Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

The third round of duels continued.

Chen Cheng didn’t return to rest. Instead, he retreated to the edge of the training grounds and stood there, silently observing the strongest of his opponents.

Pang Wanhe’s opponent forfeited immediately, so Chen Cheng couldn’t glean anything about his true abilities.

Several other unfamiliar practitioners of the Seven Blood Secret Technique were sharp and decisive, finishing their opponents in just a few moves.

From what Chen Cheng could see, they were all stronger than Kuang Yifeng. If he were to face any of them later, winning easily would be nearly impossible.

Fortunately, after this round, only about thirty people would remain. Winning just one more match would secure him a spot in the top twenty-two, guaranteeing him the Military Merit he sought.

”Cheng, that last move of yours really shocked me...”

Zhuang Zhen walked over, her voice hushed, but she couldn’t hide the storm of emotions in her eyes:

”Master Cao said that your Power was actually a bit weaker than Kuang Yifeng’s. He said you relied on a special method of Force Manipulation and an Instant Burst technique to completely erase the gap between your Power and his secret technique! He also said that in all his years, he’d never seen anything like it!”

”It was just a fluke.”

Chen Cheng said calmly:

”I was lucky to draw Kuang Yifeng. He probably just reached the Entry Level of his secret technique not long ago. If I had faced one of those other Seven Blood Secret Technique users, I likely wouldn’t have won.”

”...Cut the act! Strong is strong! If I had been on the receiving end of that last move, I would have been dead for sure!”

Zhuang Zhen bit her lip, as if deliberating over something, but finally asked:

”What exactly did Kuang Yifeng say to you during your struggle? I got the feeling you didn’t intend to kill him at first. It was only after he spoke that you decided to.”

Chen Cheng turned his head, glanced at her, and casually asked back:

”Do you really want to know what he said?”

Zhuang Zhen nodded earnestly.

Chen Cheng, in turn, adopted a very serious expression and tone, saying:

”He told me that when he eats dumplings for the New Year, he dips them in sugar. How could I let that stand?”

”...”

Zhuang Zhen was stunned for a moment, then she put on a stern face, her beautiful eyes glaring at Chen Cheng reproachfully. Her cheeks puffed out slightly, as if she wanted to scold him.

But the moment her lips moved, Zhuang Zhen broke character.

She couldn’t hold it in.

The corners of her lips curved up, her eyes crinkled, and a gentle smile bloomed on her face, more beautiful than any flower in the warm spring sun.

Suddenly, a clamor erupted from the surrounding crowd.

Immediately after, every eye on the grounds shot toward one of the fighting platforms.

Zhuang Zhen’s smile vanished, and a hint of gravity appeared between her brows.

Chen Cheng also grew serious.

Zhao Tianlai’s towering, muscular frame, larger than an iron pagoda, stood proudly in the center of the platform. The sun shone from behind him, casting a heavy shadow.

At the same time.

Qin Zhao was walking onto the platform, one step at a time.

His pace was unhurried, his gaze as calm and flat as still water, devoid of any emotion. It was as if this platform, this training ground, this entire arena of geniuses—none of it was enough to cause the slightest ripple in his heart.

All around, a buzz of discussion exploded.

”No way, what are the odds?”

”Dragon Mountain and Cloud Platform have a deep-seated grudge. With Zhao Tianlai facing Qin Zhao, both sides will surely be fighting to the death.”

”This fight will definitely be amazing! Their scores in the first round of Measuring Force were very close. They’re evenly matched. This will go on for at least three hundred rounds!”

”If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the most exciting fight of the entire Martial Selection!”

Qin Zhao stepped onto the platform and stopped. He said nothing, nor did he offer any customary greeting.

Zhao Tianlai, naturally, didn’t give him a pleasant look. He slowly stretched his long arms, his knuckles cracking audibly.

As the examiner announced the start, Zhao Tianlai attacked first. In the next instant, his massive body erupted with a terrifying speed that completely belied his size.

He stomped his right foot on the platform, and in the instant the stone cracked, he charged toward Qin Zhao like an untethered rhinoceros. His right fist shot out from his waist, the blow carrying the multiple layers of Hidden Strength unique to the Hidden Dragon Secret Technique.

Qin Zhao remained impassive. Facing the overwhelming force of the punch, he sank his stance slightly and swept his right leg out like a whip, silent and swift.

His kick lacked the thunderous momentum of Zhao Tianlai’s attack, but it was unbelievably fast. As the edge of his leg cut through the air, it created a long, thin hiss, like silk being sliced by a sharp blade.

Fist met leg.

”BOOM—!”

The moment the Transforming Forces collided, two invisible powers exploded. The air compressed into a visible vortex that burst outward in an arc.

The strength of their Transforming Forces was indeed quite similar.

Under the sudden impact, both of their Transforming Force Barriers shattered.

Zhao Tianlai’s punch was stopped dead by the kick. He immediately changed tactics, hooking his left fist upward as a tide of Transforming Force surged toward Qin Zhao’s jaw.

The move was extremely fast, and the angle was incredibly cunning and concealed.

But Qin Zhao seemed to have anticipated this change in advance.

His leg instantly retracted and then snapped out again, carving a bizarre arc through the air to strike at Zhao Tianlai’s shoulder and neck from an almost impossible angle.

Zhao Tianlai’s pupils contracted. With both his fists extended, it was too late to block. He wanted to dodge, but he found that all his escape routes had been sealed off by that one kick.

What shocked Zhao Tianlai even more was that Qin Zhao’s kick had precisely avoided the thickest parts of his Transforming Force Barrier, striking directly at its single weakest point.

”BANG!”

The edge of the leg slammed down. Qin Zhao’s full Transforming Force instantly shattered Zhao Tianlai’s Transforming Force Barrier at its weakest point.

Zhao Tianlai’s massive body suddenly dropped, the stone bricks beneath his feet exploding in a circle of cracks. A sharp pain shot through his left shoulder; the bone had probably fractured.

He gritted his teeth and roared, immediately unleashing both fists in a dense flurry of shadows that rained down like a violent storm.

But Qin Zhao still moved as if he could predict everything, weaving through the storm of fists. His every movement landed precisely in the gap where Zhao Tianlai’s attack was about to end but had not yet fully receded.

Zhao Tianlai’s fists couldn’t touch Qin Zhao at all.

Qin Zhao’s legs, however, were like a festering cancer clinging to the bone, landing one strike after another on Zhao Tianlai’s joints, ribs, and lower back...

Crucially, every single hit landed on the weakest point of Zhao Tianlai’s Transforming Force Barrier, shattering it with ease, like a hammer cracking one sheet of thin ice after another.

Zhao Tianlai suffered continuous injuries all over his body. His wounds worsened, his Blood Qi faltered, his stance became unsteady, and his breathing grew ragged. Inwardly, he was horrified beyond belief...

He didn’t understand how Qin Zhao could predict his movements, or even predict his predictions.

Of course, in a situation like this, he had no time to think it through.

The onslaught of Qin Zhao’s kicks grew faster and fiercer, pressing down on Zhao Tianlai until he could barely breathe.

Qin Zhao even began to show off, executing his Leg Technique move by move.

He wanted everyone to see that he, Qin Zhao, could completely suppress Dragon Mountain Hall’s senior disciple even with his most basic Leg Technique.

”Qin Zhao... you! You’ve gone too far!”

Zhao Tianlai, utterly enraged, threw a final punch with all his might. The fist, carrying all his fury and frustration, aimed straight for Qin Zhao’s chest.

Qin Zhao’s assault finally stopped.

He stood his ground, watching the fist draw closer. There was still not a single ripple of emotion in his eyes, only a lofty, almost pitying, indifference.

In the instant before Zhao Tianlai’s fist could land, Qin Zhao’s right leg shot out, so fast it didn’t even leave an afterimage.

Though it moved second, the kick arrived first. The edge of his leg drove precisely into the space between Zhao Tianlai’s waist and abdomen, cutting in just below the ribs and sending his massive body flying sideways more than ten feet.

”CRACK—!”

The crisp snap echoed clearly across the entire grounds.

Zhao Tianlai’s pagoda-like body slammed heavily onto the ground. His eyes were wide and round, his mouth agape, but he couldn’t make a sound.

His lumbar spine had been completely severed. The Power that poured into his body even caused his entire spinal column to shatter, inch by inch.

His body lay limp on the ground, like a mountain range that had been snapped in half.

The light in his pupils was fading fast. His mouth was wide open, but he couldn’t even squeeze out a scream.

Qin Zhao took a step forward, raising his foot to crush Zhao Tianlai’s head.

However, he didn’t immediately bring his foot down, as if he were deliberately waiting for something.

”Forfeit! Zhao Tianlai of Dragon Mountain Hall forfeits!”

Cao Miao’s voice, hoarse and shrill, erupted from below the platform.

He ignored the rules and rushed onto the platform, squatted down, and immediately heaved Zhao Tianlai onto his shoulders before dashing toward the gates of the Martial Guard Headquarters.

Qin Zhao didn’t stop him. He just silently watched the large globs of blood that Zhao Tianlai kept vomiting fall to the ground, splattering like blossoms.

The corner of his mouth twitched, but in the end, he said nothing.

The crowd erupted once more.

”How did this happen? Weren’t they supposed to be evenly matched?”

”That Qin Zhao is too strong! He completely crushed Dragon Mountain Hall’s senior disciple!”

”Cloud Platform Hall and the Qin Family have produced a True Dragon!”

”Now Cloud Platform Hall’s ranking can completely leave Dragon Mountain Hall in the dust!”

”Leave them in the dust? It’s far worse than that! There’s no comparison anymore! First, Dragon Mountain Hall lost a Seven Blood Secret Technique user, and now their senior disciple has been crippled! What do they have left to compete with Cloud Platform Hall?”

”To put it bluntly, if Cloud Platform Hall is ever displeased in the future, they could wipe Dragon Mountain Hall from Zhao City with a wave of their hand!”

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Fatty Fang felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. The color drained from his face, and he couldn’t help but start seriously considering his own future.

Zhuang Zhen’s elegant brows were knitted tightly, her pretty face just as pale. Her beautiful eyes stared in the direction Cao Miao had gone, completely oblivious to the flash of understanding that glinted in Chen Cheng’s eyes.

Over by Cloud Platform Hall.

Hall Master Qin Yuan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, finally opened them. A slow smile crept onto his lips.

Ever since he was young, Cloud Platform Hall had been in constant conflict with Dragon Mountain Hall. His own brother had died at the hands of a Dragon Mountain Hall disciple in a duel.

The greatest obsession of his life was to grind Dragon Mountain Hall under his heel.

Today, that lifelong obsession was finally released.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had smiled.

At this moment, the smile on his face seemed to span the entirety of his one hundred and twenty-odd years of life!

’So satisfying!’

’Incredibly satisfying!’

The duels on the platforms continued.

But most of the audience below were still discussing the last fight.

”Chen Cheng.”

Just then, Qin Zhao walked up to Chen Cheng and spoke in a surprisingly calm tone:

”We met at the Young Qilin Association gathering. You should remember, right?”

”If you have something to say, just say it.”

Chen Cheng’s tone was level, and he met Qin Zhao’s gaze without flinching.