Start with push-ups to gain experience

Chapter 380 Advancement to Grandmaster, Ghost Back Unfolds!

Boom, boom, boom.

When the sudden knocking sounded.

Fang Cheng had just completed one back-bridge movement when he tilted his head back and fell backward.

pat.

Place your hands flat on either side of your head, palms on the ground, to maintain a stable posture.

His entire body was like an arched bridge, suspended at the top.

Sweat dripped down his forehead, but his breathing remained steady and long.

Only in the eyes that were looking towards the doorway did a sharp glint flash.

With his workout rhythm interrupted, Fang Cheng couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.

Is Mom here?

The idea was rejected as soon as it came to mind.

She has the key and will open the door herself if she wants to come in; she wouldn't bother with any extra steps.

Is it his uncle, Li Dingjian?

It's unlikely.

My uncle just said the day before yesterday that he had to accompany that professor to Tiannan Province on personal business and wouldn't be back for at least a week.

Besides them, the only other people who knew the address of Haitian Garden were Zhou Xiumei and Xiaosa.

But both of them had their own things to do.

If it weren't an emergency, they would definitely call first, and would never come over silently so early in the morning.

As for takeout...

He hasn't even ordered it today.

My thoughts raced, and after ruling out all possibilities, the most likely remaining possibilities were the property management, or... the neighbors.

I thought of the female neighbor next door who often came to harass me, and the ambiguous look in her eyes that seemed to be sizing up a male model every time she saw me.

A sense of helplessness welled up in Fang Cheng's heart.

Boom, boom, boom.

The knocking outside the door stopped for two seconds, then continued.

The pace was neither too fast nor too slow, showing great patience.

Fang Cheng showed no intention of getting up, remaining in the upside-down bridge position.

My gaze shifted from the doorway to the heavy stack of barbell plates hanging on my body.

Then, he looked at the pale blue screen that appeared in his field of vision.

[Back Bridge Lv2 (499/500)]

I'm just one experience point away from being there.

Fang Cheng's eyes suddenly sharpened.

It's as if I can already see that invisible bottleneck blocking my way.

Like a tough film, it's so close yet stubbornly blocks your way.

"Ho-"

Fang Cheng took a deep breath, his chest bulging as his lungs absorbed a sufficient amount of oxygen.

The thing he hates most is being disturbed while exercising.

Now, even if the King of Heaven himself came, he wouldn't be able to stop me from achieving this final breakthrough!

Once the mind is focused, external distractions recede like the tide.

Fang Cheng refocused his consciousness on absolute control over his body.

No matter how persistent the knocking was, it couldn't stir up the slightest ripple in my heart.

He began his final sprint.

Under the weight of 500 pounds, his muscles tensed up again, and his body was like a fully drawn bow.

The spine stretches segment by segment, as if a dormant dragon is awakening, and every muscle connected to it is activated.

The next second, a powerful force erupted, forcefully pushing the body and the barbell plates to the top.

Then, he stood up straight again without hesitation.

This is not simply a matter of waist and abdominal strength.

Instead, it starts from the deepest erector spinae muscles, then moves to the middle rhomboid muscles, then to the superficial latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles, and finally to the gluteus maximus and hamstrings...

The entire posterior chain muscle group, like perfectly meshed precision parts, works together to perfectly transmit and unleash power.

The knocking stopped after a while, seemingly realizing no one was inside.

Silence returned to the corridor, with only the faint sound of footsteps fading into the distance.

Fang Cheng's training has only just entered its most intense phase.

The 500-pound barbell plates hanging from his waist were pressing heavily on his core muscles and arched spine.

Sweat had already soaked through his shorts, sliding down the grooves of his muscles and leaving a small dark stain on the floor.

However, his body remained as steady as a rock.

He neither let out a beastly roar, nor did his face show any sign of pain or ferocity.

A strong person should enjoy the process of conquering limits, rather than being crushed by them.

Fang Cheng repeatedly pushed his body to its peak, and then fell backward.

In his world, there was only deep, long breaths, the exhilarating feeling of tearing muscle fibers, and the limit that was so far away and about to be pierced through.

A surge of heat rose from his body, and his breathing and the rise and fall of his muscles seemed to contain some powerful and primal life rhythm.

I do not know how long it has been.

When another standard back bridge movement is completed.

The panel in sight finally burst forth with an incomparably dazzling light!

Congratulations! Through extraordinary effort and perseverance, your skills have successfully broken through to the Grandmaster level.

[Back Bridge Lv3 (0/1000)]

[Received Enhancement Reward 1: Strength Attribute +6 points]

[Receive Enhancement Reward 2: Skill Effect "Ghost Back"]

Almost the instant the prompt appeared, a warm current rose from the tailbone, surged up the spine, and instantly spread throughout the entire back area.

The posterior chain muscles, which were originally extremely tense and seemed about to tear apart at any moment, quickly dissipated their fatigue under the warm current and became full of explosive power again.

"It's finally done!"

While Fang Cheng was overjoyed, his gaze swept across the panel, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.

This upgrade actually comes with two enhancement rewards.

In addition to the 6 fixed attributes, there is also a new skill effect.

This is quite rare.

Then, my gaze fell on the new entry, and I looked at it carefully.

"Ghost back?"

Fang Cheng muttered to himself, but a terrifying glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

The image of a character from a fighting manga involuntarily popped into my mind.

That man, who also possessed a "ghost back" and was known as the "strongest creature on earth."

Every time I use this form against an enemy, I achieve an overwhelming victory.

With every gesture, he was like a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex, capable of causing an entire well-equipped army to collapse with his mere flesh and blood.

Composing himself, Fang Cheng let out a long breath and deftly unbuckled the weight belt around his waist.

Five hundred pounds of barbell plates were gently stacked on the plastic floor.

He straightened up, twisted his waist, stretched his muscles and bones, and emitted a series of crisp popping sounds.

My body was covered in sticky sweat, which was really uncomfortable.

After thinking for a moment, Fang Cheng went straight to the bathroom and decided to take a shower first.

The cool water gushed from the showerhead, pouring over my head and instantly washing away the heat and oil from my skin. The feeling of comfort from the inside out invigorated me and washed away all fatigue.

A few minutes later, Fang Cheng walked out of the shower room feeling refreshed.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, drying her wet hair, she refocused her attention on the panel.

First, there are 6 points in the Strength attribute.

Since these are fixed attribute points, there's no need to hesitate; we can add them now.

As the command was given, the value in the Strength column instantly jumped from "52" to "58".

A solid, warm current silently welled up from within.

Fang Cheng could clearly feel that the muscle fibers throughout his body, especially the back muscles that supported his core, were slightly swollen and heated up at the same time, as if they had been injected with new energy.

The attribute values ​​on the panel are also updated accordingly.

【Strength: 58】

[Agility: 60]

[Physique: 50]

【Spirit: 50】

After glancing at the attribute interface after completing the stat allocation, Fang Cheng's gaze fell on the second enhancement reward—the skill effect "Ghost Back".

[Ghost Back: Through long-term inhuman training, your spine and back muscles have been deeply strengthened, reducing the amount of physical damage you can withstand and increasing your base constitution attribute by 75%.]

Under extreme burst damage, you will enter a brief "Ghost Back" liberation phase. During this phase, your back defense is increased by an additional 150%, and your punching power is increased by 100%.

After unleashing the "Ghost Back," your aura will be like that of a ghost or deity, exerting immense psychological pressure and fear on your enemies without them even realizing it.

[Note: The "Ghost Back" state lasts for at least five minutes, with the duration increasing as your constitution attribute increases. The cooldown is 24 hours.]

[The skill effect has now merged with "Iron Bridge," completing its evolution; the old entry has been overwritten.]

As he finished reading, Fang Cheng's gaze sharpened and landed on the "Back Bridge" skill bar.

Sure enough, the original "Iron Bridge" sign has disappeared and been replaced by the new "Ghost Back".

No wonder there are two enhancement rewards this time.

Fang Cheng seemed to be deep in thought.

This is different from the last time the "leg lift" skill was upgraded to the Grandmaster level.

That time, the special training method triggered the prerequisite for unlocking new abilities, thereby increasing the hang time.

This time, the old skill effects were catalyzed and reshaped under higher-level training, eventually evolving into a brand new and more powerful skill form.

To ensure the integrity of the "Back Bridge" master-level skill, the panel has added an extra 6 points to the Strength attribute as a supplement and balance to this "evolution".

However, to be fair, the "ghost back" special effect does seem ridiculously powerful.

Under normal conditions, damage reduction is increased by 75% across the entire torso and back.

Based on my constitution of 50, the defensive effect is equivalent to the toughness of nearly 90 constitution points.

Ordinary knife or sword cuts probably wouldn't even break the skin.

Aside from heavy weapons or armor-piercing rounds, if a regular handgun is fired at one's back, the bullet will likely only reach the surface of the muscle, causing a minor graze that can probably be treated with some mercurochrome afterwards.

As for unleashing the "Ghost Back", the defense is increased by an additional 150%.

That would directly soar to a terrifying level of 125 points in physique.

It truly achieved the feat of being like a human-shaped iron plate.

This reminded Fang Cheng of the "Gaokata" style of Goju-ryu practiced by Goro Majima.

The kind of hard-earned skill that strengthens weak parts of the body and improves muscle and bone strength through day-to-day pain and impact resistance training is certainly powerful.

However, they need to rely on years of consistent practice to accumulate results.

However, one can achieve immediate results through skill enhancement.

Of course, Fang Cheng did not simply sit back and reap the benefits.

The panel exists simply to ensure that every drop of sweat is not wasted and that every training session yields valuable experience.

Because it never degenerates, it continuously accumulates, eventually forming a mountain from the soil, and through this accumulation, it achieves a leap beyond the ordinary.

Fang Cheng's mind raced, his gaze falling on the second half of the skill description, his eyes growing even more intense.

Punching power increased by 100%!

He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the power emanating from his knuckles, a power that seemed capable of crushing steel.

If you're in the "Ghost Back" state, and then combine it with the charged attack of "Qilin Arm"...

This punch, if it's thrown out, will probably be a bit too explosive in its destructive power!
Thinking of this, Fang Cheng looked at himself in the mirror.

Then, he turned his body to the side, raised his arms, and struck a classic "double back extension" pose from a bodybuilding competition, fully displaying his back muscles in front of the mirror.

From the outside, I look a little more muscular than before, and my shoulders and back are also broader.

However, his overall physique has not changed fundamentally; he still maintains a lean and reserved style.

Especially under the bronze skin on his back, each muscle fiber seemed to be given an independent life.

They are not bulky chunks of meat, but super fiber bundles forged through extreme compression and tempering.

The lines are clear and striking, as if they conceal a high density of explosives.

Once ignited, it will unleash power that is unimaginable to ordinary people.

This is his body, a perfect tool evolved for battle.

The next second, Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed.

A thought came to my mind.

Liberate the "ghost back"!
puff!puff!puff!
A series of muffled thuds came from his vest as muscle fibers rapidly expanded and stretched.

The originally smooth and firm back muscles seemed to come alive, and began to wriggle, expand, and reorganize at an exaggerated speed visible to the naked eye.

Those extremely compressed muscles, like steel cables that have been instantly untied, completely unleash their ferocious form.

The latissimus dorsi muscles are extremely abducted, forming the devil's broad cheeks.

The trapezius muscles bulged high, forming a furrowed brow.

The deep grooves in his spine resembled the bridge of a ghost's nose.

The most unsettling part is the area on both sides of the shoulder blades.

The infraspinatus and teres major muscles were forcibly pulled, forming a distorted eye socket.

The teres minor muscles, which are normally difficult to see and are squeezed in the middle, are now engorged with blood and bulge out, forming a pair of "devil's eyes" full of a violent expression!
A clear, distorted, ghostly face, as if silently weeping, was thus vividly branded onto his back.

"Is this what 'Ghost Back' is...?"

Looking at the terrifying figure in the mirror, Fang Cheng let out a heartfelt sigh.

Simply standing there, the visual impact and sense of oppression emanating from that posture are enough to instantly break any enemy with a weak will.

If the strength attribute also breaks through the physiological limit of 60 points, the physique will become more robust.

When the "ghost back" is released, how terrifying will the visual effect be?
After a moment of reverie, Fang Cheng quickly regained his composure and ended his "ghostly" state.

The muscles in his back twitched and slowly returned to their normal, lean shape.

"Uu——"

Fang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Maintaining the ghost back form obviously consumes far more physical strength than in a normal state.

Besides, I had just finished several hours of intense morning exercise and was at my limit.

"Gululu..."

A clear rumbling sound came from my abdomen, completely out of place.

Fang Cheng rubbed his stomach, walked out of the bathroom, and glanced at the time displayed on his phone on the table.

It's almost 7:30.

Today's training intensity was far greater than usual, and with the extra effort, a huge amount of physical energy was consumed, so I was really hungry.

Fang Cheng is now too lazy to cook for himself.

Moreover, there isn't much food left in the refrigerator, so I need to go to the supermarket to buy some more this afternoon.

After thinking for a moment, I picked up my phone and searched for all the breakfast shop numbers saved in my contacts.

I'll just order a few more takeout meals for today's recovery workout.

(End of this chapter)