Chapter 42: Pull-up Breakthrough

A winter morning.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, leaving the distant, pitch-black scenery obscured in the dim light.

Jiangbin Park, fitness area.

A shirtless figure hung from a two-and-a-half-meter pull-up bar.

*Whoosh, whoosh.* He performed continuous pull-ups.

His posture was relaxed and fluid, his movements so perfect they could earn a full score.

As he pulled himself up over the bar, the muscle groups in his shoulders and back flowed together like a single, knotted entity.

As his body descended, the intensely taut lines slowly unfurled, once again becoming sharply defined.

Every movement radiated the soreness of muscle exertion and the sensation of growing strength.

Gradually, the sweat flowing from his body turned into visible white steam.

"Phew—"

Fang Cheng let out a long breath, released his grip, and dropped from the bar to the ground.

At this moment, his entire body was steaming, and his face was as red as if he had just stepped out of a sauna.

Once his clothes were removed, his physique no longer appeared as refined or scholarly as his outward appearance suggested; instead, he looked exceptionally robust and lean.

His back muscles, in particular, were as finely sculpted as a work of art, showcasing a uniquely masculine aesthetic.

Pull-ups primarily train the V-taper area of the back.

In addition to enhancing core strength, they also stretch the spine, making the physique appear taller and more upright.

In the dim light, several lines of information surfaced in the air one after another, as dazzling as the dawn piercing through the darkness.

【Congratulations! Through unremitting effort, your skill has reached Expert level】

【Pull-ups Lv1 (0/250)】

【Skill enhancement reward obtained: 6 Free Attribute Points】

"Another skill breakthrough..."

Looking at the brilliant light screen before him, Fang Cheng’s eyes revealed a sense of gratification.

No matter how many, every notification of a skill upgrade on the panel was the best reward for his persistence.

Looking at the 6 additional free attribute points on his character panel, Fang Cheng thought for a moment. He had two general strategies in mind.

He could either continue to focus primarily on Constitution, with Strength and Agility as secondary attributes.

Or, he could dump all 6 points into Strength or Agility at once.

This would allow him to reach the 20-point threshold for a third attribute as quickly as possible, triggering a qualitative change.

After weighing his options for a moment, Fang Cheng made his decision.

With a slight thought, the values in the Strength column began to scroll upward rapidly.

A moment later, all attributes on the character panel were updated.

【Strength: 18】

【Agility: 12】

【Constitution: 20】

【Spirit: 20】

Feeling the strength surging through his body like flowing blood, Fang Cheng exhaled a cloud of hot breath.

Then, with a "crack," he rolled his neck, slowly stretching the tendons and muscles of his waist, back, arms, and legs.

Next came the fundamental training for Jiu-Jitsu.

The eastern sky grew bright, tinged with crimson clouds.

The surroundings were misty, as if shrouded in a light veil.

Occasionally, the sound of a car horn or a boat whistle drifted through the air.

At this time, a few scattered figures of morning joggers had begun to appear in the park.

Fang Cheng walked to a flat, open patch of lawn near the river embankment.

He took off his shoes, sat cross-legged on the ground with the soles of his feet touching, and gripped his feet with both hands.

In this position, he kept his legs held horizontally, pressed close to the ground.

After about a minute, he switched to a kneeling position, with one leg bent and the other extended straight, hands raised above his head.

This was to stretch the ligaments in his legs, arms, and waist.

Fundamental Jiu-Jitsu training mainly consists of four aspects

Footwork training, strength training, flexibility training, and jumping/rolling training.

Fang Cheng already had a solid foundation in footwork and strength, and he practiced them daily, so they required no special training.

His main focus was improving his flexibility and mastering various jumping and falling techniques.

Fang Cheng first practiced various yoga-like stretching movements.

Once he felt his body was fully extended and his limbs felt as elastic as ox tendons, he began training the falling techniques in Jiu-Jitsu, also known as *ukemi*.

The basics included four types: forward rolls, backward rolls, side rolls, and front falls from a side hand position.

Increasing the difficulty involved movements like flips and handstands.

The primary purpose of training these falling techniques was to mitigate the impact received when under a full-force attack from an enemy, providing self-protection.

The principle was to use inertia during the fall to adjust one's posture, using the body to create an arc-like motion to dissipate and redirect the damage caused by external impact.

In a fighting game, this would be equivalent to making a character instantly controllable during the hit-stun caused by an enemy's move, allowing them to quickly exit the attack range and avoid being caught in a continuous combo.

This was not just a self-protection technique; it could also be used to turn a passive situation into an active one, reclaiming a favorable position.

On the competition floor, many Jiu-Jitsu practitioners even choose to fall intentionally to drag their opponent to the ground with them.

Then, they use their most specialized methods—those that are suffocating or involve joint locks—to subdue their opponent.

As the saying goes, "Winning from the ground."

This is also the greatest characteristic that distinguishes Jiu-Jitsu from other combat styles.

After practicing the falling techniques, Fang Cheng proceeded to train specific techniques for moving the body on the ground.

Examples included the shrimp movement, reverse shrimp, and crab walk.

These were not only useful in actual combat but also served as specialized training for body flexibility.

After nearly a week of sparring sessions, Fang Cheng had accumulated considerable combat experience and had also learned many unique training techniques from various combat schools.

Combined with the rich knowledge he had absorbed from watching instructional discs, he could now be considered a junior martial arts theorist.

A round of red sun rose through the gaps between the skyscrapers, causing the morning mist to dissipate rapidly.

The river water shimmered, rolling and surging.

A few white-feathered water birds spread their wings leisurely, dancing across the water to snatch up small silver fish.

Having completed a set of training, Fang Cheng sat on the lawn, gazing into the distance.

He felt a faint sense of realization.

The core philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu was not to abandon everything about oneself to find life in the face of death.

Rather, it was to go with the flow, possessing a sense of ease and composure as if facing death with life.

In addition to possessing sufficient physical fitness, one must also defeat a powerful enemy through mental state.

Only then can one achieve the composed versatility required when making a move.

Only then can one truly realize the miraculous effect of using softness to overcome hardness, and weakness to overcome strength, to instantly counter an opponent...

As he was lost in thought, the faint sound of footsteps approached.

A middle-aged man in sportswear jogged past the lawn, panting heavily.

More and more people were coming to the park for morning exercise.

In a nearby lakeside pavilion, a few old men were gathered, performing a set of slow Tai Chi.

As the ambient noise gradually increased, Fang Cheng stopped his training.

It was getting late; although today was Saturday, it was still a workday for him.

"I believe... it won't be long before the Jiu-Jitsu skill is unlocked."

Fang Cheng gathered his thoughts and stood up to leave.

After jogging all the way home, he bought a large bag of buns and soy milk from a breakfast stall downstairs. After going upstairs, he boiled ten eggs for himself.

After a simple meal, he finished his morning self-study and rushed to catch the No. 13 bus right on time.

Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the club.

Fang Cheng clocked in, but before he could even enter the locker room, he was met with a greeting.

"Ah Cheng, why are you coming to work today? Has Shen Haoming not notified you about the Goro Majima incident yet?"

The speaker was Chen Xiaohai, who looked utterly bewildered.

"What incident?"

Fang Cheng looked at him with equal confusion, having no idea what he meant.

(End of Chapter)