Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

"I’m only telling you two, so don’t let this get out."

Cao Zhao glanced around, and only spoke after confirming they were alone.

"Six Three Treasures Nourishing Essence Pills. Their efficacy is similar to the Red Jade Blood-Nourishing Pills from our hall, but the benefits are much, much better."

"The crucial thing is, this is a resource exclusively for the Captain’s Mansion. You can’t buy it on the open market. I have a post at the Captain’s Mansion, and I can only get one pill every two months."

At these words, Zhu Mingyuan’s eyes widened even further, the envy on his face plain to see.

Chen Cheng, too, felt a stir in his heart.

Six pills!

’Much more effective than the Red Jade Blood-Nourishing Pill!’

’Even for someone as powerful as Cao Zhao, that’s a full year’s allotment, given to Lin Fengxiao just like that.’

Such a reward was undeniably lavish.

’But then again, wasn’t the price paid for it also immense?’

Chen Cheng knew exactly what had happened yesterday.

’If you lost your life, what good would any reward be, no matter how lavish?’

"Also, there was a box of dried meat."

Cao Zhao continued.

"It’s specially prepared from Exotic Tiger Essence Meat. Twenty pieces in total. It’s said to be worth one thousand taels of silver, but in reality, even if an ordinary person could come up with that much, they’d never be able to buy it."

"Indeed."

Zhu Mingyuan nodded, his tone tinged with resignation.

"A few months ago, I tried to find a connection to buy some Treasure Beast Dried Meat, but I haven’t managed to get any to this day, let alone Exotic Beast Dried Meat... You can’t even dream of it."

Chen Cheng listened in silence, feeling the exact same way.

Right now, he had nearly a thousand taels of silver on hand, but no connections to trade it for the resources he desired.

The truly valuable items were divided up by the upper echelons long before they ever reached the open market. They were either stored in vaults to build up a family’s reserves or funneled through special channels toward even greater profits.

To put it bluntly, the elite monopolized all resources, almost completely severing the path of advancement for ordinary people.

For those who wanted to keep climbing, only three options remained.

Pledge allegiance to a noble family.

Join a Sect.

Enter service through the Martial Selection.

However, none of these three paths were easy.

Pledging allegiance to a noble family was the fastest and most direct path.

The Guests kept by the Great Clans never had to worry about food or expenses. They received monthly supplies of Treasure Medicines and Treasure Meat, and could even gain access to Secret Techniques.

But once you took that final step, your life was no longer your own.

If you didn’t want the ladder you were climbing to be kicked out from under you, you had to obey without question.

To put it nicely, they were called Household Servants or Death Warriors. To put it bluntly, they were attack dogs, biting whomever their master commanded.

Pledging their lives, taking the blade, taking the fall... very few of them ever met a good end.

Joining a Sect offered the highest potential for the future, but it also had the highest barrier to entry.

The great Martial Sects valued heritage above all. With foundations built over hundreds, even thousands of years, they could stand strong through the fall of Dynasties and the dawning of new eras.

For a disciple, joining one was like standing on the shoulders of a giant; the benefits were self-evident.

However, every great Martial Sect placed immense importance on one’s Root Bone. Only those who were born with the right aptitude had even a sliver of a chance.

Some went even further, looking for things like karmic destiny, innate talent, Heart Nature, and Comprehension.

Each and every one of these conditions was incredibly demanding.

There might be back doors for a select few, but for an ordinary person, such an opportunity was completely unthinkable.

Entering service through the Martial Selection was, relatively speaking, the fairest path and the one most suited for any Martial Artist.

It didn’t care for one’s background, Root Bone, or Comprehension—only strength mattered.

But for that very reason, the annual Martial Selection was like a million-man army trying to cross a single-plank bridge—the competition was utterly brutal.

In the end, only a handful of people managed to make it onto the Golden List.

As for those who failed, the lucky ones wasted a year; the unlucky ones wasted a lifetime.

It wasn’t uncommon for some, their Mental State shattered by failure, to turn to other extremes—becoming bandits, joining Evil Cults, or even enlisting in the rebel army.

Chen Cheng had heard all of this from Qian Baolu.

After weighing the options carefully, it was clear that none of the paths were easy, and none guaranteed success.

Even though things seemed to be going smoothly for him at the moment, Chen Cheng didn’t dare let his guard down in the slightest.

The three of them chatted idly for a while longer before Cao Zhao took his leave.

Chen Cheng and Zhu Mingyuan were about to return to the Inner Hall when, just a few steps later, they saw a disciple in charge of guarding the Outer Hall gate come running over.

The disciple held a palm-sized parcel. It was wrapped in several layers of thick oiled paper and bound tightly, both horizontally and vertically, with numerous hemp ropes secured by several knots.

He held it by the ends of the ropes, the parcel hanging down heavily without swaying much, suggesting its contents were both heavy and neatly packed.

"Senior Brother Chen, this is for you."

The disciple offered the parcel with both hands, bowing slightly with an extremely deferential posture.

Chen Cheng was taken aback for a moment. "What is this?"

The disciple shook his head. "A man I’ve never seen before just delivered it. He said he was a distant relative of yours and brought you some local specialties from out of town."

’A relative?’

Chen Cheng’s first thought was of his third uncle, Chen An.

’But on second thought, if his uncle were sending something, why wouldn’t he deliver it directly to his mother in Anle Village?’

"I see. Thank you."

Chen Cheng accepted the parcel and weighed it in his hand. It felt even denser than an equivalent volume of Golden Blade Coins. ’What could this be?’

Hearing "Thank you," the disciple reacted as if he had received some great reward, bowing repeatedly, so overwhelmed he seemed at a loss for what to do.

Seeing that Chen Cheng had nothing more to say, the disciple tactfully bowed and departed. His steps were light as he left, his back held even straighter than when he had arrived.

Ever since the news that Chen Cheng had received the teachings of the Celestial God Hidden Dragon Painting spread through the Middle Courtyard half a month ago, his status in the eyes of the Outer Hall Disciples had soared to unprecedented heights.

Even Qian Baolu and Shi Lei were basking in his reflected glory.

Qian Baolu had gathered a few followers of his own and was starting to form his own little clique in the Outer Hall.

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