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Midnight, 12 o'clock.
For most creatures in the city, this is a time of silence and rest. But deep within the "Strength and Beauty 24-Hour Self-Service Gym," in the core Free Strength Zone, a sacred ritual has just reached its climax.
"Clang... clang..."
The heavy, rhythmic clanging of metal, like the war drums of an ancient tribe during a ritual, echoed through the empty gym. The source of the sound was a man bathed in the glow of a spotlight—Xiang Lie.
He was bare-chested, his bronze-colored skin glistening with sweat. Each droplet of sweat seemed to have a life of its own, winding its way down his chiseled muscles before disappearing into the deep shadows of his abdominal muscles. The light fell perfectly on his back, outlining his majestic latissimus dorsi, rhomboid muscles, and posterior deltoids like a rolling mountain range.
And the peak of this mountain range was the trapezius muscle he was currently "worshipping" with devotion.
A custom-made leather headpiece, resembling some medieval torture device, is securely fastened to his head. Chains extending from either side of the headpiece hang four heavy weight plates. With each shrug, the total weight of eighty kilograms clangs loudly, as if providing the most solemn accompaniment to this ritual.
"Huff... puff..."
Xiang Lie's breathing was as heavy as an old bellows. With each shrug, the two muscles on either side of his neck would instantly swell with blood, expanding to an alarming degree, with veins bulging like coiled dragons, trembling slightly. This was not due to exhaustion, but rather a scream emitted by muscle fibers on the brink of pain and satisfaction in an extreme state.
"Hey, Lie Ge... you should stop now."
A lazy voice came from the bench press next to him. Gao Fei, Xiang Lie's only and last remaining workout partner, was idly scrolling through his phone, too lazy to even lift his head. "My girlfriend has messaged me three times, asking when I'm coming back. I can't exactly tell her my brother is performing some new ascension ritual at the gym, can I?"
Xiang Lie ignored him. With his eyes closed, his entire focus was on every contraction and relaxation of his trapezius muscles. He could feel the lactic acid building up, the familiar, searing pain tearing through him. To him, this pain was the most beautiful symphony in the world.
"Last three…" he managed to squeeze out a few words through clenched teeth.
"Ninety-eight… Huh!"
"Ninety-nine… Ha!"
"One hundred! Ahhhhh—!"
With a long-suppressed growl, Xiang Lie completed his final set of shrugs. He slowly removed the "torture device" from his head, and the heavy weight plates clattered onto the rubber mat, emitting a dull thud.
He exhaled deeply, the hot breath condensing into a puff of white mist in the cool air. He walked to the large full-length mirror and examined his "creation."
The man in the mirror stood 185 centimeters tall, weighed a steady 90 kilograms, and had an astonishingly low body fat percentage. But what was most striking were his two trapezius muscles, seamlessly connected to his shoulders and towering upward. They were so majestic and full that they made his neck appear shorter, creating a silhouette that exuded an overwhelming sense of power and dominance.
Gao Fei finally put down his phone, looked at Xiang Lie admiring himself in the mirror with a helpless expression, and teased, "Bro, I'm asking you sincerely, are you training your neck, or conducting some kind of inhumane species evolution experiment? Do normal people's trapezius muscles look like yours? Yours are almost as high as your shoulders."
Xiang Lie slowly turned his head, his eyes carrying a profound and compassionate gaze that seemed to pierce through the mundane world, like a philosopher who had been in seclusion for years, looking at an uncultivated mortal.
He wiped the sweat off his chest with a towel and said in a deep voice, "Gao Fei, you don't understand."
"I don't understand? I understand too well! I understand that if you keep training like this, the doctor won't know what to write in the cervical spine curvature section of your physical exam report!" Gao Fei sat up and gestured, "Look at you now. Wearing a round-neck T-shirt, it looks like you have no neck. Is that handsome? No, it's not handsome! It's deformed!"
Xiang Lie shook his finger, his face wearing an expression that said, "This one is beyond teaching." He walked up to Gao Fei, looking down at him from above, and began his weekly "muscle gospel" sermon in a preachy tone.
"You're wrong, completely wrong." Xiang Lie pointed to his temple, then to his heart, "Do you think I'm just training my muscles?"
Gao Fei rolled his eyes: "Then what? Your brain?"
"What I train is philosophy!" Xiang Lie's voice was not loud, but it carried an air of unquestionable authority. "Look at this muscle—it's called the trapezius muscle. It's the bridge connecting our skull to our torso, the hub that bears both thought and strength! Tell me, where does a person's soul reside?"
"...The brain?" Gao Fei answered tentatively.
"Superficial!" Xiang Lie waved his hand in frustration, "The brain is merely the soul's office! But the trapezius muscle, Gao Fei, listen carefully—the trapezius muscle is the ultimate throne that bears the soul and will!"
Gao Fei's mouth formed an "O" shape; he felt his worldview being forcefully invaded by an extremely outlandish theory.
Xiang Lie didn't give him time to react, continuing his speech with eyes gleaming with fervor: "Think about it! When we bear heavy burdens, where does the pressure fall? On the shoulders, on the trapezius muscles! When we hold our heads high and face challenges, which muscle supports our skull? Still the trapezius muscles! If a person's trapezius muscles are weak, their soul is like sitting on a precarious haystack—a single breeze could scatter their will! Their spirit will never truly stand tall!"
He pointed to his own trapezius muscles, gleaming under the lights, his tone growing more passionate: When your trapezius muscles are sufficiently majestic and sturdy, like two unshakable mountains, your soul gains the most solid foundation! Your thoughts can roam freely without restraint, and your will can truly reign supreme! This is the true essence of strength! This is the ultimate philosophy of fitness!"
The gym fell into complete silence, with only the hum of the air conditioner breaking the stillness.
Gao Fei stared blankly at Xiang Lie, remaining silent for a full ten seconds. He seemed to be struggling to process this shocking "Throne Theory," or perhaps contemplating whether he should take his brother to see a psychiatrist.
Finally, he sighed deeply, completely giving up on trying to have a normal conversation with Xiang Lie.
He stood up, patted Xiang Lie's rock-solid shoulder, and spoke in a tone of unprecedented sincerity: "Brother, I won't say anything else. I'll just remind you of one thing."
Xiang Lie thought his philosophy had finally swayed his dear friend and smiled with relief: "Go ahead."
"If you keep training like this," Gao Fei said seriously, pointing at Xiang Lie's neck, "you'll have to buy T-shirts two sizes bigger, and the back neckline will need to be specially tailored with a slit, otherwise it'll choke you! Do you even know what everyday fashion is? No matter how impressive your 'throne' is, you still have to wear clothes, right? Do you really want your noble soul to be choked by the cotton collar of a Uniqlo T-shirt every day?!"
After saying that, he ignored Xiang Lie, who was still standing there in shock, picked up his jacket, whistled, and walked toward the changing room without looking back.
Xiang Lie stood there dumbfounded, looking down at his muscular chest, then reaching out to touch his proud "throne."
"Make a slit..." he muttered to himself, furrowing his brows in deep thought.
A few seconds later, he seemed to have figured something out, and a look of sudden realization spread across his face.
"I get it!" he exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "This is the next form of the 'throne'—to accommodate a more powerful soul, we must break free from the constraints of mundane clothing! Gao Fei, you're truly my kindred spirit, using this method to awaken me!"
He shouted excitedly toward the locker room: "Thank you, Gao Fei! I've figured it out! I'll add another set right now, for the Throne that breaks free from constraints!"
From the changing room came Gao Fei's despairing wail: "Damn it! Don't come over here—!"
However, Xiang Lie had already put on his "torture device" once more, and in the clanging of sacred hymns, he began a new round of cultivation. In the mirror, his face was radiant with the happy and pure smile of a seeker of truth.
That night, no one knew that as Xiang Lie疯狂 pursued the "throne" of the soul, a dim star in the sky of this city was quietly falling.
[Weapon Girl: Mo]: Guys, new book, please follow and read~, please stick around!