On stage.
The staff removed all the silver needles from the mannequin, placing them back on the tray.
“Kid, your turn,” Li Zhengxi prompted Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu stepped up to the mannequin, blindfolded himself with the black cloth, and pinched a silver needle. Then he asked, “Mr. Li, have you ever lost in your life?”
“Never,” Li Zhengxi said proudly. “In my entire life, I’ve never been defeated.”
Ye Qiu smiled, “Congratulations, then. Your first loss starts now.”
What did that mean?
Before Li Zhengxi could process, Ye Qiu began needling.
Swish, swish, swish!
Ye Qiu inserted three needles in succession.
The first into the mannequin’s Taiyang point.
The second into the Baihui point.
The third into the Tanzhong point.
Then, Ye Qiu placed another needle into the Jiuwei point.
Four needles done.
A trace of disdain appeared on Li Zhengxi’s lips. “Blind needling should start from the top down. Your chaotic, haphazard method has no chance of beating me.”
Ye Qiu said, “Those four needles were me getting a feel for it.”
Li Zhengxi didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”
Ye Qiu replied, “I’ve never done blind needling before. This is my first time.”
What, his first time?
The audience’s hearts clenched at those words.
Ye Qiu continued, “After trying four needles, I realised blind needling isn’t a big deal.”
“Mr. Li, watch closely.”
“Because next, you’re going to lose, and fast.”
Li Zhengxi scoffed, “All talk.”
Ye Qiu smiled, reached out with his right hand, and grabbed five silver needles from the tray.
He inserted them simultaneously.
Swish, swish!
Swish, swish, swish!
The five needles landed precisely in five acupuncture points on the mannequin.
Not a single miss.
The scene was displayed clearly on the big screens for all to see.
“Bloody hell, Ye Qiu’s unreal!”
“Five needles at once, no mistakes, incredible!”
“Looks like it’s still anyone’s game!”
Li Zhengxi’s expression shifted slightly.
Having studied acupuncture for years, he knew how difficult it was to insert five needles at once.
Li Zhengxi could do it too, but under blind needling conditions, he could manage five needles simultaneously only three times at most.
Blind needling was already challenging, and inserting five needles at once, ensuring each hit the correct point, was unimaginably difficult.
“Showing off, let’s see how long you can keep it up,” Li Zhengxi snorted.
What followed was shocking.
Ye Qiu grabbed five needles with his right hand each time, inserting them into five points on the mannequin, over twenty times in a row, without a single error.
And Ye Qiu looked unfazed, not a drop of sweat on his face, as if this method was child’s play to him.
In two minutes, Ye Qiu had inserted 120 needles into the mannequin.
Li Zhengxi could no longer stay calm.
At this rate, with five needles at a time, Ye Qiu would finish all 365 needles in just ten minutes.
And then, Li Zhengxi would be the loser.
“How is this kid so freakish?”
Cold sweat beaded on Li Zhengxi’s forehead, his gaze heavy.
But the next moment, something even more astonishing happened.
Ye Qiu stretched lazily and said, “This method is too slow.”
“At this pace, it’ll take another six minutes to finish.”
“I’d better speed up.”
What, he could go faster?
Let’s see how you do that!
As Li Zhengxi thought this, Ye Qiu’s hands moved simultaneously, each holding five needles, inserting them into the mannequin.
In an instant, ten needles landed in ten acupuncture points.
Fast, precise, steady!
“This…”
Li Zhengxi swallowed hard, his fists clenching quietly.
In that moment, he felt furious.
He felt humiliated.
He’d trained on this mannequin for thirty years to master blind needling, only for Ye Qiu to pull this off, crushing him effortlessly. By comparison, his own technique seemed like child’s play, utterly insignificant.
Damn it!
The audience below couldn’t hold back, screaming loudly.
Ye Qiu’s needling was like a magic trick, dazzling and breathtaking.
“I knew Little Ye wouldn’t let me down,” Zhang Jiuling said, brimming with excitement.
“Hahaha, Little Ye’s got this one,” Li Chunfeng laughed.
Nie Xue Liang sighed in relief, “Looks like Little Ye was confident all along.”
The students were even more thrilled.
“Ye Qiu’s unreal, totally dominating!”
“Too awesome!”
“He’s literally my idol!”
“Isn’t this competition way better than a movie?”
“Oh, CCTV’s live-streaming, guys, let’s hit the stream and cheer for Ye Qiu!”
A swarm of students flooded the live stream.
They were stunned to see over 500,000 viewers online, with bullet comments flying everywhere.
All saying the same four words:
“Ye Qiu is mighty!”
…
Ye Qiu finished needling in just five minutes.
Two staff members came on stage, checked the results, and announced them on the spot.
“Dr. Ye Qiu took five minutes, with every needle accurately placed in the mannequin’s acupuncture points, without a single error.”
Dong Si followed, “I declare, in the first round, Chinese medicine practitioner Ye Qiu wins!”
A thunderous wave of applause erupted.
Countless students stood, screaming wildly.
Li Zhengxi’s face was ashen. He never imagined that he, a revered medical sage, would lose the first round.
He was unwilling to accept it, unable to stomach the result.
Ye Qiu looked at Li Zhengxi and said, “I kindly warned you to pick a different challenge, but you wouldn’t listen.”
“Blind needling? Our ancestors mastered that thousands of years ago.”
“Challenging me on this? What is that if not courting death?”
Li Zhengxi’s face darkened, itching to punch Ye Qiu.
It’s just one win, what’s there to gloat about?
Petty triumph!
Ye Qiu asked Dong Si, “Per the rules, there’s only one round per day, right?”
Dong Si nodded with a smile, “Yes, one round per day. After the competition, you can rest.”
“The second round will be tomorrow.”
“Same time, 9 a.m., same place.”
“Thank you,” Ye Qiu said, then waved at the grim-faced Li Zhengxi, “Mr. Li, I’m off to rest.”
With that, he turned to leave the stage.
“Stop!” Li Zhengxi suddenly shouted.
Ye Qiu turned back, looking at him, “What advice does Mr. Li have?”
“You’re not leaving!” Li Zhengxi said, “No need to wait for tomorrow. The second round starts now!”
