Chapter 39: Absolutely Not Alarmist!

As the livestream commenced, the number of real-time viewers surged rapidly.

Some of the viewers flooding in were old fans of the channel; Lin Nan and the others even recognized some of the IDs. There were also passersby and netizens entering the livestream for the first time via trending topics.

At this moment, the bullet chat was buzzing with various comments.

Some old fans who had previously offered suggestions expressed their heartfelt joy for Lin Nan

"Streamer! You've truly gone viral this time!"

"Did you see those edited videos online? That hand seal to summon lightning was just too cool!"

"More than just cool! I'm starting to suspect that video wasn't even edited!"

"Streamer, you better come clean right now!"

"When the human trafficker's car was struck by lightning, were you casting spells behind our backs?!"

Amidst the excitement and teasing from the old fans, the passersby entering the livestream for the first time gradually began to understand the situation.

Most of them had entered because they saw videos suddenly popping up online with identical content: people standing in front of a camera, making various hand gestures they thought looked cool, followed by flashy, over-the-top lightning special effects in the second half of the video that were almost blinding.

Initially, out of novelty, these videos were somewhat tolerable. However, as more people began to follow the trend, the quality became inconsistent. Many elementary school students even joined in, performing hand gestures with "five-cent" lightning effects and wearing sinister, "edgy" smiles. It was enough to make viewers cringe in secondhand embarrassment.

Seeing so many of these trend-following videos inevitably caused resentment among passersby.

As the saying goes, "it is difficult to please everyone." After understanding the origin of those videos, these passersby commented with some displeasure

"Good grief, no wonder I keep seeing these videos lately; nine out of ten are like this."

"So it all started from this streamer!"

"I've seen that edited video of the streamer too. It's nothing more than a convincing performance; it doesn't prove anything at all."

"As if making a few gestures in front of a camera could summon lightning to destroy a trafficker's car?"

"Is there really someone who believes in such mystical nonsense?"

As the bullet chat scrolled rapidly, many netizens who had looked deeper into the matter couldn't help but retort

"Holy crap... you guys have no idea how divine the streamer is!"

"I go to the same school as the streamer! I heard he once drew a formation on the playground to pray for rain, and it actually started raining just a few minutes later!"

"I have a vivid memory of that because I happened to be outside and got soaked like a drowned rat!"

"And then it suddenly hailed the next day! I had a cold that lasted until today!"

Despite this alumnus's comment, many passersby remained unconvinced. They scoffed in the bullet chat, questioning

"Bro, how much is the streamer paying you per comment?"

"Don't hold out on us, let's all eat together!"

At this moment, Lin Nan and his two companions were also watching the bullet chat.

When they saw the alumnus's remarks, Lin Nan and the others did not doubt their authenticity in the slightest. After all, two of them were witnesses, and Lin Nan was the perpetrator.

However, Wang Chengyu and Jiang Tao had both personally witnessed the entire process of Lin Nan drawing the formation to pray for rain. Looking at the alumnus's comment, they couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt rising in their hearts again.

It was true... first, the formation for rain—Lin Nan said it was a coincidence. Then, the hand seals and incantations—Lin Nan said he was trying to locate the missing children, but what happened? The trafficker's car was struck directly by lightning!

Could there really be so many coincidences in this world?

For a moment, the two looked toward the seated Lin Nan with suspicious eyes.

As the number of people in the livestream grew, the discussions in the bullet chat became increasingly intense. Seeing that the timing was right, Lin Nan signaled to the two of them to make a statement to the viewers.

Seeing this, Wang Chengyu and Jiang Tao temporarily pushed their doubts aside. They stood on either side of Lin Nan and performed a formal, dignified salute

"Greetings, fellow senior brothers. Welcome to the livestream."

"The reason we chose to go live tonight is actually to clarify one matter."

With their voices and Lin Nan's imposing, majestic appearance as the Heavenly Lord of Thunder, every viewer in the livestream listened with rapt attention. Perhaps driven by their innate curiosity for drama, even the disgruntled passersby were filled with anticipation for the upcoming announcement.

After a brief silence in the bullet chat, Wang Chengyu and Jiang Tao spoke in unison, reciting the words Lin Nan had taught them

"Fellow senior brothers, we have made it clear..."

"The hand seals used by the streamer at that time are not recommended for anyone to imitate in private."

"After all, these hand seals involve profound mysteries. We must maintain a minimum level of reverence. If one were to imitate them carelessly and accidentally perform even a part of them..."

"At best, one might suffer a loss of blessings or be recorded for a transgression; at worst, it could lead to physical harm or a reduction in one's lifespan!"

Their voices echoed through the livestream. As they finished speaking, the audience was stunned. Even the old fans hadn't expected that this was what the streamer wanted to say.

The fans who had filmed trend videos were now filled with doubt.

"What?! Practicing these seals in private... could actually shorten your life?!"

"No way, is this for real?"

"Don't scare me! I've practiced them several times to film videos!"

Conversely, some passersby still met this claim with cynicism. As soon as Wang and Jiang finished speaking, they immediately mocked

"Good grief, this is a cosplay livestream, does it really need to be this dramatic?"

"Making a few gestures could cost you your lifespan? That's some serious exaggeration!"

"I've seen plenty of this kind of showmanship, but this is the first time I've seen someone lie as blatantly as this streamer!"

For a moment, many netizens began to speculate in the chat, believing the streamer was merely fearmongering.

However, these netizens had no idea about Lin Nan's actual concerns. Once the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder Technique is performed, it invokes heavenly lightning, which inevitably alerts the gods of the Thunder Department. If an ordinary person performs the hand seals without the supply of spiritual power within their body, they will inevitably damage themselves. Furthermore, if it is perceived as disrespect toward the gods, one must inevitably pay a price.

To a deity, it might only be a minor punishment. But for an ordinary person, such a small penalty could represent a decade or more of their lifespan!

Whether it was truly as Lin Nan feared or merely a psychological effect remained to be seen. However, after the warning, quite a few netizens actually emerged in the chat, claiming they had encountered strange occurrences.

"Hiss... there might actually be something to it!"

"I just mimicked a few of the streamer's hand seals, and since then, I've constantly felt dizzy."

"Oh my god, me too!"

With these shared experiences, the livestream became lively once again!

...

(End of Chapter)