Chapter 258: No One Can Lose; Losing Means It’s Over

Chapter 258: Chapter 258: No One Can Lose; Losing Means It’s Over

According to the intelligence Li Fuzhen provided to Wang Chenning, the three most famous traditional medical masters officially on record in South Korea were Pu Zhengyang, the successor of the Cyan Yang Sect; Jin Yaguang, the current Sect Leader of the Korean Medical Sect; and Li Si Zhuang, the head of the Southern Medical Sect.

Among the three, the most famous was naturally Pu Zhengyang, and he was the one Wang Chenning most wanted to face.

However, Li Si Zhuang was the first to step forward and accept his challenge, and Wang Chenning readily agreed.

Li Si Zhuang was no ordinary man and naturally wanted to distinguish himself. He proposed that, in addition to a contest of acupuncture techniques against Wang Chenning, they also compete in diagnosing and treating patients on the spot.

Wang Chenning didn’t refuse, accepting without hesitation.

While Wang Chenning and Li Si Zhuang stood on stage discussing the rules for their competition, Zhao Xiao’an had already instructed her assistants to set up the cameras and finalized the live broadcast plan with the station’s director.

Using the gap before the live broadcast began, she posted another Weibo update: "Li Si Zhuang is a titan in South Korea’s traditional medical field. How will our young miracle doctor, Teacher Wang, respond to a challenge from such a monumental figure? And what will the final result be? Friends who are interested, head over to the CCTV live stream room, where I’ll be bringing you the most immediate live coverage. You’re all welcome to join me in witnessing Teacher Wang’s unparalleled style!"

After she sent out the message, hundreds of thousands of people flooded into the live stream room, giving the staff monitoring the broadcast traffic a huge shock.

What surprised the staff even more was that the influx of viewers continued to climb, quickly breaking one million, and then five million.

’My god! At this rate, the peak viewership is going to hit twenty or even thirty million. Teacher Wang Chenning, I’m begging you, please don’t lose. If you lose, you’re finished, and so are we!’ As the staff member muttered this, their heart trembled.

Soon, two newly sealed acupuncture bronze men were brought out.

The acupuncture bronze men were filled with colored water. After one round of needling, the water inside was almost completely drained and needed to be refilled and sealed with wax.

After the new acupuncture bronze men were in place, Wang Chenning and Li Si Zhuang sat down before them, each holding a silver needle, ready to begin.

As the host gave the command, "Begin!", the two of them inserted their first needles at almost the exact same time.

The entire venue fell instantly silent, as if everyone had been gagged.

All eyes were fixed on the large projection screen.

For this match, the South Korean side had improved the projection technology. Both contestants’ needling processes were projected onto a single screen, each taking up half.

Zhao Xiao’an’s live stream was the same; the video feeds from two cameras were sent back and combined onto one screen, allowing the audience to more directly compare the similarities and differences in their techniques.

For this competition, both sides had agreed on a time limit of two minutes.

One minute was too short and would be over in a flash; even a small mistake could significantly impact their speed.

Any longer, and the rapid exhaustion of strength from focusing on speed would make it impossible to demonstrate both speed and skill later on. Besides, there were only about a thousand acupoints on the bronze man. If the time were extended, all the points would be hit, and bringing in a new bronze man would be rather pointless. Therefore, two minutes was the most suitable duration.

Li Si Zhuang said two minutes was appropriate, and Wang Chenning had no objection.

Li Si Zhuang was over fifty, but his needling speed was consistently fast. After a minute, although he slowed slightly, it was barely perceptible to the naked eye.

This astonished many people.

But what astonished them even more was that Wang Chenning was actually getting faster and faster, as if his stamina wasn’t being consumed at all. Towards the end, his movements became a dazzling blur, making it almost impossible to see the direction of his needles.

Seeing this, many people sucked in a sharp breath. A fair number were already starting to worry for Li Si Zhuang.

Meanwhile, viewers back in the country watching the live stream saw their needling speeds and cried out in disbelief that acupuncture could be performed with such flair.

By the end, as they watched Wang Chenning’s technique, his movements so fast they became a blur, the "666" comments flooding the screen became a blur as well.

The two minutes passed quickly. After the host announced that time was up, Wang Chenning immediately stopped, while Li Si Zhuang inserted three more needles before letting go.

After placing the needles back in their case, Li Si Zhuang massaged his right hand with his left. His wrist was sore and felt on the verge of cramping.

Wang Chenning, however, showed no signs of strain.

The South Korean host, along with two Huaxian officials and two South Korean officials, began meticulously counting the number of effective needles.

Soon, Li Si Zhuang’s count was announced first: he had landed 701 effective needles in two minutes. The speed drew gasps of amazement from the crowd, followed by a thunderous round of applause.

An average speed of around 350 needles per minute was something very few people in the world could achieve.

The screen also displayed Li Si Zhuang’s data for the two minutes. In the first minute, he landed 372 needles; in the second, he landed 348. His total count was 720, but 19 of those were ineffective, failing to release water from the bronze man.

These statistics once again earned a round of applause from the entire venue.

Next, they counted Wang Chenning’s needles.

Counting Wang Chenning’s needles took fifty percent more time than it did for Li Si Zhuang’s; several people had to count them four times over.

Finally, the host announced Wang Chenning’s total in a stiff, unwilling voice: "756 needles!"

After the host announced Wang Chenning’s effective needle count, the entire venue fell deathly silent. The South Koreans were in complete disbelief.

The members of the Huaxian side, however, were ecstatic. Some leaped to their feet and cheered, and applause followed.

But not many South Koreans clapped. Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian didn’t clap either.

Li Fuzhen abstained to avoid suspicion, while Li Yanxian simply found Wang Chenning more and more disagreeable the longer he looked at him, and wouldn’t have applauded for him under any circumstances.

When the host announced Wang Chenning’s victory, the members of the Huaxian cultural exchange delegation rose to their feet and cheered again. The women—Wu Jingyi, Lin Qingyan, and Zhang Manxin—couldn’t help but shriek with joy.

They quickly posted on their Moments, sharing the thrilling news with their friends.

Zhao Xiao’an also posted a reply under her previous Weibo post: "Here are the results of the two-minute competition: the famous South Korean doctor Li Si Zhuang had 701 effective needles. Our dear Teacher Wang landed 756 needles, and what’s more, every single one was effective! He’s just too amazing! This big sis is absolutely smitten!"

Although Li Si Zhuang found the result a bit hard to believe, after seeing Wang Chenning’s data for the two minutes and watching the video replay, he graciously conceded defeat.

"Mr. Wang, your acupuncture skill is truly incredible!" He even gave Wang Chenning a thumbs-up.

The next round of the competition was a contest of live diagnosis and treatment.

The rules were as follows: Wang Chenning and Li Si Zhuang would each choose two volunteers from the audience to receive treatment. They would diagnose and treat them on the spot, and the winner would be judged based on the accuracy of their diagnosis and the effectiveness of their treatment.

Compared to the previous acupuncture technique contest, the results of this one would be more difficult to judge, but it was also the truest test of a practitioner’s skill.

Wang Chenning raised no objections to the rules and even volunteered to go first.

A South Korean man suffering from an ailment became the first test subject. After diagnosing him on stage, Wang Chenning announced the treatment plan to the audience and immediately began the procedure.

And then, just after Wang Chenning inserted the first needle, something completely unexpected happened...