Start with push-ups to gain experience

Chapter 231 Running Techniques, Misty Forest
It was dawn, and Yulong Lake seemed to have just woken up from sleep, with a layer of hazy mist covering the surface of the lake.

Willows are swaying on the bank, and people are everywhere. Many early risers have already appeared to exercise.

Fang Cheng, wearing his newly bought blue sportswear and professional shock-absorbing running shoes, started running along the road around the lake.

The whole set of neat and tidy outfit makes his figure look more agile.

Every step is light and powerful, as if there is wind under the feet, and the air flow gently blows the tender green grass on the roadside.

The strands of hair on her forehead also fluttered slightly with the pace of her steps.

Fang Cheng didn't run very fast.

At least he was about the same as those in front and behind him who were also participating in the morning run. He did not deliberately compete with them and widen the gap.

His strides were neither too big nor too small, and his body movements were natural and coordinated.

Focus more on how to transfer force more smoothly and efficiently between muscles, joints and bones.

Every swing of the arms and shoulders adjusts the center of gravity just right.

The movement is coordinated with the steps, just like the gears of a precision instrument meshing with each other, which is very rhythmic.

This allows him to maintain absolute balance while running and also saves a lot of physical energy.

Then, he just ran at a leisurely pace.

Gradually, the followers behind fell further and further behind, and the leaders in front were also overtaken one by one.

More than half an hour later.

I looked back inadvertently and found that there were no other morning exercisers on the road.

There was only an old man sitting by the lake fishing, looking at the young man passing by with a slightly surprised look.

Fang Cheng then slowed down and started walking.

At this moment, he was still calm and composed, breathing evenly, with almost no sweat on his forehead.

His face was only slightly flushed and his body felt a little hot, as if he had just completed a low-intensity warm-up exercise.

Looking around, the trees are lush and green.

There are no residential buildings nearby, so it must be located at the foot of a mountain.

The fog was still lingering, and the winding road was hidden in it, as if leading to some mysterious world.

Obviously, he ran much farther than last time and came to a more remote place.

Yulong Lake is very large. Not only is its water area vast, but its lakeshore is also winding and long.

Countless morning exercisers like Fang Cheng, running around the lake, still find it difficult to measure its entire picture.

The faint morning light shines through the branches and mist, into this tree-lined path along the lake.

Fang Cheng raised his wrist and glanced at the sports watch screen.

7:39, 10.24 km.

At this point in time and at this distance, it’s almost enough.

Fang Cheng decided not to run any further and prepared to return.

Recently, except for the days when he had appointments for practice lessons, he basically stayed in Wanghu Town, helping to take care of his grandfather and overseeing the progress of the house renovation.

Every morning at five o'clock, when the alarm clock rings, I get up on time and rush from the hotel to the park for self-disciplined exercise.

Then, run around the lakeside road to start an energetic day.

At this moment, looking at the prompt information appearing on the panel.

There are experience points and attribute growth gained by practicing skills according to the daily training plan.

There is also the latest control of skill improvement progress.

[Running experience +9]

[Running level 0 (18/100)]

The effect is not bad.

After several running exercises, Fang Cheng found that running casually like usual would basically not increase skill experience points.

Only by trying to hold yourself to the standards of a professional athlete and paying more attention to posture and technique can you achieve effective training.

So, today I specially decided to do my first ultra-long distance run.

In fact, there are huge differences in techniques between long-distance running and short-distance running.

Long-distance running focuses more on endurance and rhythm control, with a moderate stride, a stable frequency, and using the entire sole of the foot to cushion the force on the joints. The key is to maintain a balanced state for a long time.

In sprinting, the stride is larger and the frequency is extremely high, and the forefoot lands on the ground. This allows the elasticity of the ankles and calves to be better utilized, and the ground is pushed off quickly to launch the body forward.

In terms of breathing techniques, the two are in stark contrast.

Long-distance running requires deep and even breathing to provide the body with sufficient oxygen, while during short-distance running, the breathing rate is fast and shallow, mainly to regulate the body's rhythm and balance.

These are the knowledge Fang Cheng gained from borrowing relevant sports science books from the library.

Although he doesn't need to think too much, he can achieve results that even professional athletes can't match with his physical fitness that far exceeds that of ordinary people.

However, isn't the purpose of practicing skills to be able to run faster and farther, to reach and surpass the limits, in addition to the attribute bonus?
After reading the information on the panel, Fang Cheng nodded slightly and retracted his gaze.

Then he turned around, took a few slow steps, and continued running back.

At this time, the runway was looming in the fog, with birds chirping and leaves rustling.

It was so quiet all around that the only sound seemed to be the soft, rhythmic sound of jogging.

In this atmosphere that seemed to belong to one person alone, suddenly a strange sound came out of nowhere and broke the silence.

"what sound?"

Fang Cheng's heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but stop and look towards the mist-shrouded forest behind him.

slam-la-

I saw a group of birds flying up and circling in the sky without landing for a long time.

As if disturbed by some unknown beast, it flapped its wings in panic, eagerly looking for a safe place.

Fang Cheng frowned slightly and stared intently.

The place where the sound came from and where the birds were startled was a stretch of rolling hills.

It doesn't look very high, but the trees are so dense that they look like a dark green barrier, almost completely blocking the view.

Plus, there was fog all around.

Even though it is daytime now, the deep forest looks quite eerie because of this hazy filter.

Inadvertently, Fang Cheng's eyes swept across a warning sign standing on the side of the road.

"There are geological hazards in the forest, please do not enter without permission!"

The red words stood out on the mottled paint surface, adding a bit of weirdness. Fang Cheng couldn't help but stop his curious steps.

"Don't look at it, young man. Don't go into the dangerous area."

At this time, the fisherman who had been sitting by the lake came over leisurely.

He seemed to see through Fang Cheng's doubts and grinned:
"That mountain collapsed a few years ago, and the geology is unstable. Once you get in, it's hard to find the way, and it's easy to get lost."

"Besides, there are wild animals appearing in the lake from time to time. If we really encounter one, we may not be able to get out. Those of us who fish at the lake all year round only dare to hang around outside."

Fang Cheng turned around and looked at the fisherman who was chatting with him, and then asked:
"Did you hear the sound just now?"

"Sounds? No, you mean the birds singing?"

The fisherman shook his head, and seeing Fang Cheng seemed to be thinking about something, he continued:
"However, this place is indeed quite evil, and strange things often happen here."

Fang Cheng couldn't help but frown when he heard this:
"Has anything happened before?"

"Of course. This mountain is called Misty Mountain. It is foggy all year round, especially in the evening and early morning. It is so thick that it is like milk. Once you enter, your vision is completely blocked and you can't see anything, so it is easy to get lost."

The fisherman seemed to be in high spirits. He took out a crumpled cigarette box from his pocket and handed him a cigarette.

Seeing Fang Cheng waving his hand, he took a cigarette in his mouth and lit it skillfully with a lighter. After taking a deep breath, he slowly said with a look of reminiscence in his eyes:
"The first strange thing happened about a dozen years ago. A few children in the village were playing hide-and-seek in the woods. As a result, one of them disappeared inexplicably."

"At that time, the village committee organized a lot of people, carrying flashlights and shotguns, to search all over the mountains and fields overnight. Several other adults were almost lost because of this."

"Everyone said that the child was kidnapped by a mandrill monster and secretly hidden away. The child's family cried their hearts out, but it's been so long and there's still no news. Don't you think it's scary?"

He blew out a smoke ring, which drifted away in the cool air, and told the story in a storytelling tone.

"Later, a few tourists from other places relied on their courage and ignored the advice and rushed in. What happened? They were also lost in there for several days. In the end, the city's rescue team was mobilized, and it took a lot of effort to find them in a valley."

"When we found him, he was starving and his eyes were full of fear. I guess he had experienced something scary. But at least he was lucky."

The fisherman gestured with his cigarette butt as he spoke, as if he was there at the time.

"In my opinion, there is heavy fog in there, and the terrain is winding and like a maze. Even a compass won't work once you're inside."

After hearing his bizarre story, Fang Cheng looked toward the misty forest again and said to himself:
"This place seems to be closer to Xishan?"

"Yes, walk about ten kilometers northwest and you will reach Xidong Town."

The fisherman had sharp ears and replied casually.

He brought the cigarette in his hand to his lips, took a deep puff, and the cigarette butt instantly turned bright red. He then continued:

"Young man, there are even more bizarre things. I'm afraid I'll scare you if I tell you!"

"Oh?"

Fang Cheng raised his eyebrows and his eyes fell on his slightly mysterious face.

The fisherman immediately leaned forward and said in a low voice:

"This mountain is filled with an eerie atmosphere at night, especially around the Qingming Festival. When you pass by here at night, you can often see tiny dots of light swaying in the woods, like ghost lights, flickering and appearing from time to time."

"We have lived here for most of our lives. We all know that there is no one in the mountain, so where does the light come from? But that thing is flashing brightly. Do you think it is evil?"

"I don't know how this story got around, but they say this place has good feng shui, and is in a special place where yin and yang meet. If someone dies here, their soul will be reborn immediately."

"You know what? Some people actually believed it and went to the mountains to commit suicide. Some media outlets even named it the Suicide Forest. Because of this, the village's tourism business plummeted."

"In the past, during holidays, people from outside loved to come here to enjoy the mountains and rivers, and the farmhouses were full. But now, when people hear about this, they think it is unlucky and dare not come at all. Hotels and restaurants are all closed."

"That's why I advise you not to barge in. You never know where someone might have hanged himself!"

The fisherman subconsciously looked around, it seemed that something eerie and terrifying was very close and might pop up at any time, making his back cold.

After saying this, he held the cigarette between his fingers and flicked off the ash, as if to brush away the chill.

Then his expression became more relaxed:

"Fortunately, the Lu family bought the entire Misty Mountain a few years ago and set up a special patrol team. Only then did the strange things stop. Anyway, I haven't heard of anyone going missing in the past two years."

"The Lu family?"

Fang Cheng asked doubtfully.

"Don't you know anything about the Lu family?"

The fisherman was slightly surprised, then nodded: "Well, you are probably not from Wanghu Town."

He continued smoking and took the initiative to introduce himself:

"The Lu family used to be the largest landlord in our Wanghu Town. Our ancestors were very powerful. They served as officials, generals, and even became marquises and prime ministers. The family is very wealthy."

"After the establishment of the Republic of China, the business was even more amazing. He opened factories, hotels, finance, and real estate. He had several large companies in the city, with assets worth at least tens of billions."

"I heard that they bought this mountain. Firstly, they wanted to help suppress the evil spirits in the mountain and do good deeds. Secondly, they wanted to see if they could develop some projects. But so far, there hasn't been much progress."

"If something can be developed, the surrounding villages will also benefit from it, and everyone's life will be better. We won't have to sit back and watch the mountains dry like we are now."

The fisherman held the cigarette between his fingers, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and said leisurely:

"In short, the evil things in the mountains have spread too widely. Everyone is afraid of getting into trouble, so no one dares to step in easily on weekdays."

"As for me, I have lived by Yulong Lake for most of my life. I have been through wind and rain, and have seen everything. Before entering this mountain, one must first consider one's ability. If it were those outsiders who don't listen to advice, they would definitely run into a wall of ghosts, with no way out..."

Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden and loud rustling sound coming from the bushes not far away.

The fisherman seemed to have been acupunctured, his words stopped abruptly, and his face turned pale.

The fingers holding the cigarette couldn't help but tremble, and the ash fell down.

He opened his eyes wide and stared at the direction of the bushes where there was no road at all.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng subconsciously tensed up all his muscles, preparing to deal with any emergency.

In the blink of an eye, several figures suddenly emerged from the bushes and whooshed onto the runway one after another like wild boars.

They were three men wearing jackets and camouflage uniforms.

His clothes were in disarray, his hair was messy, his face and clothes were covered with dirt and grass, and he looked in a miserable state.

There seems to be blood...

No, they had guns in their hands and daggers on their waists.

When he looked up, his eyes were so cold that it made people shudder.

The more the fisherman looked, the more frightened he became.

Where did these guys come from? Did they stay in the mountain last night? Could they be wanted criminals hiding here?
The two sides looked at each other, and the atmosphere on the scene suddenly became extremely tense.

The fisherman quietly took a few steps back, glanced at Fang Cheng who seemed stunned, and turned around to escape.

Suddenly, a deep roar sounded:

"Stop, run again and I'll shoot!"

(End of this chapter)