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Chapter 225: Chapter 184 Skill Effect "Air Walking"_2
In the darkness, Fang Cheng, lying on the sofa, opened his eyes.
He looked toward the bedroom direction with gleaming eyes, a faint smile on his lips.
Soon after, he shook his head and sighed quietly.
Despite the ongoing sound of sirens from outside, his mind was still cluttered, making it difficult to fall asleep.
But at this moment, a sudden sense of peace and warmth filled his heart.
"Goodnight..."
Fang Cheng whispered, then closed his eyes.
Soon his mind was calm, his breathing steady, and he silently slipped into slumber.
Outside the window, the moonlight gradually faded, leaving the night tender as water.
The lights that had not yet been turned off became blurred.
Time slowly trickled by, washing away the many noises of the outside world.
Suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway.
"Hoo————"
Fang Cheng exhaled comfortably and opened his eyes again.
He looked up at the window that was now dimly lit, its glass covered in foggy raindrops.
All around was quiet, with the sound of rain gently pattering to the ground.
"I seem to have overslept a bit..."
Fang Cheng stretched, quickly threw off the covers and blanket, and climbed up from the sofa.
Even the rain could not stop a heart that longed for the exercise and the pursuit of strength.
Glancing back at Zhou Xiumei’s tightly closed bedroom door, Fang Cheng gently opened the damaged door and then closed it again softly.
Then he strode out.
..................
On the rooftop of the tubular building.
At a little past 7 in the morning, the light rain was unending, bringing a hint of tranquility to the world.
After a night of disturbances, most residents of Old Factory Street were still asleep.
The gray sky seemed like a heavy velvet cloth hiding the weak dawn light.
The city covered in rain appeared especially cold and quiet.
Fang Cheng wore a pair of shorts, his bare feet on the damp concrete.
Droplets of rain fell slowly from the clouds, like thousands of fine needles, ice-cold and piercing to the skin.
Fang Cheng was unaffected, continuing to repeat the process of squatting down and standing up.
Until he completed the last set, the 250th Deep Squat.
Then, he carefully placed the 500-pound barbell from his shoulders onto the ground.
A pale blue screen emerged.
A stream of information flowed past like water.
[Concentration Experience +3]
[Tai Chi Boxing Experience +6]
[Push-up Experience +15]
[Deep Squat Experience +18]
[Pull-up Experience +22]
.........
.........
.........
After reviewing the Skill Experience gained from this morning’s exercise, Fang Cheng raised his eyes to look at the distant street.
The whole city was still shrouded in gray, appearing vague and unclear.
Skyscrapers emerged through the rain as if they were a mirage, mysterious and elusive.
Although he woke later than usual, he finished his morning exercise a bit earlier.
Mainly because last night’s battle had improved many of his Fighting Skills Experience.
Today, Fang Cheng skipped Air Attack and practiced a bit more Tai Chi Boxing, which freed up more time for morning exercise.
Hoo hoo——
The raindrops were whipped onto his face by the wind, painfully cold.
This rain, which started around three or four in the morning, seemed to grow heavier.
Fang Cheng showed no intention of retreating; instead, he felt a peculiar thrill.
He brushed back the wet hair on his forehead and looked at the panel again.
[Handstand Pushups lv1 (243/250)]
Just 7 points away from reaching the master level.
Perhaps with an extra effort today, he could achieve a breakthrough in this Skill.
With this in mind, Fang Cheng’s desire to exercise reignited, and he quickly turned his attention to the other training equipment piled to the side.
He then bent down to pick up weight belts filled with iron plaques, sequentially strapping them on his thighs, calves, upper arms, forearms, waist, and chest back.
After securing each tensioner to make sure the iron blocks were stable and wouldn’t easily fall off,
he redressed in this additional 200-plus-pound weight and began the extra Handstand Pushup training.
Fang Cheng placed his hands on the damp concrete, spacing them about shoulder-width apart.
Then, he took a deep breath, tensed his waist and abdomen slightly, and lifted his legs high.
Instantly, his body was inverted, hanging in the air.
Hoo——
A gust of wind, carrying cold raindrops, blew over.
Fang Cheng’s torso remained still, legs slightly spread apart, swiftly adjusting his posture amidst the wind and rain.
Handstand pushups are an extremely challenging exercise, arguably the most difficult skill among the Prisoner’s Six Arts.
There are also certain risks involved, such as falling, shoulder injuries, or lumbar spine injuries if balance is lost.
In addition to requiring the coordinated effort of shoulder, arm, and back core muscles during practice, some small techniques for adjusting posture in the air must also be mastered.
Before attempting handstand pushups, beginners even need to do some basic strength and balance training.
With Fang Cheng’s current strength and agility attributes, performing handstand pushups, an advanced exercise for the average person, is a piece of cake.
Even when carrying a 200-pound load, his performance remains as light as a feather, unwaveringly steady.
"1."
"2."
"3."
"..."
With his feet in the air, as if stepping on the gloomy sky, Fang Cheng silently counted the repetitions.
His arms bent and straightened alternately, the muscles of his shoulders and back rising like hills from time to time.
He continued to do handstand pushups in a steady and orderly rhythm.
As the number of practice repetitions increased, notifications of experience growth floated past before his eyes.
When he reached 50, Fang Cheng held his handstand position, paused to take a breath, and took a short rest.
Looking at the progress bar on the panel that had been stuck at 248 points for a long time with no signs of breakthrough.
He pondered for a moment and then decided to challenge a higher difficulty.
One-handed handstand pushups.
For Fang Cheng, the challenge was not using the strength of one hand to support the weight of his body plus a 200-pound load.
The key was how to maintain balance when suspended in the air to prevent falling.
If it were just maintaining a static position, it would be relatively easy.
But if under a 200-pound load, he was to perform one-handed bent-arm stands, descending and rising back up.
Then the balance required of the body could be said to be defying.
However.
Fang Cheng still planned to give it a try.
After resting for two minutes, he spread open his left hand and propped himself up with only his right hand.
Raindrops fell diagonally, blown by the wind, now to the east, now drifting west.
In such an environment where the wind direction changed constantly, Fang Cheng’s figure also inevitably began to sway.
Fortunately, he had trained for a long time and had accumulated rich skill experience.
Immediately, he made a slight bow-shaped bend in his back, and in an instant, he readjusted his posture.
After finding his balance, Fang Cheng tried his best to steady his shaking form.
He then began to bend his elbow, slowly lowering his stance until his head lightly touched the cement floor.
Then he straightened his right arm, completely pushing his lowering body back into a handstand.
Finally.
He successfully completed a one-handed handstand pushup, a feat impossible for ordinary people.
Fang Cheng’s confidence soared, and he continued to practice the move.
Bending the arms, elbows to the ground.
Straightening the arms, lifting the body.
The morning rain turned from drizzles to dense droplets, pitter-pattering on the undulating body in handstand.
The chill incessantly penetrated the skin, as if countless insects were biting, bone-chillingly cold.
But such difficulties couldn’t shake Fang Cheng’s will or physique.
With continuous practice, his posture became more stable, and his movements more fluid.
He even had the leisure to view the business district from an upside-down perspective.
The vehicular flow on the elevated bridges, the skyscrapers faintly lit, seemed to be all submerged in the wind and rain.
And at this moment, he was the one who, with the power of one hand, seemed to hold up the entire city.
Fang Cheng felt a sudden stirring in his heart.
He then slowly closed his eyes, feeling it with his heart.
It seemed as if his feet could tread on the clouds in the sky, and even the right arm supporting the ground seemed unnecessary.
Another gust of wind blew, seemingly cradling his body lightly.
He vaguely experienced a feeling of weightlessness, a marvellous sensation of overcoming gravity.
And so, drifting with the wind, he walked in the rain, stepping through the air.
The city seemed to be slowly devoured by the rain at this moment.
Only a lone figure doing one-handed handstand pushups remained, persisting to prove the significance of his arduous training.
Suddenly, the panel flashed with a dazzlingly bright light.
[Congratulations, after tireless efforts, your skill has reached a new level, attaining master status]
[Handstand Pushups lv2 (0/500)]
[Received an enhancement reward, Skill Effect "Air Walking"]
[Air Walking, allowing complete adaptation to weightlessness, improving balance and hang time by 100%]
With a "plop," Fang Cheng bent down his knees, stood up again, his legs firmly planted.
Looking at the enhancement reward for this level-up, his eyes were full of excitement.
He looked up at the sky as the rain poured down harder.
He quickly took his jacket from the shelter, put it on, then grabbed his training equipment and ran down the stairs.
