The students backstage were thrown into utter chaos, unsure what to do. Chris alternately pounded John’s chest and administered CPR, her forehead beaded with sweat from the tension. Beside them, Su Chan remained completely composed. She approached Li Yundong, took his hand, and whispered, "Yundong, the Three-Pronged Probe!"

Li Yundong gripped Su Chan’s hand back, instantly feeling his spirit settle; it was as if with this girl by his side, he feared nothing.

Li Yundong turned his head and murmured, "Will the Three-Pronged Probe even work?"

Su Chan nodded with absolute certainty. "It will! I’ll be watching. Go for it!"

Buoyed by Su Chan’s encouragement, Li Yundong calmed completely. He walked up to Chris and said in a grave tone, "Let me handle this."

When Chris looked up, fury instantly replaced her fear, and she shouted, "Murderer! What else do you want?"

Li Yundong pointed at John. "I can save him!"

Chris cried out in frantic exasperation, "He's not even breathing! How can you save him?"

Li Yundong’s gaze fixed on Chris for a moment, then he declared decisively, "You can’t. I can! Move aside!"

Seeing the composure in Li Yundong’s demeanor and the steady confidence in his eyes, Chris was momentarily awed by his bearing and stepped aside.

Li Yundong helped John into a sitting position, then, following the technique Su Chan had taught him, pressed down on three points: the Baihui, Shenting, and Taiyang acupoints.

Li Yundong secretly urged the qi within him towards his fingertips. As his internal energy flowed, it surged like roaring rivers and mountains; soon, a faint wisp of white vapor began to rise from his head.

Some sharp-eyed onlookers pointed toward the vapor above Li Yundong’s head and started to shout, but they were immediately silenced by the people next to them, fearful of disturbing him.

Chris, however, failed to notice Li Yundong’s anomaly, her eyes fixed solely on John.

The reason John’s heart had suddenly stopped beating was that the residual force from the punch Li Yundong had thrown earlier had struck the exact location of his heart, causing cardiac arrest. If Huang Yifei, who had only blocked the blow with his arm’s Vajra Iron Ring, was injured, what chance did John, who took the full impact, have?

In the West, determining life or death often relied on observing breath, heartbeat, pulse, or even brainwaves. But in Traditional Chinese Medicine, provided the physical body was not damaged or destroyed, there was only one standard for judging life or death: whether sheng qi (vitality) remained within the body, or, in other words, whether yuan qi (primal energy) was present.

When Li Yundong applied the Three-Pronged Probe technique, he immediately detected that the subject’s internal energy response was still strong. He intensified his own qi, which fiercely stimulated John’s yuanyang (vital essence), drawing it upward instantly.

Once the body’s yuan qi was mobilized, the qi automatically propelled the blood to circulate. When this blood rushed to the heart, the impact forced the heart to expand, followed immediately by its automatic contraction.

At that moment, John sprang back to life.

"Hiss!" John gasped, opening his eyes wide, taking a deep breath, and coughing while clutching his chest.

"He's alive! He's alive!" A cheer erupted backstage.

The tense crowd around Li Yundong let out a collective sigh of relief. Su Chan patted her chest, looking greatly relieved. Feng Na and the others secretly wiped away cold sweat, regarding Li Yundong with both admiration and awe for his composure in the face of life and death.

Chris also clearly relaxed. She made the sign of the cross over her chest, offered a silent prayer, and then scrutinized John, demanding loudly, "You idiot, how are you now?"

John, still clutching his chest, coughed painfully. "What happened to me?"

Chris looked at him with a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "You were punched and sent flying! Your heart stopped beating just now, and he brought you back!" Saying this, Chris pointed toward Li Yundong.

John looked utterly bewildered, clearly not understanding what had just transpired. He shook his head like a rattle drum and said in English, "Impossible. I remember I hadn't even gotten close to him. How could he have sent me flying?"

Chris shot Li Yundong a look imbued with inexplicable reverence. She lowered her voice to John. "You were still mid-air when he knocked you away with one punch. I mean, he hit you from a meter or two away without even touching you! Just like that guy with the Iron Wire Fist earlier!"

John’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he shook his head violently. "Impossible! How is that possible?"

Chris replied, "My grandmother always said China has hidden dragons and crouching tigers—there are all sorts of miraculous people. Don't disbelieve it. Everyone saw it! Do you want to challenge him again?"

John shook his head even harder this time. He was completely defeated by Li Yundong. Although he couldn't fathom what had happened, the evidence was before his eyes, leaving him with no choice but to submit.

John sat on the floor, dazed for a moment. Then, he suddenly recalled some Chinese martial arts films he had watched. A thought flashed through his mind: Could this be the legendary Neigong (Internal Energy)? Is this person truly a master?

The more John considered it, the more likely it seemed. He abruptly flipped over and knelt before Li Yundong, shouting loudly a phrase distinctly Americanized Chinese: "Shi Fu!"

Li Yundong was caught completely off guard and froze. "Shi Fu? What's Shi Fu? What is he saying?"

Chris explained, trying not to laugh, "He's asking you to take him as a student, wanting you to be his Master!"

Li Yundong found it equally amusing. So, these foreigners were just thick-skinned after all! If you didn't fight them, they wouldn't concede; once beaten into submission, they came crying to beg for tutelage!

Li Yundong waved his hand. "No, no. I’m so young, how can I be a Master? Besides, those two words are pronounced Shīfu, not Shìfù! Learn Chinese properly before you come back to ask for apprenticeship!"

Seeing Li Yundong rattle off a lengthy explanation, John just stared blankly, unable to understand a word. He only managed to catch the two characters for 'Master' (Shīfu). Now he understood, and he nodded vigorously, shouting, "Shi Fu, Shi Fu!"

The surrounding crowd burst into laughter at his antics.

At this point, some school administrators also rushed backstage. "What's going on here?"

When they saw John kneeling before Li Yundong, they initially assumed Li Yundong had used force against the foreign guest and were about to get angry. But then they saw Chris smile reassuringly at them and explain, "John wants to become this friend's apprentice, but he won't agree."

The administrators immediately relaxed, casting an approving glance at Li Yundong. Thought it was a major incident! Good thing it’s nothing. Well done, this kid brought honor to the school!

Principal Ke, who was in charge of the evening's activities, let out a sigh of relief and said to Li Yundong, "Student, why don't you accept this foreign disciple? It would certainly become a celebrated tale for Tiannan City University in the future!"

At once, students and faculty nearby chimed in with cheerful agreement.

Li Yundong grew hesitant. He didn't want to agree. For one, he had nothing to teach this foreigner; his own qi cultivation methods had been taught to him by Su Chan! Secondly, he genuinely didn't know how to teach! But if he refused, it seemed difficult to justify in the current atmosphere.

Seeing Li Yundong waver, Su Chan, fearing he might agree, leaned over and whispered urgently, "Yundong, don't agree!"

Li Yundong murmured back, "Why?"

Su Chan’s face became stern. "Treasures of the nation cannot be passed on to barbarians!"

Li Yundong paused, then quickly realized Su Chan was referring to the massage and qi cultivation techniques he’d been taught. Although he thought her words sounded outdated and stagnant, Su Chan influenced him deeply. Since the little girl said so, Li Yundong found his resolution.

Li Yundong announced, "This matter of apprenticeship cannot happen right now. If accepting a master were so easy, it would be completely inappropriate and lack solemnity! I must first consult my own master."

Principal Ke, who now recognized Li Yundong as a low-key master, couldn't help but ask, "Then who is your master?"

Li Yundong deliberately adopted a look of embarrassment and remained silent for a moment. Principal Ke, wise from experience, immediately understood and stopped pressing. He turned to Chris and said, "You heard him. I also believe this matter requires more solemnity. After all, in our country, accepting an apprentice is no small affair!"

Chris nodded, pulled John up, and said in English, "Get up. He says your Chinese is too poor and refuses to accept you!"

John stood up and declared loudly, "I can learn! I will study hard!" He then painstakingly tried to correct his pronunciation, gritting his teeth, but this time he managed, "Chī Fù, Chī Fù!"

The crowd roared with laughter at his effort. Li Yundong had previously seen the foreigner as arrogant and overbearing, but now he realized John was just straightforward and endearingly earnest. He waved his hand and smiled at John, "When you've learned Chinese, then come back to ask to be my apprentice!"

Just then, Chris suddenly leaned close to him, winked, and whispered, "I can speak Chinese. Will you take me as your apprentice?"

Although her words were soft, everyone nearby heard them clearly. A flurry of gazes immediately fixed on Li Yundong. The girls secretly scoffed: This foreign woman really knows how to push her luck! The boys looked at Li Yundong with a mixture of envy and jealousy: What kind of romantic fortune has this guy stumbled into? Why are all the beauties flocking to him? That foreign girl is quite a looker!

Li Yundong was stunned by Chris's question; he realized she had cornered him completely. A glint of triumph flashed in Chris's eyes. She thought: Didn't you just say that if someone speaks Chinese, they can become your apprentice? Hmph. Now, you have to accept me, right?

Chinese people held the matter of apprenticeship in extremely high regard: Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and then the Teacher—the teacher ranked highest after these. But foreigners didn't adhere to that system; to them, taking an apprentice was as casual as hiring a tutor. Thus, Chris proposed it without the slightest hesitation.

Li Yundong saw that Chris lacked any genuine sincerity and was merely trying to tease him, unlike John who truly wished to learn. Feeling a slight displeasure, he stated, "There is a rule in my sect: we teach males, not females."

The words fell, and a burst of laughter echoed around, with some boys even applauding enthusiastically.

Chris’s face flushed crimson. She shouted loudly, "This is gender discrimination!"