Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

The piece of dried meat in his hand didn’t have the tough, leathery texture he expected. Instead, it was dense and heavy, with a cold hardness like gold or iron.

He brought it to his lips.

Chen Cheng tentatively bit down with his front teeth, and his expression changed once again.

The resistance was astonishing. It was like biting into thoroughly dried rawhide; the sheer strength of his jaw was only enough to leave a few faint, white teeth marks.

His eyes focused. He secretly channeled his Blood Qi to reinforce his jaw, and only then was he able to slowly bite off a piece and chew it meticulously.

There was no meaty aroma. Instead, an extremely condensed, mineral-like, sweet-and-acrid scent filled his mouth.

At the same time, countless scorching currents erupted within his body.

Two pillars of Blood Qi flared to life. The swirling ’blood aroma’ seemed to coalesce into a dragon, coiling and rising as it surged through his blood vessels and coursed throughout his entire body.

’This... The nourishing effect of this single small bite is likely equivalent to ten servings of Deer Meat Medicinal Cuisine. And it takes effect faster, penetrating deeper and more thoroughly...’

Chen Cheng carefully savored the sensation, his eyes growing brighter.

’If I eat this whole piece, I could probably train for a full day and night without sleep. Maybe even longer...’

’This must also be related to the Five Dragon Soup... In that case, for the next month or so, I can completely let loose and push my training to the absolute limit!’

...

The next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, the courtyard of the Outer Hall was still steeped in a greyish-white mist.

Lin Fengxiao pushed open his door, took a deep breath of the crisp, cold air, and, as usual, was the first to step into the courtyard.

His waist token had been replaced with one engraved with a bronze dragon. From now on, he was exempt from all menial chores and would also receive a free monthly portion of Blood Nourishing Powder.

The price, however, was that he had to complete three missions assigned by the Martial Arts Hall each month.

As for whether he could earn extra money, build connections, or encounter any fortunate opportunities while on these missions, that would all depend on his own destiny.

”Is that? Chen...”

Lin Fengxiao was about to assume the opening stance for the Hidden Dragon Fist when his gaze suddenly froze on the far end of the courtyard.

There, a lone figure moved through a set of forms, his rhythm and posture perfect. The back of his robes was already soaked through with sweat, which steamed into a thin white vapor in the cold, early winter wind.

A surge of respect immediately rose in Lin Fengxiao’s heart, and his eyes stung as if touched by a flame.

He quickly gathered his focus, sank into his stance, and began to practice, putting extraordinary effort into every punch and form.

「The sky gradually brightened.」

More and more people slowly filled the courtyard.

The disciples were long used to Lin Fengxiao, the resident King of Competition. But at some point, another figure had emerged in the Outer Hall courtyard, one who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

In fact, judging by the sweat-drenched patch of ground beneath him, this newcomer had been practicing the Hidden Dragon Fist for far longer than Lin Fengxiao today.

”That guy... couldn’t have been up all night, could he?”

Under the distant eaves, Luo Boqing squinted habitually, his gaze drifting toward Chen Cheng.

”So what if he was?”

Dong Li sneered, letting out a cold huff.

”Lin Fengxiao can afford to train himself to death because he’s backed by a near-superior Root Bone. That Chen fellow pushing himself so hard will only burn himself out and destroy his body!”

”Isn’t that obvious?”

Sun An crossed his arms and sneered.

”I give him two or three days, tops. He won’t be able to keep it up!”

”Don’t you two underestimate him,” Luo Boqing said, retracting his gaze and lowering his voice.

”Who knows, he might’ve gotten his hands on some physique-nourishing Fierce Beast Essence Meat. Maybe he can actually afford to train like this!”

”Impossible.”

Dong Li shook his head, his tone resolute.

”As winter approaches, the number of fierce beasts in the mountains dwindles. Whatever small amount is hunted is completely bought out by the major Martial Arts Halls and the city’s nobility.”

”In a while, once heavy snows block the mountain passes, even normal deer meat will be hard to get. It’s the same every year. What makes him special?”

”...Yeah, that’s true.”

Luo Boqing nodded, then chuckled.

”Now, our Senior Brother Xiao is the truly capable one. His cultivation has been progressing faster and faster recently. Master Ye already promised that he can eat his fill of the Fierce Beast Essence Meat medicinal cuisine in the Inner Hall!”

”Who can compare to that?”

Sun An immediately interjected, his face full of admiration.

”In the last two years, Senior Brother Xiao is the only Middle Courtyard Disciple who can be called a genius. If Master Ye isn’t going to foster his talent, who else would he foster?”

”Just you wait. The end of the year is coming, and Senior Brother Xiao is guaranteed to dazzle everyone at the Middle Courtyard assessment! When he does, some of his glory will rub off on us!”

”Heh! I’d like that!”

Dong Li broke into a wide grin, his eyes crinkling into slits.

Luo Boqing said no more, but his eyes continued to dart toward Chen Cheng from time to time.

’I’m rather curious. Where exactly did Chen Cheng get a part-time post? How high is the pay? High enough for him to turn down a valuable position at the Patrol Office.’

”Hard to say where, but the pay isn’t hard to guess,” Sun An said coolly.

”A Martial Artist with two-pillar Blood Qi taking a part-time post usually gets a monthly allowance of three taels of silver. But Chen Cheng has the worst possible Root Bone and no future to speak of. He’d be lucky to get two and a half taels.”

”It’s probably not a very good place, either,” Dong Li chimed in coldly.

”The other Martial Artists at the two-pillar Blood Qi level have all found good positions. For the past two days, carriages have been coming to pick them up—some for banquets, some for music performances. You have no idea how comfortable they are... Not like Chen Cheng, foolishly grinding away here all day long.”

”Speaking of banquets, our Senior Brother Xiao is the most impressive one,” Sun An immediately interjected, his tone full of worshipful, vicarious pride.

”For the past two evenings, an incredibly luxurious carriage has come to pick Senior Brother Xiao up. I didn’t dare ask too many questions... but I saw from a distance that it was heading toward the Inner City!”

”The Inner City!?”

Dong Li and Luo Boqing were both stunned. Their eyes widened, unable to conceal the blatant envy within.

In the Outer City, their families were all well-off, but trying to curry favor with a noble from the Inner City was more difficult than ascending to the heavens.

One could only imagine the sheer intensity of their envy and jealousy toward Xiao Yi.

...

After lunch, Chen Cheng went to the Yongsheng Store as usual.

Although Shen Mi had given him the special privilege of not needing to stand guard at the warehouse every day, today was different. He felt he needed to come and check on things personally.

As soon as he stepped into the store’s main courtyard, he saw several groups of people huddled together, whispering.

Though they spoke in low voices, not a single word escaped his ears.

”Boss Zhao and Contractor Ding are dead... It happened last night, in the Zhao Family’s courtyard...”

”The weird part is, the body of a brutal bandit from Grass Head Mountain was also found at the scene... The Patrol Office sent several groups of men over this morning. They tore the place apart, but all of them left looking grim.”

”How the case gets solved doesn’t really concern us... What’s fatal is that with those two dead, the caravan has lost its backbone... I’m afraid the Yongsheng Store is finished...”

”Tell me about it. When the Master got the news this morning, his face was completely drained of color. His hands were shaking so bad his legs gave out from under him.”

”Looks like we should start making other plans...”