Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chen Yong told her not to be afraid, but in truth, he was more terrified than anyone.

All day long, he and Wang Shi had been showing off in front of their neighbors.

They told everyone they met that Chen Hao had become a Martial Artist, how incredible he was, and that he was like a blood brother to the leader of the Black Wolf Gang, with a life-and-death bond.

This was especially true for Wang Shi, who, with a face like a monkey’s ass, would lecture everyone she came across.

If people didn’t immediately shower her with enthusiastic compliments, her face would instantly fall. She’d snort disdainfully, her gaze sharp enough to cut, as if to say, ’Just wait and see how my son deals with you when he gets back.’

Now, it was clear the Black Wolf Gang was well and truly finished... Those disgruntled neighbors could easily spread a few rumors, and there would be no end to the trouble that would come knocking.

The more Chen Yong thought about it, the more frightened he became.

Wang Shi was a shrewd woman herself. Not only could she see this coming, but she could also imagine much worse, far greater trouble—even a catastrophe that could wipe them out completely!

Tonight, they were destined for a sleepless night.

...

After leaving the Black Wolf Gang’s lair, Chen Cheng found a secluded corner and took out the scripture with the blood-red cover.

He didn’t open it immediately. Instead, he used the moonlight to carefully inspect the cover and spine.

There were no special indentations, no markings like fluorescent powder.

His nostrils flared slightly.

He didn’t smell any unusual odors either.

He calmed his Heart Spirit and focused his senses.

He couldn’t even detect the slightest trace of sinister or evil energy.

He even began to wonder if this scripture was truly from the Red Moon Nunnery.

If not for his long-term surveillance, knowing that Zhao Chuan had no habit of chanting sutras or praying to Buddha, he might have actually mistaken it for Zhao Chuan’s personal reading material.

”I’ll take a look first...”

Focusing his mind and calming his breath, he slowly turned the first page.

In the moonlight, lines of hand-copied, blood-red text came into view.

However, he couldn’t recognize a single word.

’Does this thing come from an Alien Race? Nanyue? Or Bei Yin?’

Due to his low status in this life, Chen Cheng’s knowledge of the world was very limited.

The only two major Alien Races he could think of were the Great Yue, bordering the Great Shang to the southwest, and the Great Yin, which was currently at war with the Great Shang in the north.

As for which group these words belonged to, he couldn’t be sure for the time being.

RUSTLE—

Chen Cheng continued flipping through a few more pages when, deep within his Heart Spirit, the Vertical Eye Mark suddenly grew hot.

And below the mark, the Skill panel for [Reading and Understanding Characters] suddenly flashed with a faint halo of light.

Immediately, the halo vanished.

Chen Cheng now understood the meaning of the words before him completely.

’This... this is a Martial... no, this isn’t Martial Arts... It’s more like some kind of Evil and Strange Technique...’

Chen Cheng quickly scanned through it.

The entire text, five or six thousand characters long, was written in an extremely concise and obscure manner. Without guidance from a master, it would be impossible for an ordinary person to learn on their own.

But Chen Cheng was different.

He had the Vertical Eye Mark, his trump card, and self-study was the one thing he didn’t fear.

[Endless Moon Breath]: Entry Level (0/300), Traits (None), Limit-Breaking (No)

Once he finished browsing, another Skill panel appeared beneath the Vertical Eye Mark.

A moment of inspiration struck Chen Cheng, and in an instant, he had perfectly reached the Entry Level.

’The ”Eternal” part comes from the doctrine of ”salvation from eternal suffering” in the Red Moon Original Vow Scripture... and ”Moon Breath” is the essence of this Evil Technique...’

’Through a special Breathing and Relaxation Technique, I can completely conceal my heartbeat, breath, body odor, and even my Blood Qi fluctuations...’

’However, I’ve only just reached the Entry Level, so the degree of concealment is still weak... I need to continuously temper it to increase its effectiveness...’

’Theoretically, if this Evil Technique is tempered to the Perfection realm, it can achieve near-perfect concealment. Unless the enemy sees me with their own eyes, I can evade all forms of perception!’

Chen Cheng took a moment to comprehend and organize his thoughts.

This new Skill’s effect was undeniably good, but he couldn’t feel happy about it at all.

Because from the moment he understood those words, he knew it was an Evil Technique.

Unlike Martial Arts, an Evil Technique possesses certain supernatural effects, but to cultivate it successfully, one must pay a corresponding price.

’Tempering this Evil Technique will damage the heart and lungs. Over time, it will not only cause irreversible hidden injuries but could even lead to one’s Blood Qi falling into chaos and suffering from qi deviation...’

Chen Cheng knew with perfect clarity that with his Vertical Eye Mark, as long as he played it safe and didn’t take unnecessary risks, he could grow stronger step by steady step. There was no need to risk tempering this Evil Technique.

Unless...

Chen Cheng closed his eyes, focusing his Heart Spirit to perceive his surroundings.

In his ears, he heard the sporadic clacking of the night watchman’s stick in the distance and the whining of stray dogs. His nose distinguished the various persistent smells around him, and his skin felt the subtle shifts in the night wind’s direction.

He was certain there was no one else around.

Immediately after, he began to circulate the Evil Technique according to the breathing method of the Endless Moon Breath.

A moment later, one complete cycle of breath circulation was finished.

He felt a genuine discomfort in his chest, as if his heart and lungs were being squeezed and torn by countless ice-cold, barbed demonic claws, the pain nearly suffocating him.

Fortunately, this level of pain was far from enough to affect his consciousness.

Focusing his Heart Spirit, he endured the intense pain.

He began to practice Health Tai Chi on the spot. As the Health-Preserving Traits activated, the pain in his heart and lungs rapidly subsided.

HUUUU...

After finishing one set of Health Tai Chi, Chen Cheng slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He focused his senses again.

The pain in his heart and lungs had completely vanished.

But he wasn’t completely at ease. He repeatedly and carefully checked his condition for a while longer, confirming that he truly could not feel the slightest abnormality in his heart and lungs.

’Since the Health-Preserving Traits can eliminate the side effects of the Evil Technique, then I can make this Endless Moon Breath my own...’

As Chen Cheng thought this, a satisfied smile crept onto his lips.

Then, he silently pondered again.

’This scripture... I absolutely cannot keep it on me...’

...

「Southern Three Guards Patrol Office, Morgue.」

The vast room was perennially filled with the stench of corpses, lamp oil, and the strange smell of certain medicinal herbs.

Zhao Chuan’s body was laid out on a hardwood table, brightly lit by lamps on both sides.

Two Imperial Guards from the South Outer City Patrol Headquarters had dismissed all unauthorized personnel and were personally examining the body.

The one with the large frame and solemn face was named Lu Song. He spoke in a very low voice.

”The fatal wound was caused by the Cloth Puppet... I’m sure of it... Also, many people witnessed Zhao Chuan vomiting blood on the street... We can basically confirm that he died suddenly from severe injuries...”

Beside him, another man named Xu Chengfeng, whose gaze was fixed on Zhao Chuan’s body like a hawk, spoke in a voice just as soft, as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

”In principle, I have no objection... The problem now is that after Zhao Chuan died, someone went to the scene and took his money... Could they have taken *that thing* as well?”

”Only heaven knows...”

Lu Song pursed his lips.

”We don’t have any clear clues. Trying to find that person is like looking for a needle in a haystack...”

”Even if we did find them, what if it was some ignorant beggar or lowlife who doesn’t know its value? It’s not impossible they used it to start a fire, or even tore it up to wipe their ass...”

Xu Chengfeng didn’t reply, just let out a quiet sigh.