Chapter 222: Maxing Out One Thousand Kilometers

Chapter 222: Completing the Thousand-Kilometer Milestone

By mid-November, the nights in Hangzhou were no longer merely cool, yet this chill could not deter the couples strolling through the sports field, especially those in the budding stages of romance who found such evenings particularly enchanting.

Are you cold?

Here, take my jacket.

Still cold?

Then give me your hand!

Perhaps the reason so many couples favor the track is simply because the name itself carries a certain charm.

The field was filled with pairs; solitary walkers were rare, and trios even rarer. On a night like this, Meng Fan was truly the only one running.

Shortly after entering the track, Meng Fan completed his half-marathon in one hour and fifty-nine minutes. Though the time from the studio was shorter, it was far from ideal, a result Meng Fan had forced under the two-hour mark only through the aid of energy gels and sports drinks.

With the half-marathon behind him, he needed three more kilometers to reach the one-thousand-kilometer mark required for the eighth stage of his progress. Meng Fan slowed his pace to six minutes per kilometer and continued.

"Ding!"

A chime resonated in his mind.

"Ding! Completed Stage Eight of [Peerless Traveler]; Reward: Points +1000, Stamina +2, Strength +2, Speed +2."

Meng Fan had experienced these attribute boosts during his runs several times before, but this time felt like an instant recovery, as if he had been restored to full health on the spot. It was exhilarating.

With his stamina, strength, and speed all enhanced, it was no exaggeration to say that Meng Fan could feel his meridians expanding and his muscles surging—much like the protagonists in novels who receive centuries of internal power in a single stroke of enlightenment.

He ran one more kilometer before finally coming to a halt.

Though he still had energy to spare, he decided against running further; his previous exertion had been too great, and he wouldn't be able to gauge the true impact of his new attributes while fatigued. Better to wait until tomorrow morning's run to experience the change fully.

Question: What does it feel like to run a thousand kilometers?

Answer: Aside from the sense of achievement in the accumulating numbers, it feels like nothing more than a habit. As for the physical changes, those had been deeply felt long before the milestone was reached.

"Senior Iron Tower."

After a lap to steady his breathing, Meng Fan began his stretches. Despite the protection of his high-tech running shoes and gear, he never dared to skip his cool-down routine. As he stretched, two girls approached.

One was beautiful; the other, by comparison, seemed rather ordinary.

The pretty one handed Meng Fan a bottle of water, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled shyly. "You've worked hard, Senior."

"I'm just running for myself, no hardship involved."

Seeing the girl still holding the water out, Meng Fan offered a polite word of thanks, took it, set it aside, and resumed stretching.

The girl asked with a look of pure admiration, "Senior, I've always wanted to take up running, but I can never stick with it. You're so amazing to be so consistent. Do you have any tips or secrets? I want to be as perseverant as you."

Meng Fan smiled at this and replied, "Wu Tong once said she didn't know what kind of 'me' she liked. Perhaps if I became the version of myself I liked best, the version I found most ideal, she might like me too. I don't know what that ideal version looks like, so I'm trying everything."

The girl froze for a moment, then offered an awkward but polite smile. "Sorry to bother you, Senior."

She turned and left with her friend. She had originally intended to ask for his WeChat.

Meng Fan chuckled and went back to his stretches.

Once finished, he returned to the dormitory.

"Zhou Yu isn't back yet?"

Only Xing Tage was in the room. Chen Daqiang was still at the studio; given his current workload, he was likely in for an all-nighter.

"Just got a call. Said they're watching a movie and will be back after. Who knows if they're really watching a movie or if they've found such delight in each other's company that they've lost track of time."

Xing Tage, who was applying a facial mask, asked curiously, "Why are you back today?"

"Just finished a run at school and came back to shower."

Meng Fan went to the bathroom to wash up. He had intended to spend the night, but seeing Xing Tage preparing to head out, he realized the room would be empty. He decided to head home instead.

He swiped a pack of masks from Xing Tage before leaving. Though he had the capacity to pull all-nighters, the recent strain was starting to show, and Meng Fan could feel his skin protesting. It was time to play the part of a refined young man and take care of himself.

Back home, Meng Fan checked the time and decided against streaming. He applied a mask and, while sketching his manga, initiated a voice call with Brother Kun.

"What's the status with the publisher?"

"Cover designs and everything are set. Printing starts tomorrow. You've been updating quite aggressively lately. What are you planning? At this rate, my script won't be able to keep up!"

"Don't give me excuses. What did we agree on? You still owe me at least five chapters in the coming week."

"Big brother, you're going to kill me!"

"Spend less time browsing the forums and you'll have all the time you need."

"...By the way, are you planning to launch an original manga? Is that why you're accelerating the updates for 'Spirits Beneath the Earth'? Even so, you should be building a buffer, why release them all?"

"Are you worried my original work will affect the updates for 'Spirits'? Or is it because you know your script can't keep up, and I have nothing else to draw?"

"Ah? Is that so? Hahaha, let's not talk about such unpleasant things. Tell me about your original work? I might not have much, but I can certainly offer some advice on storytelling."

"...You're certainly enthusiastic about everything except your own writing schedule!"

Meng Fan grumbled, but he was still willing to share his ideas with Brother Kun.

Despite his tendency to slack off, Brother Kun was a gifted storyteller. Moreover, he had some expertise in the areas Meng Fan's new manga touched upon, such as the mystical arts of the Xuanmen, which Brother Kun had researched extensively for his own work.

Though they hadn't met often, Meng Fan trusted him and was happy to bounce ideas off him.

As for plagiarism? Setting aside his character and the fact that his family was wealthy enough not to need it, the most crucial point was that Brother Kun was too lazy to even write his own ideas—he would never bother stealing someone else's.

As he drew, they talked, and gradually the dynamic shifted: Meng Fan drew, and Brother Kun narrated. He rambled on about knowledge points, strange anecdotes, and wild theories. Once he grasped the gist of Meng Fan's vision, he became completely self-absorbed, lost in the world he was building based on Meng Fan's concepts.

He chattered for over two hours without pause. While it was exhausting, Meng Fan actually benefited quite a bit. He even recorded the conversation, knowing there were nuggets of information he would need to organize and research later.

"By the way, have you finished today's update?"

Sensing Brother Kun was starting to ramble nonsense, Meng Fan played his trump card: the demand for updates. It worked every time.

Just then, Wu Tong sent a voice message.

He stayed up until two, and the next morning, he left his complex, planning to run to the West Lake scenic area and back to complete a half-marathon, eager to test his physical limits with his newfound attributes.