Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1614 - 775:

He deliberately raised his voice, as if trying to muster up courage.

Though Roger said nothing, the frequency of the bone beads clashing in his hands noticeably sped up, sounding particularly urgent in the quiet room.

Hai Pig leaned back against the chair, which emitted a creaking sound under the strain:

"The key point is that Lord Claude has permitted us to use the ’Naraka Gate’ in this operation. By then, the entire Golden City Resort will be completely sealed by the array, making White Owl absolutely unable to escape."

"Naraka Gate?"

Upon hearing this name, Roger’s fingers abruptly stopped fiddling with the prayer beads, his eyes shocked:

"Isn’t that the Saint Relic inherited by the Red Sect for hundreds of years? How did it end up in your hands?"

"Naraka means ’Hell’ in Sanskrit."

Rumor has it that the components of this Esoteric Buddhism Holy Object are made from the polished skulls of successive High Monks.

Once activated, it can forcibly strip the surrounding space, creating a sealed area isolated from the real world.

Within the array, the eerie winds gnaw at bones, and vengeful spirits abound, as if the real Avici Hell has descended.

Anyone trapped inside will ultimately be refined into a zombie, not even a fly can escape.

This space is like an Inner World that can freely change location.

But within Esoteric Buddhism, it has a proprietary name called "Youzeng Hell."

Hai Pig smiled slightly, patting his round belly:

"Don’t forget what kind of organization our Ideal Land is. As long as we want it, a mere Holy Object of Esoteric Buddhism can naturally be acquired."

Upon hearing this, Roger felt a chill in his heart.

He suddenly remembered that the reason they knew each other was because Hai Pig had once roamed Tibet searching for lost Magic Artifacts, seeking him as a guide amidst the journey.

When they broke into Gufeng Temple together, their aim was also to seize a Buddhist treasure.

Ideal Land is collecting these ancient relics with Supernatural Power worldwide, which must have a significant plot behind it.

"Alright, let’s not talk about it."

Night Owl stood up, stretched forcefully, his bones emitting a cracking sound:

"After eating and drinking, let’s sleep first. Wake me up at four a.m., we’ll finish setting up the last few array gates around Golden City Resort, and wait to watch the show tomorrow night."

He yawned, walked directly to a cot in the corner, and lay down, pulling a military green blanket over his head.

The setup of the Naraka Gate is an extremely cumbersome and enormous project, not only exhausting the practitioners’ energies but also requiring precise timing.

Only during the moment of Yin Yang transition before sunrise can the array gates absorb the first rays of solar essence and neutralize the array’s inherent chill.

When the Naraka Gate truly unfolds and Youzeng Hell descends, the spatial structure of the array will be balanced and stabilized.

To avoid giving the prey a chance for a counterattack and easily destroying the Barrier before they die.

"Alas..."

Hai Pig shook his head, feeling somewhat helpless towards the whimsical Night Owl.

Ever since Ghost Scythe died, the leadership of the entire Black Shark Organization has seemed quite unreliable.

Who knows where the White Ghost has gone, it seems only the authentic leader can subdue this unruly Vampire.

He withdrew his gaze, reached out to grab a remaining cold piece of pork from the plate, and continued to bite into it.

Roger, meanwhile, closed his eyes and resumed fiddling with the Human Bone Prayer Beads, silently chanting sutras.

Before long, the corner resonated with Night Owl’s dull snoring.

The snoring grew louder and louder, irritably noisy.

The two who weren’t sleeping kept silent, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

On the wooden table, a kerosene lamp with a smoky glass shade occasionally popped a spark.

Their shadows stretched and shrank on the wall, swaying like Ghost Shadows.

The late-night mountain wind grew colder, rattling the rainproof roof cloth.

This cabin, hiding deep in the woodland, quietly lurked amidst the mist, brewing a silent menace.

.........

In the early morning at Golden City Resort, the sky was turning white, and the air was slightly cool.

Thin wisps of fog drifted slowly along the artificial lake’s surface, while far-off the woods occasionally rang with crisp birdsong.

On the rubber track encircling the lake, a few early-morning exercising tourists were already present.

Several elderly people in loose Practice Clothes slowly pushed Tai Chi on the lawn.

From time to time, young men and women with headphones ran by at a steady pace, the soles of their shoes making a rhythmic "squeak-squeak" sound on the rubber surface.

Fang Cheng and Zhou Xiumei were also mingled among the early morning exercisers, jogging along the lakeside.

Two tall and slender silhouettes, lively and eyecatching.

Fang Cheng ran on the outside, deliberately moderating his pace, maintaining a speed that wasn’t much faster than ordinary people.

Behind him, Zhou Xiumei kept a distance of about two steps from him consistently.

"Adjust your breathing, keep the rhythm steady."

Fang Cheng turned his head, looking at the girl breathing more heavily behind him, offering encouragement:

"Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Two steps per inhale, two steps per exhale."

"Follow my pace, keep it up, we’re almost there!"

Zhou Xiumei wore her hair in a high ponytail and was dressed in a light gray sports suit.

Clenching her lips, she nodded in acknowledgement, making a concerted effort to adjust her steps according to Fang Cheng’s rhythm.

After five laps, they finally reached their target.

The two stopped at a row of wooden benches by the lake.

The benches had the sports backpacks they left there earlier.

Zhou Xiumei stopped, hands on her knees, panting heavily.

A fine layer of sweat covered her forehead, a few locks of hair damply clinging to her cheeks.

Her fair skin shimmered with luminous glow after the intense exercise, appearing radiant and tender.

Standing beside her, Fang Cheng, however, hadn’t sweated a drop.

Given his current physical condition, such a workout doesn’t even count as a warm-up, almost akin to a post-meal walk.

He quietly sensed the changes in his body.

Due to running too slowly, no prompt of Experience Points growth appeared on the panel.

If it were previously, he wouldn’t have wasted time on such unproductive jogging.

But now, looking at the panting girl before him, he felt very grounded inside.

Compared to training in silence alone, this accompanying progress added a unique motivation to his monotonous path of getting stronger.

Fang Cheng unzipped the sports bag and pulled out a bottle of mineral water.

Screwing the cap loose, he casually handed it over:

"Here you go."

Zhou Xiumei took it immediately, really thirsting intensively, and tipped her neck up to gulp down the water.

However, the water rushed too quickly, instantaneously flowing into her windpipe.

"Cough... cough cough!"

Zhou Xiumei’s face flushed red, bending over sharply, coughing repeatedly.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng immediately raised his hand to gently pat her back twice.

The palms, separated by the thin sportswear, faintly touched the skin drenched with sweat.

"You just finished running, heart rate hasn’t lowered. Don’t chug like that."

With a calm tone, Fang Cheng explained:

"A lot of water entering the stomach can trigger cramps, burdening the heart. Better to hold it in your mouth for a second before swallowing, drinking in parts is best."

Zhou Xiumei’s eye corners moistened from coughing, obediently nodded, pulling the bottle away from her mouth.

Once she caught her breath, she tried sipping small amounts carefully.

Watching her sweat-soaked appearance, Fang Cheng promptly took out a packet of tissues, drew one out, and raised it to wipe the sweat from her cheeks and tears from her eyes.

Zhou Xiumei’s body trembled slightly, her cheeks turning even rosier, with a blush spreading to her ears.

Yet Fang Cheng acted like any normal person, naturally scrunching the damp tissue into a ball and tossing it into a nearby trash bin.

Then, he turned around, fetched another bottle of mineral water from the bag, unscrewed the cap, and gulped it down himself.

"Gulp, gulp..."

The transparent plastic water bottle quickly collapsed inward.

In just two seconds, he chugged an entire bottle of water down his throat like a whale, not a drop remaining.

Zhou Xiumei had just sipped a mouthful of water when she saw his rugged drinking stance, almost choking again.

Who was it earlier that eloquently lectured about not gulping down water?