 128 8K cameras Xu Mang had set up.

These cameras were distributed in every corner of the arena, some hidden in the pillars at the edge of the arena, some hovering in the air, like invisible eyes capturing every subtle movement.

"Hey everyone!" Xu Mang's voice resounded throughout the space via holographic projection.

His live streaming interface, like a huge transparent screen, hovered in mid-air, with dense data and barrage comments jumping on the interface.

He reached out and twisted his neck, emitting a "click" sound of mechanical gears turning, as if it were a prelude from Hell.

With his movement, a gap split open on the skin of his nape, revealing the titanium alloy spine inside, flickering with cold light.

The metal surface reflected the surrounding light, like a cold, giant snake lurking beneath the skin.

"The anti-fraud fund has already raised 80 million! Today, either he reveals his true form, or I go into a coffin!"

Before the words had even faded, Xu Mang suddenly tore his sportswear to shreds.

The sound of the fabric tearing was exceptionally clear in the torrential rain, as if it were the beginning of some ritual.

His body gradually changed under the lights, a metallic luster rising on the surface of his skin, flowing like liquid mercury.

Six high-speed cameras captured this eerie scene: within 0.01 seconds, Xu Mang's skin completely turned into a mirror-like material, smooth as a mirror, reflecting Chen Wu's slightly surprised expression.

Chen Wu did not hesitate at all, his palm wind whistling as he struck towards Xu Mang's face.

This palm strike condensed his years of Cultivation Technique, and a piercing sonic boom rang out in the air, as if the air had been torn apart.

However, when the palm force was about to hit Xu Mang, a shocking change occurred—the palm force was refracted the moment it touched the mirror-like skin, just like a beam of light hitting a mirror, changing direction and flying towards the audience.

The metal seats in the audience were instantly twisted and deformed under the impact of the palm force, emitting a harsh metallic grinding sound.

A piece of seat debris flew past a virtual camera, causing the footage to shake instantly, as if the entire world were trembling.

[Barrage Explosion]

[MIT Materials Group]: Liquid metal skin! Military classified project MX-7! This is impossible! How could they have this kind of technology?

[Martial Arts Forum Admin]: This is the Xingyi Fist "Mirror Body" ultimate technique! Could modern technology already be able to replicate ancient martial arts skills?

[Anonymous User]: Too terrifying! Is this a martial arts duel, or a technological war?

Chen Wu stumbled as he retracted his move, his internal Qi and blood churning.

Just then, the System's warning sound rang in his ears, a sound that seemed to come from the depths of his brain, carrying a sense of urgency: [High-frequency infrasonic attack detected] [Recommendation: Redeem Lion's Roar (Incomplete) - Requires 30 Points].

He looked down at the System interface; the number in the points column was flashing.

If he redeemed it, he would overdraw all his points and might even suffer lasting sequelae.

But at this moment, it was a matter of life and death, and he had no other choice.

"Let's risk it!" Chen Wu gritted his teeth and decisively clicked the redeem button.

In an instant, a surge of heat rose from his Dantian, rapidly spreading along his Meridians to his entire body.

Bronze patterns emerged on his throat area; those patterns were like ancient runes, emitting a mysterious light.

His throat felt itchy, and he couldn't help but cough twice.

The phlegm he coughed up actually contained blood streaks, showing the domineering nature of this Cultivation Technique.

Xu Mang's chest swelled, preparing to emit sound waves again.

His body was like a huge air bag, the muscles under his skin bulging with veins, and blood vessels squirming on the surface of his skin like earthworms.

Chen Wu took a deep breath, mobilizing the True Qi within his body, and the bronze patterns on his throat shone brightly.

He opened his mouth, and a roar erupted from the depths of his throat, like a long-sleeping lion awakening, his voice containing endless power.

The roar transformed into a visible air cannon, pushing forward at an astonishing speed.

The raindrops along the way were shattered into misty ice crystals, forming a beautiful ice crystal barrier in the air.

The ice crystals refracted the light, presenting colorful rays, as if a brilliant rainbow were spanning across the arena.

"Sizzle—"

Xu Mang's live broadcast signal was suddenly interrupted, and 128 cameras simultaneously burst into electrical sparks.

The screen instantly descended into static, as if the whole world had lost its color.

The audience only heard the last half-sentence of the roar: "...Genetic Lock Third Stage... Open!"

That voice was full of unwillingness and anger, as if it were a cry from Hell.

A thick fog exploded in the center of the arena, grey-black in color, carrying a pungent odor, as if it were the smell of burning electronic components mixed with blood.

Chen Wu's retinal imaging was hit by strong electromagnetic interference; his vision was blurry, and he could only see some chaotic light and shadows.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

His auricles vibrated slightly, vibrating at high frequency like radar—this was the ultrasonic positioning technique he had improved using Listening Energy, determining the enemy's position by listening to the surrounding sounds.

"Third rib gap on the left!" The System prompt coincided with his intuition.

Chen Wu reacted instantly, spinning and kicking out a heart-piercing leg.

This kick condensed all his strength, and a piercing sonic boom rang out in the air again.

However, when his toe touched Xu Mang's body, it felt like kicking into composite armor—incredibly hard, and the counter-shock force traveled up his leg, numbing his lower leg.

The thick fog gradually dissipated, and the scene before him made Chen Wu's pupils shrink suddenly.

Xu Mang had transformed into a three-meter-tall monster: crocodile scales covered his back, the scales were dark green, the surface was uneven, reflecting an eerie light; his pupils had split into compound eye structures, with Chen Wu's figure reflected in every pupil, as if countless eyes were watching him at the same time; tungsten carbide claws popped out from his knuckles, the claws were half a meter long, their tips flickering with cold light, as if they could slice through steel with a gentle swipe.

[Bioethics Organization]: This is a chimera crime! Terminate the broadcast! This violates human genetic ethics!

[Black Market Modder]: White shark muscle + honey badger nerves, top-tier configuration! How much money did this kid spend?

[Anonymous Viewer]: Mom, I'm scared... This is not a human, this is a monster!

Chen Wu's bandages completely burst, revealing lean but explosive muscles.

The sequelae of the Burning Blood Technique caused a blood mist to rise in his field of vision, as if the entire world had been stained with a blood-red hue.

He felt his heartbeat getting faster and faster, his blood surging in his vessels, as if it were about to break through the constraints of his blood vessels.

In the blur of his vision, he tremblingly clicked open the System store, his gaze locked on a grey icon: [Nine Yin Manual Reverse Practice (Taboo)] [Redemption Cost: Permanent damage to the optic nerve].

A faint black mist shrouded the icon, as if warning the user of the danger of this Cultivation Technique.

Chen Wu stared at the icon, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

If he redeemed it, he might go blind, but he would have a glimmer of life; if he didn't, he might be buried in this arena.

Just then, Xu Mang's sharp claws tore through the rain curtain, attacking him with a whistling wind.

At the critical moment, the global live broadcast signal suddenly split, and three sub-screens appeared:

In the main screen, Chen Wu used the Golden Goose Skill to dodge in mid-air, his movements as light as a swallow, the claw wind grazing his clothes and slicing off a steel pillar.

The sound of the steel pillar breaking resounded throughout the arena, the broken end flashing with metallic light.

In sub-screen 1, in The Pentagon command room, a general roared angrily: "Who approved injecting Xu Mang with MX-9?!"

His fist slammed heavily onto the desk, the documents on the desk scattering everywhere, the surrounding staff looking at each other, not daring to make a sound.

In sub-screen 2, in an underground laboratory, hundreds of "Xu Mang clones" were floating in culture tanks.

These clones were like sleeping babies, floating in transparent nutrient solution, connected to various lines, the scene eerie and terrifying.

In sub-screen 3, Zhao Qiming smashed the protective cover and plunged a blue-glowing injection into his own neck.

His expression was ferocious, his brows tightly furrowed, his forehead covered with sweat beads, as if he were enduring immense pain.

Chen Wu suddenly laughed at the moment of life and death.

His eyes were firm, and he resolutely gave up on redeeming the forbidden martial art, instead injecting his remaining points into his Wave-Stepping Boots.

In an instant, the plasma flame stream suddenly surged, spraying out from the bottom of the boots, illuminating the entire arena.

He flew around the arena with the plasma flame stream, leaving behind trails of fire like crop circles on the ground, the fire trails flickering with orange-red light, as if Hell fire were burning.

"Watch closely!" Chen Wu's roar shattered the rain curtain, his voice full of confidence and pride, "This is true martial arts!"

He transformed into a blade, cutting towards Xu Mang's joint connections at a rotation speed of 117 revolutions per second.

The airflow generated by the high-speed rotation formed a small tornado, pulling the surrounding rain and fog into it, forming a huge water sphere.

The plasma arc generated by the high-frequency cutting flickered in the air, emitting a "sizzle" sound, and the pungent smell of scorched genetic solution drifted in the air, mixed with rain, appearing exceptionally pungent.

Xu Mang let out a roar, his voice full of pain and unwillingness.

He tried to struggle, but his joint connections had already been cut to shreds, and liquid metal and blood mixed together, flowing out from the wounds and dripping onto the ground, emitting a "sizzle" sound, as if it were burning the ground.

When Xu Mang fell to his knees with a crash, Chen Wu's fingertips stopped at the center of his brow, only a few centimeters away from his skin.

The global audience clearly saw that on Chen Wu's fingernail-sized patch of skin, the fine hairs were rising and falling with the rhythm of his breathing, forming the Qi Circulation diagram of the Muscle Tendon Change Classic.

The pattern seemed alive, constantly changing with his breathing, full of mysterious power.

"You lost." Chen Wu's voice penetrated the electrical noise, firm and powerful.

Xu Mang's compound eyes suddenly shed bloody tears, the tears dark red, with a hint of black, as if mixed with blood and engine oil.

His throat emitted a mechanically synthesized voice: "Mi...Mission...Complete..."

Before the words had faded, his head suddenly self-destructed into data fragments, the fragments dancing in the air like black snow.

His torso melted rapidly, turning into a pool of black liquid, flowing away along the drainage channel and disappearing without a trace.

The torrential rain stopped abruptly, and the sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the arena and forming a beautiful rainbow.

Chen Wu stumbled towards the edge of the arena, every step appearing exceptionally heavy.

Suddenly, the alloy floor beneath his feet emitted a "crack" sound, as if it couldn't bear his weight.

Before he could react, the floor shattered completely, and half of the arena collapsed into a standard Taiji diagram, the buried quantum communication fiber-optics exposed in the cracks.

Those fiber-optics flickered with blue light, like blue blood vessels extending into the distance.

Chen Wu stood on the Yin and Yang fish eye, the golden patterns on his shoulder blades resonating with the sunlight, emitting a dazzling light that gradually spread, forming a sky full of rainbows, as if it were a recognition and reward from Heaven for him.

[Global Live Broadcast Ended]

・Peak Viewers: 5.2 billion

・Power Of Faith Conversion Rate: 13%

・Title Obtained: Martial Arts Morning Star

The barrage in the live broadcast room instantly exploded, and various comments poured in like a tide:

"Too shocking! This is the real martial arts!"

"Chen Wu, you are my hero!"

"Long live martial arts! What is technology? The real power is within us!"

When Chen Wu woke up in the medical pod, his head was splitting with pain, and a sharp pain came from his right eye, as if a knife were stirring in his eye socket.

He reached out to touch his right eye but found his vision blurry; his right eye's vision had become very blurry, as if separated by a layer of mist.

"You're awake." Zhao Qiming's voice came from the side.

Chen Wu turned his head and saw Zhao Qiming wiping his blood-stained glasses, a trace of blood still remaining on the lenses, appearing somewhat eerie.

"Xu Mang is a genetic Puppet of 'Black Lotus'," Zhao Qiming put down his glasses, walked to the holographic projection, and waved his hand.

A star map unfolded in the air, with three extraterrestrial planets marked in red, flickering with red light, as if they were three huge warning signals.

"They used the live broadcast to collect your combat data. Those clones you saw are just a small part of their plan."

Chen Wu frowned, staring at the red dots on the star map, and asked: "What do they want to do?"

Zhao Qiming sighed and said: "They have replicated the Nanshan arena at the Mars base, and the invitation for the next live broadcast has already been sent out. Chen Wu, your battle has only just begun."

Chen Wu was silent for a while, looking down at his right hand.

The calluses on his palms were clearly visible—they were the marks left by years of practicing martial arts.

He thought of the life-and-death duel on the arena just now, and remembered his decision to give up redeeming the forbidden martial art, feeling a wave of emotion in his heart.

At this moment, the System interface suddenly popped up a new prompt: [Optic nerve atrophy detected] [Redeem "Eyeless Heart Manual" - Requires 30% Power Of Faith].

Chen Wu stared at the prompt, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

30% of the Power Of Faith meant he would need to lose the faith of a portion of his audience, which might affect his future battles.

But if he didn't redeem it, he might lose the vision in his right eye forever.

He pushed open the medical pod door; the television in the corridor was broadcasting shocking news: A thousand-meter sword mark had appeared at the Mount Everest base camp, with oracle bone script carved next to it—Martial Arts Year One, Begin!

In the footage, on the snow of Mount Everest, a huge sword mark ran through the entire peak, the edges of the sword mark as neat as if cut by a knife, the oracle bone script emitting a mysterious light under the sunlight.

Dozens of meteors streaked across the night sky outside the window, and a group of low-Earth orbit satellites collectively adjusted their angles, aiming their lenses at Chen Wu's hospital room.

Those satellites were like eyes, watching this man who was about to change the world.

Chen Wu stood in front of the window, looking at the meteors in the night sky, a wave of inexplicable sense of mission surging in his heart.

He knew that the era belonging to him had only just begun.

Whether it was the challenges of technology or the Legacy of martial arts, he would forge ahead, because he was the Martial Arts Morning Star, and his mission was to illuminate the entire martial arts world.