Chapter 32: Breakthrough in Spiritual Realm

“……”

“38.”

“39.”

“40.”

Suddenly.

A sensation like an electric current surged through the muscles of his shoulders and back.

The intense stimulation made it impossible to remain calm.

【Warning! You are overexerting your physical strength. Please rest promptly to regulate your physical condition.】

【Warning! You are experiencing slight mental exhaustion. Your physical state is poor; please prioritize rest.】

Two consecutive messages surfaced before his eyes.

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly as he was forced out of his state of focus.

The physical exhaustion was secondary.

The key was the mental fatigue, which prevented him from continuing to use his skills.

Waves of pain washed over him like a tide, enveloping his entire body.

It felt as if countless fine needles were stabbing him mercilessly; the muscles in his arms, shoulders, and back couldn't help but tremble visibly.

Perhaps it was due to the high-intensity training and work over recent days, combined with physical tests and combat.

Ultimately, his energy recovery had slowed down.

At this moment, the effects of practicing the skill were appearing, but his body was nearing its breaking point.

Gritting his teeth, Fang Cheng forced himself to do one more.

His shoulders felt a heavy physical burden, as if his weight had suddenly multiplied several times over.

Forty-one pull-ups would be considered top-tier among amateur fitness enthusiasts.

But this was far from enough; Fang Cheng's preset goal was 50 to 60 or more.

As his physical fitness improved, the threshold for unlocking corresponding fitness skills rose accordingly.

Fang Cheng's eyes flashed; he could feel that he was only a hair's breadth away from entry-level mastery.

It was just... he was feeling powerless.

He hung from the bar with his arms extended, panting heavily while trying to adjust his state.

The sky was slightly brighter than before.

Lead-gray clouds pressed down overhead, appearing as if they were almost touching the ground.

Faint flashes of lightning were visible, but Fang Cheng heard no thunder.

The intense fatigue had rendered him deaf.

Looking down, the space beneath his suspended feet felt, in a trance, like a bottomless abyss.

He felt like an exhausted climber clinging to a steep, precipitous peak.

Torrential rain and mountain floods continuously washed over his body.

The moment he let go, he would surely fall to his death.

Fang Cheng used this extreme, hallucinatory thought to stimulate his body not to give up.

"My limit is definitely not just this..."

His face was taut, and his gaze regained its composure.

Even though he couldn't use his Focus skill, he struggled to make his internal state peaceful and calm.

Perhaps because he could no longer hear sound, the entire world fell into a profound silence.

Raindrops struck his body as if washing away the sweat.

The cold wind brushed against his face like fingertips grazing skin.

The lightning occasionally streaking across the sky looked like a sliver of dawn.

Gradually, Fang Cheng's breathing and heartbeat miraculously calmed down in tandem.

His entire being became unusually relaxed, entering a wondrous state.

His thoughts flowed continuously, merging into the rain and becoming one with the surrounding trees and nature.

The torrential rain no longer seemed like a difficult obstacle, but rather an eruption of life force.

Billions of years ago, life was born in such dark and violent rain...

Fang Cheng took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.

The rain instantly blurred his vision.

He closed his eyes, feeling it silently.

It was as if he were receiving a baptism from that primal life force.

A single, crystal-clear raindrop fell slowly from the high sky, piercing through thousands of lines of rain to strike the center of his furrowed brow.

Fang Cheng's brow smoothed out, and he snapped his eyes open.

The muscles in his shoulders and back suddenly exerted force, and his body shot upward.

"42."

"43."

"44."

"..."

Fang Cheng resumed his pull-ups.

It was as if he had completely forgotten the physical pain and the mental exhaustion.

His posture regained its agile lightness; every time he pulled himself over the bar, it was as if he were responding to that power that nurtured the miracle of life.

His eyes ignited like flames, which the heavy rain could not extinguish—it only served to fan them.

Suddenly, a long-awaited notification surfaced.

【Potential Activation cooldown has ended; usage conditions met.】

Fang Cheng ignored it, remaining immersed in that incredibly wondrous realm.

His consciousness seemed to faintly touch the depths of the world, receiving the most primal information from the cosmic firmament.

Empty, yet not empty.

In the endless darkness, there were countless noisy sounds and countless brilliant lights, floating and vibrating like the strings of an instrument.

It was as if the consciousness of all living beings—birds, beasts, fish, and insects—resided here.

【You have comprehended a certain profound meaning of meditation; Spirit +0.001】

【You have comprehended a certain profound meaning of meditation; Spirit +0.001】

【You have comprehended a certain profound meaning of meditation; Spirit +0.001】

………………

New notifications flashed past like a curtain of rain.

After several repetitions of movement and breath.

The panel flashed with a dazzling light and rapidly expanded.

【You have practiced pull-ups to a certain extent and gained a profound understanding of them.】

【Skill Unlocked: Pull-ups Lv.0 (0/100)】

However.

These notifications did not cause Fang Cheng to stop.

He didn't know exactly how many repetitions he had completed.

He simply maintained a composed expression and steady breathing, keeping the rhythm of his movements.

As if dancing gracefully in the rain to the accompaniment of the song of life.

While his physical body transcended its constraints, his spirit was quietly undergoing a transformation.

【You have comprehended a certain profound meaning of meditation; Spirit +0.001】

【You have comprehended a certain profound meaning of meditation; Spirit +0.001】

………………

On the panel, his Spirit attribute had already broken through from 18 to 19 points.

Furthermore, the progress bar continued to grow, rising rapidly.

It was constantly approaching the 20-point milestone, surging upward...

*Rumble!*

A dazzling, branching bolt of lightning leaped from the dark clouds, winding its way down.

The earth-shaking thunder restored Fang Cheng's hearing.

In that instant, it also pulled him out of that unknown mental state.

The notifications regarding the increase in his Spirit attribute also came to an abrupt halt.

Fatigue, numbness, and tearing pain rushed back.

His muscles spasmed like ripples, ten times more intense than before.

Fang Cheng's arms shook, and he managed to let out a low shout just in time

"Potential Activation, ON!"

At the very moment he let go and began to fall, a surge of new strength erupted from his shoulders and back, hoisting him up.

Immediately after, his hands gripped the bar again, his fingers tightly clutching the slippery steel pipe.

His body swayed in mid-air, narrowly avoiding disaster before stabilizing once more.

At this moment, he truly felt like a professional rock climber.

Feeling his limbs once again filled with vitality, Fang Cheng looked up at the sky and grinned.

Then, looking at the endless stream of information appearing on the panel, the curve of his smile deepened.

Raindrops continuously fell into his mouth, moistening his parched, smoking throat.

It also gave him an unprecedented experience.

It was as if he could taste the scent of soil and vegetation contained within the rainwater.

Not only his sense of taste, but his vision and hearing also underwent significant changes.

Across the river, a row of high-rise residential buildings lit up with several star-like points of light.

Even from over a thousand meters away, he could vaguely see the silhouettes of people moving inside.

Fang Cheng's eyes shone as he checked his own attributes again.

The Spirit column had reached a staggering 20 points.

Recalling the wondrous state he had entered earlier, Fang Cheng couldn't help but speculate.

What exactly was this "profound meaning of meditation"?

Upon comprehending it, his Spirit attribute had actually surged.

But... why hadn't a corresponding skill been unlocked?

Fang Cheng had no time to dwell on it now. Looking at the sky, which was glowing slightly amidst the intensifying rain.

He straightened his waist and exerted force through his shoulders and back.

With an effortless muscle-up, he flipped himself to sit atop the pull-up bar.

At this moment.

He was like a climber who had reached the summit, gazing out at the distant, tiny skyscrapers.

The dark clouds moved like ink blots, forming a massive curtain of water that washed over the entire city.

Lightning tore through the sky like a breathtaking, magnificent painting, each scene forcing one to hold their breath.

This was a sight that ordinary people accustomed to comfort could never appreciate.

"Even if the panel loses its function and all skills disappear, I will absolutely never be a weakling again..."

Sitting on the bar, Fang Cheng quietly enjoyed a world that belonged solely to him.

Under the torrential rain, his body and spirit seemed to undergo a dual baptism.

A few minutes later.

He calmed his mind and brushed back his wet black hair.

He turned his gaze toward the newly unlocked skill bar.

【Pull-ups Lv.0 (6/100)】

His eyes swept across it, but just as he was about to look away, he noticed an anomaly.

Behind the four skills—Push-ups, Squats, Leg Raises, and Pull-ups—small, faintly glowing arrows had appeared.

It seemed... they were linking the four fitness-related skills together.

"What is this?"

Fang Cheng's eyes widened in surprise.

(End of Chapter)