Chapter 31: Song of Life in the Rain

Splatter, splatter, splatter—

A torrential downpour arrived suddenly, accompanied by the low rumble of thunder.

The window glass rattled incessantly under the pounding rain.

Wearing only his underwear, Fang Cheng stood barefoot on the floor, eyes slightly closed, tuning out the noise outside.

He simply repeated the motion of squatting and standing up.

Until he completed the final set: the 20th single-leg squat.

A blue light screen surfaced.

A long string of information flowed past his eyes like a stream.

【Focus Experience +3】

【Boxing Experience +8】

【Sanda Experience +20】

【Squat Experience +15】

【Leg Raise Experience +10】

December 5th, Saturday.

The 16th daily training session ended, and the rain was still falling.

Fang Cheng wiped his sweat with a towel, drank a glass of warm water, and walked to the balcony.

He stared silently at the torrential rain outside, feeling a sense of being trapped in a cage.

His eyes flickered incessantly, revealing a hint of hesitation.

After a long moment of contemplation, he suddenly turned and walked toward the entryway.

He took a pair of waterproof rubber shoes and an army-green raincoat from the cabinet behind the door.

He put on the shoes and donned the raincoat.

Taking his keys, Fang Cheng opened the door and quietly stepped out.

*Clang.*

The iron door was closed gently.

It was just past 6:00 AM on a weekend; the sky was neither fully dark nor yet bright.

Most of his neighbors were still lost in their dreams.

The entire building was quiet; aside from the pattering of the rain, almost no other noise could be heard.

Then, a series of faint footsteps echoed in the pitch-black hallway.

He descended the stairs until he reached the building's exit, where he suddenly paused.

Standing at the doorway, Fang Cheng pulled up the hood of his raincoat.

He looked up toward the outside.

The night was as black as ink, making it impossible to distinguish the boundary between heaven and earth.

Strands of rain wove together into a "rain net," permeating the entire empty, dark city.

Raindrops splashed against his face, biting into his skin with a stinging cold.

Fang Cheng showed no intention of retreating; instead, he felt a strange sense of stimulation.

The dawn rain was unexpectedly cold and pure!

He immediately stepped out, leaving the dormitory building that sheltered his body.

Alone, he traversed the old factory street through the curtain of rain, disappearing into the endless water and darkness.

………………………………

Jiangbin Park.

The daytime bustle of people had long been completely drowned out by the clamor of nature.

The dark grounds were covered in flowing puddles.

Four sets of high and low bars stood solitary.

Nearby, trees swayed rustling in the wind; in the distance, the river and residential buildings were blurred and indistinct.

At this hour and in this weather, no one would come here.

However.

A figure clad in an army-green raincoat appeared.

His rubber shoes stepped into the puddles—*patter, patter*—the sound slightly muffled.

Beneath the two-and-a-half-meter-high bar.

The figure appeared exceptionally small, like a lonely traveler trekking through mountains and waters.

As he lifted his face, a faint, ghostly light flickered in his eyes.

The newcomer was Fang Cheng, prepared to practice pull-ups.

Due to the weather and other factors.

His progress in unlocking the "Six Arts of the Prisoner" had remained stagnant, stuck at the fourth art: "Pull-ups."

Fang Cheng's original plan was to wait until his potential activation cooldown had recovered and the weather cleared before making a proper move.

But as the saying goes, "unpredictable storms come to man," and man's calculations can never match those of heaven.

Thunder rolled from behind the clouds, seemingly suppressed by something, faintly illuminating the night sky.

The heavy rain poured from the sky as if the heavens had collapsed.

The entire world was submerged by this majestic downpour, creating a scene reminiscent of the apocalypse.

Reason told Fang Cheng.

That practicing pull-ups in such harsh weather was a mad and dangerous endeavor.

Yet, emotion kept whispering in his ear.

If he began to get used to making excuses for himself, to getting used to avoiding various difficulties.

Then those difficulties would become increasingly powerful and invincible.

Until he was eventually crushed and conquered.

Adversity only makes the strong stronger and the weak weaker!

Fang Cheng suddenly realized that he was sometimes too cautious, to the point of forgetting his original intention of becoming stronger.

He did not want to wait any longer; he did not want to turn back into that weak, helpless student who was unemployed immediately upon graduation.

"A person's greatest enemy is often themselves..."

He looked up at the sky, and the icy rain instantly drenched his face.

It then slid down his neck and into his collar, causing his body to shudder involuntarily.

"A true powerhouse can only help themselves."

Fang Cheng muttered the words under his breath, wiped his face, and walked beneath the bar.

With a forceful push from his feet, he leaped up, his hands gripping the bar firmly.

He tightened his fingers, testing the grip.

"Not bad..."

Fang Cheng's expression relaxed slightly as he let out a soft breath.

Immediately, his arm muscles tensed, and his back straightened.

He pulled his body upward until his chin cleared the bar.

"1."

"2."

"3."

"..."

The first few movements were completed with relative ease.

After practicing for a while, he gradually felt the obstacles the torrential rain imposed upon him.

Not only were his palms slippery, making it difficult to grip the bar and easy to lose leverage.

Rainwater also continuously poured in through his sleeves.

It was soaking wet, feeling like countless tiny, icy snakes sliding against his skin.

Wearing clothes actually made his body feel more uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng let go and landed, then unbuttoned his raincoat.

The thermal underwear he wore underneath was also nearly soaked through, so he stripped it off and threw it on the ground as well.

Bean-sized raindrops hammered the ground frantically, splashing up in layers.

With his bare muscles exposed, Fang Cheng's silhouette returned to the front of the 2.5-meter bar.

With a powerful leap, he continued his pull-ups.

Practicing such movements in the rain carried omnipresent dangers.

A slip and fall...

Muscle stiffness leading to a strain...

Incorrect force application leading to a sprain...

Even if he shed his constraints to treat it like a shower.

The rain would still soak his hair, blur his vision, and disturb his mind.

The near-freezing chill constantly seeped into his body, feeling like knife cuts or insect bites.

It was a torment of both body and mind!

Fang Cheng activated his Focus skill, immersing himself entirely in the workout.

In this state, not only was his endurance enhanced, but his control over his body was also significantly improved.

When he reached the 10th pull-up.

He noticed the aching sensation in his arms growing stronger, yet his back still felt little burden.

Fang Cheng realized his form was not yet standard enough.

The primary muscles trained by pull-ups are the shoulders and the back, including the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius.

The reason it is so difficult for ordinary people.

Is not only because these muscle groups are rarely engaged in daily life, but also because it is a complex technical movement.

Unlike push-ups or squats, which can be assessed purely by repetitions or time.

Pull-ups are not just a matter of numbers.

They involve grip (overhand vs. underhand), momentum (kipping), width of grip, speed, posture (chest out, back arched), chin clearance, and full range of motion, as well as direct relationships with body weight and bar material.

Even a slight variation in any of these areas can lead to significant differences in the number of repetitions achieved.

With Fang Cheng's current physical fitness, relying purely on arm strength, he could do at least 20.

If he used momentum to cheat, he could easily do over 40.

But training this way would certainly not suffice.

What Fang Cheng pursued was not the number of repetitions.

But the depth of his understanding of the skill and his level of control over his muscles.

He calmed his mind.

He silently felt the muscular feedback after each movement, then made minute adjustments to his posture.

Slowly, he seemed to finally find the rhythm.

The latissimus dorsi contracted sharply, generating an upward pulling force.

The biceps then assisted in the effort, pushing his body up.

Simultaneously, the rhomboids and trapezius worked to maintain the stability and balance of his torso.

"This is the feeling!"

Fang Cheng's eyes brightened.

After adjusting his posture, he took a deep breath and began again, consecutively.

"15."

"16."

"17."

"..."

In the pitch-black, torrential rain of the early morning park.

A single figure rose and fell, like a vibrant spirit of the night.

(End of Chapter)