Zhao Yuan performed one stomach-to-bar after another, his movements growing smoother and his breathing shifting from heavy to gentle. A warm current surged continuously from his Dantian, spreading throughout his body. It not only dispelled his muscle fatigue and soreness but also infused him with new strength, allowing him to keep exercising without a break.
Zhao Yuan's body changed rapidly throughout the process. From the inside out, nourished by the medicinal power and tempered by the Four Saints Technique, he grew stronger and more robust! He lost count of how many stomach-to-bars he had done, knowing only that he had to keep going to fully unleash the effects of the absorbed medicine!
The surrounding students from the Sports Academy, however, managed to count for him even while they were completely dumbfounded.
"Fifty... sixty... seventy..."
"Holy shit, he's at eighty, and he's still going! That physique... it's just not human!"
"Just how many is he planning to do? He must have already shattered our Sports Academy's record, right?"
"When did the Sports Academy get a beast like this? How have I never heard of him?"
Amid the murmurs of the crowd, Zhao Yuan's stomach-to-bar count broke the one-hundred mark.
Just then, another one of his sinews stretched open with a crisp SNAP. The medicinal power stored in his Dantian was also nearly depleted.
"Hooo..."
Exhaling a turbid breath, Zhao Yuan stopped doing stomach-to-bars, released his hands, and dropped to the ground. A wave of dizziness washed over him, making him feel as if the world were spinning, and a powerful nausea surged up, making him want to vomit.
Almost subconsciously, Zhao Yuan adjusted his breathing, employing the method from the Vermilion Bird Form of the Four Saints Technique. The move was surprisingly effective; the intense dizziness and nausea vanished after just a few breaths.
The Vermilion Bird, which soars through the heavens, has no fear of dizziness. Naturally, the breathing technique Wu Peng created by imitating it also had the effect of counteracting vertigo.
'The Four Saints Technique combined with Soul-Stabilizing Incense, Bone Refining Pills, and Blood Circulation Soup is truly extraordinary!' Zhao Yuan was thrilled as he felt the changes in his body. Before, cultivating the Four Saints Technique for several days had only allowed him to open a single sinew. But by adding the three medicines, he had opened three sinews all at once! 'The results are practically heaven-defying!'
However, Zhao Yuan also understood that the results were so good because it was his first time taking these three medicines. While they would still be effective in the future, the results would surely never be as outrageous as they were today.
Zhao Yuan stretched his limbs and turned to leave the field. The intense workout had left him drenched in sticky, uncomfortable sweat. What's more, the sweat contained expelled toxins. If he didn't wash it off quickly, it could be reabsorbed through his pores. He needed to take a shower, and fast.
Seeing Zhao Yuan about to leave, the teacher from the Sports Academy grew frantic and shouted, "Don't go! Quick, everybody, go after him! Block him! Don't let him get away!"
In the teacher's eyes, Zhao Yuan was a priceless piece of uncut jade. With just a little carving, he was certain to radiate a brilliant light! It was even possible he could achieve international fame and compete for glory at the Olympics. He was desperate to take such a promising talent under his wing and couldn't bear to miss the chance.
However, the tone and content of the teacher's shouts led to a misunderstanding on Zhao Yuan's part.
'What the hell is going on? I just borrowed your field for a workout. Is there any need to yell like you're trying to kill me? Is this field not open to the public?' Zhao Yuan, utterly confused, completely misinterpreted the situation. Seeing the Sports Academy students sprinting toward him from all directions, he bolted without a second thought. His speed was like a cheetah's; you'd never guess he had just run more than ten thousand meters and performed over a hundred stomach-to-bars.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Yuan had vanished. The students from the Sports Academy were all winded from the chase, but none of them had even managed to touch the hem of his clothes.
"Are you kidding me? He still has that much stamina!"
"He's so fast! My 100-meter sprint time is pretty good, but he left me in the dust instantly."
"This kid is simply a demon!"
"Damn, that explosive power is like a cheetah's! He put several body lengths between us in an instant. That's just incredible!"
Unlike the students, who were full of awe and admiration, the teacher was filled with nothing but regret and frustration.
"How could you let him run off? So many of you, and you couldn't even stop him! Absolutely useless!" After throwing a tantrum, the teacher finally asked, "Do any of you know that student from before?"
"We don't know him." Everyone shook their heads in unison.
The teacher's face darkened further. "You don't know him?" he snarled through gritted teeth. "Then go find out! Whoever can find out that student's department and class will get a handsome reward from me! If none of you can figure it out, hmph, you can all get ready to fail and retake your courses!"
The expressions of the students on the field turned sour. Wails of anguish erupted, and many of them were already regretting not taking a picture. If only they had a photo, finding him would be so much easier.
These students were doomed to fail, because Zhao Yuan wasn't even enrolled in their university...
Fleeing the Sports Academy as if for his life, Zhao Yuan ran all the way back to his rented apartment.
Leaning against the door, Zhao Yuan took several deep, gasping breaths before he finally got his breathing under control. 'Huff... huff... that run nearly killed me,' he thought. 'I can't believe the Sports Academy is so overbearing. Guess I won't be training there anymore.' He strode into the bathroom, ready to strip down and shower.
"RIP!"
He had just grabbed the hem of his shirt with both hands to pull it off when he heard a tearing sound. He'd torn the shirt clean in two.
"What just happened?" Zhao Yuan was dumbstruck.
After staring blankly for a good while, he finally figured it out. It wasn't that the shirt was low quality; it was that his own strength had increased significantly. He hadn't been able to control it for a moment, and that's why the shirt had ripped.
'I've opened four sinews now. According to the Information Leaf, that means I've just barely stepped into the Mid Stage of Muscle Strengthening. No wonder I'm so much stronger than before!'
Having figured out the reason, Zhao Yuan was extremely careful when he took off his pants, afraid he might use too much force and rip them too.
In the shower, Zhao Yuan examined his own body.
Tempered by the medicinal power and the Four Saints Technique, his body was now covered in firm, well-defined muscles. They were all perfectly placed, their lines so flawless they resembled a fine work of art, yet they brimmed with masculine power. Looking in the mirror, he saw that while his face hadn't changed, it now carried a valiant, heroic air that added a new layer of charm to his once-ordinary features.
'I never expected cultivation could change a person so drastically!' As Zhao Yuan marveled at the transformation, his resolve to cultivate grew even stronger. 'No matter what hardships or obstacles I face in the future, I will never give up!'