Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

Chapter 320 - 138: Rock Climbing Master Li Younan (Part 1)

The gym’s lights shone on the artificial climbing wall, where a few students were craning their necks, studying the newly set route.

"This starting point is so hard..." the girl in the red tracksuit mumbled. It was her third time sliding off the wall.

Ling Feng put down his water bottle and walked over.

When his fingertips touched the smooth hold, Ling Feng couldn’t help but smile.

As he leapt, his right foot accurately hit the coin-sized protrusion on the wall, his body stretching upwards.

Everyone looked at him with a mix of surprise and admiration.

For the most difficult dynamic section, Ling Feng did something unexpected: he used his knee to gently press against the wall to maintain balance and quickly reached past the conventional hold with his right hand, directly grabbing a higher support point.

The feel of the resin material digging into his palm gave him reassurance.

After landing, the girl in the red outfit was the first to speak: "How did you come up with using your knee for balance?"

"I saw a similar route at last year’s nationals." Ling Feng pulled off his chalk bag, white dust spreading between his fingers. "That’s how the champion did it."

Luo Yong walked over with a notebook, tapping Ling Feng’s shoulder with a pen tip. "Talent is the quick assimilation of experience." He turned to the other students, "But if you don’t train until the gym closes every day like he does, no amount of talent will matter."

Luo Yong held his thermos, steam rising from the lid. "But don’t get cocky, you missed two holds."

Ling Feng was slightly taken aback as Luo Yong pointed to an inconspicuous gray protrusion in the middle of the wall. "You have to touch this transition point according to the rule board." He then pointed to a small hold in the shadows at the top, "You should slap this at the finish; you bypassed it entirely."

Everyone looked silently at Coach Luo Yong.

Putting his thermos on the ground, Luo Yong suddenly leaped up.

He didn’t climb quickly, but each move was precisely on the route specifications. As he touched the gray point, he deliberately turned to glance at Ling Feng.

Breath still even as he landed, he said, "Next month’s city competition will use international rules; all transition points must be clearly touched." He took a sip from his thermos, "The way you climbed just now... the judges would score you zero."

The girl in red quietly asked her companion, "So it doesn’t count as a completion?"

Luo Yong came over and patted Ling Feng on the shoulder: "Talent is easily grasping the holds." He lowered his voice, "But remember, following the rules is more important than showcasing talent."

"Watch this." He walked toward an unused training wall nearby— the gym’s most difficult crisscrossed incline, lined with old, damaged holds.

He didn’t even use chalk as he leapt up.

As his toes hooked onto a basin-sized protrusion, his whole body swung out like a pendulum.

At the highest point, he suddenly let go, catching two smooth, round holds bare-handed.

The most startling part was that he completed the entire climb without taking a breath.

"The national regulations from twenty years ago." Luo Yong said after climbing down, pointing to the crisscrossed incline, "Back then, climbing was supposed to be as natural as walking."

The girl in red suddenly spoke, "Coach Luo, I heard you used to climb real rock faces outdoors without protection?"

Someone immediately chimed in: "What’s climbing a wall? You guys don’t know, do you? Coach Luo is a very famous mountaineer in Sichuan. Many seasoned climbers come here to have him as a guide."

However, this statement made Luo Yong’s expression slightly darken, and he didn’t reply.

The speaker was confused, as he thought his flattery should have pleased Coach Luo.

Luo Yong took his thermos and said, "Let’s rest for a bit, then resume group training." With that, he headed to the lounge area.

Looking at Luo Yong’s back, someone then reminded the flatterer, "You really put your foot in it. Coach Luo had an accident last year and doesn’t climb mountains anymore. Why would you mention that in front of him?"

The other person was visibly shocked, his face showing a hint of panic: "Ah, I... I didn’t know about that!"

At the time, Luo Yong wasn’t concerned about the team’s discussions. He quietly walked to the rest area, sat on a chair, and let out a slight sigh.

Something very disappointing... the things that once brought pride, like the many outdoor routes traversed, the summits conquered, suddenly at some point became tasteless.

What you strived for over a long time suddenly seems meaningless.

This sense of displacement is the most despairing feeling.

And the reason... he often thought, if he had been more assertive back then, perhaps the outcome would have been different.

Since that accident, he decided to withdraw from the mountaineering world, sticking only to managing the climbing club.

The mountains outside are too dangerous, and while he once thought freedom was most important, now he feels that what can be grasped is the most important.

Other worries are also present.

He was very afraid that the families of those two girls would come find him.

Even though he had detailed the circumstances to too many people, over the past six months, some still sought him out to understand what happened.

It’s not that he was unwilling to face those families due to "reopening old wounds," he simply didn’t want the direct trigger of the accident to inflict a second wound on those already hurt.

When it comes down to it, it’s the same old story, if only he had been more forceful back then, maybe things would have turned out better...

He took out his phone, the most recent message from a girl named Zhu Qingyue, claiming to be Lin Zuofang’s niece, saying she wanted to come and learn about what happened.