Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

“The Fist Pavilion is excellent.”

Ning Chong’s tone carried a heartfelt sense of relief, and his eyes brightened.

“I joined the lineage of the Pavilion Master of the Fist Pavilion. The master treats every disciple very well, and the senior brothers and sisters are great to me too. Senior Brother Dong Zhou, in particular, looks out for me in every way. He’s really the best.”

He paused, then his tone shifted.

“However, when it comes to cultivation, the master is incredibly strict. He personally supervises everyone’s training almost every day, and he sets progress quotas for each month.”

“Disciples who meet their quota get rewarded, and those who don’t face certain punishments…”

He couldn’t help but sigh softly.

“I haven’t dared to slack off in the slightest these past few days. I’ve been getting up to train before dawn and not stopping until midnight. Otherwise, I would’ve come to find you guys for a meal long ago!”

“…A strict master is a good thing.”

Chen Cheng replied casually, but inwardly, he had already crossed the Fist Pavilion off his list of options.

He didn’t like the idea of being watched and managed every day. It would severely limit his freedom.

More importantly, his hidden trump cards and special abilities would be at risk of being exposed.

“What about the other pavilions?”

Chen Cheng asked.

“Are there any that are more lenient with their disciples?”

“The lenient ones… that would only be the Hunting Pavilion and the Fishing Pavilion.”

Ning Chong said.

“The Elders of those two pavilions don’t care about their disciples’ cultivation at all. They only care about the number of resources their disciples can hand over each month.”

“As long as you meet the quota, the Elders won’t say a word even if you laze around all day. Whether you practice your Martial Arts or not is entirely up to you.”

“…That’s not bad at all.”

Chen Cheng’s interest was piqued. He was clearly intrigued by these two pavilions.

His self-discipline was beyond question.

Greater freedom meant more possibilities.

There was another, more important point: the Fishing and Hunting Pavilions had firsthand access to resources.

For example, if he caught a Golden Flesh Carp, he could eat it himself right away.

Other ordinary Treasure Fish he caught could be handed over to the Sect.

This flexibility was a major advantage in itself.

He wouldn’t be like ordinary disciples who, even after paying in full, might not get the resources they wanted right away.

Thinking this, Chen Cheng had basically made up his mind.

It was a choice between two: the Fishing Pavilion or the Hunting Pavilion!

“Junior Brother Chen! You can’t be thinking of joining the Fishing or Hunting Pavilion, can you? I have to talk you out of this!”

Han Chou couldn’t help but speak up, leaning his head forward. His tone was as urgent as if he were watching someone about to jump off a cliff.

“With your potential, breaking through to the Divine Storage Realm is practically a certainty. Once you break through, you’ll realize just how important a master is!”

“Without a master to guide you, you’ll hit a wall at every turn in your daily cultivation. Being unable to make any progress would be the best-case scenario. If you train a certain acupoint incorrectly, at best, you’ll suffer internal injuries; at worst, you’ll suffer cultivation deviation!”

“That’s exactly why only disciples who are really tight on cash choose to join the Fishing or Hunting Pavilions. The moment they save up enough money or Military Merit, don’t they all leave immediately? And you’re just rushing to jump into the pit!”

“He’s right!” Ning Chong agreed, nodding vigorously. “Brother Cheng, with my master watching over me and teaching by example these past few days, I’ve noticed my cultivation efficiency has skyrocketed!”

“To put it bluntly, which of the world’s top experts didn’t reach the peak by standing on the shoulders of giants? A good master can save us decades of wasted effort!”

Ning Chong paused, his tone growing more serious.

“The famous masters of a Northern Great Sect are on a completely different level from the instructors at our old Martial Arts Halls. Brother Cheng, you’ll know once you try it!”

“…I understand.”

Chen Cheng nodded, not bothering to argue.

Of course he knew the importance of a master; he was even more aware of the principle that great masters produce great disciples.

But he was different.

In his opinion, there was absolutely no better master in this world than the Vertical Eye Mark.

The Vertical Eye Mark could grant him Entry Level mastery of any Martial Arts Skill in an instant, a perfect mastery from the very beginning.

And what did “perfect” mean?

Flawless, error-free tempering was just the basics.

The true core competency was the complete comprehension and mastery of a Martial Arts Skill’s “Divine Marrow and True Intent.” In this regard, Chen Cheng was even better than an ordinary master.

Complete comprehension and mastery of Divine Marrow and True Intent!

This was the fundamental reason he was able to create his own Tai Chi Force and a New Leg Technique.

Creating your own Martial Arts was something only grandmasters who founded their own schools could do!

Yet Chen Cheng had already achieved it!

For him, a master was something he could have, but it wasn’t a necessity.

Faced with Ning Chong and Han Chou’s doubts and persuasion, he couldn’t tell them the truth. He could only choose silence, his calm face holding the faint trace of a smile.

‘There’s no need to explain everything. When the time comes, people will see for themselves.’

“…Brother Cheng.”

Ning Chong wanted to try persuading him again, but Chen Cheng cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“To be honest…”

Chen Cheng said calmly.

“I’m actually one of those people who’s really tight on cash. I’ll join the Fishing or Hunting Pavilion first, save up some capital, and then consider a higher platform.”

“Then find someone to sponsor you!”

Ning Chong said.

“What about Ding Lu? Her family is very rich! As long as you give the word, I’ll go talk to her for you! With your strength, she’d definitely be willing!”

“…There’s no need.”

Chen Cheng shook his head.

Chen Cheng had seen Ning Chong and Ding Lu being affectionate earlier. Now, it was difficult for him to bluntly tell Ning Chong that he had, in fact, already rejected Ding Lu.

‘It’s not that I look down on Ding Lu’s family; I just want to be more cautious before picking a side.’

‘Besides, Ding Lu’s sponsorship was capped at fifty thousand taels, which really isn’t quite enough.’

‘In Zhao City, fifty thousand taels could let a Martial Artist take flight. But in the Mountain and Sea Sect, it couldn’t even buy a slightly better Secret Martial Arts technique.’