512: Chapter 512 unlocks training mode, leading to unimaginable progress for the enemy.

The ocean before dawn seemed to merge into one with the night.

Only the roar of waves crashing against the rocks echoed across this silent world.

A tall, slender figure dressed in a blue tracksuit was speeding along the coastline.

His speed was astonishingly fast, his movements light and effortless.

Every step on the soft, wet sand kicked up only a fine spray of grit.

The sea breeze brought a faceful of salty moisture, yet it couldn't halt his sprint, which resembled an arrow released from a bow string.

Suddenly, the figure came to an abrupt stop.

Facing the ocean, he twisted at the waist, his spine twisting like a great Dragon turning around, and threw a fierce punch.

Boom!

The fist sheared through the air, creating a dull, thunderous sonic boom.

Soundwaves rolled forth, even drowning out the monstrous waves crashing on the shore.

Immediately following was a second punch, a third, a fourth...

Shadows of fists flickered as whistling gusts of wind swept up swirling sand and spray.

Sonic boom after sonic boom resounded one after another, reverberating across the open ocean.

Startled seabirds nesting on distant cliff faces fluttered into the air, disappearing into the depths of the night.

A long time passed.

The figure withdrew his fists and stood still, his chest rising and falling slightly.

Those pitch-black eyes shone frighteningly bright in the night, looking like two burning blazes.

His gaze swept toward the distant outline of the city, which was still steeped in darkness.

Then he turned and ran onto the coastal highway, speeding off toward the dense cluster of high-rises.

...

"Click."

The sound of a door lock turning sounded remarkably distinct in the quiet hallway.

The heavy security door swung open, and Fang Cheng, wearing a tracksuit, stepped inside.

Inside was pitch black with the curtains tightly drawn; only the freezer's indicator light emitted a faint green glow.

Without turning on the light, he walked expertly to the corner, pulled a bottle of chilled mineral water from the freezer, unscrewed the cap, and tilted his head back to chug it down.

The cold liquid slid down his throat into his stomach, bringing a wave of refreshment.

Fang Cheng looked at the empty water bottle in his hand, feeling a bit emotional.

After his Physique broke through the 80-point mark, the endurance of this body was so formidable it hardly seemed like a creature from Earth.

That hour or so of Running and Shadow Boxing training just now was an amount of exertion massive enough to leave ten professional athletes exhausted if they ran it as a relay.

For him, it was as easy as taking a post-meal stroll and drinking water; he hadn't even broken much of a sweat.

But this was still not enough.

Fang Cheng tossed the empty bottle into the trash, took off his clothes and pants which were sticky and damp from the sea breeze, and walked into the living room bare-bodied.

Beneath the ceiling was a custom load-bearing steel beam from which hung a man-sized black sandbag, and against the wall was a neatly stacked array of workout equipment.

Stepping onto the athletic flooring, Fang Cheng walked up to the sandbag and casually struck it with his palm.

"Creak—"

Under that palm strike, the giant sandbag weighing eight hundred kilograms swayed violently.

The hanging iron chains produced a harsh, metallic grinding noise, clanking loudly.

Fang Cheng pulled back his hand, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and pulled open the curtains.

The windows of the apartment building opposite were pitch black; the entire city was still asleep.

As summer approached, dawn broke earlier and earlier.

Today he had intentionally woken up at 3:30 AM and worked out by the sea for over an hour, yet it was still not even 5:00 AM when he returned home.

It was still very early.

Yesterday, after distributing his attribute points, Fang Cheng spent most of the day adapting to a body that had broken through physical limits, constantly gorging himself to replenish nutrients.

So he had simply stayed over at Haitian Garden instead of returning to Jiuchang Street.

Besides being able to do his morning workout normally here, there was another very important matter he needed to test.

Fang Cheng turned around, his eyes falling on the pile of cold equipment in the corner.

Dark, heavy barbell plates were stacked layer upon layer, long iron counterweights were neatly arranged, and various dumbbells emitted a sharp metallic luster.

These items hadn't been touched in a long time.

He walked over and gently brushed his fingers across a barbell plate.

The icy touch traveled up his fingertips, yet a burning fire lit up inside his heart.

"Those people from Utopia probably won't give me much time..."

Fang Cheng muttered under his breath, his eyes gradually becoming sharp and piercing.

"I must grow stronger as quickly as possible to ensure my safety."

80 points in Physique was clearly far from enough to boost his combat power to where he wanted it.

The Physique attribute manifested more in how True Qi was used and his stamina.

To achieve a more direct, explosive burst of power, he needed greater strength and faster speed.

It would be best if he could break through the limit threshold for all four attributes.

When that time came, he might have the confidence to truly go toe-to-toe with that man.

Fang Cheng gazed at the distant city nightscape with its sparse lights, his gaze narrowing slightly.

He pulled back his thoughts, loosened his wrists and ankles, and walked beneath the Pull-up bar, preparing to begin the main event of today.

First was adding weights.

Fang Cheng strapped a custom-made tight leather belt around his waist.

After fastening it, he hooked on thumb-thick iron chains and weight attachments.

One plate, two plates, three plates...

Ten 25-kilogram solid steel barbell plates were attached in sequence, ringing with crisp clinks as they hit each other.

A weight of five hundred jin hung at his waist.

For an ordinary Martial Artist, just standing up under this would be tough enough.

Yet Fang Cheng kept his back straight, his expression calm and unbothered.

He bent his legs slightly and leaped upward, gripping the thick, solid steel bar firmly with both hands.

Hanging in mid-air, the heavy barbell plates swayed gently at his feet, chiming together.

"Let's begin."

Fang Cheng took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the bar, and prepared himself.

This time, he didn't pull himself up rapidly as he usually did.

Instead, he deliberately slowed down his pace, controlling each Pull-up to last around one second to enter the power-storing state.

That's right.

What Fang Cheng wanted to verify was precisely the actual effect of the newly unlocked hidden passive effect, Charged Ejection, in training mode.

Right now, as he stretched out his posture, the chain around his waist holding 500 jin of iron pulled taut and straight.

The massive pulling force acted on his spine and shoulder joints, causing slight popping sounds of stretching bones.

Pull-up, lower down.

Pull-up, lower down again...

Fang Cheng's Pull-up movements were smooth and steady.

To an outsider, it would look completely effortless.

But he could clearly feel a strange pressure quietly forming within his body.

It wasn't from external weights, but originated from high-frequency vibrations and internal tension within his own muscles.

It felt as if countless invisible hands were pressing inward from all directions, trying to crush every single muscle fiber together even tighter.

Is this the so-called "internal pressure"?

Fang Cheng estimated silently in his heart.

His current Physique attribute was as high as 80 points, and the density of his bones and muscle fibers far exceeded ordinary humans.

Although he looked lean and well-proportioned on the outside, looking at most around 180 to 190 jin, his actual body weight had long approached four hundred jin.

Every time he lay on the solid wood bed at home, it would groan and creak as if it might fall apart at any moment.

And according to the skill effect description, the internal pressure in training mode was at least ten times his own body weight.

Meaning that right now, the pressure his body was enduring was at least four thousand jin—or two tons!

No wonder there was such a distinct sensation of being compressed.

"However..."

Fang Cheng frowned slightly.

This intensity was clearly not enough for him.

With his current strength and Physique, although he could feel the pressure of two tons, it was nowhere near taxing.

Even with the five-hundred-jin barbell plates hanging at his waist, doing 100 Pull-ups consecutively was still effortless and relaxed.

"The panel skill description says that in training mode, one must endure internal pressure equivalent to over ten times one's body weight while also increasing training efficiency by more than ten times..."

A glint of contemplation flashed across Fang Cheng's eyes.

"Perhaps I can further increase the intensity of the internal pressure by extending the duration of the movement?"

As soon as the thought crossed his mind.

He took a deep breath and began attempting to extend the time of a single Pull-up from one second to two seconds.

The effect was immediate.

Just as Fang Cheng deliberately slowed down his movement speed, that peculiar internal pressure spiked dramatically.

That feeling was like a massive steel plate violently crashing down from overhead, while invisible steel walls compressed inward from all sides at the same time.

Every single muscle fiber creaked under this terrifying pressure, as if being forged simultaneously by countless iron hammers.

"Hss..."

Fang Cheng sucked in a breath of cold air.

A rough estimate put the internal pressure at two seconds at roughly double, reaching around four tons.

In other words, for every second extended, the internal pressure doubled.

"Interesting."

The corner of Fang Cheng's mouth curled into an arc.

Then let's raise the stakes and try extending it to three seconds.

He maintained his charged state, not releasing the accumulated potential energy, and continued to control his body to rise slowly.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Six tons of internal pressure came crashing down!

This time, the pressure was starting to become a bit heavy.

Fang Cheng could feel the muscle fibers inside his body undergoing intense contractions and resistance, as if countless steel cables were twisting and grinding against each other.

But it was still within a tolerable range.

He didn't stop, continuing his attempt to extend the time to four seconds.

As the movement slowed further, that terrifying internal pressure surged again, soaring directly to eight tons.

Fang Cheng couldn't help but grit his teeth, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

The muscles on his arms trembled slightly, and green veins bulged high beneath his skin like winding earthworms.

Even with his current 70 Strength and 80 Physique.

Facing this pressure equivalent to two adult elephants stacked together, he began to feel the strain.

Under this terrifying load, the 500 jin of barbell plates at his waist was as light as an accessory, completely negligible.

However, Fang Cheng could still grit his teeth and hold on.

"In that case, let's test the limit!"

A sharp light suddenly erupted in his eyes.

Finally.

Five seconds!

Boom!

The terrifying pressure reached its Peak in an instant.

Ten tons! A full twenty thousand jin!

Equivalent to the weight of a fully loaded small truck, completely applied inside his body, as if heavily Running over him.

Fang Cheng clenched his teeth tightly, veins bulging on his temples.

Both arms began to tremble violently, every muscle swelling and bulging under the extreme pressure, his skin turning bright red and swollen due to blood congestion.

This "internal pressure" acting entirely within the body was far more terrifying than any external weight load.

It was everywhere—from bones to fascia, from muscles to blood vessels, every single cell was enduring this overwhelming pressure.

"Urgh!"

A low growl squeezed out of Fang Cheng's throat.

The muscles across his entire body were strained to their utmost limit, and he could even hear popping sounds from his fascia stretching under extreme tension.

Fortunately, this force was "internal pressure" locked inside his body, acting purely on himself.

Otherwise, this ten-ton weight would have directly twisted the custom load-bearing steel beam on the ceiling into a pretzel.

Barely completing one standard repetition and pulling his chin over the bar, Fang Cheng slowly lowered his body, released his grip, and dropped to the ground.

"Phew—"

He shook his sore arms and breathed heavily, calming the churning blood and Qi inside his body.

Five seconds was his limit; he couldn't push recklessly further.

Otherwise, it could easily cause severe muscle tears and strains in his arms, thereby increasing recovery time.

But then again, this training effect was indeed somewhat terrifying.

Fang Cheng looked down at his arms; his biceps were swollen and engorged with blood from the extreme pressure just now, his skin showing a flushed red tone.

Fortunately, thanks to the abnormal recovery ability granted by 80 Physique, resting for less than half a minute was enough.

That sore, swollen feeling had completely subsided, and his physical energy was almost fully restored.

"Three seconds is the most suitable intensity."

Fang Cheng reached a conclusion in his mind.

Six tons of internal pressure plus five hundred jin of weight guaranteed sufficient training intensity without causing posture breakdown from excessive pressure.

Gripping the Pull-up bar again, Fang Cheng slowly pulled his body up once more.

This time, he strictly controlled the duration of each movement to around three seconds.

Pull-up—three seconds.

Lower down—three seconds.

The entire process was slow and steady, without the slightest tremor.

His latissimus dorsi spread like bat wings, contracting and stretching with the rhythm of the movements, every bundle of muscle fibers generating precise power.

His trapezius, rhomboids, and teres major—each core muscle group rolled and surged beneath his skin, carving out lines packed with explosive power.

"11."

"12."

"13."

...

The count steadily increased.

As his body gradually adapted to this training rhythm, Fang Cheng grew calmer and more composed instead.

His breathing was steady and deep, his form standard and smooth, as if that terrifying six tons of internal pressure didn't even exist.

After an unknown amount of time passed.

The sky outside the window began to turn faintly white, and the darkness gradually receded.

"100!"

Counting the final repetition, Fang Cheng let out a long breath and let go to land on the ground again.

A pale blue screen floated into view right on cue.

[Pull-up EXP +19]

[Pull-up Lv3 (237/1000)]

A single set of 100 repetitions yielded nearly 20 experience points.

Fang Cheng did a quick mental calculation.

Under his previous training intensity, completing the same number of Pull-ups would yield at most 1 to 2 EXP.

Now, under the six-ton internal pressure training mode, the EXP gain efficiency had increased by about twelve times.

"So satisfying!"

Fang Cheng couldn't help clenching his fist, excitement shining in his eyes.

Although he was exhausted with sore muscles and drenched in sweat, he knew clearly in his heart.

With this training mode, the speed of his strength growth would soon experience a qualitative leap.

Perhaps in less than half a month, he could earn his very first Rank 4 skill.

How much time would those threats from Utopia and those enemies lurking in the shadows leave him?

He didn't know.

But it didn't matter.

Because from now on, his daily rate of progress would be beyond what the enemy could ever imagine!

Fang Cheng walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, unscrewed a bottle of water, and drank it in one gulp.

Outside the window, the outline of the city gradually grew clear and bright.

On the distant horizon over the sea, a red sun was gathering the power to burst forth.

Right at that moment, the first ray of golden morning light abruptly tore through the sky, piercing through the window like a sharp sword and shining onto Fang Cheng's bare body.

His entire body's muscles were bulging and defined, sweat glistening under the sunlight, giving off a powerful aura like that of a god or demon.

A new day was about to begin.

And his path of training and becoming stronger was still far from over. (End of Chapter)