NOVPUB
Chapter 66: Chapter 64 Iron Plate Bridge, Six Arts Unlocked
Early morning at Jiangbin Park.
Above the river, a thin mist hovers in the air, while the grass near the bank is covered in a layer of white frost.
Fang Cheng is propping himself up on his hands and feet, his waist arching like a bridge.
At the moment his hips are raised to their highest point, he maintains the posture for a few seconds.
Suddenly, he feels an unusual sensation in his back.
The erector spinae muscles running along his spine tremble as if they really have turned into two active pythons.
At the same time, a force flows through his lower back, reaching his shoulders and the extremities of his limbs.
The entire back seems to fully expand; the muscles relax, and the tension disappears.
The originally uncomfortable posture suddenly feels normal.
"This feeling..."
Fang Cheng opens his eyes, keenly aware of the changes occurring in his body.
At the same time, several prompt messages appear before his eyes.
[Congratulations, through unremitting efforts, your skill has reached Expert Level]
[Back Bridge lv1 (0/250)]
[You have earned a skill enhancement reward; please choose between two enhancement options]
Fang Cheng presses his hands to the ground, tightening his abdominal muscles.
With a slight effort, he straightens his body and stands up.
He gazes intently at the shining panel in front of him, carefully examining the specifics of the reward.
[Enhancement one: 6 Free Attributes]
[Enhancement two: Skill Effect "Iron Plate Bridge"]
[Makes the entire spine and back muscles hard as iron, increasing hardness by 50% based on the Constitution attribute, and can instantly surge up to 100% when the body tenses up to exert force]
Fang Cheng finds this effect somewhat familiar.
It seems similar to the "Hard Type" of the Soft and Hard Style practiced by Shijima Gorou.
And it is close to the pain tolerance and strike resistance training of that Muay Thai fighter.
All of them are about strengthening the body’s weak parts and improving the toughness of muscles and bones through hard training.
But while they rely on continuous, long-term pounding to gradually accumulate effects,
Fang Cheng is able to achieve immediate results through skills enhancement.
Speaking of which, the eight skill effects he’s acquired so far:
"Eye Rapid Rotation," "Iron Fist," "Lone Figure," "Bounce," "Knife Flower," "Scavenger’s Eye," "Strong Wrist Master," "Iron Plate Bridge."
Among them, "Iron Fist," "Strong Wrist Master," and "Iron Plate Bridge" all have effects that increase the toughness of certain parts of the body.
If his entire body could be fortified with similar effects, leaving no weak points vulnerable,
Then...
Could he possibly demonstrate the legendary top-level body hardening technique "Golden Bell Shield" from martial arts lore in reality?
After some anticipation, Fang Cheng still decides on the second option.
The body’s attributes are like the roots of a tree.
The Skill Effects are like the branches and leaves that expand upwards, growing with the underlying attributes.
Unless there’s an urgent need to allocate points to reach a threshold to face a dangerous adversary,
choosing the skill effect will surely bring greater long-term benefits.
The enhancement is complete.
Fang Cheng bends his arms, doing a few chest expansions.
As he moves, his latissimus dorsi muscles spread like the wings of a bat.
The two erector spinae muscles twist and turn like pythons, as if containing an explosive power.
A deluge of information cascades before his eyes as if tumbling down a waterfall.
[Concentration Experience +4]
[Boxing Experience +4]
[Sanda Experience +5]
[Jujutsu Experience +18]
[Push-ups Experience +12]
[Deep Squat Experience +13]
[Lifting Leg Experience +19]
[Pull-up Experience +17]
[Back Bridge Experience +6]
Strength 32%, Agility 18%, Constitution 67%, Spirit 19%.
These are all the gains from this morning’s exercise.
Fang Cheng’s gaze swept over them, like a farmer inspecting the growth of his crops.
A look of satisfaction mingled with dissatisfaction on his face.
As his physical fitness continues to improve, and skills upgrade consecutively, the rate of experience and attribute value gains will gradually slow down.
Especially after breaking through the 20-point mark in all attributes, this phenomenon has become more obvious.
Now, he can be considered beyond the realm of ordinary people.
It also means that from the initial stage of rapid improvement, he has entered a new stage of stable development.
To achieve the same level of exercise effect as before, it requires multiple times the effort and sweat.
Of course, Fang Cheng is still full of confidence.
Because he has a panel, as long as he keeps exercising, there will be positive feedback.
Whether fast or slow, more or less, there will always be a constant stream of attribute and experience gains.
The future is promising, there is plenty of time ahead!
After resting for a moment, he didn’t leave the park immediately.
Today’s routine training had ended.
The next step was to prepare for unlocking the Handstand Pushups.
Fang Cheng placed his hands on the soft grass, arms about shoulder-width apart.
Then, taking a deep breath, he engaged his core and lifted his legs high into the air.
His entire body was inverted, slightly shaking, the back curving inward into an arch as he tried to adjust his posture.
Handstand Pushups are a full-body strength training exercise that requires coordination of the shoulders, arms, core muscles, and back.
With his current Strength and Agility attributes, it was easy to perform the Handstand Pushups, a difficult move for ordinary people.
The key is to train the body’s balance, mastering the small tricks of making minor postural adjustments in the air.
Once he finds his balance, Fang Cheng steadies his slightly wavering form.
He begins to bend his elbows, lowering his position until his head lightly touches the grass.
This would count as a standard double-arm Handstand Pushup.
Fang Cheng has been practicing this move for two days.
He didn’t try to push his limits like before, seeking to unlock the skill in one go.
Instead, he planned to progress step by step and establish a solid foundation first.
He decided not to use the "Potential Activation" skill offhandedly from now on.
Besides considering it as a trump card, he also realized the importance of "nurturing health".
By sensing the actual changes in his body and combining this with medical theory learned through self-study at the library,
Fang Cheng had a hunch that the so-called "potential" was actually a kind of Life Energy hidden in cells.
Using the "Potential Activation" skill is essentially accelerating cell division, consuming this Life Energy.
While it seems beneficial in the short term, it could cause irreparable damage to the body long-term.
Without a proper way to compensate, it is clearly wiser to act cautiously for now.
After doing 20 Handstand Pushups in a row,
Fang Cheng simply stayed in a handstand position, exhaled, and took a brief rest.
Looking at the upside-down city, he felt a sense of novelty for a moment.
Seeing the world he had lived in for over twenty years from such a perspective, he felt somewhat moved.
Fang Cheng slowly closed his eyes, feeling intently.
It felt as though he was walking on the sky, moving with the rotation of the earth, on a stroll.
The sunlight illuminated his still form, blending him into the group of statues in the park.
In the distance, at the gazebo.
A few old men dressed in Practice Clothes and having just finished a set of kung fu pointed in this direction.
Voices of their discussions could be faintly heard:
"This young man has good Stance skills..."
Suddenly, Fang Cheng opened his eyes, looking at the new information that appeared in front of him.
[You’ve practiced Handstand Pushups to a certain degree and gained a deep understanding]
[Skill Unlocked: Handstand Pushups lv0 (0/100)]
Prisoner’s Six Arts, all six skills have finally been unlocked!
