The crowd watched Imulan administer the needles, their eyes filled with admiration. Imulan's skill had clearly earned the approval of these prodigies.
Wu Tian, however, seemed unfazed. He didn't even glance at Imulan, appearing perfectly at ease, as if everything happening was of no concern to him.
After about half an hour, Imulan ceased his movements and removed the blindfold. He cast a glance at the wooden dummy, a smile playing on his lips, and then declared to the referee, "I am finished."
The referee nodded and proceeded to examine the dummy. As a referee, his own skill must have been considerable. After a thorough inspection, he announced, "Competitor Imulan from Country A San, all acupuncture points are correct!"
The onlookers erupted in applause. Achieving one hundred percent accuracy within half an hour was truly impressive.
Ling Tengyun seemed delighted by Imulan's success. He sneered, "That kid is finished now. His only chance to beat Imulan was if Imulan made a mistake. But with Imulan flawless, how can he possibly compete?"
Another member of the Huaxia team scoffed, "Brother Tengyun, you can't say that. It's as if we ever expected anything from him. Isn't it natural for him to lose? It would be a miracle if he won!"
Meanwhile, Imulan smirked triumphantly. He turned to Wu Tian and said, "Well, have you seen how powerful I am now?"
Wu Tian clapped his hands with a smile, "Impressive, truly impressive. The young master of the Divine Ox family lives up to his reputation. I am in awe."
Wu Tian had merely been joking, but Imulan's arrogance led him to believe Wu Tian was genuinely conceding defeat. He grew even more pleased and declared, "It's probably too late for you to realize my abilities now. You're destined to be humiliated today. If you surrender now, you might salvage some dignity. But if you insist on continuing, the final outcome might leave you unable to hold your head up for the rest of your life."
Wu Tian smiled, "Thank you for the reminder. But I personally enjoy challenges. After all, fortune favors the bold. What's the point of living if you retreat at the first sign of difficulty?"
Imulan's expression darkened. "I fear that after this competition, you won't even have the courage to live."
Wu Tian continued to smile, "You needn't worry about that. Even if I don't survive, I won't die in front of you. You can rest assured about that."
With that, Wu Tian turned to the referee, "I am ready. Can we begin the competition?"
The referee replied, "As long as you have no issues, you can start anytime."
Wu Tian pondered for a moment and then said, "If I had to mention an issue, I do have one. I'd like to ask if you can provide a rotating platform for me. I want to make the wooden dummy spin."
"A rotating platform?" The referee was taken aback by Wu Tian's request.
Imulan's face grew grim. "What do you mean? What are you trying to do? I'm warning you, don't try any tricks. This kind of competition isn't something you can win with tricks!"
Wu Tian smiled, "You misunderstand me. I have no intention of playing tricks. Didn't I say I wanted to challenge myself? This kind of test isn't much of a challenge for me, so I need to add some difficulty to make it more interesting."
Wu Tian's words left everyone bewildered. Ling Tengyun gritted his teeth in frustration, "What in the world is this guy up to!"
After a moment of hesitation, the referee asked Wu Tian, "Excuse me, can you explain the reason for this?" "I must ensure the fairness of the competition. If there's any suspicion of cheating, I cannot accommodate you."
Wu Tian smiled, "You'll know what I intend to do shortly. Rest assured, if you catch me cheating, I will concede unconditionally. Is that acceptable?"
Though the referee didn't understand Wu Tian's intentions, he nodded. "I understand. I will provide it for you."
The referee signaled for the organizing committee to bring a rotating platform, and the wooden dummy was secured onto it. The platform was mechanical. As the committee member activated the switch, the dummy began to spin rapidly with the platform. The speed was so high that those standing nearby felt a gust of wind.
Imulan couldn't fathom Wu Tian's plan, and the more he couldn't understand, the more agitated he became. His face contorted with rage. "What exactly are you trying to do? Is this a magic show? I'm telling you, you've already lost. These attention-grabbing stunts are useless! Are you trying to distract everyone? You're full of wicked intentions!"
Wu Tian chuckled lightly, "No, why are you so agitated? It's my turn now. Be quiet and just watch me compete."
Imulan roared, "Fine, I'll watch closely today and see what other tricks you can pull!"
Wu Tian held a handful of silver needles and had the organizing committee blindfold him. However, Wu Tian didn't step forward. Instead, he stopped about five meters away from the rapidly spinning dummy.
The referee couldn't help but ask, "Competitor Wu, why are you standing so far away?"
Wu Tian replied, "It's nothing. Standing here is sufficient for me."
The sense of confusion among everyone grew stronger. What was going on? What was Wu Tian trying to achieve? Even Yoru God Yuriko couldn't help but cast her gaze his way.
Wu Tian held the silver needles, paused for a moment, and then suddenly flicked his wrist. Fifty-two silver needles were flung out!
"This!" Witnessing such a bold move, everyone felt their hearts skip a beat. The needles landed precisely on the wooden dummy without missing a single target.
Then, Wu Tian removed the blindfold and smiled, "Mr. Referee, you can check now."
The referee was stunned. What kind of maneuver was this? He had been a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner for decades, but this was his first time seeing such a method of needle insertion! Could this even be considered acupuncture?
"Enough!" Imulan could no longer tolerate Wu Tian's performance. He roared at Wu Tian, "You scoundrel! What the hell do you think you're doing! Do you think this is a place for your circus act!"