Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chen Cheng had always believed that the remnants of the Red Moon Nunnery were turning the South Outer City upside down in search of the Red Moon Original Vow Scripture.

Now, however, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

What they were truly looking for was something called ’Moon Marrow’.

The name rang a bell for Chen Cheng.

Words like ’Sacred Object’ and ’Moon Marrow’ had appeared in the Red Moon Original Vow Scripture.

Unfortunately, these terms were only mentioned in passing, with no detailed explanation.

The only thing Chen Cheng could be sure of now was that someone had brought the Moon Marrow into Zhao City.

And as long as it wasn’t recovered, the remnants of the Red Moon Nunnery would not rest.

The chaos and killing in the Outer City would likely continue to escalate.

Fortunately, Chen Cheng had already made a home in the Inner City. He had plenty of cultivation resources, wealth equivalent to one thousand taels of silver, and several stable sources of funding and a Monthly Allowance.

His next step was to condense the Sixth Pillar of Blood Qi as quickly as possible and join the Dragon Mountain Upper Courtyard. Then, he could leave the Outer City behind for good.

Afterward, Chen Cheng resumed his methodical training, honing his various Martial Arts.

Late that night, after his Four Gods Profound Body had completed another Grand Circulation, Chen Cheng finished his practice and took a short rest. Suddenly, he heard a series of staggering, unsteady footsteps outside his room.

They sounded like they were heading toward Zhu Mingyuan’s room.

Worried something might have happened to Zhu Mingyuan, Chen Cheng immediately got up, slid open his door, and went outside.

Under the moonlight, he saw that it was indeed Zhu Mingyuan, hobbling along with a pronounced limp. He favored his right leg, his gait awkward as he trembled with every step.

His face was flushed, his gaze unfocused, and Chen Cheng could smell the reek of alcohol on him even from a distance.

Zhu Mingyuan didn’t like to drink.

Chen Cheng had offered him a taste of his Golden Ring Treasure Snake Wine on several occasions, but he had always politely refused.

’How did he get so drunk today?’

"Senior Brother Zhu, are you alright?"

Chen Cheng hurried over and reached out to support him.

"I’m fine... Don’t worry about me. Go back to your room and get some rest."

Zhu Mingyuan quickly turned his head, trying to hide his face in his shoulder as if he were afraid of being seen. As he spoke, the stench of alcohol on his breath grew even heavier.

Seeing him act so strangely, Chen Cheng knew without a doubt that something was wrong.

Chen Cheng didn’t let go, insisting on helping Zhu Mingyuan back to his room.

He lit the oil lamp.

The wick crackled twice as the flame flared to life.

Zhu Mingyuan could no longer hide his face from Chen Cheng’s sight.

There were bruises at the corners of his mouth and by his brow, and a purplish-red splotch on his cheekbone. His clothes were covered in dust and sported several torn gashes.

"Senior Brother, who did this?"

Chen Cheng’s heart sank.

After all, Zhu Mingyuan was an expert who had reached Six Pillars of Blood Qi and achieved Dark Force Mastery. On top of that, he was exceptionally skilled at defense.

’Who could have left him in such a sorry state?’

At first, Zhu Mingyuan didn’t want to talk about it.

But then he had a second thought. It wasn’t that big of a deal, and saying nothing would only lead to wild speculation. So, he spoke in a low voice.

"It was Han Tianqi... from the Cloud Platform Hall."

Zhu Mingyuan exhaled another great, boozy breath before he slowly began to speak.

"This evening, Senior Sister Ye, Senior Brother Gu, and I went to a restaurant for dinner. We ran into Han Tianqi there with a few other disciples from Cloud Platform Hall..."

"That bastard Han was running his mouth, making snide remarks and putting down our Dragon Mountain Middle Courtyard and Master Ye at every turn..."

Zhu Mingyuan’s eyes fell, his lips pursing into a tight line. He hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Senior Brother Gu didn’t want any trouble, so he made an excuse and left early."

"Senior Sister Ye couldn’t win the war of words, and she wanted to fight but didn’t dare... She was furious, so she insisted I stay and drink with her..."

Zhu Mingyuan raised a hand and rubbed his brow.

"It was fine at first. That guy Han left with his group, and after a few drinks, Senior Sister Ye had calmed down a little. I walked her home and then started heading back here."

"I was walking by myself for a while when, halfway back, I ran into Han’s group again."

"They were huddled together, talking about Senior Sister Ye... saying the most disgusting, vile things... I couldn’t stand to hear it..."

Zhu Mingyuan’s gaze turned cold, and the bruise at the corner of his mouth twitched.

"How could I let that stand?"

"..."

Chen Cheng listened in silence. There was nothing to say.

’Zhu Mingyuan always valued Ye Qiluo more than his own future. Add to that the alcohol he’d drunk tonight... acting on impulse was perfectly normal.’

But the incident served as a wake-up call for Chen Cheng.

He’d heard from Cao Zhao that Han Tianqi had only just been promoted to the Cloud Platform Upper Courtyard after this year’s assessment.

Even though Cao Zhao was also at the Six Pillars of Blood Qi, he was no match for him. And now, Zhu Mingyuan had lost to him as well.

Clearly, Han Tianqi’s strength far surpassed others of the Same Tier, making him well-deserving of his reputation as a genius of the Cloud Platform Upper Courtyard.

The crucial point was that Han Tianqi had ties to the Fuchang Trading Company.

Chen Cheng would have to be on his guard against him.

The Fuchang Trading Company had been reported by Lin Fengxiao, and their felony of colluding with the bandits of Grass Head Mountain had been confirmed.

After the battle that day, Chen Cheng had thought the Fuchang Trading Company would collapse.

He never expected that their backing would be so astonishingly powerful.

In the end, they just pushed out the second-in-command, Sun Dingjiang, to take the fall. The Master, Fu Yunchen, and the rest of the company washed their hands of the matter, and everything went on as before.

’Who knows what kind of trouble they’ll stir up during the year-end competition for the Trade Document.’

Chen Cheng had to be prepared.

’If things get bad enough, I might really have to use the Red Moon Original Vow Scripture to muddy the waters.’

"Senior Brother Zhu."

Chen Cheng collected his thoughts and asked.

"Why is that Han Tianqi so set on targeting our Dragon Mountain Middle Courtyard?"

"Sigh... It’s all just old, deep-seated resentment..."

Zhu Mingyuan let out another boozy sigh, composed himself for a moment, and continued.

"The Upper Courtyards of Dragon Mountain and Cloud Platform have never gotten along. Plus, our Martial Arts Halls are ranked right next to each other, so we’re always trying to prove who’s better. There are countless competitions, both open and secret..."

"As for Han Tianqi’s personal grudge... that goes back five or six years. Back then, his father, Han Chuo, fought a match against Master Ye. After he was defeated, his foundation was damaged, and he could no longer advance his Cultivation."

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