Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Ye Yang’s brow furrowed, his expression growing more grave and worried.

The expressions of the crowd below were varied. Almost no one could understand Shi Lei’s choice. How was this any different from suicide?

Only Chen Cheng understood completely.

Shi Lei wasn’t seeking victory or defeat, but a clear and untroubled Mental State.

Ordinarily, Shi Lei seemed carefree and nonchalant. But in reality, for someone who had clawed his way out of the slums, his mind was anything but crude. He had long since taken stock of the situation.

He could accept defeat.

But he could never accept surrendering of his own accord.

He also had a teacher on the outside who had intermittently taught him many things since he left the Lower Courtyard.

One principle, in particular, he treated as gospel, believing in it without a shred of doubt.

To advance in the path of Martial Arts, one must seek a clear and untroubled mind!

If your thoughts are obstructed, your path in Martial Arts is severed!

SWISH—

After the two forcefully exchanged several more moves, Fang Haokun suddenly thrust both his clawed hands forward, one for the throat and one for the heart—a clear killing blow.

Shi Lei’s eyes turned cold. He didn’t dodge or evade, but instead met the attack head-on.

The moment his throat was seized, his hands had already wrapped around Fang Haokun’s waist. His fingers interlocked, muscles bulging, he used the force-generating method of the Dragon Locking Twister to fully unleash his Hidden Strength.

"You..."

Fang Haokun’s pupils shrank. He could clearly feel his spine being rapidly bent backward, on the verge of being snapped in two by Shi Lei’s raw power.

In that split second, Fang Haokun could have crushed Shi Lei’s throat, but the price would be his own spine completely shattering. He would have to live out the rest of his life as a cripple.

Shi Lei wasn’t afraid of death.

But Fang Haokun was. And even more than death, he feared being crippled—a fate worse than death.

In that single moment of hesitation, Fang Haokun lost the initiative once again.

Shi Lei’s abnormally thick neck pulled his head back to its limit. His forehead, like a cannonball fired from a chamber, suddenly snapped forward, smashing straight toward Fang Haokun’s face.

The face is nowhere near as hard as the forehead.

If this blow landed, Fang Haokun’s defeat was certain.

But he was, after all, a cut above Shi Lei. At the brink of life and death, he grit his teeth, suddenly tensed his neck, and met the attack with his own forehead.

BANG—!!

A sickening thud, enough to make one’s teeth ache, exploded outwards.

It was the sound of forehead against forehead, bone against bone!

Both men’s vision went black simultaneously. Their consciousness nearly short-circuited as they stumbled, bodies still locked together, and tumbled off the fighting stage.

The scene instantly fell into a dead silence.

An attendant from behind Pang Shixun quickly ran over, crouched down to examine them carefully, then turned his head to Pang Shixun and reported loudly.

"My lord, both of them... they’ve both passed out!"

Pang Shixun and Wu Shannan exchanged a glance, both in agreement on the outcome. Pang Shixun then announced in a clear voice.

"The first match is a draw."

As soon as he spoke, the entire arena erupted in an uproar, with gasps of shock bursting out one after another.

"A draw? That can be a draw?"

"That guy, Shi Lei, is fucking ruthless! It was a guaranteed loss, but he dragged it to a draw with his own life on the line!"

"What a man! So much grit! A real man’s man!"

From the crowd, a portly man shouted out.

"He’s a White Character Token from Dragon Mountain Hall, right? Liu’s Oil Workshop will pay the fee to release him from his Death Oath Contract!"

"A ruthless guy like him who dares to fight and risk it all is a perfect fit for my Ganshan Gang!"

Another man with a gruff voice raised his arm and yelled.

"I’m willing to pay three times the market rate for his Monthly Allowance! And triple the pay for any jobs he takes on!"

"..."

For a moment, cries of shock, cheers, and shouted offers rose and fell, like boiling oil in a sputtering pot, completely out of control.

Amidst the waves of astonished cries, Chen Cheng was the first to run over. He checked on Shi Lei’s condition and then personally carried him back.

Ye Yang let out a long breath, hurried forward, and took some healing pills from his robes, personally feeding them into Shi Lei’s mouth.

Those pills must have been a top-grade Healing Medicine of considerable value.

Only a moment after taking them, Shi Lei coughed and slowly regained consciousness.

He opened his eyes and groggily saw Chen Cheng’s face. He tried to grin, wanting to say something, but it was as if something was stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t speak for a long moment.

"He’s awake! He’s awake!"

The disciples of Dragon Mountain Hall all crowded around.

"Shi Lei, how the hell can you be so fierce? You actually fought that bastard Fang to a draw!"

"That was insane! I really thought you were done for!"

"Fierce, fierce, fierce! Bro, I don’t respect anyone but you! When you’re healed up, I’ll treat you to a feast! We’ll go drink with flower... I mean, drink good wine! Good wine!"

"..."

Everyone chattered excitedly, the atmosphere soaring to an unprecedented high, as if it hadn’t been a draw, but a resounding, blood-pumping, triumphant victory.

In contrast, over at the Cloud Platform Hall, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was nearly at freezing point.

Han Chuo sat stiffly in his chair with a dark expression, not saying a word, like a stone statue, showing no intention of moving.

Han Tianqi, however, made no attempt to hide his fury, and started cursing out the just-awakened Fang Haokun.

"Useless trash! You’re a complete piece of shit! How could you lose that?! What’s the point of you practicing Martial Arts?! Go home and shovel shit!"

"I... I didn’t lose..."

Fang Haokun, with a tearful, miserable expression, moved his lips, wanting to explain.

"Shut your damn mouth!"

Han Tianqi strode over, pointed at his nose, and roared.

"I spent months building hype for today’s tournament! I wanted a clean sweep—five straight wins! And you, in the fucking first match, you make me and my father lose all face! How is that any different from a loss!?"

Seeing Han Tianqi so enraged, Fang Haokun didn’t dare talk back. The surrounding Cloud Platform Hall disciples were as silent as cicadas in winter, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

「Over at Dragon Mountain Hall.」

Ye Yang had someone take Shi Lei to a nearby clinic first, instructing them to put the expenses on his account, before returning to his main seat.

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