Chapter 30 The Road to Getting Stronger

"Beep—"

At the checkout, Fang Cheng took out a credit card from his bag.

After paying, he carried two large bags full of items and walked out through the customer passage plastered with promotional posters.

Outside the supermarket was a parking lot, followed by the crosswalk.

Fang Cheng stood at the intersection, watching the traffic come and go, patiently waiting for the traffic lights.

It's Friday now, past two in the afternoon, and the weekend is just around the corner.

Next to him were shoppers carrying bags, looking much like Fang Cheng.

This Runhua Supermarket is adjacent to Jiangdong District, known for its good quality and reasonable prices, which keeps the business thriving.

Whenever Fang Cheng is free, he would travel the extra distance just to shop here.

At the moment, his bags were filled with food, fruits and vegetables, fresh fish and meat, as well as two large 900ml bottles of pure milk.

The numbers on the traffic light switched, turning green.

Fang Cheng then followed the crowd, crossing the street to the opposite side.

Nearby there was a bus stop with routes departing directly to Old Factory Street.

It was only four stops away from his home.

Instead of taking the bus, he chose to slow down and stroll through the streets.

Both sides of the street were lined with restaurants and clothing stores.

The rain had stopped half a day earlier, and the foot traffic significantly increased.

The wet patterned floor tiles were covered with dry yellow leaves.

Fang Cheng's gaze moved through the crowd and along the long street, settling on a particularly lush, eye-catching green area nearby.

That was the riverside park located along the Tai River...

A thick haze hung in the sky, with only bursts of sunlight filtering through the gaps in the clouds.

Fortunately, there was a breeze, chilling his face.

It had been a long time since he had leisurely strolled like he was doing now, making his heart feel calmer.

Fang Cheng set down his grocery bags and sat alone on a bench by the riverbank.

Opposite the murky river water was a lush green landscape with several high-rise buildings.

That was East Capital's well-known high-end residential area, Cuihu Yipin.

Its residents were either rich or prestigious, reportedly selling at prices exceeding 100,000 per square meter; even the property security fees were beyond the reach of average people.

Under the cloud cover, intermittently bright and dark, the greenery obscured most of the buildings, revealing only the shining tops.

It resembled a sky island within the city, contrasting sharply with its surroundings.

Fang Cheng watched the scenery with a calm expression, his gaze not focused on the opposite shore.

That place was far too distant from him.

What he needed most now was to continually enhance his strength, to firmly grasp the ever-changing fate.

So that, should the day of disaster strike, he wouldn't be just an onlooker or victim.

The explosion at West Mountain had caused some emotional turmoil for Fang Cheng.

It was as if a stone had been suddenly thrown into a long-calm lake, creating ripples.

The call to his mother that morning had gone unanswered.

That was the landline number of the nurses' station.

Knowing that it was a busy time at the hospital, Fang Cheng did not continue to disturb.

After taking a shower and waiting for some time, he tried to call again but it was still busy.

Thankfully, shortly after, a call came in.

It was from a Nurse Chen, whom Fang Cheng knew, speaking hastily.

Clearly, due to the West Mountain explosion, many medical staff's family members were calling to inquire about the situation.

Nurse Chen first informed Fang Cheng that Ren'an Hospital had not yet been affected by the wildfire.

But since early morning, many injured had been continuously brought in, keeping them so busy they barely had time to drink water.

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng offered a few words of comfort and asked her to pass a message to Li Biyun.

By noon.

Sure enough, his mother's call came through; the situation she described was about the same.

Fang Cheng finally let down the worry he'd been carrying.

Then, he asked about his grandfather's condition.

His mother said that his grandfather looked to be in good spirits, now able to drink some porridge, but the key would be the follow-up treatment.

When Fang Cheng inquired about how much was still needed for the surgery,

she, with a hint of a smile, mentioned that his uncle was busy negotiating a deal these days.

If successful, he offered not only to cover grandfather's surgery costs but also to take care of the wedding house for Fang Cheng in the future.

Hearing this, Fang Cheng just smiled.

Hopefully, his uncle wouldn't be bluffing like before and would handle matters more reliably.

After a long and brief conversation, Fang Cheng didn't want to delay his mother's rest, so he actively ended the call.

Now that he knew everything was fine at the hospital, he had nothing to worry about.

Today, he could not visit his grandfather.

After finishing his studies for the day, Fang Cheng decided to add a few sets of deep squats and lifting legs.

The sun had come out in the afternoon, followed by washing the clothes and airing them, and cleaning the room.

After finishing the household chores and feeling bored staying indoors, and as he couldn't continue with excessive exercise...

So he decided to go out to clear his mind and relax his tense body and spirit.

Just back from the supermarket with a full load, he prepared to make a big feast tonight.

Soon he would become a sparring partner, entering the "high-income class" with a monthly salary of over ten thousand.

Treating himself in advance didn't cost too much.

Besides, he could also practice his skills and gain experience.

Before him, a blue light screen faintly appeared.

[Cooking Skill lv0 (89/100)]

[Cleaning lv0 (91/100)]

Looking at the two skills that were about to level up, Fang Cheng couldn't help but let his thoughts run wild.

"Cooking Skill" and "Cleaning," like both, are very common life skills.

Wondering what the enhancement reward would be after leveling up to lv1?

Perhaps similar to boxing and deep squat, it could also increase attribute points or strengthen some part of the body?

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng glanced at the somewhat gloomy sky.

Then he got up from his chair, his gaze falling on a place faintly buzzing with noise.

Ready to complete a reconnaissance task before heading home.

Walking on the cobblestone path in the park.

He could see groups of elderly people practicing Tai Chi Boxing and health preservation kung fu.

There were also many trendy young people practicing street dance or skateboarding.

Ahead, in the fitness equipment area, music and cheering sounds could be heard from afar.

A group of sturdy young men, with their jackets off and torsos bare, gathered in front of the horizontal bar.

Next to them, a cassette recorder blasted rhythmic dance music.

They took turns performing fitness moves, showing off their muscles while competing with each other.

Various movements like one-handed pull-ups, horizontal bar planches, moonwalks, and 360-degree big turns.

These challenging acts, extremely visually striking, won rounds of cheers from the onlookers.

Fang Cheng's eyes shimmered slightly as he joined the line of spectators.

In recent years, with economic development, fitness activities have gradually become popular among the common people.

Street fitness, which values individual freedom and pursues personal heroism, has also thrived.

From bystanders, he learned that most of the fitness enthusiasts were physical education students, and some had won amateur bodybuilding championships.

Fang Cheng watched intently, admiring their agile and stretchy figures, and felt an urge to try it himself.

He walked up to an unoccupied horizontal bar, grabbed the steel bar with an overhand grip, and tested its feel.

Then, inhaling deeply, his arm muscles immediately tensed, and he arched his back and forcefully pulled his body upward.

The movement was smooth, and the posture stretched out.

Although the soreness in his muscles hadn't gone away, it didn't stop him from performing the most basic move.

However, his facial expression tightened slightly as he raised his chin above the bar.

This performance was rather ordinary; even if someone glanced at him, they quickly turned their heads away.

They merely regarded him as someone who was momentarily playful.

However, two girls, seemingly physical education students, giggled and pointed while discussing Fang Cheng's clumsy imitation.

Indeed.

Compared to the others, the gap was too obvious.

Especially as Fang Cheng had a delicate, fair-faced look, and his jacket made him appear quite slim.

It was like the difference between a skinny dog and a wolf dog.

Pull-ups, a challenging sport inherently, are seen by fitness enthusiasts as symbols of male strength.

Fang Cheng's eyes were very calm, totally unaffected by others.

Although his movements were slightly off, he tried to follow the standard and completed 10 pull-ups.

Feeling an increase in the soreness and numbness in his arms and shoulders, he didn't continue.

"It was just a trial..."

Fang Cheng jumped down from the horizontal bar, shook his hands, and softly exhaled.

Then, he silently turned and walked away.

Improving one's body doesn't have shortcuts; it relies on gradual accumulation.

Even with the panel's assistance, its primary function is real-time feedback and result solidification.

Thus, becoming stronger still requires persistent effort.

This is an inevitable path.

However, Fang Cheng possessed unwavering confidence.

On this path to becoming stronger, he would eventually surpass all the adversaries he encountered!

Including the somewhat quirky Shijima Gorou...

"It's going to rain!"

Suddenly, a shout rang out.

A few raindrops sparsely began to fall.

Fang Cheng looked up and saw the dark clouds moving quickly from west to east.

"Hopefully this rain won't last long, so as not to affect tomorrow's training..."

Murmuring to himself, he quickly grabbed two big bags of ingredients and joined the crowd rushing home.