The Devilish Routine Training

As the coach of the Jiang University track and field team, Li Rui had always possessed a keen sensitivity to athletic data. Upon hearing that Chen Jue, merely an amateur, could throw a javelin at such a high level, Li Rui’s brows furrowed and his expression grew serious. “Chen, you and Fang saved Hao Hao, and I haven’t even had the chance to thank you yet,” he said.

“Since you’ve come to me on your own initiative, I’ll make time to help you plan out your training schedule. But I have a practical training class soon. If you’re free, you can join the second-year PE students for their session, and afterward, I’ll conduct a series of physical fitness tests on you. We can't just make training plans blindly; we need scientific data as a foundation.”

Seeing Li Rui agree to his request, Chen Jue was delighted. Blindly experimenting based on the panel without systematic professional guidance was a recipe for trouble. Especially when Li Rui had just mentioned injuries like muscle adhesions, knots, and soft tissue edema during the sports massage class—ailments and aftereffects that Chen had never heard of.

These topics touched upon sports medicine and massage courses, areas that were outside Chen’s knowledge. Humans are not born knowing everything, and even with the panel’s assistance, knowledge he had never encountered wouldn’t simply materialize.

Moreover, Chen felt that his recent high-intensity, high-load training likely had left some hidden injuries or accumulated aftereffects. But lacking understanding, professional medical equipment, or practical experience, he couldn’t detect them. If neglected over time, these minor injuries would accumulate and eventually erupt into major issues—what form they might take, Chen couldn’t even guess.

Only through scientific training plans, professional guidance, and massage stretching could he hope to avoid these injuries.

...

Walking and chatting with Li Rui, they soon arrived at the track. With only minutes to go before class, a group of robust second-year PE students began gathering on the track. Li Rui took out a metal whistle, blew it, and assembled the students into lines.

Apparently, it had been some time since they’d seen Coach Li; the group erupted in welcoming cheers and applause. Chen Jue placed his large backpack aside and quietly slipped into the rear of the lineup amid curious glances.

“Alright!” Li Rui called out. “Stop staring! This is a senior auditing the class. It’s been a while since you’ve been drilled. This afternoon’s practical training will proceed as usual—physical and flexibility exercises.”

After assigning tasks, Li Rui blew his whistle, and the forty-odd PE students began warming up in formation. They rotated wrists, ankles, knees, hips, and neck—those delicate joints—warming up for about five minutes before the entire group started jogging around the track.

For Chen Jue, this was his first time in such a practical training class. It felt novel, almost like being back in high school PE.

“Finally, the PE teacher isn’t absent!” Chen Jue mused.

But university-level PE was evidently far more intense than high school. Take this jogging, for instance: after two laps of 400 meters, Chen saw no sign the group would stop.

Back in high school, after a single lap, someone would surely complain about needing the restroom or feeling unwell.

“Hey, how long are we supposed to jog?” Chen Jue asked the nearest tall student, seeing Li Rui busy marking the attendance sheet and showing no signs of stopping.

“This is endurance training. We run until we can’t run anymore,” the tall student replied with a wry smile.

Jogging might seem simple, but for PE majors, it was akin to a fascia knife—one of the top ten tortures of training.

“Until we can’t run anymore? Do you do this every day?” Chen Jue asked, intrigued.

“Not every day. Monday through Saturday, morning and afternoon sessions. Each half-day we train something different, with Sunday as rest,” the tall student said quietly.

Chen Jue was moved. Since acquiring the panel, he’d lived with regular routines from dawn to dusk, thinking he trained plenty. Yet these twenty-something university students trained even harder.

And they varied their routines every half-day. No wonder they looked so strong and energetic, able to jog several kilometers without even panting!

“I guess I’ll have to work even harder!” Chen Jue silently encouraged himself. If he lost to these students despite his panel, wouldn’t that shame all the ‘cheating’ and ‘transmigrator’ types?

...

A standard modern track is a 4x100 meter, nine-lane circuit, but jogging for warm-up didn’t require sticking to lanes. Most students hugged the innermost lane to save energy.

After about five laps—around two kilometers—some began to slow down. Since the group trained in different specialties and physical abilities varied between men and women, the differences became more pronounced the longer they ran.

...

First, the field event students began to drop out, followed by those specializing in explosive events like the 100-meter sprint, swimming, high jump, and long jump. Those who could last over ten laps were mostly endurance runners or athletes in endurance-based ball sports.

As for Chen Jue, after chatting with the tall student, he closed his mouth and kept pace with the lead group, gradually accelerating. He was amazed at the stamina of the long-distance runners—they still had energy after ten laps.

If Li Rui hadn’t shouted from the sidelines, “Slow down, pace yourselves!” deliberately restraining their speed, the lead group’s tall athletes might have taken off.

“Over five thousand meters, and Chen hasn’t dropped out? Is his stamina really this good?” Li Rui, marking times for those who dropped out, glanced at the still-running group and was surprised to see Chen Jue persisting.

This was far beyond Li Rui’s expectations. An average person, untrained, would be gasping halfway around the track. Even professional athletes, unless trained in long distance, couldn’t run five kilometers nonstop.

The jogging group kept going. When only three remained, Chen Jue was still hanging on, adjusting his breathing and stride behind the three tall students.

He refused to believe it! With his “Constitution” raised to 1.58, how could he lose to these unenhanced PE students?

This scene left not only Li Rui startled, but also the other students who’d withdrawn and were stretching—they were amazed.

“This senior is incredible! Such stamina!”

“He can keep up with Zhao Guang and the other two monsters!”

“They specialize in the 10,000 meters and marathon!”

“Did you count their laps? How many have they run?”

“No idea! Must be close to twenty, right?”

Those watching calculated and felt their teeth ache. Twenty laps of 400 meters without stopping—a feat that would terrify even the specially recruited PE students.

...

When the 35-minute jog ended, Li Rui blew his whistle, signaling the four remaining runners to stop. Chen Jue slowed his pace with the others.

As he transitioned out of jogging, his legs felt stiff and heavy. Walking to Li Rui, his ears were ringing. His lips were dry, saliva kept flowing, and his heart thumped wildly, almost bursting from his chest. He tried to empty his mind, hearing only Li Rui’s reminder: “Keep breathing deeply! Don’t sit down!”

At this moment, the panel popped up with a prompt:

———

[Ding~]

[You have completed an aerobic exercise that exceeded your physical limits. Your stamina has been depleted, your leg muscles have undergone intense training, your muscle and ligament elasticity has increased, and your muscular endurance has been significantly improved.]

[Rhythmic breathing engaged your organs in high-intensity metabolic circulation, strengthening your respiratory system.]

[Your focus remained unwavering throughout the exercise, increasing your willpower.]

[Strength attribute +0.02]

[Constitution attribute +0.01]

[Mental attribute +0.01]

[Free attribute +0.01]

———

“Breathe~”

“The gains from long-distance jogging are enormous!” Chen Jue braced his legs, forcibly resisting the urge to sit. Seeing the panel’s string of prompts, he felt that training with Li Rui was truly worthwhile.

In less than an hour, he’d gained a total of 0.05 attribute points—the highest intensity, and most rewarding session since obtaining the panel.

...

“Exceeding physical limits?” Chen Jue took a deep breath, quietly memorizing this newly appeared phrase.

...

After wandering and recovering for nearly five minutes, Chen Jue spent 0.03 free attribute points to boost his “Constitution.” Riding the pleasant warmth coursing through his body, he finally emerged from the strange sensation of not recognizing his own body.

His heartbeat calmed, breathing smoothed, legs loosened, and he gulped down the glucose sports drink handed by Li Rui.

The three lead runners, seeing this unfamiliar face keep pace for thirty-five minutes, secretly gave him a thumbs-up—a small sign of respect. Among these performance-driven PE students, physical prowess always earned admiration.

Chen Jue smiled in return, and once recovered, rejoined the training lineup.

It’s no wonder those admitted to Jiang University were top students. Even the specially recruited PE majors hid considerable strength.

Jogging plus flexibility training for thirty-five minutes, followed by eight sets of 40-meter curve sprints. Then came three sets of 400-meter variable speed runs, three sets of 20-meter lunges, and only as class ended were they allowed to sit and stretch.

Having endured this devilish training session, Chen Jue finally understood why he’d failed to gain admission to a top university after his college entrance exams. It wasn’t just academic ability; a major reason was lacking the perseverance of these PE students.

Because what seemed like torture was merely their routine.

...

When class ended, the PE students dispersed. Track athletes continued training, others headed to their respective facilities. Li Rui, teacher and coach, watched Chen Jue with shining eyes, scrutinizing him closely.

He hadn’t expected this outsider to endure such high-intensity practical training, performing as well as the professionals. Truly, a self-proclaimed sports enthusiast!

“Chen, after a session like this, any thoughts?” Li Rui patted his shoulder.

“The students are amazing! I still have a lot of work to do!” Chen Jue smiled, opening another bottle of water.

He noticed that nearly 8,000 meters of jogging not only triggered explosive attribute growth, but also increased his drinking frequency, evidence of accelerated metabolism and the need for water and electrolytes.

“By the way, Mr. Li, why did my ears ring when I stopped after twenty laps?” Chen Jue asked curiously.

“Ringing is due to accelerated blood circulation after intense exercise, causing congestion in the eardrums. You might also feel dizzy, since most oxygen intake is metabolized by the muscles, reducing oxygen supply to the head. You must rest at such times,” Li Rui explained, then told Chen Jue to keep hydrating and rest for half an hour.

Li Rui wandered the track, offering guidance to other students. After Chen Jue finished resting, regained his stamina, and started warming up again near the track, Li Rui blew his whistle and signaled him to return.

“Recovered?” Li Rui asked.

Chen Jue nodded. “Pretty much back to normal.”

During the half-hour rest, he’d allocated another 0.02 points to “Constitution.” He’d spent most of his saved 0.10 free attribute points in one afternoon, making him more respectful of professional athletic training.

“As you saw, the practical training session seemed intense, but for athletes it’s basic warm-up. The long-distance jog provided enough stamina data. Now I’ll test a few smaller events to assess your professional skill level and explosive power, so I can create a targeted training plan.” Li Rui explained as he led Chen Jue to the starting line for the hundred meters.

First update~

My cough has mostly subsided, but lately I’ve had inexplicable diarrhea—makes me suspect I’ve caught the popular flu, since the symptoms match. The virus hit hard, causing havoc while I was weak. Take care, everyone!

Thankfully, my strength is back, so I can finally resume regular updates.

(End of chapter)