Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”You don’t have to be nervous.”

Seeing that Chen Cheng didn’t agree right away, Pang Shixun said calmly,

”I am merely curious. Besides, my bone-reading technique originates from the Nine Altars Sect. It can yield a more precise conclusion and allow you to understand yourself better.”

’Nine Altars Sect? A Martial Arts Sect?’

Chen Cheng remembered Wang Chuang once mentioning over drinks that a Sect’s method of bone-reading was completely different from those in the city’s Martial Arts Halls.

It was no longer a simple evaluation of Upper, Middle, and Lower Three Grades, but a more complete and precise system of judgment.

”Then I must trouble you, Elder Pang.”

Chen Cheng took two steps forward and stood before Pang Shixun.

With a brief thought, he deactivated the Hidden Mechanism Attribute.

Pang Shixun nodded and gestured for Chen Cheng to turn around.

Immediately, a large, thick, and steady hand pressed against the back of Chen Cheng’s neck.

Then,

five streams of heat, originating from that large hand, quickly permeated Chen Cheng’s body one after another.

Each stream of heat caused his skin, flesh, muscles, bones, and five organs to tremble subtly. It wasn’t intense, but it was absolutely thorough,

reaching the very extremities of his limbs and body, even down to every pore and the tip of each hair.

”How strange...”

After five breaths of time, Pang Shixun withdrew his hand.

He was silent for a long time.

His brows gradually knitted together, then slowly relaxed. The look in his eyes shifted again and again.

”Well?”

Wu Shannan couldn’t help but ask.

Beside them, the expression on Ye Yang’s face was also somewhat complicated.

Normally, Pang Shixun was worldly and experienced; he had long grown accustomed to seeing Root Bones of all qualities, whether excellent or terrible.

Whatever the result was, it should have just been a matter of a single sentence.

But Pang Shixun’s current state was as if he couldn’t gauge the depths at all and needed to ponder it deeply.

’What was the need for all this?’

Both Wu Shannan and Ye Yang couldn’t understand. Their expressions grew graver, but their gazes grew more curious.

In comparison, Chen Cheng was quite calm.

He knew very well that improving one’s Root Bone was an extremely long process.

To think one could defy heaven and change their fate with a single Treasure Medicine and one jar of Medicinal Wine was nothing but a fool’s dream.

Because of this, even if the result Pang Shixun measured was not ideal, Chen Cheng could completely accept it.

Ultimately, Chen Cheng had already truly felt the benefits of his improved Root Bone: reduced cultivation consumption and increased cultivation efficiency.

This was a trump card that belonged to Chen Cheng alone, one that no one could take away!

As long as Chen Cheng persisted in tempering his Foundation Establishment Tai Chi, his Root Bone would improve bit by bit. It was just a matter of spending more time.

With this reliable support as his safety net, Chen Cheng naturally had the confidence to face any result with a smile.

Just then,

Pang Shixun finally spoke.

”Skin, flesh, bones, and the five organs are all low-grade... but strangely, the feedback from these ’four extremes’ is extremely subtle... It’s as if...”

Pang Shixun frowned, his speech slow, as if still contemplating how to describe it more accurately.

”It’s as if... it’s the physique of a newborn infant! Not only has it not yet taken its final form, it’s even in the most vigorous stage of development and growth... What’s even stranger is...”

”This growth seems to be happening every single moment... Though it’s too subtle to perceive... if you stretch the timeline long enough, sand can build a tower... it can turn decay into magic!”

At these words, both Wu Shannan and Ye Yang’s eyes widened abruptly.

It was not hard to see that a situation like Chen Cheng’s was something that not only Pang Shixun had never seen, but Wu Shannan and Ye Yang had never even heard of.

”And there’s one more thing, the strangest of all!”

Pang Shixun composed himself, his tone carrying a rare sense of bewilderment.

”The feedback from his ’Muscle Extreme’ is middle-grade, but it has a relaxed and thorough feeling, extremely similar to that of a Sect prodigy I once examined...”

He paused, his gaze fixed on some point in the empty air, as if reminiscing.

”That person’s ’Muscle Extreme’ was of the highest grade! It could perfectly match any Martial Arts that used the major muscles as their core foundation!”

”Strange... truly strange...”

Wu Shannan narrowed his eyes, the usual smile on his face now completely gone. In its place was an unprecedentedly solemn expression.

Now he finally understood why Pang Shixun had been silent for so long, mulling it over repeatedly.

Because a situation like Chen Cheng’s was not just something never seen or heard of, but also something that couldn’t be fathomed or explained by common sense.

”Perhaps...”

At this moment, Ye Yang spoke up, his tone tinged with speculation.

”Chen Cheng has been using resources to improve his Root Bone for the past month. Perhaps because of this, his Root Bone has entered an abnormal state... Who knows, maybe it will return to normal after he stops using them for a while.”

”Oh?”

Pang Shixun raised an eyebrow and nodded thoughtfully.

”If you put it that way, that really is a possibility!”

He glanced sideways at Chen Cheng and continued.

”Resources for improving one’s Root Bone are rare. You should finish using what you have. Then, after some time, come find me again. I’ll take another look for you then...”

”Many thanks, Elder Pang!”

Chen Cheng clasped his fist in a salute. His expression didn’t change much, but in his heart, he had gained a clearer understanding of his own situation.

’The infant-like physique that Pang Shixun mentioned is the result of my long-term persistence with the Health-Preserving Traits, a subtle and gradual transformation.’

’And the strange state of the major muscles throughout my body is from my Foundation Establishment Tai Chi.’

’Of course, the Frost Bone White and the Golden Ring Treasure Snake Medicinal Wine must have provided some help as well.’

’But in the end...’

’From now on, I should still spend more time on Health Tai Chi and Foundation Establishment Tai Chi.’

”One more thing.”

Pang Shixun’s gaze sharpened. He lowered his voice as if afraid of being overheard by loiterers outside.

”That final move where you used your chest to unleash an Instant Burst of Dark Force—who taught you that technique? It’s clearly far more brilliant than that of the Cloud Platform Hall disciple, and its effect was surprisingly good!”