Stomach rolls on the horizontal bar looked simple. You just press your stomach against the bar, then use your waist and abs to swing your body around in a circle. But performing them was actually very difficult because the move placed high demands on one's waist, abdomen, and core. Although the students from the Sports Academy could do stomach rolls, they could typically only manage eight or ten, and that was when they were fresh. No one had ever attempted it like Zhao Yuan, right after running more than ten thousand meters.
Therefore, many people weren't optimistic about Zhao Yuan's attempt at stomach rolls.
"He's doing stomach rolls right after running more than ten thousand meters? Is this kid trying to injure himself?"
"In his current state, he'll be lucky to manage three or four."
"Three or four? Are you kidding? He'll be impressive if he can even manage one!"
"Alright, cut the crap and let's go. The kid's hands are already shaking. He could fall off the bar at any moment! Let's go spot him so he doesn't fall and get hurt!"
Although they neither understood nor approved of Zhao Yuan's apparent show of bravado, many people still crowded around him, wanting to help out at the critical moment.
Zhao Yuan, however, was oblivious to this. He cast aside all distracting thoughts and focused solely on performing the stomach rolls.
Just as the students from the Sports Academy had said, his stamina was at rock bottom. His hands, gripping the horizontal bar, trembled nonstop. Yet he clenched his jaw, refusing to give up. He mobilized every last bit of strength remaining in his body, struggling to twist his torso and perform the stomach roll.
He barely managed to complete one stomach roll. His entire body broke out in a cold sweat, and a feeling of utter exhaustion washed over him, making him want to give up the exercise and lie down on the ground for a good long rest.
'I can't rest!' Zhao Yuan bit down hard on his lip. The pain stimulated his nerves, and the salty taste of blood moistened his parched throat. 'This is the most exhausting, but also the most critical moment. If I can just push through this, my physical fitness is bound to reach a new level! I have to hold on! I can't give up! I absolutely cannot give up!'
While cheering himself on internally, Zhao Yuan squeezed out the last of his strength, trying desperately to perform a second stomach roll. However, he had already expended far too much energy. He tried several times but failed to lift himself. Still, he refused to give up, clenching his jaw as he persisted.
On his next attempt, Zhao Yuan subconsciously utilized a technique from the Cyan Dragon Form of the Four Saints Technique.
In a daze, he felt as if he had really transformed into a dragon. Power gathered effortlessly at his waist. With a single burst of force and a twist, he carried his entire body around the horizontal bar for another full circle.
"Huh?" Zhao Yuan paused, stunned. 'The Four Saints Technique can be used for this?'
This discovery left him ecstatic—not just because he had completed another stomach roll, but because combining his training with the Four Saints Technique would undoubtedly make it far more effective!
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Yuan cleared his mind and completely centered himself, using the technique from the Cyan Dragon Form to perform the stomach roll exercise. In the process, the bottleneck inside his body was shattered. After breaking through, Zhao Yuan instantly felt much of his fatigue vanish and some of his strength return. Thanks to these changes, his stomach rolls became faster and more precise.
Three... five... ten...
As Zhao Yuan performed more and more stomach rolls, the shocked expressions on the faces of the Sports Academy students intensified.
"My God, he's already done almost twenty stomach rolls! How on earth is he doing this? I'd be happy to manage ten, and that's when I'm in peak condition. You can't even compare that to him doing them after a ten-thousand-meter run!" Ah Peng's mouth hung open, his expression slack-jawed with shock.
The classmates around him were also discussing it in stunned disbelief.
"He looks so skinny and frail. I never would've thought he'd be so freakishly strong!"
"He's still going! Holy shit, just how many is he planning to do?"
"What's our school's record for stomach rolls? He's not actually trying to break it, is he?"