Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

"Greetings, Senior Brothers."

Chen Cheng greeted them with a cupped fist.

"No need to be so formal, Junior Brother Chen. From now on, we’re all friends here."

Zhou Ping and Zhou An both smiled and returned the salute, showing none of the airs typical of senior brothers from the Upper Courtyard.

What was interesting was that their movements, smiles, and voices were almost perfectly synchronized as they returned the salute. Combined with their identical looks—as if they’d been carved from the same mold—it was like looking at a mirror image.

Chen Cheng even began to worry, ’Will I be able to tell them apart the next time we meet?’

Next, Cao Zhao gestured toward the tall, handsome young man standing next to Zhuang Zhen.

"This is Gu Kaishen, Senior Brother Gu. At only twenty-five, he has already condensed Seven Pillars of Blood Qi and reached Minor Achievement in the Transforming Force realm. He’s the second-youngest top genius in our Dragon Mountain Upper Courtyard to ever reach the Transforming Force realm!"

’Transforming Force?’

Chen Cheng felt a stir in his heart.

He’d once heard Elder Wen mention it: above Dark Force was Transforming Force. It sounded like a single step up, but it was a barrier that trapped ninety-nine percent of Martial Artists, a threshold they might never cross in their entire lifetime.

Elder Wen himself was a living example.

’For Gu Kaishen to have reached this realm at twenty-five... he truly deserves to be called a top genius!’

"Greetings, Senior Brother Gu."

Chen Cheng once again cupped his fist in salute.

Gu Kaishen merely gave a slight nod, then immediately turned his gaze back to Zhuang Zhen, ready to continue their unfinished conversation.

But Zhuang Zhen clearly didn’t want to continue. Without so much as a word, she left him hanging and walked straight toward Chen Cheng.

Gu Kaishen froze for a moment. His gaze followed Zhuang Zhen’s retreating back before sweeping over to Chen Cheng. For an instant, an almost imperceptible, strange glint appeared in his eyes before being completely concealed.

"Junior Brother Chen..."

Zhuang Zhen came closer. Her red lips parted, but she hesitated before speaking.

Her clear, bright eyes trembled slightly, and her expression was strained, as if she were desperately trying to suppress something.

To the onlookers, the scene inevitably took on a different meaning.

Cao Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly.

A hint of amusement flashed in Zhou Ping and Zhou An’s eyes.

Ye Qiluo’s and Gu Kaishen’s gazes shifted between Chen Cheng and Zhuang Zhen, as if they were piecing together a hidden secret—or perhaps a clandestine romance?

At this moment, only Chen Cheng himself knew that Zhuang Zhen wanted to ask about the Four Gods Profound Body.

However, this particular martial art was a matter of great importance and could not be discussed in public. With so many eyes watching, she had no choice but to swallow her words, and Chen Cheng couldn’t clarify the situation either.

"Come on, everyone, let’s get moving! We can talk as we walk!"

Sensing the atmosphere had grown a little strange, Cao Zhao immediately interjected loudly, pulling everyone’s attention back.

The group responded in agreement and set off.

Ye Qiluo still walked with Zhou Ping and Zhou An. Flanked by the two of them, she was saying something that made her smile so much her eyes curved into crescents.

Zhu Mingyuan was about to sidle up to Ye Qiluo as usual, but Cao Zhao called out to him, asking how things were going in the Middle Courtyard.

Chen Cheng and Zhuang Zhen deliberately slowed their pace, gradually putting some distance between themselves and the rest of the group.

Gu Kaishen’s pace wavered, as if he wanted to wait for Zhuang Zhen but was too proud to do so.

After a moment of indecision, a cold look entered his eyes. He then strode to the front of the group and joined Ye Qiluo and the others.

"Senior Brother Gu!"

Ye Qiluo’s eyes lit up. She immediately ditched Zhou Ping and Zhou An and, with a beaming smile, took a few steps to walk beside Gu Kaishen.

The whole reason she had come today was, in fact, to get closer to Gu Kaishen, the Transforming Force genius with Seven Pillars of Blood Qi.

Before this, however, Gu Kaishen’s attention had been entirely on Zhuang Zhen, and she, Ye Qiluo, couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Now that an opportunity had presented itself, there was no way she was going to let it pass.

With a broad smile, she exchanged a few pleasantries before trying to strike up a lively conversation with him.

Meanwhile, Chen Cheng and Zhuang Zhen walked side-by-side, maintaining a distance of about half an arm’s length.

Once they had put enough distance between themselves and the group ahead, Zhuang Zhen finally turned her head slightly and parted her lips to speak.

"Junior Brother Chen... that Cultivation Technique, you’ve looked at it, right? What do you think? Have you made any headway?"

She kept her voice to a near whisper, but it couldn’t conceal the profound urgency she felt.

She knew better than anyone just how difficult it was to even reach the Entry Level with the Four Gods Profound Body.

Not a single person in her family for generations, starting with her great-grandfather, had managed to do it.

Including herself.

It would have been one thing if her talent was merely average.

But as it happened, she was the one with the best Root Bone and Comprehension her family had seen in generations. Bar none.

Three years ago, she was already the number one genius of the Dragon Mountain Middle Courtyard.

Now, having conquered her Heart Demon, it had turned into a blessing in disguise, her foundation growing even more stable. She condensed Seven Pillars of Blood Qi at the age of twenty-three, stepping into the Transforming Force realm and earning the title of the Dragon Mountain Upper Courtyard’s number one genius.

And yet, despite reaching such heights, she remained completely helpless before that Upper Grade Martial Arts technique.

That was why, even though she had entrusted the martial art to Chen Cheng, she had no real confidence deep down.

’The weight of regret carried by generations of her family is far too heavy to be lifted by a simple assessment like ’superior Comprehension’.’

’Something like this simply can’t be rushed!’

"Junior Brother... I’m sorry. I was being too impatient."

Zhuang Zhen pursed her lips and lowered her head slightly, her voice filled with apology.

"After all, you’ve had the martial art for less than ten days... It’s completely normal if you haven’t made any headway... Please, don’t feel pressured. Just take your time..."

"I’ve already reached the Entry Level," Chen Cheng said calmly.

"I know, I know. I know all too well how hard it is to reach the Entry Level. You just take your time. I believe that one day... Huh!?"

Zhuang Zhen was still speaking, but her heart felt as if it had suddenly been jabbed by something sharp.

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