Chapter 15: ATP
Muscle contraction is the mechanical response of muscle fibers to stimulation.
Su Hao had some understanding of the process of muscle contraction. Simply put, muscle contraction is a cyclic process of cross-bridge formation, twisting, dissociation, reformation, and re-twisting of the cross-bridges between myosin and actin in response to muscle stimulation. And the energy for muscle contraction comes from the hydrolysis of ATP.
So, what is ATP? It stands for adenosine triphosphate.
In the conversion and transfer of energy within living organisms, ATP is a crucial substance. All biological activities rely on ATP, which directly supplies energy to cells and acts as a "transit station" for energy conversion within cells.
Therefore, the concept of "blood energy" mentioned by his father must have a direct relationship with ATP and some other substance. Whether it is or not, it is undoubtedly closely related to ATP.
Another difficulty is that no matter what blood energy is, Su Hao cannot directly observe its existence. What does his father mean by "finding" it?
It's like how a person can easily perceive their fingers, toes, ears, nose, and other organs but cannot directly perceive their internal organs. Not perceiving the internal organs does not mean that they don't exist. Similarly, Su Hao not perceiving the blood energy does not mean that it doesn't exist.
So when his father said to "find" the blood energy, he didn't actually mean that Su Hao had to consciously observe the blood energy moving around in his body like an eel. Instead, it meant that he needed to have a clear understanding of the overall circulation of energy within his body. Just like how our brain cannot directly perceive the presence of internal organs but knows their location, function, and state.
In other words, Su Hao only needs to establish a cognitive system for his own blood energy. This cognitive system includes where the blood energy starts, where it is located, how much is present, how to utilize it, and so on. He should update this cognitive system based on his own state.
As time goes by, when such a cognitive system becomes a habit, the brain will automatically optimize a model that makes a person truly feel a powerful blood energy throughout their body.
This model is essentially an illusion, but it allows a person to accurately perceive their true state.
Su Hao became excited and clenched his fist, saying, "If that's the case, the people in this world are amazing. The perfect combination of mind and biology, allowing an ordinary person to possess incredible power."
"So, how can I establish my own blood energy system?"
A gleam of light flashed in Su Hao's eyes.
"Universal Light 2.2, it's your time to shine."
...
After understanding the principle, Su Hao no longer needed to go for a run. He directly entered the Ball of Energy space to review the body records of the past month.
"Xiaoguang!"
"Xiaoguang here!"
"Retrieve my detailed body data, starting from today and going back one month, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m."
"Data retrieved."
The massive data appeared on the wall of the living room, densely packed and disorganized.
Su Hao continued giving instructions, "Create a 3D model of the human body."
The data on the wall disappeared, and the coffee table and sofa in the living room vanished, replaced by thirty small boys arranged neatly in the middle of the room. Their faces were all identical to Su Hao's, and each body represented Su Hao's physical information for the respective day from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
"Retrieve ATP data."
The thirty bodies instantly transformed into outlines, composed of tiny specks of light. Through these outlines, it was possible to see clearly which areas of the body had more ATP and which areas had less.
After observing for a moment, Su Hao gave another command, "Xiaoguang, play the dynamic images starting from 8 a.m., with a time ratio of 1:1."
The thirty bodies with only outlines began to move, and Su Hao quietly watched from the side.
During running, ATP in the muscles was heavily consumed. When it reached a certain point of depletion, ATP in other areas also started to deplete. When the ATP in the body reached a low point, Su Hao could no longer run.
After drinking the vegetable and egg soup, Su Hao sat in meditation, and his digestive system operated at full capacity, gradually replenishing the depleted ATP.
Three hours later, Su Hao smiled.
"Blood energy! I've found you!"
ATP wasn't the blood energy, but the blood energy must be related to ATP. The model system constructed based on ATP content could be seen as a model system for blood energy.
Su Hao was confident that within half a month, he would be able to construct his own blood energy model system in his brain without relying on Xiaoguang.
By then, he would truly possess the blood energy of a martial artist.
...
The next day, after finishing his run, Su Hao returned home, drank the vegetable and egg soup, and entered a meditative state. On the surface, he seemed no different from usual, but once he closed his eyes, Su Hao's consciousness entered the Ball of Energy space. He had Xiaoguang materialize his current physical state, constantly updating it in real-time. At the same time, he perceived the overall condition of his body and constructed a perception system for his own blood energy.
Not only that, even during his daily life, as long as he was awake, he would constantly work on building the system.
After three days, Su Hao no longer needed to constantly view the body's light shadow in the Ball of Energy space. He could accurately sense the changes in his blood energy without any significant deviation.
After five more days, he no longer needed to compare the light shadows. At this point, his brain's perception of the blood energy's changes had minimal deviation from the materialized representations.
Su Hao knew that he had successfully established a precise blood energy system in his brain.
After two more days of confirmation, Su Hao found Wu Yuntian.
"Father, I've found the blood energy."
"Found it?" Wu Yuntian looked skeptical. It wasn't that he didn't believe Su Hao's words, but he had never heard of anyone sensing the blood energy in just a month and a half. It was too astonishing. As far as he knew, even the most talented individuals among the human race took at least half a year to find their blood energy.
Faced with his father's skeptical gaze, Su Hao affirmed, "I found it."
"Impossible!" Wu Yuntian blurted out. It was his first reaction. He hurriedly explained, "I mean, it's possible that you have sensed it incorrectly. Tell me the process in detail. Many people develop illusions during the process of searching for the blood energy; it's a normal state. Tell me honestly, and I'll analyze it for you."
So, Su Hao described his perception of his body, the changes in the blood energy, and his understanding of the blood energy to Wu Yuntian in detail.
After he finished, Su Hao looked at his father, who now had his mouth wide open and eyes widened.
It seemed as if his face was saying, "Inconceivable."
If Su Hao could hear his father's thoughts at this moment, he would know that his father was
angrily roaring in his mind, "Where did this freak come from? Is this really my son? I told you to find the blood energy, not to thoroughly investigate every bit of blood energy in your entire body. This is something that only high-level ordinary warriors can do! You just need to have a general concept of it!"
Su Hao looked confused and asked, "What's wrong, Father? Did I say something wrong?"
Wu Yuntian couldn't bring himself to speak.
(Translated by begs)