Chapter 13: Diamond Push-ups

The sky was a dull gray, with raindrops continuously falling against the glass.

The street scene outside the window seemed blurred, like a faint watercolor painting.

Fang Cheng tightened his core, straightened his body, and performed push-ups with his fingertips touching.

Today, temperatures in East City had dropped significantly once again.

Inside the room, which was nearing zero degrees Celsius, the lack of air conditioning made it feel like being in an ice cellar.

Yet, during his workout, Fang Cheng had successively stripped off his jacket and woolen sweater.

In the end, he wore only a thin undershirt, and even that was soaked through.

His entire body was like a steamer, with wisps of white mist constantly rising from him.

His originally pale complexion had turned ruddy and lustrous, revealing an unprecedented sense of healthy vitality.

"Hmph—"

Fang Cheng exhaled two long plumes of white mist from his nostrils.

Dozens of panel notification messages rolled and surfaced before his eyes like a waterfall.

【You practiced shadowboxing and gained insight, Experience +1】

【You practiced shadowboxing and gained insight, Experience +1】

………………

【You completed 10 standard squats, Experience +1】

【You completed 10 standard squats, Experience +1】

………………

【You practiced leg raises with all your might, reaching a certain level and gaining a profound understanding of them】

【Skill Unlocked: Leg Raises lv0 (0/100)】

【Potential Stimulation cooldown ended, conditions for use met】

【You completed 6 wide-grip push-ups, Experience +1】

【You completed 6 wide-grip push-ups, Experience +1】

【You completed 5 diamond push-ups, Experience +1】

【You completed 5 diamond push-ups, Experience +1】

【You completed 4 clap push-ups, Experience +1】

【You completed 4 clap push-ups, Experience +1】

………………

Straightening his arms, Fang Cheng stood up easily with a single leap.

Looking at the brilliant screen before him, a look of gratification appeared on his face.

【Push-ups lv1 (0/250)】

"Another day, another successful goal completed!"

Fang Cheng took deep breaths, panting as he calmed his racing heart.

In the three days since returning from visiting his grandfather at the hospital, he had specifically altered his training plan to choose higher-level movement options in order to increase training efficiency and accelerate skill upgrades.

For example, he attempted wide-grip push-ups, diamond push-ups, and clap push-ups.

According to the records of the "Six Arts of the Prisoner," varying body postures can differentiate the muscle groups being worked, allowing for focused strengthening of specific areas.

If the difficulty coefficient of a standard push-up was 10, then a wide-grip push-up was 15, a diamond push-up was 20, and a clap push-up was 25.

Wide-grip push-ups primarily trained the outer pectoralis major, triceps, and anterior deltoids.

Diamond push-ups, through an ultra-narrow hand spacing, restricted the involvement of the deltoids, thereby more effectively activating the pectoralis major and triceps.

Clap push-ups increased the difficulty further, focusing on developing the synergistic explosive power of the chest and triceps.

At the same time, they stimulated the core, improving overall body strength and coordination.

Although the advanced movements were significantly more difficult, the clear division of labor meant that training efficiency was also markedly improved.

The diamond push-ups, in particular, yielded a significantly higher rate of experience growth for the same amount of physical exertion.

Truly worthy of the "diamond" moniker.

Fang Cheng casually picked up a bottle of mineral water and gulped it down.

After quenching his thirst, he looked toward the enhancement reward for this skill upgrade.

【5 Free Attribute Points】

It couldn't compare to "Boxing," being similar to "Focus" or "Speed Reading."

Fang Cheng felt no disappointment regarding this.

Enhancement rewards that triggered skill effects already had a relatively low probability of occurring.

Moreover, he had long since planned to break through all his physical attributes to over 10 points as quickly as possible.

One had to realize that every 10 points in an attribute represented a qualitative leap.

Having personally experienced the actual effects of his physical changes, Fang Cheng could feel the difference even more clearly.

Especially after reaching 10 points in Constitution, his recovery speed had noticeably increased, allowing him to correspondingly increase his training intensity and volume.

Currently, Fang Cheng needed to complete 100 push-ups, 200 squats, and practice shadowboxing for at least half an hour every day.

For today's morning workout, he had specifically added leg raises.

He had done a full 107 of them, successfully unlocking the "Leg Raises" skill.

Afterward, utilizing the rejuvenating effect of Potential Stimulation, he had broken through the experience cap in one go, upgrading "Push-ups" to lv1.

Having completed his set training plan, Fang Cheng still had surplus energy and felt he could appropriately add some more challenges.

At this moment, he focused his attention on the character attribute panel, silently calculating.

The progress bar for "Strength" had reached 95%; it was most appropriate to add 2 points for now and wait for natural training to increase it.

It was too early for "Agility," and since it was only 1 point away from the attribute threshold, he could prioritize raising it to 10.

As for "Constitution," regardless of the amount, it was his primary direction for point allocation.

With a slight thought, the 5 available free attribute points vanished.

Simultaneously, the specific values on the character panel changed.

【Name: Fang Cheng】 【Age: 23】 【Strength: 9】 【Agility: 10】 【Constitution: 12】 【Spirit: 18】

Increasing 5 attribute points at once, Fang Cheng clearly felt the intense changes occurring within his body.

His blood surged, reddening his skin, and the muscle dimensions in his arms and legs seemed to expand by a full circle.

Immediately after, they compressed inward, becoming even more compact and firm.

His limbs instantly felt relieved of a burden, becoming lighter, more coordinated, and more explosive.

After trying a few punches, Fang Cheng simply took off his undershirt and went shirtless.

He walked to the bathroom and examined himself carefully in the mirror.

The muscles at the top of his arms bulged slightly, and the shape of his triceps was already beginning to emerge.

His chest also seemed fuller, with the outline of his ribs completely invisible.

His posture was upright, his physique well-proportioned, without a trace of excess fat.

Even his temperament had undergone a great change; his gaze was high-spirited and full of confidence.

In short, he had become more handsome and more charming.

The only regret...

Was that his six-pack abs were still nowhere to be seen.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng gave a wry smile.

From the start of his training until today, it had been barely a week and a half.

To have such fitness results was already far beyond his expectations.

Admiring his physique, Fang Cheng reached out to squeeze his chest muscles, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Speaking of which, the development of the chest muscles had a certain impact on being a boxer or a sparring partner.

As superficial muscles, the pectorals work in synergy with the deltoids during a punch to provide extra propulsion.

During combat, they also act as a buffer layer, absorbing some of the impact and reducing direct damage to the internal organs.

The only negative impact might be a slight effect on punching speed.

After admiring his results, Fang Cheng wiped away his sweat and took a large gulp of mineral water.

The icy liquid flowed down his throat and into his stomach, bringing a burst of stimulation that left him exceptionally invigorated.

As Fang Cheng stretched his limbs and performed relaxation exercises, he looked out at the drizzling rainy day.

A vague thought of not being quite satisfied emerged.

"It's such good weather, maybe I should exercise a bit longer?"

He turned to look at the alarm clock: 7:05.

It was still early; he had only been exercising for two hours.

The increase in Constitution brought higher efficiency and increased frequency of gains.

Every time Fang Cheng trained, it felt like taking a highly potent pre-workout supplement.

He felt an unparalleled desire for the physical sports he used to avoid like the plague.

Yes.

Not motivation, but desire!

He thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of constantly receiving feedback and gradually becoming stronger through these simple, repetitive exercises.

He was even somewhat addicted, finding it hard to pull himself away.

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered as he made a decision.

He raised his fists and muttered to himself

"Next, I'll practice shadowboxing for half an hour."

"Keep going!"

………………………………

Outside the window, a light rain was drizzling.

In the kitchen, the sound of washing pots and pans could be heard.

In the living room, a radio played traditional opera, its long-lasting melodies inviting one to daydream.

However, this tranquility did not last long before being broken by a burst of hurried crying.

He Huiqin poked her head out from the kitchen, spatula still in hand, and called out helplessly

"Mom, help me soothe Pengpeng."

Turning her head, she saw her daughter slumped by the door, looking sluggish, and couldn't help but frown

"Xiumei, why haven't you left yet?"

Zhou Xiumei bent down, her hands on the surface of her shoes, moving them casually as she replied

"Oh, my shoelaces are on the wrong way, I'm leaving right now..."

Suddenly, a "clatter" was heard, faintly coming from the direction of the neighboring unit.

She lifted her eyes and, through the gaps in the iron gate, saw a tall figure appear in the corridor.

Her expression panicked slightly, and she quickly slipped on her shoes before whispering a goodbye

"I'm going now."

Zhou Xiumei struggled slightly to pull open the iron gate, picked up her takeout bag and umbrella, and stepped out with small strides.

At that moment, she happened to run into that figure passing by.

"Are you delivering food to Uncle Zhou again today?"

Carrying a bag, Fang Cheng stopped his steps. Seeing her fully bundled up, he asked.

"Mm."

Zhou Xiumei gripped the bag and umbrella tightly, her long eyelashes lowered, letting out a muffled grunt from behind the scarf that covered half her face.

"Let's walk together, I'll carry it."

Fang Cheng skillfully took the bag from her hand and said, "It's still raining outside, you hold the umbrella for me."

Zhou Xiumei did not refuse, merely lowering her head with a hint of shyness.

Clutching the umbrella handle tightly in her palm, she followed closely behind him.

(End of Chapter)