Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

A flicker of undisguised contempt flashed in Zhang Shan’s eyes as he launched the first attack against Chen Cheng.

He stomped hard, launching himself forward like a preying tiger. His right leg swept out, creating a sharp whistling sound as it aimed straight for Chen Cheng’s waist.

The kick was both fast and heavy. Infused with Transforming Force, it tore through the air with a fierce roar.

Chen Cheng’s heart tightened. He could clearly feel that his opponent’s speed, power, and the intensity of his Transforming Force were all a notch above his own. ’In a normal fight,’ he thought, ’my odds of winning would be less than thirty percent.’

But this time was completely different.

Chen Cheng neither retreated nor dodged. He simply snapped his left leg up, concentrating his Transforming Force into the point of his knee, and met Zhang Shan’s leg perfectly at the ankle joint.

That spot was precisely the weakest point in the Transforming Force Barrier covering Zhang Shan’s leg.

With a muffled THUD, knee met ankle, and their Transforming Forces clashed.

The Penetrating Armor Trait ignored ten percent of his opponent’s Transforming Force Barrier.

The Dragon Destruction Trait increased the recoil of his own Transforming Force by ten percent.

Using only about seventy percent of his strength, Chen Cheng not only brought Zhang Shan’s attack to a dead stop but also sent a jolt of pain through his opponent’s ankle. Numbness shot through Zhang Shan’s foot and calf, forcing him to stumble back several steps before he could regain his balance.

’Too bad I can’t actually injure him in this match.’

’Otherwise, with that single strike, if I had also used Four Gods, Entwining, and Tai Chi Force, I could have easily shattered his Transforming Force Barrier.’

’Add Iron Leg, Rigid and Soft, and Thunder Burst to that, and the moment our knee and ankle met, I could have crushed the lower half of his right leg. One more move after that would have secured my victory.’

”How could this be?”

Zhang Shan’s expression shifted. He immediately changed his attack, his left leg snapping upward, his toes aimed straight for Chen Cheng’s chin.

The angle of this kick was insidious, and it was even faster than the last.

But Chen Cheng seemed to know exactly where he would kick, effortlessly dodging it by leaning his upper body back a mere half-foot.

At the same time, Chen Cheng’s right leg shot out silently. In a flash, the sole of his foot landed on the inside of Zhang Shan’s supporting knee. He was still holding back his strength, but that spot was, once again, the vital point of Zhang Shan’s stance.

He didn’t need his full strength to shatter Zhang Shan’s balance, making him cry out in pain and stagger.

’If this were a real battle, that would have been another killing blow.’

”This is impossible! You... how the hell did you see through my moves?”

Zhang Shan didn’t rush to attack again. Instead, he stared at Chen Cheng, his face a mask of suspicion.

”See through what?”

Chen Cheng feigned ignorance.

He knew he couldn’t keep ”cheating on an open-book test” like this. Otherwise, he would definitely expose the secret of his perfect Entry Level Secret Cloud Peng Leg Technique.

Chen Cheng then took the offensive, and Zhang Shan immediately moved to counter.

From that point on, however, although Chen Cheng could still see through every one of Zhang Shan’s moves—the path, the variations, the vital points, the openings, the weaknesses—he no longer actively exploited them.

Even so, through precise predictions and brilliant counters, Chen Cheng completely neutralized Zhang Shan’s superior strength, keeping himself in an unbeatable position.

And so, Chen Cheng toyed with Zhang Shan for over a hundred rounds, leading him around like a dog on a leash.

On the adjacent platform, Qin Zhao had long since defeated Pang Wanhe. He had been standing there ever since, carefully observing Chen Cheng.

’This kid’s combat experience is simply incredible! His awareness is excellent, and his counters are top-tier! Add to that his stamina—he hasn’t even broken a sweat yet... Zhang Shan has already lost... No matter how long he holds on, it’s just a waste of time.’

Qin Zhao shook his head, averted his gaze, and slowly walked down from the platform.

’If this young man can be made to serve me, he would be a great asset... For now, I’ll observe his attitude before deciding whether to eliminate him...’

BANG!

Just as Qin Zhao’s foot touched the first stone step, a muffled bang echoed from the other platform.

Zhang Shan had been thrown heavily from the platform. His forehead and back were soaked with sweat, his lips were pale, and he was gasping for breath. He struggled back to his feet and gave Chen Cheng a cupped-fist salute.

”Young Master Chen, your skill is superb. I admit defeat.”

”You honor me.”

Still on the platform, Chen Cheng returned the salute, his tone calm and his expression unchanged.

The moment he finished speaking, Qin Zhao’s gaze swept over, meeting Chen Cheng’s eyes directly.

After their eyes met, Qin Zhao gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, and Chen Cheng nodded in return. To any onlookers, the exchange seemed to hold a friendly and tacit sense of mutual admiration.

The crowd began to stir once more.

The people who now came to congratulate the Li Family were clearly of a much higher status.

The Shen Family Patriarch came in person, but with no seat available, he simply stood to the side, his face wreathed in smiles.

Pang Shixun had also come in person. Yu Feng had to voluntarily give up his seat for him; otherwise, he too would have been left standing.

Wu Shannan and Wu Ziyu arrived as well. Shen Mi gave her seat to Wu Shannan, then stood with Wu Ziyu, quietly discussing Chen Cheng.

Song Che and Song Yingzhi had wanted to offer their congratulations as well, but when they saw the pavilion overflowing with dignitaries, their last bit of nerve failed them. They lowered their heads and quietly withdrew.

Fatty Fang was the shrewdest of them all. He didn’t even try to approach the pavilion, instead running directly up to Chen Cheng. He congratulated him with a beaming smile, his whole body jiggling with laughter as if he were about to take flight.

Afterwards, the examiner announced the final rankings on the spot.

For the four on the Golden List, the only change was that Qin Zhao and Pang Wanhe had swapped places.

Of the eight on the Silver List, Chen Cheng ranked sixth. After a short rest, Zhang Shan challenged the eighth-ranked candidate and managed to climb back onto the list.

Ten others were selected but not ranked, and Zhuang Zhen was among them.

Following that, the selected candidates went on stage one by one to receive a Mud Gold Token, a Martial Guard Official Document, and a Military Guard Waist Token personally from Hong Jinhai.

The Mud Gold Token was equivalent to a letter of acceptance, the Martial Guard Official Document was a formal credential, and the Military Guard Waist Token served as a personal token of identity.

Simply carrying the waist token allowed for unimpeded travel throughout the entire country and granted certain privileges.

After that, Hong Jinhai offered some conventional words of encouragement, urging them to be diligent in their training and serve the Court loyally.

Once he finished, the Martial Selection was officially concluded.

But for the newly selected Military Guards, the real ”feast” was just beginning.

More and more people crowded around the Li Family and Zhuang Zhen to offer their congratulations. And it wasn’t just verbal praise; calling cards, red envelopes, and invitations were endlessly pressed into their hands.

In a situation like this, any one of those calling cards represented a noble of considerable influence.

The red envelopes were all filled with Silver Notes, starting at one hundred taels of silver, and some even contained Gold Notes.

The invitations were, at minimum, to the Immortal Tower, for a table on the third floor or higher.

Originally, all these people had been heading straight for Chen Cheng, but since he had been called away by Pang Shixun, they could only press all their gifts upon the Li Family instead.

「Inside a private room in the rear courtyard of the Martial Guard Headquarters.」

Pang Shixun and Pang Wanhe entered first, with Chen Cheng following behind them.

Pang Wanhe closed the door and immediately tried to cozy up to him with a chuckle.

”Young Master Chen, we met once before at Jiuan’s Tiger Slaying Banquet. You remember, don’t you?”

”Of course, I remember.”

Chen Cheng nodded.

”Back then, Young Master Pang, you wanted to hire me for a nominal post to spar with the younger generation of your esteemed family every day.”

”That’s right...”

Pang Shixun said with a laugh:

”I remember at the time, Young Master Chen had just condensed his Four Pillars of Blood Qi. To have progressed so far in just a few short months... it’s truly astonishing...”

”If I had known then what I know now, I would have fully sponsored you, Young Master Chen, instead of just offering a paltry nominal position. It cost me... cost the entire Pang Family... the chance to have you with us...”

Chen Cheng just smiled, not dignifying that with a response.

’There’s no medicine for regret in this world. Trying to recruit me now with these roundabout tactics? It’s too late for that!’

”Little Brother Chen.”

Pang Shixun waved his hand, motioning for Pang Wanhe to step aside, and spoke himself.

”You and I had an agreement for three months. I’m here now to fulfill my promise.”