Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chen Cheng’s brow furrowed slightly as he turned to look at Wang Hengyu.

Wang Hengyu lowered his voice.

"That’s Han Tianqi, a genius disciple from the Cloud Platform Hall’s Upper Courtyard... The grudge between Dragon Mountain and Cloud Platform runs deep. Han Tianqi also has a bone to pick with our Brother Cao. He’s most likely here to cause trouble..."

Chen Cheng composed himself. His face remained impassive, but he was secretly circulating his Blood Qi, building up Hidden Strength, and activating Endless Moon Breath to mask the fluctuations of his Blood Qi, his breathing, and his heartbeat, ensuring no one would notice anything unusual...

’If a fight breaks out, I’ll be ready to attack or retreat.’

"Cao Zhao, I hear you’re temporarily in charge of the Dragon Mountain Middle Courtyard?"

Han Tianqi said with a smirk.

"That sparring match between our two Middle Courtyards, the one Ye Yang and my father agreed to back in the middle of the year—is that still on?"

"...Of course, it is."

Although Cao Zhao hesitated slightly, he didn’t dare refuse. The reputation of Dragon Mountain Hall was at stake; he couldn’t yield an inch.

"Good that it’s still on."

Han Tianqi’s smirk widened.

"Then, as agreed, we’ll each choose one disciple from the ranks of One Pillar of Blood Qi up to Five Pillars of Blood Qi. Five bouts, best three out of five..."

"As for Six Pillars of Blood Qi, we can just call it a draw. After all, you’re just someone I’ve already beaten. No need to fight again!"

When he said the words "someone I’ve already beaten," Han Tianqi deliberately raised his voice, as if wanting everyone, upstairs and down, to hear him.

The group of young men and women behind him immediately burst into sneers, their mocking and jeering gazes falling squarely on Cao Zhao.

"It’s a deal!"

Cao Zhao didn’t hesitate. His tone was firm and his emotions, steady.

"Excellent!"

A flicker of imperceptible disappointment crossed Han Tianqi’s eyes. He had originally wanted to provoke Cao Zhao, but he’d failed. Moreover, he was somewhat wary of Ji Hongshan, so he simply gave a flick of his hand and left with his people.

The private room fell silent for a moment.

Wang Chuang let out a long breath, then picked up his cup and chugged a large gulp. "That bastard..."

Ji Hongshan remained expressionless, merely tapping his fingers twice on the edge of the table.

Gu Lan’an’s red lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.

"Junior Brother Chen..."

Cao Zhao looked at Chen Cheng and asked in a low, serious voice.

"That sparring match is set for the end of the year. When the time comes, would you be willing to fight as our Three Pillars of Blood Qi disciple?"

"The end of the year?"

Chen Cheng was taken aback, unsure how to respond for a moment.

’There are still nearly two months until the end of the year. By then, I’ll be long past Three Pillars of Blood Qi...’

’Four Pillars is almost a certainty, but it might even be Five. It’s hard to say for sure. The key is, even if I told him, Cao Zhao wouldn’t believe me.’

"What? You’re not willing?"

Cao Zhao’s brow tightened, and he couldn’t help but sigh.

"Forget it... Sparring matches are risky. I can’t force you. I’ll think of another way..."

"Senior Brother Cao."

Chen Cheng said with a serious expression.

"Give me a month. I’ll give you my answer then."

"...Alright."

Cao Zhao nodded. He just assumed Chen Cheng was making an excuse to get out of it, so he didn’t press the matter further.

At this point, everyone had lost their appetite for the gathering. After bidding each other farewell, they got up and left.

Before leaving, Cao Zhao didn’t forget to have a waitress pack up a small jar of Drunken Immortal Green for Chen Cheng to take with him.

Only after asking did Chen Cheng learn that a small, two-jin jar of Drunken Immortal Green sold for a shocking thirty taels of silver. At the moment, he only had a dozen or so taels left to his name.

In the end, the jar of wine was put on Cao Zhao’s tab.

Chen Cheng wanted to say he would pay him back later, but Cao Zhao flatly refused.

"Consider this wine my, Cao Zhao’s, congratulations for your Three A+ results. If you consider me a friend, don’t mention the word ’repay’ again."

Chen Cheng was silent for two breaths, then stopped declining.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Cao Zhao clapped Chen Cheng’s shoulder, his usual easygoing smile returning to his face. "A carriage is waiting outside to take you back to the hall," he said warmly. "I have to make a trip to the Upper Courtyard myself, so I won’t accompany you."

...

By the time the carriage left the Inner City and returned to An Nan District, the sky was completely dark.

The remnants of the Red Moon Nunnery had been causing trouble recently, so as soon as night fell, the streets were completely deserted. In contrast, the Inner City was still brightly lit, a world of decadent luxury.

Chen Cheng remained on high alert, his ears pricked, one finger lifting a corner of the carriage curtain as his eyes stared intently at the road ahead.

The Outer City was rife with hidden dangers. Even someone as powerful as Ye Yang had fallen into a trap; how could Chen Cheng dare to be careless?

Suddenly, a figure shot across the main street in the distance, moving with extreme speed. Their footwork had a certain rhythm to it, their form ethereal and their robes fluttering, like a swift skimming close to the ground.

’They must be using some kind of Body Technique Martial Arts, and a high-grade one at that.’

Right behind them, another figure shot across the street.

This person’s Body Technique was even stranger, one might even say bizarre.

They seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll, yet their body could accelerate in an instant. With each step, on top of their normal stride, their entire person would shift forward another foot out of thin air, as if the very flagstones beneath their feet were shrinking the distance for them.

Chen Cheng watched in silence, his pupils contracting, an expression of utter shock on his face.

It wasn’t because of their Body Techniques, but because the person behind was wearing a bamboo hat and black robes.

Chen Cheng’s heart sank, his gaze locking onto the second figure.

Due to the distance, Chen Cheng couldn’t make out the person’s face, but he could capture their movements completely.

BUZZ—

Deep within his Heart Spirit, the Vertical Eye Mark suddenly grew hot.

Chen Cheng’s vision blurred for an instant, and then the trajectory of the black-robed person’s Step Technique became crystal clear in his mind.

The mechanics of every step, every wisp of special energy converted from Heart Power, every coordinated pull of muscle and sinew—it was all deconstructed into countless frames, each one seared into his Heart Spirit.

[Inconstant Moon Step]: Entry Level (0/300), Traits (None), Limit-Breaking (No)

Chen Cheng’s heart leaped, and an unconcealable look of pleasant surprise filled his eyes.

He had only intended to observe the remnant from the Red Moon Nunnery, trying to memorize as many details about them as possible in case it proved useful later.

He never imagined that, by a strange twist of fate, he would actually learn a Body Technique Martial Arts...

No, to be precise, this was a Body Technique Evil Technique.

After the Vertical Eye Mark granted him perfect Entry Level mastery, all related information about it became clear in his mind.

Compared to Martial Arts, Evil Techniques had two main characteristics. First, a supernatural quality that defied conventional explanation. Second, a price that had to be paid to obtain that supernatural quality.

The supernatural aspect of this Inconstant Moon Step was its instantaneous acceleration, which was almost like teleportation.

It wasn’t the acceleration of a normal Body Technique, but an instantaneous shift.

Stepping, traversing, and landing—the three actions were completed in almost the same instant, their trajectory impossible for the naked eye to follow.

However, since Chen Cheng had only just reached Entry Level, the distance he could "teleport" was almost negligible.

To teleport a foot at a time like that Red Moon Nunnery remnant just did, he would probably have to train this Evil Technique to the Perfection realm.

As for the price...

The practitioner’s leg meridians would gradually mutate. Over many years, Blood Qi would become unable to circulate through their legs, and everything from the waist down would become abnormally fragile, even leading to the loss of fertility.

For an ordinary person, training this Evil Technique to Perfection would be harder than climbing to heaven.

But for Chen Cheng, who had the panel to solidify his training progress and the Health-Preserving Traits to heal the mutations, reaching Perfection was merely a matter of time.

’Teleporting a foot is about thirty-three centimeters in my past life.’

When facing masters who specialized in speed, this small distance might not offer a significant advantage.

But if used for short-range closing, for an instantaneous surprise attack, the effect would surely be outstanding.

Especially when combined with Endless Moon Breath. Launching a teleporting surprise attack from a perfectly concealed ambush would be almost impossible to miss.

’Perhaps...’

’This was how Ye Yang was injured that night.’

’Furthermore, this Inconstant Moon Step should also be incredibly useful for dodging fatal blows or surprise attacks with Hidden Weapons.’

Chen Cheng silently calculated the possibilities, a look of anticipation gradually rising in his eyes.

...

「Half a month passed in a flash.」

That morning, after eating breakfast, Chen Cheng went to wait outside the side gate of the Inner Hall as arranged.

A black leather wine gourd now hung from his waist, and he wore a thick, silver-gray fur-lined coat. The fur collar was turned up, wrapping tightly around his neck and keeping him very warm.

Before long, a loud shout came from the distance.

"Younger Brother Chen! Do you know how to ride a horse?"

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