224: Chapter 224 Skill Limits, Moving into a New Home

Chapter 224: Skill Limit, Moving into a New Home

"Running skill?"

Fang Cheng stared intently at the glowing panel in the darkness, carefully checking the prompt message.

Being able to unexpectedly unlock a new skill was naturally something worth rejoicing over.

At the same time, it also made Fang Cheng feel somewhat confused.

What on earth did the System mean?

Could it be that his past self didn't even know how to use his legs for Running?

Or perhaps, his Running posture wasn't standard enough?

On second thought, that indeed seemed to be the case.

Back at school, he was just a bookworm who turned a blind eye to the outside world and only knew how to study hard.

Whether it was physical education class or outdoor activities, he always adopted a perfunctory attitude, cutting corners whenever he could.

Even when he was forced to participate in Running exams, he had never studied as hard, prepared as seriously, or faced challenges with all his might as he did for academic subjects.

As for today's morning exercise, in order to test the speed limit his Running could achieve,

Fang Cheng not only threw himself into it wholeheartedly, but also made various warm-up preparations in advance, trying his best to imitate a standard Running posture.

From the start to acceleration and then to the sprint, every movement of his body and limbs, not to mention reaching the level of top athletes, was at least professional-grade.

Of course, this was also partly attributed to his 40 points in agility attribute, which allowed his mastery over his body's muscles to reach the Peak of perfection.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng withdrew the System panel and looked again at the data recorded by his sports watch.

Speaking of which, if one were truly to study "Running" as a skill or a science, it was by no means as simple as imagined.

The entire Running process can be divided into four main stages: starting, acceleration Running, Running in the middle, and sprint Running.

Every stage has corresponding technical points, action indicators, and breathing methods.

This is to maximize the mobilization of body energy, obtain initial speed, and figure out how to maintain Peak speed over a longer distance while saving physical energy as much as possible.

In addition, Running is divided into events such as sprinting, middle-distance Running, long-distance Running, ultra-long-distance Running, and cross-country Running, with different technical indicators specific to each event.

It involves professional knowledge in many disciplines, including sports anatomy, sports physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, and so on.

Therefore, wanting to improve results as much as possible and constantly challenging the limits of the Physical Body is definitely not just a matter of opening one's legs and Running desperately forward.

His current self could complete a one-kilometer middle-to-long-distance run with an average speed of about 7.9 meters per second, which translates to an hourly speed of 28.3 kilometers.

If we make a vivid comparison,

during a short-distance sprint, a cheetah's maximum speed can reach 110-120 kilometers per hour.

The driving speed of ordinary family cars is usually below 100 kilometers per hour; even if traffic restrictions are completely lifted, the maximum will not exceed 200 kilometers per hour.

As for Entry-Level sports cars, their maximum speed can reach 200 to 250 kilometers per hour.

In front of the absolute speed displayed by Fang Cheng, these reference objects all looked like sluggish old-fashioned cars.

Moreover, even under the premise that his physical attributes remained unchanged, through continuous subsequent practice, Fang Cheng still had a lot of room for improvement.

This point could be said to be very terrifying, completely exceeding the imagination of ordinary people.

Of course, Fang Cheng knew very well in his heart.

As humans made of carbon-based organisms, they were actually unable to be truly placed on the same level for comparison with "monsters" cast from steel like cars.

As long as cars have a continuous supply of fuel for power, they can drive thousands of kilometers day and night without needing rest.

Just like cheetahs, human physiological functions dictate that they can only burst out powerful energy within a short distance and maintain high-speed Running for a short period of time.

Once the duration exceeds the limit, it will inevitably lead to serious physical damage due to problems such as body overheating, extreme muscle fatigue, and even internal organ overload operation.

Unless—the Physique attribute can experience a leap forward in growth once again.

Fang Cheng's gaze narrowed slightly, and he lowered his wrist.

Then he continued to walk slowly along the Running track, doing relaxation exercises, adjusting his respiration and heart rate, and relieving muscle soreness.

After this test, one point could basically be clarified.

The limit speed he could reach with an all-out sprint was probably about the same as a supercar, around 300 kilometers per hour.

Compared to the sonic boom that could be easily achieved when throwing a punch, it was more than a notch slower.

However, with continuous skill practice, upgrading the Running Rank, and enhancing physical fitness, completely breaking through the sound barrier with his Physical Body would not be too far away.

As for the present, the most important thing was to control the balance of his physical state, and try to avoid consuming too much physical energy while ensuring speed.

Hoo-hoo—

An owl's hoot once again broke the silence of the lake in the early morning.

Fang Cheng raised his eyes, his gaze extending along the lakeside towards the pitch-black hills ahead.

As the dawn approached, mist began to spread from the lake into the woods, and visibility lowered further and further.

The entire Wanghu Town seemed to be submerged in a hazy dreamland.

After a brief rest, it was time to go to the park for the next morning exercise plan.

Even with the assistance of the System, strong physical fitness still had to be forged through day-in and day-out hard training by oneself.

Fang Cheng then strode with agile and brisk steps, jogging all the way, his figure shuttling through the mist and disappearing in an instant.

Leaving only the slightly swaying vegetation by the lake, as if still reminiscing about the thrilling high-speed run just now.

...

In the afternoon, warm sunlight shone on a corner of the streets and alleys of Wanghu Town.

Moving along the winding bluestone path, one could see rows upon rows of houses, mostly detached courtyards in an antique style.

Several elderly people gathered at the stone benches by the street, chatting about household matters, sunning themselves, or playing Go, attracting passersby to watch.

Not far away, a group of children chased and frolicked in the alley, laughing and playing, startling several foraging chicks into flapping their wings and clucking loudly.

Fang Cheng pushed the wheelchair where Grandfather Li Zhenhua sat with both hands, looking around as they walked.

His mother and uncle accompanied him by his side, talking to each other.

The family came here not to sightsee this quaint old street, but to look at houses.

The landlord was an enthusiastic and cheerful middle-aged uncle, walking in front with a beaming smile and waving his hand to greet them:

"Come, come, everyone, this is it! My house is guaranteed to be to your liking."

Following the direction of his finger, everyone saw a courtyard with black tiles and white walls standing in front.

After the landlord opened the door lock and stepped inside, a fresh earthy fragrance rushed towards them.

The courtyard was not particularly large, but it was neat and well-organized.

A vegetable plot was carved out in the left corner, and several ridges of land had already been plowed, soft and fertile.

The landlord uncle's eyes shone brightly, and he first introduced to the elder sitting in the wheelchair:

"Look at this plot of land, the previous tenants grew vegetables here, the soil is very fertile, whatever you plant grows. Now the vegetables have just been harvested, if you move in, you can immediately sow seeds and raise seedlings in the Spring Equinox season."

Seeing this, Fang Cheng pushed his quite interested grandfather in front of that vegetable plot.

Grandfather Li Zhenhua bent down, grabbed a handful of soil, twisted it in his palm, and nodded slightly: "It looks pretty good."

Fang Cheng also looked around. The courtyard also had two lush, leafy trees planted, which could provide shade in summer, and one could imagine how cozy it would be.

The entire house belonged to a traditional brick-and-stone structure, two stories high, with clusters of green vines climbing up the walls, adding a bit of rustic charm to the house.

"Everyone, come inside and take a look."

The landlord continued his introduction and eagerly pushed open the door.

"Look, four bedrooms and one living room, upper and lower two floors. The place is really spacious; it's more than enough even for two families to live in."

"Oh, the furniture and wall paint are a bit old, but it doesn't matter. After you move in, you can replace them with new ones at any time."

"Please don't stand on ceremony, just look around freely, and ask me directly if you have any questions. It's really hard to find such a good house nowadays..."

Fang Cheng helped Grandfather Li Zhenhua stand up from the wheelchair and walked slowly, while his mother and uncle also followed nearby, looking around.

Entering the room, they roughly glanced around.

Although it was an old house, the lighting in winter was not bad, and the rooms were cleaned very clean.

Except that the moldy smell was a bit strong, as if no one had lived there for a long time, it at least quite suited Fang Cheng's intentions.

While guiding everyone on the tour, the landlord said:

"This house is in a remote location and very quiet. Usually there is no noise. Although the town center is relatively lively, it is not far from here—a ten-minute walk—making it convenient to buy things."

As he spoke, he led everyone upstairs to the balcony and pointed into the distance.

"Look, that over there is Yulong Lake, and the scenery is picturesque. Our business here mainly caters to tourists, and the closer to the lake, the more expensive the housing prices."

"The location of the houses on this street is just right. You can enjoy the lake and mountain views without worrying about the heavy moisture by the lake causing the elderly to get rheumatism..."

Fang Cheng looked up out the window and could see the rolling green mountains in the distance, complementing the shimmering water. The environment was indeed very good.

He couldn't help recalling the legend he heard when traveling before, and asked with great interest:

"Uncle, I heard that Yulong Lake has heavy fog every morning, and that fog is actually exhaled by a Dragon. Is that true?"

Hearing this, the landlord uncle laughed heartily:

"That's passed down from the older generation. It is said that there was a severe drought here in ancient times, the crops were almost dried to death, and the people were suffering immensely. A flood dragon that had Cultivated for a thousand years was hidden in the West Mountain and couldn't bear the tragic state of the mortal world, so it rushed into the sky to make clouds and bring rain. As a result, it broke the heavenly code and was punished to transform into this Yulong Lake. The lake water also emits Spiritual Qi to nourish the people. Since that time, our Wanghu Town has become a tourist resort full of outstanding people, and many people from Dongdu come here to spend their twilight years because of this."

After finishing this folklore, the landlord's eyes lit up as he looked at the crowd:

"How is it? If you sincerely like it, the price is negotiable."

It seemed that because this house had too high a selling price and had been stuck in his hands for a long time, he also wanted to get rid of it sooner.

Hearing this, Li Biyun looked at Grandfather Li Zhenhua and asked in a low voice:

"Dad, do you think this place is okay?"

Grandfather Li Zhenhua showed a look of satisfaction and nodded slightly:

"As long as the price is right, there's no major problem. Let's take this place."

Hearing this, Fang Cheng and Li Dingjian both breathed a sigh of relief.

To find a satisfactory retirement residence for grandfather, the family had put in a lot of thought. The environment had to be quiet, they needed to be able to farm and grow vegetables, and the housing price couldn't be too expensive.

The whole family searched for a full half day before finding this house that looked relatively suitable.

Li Dingjian then deliberately frowned and picked faults with the landlord:

"The house looks okay, but I am very dissatisfied with the furniture and decoration here. They definitely have to be completely replaced with new ones, so this price..."

The landlord uncle immediately beamed with joy and nodded repeatedly:

"We are all honest people, we will definitely give you a fair price!"

The two then talked about the specific house purchase price, discussed details, and prepared to find an intermediary to draft a contract.

Fang Cheng looked out the window with nothing to do, casting his gaze once again toward the distant Yulong Lake.

He thought to himself that grandfather being able to spend his twilight years here, facing such beautiful scenery every day, growing vegetables, tasting tea, and living a leisurely life would surely not be much worse than being in the countryside.

Moving into a new house involves many things to busy oneself with.

The day after signing the contract, the uncle decisively invited a decoration team and domestic workers, preparing to renovate the house inside and out from top to bottom.

This was to create the most comfortable living environment for grandfather.

However, these days, he still had business matters waiting to be dealt with, and he was Running around busy, with phone calls coming in one after another without stopping.

Mother also planned to stay here to help take care of things for a few days.

Originally, according to her work schedule, she was supposed to return to the hospital to work on the sixth day of the lunar new year, but she was delayed because of the house.

Fang Cheng took the opportunity to persuade his mother to simply quit this job.

After all, being a nursing worker at Renan Hospital was both tiring and low-paying, and there was also some inexplicable security risk.

Now that grandfather's surgery had been successful, there was really no need to stay in the hospital for some slight convenience.

To increase his persuasiveness, Fang Cheng also told his mother about earning hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Of course, he didn't dare say that this money was actually ill-gotten gains from robbing gangsters.

He just pretense-wise claimed that he had good luck and picked up a bargain by buying antiques in the antique market, suddenly making a huge fortune.

To make his mother deeply convinced, he even specially called Ma Donghe to help endorse it.

Ma Donghe spoke vividly on the other end of the phone, describing the process of "picking up a bargain" as if it were really true.

Hearing this, although mother had doubts in her heart, she ultimately chose to believe her son.

However, in terms of work, she only relaxed a little bit, feeling that she was still young and didn't want to just be idle like this.

She figured that after things here were settled, she would still find another lighter job.

This way, she could pass the time and supplement the household expenses, and her heart would feel at ease.

Seeing his mother so persistent, Fang Cheng found it hard to persuade her further.

He only secretly planned that in the future, he must openly and aboveboard earn more money—so much that mother couldn't refuse, allowing her to live a good life with peace of mind.

During these few days in Wanghu Town, time seemed to have been pressed with a slow-motion button, peaceful and cozy.

Fang Cheng went up the mountain for morning exercise every day. The fresh air, curling light mist, mixed with the fragrance of earth, made him feel refreshed.

In the morning, he would accompany grandfather to stroll slowly to the lakeside.

Grandfather sat in the wheelchair, looking at the sparkling lake surface, occasionally telling stories of the past. Fang Cheng listened quietly, his heart full of warmth.

In the afternoon, he would go to help look after the progress of the new house's decoration, chat with the master workers, and understand the details of the decoration.

Seeing that it was the tenth day of the first lunar month, Fang Cheng was also ready to end his Spring Festival holiday and return to the club to work seriously.

By now his body shape had completely returned to normal.

Standing in front of the mirror, if he looked closely,

his muscle lines were tight and smooth, without a trace of excess fat; his limbs were slender and well-proportioned, full of a harmonious sense of beauty.

At most, he looked just a little bit stronger than before, with wider and more powerful shoulders.

The whole person faintly exuded an indescribable aura brought by a powerful Physical Body.

That was the self-confidence and composure to calmly face any difficulty and meet all challenges.