Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Seeing that no one dared to object, he spoke again, uttering a single word.

”Begin.”

The moment he spoke, the two youths on the stage instantly clashed.

The one on the left attacked first. He took a step, the stage boards thudding underfoot. He shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, his fist carrying heavy power as it aimed straight for his opponent’s face.

The youth on the right neither retreated nor dodged. With a slight turn of his body and a twist of his shoulder, he slipped right past the incoming fist. Simultaneously, he drove his elbow upward, aiming straight for his opponent’s ribs.

The youth on the left pulled back his fist to defend, blocking with his forearm. He solidly caught the elbow, and the impact of flesh on flesh created a sound like a clap of muffled thunder.

They each retreated half a step. The moment they regained their footing, they simultaneously pressed forward again.

Fists flew and elbows jabbed, knees struck and feet swept, each blow packed with power and delivered at lightning speed.

As they weaved and dodged, their movements were so fast they left afterimages. The dull thuds of bone and muscle colliding echoed across the arena, one after another, like an unceasing thunderstorm.

The surrounding spectators seemed largely unimpressed. However, the elite guards at the main entrance all felt their eyelids twitch uncontrollably. A sense of oppression weighed on their chests, and a chill ran down their spines.

To put it bluntly, everyone who could cross the threshold of the Martial Guard Headquarters today was a genius.

To the people in the arena, the battle before them was just a standard-fare appetizer.

But outside these gates, either of those two youths on the stage would easily be considered far superior to others of the Same Tier.

Just as Fatty Fang had said, being far superior to others of the Same Tier was merely the entry requirement for the Young Qilin Association.

”Junior Brother.”

Zhuang Zhen glanced sideways at Chen Cheng and asked:

”These two are both newly emerged young geniuses from North City Martial Arts Hall. Six Pillars of Blood Qi, Dark Force Mastery. What do you think? If it were you up there, how many moves could you last against them?”

”Three to five moves, I guess,” Chen Cheng replied casually.

”Junior Brother, you have that little confidence in yourself?”

Zhuang Zhen’s lovely eyebrows knitted slightly:

”Even though you just condensed your Sixth Pillar of Blood Qi not long ago, the strength of your physique and the depth and stability of your Blood Qi are all far superior to others of the Same Tier!”

”The way I see it, you wouldn’t be at a disadvantage within thirty moves!”

”No, Senior Sister, you misunderstand.”

Chen Cheng said calmly:

”I mean, if both of them came at me at once, they might barely last three to five moves.”

”You’re just being too humble. We martial artists should be... Huh? Y-You, what did you say?”

Zhuang Zhen’s expression froze. Her beautiful eyes widened as she stared at Chen Cheng, her gentle and pretty face filled with astonishment.

She truly suspected she had misheard.

Even Cao Miao, who was meditating with his eyes closed to the side, felt his eyelids twitch violently.

”Five moves. No more.”

Chen Cheng’s tone remained calm, as if he were stating something obvious and trivial.

Zhuang Zhen was completely stunned.

Cao Miao’s left eyelid twitched nonstop, and even his breathing gradually grew heavier.

What the two of them didn’t know was that Chen Cheng had already condensed his Sixth Pillar of Blood Qi more than ten days ago.

The key was that for the past ten-plus days, Chen Cheng’s training time and efficiency had both been maxed out.

Even if Chen Cheng had truly just condensed his Sixth Pillar of Blood Qi, he could have confidently beaten either of the two on the stage.

Now, after condensing his Sixth Pillar of Blood Qi, Chen Cheng had trained with all his might for another ten-plus days.

Taking on both of them at once would be no problem at all.

Besides, Chen Cheng had hidden trump cards like Tai Chi Force, as well as newly unlocked powerful Traits: Entwining, Thunder Stepping, and Four Gods.

If the two on stage attacked him together, dispatching each with a single move would be considered a normal performance for him.

Three to five moves was indeed a conservative and humble estimate.

As for whether Zhuang Zhen and Cao Miao believed him, that was their own business.

「At the same time.」

The match between the two on stage had already been decided.

Next, the winner would hold the stage, and any of the young geniuses present could go up and issue a challenge.

The champion who remained standing at the very end would win the title of Young Qilin and make a name for themselves in Zhao City.

”Junior Brother, I believe you.”

Zhuang Zhen said in a low voice:

”Go up and challenge him now. If you can defeat your opponent, it will bring glory to our Dragon Mountain Hall. When we get back, the Hall Master and the other masters will all think more highly of you.”

”...Senior Sister, I don’t want to go on stage today.”

Chen Cheng shook his head and lowered his voice to a whisper:

”If the Hall Master and Master Cao weren’t injured, I’d have backing. There would be nothing to worry about in revealing my strength…”

”But now... my support is injured. Once I draw attention to myself, trouble, and even danger, will follow one after another.”

”The Martial Selection is in two months. That’s what I should be fighting for with all my might, not taking a risk today for some empty fame.”

”...That makes sense.”

Zhuang Zhen nodded emphatically and said:

”The title of Young Qilin is nice, but it’s ultimately empty. In two months, getting on the list for the Martial Selection and earning true merit—that’s how you get both fame and substance!”

”For the next two months, it’s definitely best to be as low-key as possible!”

Zhuang Zhen composed herself and said with a serious expression:

”I’ll go resign from my nominal post at the Evil Extermination Bureau later, go home, and enter seclusion to prepare for the Martial Selection with all my strength!”

”Alright.”

Chen Cheng smiled.

”When I get back today, I’ll have my mom get a room ready for you.”

”...I—I’m going back to my aunt’s place.”

Zhuang Zhen’s pretty face flushed slightly:

”You’re a young man, you don’t know how to avoid suspicion. If rumors start to spread, how will you ever find a wife?”

”I never said you had to stay with us.”

Chen Cheng smiled.

”The room will be ready for you anyway. If you want to eat Treasure Fish, just come over. There’s more than enough.”

”...Treasure Fish? M-More than enough?”

Zhuang Zhen froze for a moment, involuntarily pursing her lips.

Resources that nourished the body, especially Treasure Fish Meat and Treasure Beast Meat, were extremely hard to buy on the market.

Even she had long been troubled by this.

If there really was, as Chen Cheng claimed, more than enough Treasure Fish, then her strength—especially the part enhanced by tempering her Four Gods Profound Body—would undoubtedly see a significant increase.

This would be an undeniable, massive advantage for her in the Martial Selection two months from now.

”That’s right. More than enough.”

Chen Cheng nodded, his answer crisp and clear.

In the past three days, he hadn’t even finished that huge pot of Cyan Silver Dragon.

The key was that Zhou Yonglu had already gathered his people and was going to get rid of that Iron-Bone Crocodile Eel in the next few days.

As long as they succeeded, the sixteen Treasure Fish that Zhou Yonglu had promised Chen Cheng would be delivered to his door.

Moreover, Chen Cheng could also get a steady supply of Treasure Fish from the Wu Family Fishing Village.

So, wasn’t that more than enough?

Now, Zhuang Zhen was truly tempted.

Even Cao Miao, who was standing to the side, couldn’t help but swallow hard a few times.

While they were talking, the second match on the stage had already ended with extreme speed.

A new champion had been decided.

It was that seventeen-year-old girl who looked like a rough, brutish man: Zhu Qian.