After logging out of the game, Nie Yan immediately began his intense yet rhythmic physical training: pull-ups, squats, boxing, combat techniques, and reaction drills. Each set of movements was repeated ten times, and every five minutes he replenished his energy mainly with nutrient solution.
The squats were thirty kilograms in weight. As he carried the extra load, Nie Yan immediately felt the heaviness in his legs.
In addition to punching strength, leg strength was also highly demanded in combat.
He placed both hands behind his head, squatted down, and stood up again. One time, two times, three times. Before long, sweat began to pour down Nie Yan’s back. After completing twenty repetitions, he felt nearly exhausted. He consumed some nutrient solution, rested for two minutes, and then began his second round of squat training.
After a short rest, his stamina gradually recovered, and his fatigue disappeared.
After his rebirth, this body’s recovery ability was impressive. Such good physical condition absolutely could not be wasted, Nie Yan thought to himself.
Gradually, Nie Yan seemed to get used to the weight on his legs. He added another five kilograms, picked up a book on mechanical dynamics, and began squatting while reading.
Nie Yan’s training pushed him nearly to his physical limits, but he still gritted his teeth and persisted.
“The combination of arm and torque in machinery, current intensity calculations—those problems I couldn’t understand before now seem so simple,” Nie Yan thought, as his pen scribbled notes on the book, quickly solving a complex current intensity calculation.
Although his body was tired, his brain was unusually active at this moment.
Reborn once again, having experienced the loneliness and helplessness of his previous life, Nie Yan understood deeply how precious his current happiness was. He wanted everyone around him to live happily, and he needed to become stronger himself—whether in the game or in real life, in terms of economic capability or personal combat skills. Only then would he have the ability to protect everything he held dear.
“Ca Xu, if you still won’t let go of us in this life, then I will make sure you die!” Nie Yan’s face was filled with icy determination. He added another five kilograms and increased the pace of his squats.
“One, two, three, four, five…”
A series of heavy breathing sounds echoed in the room.
Love for family and hatred for enemies are two of the most extreme emotions that can arise in a person—emotions that often unleash boundless potential. At this moment, Nie Yan was driven by these very feelings.
“Sixty-nine… eighty-six…” Nie Yan’s strength was nearly depleted. Only his willpower kept his body moving. The weight on his body pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe. He let out a deep, guttural roar, “One hundred!”
Nie Yan exerted his maximum strength, staggering to his feet under the forty-jin weight on his back. At the moment he straightened his body, he felt all his strength drained away. A strong sense of fatigue surged over him as he fell backward.
“Phew, reached my limit,” Nie Yan lay on the floor, panting heavily, his muscles aching.
Even in this state of extreme muscle fatigue, he could still feel the aching sensation slowly easing.
After lying on the floor for five minutes, Nie Yan stood up again. His fatigue had significantly lessened. He stretched his limbs a bit.
“Maybe I should go test my pull-ups, squats, and punching power,” Nie Yan thought.
This was an era where physical training was embraced by the entire population. Almost every citizen had practiced some form of martial arts, such as Taekwondo or mixed martial arts. Dojos were everywhere on the streets, often staffed by experienced instructors. These dojos were equipped with extensive fitness equipment and training tools, similar to modern gyms, and using these facilities came with a per-hour fee. Modern work hours were short, and during their free time, people loved to come here to train. If one didn’t have some martial arts skills, they would be looked down upon. Men who knew a few combat moves found it much easier to attract women, especially since dojos often attracted many beautiful women with excellent figures.
In his previous life, Nie Yan had been wild, reckless, and carefree, especially when his father was successful. He had been a typical spoiled young master, frequenting various venues and never missing a chance to flirt with the attractive girls at dojos, occasionally even indulging in one-night stands. Back then, he had been truly debauched, except for Xie Yao, who remained the only pure and sacred presence in his heart. Later, when his father’s business collapsed, he tried to reform, but it was already too late.
Back then, when he had money and time to go to dojos, he had never thought about seriously training—his mind had only been on chasing girls. This lifetime, however, brought a completely different mindset.
Nie Yan headed toward the nearest dojo—the Lin Family Dojo. It was run by the father of one of his classmates, though Nie Yan wasn’t particularly fond of that classmate. He hoped he wouldn’t run into her while entering the dojo.
The Lin Family Dojo wasn’t particularly large, but it had its own independent space and was decently decorated, with all kinds of training equipment fully equipped. It was said to be somewhat famous in the area.
Nie Yan stepped into the Lin Family Dojo and glanced casually at the reception desk. A familiar figure caught his eye. Damn it—why was she the cashier today?
Behind the counter was Lin Jia. They had some connection, as their homes were close by. They had been classmates from elementary school through high school. She was quite pretty, having been the class beauty in middle school, though she was no longer the prettiest by high school. In Nie Yan’s opinion, Lin Jia and Xie Yao were incomparable—one was merely passably attractive, while the other was truly beautiful and enchanting. Nie Yan had indeed been infatuated with Lin Jia for a while during middle school and had even written her a love letter, which she had rejected. Later, Lin Jia had publicized the fact that Nie Yan had a crush on her, which had embarrassed him greatly. Before transferring schools in his senior year, Nie Yan had never fully shaken off that embarrassment.
As he grew older, Nie Yan gradually realized that Lin Jia was a superficial and vain person who would never be interested in a poor boy like him. Later, after Nie Yan transformed from a poor kid into a spoiled young master, Lin Jia had sought him out and spent a night with him. Nie Yan had given her three hundred thousand yuan afterward. The woman had the sense to take the money and leave, never bothering him again.
Nie Yan had no desire to dwell on those old, trivial matters anymore.
Nie Yan turned to leave, but then changed his mind. After all, he was already in his twenties—why should he bother avoiding a girl like her? Besides, he was about to transfer schools, and would have no further contact with this woman in the future. Why should he hide?
“Boss, one two-hour card,” Nie Yan placed fifty yuan on the counter.
His voice was somewhat familiar to Lin Jia. When she looked up and saw Nie Yan, she displayed a look of disgust and waved her hand dismissively, saying, “Are you here for me? I’m busy.” In Lin Jia’s mind, Nie Yan was no different from a buzzing fly.
Lin Jia indeed had some charm—her face was fairly clear, her eyebrows were delicately lined, and her eyes were bright and alluring. She wore a silk dress, with a large portion of her fair skin exposed at the neckline.
From Nie Yan’s current perspective, Lin Jia was merely a slightly well-dressed girl. Back in middle school, he must have had his eyes clouded by foolishness to have fallen for her. In several subsequent class reunions, he had noticed that there were many girls far prettier than Lin Jia. It was just that Lin Jia had been more skilled at dressing up and applying makeup, which had dazzled the younger students back then.
“I need a two-hour fitness card,” Nie Yan said indifferently, glancing at Lin Jia.
“Nie Yan, I’ve already made it clear to you. Don’t keep bothering me. With your skinny frame, you’re even here for fitness now…” Lin Jia sneered, tossing a card at Nie Yan.
This woman must have watched too many Hong Kong and Taiwanese dramas, Nie Yan thought. He was too lazy to argue with her and picked up the fitness card, heading inside the Lin Family Dojo.
Lin Jia wanted to say something else, but Nie Yan had already turned away, leaving her only with his back. She swallowed her words and sarcastically muttered, “His family owes fifty or sixty thousand yuan, a poor nobody. His bunch of relatives come knocking on the door every day, and his parents have disappeared somewhere. And he still has the mood to come here for fitness.”
Lin Jia’s sharp words reached Nie Yan’s ears, and a slight anger stirred in his heart. If this had been his former self back in high school, he probably would have confronted her by now. But now, at twenty-eight years old, it was simply not worth getting into an argument with a superficial teenage girl.
Looking at Nie Yan’s retreating back, Lin Jia felt a fleeting illusion—Nie Yan seemed much stronger than before.
“This is impossible. He was known as the sickly guy in class, always taking days off,” Lin Jia said with a mocking smirk.
“Lin Jia, who was that guy?” A young man in his twenties with dyed blonde hair approached Lin Jia and asked.
“He’s an old classmate of mine. One of the ‘top students’ in our class, ranked third in academics!” Seeing Bao Wei approach, Lin Jia immediately flashed a seductive smile.
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