Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

For a moment, it was as if everyone had turned to stone. Their expressions, their movements, even their breathing and heartbeats, seemed to freeze in place.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths…

An unknown amount of time passed.

Then, a startled cry from Dong Chuo erupted from a private core courtyard in the distance, shattering the dead silence.

“Eight Blood Over Nine Blood!? Is it starting!?”

Dong Chuo was naturally loud, and in the dead silence, his cry was like a gong ringing in the ears of the Martial Artists present, jolting them from their trance.

“It’s already over…”

Han Chou gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile and slowly lowered his fist.

Li Wenrou’s lips moved, her voice kept to a low whisper, but her emotions felt like they could erupt at any moment:

“He’s too strong… With this kind of power, if the Sea Courtyard won’t take Chen Cheng, the various halls of the Mountain Courtyard will be fighting to recruit him! Even if he really left the Mountain and Sea Sect, he could establish himself in any Sect he wanted!”

Hearing Li Wenrou’s hushed exclamation, several nearby Outer Sect Stewards nodded silently. Even Steward Sun’s eyes revealed a hint of approval.

At this thought, a self-deprecating look, much like Han Chou’s, crossed Li Wenrou’s face.

Just a short while ago, she had been worried that with his poor background and Root Bone, leaving the Mountain and Sea Sect would be a death sentence for Chen Cheng. Only now did she realize just how much she had underestimated him.

「In the distance.」

The way Su Bing, Marsong, and the others looked at Chen Cheng had completely changed. Their earlier worry, pity, and inability to bear watching had transformed into astonishment, admiration, and even awe.

“No wonder…”

Ding Lu gasped, muttering to herself:

‘No wonder Senior Brother Chen looked down on my offer of support… With strength like this, it was I who was unworthy…’

More and more people were gathering around the Martial Arts Arena, and cries of shock rose and fell, one after another.

Dong Chuo had thrown on an outer robe and run out so fast that he had forgotten his shoes.

Beside him, a plain-looking woman’s brow was deeply furrowed as she exclaimed in a low voice:

“Senior Brother, we… I really misjudged this time!”

“Go!”

Dong Chuo’s gaze was fixed on Chen Cheng as he gave a solemn order:

“Take the best of the resources my third brother gave me. Go, now!”

“Yes!”

The female disciple acknowledged the order and quickly departed.

「In the center of the arena.」

Gu Qianqian was still frozen to the spot.

Zhou Wansen, however, had already seen which way the wind was blowing. He offered Chen Cheng a fawning smile, his posture so pliable it was clear he was born to be a turncoat.

“Senior Sister Gu!”

Han Chou took a deep breath and said solemnly:

“I, Han Chou, am completely convinced of Junior Brother Chen’s strength! You must have seen it clearly as well. You cannot let the Sea Courtyard miss out on this unpolished jade—no, this Jade!”

“I… This…”

Gu Qianqian’s face turned green. Her lips moved for a long moment, but she couldn’t force out a single word.

She had schemed so hard to suppress Chen Cheng, only for it to result in him making a name for himself with a single battle.

She had made a huge sacrifice to save Han Chou, thinking she was gaining a loyal subordinate. But now, Han Chou and Chen Cheng had developed a mutual admiration, and Han Chou was siding completely with him.

For her, this wasn’t just shooting herself in the foot; it was more like she had sharpened a dagger only to plunge it into her own heart repeatedly.

What frustrated her most was that, from the very beginning, she had never imagined Chen Cheng could win. That was precisely why she had chosen such a public setting to “test” him.

Under the watchful eyes of all.

She had no choice but to accept the outcome before her.

The crucial thing was that word of this would inevitably spread throughout the entire Mountain and Sea Sect, and there would be no hiding it from Jiang Yujiao.

Only now did Gu Qianqian suddenly realize how incredibly cunning that brat Chen Cheng was! He had turned her plot back on her, gone with the flow, and put her in a position where she had no way to back down!

“…That’s right. I saw everything.”

Gu Qianqian gritted her teeth, forcing down her emotions. After a long moment, she managed to put on a professional facade:

“Junior Brother Chen, your performance was excellent. I will report it truthfully to Master! Just wait for my good news.”

“I have other matters to attend to. I’ll be leaving first!”

With that, Gu Qianqian turned and walked away.

To onlookers, she seemed perfectly normal. But she knew that if she stayed a moment longer—even a single breath—she was in danger of completely losing her composure right then and there.

“Chen Cheng! Well done!”

As soon as Gu Qianqian left, Li Wenrou cast aside all her inhibitions. She strode over and clapped Chen Cheng on the back.

“Ngh…”

Chen Cheng’s brow furrowed, and a look of pain and struggle instantly appeared on his face.

“Chen Cheng! You… Are you…? Are you injured?”

Li Wenrou was shocked, and even Han Chou standing before her grew tense.

Not far away, the smile on Zhou Wansen’s face froze.

In the distance, the hearts of Su Bing and the others clenched in unison, their gazes locking onto Chen Cheng.

“…I am indeed injured. Senior Brother Han’s punch was no joke, COUGH, COUGH…”

Chen Cheng clutched his chest, coughing and wheezing, his body swaying as if he were about to collapse.

Li Wenrou and Han Chou both reached out to support him at the same time. After a moment’s hesitation, he leaned against Han Chou.

“From the looks of it, your injuries aren’t severe. That’s already incredible!”

Han Chou exclaimed with heartfelt admiration:

“That punch I just threw… even I might not have been able to take it head-on… Junior Brother Chen, you… how did you do it?”

“Don’t go prying!”

Li Wenrou said sternly:

“Isn’t it obvious? Chen Cheng has cultivated a Secret Transverse Horizontal Martial Arts! That’s his trump card. Do you think he can just tell you about it?”

“…Yes, you’re right. I spoke out of turn.”

Han Chou gave an embarrassed smile.

He knew, of course, that the greatest taboo between Martial Artists was trying to uncover each other’s hidden aces.

He had simply let his guard down and instinctively voiced his question, with no real intention of prying into Chen Cheng’s secrets.