Chapter 82: I am a Human, Not a Turtle in a Wishing Well
As Zhang Beixing began to stretch and start punching, his movements grew increasingly fierce, and the background music became more intense. Besides the initial mellow flute sound, there was now the sound of a *bangu* drum, crashing cymbals, and even... an Erhu! Just listening was enough to make one's blood surge, creating the illusion of being right there!
Then, a fierce wind blew, filling the sky with falling leaves. The intense background music stopped abruptly. After a moment of silence, the unique sound of a harp began its solo. The harp's sound was distinctive—heavy, yet with a hint of lightness. Accompanied by it, the video zoomed in, and Zhang Beixing's movements slowed. This allowed viewers to clearly see a falling leaf wrap around his fist.
The next second, "THUMP—" As the harp's note rang out, Zhang Beixing's fist suddenly thrust forward. Even though the footage was slowed several times, the sharp sound of his fist breaking the air was still distinct. The leaf pressed against his knuckles instantly exploded from the force of the push, scattering into fragments on the wind!
The intense background music resumed, now supplemented by the harp. The video returned to normal speed. Zhang Beixing stood on the trembling steel wire, his form as steady as a rock. Regardless of how much the wire beneath his feet shook, he remained perfectly still, absorbed in performing the Yue Family Consecutive Fists.
Until the final stance. "BANG!" With a loud snap, the fastener on the other end of the steel wire gave way, unable to bear the strain. It tore loose from the tree and slammed into the ground, sending dust billowing up.
The sudden mishap made Sophia Zhou's heart leap into her throat. She clutched her phone, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the screen as she watched the dust rise. Without realizing it, her breathing had slowed.
How is Zhang Beixing? Is he okay? Such thoughts flooded her mind. She was so immersed that she completely forgot it was just a video.
But soon, as the dust settled, she saw Zhang Beixing's upright figure appear. He was standing casually, performing a graceful finishing move. Sophia Zhou, seeing he was unharmed, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As she continued watching, she saw Zhang Beixing had taken off his shirt. With a light shout, and under Sophia Zhou's puzzled gaze, white steam began to billow from his body. Zhang Beixing stood amidst it. At that moment, he looked like a true master.
At this point, the image froze, and the video ended.
"!!!"
Sophia Zhou was stunned. She stared at the darkened screen, feeling as if her mind had been struck by something, leaving it buzzing. She held her phone, taking a long moment to regain her senses.
She was incredibly shocked—so shocked she was at a loss for words!
Performing martial arts on a steel wire, punching an unsupported leaf to pieces, falling from the wire unscathed, and emitting white steam from his entire body... This... How did he do this? Sophia Zhou's voice trembled.
Her fingers trembled as she opened the comment section, only to find that the netizens there were just as astounded as she was after watching the video.
"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Forgive my lack of culture, but one 'holy shit' says it all! Practicing Martial Arts Training on a steel wire—this has to be Special Effects, right? How is it so well done? Which major production house is behind this?"
"It must be something this guy cooked up himself. I just checked all the upcoming film releases, and I couldn't find any info on him. That said, the Special Effects are seriously good—completely seamless!"
"Special Effects? Haha! I can't speak for others, but as a professional in Special Effects, I can responsibly tell you this is definitely NOT Special Effects. This video hasn't been edited in any way. That means the blogger was genuinely performing Martial Arts Training on a steel wire without any protection!"
"Seriously? That outrageous?"
"Did I just wake up, or what's going on? Why am I seeing Lu Bu in modern times in the middle of the afternoon? I need to go back to sleep!"
"How did the blogger pull that off? A steel wire rope has a high load capacity, sure, but it's still just a 'rope.' It's already incredibly difficult for an ordinary person to even stand on it, let alone practice Martial Arts Training! Seriously?"
"If I remember correctly, wasn't this suggested in the comments of your last video? Dude, you actually did it? We were just kidding around! You made it look way too real."
"And did anyone else notice the part at the end where the blogger snaps the steel wire and white vapor comes off him? It's summer, not winter! You finish training, take a breath, and steam comes off you? Dude, are you Iron Man or Kamen Rider? Is that your armor breaking off or something?"
"Okay, it seems a bit like showing off, but I gotta admit, that was damn cool. In that moment, I suddenly understood what 'Man among men, Lu Bu' means. Those muscles, that definition... I'm freaking jealous!"
"So, the question is, how can we achieve that awesome all-over sweating effect?"
"Disclaimer: I'm not a professional. But let me try to explain the principle behind the sweating. It's probably like a pressure cooker. Instead of closing a lid, the blogger closes his pores while punching and keeps his clothes on, trapping sweat inside so it can't escape. The longer the sweat accumulates, the higher its temperature gets. Then, when he suddenly releases it, you get this steaming effect. If I'm wrong, don't correct me, because, like I said, I'm not a professional!"
"Wow, brilliant explanation, truly enlightening. Pressure cookers, closing pores—dude, do you even hear yourself? Can a human being actually do that?"
"I don't care if it's humanly possible. What I want to know is how the blogger actually snapped the steel wire! That's the truly outrageous part!"
"What's so outrageous about it? The wire probably wasn't tied tight, and he accidentally loosened it while walking on it, right?"
"'Not tied tight?' If you're saying that, then I have to chime in. I don't have much, but I do have patience. So, I slowed this video down more than ten times and watched it repeatedly. I finally figured out how the blogger snapped the steel wire."
"First, the steel wire under the blogger's feet was definitely tied tight. You can tell from the deep indentations it made in the tree. As for why such a tightly bound wire loosened and eventually snapped, that's all down to the blogger himself. With every step, he exerted enormous force on the wire. Observant viewers would have noticed that the wire under his feet never stopped trembling. Towards the end, the entire wire was shaking violently. It was this constant, violent shaking, combined with the high-intensity force from the blogger, that the wire couldn't withstand, causing the fastener on one end to finally give way!"
"Holy shit, 666! Dude above, your analysis is epic! You wrote a lot, so you must be right. I'm following you!"
"I don't understand any of that technical stuff, but I do know this: that dude's got some serious lower body strength. And they say, the stronger the lower body, the more... vigorous, you know? Hey, blogger, got a girlfriend? If so, mind adding another?"
"Definitely followed! This is the most real blogger on the internet—he actually listens to audience suggestions! Now I'm even more curious about what he'll do next!"
The netizens were buzzing with discussion, the comment section lively.
「Half a city away, on the sports field of Shi University.」
Zhang Beixing rubbed his hands excitedly. Receiving so much recognition and astonishment from netizens naturally satisfied his vanity. But what Zhang Beixing most looked forward to was that he had finally managed to get some good material today. With so many comments, surely he'd get at least eighty or a hundred suggestions?
So, he stretched out his finger and scrolled down. Then... the smile vanished from Zhang Beixing's face. He looked at his phone, his expression turning grim. He wore the classic look of an old man baffled and frustrated by his smartphone. He was utterly speechless. Weird! This is just too damn bizarre! How could the suggestions from this batch of netizens be so outrageous?
"Pfft, Martial Arts Training on a wire just two meters off the ground? What's so hard about that? If you've got guts, try doing it on a skyscraper a hundred meters high! If you can pull *that* off, then I'll admit you're amazing!"
"Is that supposed to be impressive? It's just a little higher; what's the big deal? In my opinion, the blogger should run on the wire wearing weights, throwing punches as he goes!"
"My assessment: it's nothing compared to the Lightness Technique for walking on water."
"The Lightness Technique for walking on water is nothing! If this blogger is so badass, he should take on Oizaki's Eight Challenges. Let's see if he becomes a god after completing them, like in the movies!"
"Wow, you're all a bunch of living King Yans, aren't you? 'One Hundred Ways for a Streamer to Die?' Look at these ridiculous suggestions! Blogger, don't listen to them. Listen to me. My request isn't demanding: just do a hundred pull-ups on a cliff edge, no weights!"
"..."
Looking at those comments and listening to the System notifications in his ear, Zhang Beixing fell silent for a moment. He put down his phone, silently lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag, his eyes filled with a particular melancholy.
Admittedly, he did want these netizens to offer suggestions. But... I was asking for suggestions, not for you guys to make wishes here! I, Zhang Beixing, am human. Not some turtle in a wishing well! Besides, when people make wishes to a turtle in a wishing well, they at least toss in a few coins. And what do I get? Not a damn cent, just their 'company.' The main theme here is basically: 'I've made my wish; whether you do it or not is up to you!' Damn it, why is this batch of netizens so hard to manage? These are all crap suggestions; not a single useful one in the bunch.
Exhaling a puff of smoke, Zhang Beixing, refusing to give up, picked up his phone again and scrolled through the comments. Not one usable suggestion... How can I guide these netizens...?
Zhang Beixing scratched his head, pondering. A moment later, as he was browsing the comment section, something suddenly caught his eye, and an idea struck him. He hurriedly opened the first Martial Arts Training video he had posted, found the ID of the user who had suggested he train on the wire, and copied it.
Then, he returned to the comment section of the current wire-training video, pasted the ID, and @replied: "My friend, my lower body stance is now well-trained. I can punch on a wire and move like a dragon! Do you have any further sage advice? And to all other netizens, please, less trash talk and more constructive suggestions!"