Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Wu Ziyu said.

”The meat of this Cyan Silver Dragon is very special. Even a Martial Artist will have trouble digesting it if they eat too much.”

”Moreover, its nourishing effect on the body is extremely potent. If your constitution isn’t strong enough, eating too much will actually do more harm than good.”

”In mild cases, you’ll get a nosebleed. In severe cases, your whole body will become engorged with blood, as if you’re being consumed by fire. You’ll feel dizzy and muddle-headed, and in extreme situations, you might even experience hallucinations…”

Wu Ziyu paused, then added with emphasis.

”Someone like your mother, whose constitution isn’t very strong to begin with, shouldn’t have even a single sip… She definitely wouldn’t be able to handle it…”

”Okay, I understand.”

Chen Cheng nodded silently.

He had eaten Exotic Tiger Dried Meat and Treasure Snake Dried Meat before, so he was already well aware of that kind of potent nourishing effect. His mother certainly wouldn’t be able to take it.

’As for the nourishing effect of this Cyan Silver Dragon, it probably isn’t stronger than the Exotic Tiger Dried Meat.’

’I’ll try it myself tomorrow morning and then weigh my options to determine how to portion out each serving.’

However, according to Wu Ziyu, a regular Five Pillar Blood Qi Martial Artist would have no problem making these five Treasure Fish last for a month.

”Brother Chen, I must thank you again for what happened today,”

Wu Ziyu said earnestly.

”My authority only allows me to give you one Cyan Silver Dragon. But don’t worry, when I get back, I’ll tell my grandfather everything that happened today in full detail and do my best to get you better compensation!”

”Thank you for your consideration, Miss Wu.”

Chen Cheng nodded without saying much else.

Wu Ziyu had to hurry back to the Treasure Fish Pavilion, so after a brief farewell, she left with her people.

A while after she left, Li Family returned from next door.

Chatting with Lady Sun after lunch had become a recent daily routine for Li Family. They would get together at the same time every day to crack melon seeds and gossip, and had truly become the best of friends.

”Cheng, what are you doing? Let me do that!”

As Li Family entered the courtyard, her gaze was first drawn to the large water vat, and then she noticed her son busying himself with something in the kitchen.

She immediately walked over, rolled up her sleeves, and tried to take the task from him.

”Mom, this is a Treasure Fish. It’s very troublesome to prepare. Don’t get your hands dirty, go and get some rest.”

Chen Cheng didn’t look up and continued with his work.

Li Family stood by and watched for a moment before she couldn’t help but say,

”Aren’t the scales just a little hard? You just have to find the right angle and use a bit of clever force with the knife, right? That’s not hard. Watch me.”

As she spoke, Li Family took the knife from Chen Cheng’s hands.

Once she started, it was just as she had said—not difficult at all. After a brief moment of adjustment, she worked even more deftly than Chen Cheng.

Seeing that she was indeed reliable, Chen Cheng decided to leave it all in her hands.

”Mom, every part of this Treasure Fish is useful. Except for the guts and the other filth inside the fish’s stomach that need to be cleaned out, don’t throw anything else away. Stew it all together in a large pot with plenty of water. Let it simmer for the entire night.”

”Alright, I’ll remember.”

After listening quietly, Li Family urged Chen Cheng to go back to his room and rest, not letting him lift a single finger for any household chores.

Chen Cheng didn’t stay idle, either.

He took out the last bit of Exotic Tiger Dried Meat and ate it, then retrieved some herbs from the pharmacy in the inner courtyard. He chewed on them while using the Celestial God Hidden Dragon Painting to practice Refining Force.

The pharmacy was a side room he had later set up specifically for storing medicinal materials, Medicinal Wine, and various mountain goods sent from the Hunting Manor. Keeping everything in one place made it convenient to access.

By now, his Mental Strength had improved again.

His Heart Power was far greater than before, allowing him to completely circulate his energy through the Celestial God Hidden Dragon Painting five times a day.

One had to know that although the Celestial God Hidden Dragon Painting was used for Refining Force, the process of visualization consumed an enormous amount of the user’s Heart Power.

Even experts as strong as Zhuang Zhen and Cao Zhao could only circulate through it three times a day.

Even a little bit more would lead to an over-exhaustion of Heart Power, leaving them listless and with a scattered Heart Spirit for the entire day.

Of course, the reason Chen Cheng could circulate through it five times wasn’t just because his Heart Power was stronger than an ordinary person’s.

The recovery of Heart Power from his Health-Preserving Traits and the reduction in Heart Power consumption from his Harmonious Attribute were also indispensable.

For this very reason, Chen Cheng would seamlessly transition to practicing Health Tai Chi every time he finished tempering himself with the Celestial God Hidden Dragon Painting.

About an hour later, Li Family finished her work and called Chen Cheng over.

”Cheng, this fish soup of yours…”

Li Family’s brow was tightly furrowed, and she couldn’t hide the look of disgust in her eyes.

”It smells like rust when it’s boiled. It’s so strong, so foul. Can we add some spices?”

”Mom, this is something for Martial Artists to eat. We don’t care about the taste, as long as it’s good for the body.”

Chen Cheng shook his head slightly.

”We definitely can’t add any spices. After we finish this Cyan Silver Dragon, we can cook the next few as a medicinal stew. It won’t smell so bad then.”

”Is that so…”

Li Family nodded emphatically.

”Fine, as long as it’s good for your body, anything goes! Where’s the recipe? I’ll go buy the ingredients for the medicinal stew for you first thing tomorrow morning.”

”No need, I’ll go to the medicine shop myself tomorrow morning.”

Chen Cheng paused, then added,

”In the future, when you need to make a medicinal stew, you can get the ingredients directly from Shen’s Medicine Shop. As long as they’re not particularly expensive, just give them my name.”

”Shen’s… Okay, I’ll remember.”

Li Family silently committed it to memory and went back to her work.

「The next morning.」

Just as the sky began to lighten, Chen Cheng had already finished tempering his Four Gods Profound Body through several Grand Circulations. He then performed a few rounds of Health Tai Chi to recover.

Health Tai Chi could restore his stamina and Heart Power, but the parts of his body that were overexerted and depleted from high-intensity tempering had to be replenished and solidified with the help of external nutrients.

After a quick wash, Chen Cheng walked directly toward the front courtyard kitchen.

As he passed the large water vat, he deliberately glanced over. The four Treasure Fish seemed to still be asleep, resting quietly at the bottom, only their gills and fins moving slightly.

He walked into the kitchen.

Although the charcoal fire in the stove was weak, it was still burning. After an entire night, the strong, metallic, fishy smell wafting from the soup pot still filled the air.

Chen Cheng lifted the pot lid. The smell instantly intensified a hundredfold and rushed at him, forcing him to take two steps back, his brow furrowing tightly.