The Way of Restraint

Chapter 178: Limit Records: Various Tests to Break Them

Whoosh!

9.65 seconds.

Another number appeared on the screen.

This was Su Jie’s 100-meter sprint record.

However, Su Jie still wasn’t using his full strength. He was gradually familiarizing himself with the track and the power generation for the sprint, aiming to unleash his maximum power.

Sprinting, though simple—just sprinting forward like crazy—is like a hoe; it involves many techniques. For example, the power build-up before the start, pressing the hands to the ground, and pushing off with the feet to maximize the elasticity, propelling the runner forward like a bullet at the moment of impact.

Besides that, during the intense run, how to breathe, how to swing the arms, and how to land and propel the feet forward are all crucial.

Every single detail is an art.

This is true kinematics; to master it scientifically is no less difficult than hoeing.

The simplest things are also the most complex.

Even improving the human limit by 0.01 seconds is extremely difficult.

 Su Jie’s mind meticulously calculated how to maintain balance, reduce air resistance, and maximize acceleration while running.

He was conducting an experiment.

Even with his current exceptional physical abilities, he needed to master sprinting techniques first.

“Currently, the average 100-meter sprint time for national team athletes in China is around 10.2 seconds. Reaching 9.9 seconds would be equivalent to surpassing world-class levels. Sprinting is a weak point in Chinese sports, and my current performance is astonishing. But it’s meaningless. I don’t want to become a sprinting champion. No matter how many accolades an athlete has, they can’t compete with Haoyu.” Su Jie knew he was just conducting an experiment.

However, practicing explosive sprinting would also greatly benefit his martial arts skills.

His “magic steps” were already mastered, and his control over balance was unparalleled. After several hours of experimentation, he had mastered all the techniques of sprinting, just like a professional athlete who had practiced for years.

 At this moment, he focused all his energy, adjusting his condition to its peak, and sprinted with all his might to see where his limits were and whether he could break the world record.

Uncle Mang and Gu Yang watched nervously.

These two were highly skilled in martial arts, but in a sprint, they would certainly be inferior to world-class sprinters, perhaps even far behind. Combat and sprinting are two completely different things.

Even the world’s top combat athletes would find it difficult to achieve good results in sprinting; as the saying goes, everyone has their own specialty.

But Uncle Mang and Gu Yang were still filled with anticipation deep down, not for any other reason than that Su Jie was a “living dead,” possessing an astonishing level of mental fortitude, a miracle among miracles, an ancient grandmaster, a towering figure.

Su Jie crouched down, his entire being resembling a cheetah.

The sprint start involved both hands pressing to the ground, using all his strength to propel himself forward, much like a cheetah hunting its prey.

A cheetah is much faster than a human; its 100-meter dash time is about 5-6 seconds, of course, that’s on rugged grasslands. On a sprint track, its speed would likely be even greater.  When Su Jie began learning the “Magic Step,” videos showed various animals hunting their prey, displaying an explosive burst of speed from stillness to motion—something animals far surpassed humans in.

This was because these were genes honed over millennia of evolution; slow predation meant starvation.

Humans, no longer needing to hunt, had gradually lost this explosive power.

This is the theory of evolutionary biology.

The various training exercises in the Magic Step, mimicking the mental fortitude of animal predation, were essentially aimed at activating the same predatory genes found in ancient humans and wild beasts, maximizing explosive speed.

These theories and mental training methods were unique to the Typhon Training Camp.

Su Jie was certain that even without performance-enhancing drugs, some of the top athletes at the Typhon Training Camp could definitely break world records in sprinting.

Completely still.

Su Jie had only one thought: to sprint. His entire body, like a powder keg, suddenly exploded!

Boom!  Su Jie, like a cheetah, darted forward in an instant, leaving only a gust of wind and a shadow before reaching the finish line.

Beep beep beep…

A data point appeared on the computer screen:

9.51!

“Good!” Uncle Mang clenched his fist upon hearing the count. “Just as I expected! You broke the world record! Although it’s only improved by 0.07 seconds, it’s still a huge breakthrough.”

“I feel I can run even faster; my physical abilities haven’t reached their limit yet,” Su Jie said. “My sprint training isn’t enough. At the moment of exertion, I haven’t reached that true state of complete absorption, that single-minded pursuit of speed. And I also have to guard against injury; my limit isn’t there.”

During the run, Su Jie dared not accelerate further. He precisely calculated that if he accelerated any further, he might get injured, causing a tear—why risk that?

 “That’s right. An American bioengineer, through computer simulations, showed that the human 100-meter limit is 9.4 seconds. If this speed is exceeded, the pressure on the femur will be more than four times the body weight, causing fractures. Simultaneously, various trace elements in the body will change, leading to dizziness and other symptoms, making it impossible to complete the race. But this is just theory; in reality, with time, human limits can be improved and this theory can be broken.” Uncle Mang said, “I will combine your sprint data with various other physical data for further research. This is real data. Okay, now let’s do the weightlifting test.”

As he spoke, Uncle Mang led Su Jie to a secret weightlifting testing training room.

He pointed to the weightlifting equipment and said, “You belong to the 85 kg weight class. Currently, the world records for this weight class are 187 kg in the snatch and 218 kg in the clean and jerk. For those over 105 kg, the world records are 214 kg in the snatch and 264 kg in the clean and jerk. Why don’t you try the world records for your weight class first?”

“Sure.” Su Jie walked to the weightlifting equipment and began to try.

Weightlifting also has techniques.

 He first strapped on a weightlifting belt, tightly binding his waist.

Because if the weight was too heavy, it could crush or even break his lumbar spine.

Many weightlifters have suffered injuries, even life-threatening ones. This extreme running and weightlifting is actually extremely dangerous, even more so than combat sports.

Whoosh!

He immediately began the snatch, easily breaking his own world record for that weight.

The clean and jerk was similar.

The greater the weight, the greater the strength—this is an indisputable scientific theory.

Having found that the world record for the 85kg weight class was nothing special, Su Jie began to challenge the real world record.

He set up the weights: one for 214kg and the other for 264kg for the clean and jerk.

He tried it out, gripping the weights with both hands and slowly lifting.

While lifting, he felt the pressure on his entire body, the force each muscle and bone could withstand, and the coordination of his body; his brain was calculating everything meticulously.

 His advantage over athletes lies in his brain’s ability to sense the limits of various organs, much like a computer.

After trying for half an hour, Su Jie suddenly grabbed the 214 kg equipment with both hands and lifted it, holding the position for a full ten seconds before putting it down. He then performed the clean and jerk, without resting during the process.

Wow!

He cleaned and jerked 264 kg, seemingly not reaching his limit.

 “Good, you’ve tied the world record.” Gu Yang nodded. “You seem to still have some energy left?”

“The world record for weightlifting should be even higher. This record is from the Olympics, and there are also tests from some strongman competitions. Those strongmen are over two meters tall and weigh over 300 kilograms. They don’t qualify for the Olympics, but their strength is indeed great; it’s just that their data isn’t included in the official records,” Uncle Mang said. “However, there’s no need to try any further. Your speed and strength are simply terrifying. What’s even more terrifying is that even international sprinters wouldn’t have the energy for another burst after a sprint, but you still can. This surpasses them in terms of recovery and endurance. Next, we’ll test your grip strength.”

Grip strength is the combined strength of a person’s five fingers, and it’s very useful in grappling and combat.

There are specialized grip strength testing devices.

“The current world record for grip strength is 195 kilograms, set by a strong man who is two meters tall and weighs 150 kilograms. You try it.” Uncle Mang took out a grip strength tester.

 After Su Jie gripped it, he took a deep breath and suddenly let out a roar like a dragon and a tiger, using the “Thirteen Protectors Qigong.”

Beep beep beep…

A data point appeared on the hand gripper.

223 kilograms!

 “This kind of power, if used to seize a person, would probably crush their bones.” Gu Yang clicked his tongue in admiration. “The Living Dead realm is too strong. Can mental fortitude really enhance a person’s physical abilities to this extent?”

“I’ve now obtained some secret information,” Uncle Mang said. “It was released by the Typhon Training Camp through special channels. It’s said that after reaching the Living Dead realm, physical abilities will experience explosive breakthroughs within three to five years, and the younger the age, the faster the growth. In other words, in three to five years, Su Jie’s strength and speed will be incomparable to what they are now.”

“Our old principal also had extremely high mental fortitude and spiritual realm, but because he entered this realm very late, after the period of rapid growth had passed, he probably entered the Living Dead realm after the age of forty. Therefore, his growth was limited. What a pity…” Gu Yang still shook his head somewhat.

“What’s wrong?” Su Jie asked.

“If you had entered the Living Dead realm at the age of 15, you would be unimaginably powerful now. 15-18 years old is the most crucial period of physical development into adulthood,” Gu Yang said.  

“Why don’t you say that someone who reaches the realm of the living dead before losing their baby teeth at age seven would be even stronger?” Uncle Mang laughed. “If such a person existed, they would be a true superhuman.”

“I’m just saying that during adolescence and childhood, a person’s mind is not mature enough to comprehend life and death,” Gu Yang said. “It seems there’s a scientific basis for the legal age of 18, but miracles always happen in this world. There are quite a few precocious children; perhaps such people really do exist.”

“Anyway, I haven’t seen one,” Uncle Mang shook his head.

Hearing this discussion, Su Jie suddenly thought of Odell. Was he searching everywhere for such a child to raise?

He wondered if he had found one yet.