Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Then.

Wang Chuang hoisted Wang Peng onto his back.

Chen Cheng glanced at Yun Shuanglin. ’Carrying her on my back... that doesn’t feel right.’ In the end, he scooped her up in his arms.

As the four of them headed out, Wang Chuang quickly explained the situation.

”What!? You... you killed them all!?”

Wang Peng’s face flushed red and his eyes went wide as he exclaimed in a trembling voice:

”Excellent, excellent! You truly live up to your name, Brother Chen! A young hero! The younger generation is truly formidable!

Killing Cangying Bai Fangshuo alone would have been satisfying enough! But you even slaughtered Zhu Biao from Grass Head Mountain! Eliminating evil for the people and carrying out justice on heaven’s behalf—this is the mark of a true, great hero!”

Unlike Wang Peng’s overt emotional display,

Yun Shuanglin didn’t say much. She simply leaned against Chen Cheng’s chest, silently lifting her gaze to re-examine the young man.

From this angle, she could see his well-defined jawline, the rims of his ears slightly red from the cold wind, and the fine ice crystals that had once again formed on his eyelashes.

Just a short while ago, both she and Wang Peng had believed that Chen Cheng, by venturing into danger alone, was likely walking into his doom.

Looking back now, their enemies had been even stronger than she and Wang Peng had anticipated.

But Chen Cheng?

Not only was he completely unharmed, but he had also annihilated the core of the enemy’s forces.

That was what allowed Wang Chuang and Zhu Kang to lead their men in pursuit of the fleeing remnants, resulting in the enemy’s complete eradication.

In the parlance of the Northern Territory’s battlefields, Chen Cheng was an unrivaled general, capable of taking an enemy commander’s head from within an army of ten thousand.

And in this battle, he had taken the heads of two enemy commanders.

At this thought, a distinctly different warmth surfaced in her gaze as she looked at him.

”There’s something else I didn’t mention,”

Chen Cheng said, lowering his voice.

”The Bai Family didn’t just collude with Grass Head Mountain. They’ve also joined forces with the Immortal Bone Sect to plot something, though I don’t know what.”

”That bald man I kicked to death, his name was Yu An. He was some kind of Altar Master in the Immortal Bone Sect. I don’t know the specifics beyond that.”

He paused, his tone growing heavier.

”It seems they want to capture Jiuan Hunting Manor to use as a stronghold. Manor Master Wang must be on high alert.”

”The Immortal Bone Sect?”

Wang Peng looked startled, the name clearly unfamiliar to him.

Conversely, it was the ever-silent Yun Shuanglin who suddenly spoke up.

”That’s an Evil Cult from the Northern Territory. Their shadow is behind several of the rebel armies.”

”Rebel armies? It all adds up!”

Chen Cheng’s gaze sharpened as the questions in his mind were instantly clarified.

”The Bai Family was secretly colluding with the Fuchang Trading Company to transport military equipment north! That means...”

”The Bai Family, the Immortal Bone Sect, and the rebel armies are all deeply entangled. Their ambitions are immense!”

Everyone was shocked by this revelation.

Not just because of the massive conspiracy it implied,

but also because Chen Cheng hadn’t just taken down two enemy commanders in this battle, but three!

And the crucial point was, Chen Cheng was still completely unharmed!

Wang Peng and Wang Chuang didn’t understand the power of an Immortal Bone Sect Altar Master, but Yun Shuanglin knew it all too well. The astonishment in the depths of her beautiful eyes intensified!

”Brother Chen, rest assured, I will be vigilant about this...”

Wang Peng thought for a moment before saying in a low voice:

”What I’m worried about now is that after this battle, you might become a target for their revenge, Brother Chen...”

Chen Cheng nodded but didn’t reply.

He had already considered this threat himself, but he didn’t have a good way to deal with it.

”Brother Chen... perhaps I can help you with this matter.”

Yun Shuanglin pursed her delicate, slender lips and spoke in a low voice,

”However, you might have to lose something...”

”That’s fine.”

Chen Cheng’s eyes lit up as he said:

”All I want is to be safe. As long as it keeps me out of danger and safe from retaliation, losing some worldly possessions is no big deal.”

”Alright, leave it to me then.”

Yun Shuanglin gave a faint smile, looking as if she already had a plan.

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

「Afternoon.」

As usual, Chen Cheng was soaking in the bathhouse in an Herbal Decoction designed to increase his poison resistance. The dark brown liquid came up past his chest, steam rising from its surface.

Usually, while soaking, he would also temper his Four Gods Profound Body, but not today.

His right hand, submerged under the water, slowly rose until his dripping fingertips broke the surface.

He bent his fingers.

Then flicked them in rapid succession.

In the next instant, four extremely faint whooshes of air sounded, almost overlapping into a single noise.

Four drops of water shot from his fingertips, tracing four nearly invisible lines through the air before slamming straight into the wall ten feet away.

In the center of the wall, four wet spots bloomed simultaneously.

And in the very center of those four wet spots, four small indentations had appeared on the wall’s surface—extremely shallow, yet clearly visible.

They were marks chiseled into the rammed-earth wall by nothing but water droplets.

More importantly,

if one connected the four indentations vertically and horizontally, they formed a perfect, flawless square.

And if one were to extend those vertical and horizontal lines, they would form a standard tic-tac-toe grid.

This was an Archery technique recorded in the *Shooting Scripture: General Formulas*, called ”Jingyi.”

Hold the bow steady, draw the bow full.

It allows one to fire four arrows in an instant, with their impact points forming a tic-tac-toe pattern.

According to the book, true mastery—Jingyi Perfection—was achieved when one could throw a disc into the air, and from over a hundred paces away, strike it with four consecutive arrows that formed a tic-tac-toe grid, trapping the disc in the center.

The skill was designed to temper two qualities: ”stability” and ”precision.”

Chen Cheng drew back his hand and leaned against the edge of the tub, his gaze still fixed on the four indentations.

The rising steam wavered before his eyes as text materialized deep in his Heart Spirit.

[*Shooting Scripture: General Formulas*]: Entry Level (13/300), Traits (None)

’I’ve just reached the Entry Level... My stability is still a bit lacking. It takes several attempts to succeed just once...’

Chen Cheng sighed to himself.

’Still, I should probably set this Skill aside for now... I’ll wait until Elder Pang’s recommendation to the Sect is settled in three months...’

’Time is precious right now. I have to focus on tempering my Four Gods Profound Body, Foundation Establishment Tai Chi, and Thunder Treading Skill.’

「A few moments later.」

Dressed and ready, Chen Cheng stepped out of the bathhouse, pointedly hefting the Money Bag in his robes.

Its heavy weight felt wonderfully reassuring.

His thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to three days ago.

That massive haul had been an absolute windfall!