0137 A Second Breath!

"It actually triggered a synergy!"

"Is it because I emptied my mind while running?" Chen Jue looked at the notification popping up on his panel and continued to run, maintaining that strange state of mental void.

Relying on his own willpower and his physique attribute, which had surpassed 2.0, Chen Jue persisted in finishing the first 20 sets. Including the 200-meter intermittent jogs in between and the 2.5-kilometer weighted training from earlier, Chen Jue had accumulated 14,000 meters of running that afternoon.

This distance already exceeded a quarter of a marathon!

Most importantly, the "Fartlek" training method involves a mix of fast and slow running. Compared to the steady pace of a marathon, it is far more exhausting and effective for training, while also compressing the time required.

Just by finishing the first 20 sets, Chen Jue had already pushed past a physical limit, depleting his stamina entirely.

"Hoo... ha..."

"What kind of maniac invented this running method?"

"Running like this is truly exhausting," Chen Jue muttered to himself as he stepped off the track.

Unable to sit down, he slowly walked to his backpack and downed two bottles of supplements and electrolyte water.

...

After pacing back and forth on the rubber track for a full 20 minutes to rest, he noticed his stamina was recovering slowly, so he decided to allocate 0.03 points of free attributes to his [Physique].

Three waves of warmth surged through his body, slightly easing the tension and stiffness in his muscles. His nearly depleted energy also rebounded significantly.

His stamina rose from about 20% to roughly 60%, far from the 120% surge of excitement he felt when he first started the training with pre-workout supplements and an adrenaline rush.

"The toll of breaking through limits is still quite high! My current stamina couldn't even support the full 40 sets," Chen Jue thought to himself.

Just then, Zhang Xuete and his group stepped onto the track after finishing their sprints. Seeing them form a lead pack, Chen Jue instinctively followed behind them.

In professional middle-to-long distance running and marathons, this style of running is known as "drafting." As the name suggests, it involves following behind the lead runner to reduce energy consumption and preserve stamina for a powerful final sprint.

This technique is scientifically grounded. According to wind tunnel test data released by the Nike Sport Research Lab in 2016, the pacer in front acts as a windbreak for the runner behind.

That is why in marathons or 10,000-meter races, you often see groups of three or six runners working in formation. Only two of them are truly aiming for the gold, while the others act as teammates, providing support and playing the role of the "green leaves."

It is a clever tactical maneuver in competitive sports. Since Chen Jue’s stamina was severely depleted, he tucked in behind Zhang Xuete and the others.

However, his "Fartlek" run was designed with time constraints—the final 20 sets of 400 meters all had to be completed in under 70 seconds. Therefore, while drafting, Chen Jue carefully controlled his speed to avoid exceeding the time limit.

Fortunately, there was a 200-meter slow recovery interval after each 400-meter lap. Although his stamina was far from its peak, Chen Jue gritted his teeth and finished the next 10 sets.

As he drafted, his mind became increasingly void of thoughts. It felt remarkably like entering a state of "meditation" while in motion.

Distractions vanished. He could only hear his own breathing. The intense pounding of his heart gradually softened, his chest felt tight, and his limbs grew weaker, making it feel difficult to sustain the final 10 sets.

However, because his mind was clear of clutter, Chen Jue simply continued to move his arms and legs mechanically, striving to keep up with Zhang Xuete’s group.

Then, a miraculous scene occurred!

Just as his stamina was about to be completely exhausted, his drained body suddenly became vibrant and full of energy, as if his stamina bar had jumped back up from 0%!

At that moment, the panel popped up a notification:

***

[Ding!]

[By completing a second aerobic exercise that pushes past your limits in a short period, your body has entered the rare "second wind" state.]

[The metabolic system has re-established balance, the inertia of internal organs has been overcome, oxygen supply has increased, accumulated lactic acid has been cleared, the internal bodily environment has been significantly improved, and motor patterns have been restored.]

[Temporary Physique +0.20]

[Temporary Strength +0.15]

[Temporary Spirit +0.10]

***

With the growth of these temporary attributes, Chen Jue felt the sensation of "hitting the wall" instantly shatter!

Slowly, his stride frequency increased, his pace accelerated, his breathing became smoother, and his stamina distribution became more efficient. His sprint speed continued to improve after the 30th set.

It was as if he had broken through a "critical point," pushing his body into a second phase of explosive performance!

The 400-meter goal, previously set at under 70 seconds, was suddenly crushed to under 60 seconds.

One must remember, he had already run over 20,000 meters at this point!

Logically, his stamina should have been long gone, but this miraculous "second wind" allowed Chen Jue to experience a surge of vitality, enabling him to accelerate into a sprint during the latter half of the session.

In the end, he even overtook Zhang Xuete and the others in one final push!

"What the hell!"

"How many laps has the senior run?"

"He still has stamina?"

"He must be cheating!"

Zhang Xuete and the track-and-field students looked at each other in shock, gritting their teeth to keep up.

Chen Jue, however, only grew more ferocious. His 400-meter lap times compressed from the initial 70 seconds down to 50 seconds for the final lap, as he used his full power to complete the last few sets.

By the time he finished the final 20 sets and slowed down to a walk back toward the starting line, Zhang Xuete and the others were exhausted, panting like dogs as they stumbled across the finish line, completely burnt out by Chen Jue.

"Second wind, huh?"

"What a miraculous physiological state!"

"It feels even more powerful than an adrenaline rush." Chen Jue took a deep breath, steadying his rapid heartbeat.

He found that after entering the "second wind," he didn't feel exhausted at all as he continued to run. The feeling of hitting a wall was completely gone, and he even felt light and refreshed after finishing.

After drinking some electrolytes and supplements, he picked up his weighted gear and backpack to head toward the school gate. The panel suddenly flashed with a series of attribute gains:

***

[Ding!]

[Having completed a second-stage limit-pushing aerobic exercise, your bodily functions have broken through their original physiological limits. Your metabolic functions have been rebuilt, and your mental willpower has been significantly tempered. Your physiological functions will experience a substantial, leap-like growth once the "second wind" state fades.]

[Physique +0.03]

[Strength +0.02]

[Spirit +0.01]

[Free Attribute +0.02]

***

"That's insane!"

"Is this like one-shotting the final boss in a game and having the screen explode with loot chests?"

Watching the attribute notifications scroll by like a spam-filled chat, Chen Jue was dazzled.

However, such a massive increase in attributes did not significantly boost his stamina recovery. Once the temporary three-dimensional attributes faded, a sense of being completely hollowed out washed over him.

Chen Jue felt as if he had become "empty," retaining only his consciousness, while his body felt as if it no longer belonged to him. The transformation of his metabolic functions left him feeling strangely alienated from his own body.

"I feel like I could just discard this body!"

A ridiculous thought flickered through his mind. He stored his backpack and weighted gear at the security office at the gate of Jiang University, then hailed a taxi to the Tianyu Rehabilitation Center.

While he still had consciousness, he changed into clean clothes and entered the sports massage room, handing his body over to Master Liu for a massage.

Once he lay down on the massage table, he let his mind go blank and slipped into a remarkably strange state.

How to describe it?

Chen Jue knew he wasn't asleep, yet it felt as if he were.

He could clearly perceive someone working on his body, but he didn't want to move a muscle. He didn't even want to engage his thoughts, as if he had entered the state of a "vegetable."

Master Liu looked on in amazement, discovering that Chen Jue’s physical condition was even better than when he had last visited.

His muscles were full, his ligaments were supple, and his bones felt dense and sturdy. It was as if he had been reborn.

"What kind of training is this kid doing?"

"To be able to train himself into a state of unconsciousness!" Master Liu sighed in wonder, picking up a fascia blade to begin the massage and relaxation process.