"Don't miss out if you're passing by!"
"Ancient martial artist performing chest-breaking with a giant stone. Isn’t that impressive?"
In a square in Hangcheng, a young man with a rebellious demeanor was shouting to attract attention. Around him, a crowd had gathered. In the Dragon Country, ancient martial artists weren’t exactly a mysterious group, but they were still quite rare to ordinary people.
Especially terms like Transform Force and Dark Force... these added an extra layer of mystique to them.
Every year, there were hundreds of thousands of cases where people pretended to be ancient martial arts masters to scam ordinary folks. In some places, it had even become an entire industry.
In the past, there was a specific zone in northern Myanmar dedicated to scamming people by pretending to be ancient martial artists. One time, a veteran master from the country was scammed out of over ten million, losing his entire pension. Enraged, the master stormed into northern Myanmar.
He single-handedly took down the entire scam zone!
Masters of that level were no longer within the realm of ordinary humans. With their protective aura, even handguns and submachine guns couldn’t harm them. Only sniper rifles or rocket launchers posed any real threat.
...
The guy performing chest-breaking with a giant stone on the street was none other than the "King of Show-offs" — Ye Liangchen.
Lately, his inspiration for showing off had been running dry, but that didn’t matter.
If there was an opportunity to show off, he would seize it. If there wasn’t, he’d create one.
"I know you all probably think I’ve hired actors, so I’ve decided to take it up a notch," Ye Liangchen said, his lips curling into a grin that almost reached the back of his head as he noticed the growing crowd.
"I’ll lie down here, with a giant stone on my chest, and you can take turns smashing it with a sledgehammer."
Ye Liangchen was brimming with confidence. Although he was a martial arts failure, having only reached the mid-stage of Dark Force despite the massive resources the Ye family had poured into him...
But the Ye family specialized in body cultivation. Their secret technique, the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt, was no joke.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully showing off. Reward: 3 days of internal energy.]
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully showing off. Reward: 1 day of internal energy.]
The more people who watched him show off, the greater the rewards. In just a short while, he had gained about three years' worth of internal energy, but he still couldn’t break through the bottleneck to reach the late stage of Dark Force.
So, he needed to keep showing off!
"Come on, give it a try. I’ll just lie here... let you hammer away! If I get hurt, it’s on me."
But clearly, no one dared to actually take a swing.
"Do you think we’re stupid? What if you try to scam us afterward?"
"Yeah, yeah. One swing of the hammer, and you might just collapse on the ground. Who would we turn to then? Stuff like this has happened before."
Ye Liangchen: "......"
You’re given a chance, and you still don’t take it?
Seeing his rewards dwindle and even getting penalized by the system for failing to show off, Ye Liangchen started to panic.
He grabbed a brick from the roadside and smashed it against his own head.
*Bang!*
The brick shattered, but Ye Liangchen’s head remained unscathed.
"See? I really do have skills. If you still don’t believe me... I’ll keep going."
He picked up a few more bricks and started smashing them against his head—*bang, bang, bang!*
The crowd grew larger, and some even started live-streaming the spectacle on their phones!
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully showing off on live stream. Shocking 10,000 people. Reward: 100 days of internal energy.]
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully showing off on live stream. Shocking 5,000 people...]
???
Ye Liangchen’s eyes lit up. Live-streaming his show-offs?
Why hadn’t he thought of that before?
If shocking 10,000 people could get him 100 days of internal energy, what if a million people watched his live stream?
Wouldn’t that skyrocket him to new heights?
And so, he doubled down on his efforts to show off.
"Now do you believe me? I’m a disciple from an ancient martial arts family. My Golden Bell Shield has reached its peak, making me invulnerable to swords and spears! Go ahead, hit me as hard as you want."
Encouraged by Ye Liangchen, a few brave souls stepped forward to give it a try.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
How much strength could an ordinary person have? There was no way they could harm an ancient martial artist.
Several large stones were shattered, but Ye Liangchen remained unharmed and full of energy.
Between the live audience and the online stream, the rewards were staggering... In just over an hour, he had gained nearly ten years' worth of internal energy. However, the gains started to slow down after a while.
So, he decided to take things up another notch. After all, there was a limit to how much "show-off value" each person could provide.
But this also gave him a new idea for his show-off strategy.
Live-streaming!
He could totally use live-streaming to show off, displaying his prowess in front of hundreds of thousands of people. With this method, he estimated he could reach the level of a grandmaster in just a few years.
"Come on, all of you! Go ahead and pummel me!"
Ye Liangchen lay down on a wooden board, with a massive bluestone weighing several hundred pounds placed on his chest.
This guy was all about authenticity. Who in their right mind would use a bluestone for chest-breaking performances?
That thing was rock-solid. Most people used specially designed props that shattered easily... but Ye Liangchen wasn’t about that fake stuff.
Ye Liangchen continued his performance for another half an hour, gaining close to 20 years' worth of internal energy!
Ninety percent of it came from the live stream, and the sheer volume of energy finally allowed him to achieve a "massive breakthrough."
He went from the late stage of Dark Force to the peak of the late stage, just one step away from reaching the initial stage of Dark Force perfection.
"Hahaha, I’ve finally figured out the trick to the show-off system. Tonight, I’ll start my own live stream, displaying my skills in front of millions. Soon, I’ll break through to the Transform Force level!"
"At this rate, in just a year... I’ll reach the level of a grandmaster. Then, I’ll take down Chen Ningshuang and trample over the ancient martial arts Jiang family!"
The thought of Chen Ningshuang’s icy demeanor made him uncontrollably excited.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—don’t bully the young and poor!
But just then, an annoying voice reached his ears.
"You say you’re invulnerable to swords and spears? I’m not so sure about that."
That’s right!
Wang Zheng, Liu Tie, and Xu Pojun had rushed to the scene. The moment they arrived, they were hit by an overwhelming wave of show-off energy.
For some reason, Ye Liangchen felt a sudden tightness in his lower regions.
But that didn’t stop him from showing off.
He brushed his hair back with one hand and confidently declared, "Of course! My Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt have reached their peak. I’m invulnerable to swords and spears!"
Wang Zheng gave Ye Liangchen a once-over, his gaze finally settling on Ye Liangchen’s backside.
"Invulnerable to swords and spears? I’m not so sure about that!"
A sword might not break your defense, but a gun definitely would.
Xu Pojun stepped forward, "Chest-breaking with a giant stone? Can I give it a try?"
Seeing Xu Pojun’s burly figure, Ye Liangchen started to feel a bit nervous. But once you start showing off, you can’t stop. If he failed now, he’d definitely be punished by the system!
"Go... go ahead!"
Ye Liangchen lay down on the wooden board, and the crowd helped place the bluestone on his chest.
Xu Pojun glanced at Wang Zheng, his eyes seeming to ask... Should I go easy on him? Don’t want to kill the guy!
But Wang Zheng shook his head, "This guy looks tough. He won’t die from this."
Xu Pojun chuckled, picked up the sledgehammer, and walked toward Ye Liangchen.