Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 122 - 87: Banned Substance (Part 3)

’Then the effects should be the same.’

But since the system said they were different, Chen Yu had no choice but to take its word for it for now.

These things weren’t easy to buy in the United States, either.

He had to pull some strings to get them mailed from Los Angeles.

The guy who sold them to Chen Yu even said that in the United States, practically no one bought this stuff except for the Chinese.

Melissa went "Oh," then asked what all this was for.

From the whole box of ingredients, she only recognized the American Ginseng.

The rest was a hodgepodge. Some looked like roots, others like leaves. They were all so strange that she had no idea what any of it was.

"They’re just some health supplements, I guess," Chen Yu explained after a moment’s thought. He had learned all of this from the system, so he was merely following the recipe without a deep understanding of the principles behind it.

Once she heard they were health supplements, Melissa didn’t ask any more questions.

Chen Yu led Melissa into the kitchen and took out the herbs one by one to prepare the concoctions.

"I’m planning to add two new items to the menu: a steamed egg custard and a tea."

Chen Yu began measuring out the ingredients.

Melissa stood beside him, recording the amounts.

"This is a tea for improving physical stamina," Chen Yu explained.

The formula from the system was called Physical Fitness No.1. Its primary effects were to reduce body fat percentage, increase hemoglobin, and enhance both aerobic capacity and anaerobic endurance. It also helped eliminate fatigue, improve sleep, and increase appetite.

The prescription was quite complex, consisting of ten traditional Chinese herbs: ginseng, rehmannia root, peony root, epimedium, eucommia bark, cistanche, curcuma root, motherwort, cinnamon twig, and donkey-hide gelatin.

It was technically a medicinal formula, but Chen Yu didn’t want to call it "medicine" to avoid potential issues.

Since the final product was a brewed liquid, he decided to just call it a tea.

Americans were familiar enough with tea.

"I mentioned in the meeting earlier that we would be increasing the training intensity. This tea is to help improve their physical stamina."

Increasing the training intensity would naturally improve their performance and, in turn, the team’s record.

However, a higher training intensity also meant a greater risk of injury.

During his time with the Magic, the players had stayed healthy largely because Chen Yu was watching over them, constantly giving them massages and helping with post-training recovery.

Now that he was with the Phoenix Suns, he could replicate that same success here.

This herbal formula would serve as an additional support.

"With the increased training intensity, their bodies will be expending more energy, so you’ll need to increase their caloric intake. We also need to aid digestion, which is where the other dish I want you to add comes in: the steamed egg custard."

"Take five grams each of Chinese yam, poria, lotus seed, hawthorn fruit, malt, chicken gizzard lining, and dried tangerine peel. Grind them into a powder, whisk it into the egg mixture, and steam it to make the custard."

"It doesn’t taste bad, and it’s good for boosting energy and aiding digestion."

Melissa nodded. Adding a steamed egg custard was no problem. She made it often as a source of protein.

But she wasn’t sure about mixing in all those powders.

"Chen, are you sure these things are safe to eat?" Melissa asked, a little worried.

’I really hope this doesn’t make anyone sick.’

Chen Yu picked up a piece of hawthorn and popped it into his mouth. "Of course. It’s just food. Here, try some. It’s pretty good."

Melissa took a piece and nibbled on it. Her eyebrows shot up, and she popped the rest into her mouth.

It was sweet and sour. Not bad at all.

Chen Yu knew what she was worried about. "Don’t worry," he said. "All of these ingredients are edible. And if any issues do arise, I’ll be keeping a close eye on everyone."

Hearing this, Melissa stopped asking questions.

The players wouldn’t be arriving for a while, so Chen Yu started brewing the Physical Fitness No.1.

He had even bought a few clay pots for the task.

He found an assistant, taught him how to brew it, and left him to watch over the pots.

It wouldn’t be ready to drink before practice today, so they would have it afterward. In the future, he could brew it in batches for them to drink at scheduled times and in specific amounts.

「Training Court」

The players were already arriving one by one.

Today, however, Nelson didn’t lead them through their usual warm-up. Instead, he gathered them all together.

Chen Yu arrived shortly after.

"Alright everyone, we’re going to change up the warm-up today. Please follow my lead." Without further ado, Chen Yu began to lead them through the new routine.

He started with some basic stretches to loosen up their bodies.

Then, he moved on to the main event.

Five Animals Qigong.

Its purported long-term health benefits, like strengthening the immune system, were yet to be verified.

But its yoga-like movements, which worked every part of the body, made it perfectly suitable for a warm-up.

"Follow my lead."

Facing the group, Chen Yu began the first routine: the Tiger Play.

Even Nelson and the other coaches were following along on the side.

"Just stretch as far as you comfortably can," Chen Yu reminded them.

Some of the players were clearly not flexible enough and couldn’t perform the movements properly.

Upon hearing this, J Kidd, who was pulling his hands to his chest while trying his best to lean backward, immediately straightened up. His back was too stiff; the pose had nearly made him topple over.

Chen Yu added, exasperated, "But that doesn’t mean you can slack off."

With a pained expression, J Kidd quickly leaned back again.

"What the hell are we doing? This is so awkward," Dudley complained from the back row, struggling to copy Chen Yu’s movements with a look of utter confusion on his face.

Beside him, a serious Gugliotta said, "I think it’s a form of yoga."

Only yoga had such bizarre poses.

At that moment, Skiles and several assistant coaches arrived at the court.

They looked up and immediately saw the spectacle unfolding.

They were especially dumbfounded when they saw all the players with their hands shaped like claws, sticking their butts out as they lunged forward.

’Isn’t that pose a little... unseemly?’

Jim Boylan quickly glanced around. Today’s practice was closed to the media, so there were no reporters on the sidelines.

’Otherwise, if a reporter took a picture of this and it ended up in the papers, we’d be a laughingstock.’

Skiles quickly walked over. "Chen, what on earth are you all doing?"

"Warming up."

Chen Yu didn’t stop his movements. "It’s a fitness routine that’s good for the body," he added. "Want to join in?"

’Join in?’

Skiles glanced at the players, who were now pulling their hands back in and arching backward again in a rather awkward-looking pose. He shuddered and quickly shook his head, declining the offer.