Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”Senior Brother Wang, please grant me your guidance.”

Chen Cheng cupped his hands in a brief salute.

”Of course. We’re martial brothers, after all. I’ll give you the first three...”

A smirk played on Wang Han’s lips, but before he could finish, his expression changed drastically.

Reflected in his shrinking pupils, Chen Cheng’s figure—enveloped in a heavy, oppressive gust of wind—closed in at a speed he could never have dreamed of.

He was like an Iron Arrow, drawn back on an invisible bowstring and suddenly loosed.

In the next instant, Chen Cheng’s fist was right before his eyes.

Wang Han was, after all, one of the top disciples of the Lower Courtyard. In his shock, he instinctively tilted his head and raised his arm to block.

”BAM!”

With a muffled thud, Wang Han felt a tremendously heavy blow on his forearm. The impact sent a tremor through him, churning his breath, and forced him half a step back.

Chen Cheng didn’t press the attack. His body glided away like a fish, perfectly dodging Wang Han’s hasty counterattack.

’My judgment was right after all.’

From that single exchange, Chen Cheng could clearly feel a significant gap between Wang Han’s so-called Realm—which was supposedly just a step away from a breakthrough—and the (298/300) displayed on the mark’s panel.

The perfect power transmission and precise muscle-and-bone coordination of his own punch, which hadn’t even been at full strength, were far beyond anything Wang Han could hope to match.

’Let’s test it again...’

Chen Cheng centered himself and began to move. His Step Technique wasn’t fast, but every step landed on the exact moment before Wang Han could establish his rhythm.

Wang Han attacked with his Dragon-Catching Claw. Chen Cheng simply dipped his shoulder, using the Dragon Scale Shirt to easily dissipate the Power. The rebounding force from his tensed muscles even made Wang Han’s wrist go numb.

Wang Han switched to the Dragon Locking Twister, but Chen Cheng’s arm seemed greased. He slipped out with a casual-looking twist and, in the same motion, landed a precise hand-chop on the nerve in Wang Han’s elbow. A skillful burst of power shot through.

”HISS—”

Wang Han felt half his body go numb. He retreated several steps, trying his best to regulate his breathing before gradually recovering.

If Chen Cheng had pressed his advantage then, the outcome would have been decided instantly.

Meanwhile, the onlookers, especially Fatty Fang, had begun to see what was happening, and the expressions on their faces were starting to lose control.

”Still not ready to surrender?” Chen Cheng asked casually.

”Surrender my ass!”

Wang Han was a mix of shock and fury, his eyes nearly splitting at the corners.

The muscles all over his body bulged like writhing drakes. His skin flushed an unnatural pale red. His joints crackled, and a low, grinding sound came from his throat—the sound of him holding his breath and forcibly mustering his strength.

”Stop!”

Fatty Fang’s expression changed. He was about to intervene, but then he caught sight of Chen Cheng calmly assuming a stance. It resembled the Hidden Dragon Pile Skill, yet was subtly different.

”HYA!”

While Fatty Fang hesitated, Wang Han had already let out a furious roar. Pushing his Hidden Strength to its absolute limit, he suddenly thrust out a Hidden Dragon Shattering Fist, which faintly produced a sharp, air-rending whistle.

Chen Cheng’s eyes shifted slightly, his gaze profound and calm.

His left foot stepped forward half a pace, the sole gripping the ground as if rooted. His waist and hips tensed like a bowstring being drawn taut, then flowed like a surging river in harmonious rotation. Unceasing Power surged up his spine, through his shoulder, and into the tip of his arm.

His right arm shot out. It contained not only the twisting, piercing, and spiraling Power specialized in by the Hidden Dragon Fist...

...but also, through subtle variations in his stance, Step Technique, and joints, it secretly embodied the harmonious, self-sustaining True Intent of Health Tai Chi.

The Hidden Strength that erupted in that instant even surpassed the power limits he should have possessed at his current Realm.

Inch-distance Burst, Hidden Dragon Prison!

”WHOOSH—”

Amid the sharp whistle of wind, Chen Cheng’s fist, possessing an absolute advantage in speed, struck after but arrived first. It grazed past Wang Han’s cheek and blasted by.

There was no physical contact, but the force of the wind was like a real, dull blade grinding viciously across Wang Han’s face, a searing pain spreading instantly.

His messy hair was pulled taut, flying straight back, and his scalp tingled and tightened.

His eyes, pupils constricted, were completely frozen and vacant. He hadn’t even begun to process what had just happened.

The only thing he could be sure of was that his all-out strike hadn’t even touched the corner of Chen Cheng’s clothes. Meanwhile, Chen Cheng’s punch had clearly been held back. If it had been aimed just a little differently, it would have been enough to rip his face open, tearing flesh and shattering bone!

The two passed each other. The arena fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, as if an invisible hand were choking them, leaving them nearly breathless.

The fawning smile on Ding Qiang’s face froze solid.

Li He’s mouth opened and closed, but not a single word came out.

Shi Lei raised a hand and unconsciously scratched his shaved head, his Adam’s apple bobbing continuously.

Qiao Qiao covered her mouth, her bright, dark eyes reflecting the straight-backed figure in the center of the arena as he retracted his fist and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

”This... How is this possible?!”

The fat on Fatty Fang’s face quivered. His gaze toward Chen Cheng was more complicated than it had ever been.

”You... you’ve already...”

Wang Han spoke tremblingly. A cold drop of sweat suddenly rolled down from his temple, tracing a path across his rigid cheek.

”...Me?”

A flicker of hesitation crossed Chen Cheng’s eyes, which then cleared with realization.

Without even realizing it...

He had already come this far.

”Senior... Senior Brother Chen... I surrender...”

The words, laced with an uncontrollable tremor, were forced from Wang Han’s throat.

As if completely deflated, he dragged his disobedient legs and slowly shuffled in front of Chen Cheng.

He squeezed out a humble, fawning smile that was uglier than crying.

Before Chen Cheng could respond, Wang Han began to plead anxiously.

”Senior Brother Chen, you know my six-month period is almost up. If I can’t condense my Blood Qi, I’ll have to take those... those missions you don’t come back from...”

As he spoke, his knees gave way and he knelt directly on the ground. His eyes and the tip of his nose were turning red, as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment.

”Could you... could you give me the Blood Refining Powder this time? Consider it a life debt... Once I condense my Blood Qi and become a Martial Artist, I will definitely repay you tenfold...”

”I swear!”

Among the current batch of disciples, Wang Han had been in the Lower Courtyard the longest.

He had personally seen no fewer than twenty senior brothers fail to condense their Blood Qi, and after their six months were up, they vanished from the face of the earth, never to be heard from again.

He knew better than anyone that losing this Blood Refining Powder was tantamount to a catastrophe he couldn’t survive.

Face, backbone, dignity—none of it was worth mentioning in the face of survival.

”Junior Brother Wang, get up first. It’s no use begging me for this.”

Chen Cheng took two steps to the side, avoiding his kneeling figure, and looked away.

”Senior Brother Fang, I don’t want the Blood Refining Powder... Can I exchange it for silver?”

”What?!”

Fatty Fang’s mouth fell open. His eyes bulged as he stared at Chen Cheng for several breaths, as if he hadn’t heard him correctly.

”Nonsense! Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”

He collected himself, his expression becoming extremely grave.

”There’s a chance of failure when condensing Blood Qi! You’ve got one foot over the threshold now. It might seem like you’re about to succeed, but this is actually the moment you can least afford to relax!”

”If you fail to break through, the backlash of your Blood Qi will damage your muscles and meridians, and your body will immediately enter a weakened state! It would take months of rest and nourishment just to return to your current condition!”

Seeing Chen Cheng’s still-unconcerned expression, Fatty Fang was so angry his mouth started twitching. He warned him, practically enunciating every word.

”Your Root Bone is already a lower grade! Breaking through to condense your blood will be several times—even dozens of times—harder for you than for others!”

”The Blood Refining Powder can increase your chances of successfully breaking through! More importantly, even if you fail, it can prevent you from falling into that weakened state!”

”...Senior Brother, I understand the reasoning.”

Chen Cheng looked up at Fatty Fang and said calmly.

”But my family’s situation is what it is... Winter is coming, and I heard the winter tax is going up again... My mother and I have to survive first before we can consider anything else.”

”...That Blood Refining Powder is money to live on... If I try to sell it myself, outsiders will inevitably drive down the price... So, I’d still like to ask Senior Brother to help me exchange it for silver.”

”This...”

Fatty Fang was struck speechless by his words. With a change in his expression, he slung a cattail-fan-sized hand around Chen Cheng and pulled him a few steps away from the crowd, into a corner.

”Don’t you worry about money, kid! I’ll lend you some for emergencies! Ten or eight taels should tide you over for a while!”

”Senior Brother...”

Chen Cheng opened his mouth, but before he could thank him and refuse, Fatty Fang continued.

”Don’t be all wishy-washy with me! Just use the Blood Refining Powder and try to break through first! I... I’m doing this for your own good!”

”Alright. Thank you, Senior Brother Fang.”

Chen Cheng nodded. Though he had his own plans, he was genuinely grateful to Fatty Fang.

Fatty Fang’s expression softened. He took a thumb-sized porcelain vial from his robes and shoved it into Chen Cheng’s hand.

”Everyone back up, give Chen Cheng some space! He’s about to attempt his breakthrough and condense his blood! All of you watch closely; consider it a chance to gain some experience ahead of time...”

Fatty Fang turned to the crowd, his tone suddenly sinking as he warned them.

”And another thing, all of you keep your mouths shut! I don’t care if Chen Cheng succeeds or fails, if anyone dares make a peep or go off gossiping later... don’t blame me for getting rough!”

”Yes!”

The crowd quickly retreated, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

Only Wang Han remained kneeling in place, gritting his teeth so hard they might crack. His fingernails unconsciously clawed at the green bricks beneath him, making a faint, grating sound. His fingertips were already scraped raw, the blood a shocking sight.

’Originally... the one standing in the center of the arena right now, receiving everyone’s attention before successfully breaking through, should have been him, Wang Han!’

’Why!?’

’Why is it that worthless trash—the one he always looked down on the most, the one with a Lower Lower Grade Root Bone who should have been rotting in the mud—standing there instead!?’

’What made his heart bleed with frustration, to the point he felt he would explode, was that with Chen Cheng’s Root Bone, the probability of failure was extremely high, even with the Blood Refining Powder!’

’Wasn’t this just a complete waste of the life-saving opportunity that he, Wang Han, had desperately sought but couldn’t obtain?’

’Damn it!’

’Damn it all to hell!!!’

Boundless resentment, unwillingness, and a sense of humiliation from having his destiny utterly trampled upon coiled around Wang Han’s heart like poisonous vines, threatening to drive him insane.

「On the other side.」

Chen Cheng had already completed a run-through of the Hidden Dragon Fist with the grace of flowing water. Combined with the training progress he’d gained from using the Fist Technique during the fight...

Beneath the Vertical Eye Mark, the information on his panel silently updated.

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

In the next instant, a violent shudder ran through Chen Cheng. He felt as if his entire body had been shoved into a wok of boiling oil.

His flesh and bones felt like they were about to explode, and his blood began to boil.

Countless gossamer-thin threads of ’qi’ emerged from the depths of his bones and blood. They swirled through the gaps in his tendons and bones, spiraling toward the Great Dragon of his spine.

Myriad threads twisted into a single strand, desperately ramming and condensing into one spot.

After an unknown amount of time, they had forcibly hammered out a stick of ’incense’—condensed as if solid, glowing with a blood-red luster.

This blood-incense stood ethereally in the depths of his dragon-like spine.

The ’smoke’ from the incense rose, not scattering or dissipating, but flowing with his blood to nourish his body and Heart Spirit.

In an instant, his tendons and bones chimed in unison, his blood surged, his five senses sharpened, and his vital essence became clear and bright.

The invisible, heavy shell that had been tightly wrapped around him since he was born into this world seemed to shatter with a CRACK.

”Hgh—”

A muffled roar escaped Chen Cheng’s throat.

The veins on his forehead throbbed. A faint, bloody glint flashed in the depths of his pupils before vanishing...

His chest contracted sharply, and just at the moment it was about to collapse, it suddenly expanded.

’Success!’

He could finally take a full breath!