By five o'clock in the afternoon, An Bao's mental fatigue had improved considerably, but his brain felt extremely tense—unable to think flexibly. He had probably been given a different cerebral cortex. By now, An Bao was no longer surprised by anything.
The toads announced: "Now begins the second level: physical exercise. An Bao must perform seventy consecutive push-ups. The form must be absolutely standard, with no pauses—must be completed continuously. You decide the deadline yourself, but once decided, it cannot be changed. The first push-up starting position marks the beginning. You have only one chance. Pass the second level, and congratulations—you're through. Fail, and it's on to the third level."
An Bao thought it over. He could barely do seventy-one push-ups, but he would definitely have to pause. So he needed to train more. Since he could set his own deadline, he decided to challenge himself again in one month. During this period, he would use dumbbell bench presses instead of push-ups for training.
On the third day of the second level, his mother asked him to accompany her to the market to buy groceries. As a foreign bride, his mother couldn't read Chinese characters, nor could she ride a motorcycle or drive a car, so she often relied on An Bao to go out with her. For these three days, An Bao's cerebral cortex remained extremely tense, and his thinking was inflexible.
He had to overcome the troubles of daily life.