Why was the strength of the ancients so formidable?

Chen Jue recorded the preliminary data Zhou Chuan calculated for the "naked-eye bullet tracking," intending to input it into his "Ultimate Human Training Program" spreadsheet as soon as he returned.

The fact that ordinary people’s naked eyes cannot perceive 217 frames per second did not mean Chen Jue couldn't achieve it.

With the panel equipped on his body, Chen Jue was determined to try out this so-called "bullet time" in the future.

Just like grabbing a gold bar by hand, first set a target value for himself, then rely on eye massages and "point guidance" to gradually improve.

...

The second test was for human reaction speed, which was simple: respond to the sound of a starting gun.

According to the preparation Zheng Yuan had done in advance: the average reaction speed of a normal person is about 300 milliseconds. Only athletes who have undergone special training can reduce their reaction time to around 150–180 milliseconds.

Currently, scientists agree that the human reaction speed limit is 100 milliseconds. For example, in a running race, if the time from hearing the starting gun to beginning to run is less than 100 milliseconds (0.1 seconds), it is considered a false start.

Since the test was for martial artists, Zheng Yuan did not use the standard running start reaction as a reference. Instead, he borrowed a more advanced head-mounted EEG device from Jiang University’s lab.

Because brainwave changes are more direct and measurement results more precise than physical limb responses.

The first batch, the normal group including Zheng Yuan and several others, tested reaction speeds concentrated around 300 milliseconds, with the slowest almost reaching 400 milliseconds in brainwave response.

When it was Wu Fang and Chen Jue’s turn, their test data were 180 milliseconds and 130 milliseconds respectively.

After collecting these comparative data sets, Zhou Chuan analyzed seriously: "Human reactions generally fall into three types: first, reflexes processed without the brain, handled at lower levels such as the cerebellum, brainstem, or spinal cord. For example, the knee-jerk reflex’s neural nodes are in the spinal cord, and muscle movement can be observed in about 50 milliseconds."

"Second, reactions processed consciously in the brain, which is more complex and requires about 200 milliseconds to complete a series of operations."

"As for the third type, these reactions are processed by the cerebral cortex but do not reach consciousness. The scientific community calls this the Zombie System — unconscious brain processing — or 'zombie reactions,' which take about 100 milliseconds."

"Based on these two sets of test data, martial artists through long-term training can indeed reach reaction speeds close to the 'zombie reaction,' roughly two to three times faster than ordinary people."

"Top-level track athletes who train with starting guns regularly also reach about this level."

After Zhou Chuan’s analysis, everyone pondered deeply.

Especially Chen Jue, who was somewhat surprised to see his reaction speed had already reached 130 milliseconds.

Since acquiring the panel, among his three-dimensional attributes, the “Spirit” attribute had improved the slowest.

Yet now, his reaction speed approached that of elite athletes, indicating that besides the recent high-intensity training stimulating his reflexes, the “Spirit” attribute also played a significant role in enhancing reaction speed.

“The scientific community says the human reaction limit is 100 milliseconds?” Chen Jue thought to himself.

“If I continue to increase the ‘Spirit’ attribute, could I break this physiological limit?”

...

After completing the reaction speed test, the next was wrist strength.

The testing machine was a desktop device resembling a joystick. The arm was fixed, and by moving the wrist to twist the joystick, wrist strength could be measured.

First, Zheng Yuan and the ordinary group tested, with results ranging from 35 kg to 42 kg.

When Wu Fang, the Wu Ying-level representative, tested, she reached only 55 kg, which was not particularly outstanding.

After all, compared to finger grip strength, the wrist area is less commonly exercised in the human body.

Chen Jue tried it next. When he flexed his wrist, the atrophied palmaris longus muscle visibly bulged, clearly a muscle related to climbing, which had strengthened his wrist power.

On the testing machine’s screen, after twisting the joystick, “85 kg” appeared — twice as high as the ordinary group.

Evidently, his recent training in climbing had significantly improved his wrist strength.

“Damn! Jue bro is awesome!”

“85 kg wrist strength? Just moving my wrist feels like he could lift my whole body!”

“Feels like Jue bro could enter arm-wrestling competitions!”

Zheng Yuan and his noisy roommates gathered around. In the eyes of men, strong physical fitness was extremely attractive to the same sex.

Hence the saying: moderate exercise attracts the opposite sex, excessive exercise attracts the same sex.

Even Wu Fang’s beautiful eyes sparkled when she saw the test results, thinking, “So amazing! Senior Chen outperforms ordinary people in every aspect. How does he usually train?”

Wu Fang was curious because she had known Chen Jue for less than two months, yet the difference in impression was like a complete transformation.

As for Zhou Chuan, seeing Chen Jue’s 85 kg wrist strength piqued his interest further. To him, this auditing senior was like a treasure trove of human body data!

Whether it was the rare gallstone disease or the outstanding physical test results, all pointed to Chen Jue’s exceptional nature.

“Is traditional martial arts dart throwing really that amazing?” Zhou Chuan marveled. He recalled several unfinished human body projects on his USB drive and planned to find opportunities to involve Chen Jue in his research, like he had done with Zheng Yuan.

Chen Jue, however, did not show excessive pride after seeing his 85 kg wrist strength.

Because before the test, he had already checked the current wrist strength world record from Zheng Yuan’s data: 115 kg, set by foreign competitor Devon Laurett in a 2015 arm-wrestling contest, 30 kg higher than Chen Jue’s level.

Devon Laurett was a veteran legend in the arm-wrestling circle, known for enduring a minute against opponents to exhaust their stamina, earning the quirky nickname “Endurance Grinder.”

“I still have a long way to go,” Chen Jue thought, planning to start the next training phase tomorrow after getting his personalized training plan from Li Rui.

...

After testing the first three basic physical data points, it was finally time for the official dart throwing.

To measure dart speed, Zheng Yuan borrowed a professional high-speed camera.

As usual, the ordinary reference group went first, throwing darts at a large foam board 5 meters away, with speeds ranging roughly from 10 to 20 meters per second.

Since it was their first time throwing darts, Zheng Yuan’s girlfriend and roommates had great fun.

When Wu Fang and Chen Jue took their turns, the speed difference became obvious.

Both easily pierced the foam board at the back.

Moreover, their dart speeds, captured by the high-speed camera, were astonishingly fast!

Wu Fang, who had trained rope darts for years, threw at around 40 meters per second — nearly twice the speed of ordinary people.

Chen Jue was even more extreme. His dart emitted a sharp whistling sound as it flew, reaching an explosive speed of 65 meters per second!

Not only did it pierce the foam board, but the dart’s tip also embedded partially into the concrete wall behind.

Watching this, Zheng Yuan and the others shivered uncontrollably, exclaiming, “Holy crap! That’s insane!”

If that dart accidentally hit a person, what then?

Would it pierce right through on the spot?

“Amazing!”

“65 meters per second flight speed, nearly 235 kilometers per hour! Almost one-fifth the speed of a handgun bullet!”

“If the dart’s speed didn’t decay during flight, it would cross a 100-meter track in less than 2 seconds,” Zhou Chuan marveled. He increasingly saw Chen Jue as a rare subject of study.

As for Wu Fang, initially disappointed to see her lifelong rope dart skill easily surpassed, she quickly recalled Chen Jue’s needle-threading feat in a live stream and felt her loss was deserved.

Because in terms of dart throwing skill, the six standards recognized by Chinese martial arts were insufficient to contain Chen Jue’s level.

After reaching the “Perfection” stage in dart throwing, Chen Jue had surpassed even the Wu Ying and international Wu Ying levels; only the ancient founders of dart techniques might compare.

...

After spending the entire morning on tests, the group accepted Zheng Yuan’s invitation to Jiang University’s cafeteria for a private meal.

At the table, amid laughter and conversation, besides discussing Zheng Yuan’s quirky research, Chen Jue took the opportunity to ask Zhou Chuan several questions about the true strength of ancient people.

Since he had seen similar research on Zhou Chuan’s USB drive, he seized the chance to inquire.

Zhou Chuan, obviously well-versed in such seemingly obscure human data, eagerly opened up after Chen Jue mentioned doubts about legendary feats like Yue Fei drawing a 300-pound bow.

“According to my research, ancient people’s strength was not significantly greater than modern humans.”

“In my view, human strength differences arise mainly from region, ethnicity, and group, influenced by genetics, diet, climate, personal environment, and many other factors. There’s too much to cover, so let me analyze a few extraordinary historical examples.”

Zhou Chuan put down his chopsticks and began narrating: “Take Yue Fei, who at a young age could draw a 300-pound bow. Historical records don’t exaggerate this; it’s considered an average level.”

“Before him were two even stronger figures: Xiang Yu, the Western Chu Overlord during the Chu-Han Contention, famed for lifting a thousand-pound cauldron; and Xue Rengui, a Tang dynasty general known for his three arrows to secure Tianshan and pulling a seven-stone heavy bow.”

Everyone had heard of the story of Xiang Yu lifting the cauldron but regarded it as legend.

When Zhou Chuan mentioned Xue Rengui’s seven-stone bow, Zheng Yuan exclaimed: “Wow! Seven stones? One stone equals 120 pounds, so that’s 840 pounds!”

“Sounds like superhuman strength!”

“Like a superhero possessed!”

The private room erupted with amazement over these ancient mighty generals’ strength.

Chen Jue’s eyes glimmered too, recalling that even drawing a 110-pound Han bow in morning training exhausted him completely.

He couldn’t fathom how powerful Xue Rengui must have been to draw an 840-pound bow.

With such strength, charging into the enemy with any weapon would be like mowing down foes effortlessly.

Seeing the lively atmosphere, Zhou Chuan added: “After Qin Shi Huang unified the Six Kingdoms, standardization of measures and scripts was enforced, including weights and measures. However, these units changed with each dynasty.”

“For example, Xiang Yu’s era was the late Qin period, when one jin (市斤) equaled sixteen liang, and archaeological evidence shows the Qin and Western Han jin equaled about 258 grams today — roughly half a modern jin.”

“By this calculation, the thousand-pound cauldron Xiang Yu lifted would be about 516 modern pounds, or approximately 258 kilograms.”

“Similarly, Xue Rengui was born in the late Sui period and was a Tang general. At that time, one jin corresponded to 222 grams, so seven dan (stones) equaled about 186 kilograms.”

“Historical records also note that after firing three arrows from the seven-stone bow, Xue Rengui’s arms were injured, requiring months of rest, indicating such strength exertion caused significant physical damage.”

“Yue Fei’s 300-pound bow, using the Song dynasty jin of 600 grams, equals roughly 180 kilograms, comparable to Xue Rengui’s strength.”

“Moreover, these three ancient warriors all rose amid dynastic transitions and chaos. Historical records often use poetic license to exaggerate; countless such figures existed.”

Zhou Chuan resumed eating after his scientific explanation, while the others digested the information.

“The Qin era thousand-pound cauldron was only 258 kilograms?”

“But Yue Fei and Xue Rengui drawing 180-kilogram bows still sounds impressive!”

Zheng Yuan and his roommates discussed excitedly.

Chen Jue pondered deeply. At his current 110-pound bow draw, in the late Sui period, he would rank as a two-stone general, though still far below the likes of Yue Fei and Xue Rengui.

Seeing their admiration for ancient figures, Zhou Chuan, having taken a few bites, spoke again: “Currently, in foreign powerlifting circles, squats, deadlifts, and bench presses have surpassed 500 kilograms, making modern strength several times greater than these ancient warriors.”

“You just don’t know these obscure data, so you think ancient people were stronger.”

Update delivered!

I researched some materials to explain the exaggerated strength of ancient people.

Historical records mostly document facts, but often use poetic license to glorify, leaving later generations impressed yet confused.

P.S.: The latest bench press world record is 1,401 pounds, about 635.4 kilograms. Modern humans actually have higher strength ceilings than ancient people.

(End of chapter)