As the livestream spread, its thrilling footage drew countless eyes. What caused a storm, though, was the sight of both fighters taking a bullet, shrugging it off, and forcing the bullets out with their muscles. Had bullets really become so little threat to Pillaring Grandmasters of National Martial Arts? Could humans truly be that powerful?
That night, someone posted a discussion thread on Bihū titled "The Pros and Cons of National Martial Arts! What Happens When Ordinary People Gain This Much Power?!"
The topic quickly trended on discussion sites like Bihū and drew a flood of comments. Opinions varied, and the replies soon passed ten thousand.
"Those hidden National Martial Arts Masters who've appeared over the past few days are unbelievably strong. Even hard marble and concrete walls crumble like tofu under their fists. If something sets them off, they'll be terrifying. With a city's complex terrain and the ability to cover more than ten meters a second—maybe even twenty or thirty—they'd be a nightmare."
"Agreed with the poster above. Now that the authorities know about these hidden masters, there's no way they'll leave them alone. They'll definitely come up with a response."
"I watched this evening's livestream too. Pillaring Grandmasters are insanely strong. Ordinary handgun rounds can barely threaten them. They can scale walls and run across water—it's practically the stuff of ancient legends. They're like superheroes in foreign blockbusters."
"I always thought this stuff was fake. Turns out reality just turned my whole worldview upside down. I want to learn National Martial Arts too..."
"The person above should check out Dragon Snake, the novel that started the National Martial Arts genre. It goes into incredible detail, from beginner-level Manifesting Strength through Hidden Strength and Transforming Strength all the way to Pill Embracement. Plenty of people are studying it now."
"..."
While discussion raged online, the Central Province Official sprang into action. An investigation team first went to Liucheng Prison to inspect the scene. Then it gathered every related video online, and experts and Research Personnel began analyzing them frame by frame.
"This is incredible! He jumped from over twenty meters onto the water, then ran across it within seconds to save a drowning child. He covered twenty or thirty meters a second—faster than an ordinary car. I can't imagine what his body is made of. Our person of interest, Li Hansha, is too dangerous. In an urban fight, he'd be a nightmare..."
"At that height, gravity would send a normal person straight underwater. The human body is denser than water, yet he walked on the surface. How did he do it? Can this National Martial Arts people talk about online really make that possible? It defies science!"
"He shattered a concrete wall with one punch. That would take at least several tons of force at the moment of impact, something the human body shouldn't be capable of. Add the speed he showed earlier, and he's practically Superman..."
"Then there's the video outside Liucheng Prison. He took a handgun round head-on. The bullet barely broke the skin before his muscles pushed it out. Based on everything we've seen, this superhuman is faster than a cheetah, can casually exert several tons of force, run on water, and withstand ordinary gunfire. Even five hundred special forces soldiers would stand no chance against him. If he wanted to, he could probably assassinate anyone in the world..."
When the experts and Research Personnel finished their analysis, every one of them was frowning. Li Hansha, the Pillaring Grandmaster in the videos, and the other Transforming Strength Great Boxers defied both their worldview and everything they knew about science.
The authorities likewise concluded that Li Hansha and the other Transforming Strength Great Boxers were extremely dangerous. That left them deeply worried. If these superhumans harbored ill intent, the destruction they could cause would be terrifying—and seemingly impossible to stop.
The investigation also brought in several well-known martial artists from across the country: masters of White Crane Fist, Tai Chi Fist, Xingyi Fist, Bagua Palm, and other styles. They stared at the footage of Li Hansha and the Transforming Strength Great Boxers, dumbfounded.
Run across water? Smash through a concrete wall with one punch? Take a bullet and push it out with muscle alone? Was this still National Martial Arts?!
"Masters, there's no need to hold back now. Can you demonstrate what's in the videos? We'd like to study it and see where the limits of the human body lie!"
A Research Personnel urged the martial arts masters before him to cooperate. They exchanged uneasy looks. Damn it, if they could do what the people in those videos did, they'd be immortals! Were those people even human? What they practiced was nothing like their own martial arts!
The masters could only stare at one another, unable to get a word out. The experts, Research Personnel, and authorities finally understood: what these masters practiced and what the Pillaring Grandmaster and Transforming Strength Great Boxers in the videos practiced were entirely different things.
Sun Na, the streamer who had met Li Hansha, and her best friend Pan Xiaoli were also invited in for questioning. The authorities hoped to learn where these National Martial Arts practitioners had come from, why no one had ever heard of them before, and what they wanted.
Sun Na and Pan Xiaoli answered honestly, recounting everything from their first meeting with Li Hansha to their final parting. Their statements were taken down more than once.
The authorities soon learned from the two women that Li Hansha had come down from the mountain to spar, explore the martial path, and advance further. They also learned something else of great importance.
A great upheaval in heaven and earth was coming? A struggle for a new era?!
That was one reason the mysterious, powerful Pillaring Grandmaster Li Hansha had entered the world.
What did that mean? Why would heaven and earth undergo some great upheaval? Was there a deeper meaning to it?!
The authorities, experts, and Research Personnel went over it again and again, but remained utterly baffled.
Another thing that caught the authorities' attention was Dragon Snake, the novel that had launched the National Martial Arts genre. It described in detail how its protagonist, Wang Chao, entered National Martial Arts and progressed through Manifesting Strength, Hidden Strength, and Transforming Strength before finally reaching the Core Condensation Level. Published six months earlier, it had become one of the genre's breakout hits. But judging by the recent videos of Li Hansha and the Transforming Strength Great Boxers, the National Martial Arts it described was real!
The authorities could hardly believe it. If countless people suddenly began practicing National Martial Arts and gained such power, what would happen when conflicts broke out? What if they used that power to pursue their own interests—or assassinate key officials?!
The authorities immediately demanded the author's information from the website. The answer surprised them even more: the author was a complete mystery. The book had been published anonymously, and even the website had no way to contact its author.