162: Chapter 159 Shit! They dare to use me as material for their live stream?!

"My speed was faster on the return trip, yet my breathing remained even steadier. It seems the effect of the Transformative Stance goes far beyond this."

Upon returning to Chinatown, Li Changsheng noticed that his stamina had clearly improved significantly once again.

This was related to the boost in stamina after leveling up his Taiji Stance.

"At this rate, won't I actually develop the skills found in Wuxia novels?"

This thought emerged inexplicably in Li Changsheng's mind. Upon careful consideration, he concluded that the scenes in Wuxia novels where internal energy harms people from a distance or Sword Qi cuts across the air were definitely impossible.

However, things like leaping over walls and climbing roofs, or killing a galloping horse with a single palm strike, were certainly achievable with the help of the System.

In fact, if he were prepared, killing a galloping steed with a single palm strike really wouldn't be difficult.

As for leaping over walls and climbing roofs, he couldn't quite do it yet; Li Changsheng had tried it near his country courtyard.

Scaling the country courtyard wall wasn't an issue, but it required the use of his hands, similar to parkour.

Of course, Li Changsheng's jumping ability was even better than that of an average parkour athlete. With the explosion of his leg power and shock force, he could easily reach the top of the wall in one leap.

If he used his legs to push off the wall multiple times in succession, Li Changsheng felt that climbing a two or three-story building in one go wouldn't be a problem.

The prerequisite was that the wall had to be rough, preferably with some brick crevices.

If it were pure concrete or marble slabs, sorry, but Li Changsheng felt he could reach at most two or three meters, and that would still rely on his jumping ability.

"I could practice some movement techniques and footwork. Although Xingyi and Baji Quan have footwork, those are more geared towards actual combat and the application of force at close range."

"Things like leg power and shock force are all like that; they are very convenient for maneuvering when fighting someone, but for speed and jumping, I need to learn something more targeted."

Li Changsheng secretly set another plan for himself: to look through that book, The Vanished Martial Forest, to see if there was any relevant content. Of course, he could also ask the old man, but he decided against it.

"The old man has helped me too much; I can't keep bothering him every single time."

That was the nature of their status and relationship. Li Changsheng was very clear about his position. Since he wasn't the old man's disciple, he should try his best not to trouble him.

If he were a disciple, it would be a different story. After all, in the past, a disciple was expected to care for their master until the end, and the master would do everything in their power to teach the disciple.

When returning to the repair shop, Li Changsheng suddenly stopped in his tracks, his gaze drawn to a storefront.

It was a shop called LA Fitness. Li Changsheng had often heard this English term from the guys at the repair shop last night.

"This seems to be a gym chain across the whole Empire; the people from the shop do occasionally come here to pump iron."

Thinking of this, Li Changsheng felt an itch he couldn't scratch.

He used to pump iron every day, and now that he had stopped for a few days, he felt a bit uncomfortable, always feeling like something was missing.

This was the "iron pumping dependency"; some guys who often go to the gym have this habit to varying degrees.

Their greeting to each other was often, "Did you pump iron today? Going to hit legs?"

Li Changsheng didn't seek to become a massive bodybuilder. In fact, normal fitness training wouldn't make one into that kind of "devilish muscle man" unless one used "technology."

"Let me ask about the price. If it's cheap, I'll sign up for a membership."

Li Changsheng hadn't been to a gym much; he had always trained at home. Because of that, the equipment was limited, and training certainly wasn't as convenient as at a gym.

As soon as he entered, Li Changsheng was struck by the thick scent of hormones inside.

Good grief, looking around, there wasn't a single skinny person; they were all muscular studs.

Any one of them was a beast with biceps thicker than his own legs.

"No wonder those guys said not to go during the day."

Li Changsheng recalled their casual conversation from yesterday, which basically said not to go during the day, as going then was just asking for trouble.

So it turned out that during the day, it was a bunch of "tech" supermen showing off their "technology."

Li Changsheng's appearance also caught the attention of some of the muscular men on the periphery. They glanced at Li Changsheng's appearance and physique, then immediately began to show off their muscle dimensions even more proudly, even increasing their weights.

It was as if they were engaged in an invisible contest between men.

Seeing this, Li Changsheng shook his head inwardly. "Take it easy, guys. With your blood pumping like that, be careful about bursting a blood vessel and dropping dead on the spot."

Although this was Chinatown, there were quite a few Black and White guys here. Asian faces were actually the minority, and the Asians who could be here were mostly "tech" powerhouses.

They were just comparing whose "technology" had the best effect and whose drug regimen was the best.

Although "technology" also depends on one's own condition, it was said that one guy used "technology" for half a year, only to turn from a stick insect into a scrawny dog.

However, the side effects of this stuff were really not small, and Li Changsheng was completely uninterested in such things.

It was nothing more than trading the rest of one's life for a fleeting burst of vanity.

The consequences included impotence, baldness, the appearance of various female characteristics, and kidney failure, among other side effects, and they were all permanent.

So, it was true that you became bald and became stronger, but the strength was only temporary.

Furthermore, this stuff was highly addictive. Once you used it a few times and stopped, you would become extremely anxious, always wanting to become that omnipotent superman again.

Soon, besides this group of "tech" powerhouses, a fitness coach quickly noticed Li Changsheng, this fresh face.

He hurriedly walked over with a smile.

Over here, the gym was highly likely to be full of "tech" powerhouses. Of course, one couldn't rule out some natural bodybuilders, but in the entire Empire, that was a rare existence, extremely scarce.

The one in front of him was clearly a "tech" coach.

He rubbed his big bald head, smiled, and extended his hand to introduce himself: "Hello, I am a coach here, Bieber, Coach Bob. You can call me Coach Bob!"

"Hello, Li!"

Li Changsheng also smiled and shook hands with him.

The coaches here were quite enthusiastic. For the sake of money, they wouldn't have any discrimination, especially since this was Chinatown, and there were many Asian customers in the evening.

Coach Bob took Li Changsheng around the gym while giving an introduction.

The gym covered a large area and had all kinds of facilities, including a small swimming pool. If you signed up for a card, you could even come for a daily swim.

But when he asked about the price, Li Changsheng was even more stunned.

"Mr. Coach Bob, are you sure you didn't make a mistake? Is it forty-six dollars a month? Not a day?" Li Changsheng asked suspiciously.

"That's right, Mr. Li. That's the price across the entire Empire. Of course, if you need one-on-one coaching, my price might increase slightly, but not by much."

"If you have family and get a family package, it only costs one hundred dollars a month. If you need to get an annual card, we have discounts."

Coach Bob introduced everything very professionally.

To be honest, Li Changsheng was quite surprised.

The facilities and equipment here almost completely beat the gyms back home, yet the price was several times cheaper than back home.

If compared to some places in Shenzhen, it was directly six or seven times cheaper!

Furthermore, for a brand like LA Fitness, it was rare for gym owners to take the money and run.

But back home, in the fitness circle, some people had even turned running away with money into an industry chain, often opening a gym in a new city, launching a huge wave of promotions for membership cards, and then the next day, running away with both the people and the equipment.

"Then can I get a monthly card first?"

Li Changsheng didn't think about getting an annual card right away; after all, he wasn't sure how long he could stay here.

"Of course you can, Mr. Li. However, before starting training, we will conduct basic tests on you, such as body fat percentage, bone density, and so on."

"This is a benefit for our members. Every month, we will create an incentive chart based on your performance and physical changes to give you more motivation."

"And this can also help us solve some bone misalignments and joint deformation issues for you. Our gym has professional therapists; as long as you are a member, we can provide one free therapy service every month."

Li Changsheng was shocked again.

While this country really had all sorts of problems in other areas, one had to admit that they were definitely serious about fitness.

It was worthy of being a tech Empire; this fitness service was too professional and too thoughtful.

Of course, Li Changsheng also knew that foreign gyms inevitably pushed "tech" products openly, but he would certainly ignore them.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Coach Bob."

Li Changsheng nodded. Although he felt his body was perfect in every aspect, he also wanted to see what kind of data their professional analysis would provide.

There were only a few physical indicator test items in total: BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage, basal metabolic rate, and lean body mass.

And here abroad, it usually also included bench press, squat, deadlift, push-ups, pull-ups, plank, and standing toe touch.

Some gyms didn't have these, some did. Here, it was clearly to test the initial data of the trainees so that subsequent monthly changes could be determined.

Back home, it was usually just the physical indicator test.

The physical indicator test was done quickly, and the computer here soon printed out a detailed data parameter report.

"Oh, my God, Mr. Li, I really didn't expect your physical indicators to be so perfect. Every item has reached a near-perfect index, especially the body fat percentage, reaching a perfect 15%. Are you sure you haven't trained in a gym before?"

Coach Bob exclaimed endlessly while looking at the parameters in his hand, simply because every piece of data inside was so perfect. Seeing this, he, an old coach, exclaimed that it was a textbook physique.

"No." Li Changsheng shook his head. He really hadn't been to a gym; his understanding of gyms was limited to being coaxed into walking around one by a colleague.

"Incredible, it's really perfect. I think, Mr. Li, you must come to our gym to train. Believe me, I can definitely train you into a professional bodybuilder, which will give you the chance to participate in the Olympia."

"No, no, no! Coach Bob, I'm just here to exercise; I don't want to participate in any Olympia."

Hearing this, Li Changsheng shook his head repeatedly. What a joke; Olympia bodybuilding should be originally called "tech" bodybuilding.

Were they comparing people? They were comparing "technology"!

"Alright then, Mr. Li, that's a real pity. But it's okay, I'll help you with the other tests."

Coach Bob shook his head regretfully, but this Mr. Li's various physical conditions were really good. He was tall, his muscles were very even, the lines were clear, and there were no asymmetrical muscle lumps. If such a person used "technology," the muscles trained would be very perfect.

Li Changsheng was a bit speechless. That was the only bad thing about foreign gyms: they always wanted to coax you into using "technology."

"Mr. Li, because this is just a test, a barbell with the same weight as you is enough. I have already adjusted this one; it's exactly 80kg."

As he said this, Coach Bob pointed to the bench press rack nearby, signaling Li Changsheng to lie down for the test.

Li Changsheng nodded. He was now 160 jin (80kg), which seemed like a significant weight, but in reality, he looked like he had a very perfect physique.

This was because his muscle density was high. If one-third of this 160 jin were fat, then Li Changsheng would definitely be a big fatty.

He lay down and began to bench press according to Coach Bob's guidance, while Coach Bob hovered his hands over the barbell, mainly for fear that the student wouldn't have enough strength and would get hurt.

But unexpectedly, he saw this Asian student without changing his expression, his face very calm, pushing up the 80kg barbell without any shaking of his hands.

This made Coach Bob, who had been in the industry for many years, freeze for a moment.

Something seemed wrong.

Don't think that 80kg isn't heavy. In fact, the vast majority of untrained people cannot bench press it. Even seasoned veterans who have trained for a few years, even if they can successfully push it up, they would be red in the face and blood rushing.

Even Coach Bob himself, when pushing this, although he had no pressure, would definitely have a slight feeling of blood rushing, and if he did a few more sets, the situation would only get more serious.

And in the time he was stunned, the Asian youth in front of him had unknowingly pushed it five or six times, and he found that he hadn't spoken, yet the other party was still doing it without turning red or panting.

Li Changsheng was still puzzled, wondering how many he had to do?

"Mr. Li, this... your ability might have exceeded my expectations. Do you want to increase the weight?"

Coach Bob unknowingly used a respectful address.

He vaguely felt that this seemed to be a low-key fitness big shot.

In the entire Empire, there were actually often some fitness veterans who disguised themselves as newcomers, wearing loose clothes to act like a newbie, and then shocking everyone.

There were many such videos on YouTube, and some even disguised themselves as old ladies or old men, using special effects makeup, and actually dumbfounded the guy next door.

And at this moment, in Coach Bob's mind, this Mr. Li was very likely one of these people.

"Shit! Shooting a video and it ends up on me. Damn Asian kid, let's see if I don't put some pressure on you!"

Coach Bob hated those guys who played pranks in the gym. Although people watching the video thought it was interesting, being the person involved was definitely not a good thing.

Because countless netizens could see his shocked and embarrassed expression.

"Good thing I saw through it!"

Coach Bob sneered in his heart; he decided to teach this Asian kid a lesson.

"Uh... okay, it is indeed a bit light."

Li Changsheng nodded sincerely; this weight really had no pressure.

Compared to the last time with that documentary event, his stamina had increased too much. After the Breakthrough in Transformative Stance this morning, his stamina had even reached a value of 9.

He really wanted to know what level a stamina of 9 was compared to other people.

Hearing this, Coach Bob didn't hold back. He turned his head with a mocking look on his face and hurriedly ran to the nearby heavy dumbbell plate rack, picking out two large 50kg dumbbell plates.

Then he walked over with a huff and a puff, starting to add weight to both ends.

After tightening it, that was 180kg!

Looking at this weight, Coach Bob felt it was settled.

With this weight, he himself could only do eight with all his might. This level was definitely a fitness expert.

"With this weight, a little guy like you who hasn't used 'technology' definitely can't lift it!"

Thinking this in his heart, he saw the young man in front of him lift it up again without any pressure, his arms still not shaking in the slightest.

"Is that the limit test? I feel it's still light; there's not much pressure."

Li Changsheng said, puzzled. He was really a bit confused; he had no concept of what level 180kg was.

This was also normal; Li Changsheng was not in the professional fitness circle after all.

So his confused tone fell into Coach Bob's ears like sharp knives stabbing into his chest.

That tone, in his ears, sounded like it was saying, "Can you even do it? Any dog could push this weight up."

"Fine! Mr. Li, you wait!"

Coach Bob didn't care about anything else this time; he snorted coldly and went over to move things again.

"Hmm? This coach seems quite dissatisfied?"

Li Changsheng shook his head. That shouldn't be; this weight, even if not great, should be passable, right?

At this moment, Coach Bob had already moved two more large dumbbell plates, both 50kg.

Although it was still two plates, he also knew that the other person was a student after all, and he couldn't push him to death.

But he felt that this time it was absolutely stable.

A total of 280kg; this had already touched the level of top-tier bench press big shots.

At this level, he, Coach Bob, definitely couldn't reach it even if he rode a horse.

As far as he knew, at this level, among Asians, there was only one strongest person, and that was a Xia Country man known as "The Strongest Upper Body in Asia," Mr. Yue.

However, clearly, the person in front of him was not that big guy, Yue.