Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

’Jiuan Hunting Manor?’

A thought crossed Chen Cheng’s mind.

He had taken special note of it during the Tiger Slaying Banquet. The manor was built in an exceptionally strategic location.

Its back was to a steep cliff, flanked on both sides by deep ravines. The perimeter was enclosed by high walls built from bluish-grey stone blocks and topped with several arrow towers.

From the foot of the mountain, a single stone staircase was the only way up. It was lined with layer upon layer of visible and hidden checkpoints, where Manor Soldiers were all equipped with powerful bows and crossbows.

Without the Manor Master’s permission, not even a fly could get in. It was a textbook example of a fortress that was easy to defend and difficult to assault.

If a major upheaval were to truly strike the Inner City, it would indeed be a viable place to seek refuge.

’But if the Red Moon Nunnery, or even the entire Red Moon Sect, launched an all-out assault, how long could a place like that hold out?’

”Let’s put that aside for now.”

Cao Zhao seemed to feel the topic he had brought up was too somber. He promptly stood up and walked over to Chen Cheng.

From within his robes, he produced an exceptionally exquisite metal medallion and handed it to Chen Cheng.

The medallion wasn’t large, but it felt heavy in his hand. The front was engraved with the Dragon Roaming Mountains and Seas Pattern, the design intricate and stunningly lifelike. On the back, his name—Chen Cheng—was inscribed.

”This is the medallion for the Dragon Mountain Upper Courtyard.”

Cao Zhao composed himself, his usual smile returning to his face.

”My old man couldn’t stop praising your performance in yesterday’s competition, Junior Brother. He specially ordered his men to work through the night to get this medallion finished! And he insisted that I deliver it to you personally!”

”As of now, you’re an official disciple of the Dragon Mountain Upper Courtyard. With this medallion, you can go and report in anytime!”

”Room and board are completely covered, and the masters are always available to offer guidance... If you run into any trouble, just go find my old man. Those were his exact words!”

”Of course, you can also choose to cultivate in seclusion at home. With this medallion, you can go to the Upper Courtyard every two months to claim a Red Jade Blood-Nourishing Pill.”

Cao Zhao paused for a moment before adding,

”Also, you can continue to use the Celestial God Hidden Dragon Painting. From now on, you’ll be assessed every three months. If your progress is satisfactory, you can keep it. If not, you’ll have to return it to the Middle Courtyard.”

”Understood. Thank you for letting me know, Senior Brother.”

Chen Cheng put the medallion away and asked a few more questions about the Upper Courtyard. Cao Zhao answered each one in detail, holding nothing back.

...

「Outside the city, on Cangsong Ridge.」

A raptor streaked across the sky, diving straight toward the distant mountains.

It was covered in inky-black feathers that shimmered with a faint violet light in the sun. Its wingspan was about three feet, its forked wingtips resembling tassels. Each beat of its wings carried a peculiar rhythm, and it flew with incredible speed.

This bird was a Xuan Sun, a Treasure Bird exclusively bred and trained by the Bai Family, one of the Eight Great Races.

Recognizing people and routes was a simple matter for it. It also possessed a natural Night Eye ability and astonishing stamina. Most importantly, its flight speed was more than ten times faster than that of an ordinary carrier pigeon.

A single adult Xuan Sun, it was said, was priceless—not for a thousand pieces of gold!

Within the mountain forest at that moment,

Everything was draped in snow, the world a vast expanse of white.

The sun slanted down, casting tree shadows that were sharper than usual. In the interplay of light and dark, the entire mountain range resembled an ink wash painting whose strokes had not yet dried.

As the Xuan Sun soared through it, it was like a sudden, bold stroke of black ink smeared across the heart of the painting.

The ink-like streak flashed by, its afterimage lingering for a moment before vanishing completely.

After crossing three ridges and passing through a snow-covered larch forest, the faint silhouette of a Hunting Manor emerged between the mountains ahead.

It was none other than the Bai Family’s Cangying Hunting Manor!

The outer walls were built of rough-hewn greenstone, and the tops were lined with white, cloud-patterned banners that snapped in the wind.

Tall watchtowers stood on all the surrounding vantage points. Manor Soldiers armed with bows patrolled back and forth, their gazes constantly scanning the distant snowy plains and mountain paths.

Below, hidden in the woods, was a network of concealed sentries.

Within this perimeter, the slightest unusual disturbance would be detected immediately.

”SCREECH—”

The Xuan Sun arrived nearby and, targeting the tallest watchtower in the very center of the Hunting Manor, swooped down.

In the blink of an eye, it landed on the wooden railing at the top of the tower, shook out its wings, and scraped its talons against the wood.

A moment later, a Manor Soldier climbed to the top of the tower and skillfully offered it a wild rabbit, its fur still intact.

Once the Xuan Sun lowered its head to peck at its meal, the Manor Soldier reached over and removed a small copper pipe from its right talon.

After confirming the sealing wax on the pipe was intact, the Manor Soldier gripped it tightly and quickly descended.

Below this tallest watchtower lay the training grounds of Cangying Hunting Manor.

At that moment, a young man in a white robe was standing in the middle of the grounds, practicing his archery.

The body of the bow was inlaid with pure gold beast patterns that shone brilliantly in the light reflected off the snow.

The limbs of the bow were thick and sturdy, with a core of iron-core wood from the deep mountains, wrapped in rhino sinew.

The bowstring’s material was unknown, but every time the bow was drawn, the taut string would emit a low hum. The instant an arrow was loosed, it would unleash a sharp, piercing shriek.

One could tell from the sound alone that this had to be a top-quality Thousand-Pound Bow.

The arrows he fired were also custom-made. They were half a foot longer than ordinary feathered arrows, with shafts as thick as a small child’s thumb, forged entirely from Profound Iron. They looked exceptionally heavy.

He loosed an arrow.

A fierce wind howled into existence. The air in the arrow’s path seemed to tear, leaving behind a visible vortex that kicked up the loose snow on the ground, forming a plume that trailed in its wake.

But this arrow was not aimed at a target.

It was aimed at a massive, peculiar grey boulder a hundred paces away.

It was a Cyan Gang Stone, unique to this region, incredibly hard and tough. An ordinary blade wouldn’t even leave a white mark on its surface. Even a sword forged from Refined Iron, swung with full force, would at most only manage to chip off a few fragments.

”CHINK!”

In the next instant, however, the arrow bored deep into the stone.

The entire shaft drove itself in, stopping only at the fletching.

The stone face around this newest point of impact was riddled with countless arrow holes, old and new overlapping in a chaotic pattern. The only thing consistent about them was their depth—each one was as deep as the next, as if measured with a ruler.