Chapter 3: Prisoner's Six Arts, Liberation of Self (Please Follow)_2
Sweat flowing from his body dampened his undershirt.
He silently gasped for breath for a few seconds.
Then he continued to repeat the simple, yet extremely difficult motions.
As if forgetting the pain generated by his flesh.
Only concentrating on feeling the tensed muscles in his arms, feeling the strength within them that could change his fate.
[Warning! You are starting to overexert your physical strength, please rest in time and regulate your body condition.]
"26."
"27."
"28."
"29."
Reaching this level, every additional movement was a significant challenge.
The pain and agony were no less than enduring torture.
No matter how strong the will, the flesh ultimately has its own physiological limits for self-protection.
Fang Cheng's face turned beet red, his eyes seeming to burn with flames.
Am I really reaching my limit?
Then, let's.
For the last.
Do one more!
"30!!!"
Fang Cheng forcefully swallowed a mouthful of saliva, roaring in a low voice.
Barely managing to complete the push-up motion.
At this moment, his arm muscles suddenly started to spasm.
Finally... unable to continue supporting his increasingly heavy body.
Thud.
Fang Cheng's knees hit the floor, elbows touching down, head bowed as he gasped for air.
His entire body was like a fish that had just leaped out of water, limbs and back completely lacking strength, exhausted almost to the point of collapsing on the ground.
However.
In the silent darkness, Fang Cheng's face showed no sign of discouragement or pain.
Instead, his eyes shone brightly, revealing unspoken joy.
Because the panel display before his eyes was quickly brightening and enlarging.
Rows of fresh information were emerging, continuously rolling and displaying.
[You exerted all your strength in practicing push-ups, and have gained a deep understanding of them.]
[Skill Unlocked: Push-ups lv0 (0/100)]
[You have challenged your limits, and your body has initiated its self-protection mechanism.]
[Skill Unlocked: Potential Activation]
[You have successfully triggered a hidden skill, please use it as soon as possible.]
Unexpectedly, it wasn't the anticipated "fitness" or "exercise" but the more specific "push-ups".
This was also good; at least it proved that the method was feasible.
Prisoner's Six Arts includes six skills in total, if all are successfully unlocked, wouldn't the enhancements from leveling up be even greater?
Fang Cheng had no time to ponder in detail.
He noticed another newly unlocked skill slot on the Skill Panel flashing red, as if it might disappear at any moment.
Without hesitation, he immediately chose to use it.
Buzz————
For a moment, it seemed as though an invisible energy had emerged from his bloodstream.
Fang Cheng's pupils dilated.
He could distinctly feel that energy coursing through his veins, continuously infusing into his bones, muscles, and organs.
His initially exhausted body suddenly felt like it had been injected with adrenaline, instantly revived.
It was as though he was soaking in a hot spring, having just received a Gold Medal Technician's spa service.
All the negative factors like the soreness and fatigue from exercise were swept away.
Fang Cheng raised his arm and clenched his fist, feeling the restored strength.
"Is this the effect of Potential Activation?"
This sense of fulfillment, like leveling up in a game, reignited his fighting spirit that had nearly extinguished.
Fang Cheng licked his dry, peeling lips.
Then he stood up and poured himself a cup of warm water from the hot water bottle on the table.
Gulping it down straight into his mouth.
After finishing more than half a cup in one breath, he wiped the sweat off his face with a towel.
His strength had recovered, and he replenished the lost fluids.
Then strike while the iron is hot, and continue the practice!
"31."
"32."
"..."
"40."
"..."
"60"
"..."
Fang Cheng repeated the count while practicing push-ups in a very standard posture.
Unlike before, his body's muscles seemed to have formed a kind of muscle memory.
Each movement aimed to be performed with minimal energy consumption, to achieve the most perfect score.
If there were an Olympic event for push-ups, then with Fang Cheng's current performance, he would fully qualify for the national team's training camp.
"82."
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"83."
*Sigh*————"
Fang Cheng suddenly felt a bit dizzy and had to stop his movements.
The sense of exhilaration from the Potential Activation was gradually fading, and the restored stamina also seemed to be on the verge of depletion.
He squinted his eyes, observing the real-time scroll of information displayed on the panel.
[You have completed 5 standard push-ups, experience +1]
[You have completed 5 standard push-ups, experience +1]
[You have completed 5 standard push-ups, experience +1]
......
Dragging to the end, the display stopped at the ninth message, with no more to show.
Then, he looked at the skill column.
[Push-ups: lv0 (9/100)]
After unlocking the skill, he did more than 50 consecutive push-ups in one go.
Only the last 8 didn't add any experience due to the lack of standard movement.
It seems that the system's evaluation is very strict.
Sloppiness or insufficient strength leading to poor form will definitely not earn any experience.
As for unlocking skills through challenging one's limits,
Fang Cheng speculated that it was more about the significance of an entry test.
Just like the "Boxing" skill, he could choose to accelerate the unlocking process through actual combat.
By analogy.
Even if practicing only 5 standard push-ups every day, continuing for a month or two would also achieve the goal.
However, that required far too much time.
At this moment, the glowing words in the skill column had dimmed, and that wonderful feeling was rapidly receding.
"Potential Activation" turned into a sealed grey state.
There was a small note below.
[This skill is a hidden skill and requires certain conditions to be activated]
[Remaining cooldown time, 71:39:56]
Fang Cheng didn't continue to train.
He still had to go to work at the club today.
Since he's already exceeded his training goal, it's better to conserve energy.
To avoid overtraining that could lead to muscle strain and delay recovery.
"Let's set the next skill unlocking to three days later!"
Fang Cheng's eyes glittered slightly as he whispered.
Now, the muscles in his arms weren't cramping and trembling like before, nor was there the soreness caused by lactic acid accumulation.
Just a bit of dizziness and an incessantly growling stomach.
As if he had been hungry for three or four days, feeling extremely anemic and weak.
Fang Cheng simply sprawled on the ground, resting and breathing slowly.
Despite the extreme physical fatigue, there was a masochistic sense of pleasure.
All the pent-up negative emotions were greatly vented during the sweat-filled training sessions.
Outside the window, the sky gradually lightened from pitch black.
Dawn had passed.
The foggy glass pane was shimmering with a hazy light, as if coated with a layer of pale gold dust.
The dark room, the golden windows.
It was as if a sacred gate of heaven had descended.
Fang Cheng opened his eyes, slowly got up, and walked barefoot to the window.
Living on the top floor, he had an extremely broad view, seeing the distant horizon line.
The city under the faint glow of dawn seemed particularly quiet and peaceful.
Street lights were extinguished one after another, and the residents in the buildings were still asleep.
The occasional honk of a car on the street seemed to be waking up this vibrant world.
Gazing at this winter morning scene, enjoying the warm touch of sunlight on his face,
Fang Cheng suddenly felt an urge as if stepping onto a stage.
He couldn't help but open his throat and let out a shout:
"Ah————————————"
The voice was loud, echoing between the buildings with the morning breeze, lingering for a long time.
Yet it also woke the surrounding neighbors, leading to a wave of denunciations.
"Which lunatic is howling so early in the morning, not letting people sleep peacefully?!"
"Damn, if I catch you, you're in for it..."
Listening to the successive curses, Fang Cheng grinned.
For the first time in this life or the previous, he experienced the thrill of growing stronger.
This feeling was too good and shook him to the core, making him somewhat intoxicated.
No wonder some people were addicted to fitness.
He had never understood before and thought those people were merely masochists, bringing it on themselves.
But now, he truly empathized.
No!
He understood even more profoundly than they did.
Fang Cheng's eyes shone, staring directly at the pale blue screen glowing with the dawn's light.
Perhaps, the greatest significance of this panel's existence
Was that as long as you trained, you could gain experience, and with experience, you could level up and get stronger.
To actually see oneself improve step by step, never in vain for every drop of sweat shed.
Therefore, it's liver-killing!
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