Soon, the Five Probes Technique was complete, and He Chengwei set down the Golden Needle.
Zhao Yuan waved a hand in front of the dumbfounded Kobayashi Haruo. "So? Did you get a clear look? The Five Probes Technique that Dr. He performed—isn't it different from yours? Isn't it far more exquisite?"
Kobayashi Haruo opened his mouth, wanting to say that what He Chengwei had performed wasn't the five lost probes from the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique. But the words died on his lips, and he swallowed them back down.
It wasn't a sudden crisis of conscience. He had just realized that everyone gathered in the Jing City Acupuncture Association was a medical professional. Each one was highly skilled with a keen eye, and it wouldn't be hard for them to see that the Five Probes Technique He Chengwei had just performed was a seamless and integral part of the same system as the other four probes. Under these circumstances, if he claimed these five probes weren't from the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique, no one would believe him. It would only make him a laughingstock and bring him more shame.
Taking a deep breath, Kobayashi Haruo forcefully suppressed the rage about to explode in his chest. He glared at Zhao Yuan and questioned him slowly, "Who in the world are you? Why do you know the complete Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique?!"
This question was tantamount to a tacit admission that he had passed off the Little Nine Probing Needle Method as the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique.
The room immediately erupted in discussion, and the live comments in the two online streams once again flooded the screen, reaching a new peak.
In the East Japan stream, a torrent of comments cursed Kobayashi Haruo, saying he had disgraced the Yamato Race and should immediately commit seppuku to atone for his actions!
Clearly, these viewers from East Japan could not accept that they had been fooled into treating a fraud like a hero.
Meanwhile, the stream in China was a scene of wild celebration. If someone were to tune in at that moment without knowing the context, they would almost certainly think everyone in the chat had gone insane.
"So that guy really is a fraud!"
"Thank god the Great God stepped up to rip off that fraud's hypocritical mask! Otherwise, we'd all still be in the dark, thinking he was some kind of master!"
"SLAP! That's the sound of his face getting slapped! Kobayashi Haruo, are you scared yet?"
"I can't believe this Great God actually knows the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique, and the complete version at that! Now I finally understand why Dr. He knelt before him earlier. It's because he taught Dr. He the lost Five Probes Technique, fulfilling a centuries-old regret for the He Family!"
"The Great God is so awesome! He's so young, yet he knows more than all those old experts and professors. He's a total idol! But there's one thing I don't get. Why didn't the Great God perform the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique himself to slap Kobayashi Haruo in the face? Why did he teach it to Dr. He and have him do it? Isn't that just making things unnecessarily complicated?"
The question this person raised was one many others were wondering about as well. For a moment, the live chat was filled with discussion and speculation.
Soon, an "Analysis Emperor" emerged to answer the question: "Don't try to fathom the Great God's intentions with your feeble intellect! What do you mean, 'unnecessarily complicated'? I'm telling you, there's a profound meaning behind what the Great God did! The duel over the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique was originally between Kobayashi Haruo and Dr. He. By giving the complete technique to Dr. He so he could defeat Kobayashi Haruo, the Great God ensured the duel had a proper beginning and end! Plus, it's as good as telling Kobayashi Haruo, 'Bro, I don't even need to deal with you personally. I can just grab a random person, teach them a few things, and they'll be able to crush you!'"
As soon as this comment appeared, it was met with a wave of agreement and support.
"As expected of the Analysis Emperor! That analysis makes so much sense!"
"'I can crush you without even lifting a finger...' So cool! So domineering!"
"Poor Kobayashi Haruo. He was so arrogant before, but when faced with the Great God, he doesn't even qualify to have the man deal with him personally."
The netizens let their imaginations run wild, hyping Zhao Yuan up to be some peerless master in the Medical Dao.
But in reality, it wasn't that Zhao Yuan didn't want to perform the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique himself—it was that he couldn't.
He had indeed obtained the complete Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique, but he had only just gotten it today and hadn't practiced it at all. He couldn't have performed it on such short notice even if he wanted to! After all, there's a huge difference between theory and clinical practice; the latter requires years and years of training. That's why he could only teach the acupuncture technique to He Chengwei and have him perform it.
Although He Chengwei had previously only learned an incomplete version, all nine probes were fundamentally connected. After receiving the secret instructions, He Chengwei quickly grasped the other Five Probes Technique. While his mastery was still lacking in finesse, it was more than enough to prove Kobayashi Haruo was a fraud!
This was the truth of the matter.
But no one, aside from Zhao Yuan himself, knew this truth. Everyone saw him as a master of the Medical Dao, like Feng Qingyang or the Shaolin Sweeping Monk from wuxia novels!
Faced with Kobayashi Haruo's question, Zhao Yuan just chuckled. "You want to know? I'm not telling you!"
Beside them, Chairman Cui and the others couldn't help but laugh at his words, while Kobayashi Haruo's face went pale with anger.
Unwilling to accept defeat, Kobayashi Haruo gritted his teeth and said, "What are you laughing at? What's so funny? So what if I lost that last duel? I beat Dr. Huang in the Finger Power contest, I beat Chairman Cui with the Five Organ Fire Needle Technique, and I also defeated members of your Jing City Acupuncture Association in many other acupuncture techniques! All of you ganged up on me, one after another, and I only lost a single match! I am glorious even in defeat!"
Kobayashi Haruo was clearly just refusing to admit his loss.
The whole affair was his fault. He had come to the Jing City Acupuncture Association to stir up trouble and challenge them, even boasting that if they could find just one person to defeat him, he would offer a formal apology. But now that he had lost, he said nothing of the sort. He only talked about how many people he had beaten, even trying to paint himself as some tragic hero to win a few sympathy points.
When it came to being shameless, Kobayashi Haruo's skill was truly profound! But he never expected to trip up yet again.
His words had barely faded when Zhao Yuan spoke up. "I didn't see the previous duels, so I don't know the details. But during the Finger Power contest, I saw very clearly that you cheated!"
"What?"
"Kobayashi Haruo cheated in the Finger Power contest?"
The entire hall gasped in shock. A flash of panic crossed Kobayashi Haruo's face, while Dr. Huang shuddered. He pushed his way to Zhao Yuan's side in a few quick steps and asked excitedly, "You're saying Kobayashi Haruo cheated in the Finger Power contest? Do you have any proof?"
"I do!" Zhao Yuan nodded. "The proof is in that thick wooden board that Mr. Kobayashi put away! He didn't take it as a souvenir; he took it because he was afraid his trick would be exposed!"
Hearing this, Kobayashi Haruo swayed violently, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.