180: Chapter 180 Grandmaster-Level Squat, Ultimate Power

Chapter 180 Grandmaster-Level Squat, Ultimate Power

Before dawn, the entire city was shrouded as if under a black curtain.

In the distance, the windows of the skyscrapers were tightly closed, with only sparse pinpricks of light flickering in the darkness.

On the streets, dim yellow streetlights swayed in the cold wind, as night vehicles occasionally hurried past, breaking the silence.

At this moment, a figure quietly appeared on the rooftop of the Tubular Building.

After performing warm-up exercises by stretching limbs and jumping from Squats, he began his physical training.

With both hands gripping a two-meter-high water pipe, a cowhide weight belt was tied around his waist.

The belt featured a ring of attachment buckles, holding six black barbell plates suspended impressively by steel wire ropes.

Dragging such heavy weight, his body could still repeatedly Pull-up and lower down, performing Pull-up practice.

A few minutes later.

Having smoothly completed a set of movements, Fang Cheng exhaled and jumped effortlessly onto the ground.

He then unhooked the six barbell plates hanging from his weight belt one by one.

This fitness equipment was all ordered from a specialized sports equipment shop.

The barbell plates were made of pure steel with a black baked-enamel finish, looking full of power.

At a specification of 25 kg each, he had bought ten of them in total.

The goods had only arrived yesterday afternoon, and this morning they were already being used by him as props for his morning exercise.

Compared to using gunny sacks filled with bricks as weights, using barbell plates was clearly much more standard, allowing for more natural and fluid movements.

If he hadn't been afraid that the water pipe couldn't handle the strain, Fang Cheng was fully capable of adding all ten barbell plates to his body.

Of course.

Such a thought was not very practical.

Even if the water pipe could bear it, the material of the weight belt couldn't reach such strength.

Weighting with 150 kilograms of barbell plates was already the maximum limit.

Standing in a stance on the spot, he practiced Qigong for a while to soothe his body's muscles.

Next came the next set of training items.

Fang Cheng turned his head to look at the other fitness equipment piled on the other side.

Tightening straps, and long weighted iron bars.

The tightening straps were somewhat similar to women's waist-training corsets, coming in different sizes to be strapped around the waist, chest, upper arms, forearms, thighs, and calves.

Special tensioners designed for securing steel were installed at both ends, allowing width adjustment while ensuring a sufficiently tight fit on the body.

The surface of the straps also had many long slotted pockets, where weighted iron bars could be inserted as needed for weight.

These items were custom-made after he brought his specific requirements to a craftsman at a hardware processing workshop on Jiuchang Street.

To rush the job, Fang Cheng spent fully over 1,500 yuan.

The finished product looked quite good.

Now was the time to test its actual effectiveness.

Following the order, Fang Cheng bound the tightening straps onto his legs, waist, and chest, then inserted the steel bars one by one.

All the added weight combined came to about 100 kg, which was 200 jin.

Fang Cheng had originally intended to buy Tungsten Steel bars as weight attachments.

After all, the density of Tungsten Steel was about twice that of iron, making it perfect for training.

However, the workshop didn't have that much stock, and the price was outrageously expensive, costing 300 yuan per kilogram.

After thinking it over, Fang Cheng gave up on the idea for the time being.

He decided to wait until these iron bars proved inadequate for training before replacing them with new alloy steel bars.

Fully equipped, Fang Cheng supported himself on the ground with six fingers on both hands and began weighted Push-up practice.

His current physical training plan was as follows:

Weighted with 300 jin of barbell plates: complete 300 two-handed Pull-ups, and 300 two-handed Hanging Leg Raises.

Weighted with 200 jin of tightening straps: complete 250 six-finger Push-ups, and 100 two-handed Handstand Push-ups.

Weighted with 500 jin of barbell plates: complete 250 two-legged Squats.

For the Back Bridge skill alone, he could only grind slowly with quantity, doing his usual 600 Iron Bridge stand-ups.

As the workout continued, the surrounding scenery gradually became clearer.

It was as if someone were gently pulling back that giant black curtain.

Adorned with faint starlight, the city sky gradually turned a silver-grey.

An agile, robust figure stood at the top of the nine-story building.

As if stepping onto a stage, bathed in the morning glow, he stretched his muscles to his heart's content and shed sweat freely.

Prompt messages of experience gain continuously floated past his eyes.

Suddenly, the panel burst with light even more dazzling than sunlight.

It seemed a skill had broken through its limit and achieved a Breakthrough.

Fang Cheng ignored it for the time being.

Morning practice was not over yet; he still had to devote himself whole-heartedly to skill practice.

At this moment, he carried a barbell bar on his shoulders, fitted with ten 25 KG barbell plates on both ends.

Under this level of weight, he maintained a steady rhythm, bending his knees to Squat down, then straightening his waist to stand tall.

Another half hour passed.

As the sun rose from the city skyline, set after set of skill exercises were completed one after another.

“Hoo—”

Fang Cheng's whole body vibrated as sweat vaporized, blowing two long streams of white steam from his nostrils.

Finally, it was accomplished, wrapping up the training plan that included physical fitness, combat Shadow Boxing, and Qigong practice.

Raising his hand to wipe the sweat streaming down his face, Fang Cheng focused his eyes on the panel to check his gains from this morning's workout.

[Focus Experience +3]

[Boxing Experience +4]

[Sanda Experience +5]

[Muay Thai Experience +5]

[Jiu-Jitsu Experience +6]

[Tai Chi Experience +7]

[Push-up Experience +15]

[Squat Experience +18]

[Leg Raise Experience +21]

[Pull-up Experience +23]

[Back Bridge Experience +19]

[Handstand Push-up Experience +20]

[Qigong Experience +3]

After using training equipment better tailored to his needs, the exercise efficiency of each fitness skill had slightly improved compared to before.

Consequently, he had a bit of extra time that could be used to practice combat skills.

Fang Cheng had previously tried weighted Shadow Boxing, but punching and kicking in that state yielded poor results.

Carrying hard iron blocks on his body got in the way instead, affecting the flexibility and fluid flow of his overall movements.

Summarizing his experience, combat skills mainly had to rely on actual combat to improve.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, turning his attention to the upgrade notification he had ignored earlier.

[Congratulations, through effort and perseverance far beyond ordinary people, your skill has reached the Grandmaster Rank]

[Squat Lv3 (0/1000)]

[Obtained Skill Enhancement Reward: 12 Free Attribute Points]

Seeing the attribute reward from Grandmaster-Level Squat, Fang Cheng did not immediately choose to allocate points.

Instead, he quickly put on his clothes, picked up his training equipment, and walked briskly down from the rooftop.

Returning home, he immediately shut the door tight and put away the equipment.

Next, he removed all his clothes and pants.

In a completely naked state, he looked at the panel with glowing eyes.

After his lesson from last time during morning practice in the park, when breaking through 20 Strength points almost made a fool of him...

Fang Cheng was smarter this time and didn't act rashly outside.

Instead, he returned home and made all proper preparations before officially allocating points.

“12 Free Attribute Points...”

As the panel flickered with light, Fang Cheng's mood was also quite excited.

As skill Rank gradually increased, the difficulty of enhancing physical fitness through training was also continuously rising.

With these 12 attribute points, he could completely make his Physical Body even stronger, letting his strength skyrocket.

Thinking of his mind and Physique breaking through 40 points earlier, and the various incredible extraordinary performances...

Fang Cheng pondered briefly, then chose to first add 6 Free Attribute Points into Strength to break through the 40-point threshold.

Watching the Strength value on the panel jump to 40, bursting through this barrier...

In an instant, Fang Cheng felt a monumental power surge outward from within his body.

Like a volcanic eruption, his blood surged like lava, puffing his skin red and making veins bulge.

Right after, his whole body expanded continuously from being stretched by this immense force.

The flush muscles all over him rose and fell endlessly, as if several giant pythons were slithering inside his body.

The sounds of bones and joints stretching apart echoed continuously from inside him, popping like firecrackers.

The sound was so loud that if someone passed by nearby, they would definitely be startled.

At this moment, Fang Cheng felt scorching hot all over and found the severe pain hard to endure.

He couldn't help gritting his teeth and clenching both fists tightly.

With a "bang,"

His knuckles burst loudly as if the air was crushed and detonated.

Wisps of white smoke rose up, as even the last bit of sweat was vaporized into steam.

With his mouth parched and dry, Fang Cheng hurriedly filled a bowl with tap water from the kitchen sink.

Gulping it down, he poured it straight down his throat.

Only after downing four bowls of cold water in succession did he exhale a long breath, a satisfied expression emerging on his face.

Next, he turned on the fan, letting the breeze blow over his body.

While cooling off, he practiced stance breathing, circulating True Qi to regulate his bodily functions.

Once the heat and pain subsided, he walked up to the full-length mirror to observe his current bodily appearance.

He saw himself in the mirror looking as if inflated, expanding several sizes, with muscles on his arms, thighs, and torso bulging explosively.

His limbs were so thick they resembled gnarled tree trunks or were made of dozens of crisscrossing steel rebar.

The degree of exaggeration was hard to describe in words.

Original content without error, read first-hand!

He had completely lost his former handsome and elegant image, looking for all the world like a monster purely built from stacked muscles.

Crack, crack!

Fang Cheng twisted his neck, making a series of chilling, loud pops.

He felt that his current state bore a slight resemblance to a test subject full of wild, destructive power.

With such a terrifying appearance, how could he go out the door?

Setting aside what passersby would think, if his mom saw him right now, she would probably faint outright from fright.

Fortunately.

He had already prepared in advance...

At this thought, a wave of weakness suddenly hit him.

Fang Cheng quickly walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator filled with food.

Inside were various cooked meat deli items bought from the supermarket, high-energy milk and chocolate bars, as well as leftover cold rice from last night.

After going through several experiences of suffering from hunger, his home reserve food was always well-stocked; as soon as there was a vacancy, it would be replenished immediately to ensure basic nutritional supply at any time.

Fang Cheng pulled everything out at once, then sat on the floor, holding a roast chicken in one hand and a carton of milk in the other.

Munching, gulping—

He forcefully stuffed food into his mouth without stopping, chewing only a few times before swallowing straight into his stomach.

Even the reincarnation of a starved ghost wouldn't have such eating manners.

After a long time.

Fang Cheng let out a full burp, patted his round stomach, and looked up with a sigh, feeling unsatisfied.

“So refreshing—”

At this moment, the surroundings were a mess, with bone scraps, oil stains, and soup splattered everywhere.

The Cleaning work later would clearly not be an easy job.

After resting for a moment and digesting a bit.

Fang Cheng stood up and walked back in front of the full-length mirror.

Then.

Without a second thought, he immediately added all of the remaining 6 Free Attribute Points to Agility.

Soon, his entire body experienced a compressing force inward from the outside.

As he endured the severe pain once more, Fang Cheng felt as if countless hammers were rapidly pounding against his Physical Body.

Thump, thump.

Tempered through a thousand strikes, forged into refined steel.

Under the pounding, those exaggeratedly bulging large muscles continuously shrank, becoming flatter and tighter, just like raw iron die-cast into fine steel.

Until a perfect form closer to the human body yet containing explosive power was molded.

No.

Distance from perfection still seemed to miss a final strike...

Looking at himself in the mirror, gradually changing from a muscle monster back to a state close to a normal human.

Fang Cheng's brows smoothed out, and he exhaled as if relieved of a heavy burden.

On the panel, the Agility attribute increased from 33 points to 39 points.

Just one step away from breaking through the 40-point threshold.

Yet it stopped there.

Fang Cheng moved his limbs and tried a few jumps.

With a "swish," he instantly darted from near the hallway in the living room to in front of the balcony.

His body had clearly become much lighter and more coordinated, and his movement speed was much faster than before.

It was just that... there was still faintly some uncomfortable heaviness and stiffness.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng then looked in the mirror to carefully identify his current self.

After adding 6 points of Agility, his muscle dimensions had indeed shrunk significantly.

But he was still nearly one size larger than his normal form.

However.

Precisely because of his increased frame, his body faintly radiated an imposing Aura without even being angry.

Standing there, he was like a Vajrapani statue standing in a temple, quite oppressive.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng immediately retrieved a tape measure from a drawer.

Then he stepped on the hook with his toes, pulling the tape until it was level with the top of his head.

Sure enough.

His net barefoot height was originally 1.81 meters.

Measuring now, it actually showed over 1.83 meters, nearly 1.84 meters.

Through internal observation, Fang Cheng saw that his body had not been forcibly stretched up two or three centimeters.

Rather, as his overall muscles and bones expanded, it naturally grew along with it.

A change of this degree...

If it were people around him who often interacted with him, they would definitely be able to clearly notice the difference.

Especially when going to the club as a sparring partner to box, where he needed to take off his outer clothes and reveal his muscles, it would be even more conspicuous.

Previously, his muscles didn't look exaggerated.

Among a group of burly professional boxers, he was only known for his aesthetically pleasing lines.

How could he give a reasonable explanation for his current big-guy appearance?

Even if he used chemical means to inject drugs for muscle gain, it was absolutely impossible to achieve such results within a few days.

“It seems I need to find a good excuse...”

Fang Cheng pondered inwardly.

He estimated that only when Agility also broke through the 40-point threshold could his muscles be compressed further, allowing his body to reach true harmony and balance.

And now, he was just 1 attribute point away from that threshold.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng immediately checked the progress bar for the Agility attribute.

Currently at 53%.

Given his body strength, relying on daily exercise to increase it quickly was clearly not realistic.

Fang Cheng turned his gaze back to the skill interface.

Handstand Push-up, which had the fastest progress, would reach Great Master Rank in at most one or two morning workouts.

Several other skills also had experience bars over halfway, not too far from leveling up.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng felt his heart settle slightly.

Regardless, his body's base attributes had been significantly enhanced.

His combat power was further strengthened, giving him greater confidence when facing formidable enemies.

Recalling his experience of encountering a certain murderer the night before last, Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly.

That guy's attitude was very strange, appearing crazy and erratic, making it hard to tell whether he was friend or foe.

Dealing with a guy like that who hid his head and showed his tail...

The best way was to use strength to deter him, letting him know that he wasn't someone to mess with.

That was why Fang Cheng had intentionally shown off his force back then as a warning.

Not only that, but through the burning of the Flame of Spirituality, he had acquired a trace of Aura from the other party.

With this connection, he could faintly feel a resonance.

As long as that guy appeared around him, he could lock onto his position at the first moment and drag him out from the dark.

While thinking, he glanced at the mess on the floor at home—an eyesore of a scene.

Fang Cheng shook his head and quickly set to work doing the Cleaning.

Before he knew it, time passed past 9 o'clock.

Grumble.

Perhaps due to working, or perhaps because his body urgently needed nutritional replenishment, leading to rapid digestion, his stomach suddenly let out a growl.

Although not as intense as before, he still felt somewhat hungry.

Fang Cheng looked around; everything edible had been eaten.

In his current appearance, however, it wasn't suitable for him to go out.

After thinking about it, he decided to just order food delivery.

Just as he took out his phone from the bedroom and was about to call the owner of a familiar breakfast shop...

A phone call came in first.

The caller ID was Ma Donghe.