133: Chapter 133 Gravity Training

He didn't know how many dozens of times it had been, but when that figure identical to himself finally dissolved into spots of light before him, Song Yang collapsed to the ground.

This victory was a stroke of luck, yet also an inevitability.

Relying almost entirely on instinct at the final moment, he had evaded a fatal blow at an incredible angle while simultaneously using every ounce of his strength to snap 'his' neck.

"Your progress is visible to the naked eye."

Zeus's voice rang out. "Though the process was pathetic, you did indeed win. Your combat intuition and grasp of timing have taken a qualitative leap."

After a moment, Song Yang slowly sat up and stretched his still aching body. "Ten more, same configuration as before."

"Oh?"

Zeus seemed somewhat surprised by how quickly he recovered. "Are you sure you don't need to rest?"

"No need." Song Yang stood up, his eyes sharp. "I want to see how much of a difference there is between the current me and before."

"As you wish."

The ruins scene reappeared, and ten Evolvers wielding various weapons surrounded Song Yang once again.

This time, Song Yang felt completely different.

In his eyes, their movements seemed half a beat slower. Attacks that had once left him scrambling could now be clearly traced. He even had the spare capacity to observe the opponents' flaws and look for the optimal moment to counterattack.

Shadows flickered as fists and feet clashed.

Without the previous near-death struggles, Song Yang was like an elf dancing on a blade's edge; every dodge was perfectly timed, and every strike aimed true at a vital point.

As the last Evolver unwillingly dissipated into light, Song Yang stood in place with only a few inconsequential scratches on his body.

"It seems opponents of this intensity have lost their value for honing your skills," Zeus said with a laugh.

Song Yang nodded; he had felt this himself.

"The improvement of combat techniques is only one aspect."

Zeus shifted the topic. "Physical fitness is equally important. This combat pod can also simulate gravitational environments."

"A gravitational environment?" Song Yang raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"Yes, different gravity multipliers can be set. Do you want to take on the challenge?"

"What should I set it to?" Song Yang asked.

"For a first-time experience, I suggest starting with ten times Earth's gravity."

"Fine, ten times it is," Song Yang said without hesitation.

As soon as he spoke, an irresistible, massive force slammed down. Caught off guard, Song Yang was pinned ruthlessly to the ground with a loud thud.

"Cough... cough cough..."

He felt as if his internal organs were being squeezed out of his body. Breathing became incredibly difficult, and the scenery before his eyes began to distort.

Merely lifting a finger felt as though it would exhaust all his strength.

"How does it feel? This is just an appetizer."

Song Yang didn't answer. He lay prone on the ground, teeth clenched tight.

Then, using his elbows to support himself against the floor, he tried to push his body up bit by bit.

His arms trembled violently, and sweat dripped down his cheeks.

"Giving up? I can lower the gravity for you," Zeus's voice rang out again.

"No need!" Song Yang squeezed the words out through his teeth.

With a roar, the muscles in his arms, waist, abdomen, and thighs tensed instantly, forcibly prying his upper body off the ground.

This single movement made him dizzy, and his vision went dark.

He gasped for air, adapting to this terrifying pressure.

After a long while, he gritted his teeth, exerted force through his legs, and bent his knees in an attempt to stand up.

With every inch he rose, the pressure on his body seemed to double.

Finally, when his body had almost reached its limit, he stood up straight, albeit shakily and with great effort.

"Not bad, being able to barely stand up so quickly."

Zeus praised him. "However, you need to continue training. You should know that where we come from, the planetary gravity is over a thousand times that of this place."

"If someone born and raised there came to Earth," Zeus continued, "every single one of them would be like Superman from your Hollywood movies, except they wouldn't be able to fly."

A thousand times...

Song Yang was surprised, but not shocked.

It was only natural for creatures capable of surviving in such an environment to be powerful.

Song Yang’s breathing was still erratic, and beads of sweat rolled down his temples. The moment the gravity vanished, he felt light as a feather, almost as if he were about to float away.

"What about Liliya?"

He suddenly spoke up. "If she wakes up, will she also be at the level of a Superman?"

Zeus was silent for a moment, seemingly in thought.

"Theoretically, it's about the same. However, she hasn't undergone any systematic training, nor has she experienced life-and-death tempering like you have.

Aside from her strength being much greater and her jumping higher, the differences from a human on Earth wouldn't be too significant. As for combat, she knows absolutely nothing."

Song Yang understood.

It was like an ordinary person possessing the engine of a top-tier supercar but not knowing how to drive it.

He shook his head, casting aside stray thoughts.

"I've rested enough."

Song Yang stretched his limbs. "Fifteen times gravity. I'll give it a try."

"Are you sure?"

"Fifteen times."

"As you wish."

An even more terrifying pressure descended with a boom!

Song Yang let out a muffled groan, his legs buckling, nearly being pinned down directly again.

He was prepared; his core muscles tightened abruptly the instant the gravity hit.

Even so, his knees inevitably bent, and his body sank.

He could clearly feel his bones letting out groans of being overburdened. His internal organs felt as if they were being squeezed by an invisible giant hand, and every breath brought a searing pain.

His vision blurred again.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Time was stretched infinitely at this moment.

Song Yang nearly ground his teeth to pieces as he fought against the force that threatened to crush him.

I can't fall!

He stared fixedly at a spot on the floor as if it were the sole anchor for his entire will.

Seven seconds, eight seconds, nine seconds...

Thud!

Finally, at the edge of the tenth second, Song Yang's body reached its limit. He collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of mud, unable to move even a single finger.

"Ten seconds."

Zeus was somewhat surprised. "To endure fifteen times gravity for ten seconds on your first try without being instantly crushed—you're practically a monster."

Song Yang breathed heavily, and only after a long while did he feel like he had come back to life.

"At this rate," Zeus continued, "it won't be long before your physical fitness makes another rapid leap forward.

Perhaps you'll soon become a Superman on Earth."

The gravity vanished, and Song Yang took out a white energy crystal from the system space.

This was his primary loot from this deep underground excursion, totaling over three hundred pieces.

The energy crystal felt warm to the touch. Upon contact, a faint warm current seeped into his palm.

Song Yang did not hesitate and guided his body to begin absorption.

A milky-white halo radiated from the energy crystal, flowing into his body in wisps.

His stamina, which had been drained under the fifteen-fold gravity, was rapidly replenished like parched earth receiving rain.

Every cell seemed to cheer, greedily devouring this pure energy.

One energy crystal soon turned to ash.

Song Yang smacked his lips. He felt most of his fatigue dissipate, but deep within his cells, a craving and a sense of emptiness still lingered.

"It seems the extreme exertion just now has also significantly expanded the 'appetite' of my cells."

He muttered to himself and took out several more energy crystals in succession.

The light brightened and dimmed one after another.

As the energy was continuously replenished, Song Yang could clearly feel a marvelous transformation occurring within his body.

His bones became denser, his muscle fibers tougher, and even his internal organs seemed to have been strengthened to a certain degree.

"Whew..."

When the fifth energy crystal also turned to powder and dissipated, Song Yang finally felt a sense of fullness.

He moved his hands and feet, his joints letting out a series of fine crackling sounds, filled with explosive power.

"Zeus, roughly how much is my base strength now?"

"Based on the total amount of energy you just absorbed and the feedback data from your body, your current base pure physical strength should be around five thousand kilograms."

"Your rate of improvement is quite astounding. An ordinary person, even the top athletes, would struggle to reach even a tenth of your current level in their entire lives."

Five thousand kilograms!

Song Yang was secretly amazed.

One should know that before this gravity training, his base strength was only around three thousand kilograms.

Just one session of extreme-exertion training, combined with the absorption of energy crystals, had increased his strength by a significant amount.

"This is only the beginning."

Zeus added, "The effects of the energy crystals' modification of your body and the stimulation of potential through high-intensity gravity training are cumulative and significant."

Upon returning to the Villa, Song Yang realized he had actually spent an entire day underground.

The women had already gone to sleep.

Song Yang went to Yang Yueqi's door, pushed it open, and walked inside.