Training underwater is by no means an easy task.
With the water’s resistance and pressure present, it adds an extra challenge to the body, increasing the difficulty of training.
Moreover, the deeper one dives, the difficulty increases exponentially.
It’s not just the water pressure one has to overcome; there is also the lack of oxygen, claustrophobia, and the dangers posed by undercurrents.
The training regimen for divers includes carrying weight blocks, descending rapidly with the help of a guide rope, and climbing back up for practice.
What Fang Cheng intended to do was not that simple.
He planned to dive into deeper waters and use this high-pressure environment to carry out regular physical training as if he were on land.
That is, to undergo "Prisoner’s Six Arts" training at the bottom of the sea.
The cape cleaves the waves and towers high.
Below, the surging surf smashes against the rocks, shattering into smithereens.
Then, it hurtles back with renewed force, a cycle that never ceases for a moment.
A flock of seabirds circled near the cape, sometimes skimming over the water surface, sometimes soaring high in the blue sky.
Their "Oo-oo" calls interweave with the roaring waves, composing a symphony.
Standing on the cliff top, one can overlook the entire glittering bay and feel the sheer strength harbored by the ocean.
An inexplicable emotion welled up in Fang Cheng as he gazed down at the surging waves at the base of the cape.
The world record for high diving is about 50 meters.
And the height of this cape above the water’s surface is estimated to be at least a hundred meters or more.
Jumping from such a height, plunging into the water at nearly two hundred kilometers per hour.
For ordinary people, this would hardly be different from smashing directly onto a concrete surface.
Even transcendent individuals would need tremendous courage to make such a leap.
"Those monsters can do it; I can do the same!"
Fang Cheng muttered under his breath. His eyes became incredibly determined after making his decision.
Then he stripped off his clothes, pants, shoes, and glasses and hid them under a rock.
He walked to the edge of the cliff, took several deep breaths to adjust his physical condition.
Then he stepped forward with his right foot and gently kicked with his left, propelling himself out like an arrow off its bowstring.
Leaping several meters from the cliff, the sea breeze blew head-on, seeming to gently lift his body.
In this weightless sensation, Fang Cheng adjusted his posture with his eyes fixed on the sea surface.
Soon, his body, propelled by the jump, began to plummet rapidly under the force of gravity.
The wind whistled into his ears incessantly as if the whole world were tipping downwards.
A flock of startled seagulls fluttered past him.
The speed of the free fall grew faster and faster.
He was nearly at the sea surface.
Fang Cheng’s muscles tensed, and he promptly twisted his torso to execute a series of somersaults.
After a slight hang-time to ease his descent’s speed, he dived in a perfect form, as a professional diver, into the rippling blue waters.
Amid the splashing of water, his body rapidly sank into the sea.
The sounds of the outside world were completely cut off, replaced by a series of bubbling noises.
With his mouth shut, Fang Cheng opened his eyes and took in the underwater scenery, acclimating to the new environment of being fully encased in water.
Then he looked down at the grey and white pebbles that became visible on the ocean floor.
He moved his arms, utilizing his muscle strength to position himself in the water and dove deeper.
Sunlight filtered through the water’s surface, casting a shining aquatic hue on the seabed.
Fang Cheng’s feet paddled, nimble as flippers, as he continued to dive deeper.
It was like passing through a barrier into a familiar yet strange, fantastic world.
Colorful schools of fish swam past, fluttering, and producing gurgling bubble sounds.
Below, swathes of anemones swayed their soft tentacles as if to welcome a new companion.
Everything around him created an atmosphere of tranquility and mystery.
As he went deeper, the pressure rose, and the oxygen level rapidly decreased.
The surrounding life forms gradually diminished, giving way to utter silence.
At a depth of about ten meters or so.
Fang Cheng’s feet were now touching the sandy pebbles of the ocean floor, stirring up a haze of grey-white mist.
For an ordinary person under no-equipment conditions, reaching this depth would mean almost depleting the oxygen in their lungs.
They wouldn’t be able to hold on for long before needing to resurface for fresh air.
But Fang Cheng held his breath with ease.
First, he moved his limbs leisurely, feeling the resistance posed by the sea water.
Then he bent down, lying prone on the ocean floor dusted with volcanic ash and fine sand, and started practicing the first form of the "Prisoner’s Six Arts."
Bending the arms and elbows, chest touching the ground.
Straightening the arms and elbows, lifting the chest and back.
The water enveloping his body felt awkwardly bulky.
Every move was somewhat sluggish, as though in slow motion.
Because in resisting the water’s push, muscles had to bear an extra load and exert more effort.
The pressure at ten meters deep should be about 2 atmospheres.
That is, every square centimeter would experience approximately 9.8 to 10 kilograms of pressure.
Under such conditions, even the most ordinary land-based exercises become akin to performing extreme strength training with an ultra-heavy load.
Fang Cheng, prone on the ocean floor, continued with his push-ups.
After nearly two minutes, when he reached his 35th push-up.
A prompt message immediately floated before his eyes in the water.
[Push-up Experience +1]
In the stirred-up grey-white mist, a few hermit crabs emerged from the surrounding sand and swiftly drifted away.