Chapter 2: Everyone Watching
"He did it!?" Lester's voice trembled with disbelief as he stared at the screen, his body covered in a sheen of sweat. A strange light glimmered in his eyes, reflecting the excitement that coursed through him. For a moment, he couldn’t tear his gaze away. His hands gripped the edges of his desk, knuckles white from the pressure. No one had ever seen a cultivator break through to the next stage live before; most chose to cultivate in seclusion to avoid prying eyes or distractions. This was monumental—an event that could change everything.
“Yes!” Lester shouted, almost leaping out of his chair. His heart raced with adrenaline, his body vibrating with the same energy that seemed to emanate from the screen. He couldn’t contain his joy—he was genuinely happy for Li Xiao, known as "Big Mountain Xiao" in the cultivation world. Once an ordinary bodybuilder, Li Xiao had stumbled upon the cultivation technique he now practiced when a portion of an ancient text washed ashore near his home. The fact that he wasn’t nurtured or backed by any government, unlike many other cultivators, made him more relatable to the common folk. He was a man who had risen by sheer willpower, and that endeared him to millions.
But what solidified his status as a hero, especially in Lester's eyes, was something far more remarkable: Li Xiao had released the first stage of his technique to the public. At the time, the governments of the world's superpowers tried to suppress it, fearing the chaos that widespread cultivation knowledge could cause. But the revelation spread like wildfire, unstoppable. To everyone's surprise, it turned out that the first stage of Li Xiao’s technique, known as the [Four Armed Bashi Technique], was similar to the foundational stage of most other cultivation techniques. Once this truth was revealed by other cultivators, who also came forward for the betterment of humanity, people began cultivating en masse. Some failed, but many succeeded, and the world was irrevocably changed.
Cultivation had set humanity on a new path.
The first step in any cultivation journey was the creation of a core within one’s spirit space, a mysterious area theorized by some of the world's smartest minds to exist somewhere within the soul or consciousness. Creating this core involved manipulating World Qi, an ethereal energy source that scientists were astounded to discover had been around humanity all along, invisible and undetected. Although these revelations were monumental, less than 1% of the global population was able to create a core, and even fewer managed to cultivate further. Those who did, however, gained extraordinary abilities, extended lifespans, and newfound status in society as cultivators.
Scientists were still grappling with the nature of World Qi and the enigmatic spirit space it occupied. They had yet to understand how this plane of existence was hidden within human bodies, but they had confirmed that World Qi and spirit spaces were part of an invisible, yet tangible, plane. Intriguingly, the presence of World Qi seemed to trigger reactions in the natural world, influencing animals, plants, and even certain humans in ways that defied explanation. Almost as if a dormant beast had been let out of a cage, World Qi had triggered a vast change.
Lester’s eyes grew wide, his breath quickening as he leaned in closer to the screen. The camera focused on Li Xiao, who was now seated in a lotus position. A faint white aura began to emanate from his body, swirling around his torso like a soft mist gathering on a still lake. It had a calm, almost serene quality, yet the contorted expression on Li Xiao’s face betrayed the sheer agony he was enduring.
Li Xiao’s body trembled as he groaned in pain, each groan growing louder and more guttural. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, trickling down his face as if each droplet carried a fraction of his suffering. His groans were on the verge of becoming screams, but his body remained perfectly still, unmoving as if carved from stone. The sheer display of willpower filled Lester with profound respect.
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Those watching, millions of people worldwide, were captivated by the spectacle. It wasn’t just ordinary people glued to their screens; cultivators from all walks of life, as well as government officials and military personnel, were watching closely. They saw this as both research material and a potential guide on how to react to the various phenomena that could occur during the cultivation process. Any disruption could lead to a shattered core—if one was fortunate. For others, death was a much more likely outcome.
An icon appeared in the top right corner of the screen, displaying the number of viewers watching the stream. The number was skyrocketing, surpassing a hundred million and continuing to climb—an astronomical figure that shattered every record on the Cultivation Hub website.
Suddenly, the aura surrounding Li Xiao’s torso began to shift. Instead of enveloping his entire torso, it began to concentrate on two points on his body—the left and right sides just below his ribs. The misty aura thickened, coiling in on itself as it focused on these two areas, before extending outward like ethereal tendrils. The tendrils stretched out, each about the length of an arm, before morphing into something more solid. The ends of these tendrils branched into smaller offshoots that eventually took the shape of hands.
Lester's breath caught in his throat as he watched the transformation unfold. His heart pounded in his chest like a drum. The aura around Li Xiao's torso intensified, growing denser and shifting to a more solid, prominent white. As the white reached its peak, it began to fade away, revealing two new bronze arms emerging from his sides—identical to his original pair.
He had done it. Li Xiao had succeeded in manifesting the second pair of arms described in the [Four Armed Bashi Technique].
Li Xiao opened his eyes slowly, his pupils sharp and focused, a triumphant smile breaking across his face. The four bronze arms, looking as natural as his original limbs, helped him stand up. He faced the camera and took a few steps forward, feeling out his new limbs with cautious movements.
“I have succeeded in this stage of my cultivation book, and this is all it possesses. The rest is all up to me,” he said, his voice steady but filled with a mix of exhaustion and exhilaration. “I still need to process everything and plan for the future ahead. Maybe a magical fruit will allow me to grow in strength... Only time will tell.” He paused, contemplating the vast world of possibilities now open to him. His new arms flexed and moved with fluid grace, as if they had always been a part of him.
Taking on a boxer’s stance—a somewhat awkward position with four arms—Li Xiao began to throw a few jabs to test his newfound strength. Each punch cut through the air with a force that caused the bamboo leaves around him to sway and rustle. His movements were a blur, too fast for Lester to track with his eyes.
“Woah!” Lester gasped, barely able to comprehend the speed and power of Li Xiao's strikes. Is he moving at the speed of sound? He thought, his mind racing with possibilities.
The gusts of wind generated by Li Xiao’s punches whipped around him, stirring the bamboo forest into a frenzy. The sheer might on display was breathtaking.
“I should be twice as strong now!” Li Xiao declared, still throwing punches. Then, with a sudden flash of light, his extra limbs vanished, leaving him with his original two arms. It was as if he had returned to his previous form, yet now everyone knew the potential he carried within him.
Lester’s mouth hung open, his mind spinning with questions and awe. He knew Li Xiao could already lift buses with ease; now that he was even stronger, what else was he capable of? What were the limits of this man's strength, if any?
Li Xiao walked toward the camera, his expression solemn but content. “Thank you,” he said softly, his gratitude clear.
The screen went dark. The stream had ended.