Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

SPUT!

Fatty Fang was just about to offer a few words of praise.

But Chen Cheng’s legs suddenly went weak, and he staggered before collapsing into a sitting position.

He began to pant heavily, his chest heaving like a bellows. A dense sheet of cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead, trickling down his pale cheeks.

A tearing soreness erupted in every muscle of his body, and even his fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

It was clear that while practicing the Pile Skill with perfect form had yielded significant results, the strain and exhaustion on his stamina, muscles, and bones had also increased by a staggering amount.

Given his physique and Root Bone, it was already quite an achievement for him to have lasted this long.

”You’re too weak...”

Fatty Fang swallowed the praise that was on the tip of his tongue, his expression turning rather complicated.

”In the future, when you practice the postures, never push yourself too hard. Stop as soon as you feel exhausted. It’s better to do too little than to overexert yourself! If you injure your muscles and bones, you’re finished!”

”I... understand. Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother.”

Chen Cheng knew in his heart that the six months of martial arts training preceding the Death Oath Contract were neither long nor short.

If he got injured during that time, his training progress would be severely delayed. If he couldn’t cultivate One Pillar of Blood Qi by the end, it was a dead end for sure.

Taking a more pessimistic view, if a Lower Courtyard Disciple was injured and couldn’t train, the Dragon Mountain Hall wouldn’t even let them stay and eat for free. They’d be dragged off to work off their debt immediately.

This wasn’t written in the Death Oath Contract, but there was no doubt that the final right of interpretation lay in the hands of the more powerful party.

As Chen Cheng thought this, the tension in his heart grew tighter.

In this environment, even with the blessing of the Vertical Eye Mark, he couldn’t say for certain he’d make it through.

’I’ll still have to be cautious with every step and prioritize stability in everything I do!’

Afterward, Fatty Fang paid Chen Cheng no more mind, walking over to the other boys who were training and offering them sporadic pointers.

There were eight boys in total. Two were still practicing the Pile Skill, while the other six had already begun to practice their fighting techniques.

While Chen Cheng rested, he kept his eyes fixed on the boys practicing their techniques.

Once he had rested enough, he resumed his posture practice, his gaze still locked on them.

[Hidden Dragon Fist]: Entry Level (0/300), Traits (None)

After some time, a line of text appeared in his mind, giving Chen Cheng a new understanding of his Vertical Eye Mark.

’Just seeing a few scattered moves isn’t enough to reach Entry Level...’

’I have to see all the moves, and the person performing them can’t make any mistakes. Only then can the Vertical Eye Mark completely decipher a martial art and grant me Entry Level...’

As Chen Cheng continued to watch, he saw that among the boys practicing the techniques, only two could perform a full set of the Hidden Dragon Fist without a single mistake.

The other four made various errors and omissions, earning them no shortage of beatings and curses from Fatty Fang.

’And another thing... neither Broken Character Recognition nor the Hidden Dragon Pile Skill has any Traits...’

’The Hidden Dragon Fist and Health Tai Chi have Traits, but only the latter can undergo Limit-Breaking... There are differences between skills, too...’

’If that’s the case, the fundamental nature of that Health Tai Chi is probably extraordinary!’

「In the blink of an eye, it was noon.」

Like the other boys, Chen Cheng squatted under the eaves, eating coarse rice porridge and a gray flour flatbread. He gave it a quick chew and swallowed it whole.

The two boys who could perform the Hidden Dragon Fist perfectly were a little different.

One of them took out a small cloth pouch from his sleeve, pinched a few grains of coarse salt, and sprinkled them into his porridge.

The other pulled a piece of unidentifiable dried meat from his robes, took a small bite, and chewed it slowly.

The faint scents of salt and meat wafted over, causing several others nearby to swallow hard and steal glances in their direction.

”Hey, newcomer.”

Just then, a boy with a shaved head and a fresh scratch on his neck sauntered over to Chen Cheng and plopped down beside him.

”My name is Shi Lei.”

The boy bumped Chen Cheng with his shoulder and grinned, revealing a chipped front tooth.

”Greetings, Senior Brother Shi. I’m Chen Cheng.”

Shi Lei chuckled. ”I’ve been here for three months, and I’ve never seen anyone who didn’t get a beating or a scolding from King Fang. You’re the first.”

”Just luck,” Chen Cheng replied humbly, then went back to eating.

”Come on.” Shi Lei pursed his lips. ”We all crawled out of the slums. You think you could’ve gotten through that gate without something real to show for it? Are you calling King Fang blind?”

Chen Cheng just smiled and didn’t reply.

Shi Lei didn’t seem to mind. He leaned in closer, bringing with him the smell of sweat and a hint of bad breath.

”You seem like my kind of person. Let’s be friends. In this rotten world, it’s better to have someone to watch your back than someone trying to trip you up from the shadows, don’t you think?”

Chen Cheng nodded slowly. ”You’re right, Senior Brother. More friends mean more paths.”

After that, a few more boys came over to chat.

Chen Cheng kept a smile on his face, agreeing when he should agree and nodding when he should nod. The atmosphere between them was perfectly amicable.

The conversation meandered around until it finally landed on the topic of Root Bone.

These boys had all been chosen for their outstanding Root Bone. When they heard that Chen Cheng had been selected for his Comprehension, they found excuses one by one, patted the dust off their pants, and walked away.

As they left, the smiles remained on their faces, but the warmth in their eyes had clearly cooled.

When the old man from the Chen Family had said that Root Bone was the most important thing in martial arts, Chen Cheng had been skeptical. But now, the attitude of the others was proof enough that it was true.

Shi Lei, however, didn’t leave. He made a bit more small talk, only nudging Chen Cheng with his elbow when he saw the others gathering and laughing in the distance.

”Take your time eating. We’ll talk later.”

With that, he sauntered off toward the lively crowd.

Fatty Fang’s lunch was delivered in a food box by a dedicated person. He ate alone in his private room and didn’t come out again.

Even without him watching, not a single boy in the courtyard slacked off.

After a short rest, the two most outstanding boys went to the wooden dummies one after the other and diligently practiced their Hidden Dragon Fist techniques.

Chen Cheng didn’t rest for long either, and soon began practicing his Pile Skill again.

「Evening arrived in a flash.」

Fatty Fang came out to send them away, and only then did the boys ”reluctantly” take their leave.

At this hour, people who worked in the Outer City were gradually getting off work and returning home, their shadows thronging the alleyways.

Most of the people who could afford to live in Anle Village had relatively decent jobs. Although they couldn’t be called wealthy, they at least didn’t have to worry about food and clothing.

Behind the earthen courtyard walls, plumes of cooking smoke curled into the sky. The air was filled with the aroma of sizzling oil, the smell of stewing vegetables, and the scent of steaming grains.

Dragging his utterly exhausted body, Chen Cheng slowly made his way through these alleys, step by step, toward the dark and foul-smelling Kuhuai Village.

He had no idea that a pair of eyes had been watching him ever since he walked out of the Dragon Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

...

「Back at home.」

The matriarch of the Li Family had already cooked a small pot of thin porridge, still made with bran and wild vegetables.

”You’re back? Perfect timing, the porridge is ready...”

Seeing Chen Cheng’s exhausted face, the matriarch of the Li Family couldn’t help but frown.

”Where have you been all day?”

”...The Dragon Mountain Martial Arts Hall.”

Chen Cheng had just stepped inside when he leaned back against the doorframe, a faint smile on his face.

”Xiaolong recommended me... The tutor let me start training, and they even provide two meals... As for the gift, I’ll pay it back slowly, with interest, once I start earning money.”

The matriarch of the Li Family stared blankly for a moment, then let out a long sigh, as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart.

”Good, that’s wonderful... That boy, Xiaolong, has been righteous since he was little! You get to practice martial arts, and they even feed you... Good, that’s really good...”

She paused, then said with a serious expression,

”From now on, I’ll also try to take on more work to help you pay back the gift as soon as possible. We can’t let Xiaolong be put in a difficult position.”

Chen Cheng nodded and said no more.

The gray flour flatbread from earlier was very filling, so Chen Cheng gave more than half of his porridge to the matriarch of the Li Family.

After eating, Chen Cheng locked the door from the inside.

He began to practice the Health Tai Chi.

Originally, his plan was to push himself to the absolute limit—to grind as hard as he could without dying—and then sleep after exhausting the last drop of his stamina.

But when he perfectly executed this Health Tai Chi, he found that the sore, stiff, and painful parts of his body, the ones that were hard to bend and stretch, felt as if they were being gently kneaded by pairs of warm, soft hands.

After one set, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing was slightly rushed.

The soreness in his muscles and the exhaustion of his body and mind had not completely vanished, but he felt noticeably more relaxed overall.

It was as if a tightly bound rope had been gently untangled and loosened.

A second time... a third time... a tenth time...

His stamina was eventually completely drained, but his body was nourished by a warm current that was full of Harmony and unceasingly regenerative.

Even after he fell fast asleep, it felt as though he were soaking in a hot spring, a comfort he had never experienced before.