Chapter 33: Ambition of the New Talent

[Note]

[When multiple skills from the same series meet the requirements, you may autonomously choose a synthesized Talent.]

[Talents are innate advantages. Compared to acquired skills, they have fewer restrictions, are more powerful, and are more unpredictable.]

[2 Lv1 skills $\rightarrow$ Synthesized Talent, Green (Excellent) Quality]

[3 Lv2 skills $\rightarrow$ Synthesized Talent, Blue (卓越/Outstanding) Quality]

[4 Lv3 skills $\rightarrow$ Synthesized Talent, Purple (Epic) Quality]

[5 Lv4 skills $\rightarrow$ Synthesized Talent, Orange (Legendary) Quality]

[6 Lv5 skills $\rightarrow$ Synthesized Talent, Gold (Mythic) Quality]

Fang Cheng's eyes brightened.

Gazing at the line of small text appearing at the very bottom of his skill bar, his previously calmed state of mind couldn't help but stir with anticipation once again.

To be honest, aside from his innate Spirit attribute being higher than the average person, the only thing his body had to offer was his looks. Consequently, his Talent was evaluated by the panel as "Green (Excellent) Quality."

Currently, he had unlocked four fitness-system skills. Among them, Push-ups, Squats, and Leg Raises had all reached Lv1.

This meant that by choosing two of these skills now, he could immediately synthesize a brand-new Talent. Alternatively, he could continue waiting for other skills to unlock and level up, hoping to birth a higher-quality Outstanding or even Epic-grade Talent in the near future.

With a flickering gaze, Fang Cheng turned to the Talent interface.

[Appearance (Green - Excellent)]

He stared at it for a long while, a look of hesitation crossing his face.

Based on his experiences growing up, this Talent brought both benefits and drawbacks. It significantly increased his charm toward the opposite sex, allowing him to easily gain favor. However, it also subjected him to the invisible hostility and exclusion of his male peers.

Speaking of which, its utility wasn't as great as he had imagined. If he wasted two skills just to synthesize a Talent of this level, he might as well not choose it at all.

Fang Cheng's eyes swept over the lines of annotations regarding Talent synthesis.

Excellent, Outstanding, Epic, Legendary...

His gaze finally settled on the last line of small text: Gold (Mythic) Talent.

"A Mythic Talent..."

Fang Cheng let out a soft sigh, his mind wandering into wild fantasies.

The "Six Arts of the Prisoner" consisted of six skills. Each skill represented a direction of muscular training, symbolizing the unlocking of certain latent potentials hidden deep within the human body. One could say this was a highly complete "Body Refining Cultivation Method."

If this world truly was just an ordinary, mundane world, then he at least held hope. Through the panel, he could continuously temper his physical body, break through limits, transcend mediocrity, and surpass all living beings. He could even become the sole God in the human realm...

Looking up at the raindrops falling from the sky, Fang Cheng took a deep breath. He suppressed his thoughts for the moment and calmed his heart.

Everything was just beginning. If he wanted to know how strong he could become, he would simply have to keep challenging his limits.

His right hand gripped the pull-up bar, and his left hand clenched into a fist. Feeling the power in his biceps, he flipped himself down from the bar. Holding the steel pipe with both hands, his body hung suspended in mid-air.

Then, he tightened his core, practicing using his abdominal strength to lift his straight legs to a horizontal position. He held it for the duration of one breath before slowly lowering them.

This was the advanced movement of the third art of the Six Arts of the Prisoner, "Leg Raises"—the Hanging Leg Raise. Once his body returned to the hanging position, he would begin the next repetition.

Similar to pull-ups, the speed should be controlled slowly and powerfully during the lifting and lowering process. The faster the movement, the greater the component of inertia, and the worse the effect would be, as inertia would reduce the tension on the abdominal muscles. Thus, the difficulty coefficient of this movement was easy to imagine.

After completing the first repetition, Fang Cheng could clearly feel the pressure on his weak rectus abdominis. The physical fitness improved by attribute points did not seem to be distributed evenly across all muscles and bones, but rather had a certain bias. When practicing skills, the frequently trained parts would receive extra enhancement, while other parts would follow.

Fang Cheng had harbored this suspicion for a long time. Now, thanks to his Spirit attribute breaking the critical threshold of 20 points, his control over every movement had become more precise. He could even perceive the entire process of a single movement: how every muscle conducted force, progressed through layers, and finally formed a power link.

It was as if his body and soul had become more synchronized, merging like water and milk. Simply put, his brain's neural responses had become more agile. This feeling was no different from mastering a new Talent.

"Perhaps unlocking new skills won't be this difficult in the future?" Fang Cheng muttered to himself, his eyes filled with longing.

"Next, five more sets of 100 hanging leg raises!"

The sky was beginning to lighten, but the torrential rain continued. In the silent park, a white mist drifted about. A naked figure could be seen faintly, continuously practicing leg raises.

Life always contains various unknowns; there are too many things beyond one's control. The only things you can control are your own body and your will. Determine your goal, forge ahead, and climb to the summit step by step!

***

Time flew by, and two days later.

Jiangdong District, Global Elite Combat Club. Human Resources Office.

"This is the backup contract, this is the employee handbook, and here is your ID badge. After signing, go to the warehouse to collect a new set of protective gear, then wait in the training hall for the coach to assign your duties. Today is your first day as a sparring partner, so you should understand the rules beforehand to avoid any misunderstandings..."

The bespectacled HR specialist sat at the desk, explaining at a rapid pace.

"Thank you."

Fang Cheng picked up the pen, signed his name in the signature column of the contract, collected the relevant items, and walked out. As an old employee, he was well-versed in all the onboarding procedures and was familiar with many people in various departments.

However, the HR department's attitude this time was somewhat contradictory. They were a bit perfunctory and casual at first, but in the end, they couldn't help but offer cautious reminders, as if they believed Fang Cheng would soon buckle under the pressure and choose to resign.

On his way to the warehouse, he passed through the training hall. He could see a group of sturdy young men, shirtless and wearing only combat shorts, running laps around the arena while performing high-knee drills.

Since it was Monday, there were significantly fewer regular students. Most were elite students preparing for professional matches or professional fighters renting the club's facilities for training. It was also because it was Monday that the HR department had waited until today to officially sign the contract.

Fang Cheng quickly collected his gear, dressed himself, and arrived at Training Hall No. 2. At this moment, a short, stocky, and exceptionally fierce figure had already appeared on the Karate mat.

Watching his employer, who was performing knuckle push-ups while exhaling sharply, Fang Cheng silently walked to the side and stood still. He first stretched his legs and hips to loosen his limbs. After warming up his joints, he began practicing single-leg squats as a warm-up exercise.

Today's first lesson... no, it should be called his first job, was a high-difficulty challenge.

The person he was facing was none other than Goro Majima—a man who was mentally unstable yet possessed the physical prowess of a beast.

Of course, this was exactly what Fang Cheng had been looking forward to.

(End of Chapter)