Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

Chapter 335: Chapter 166: Bizarre 2

…

Chen Mansion.

When Chen Cheng got home, the lady of the Li Family was already sound asleep, completely unaware of his return.

Usually, at this hour, the neighbors were all asleep, which made it the perfect time for Chen Cheng to practice the Secret Cloud Peng Leg Technique in his backyard.

‘Sleep early? Impossible. Not in this lifetime.’

Chen Cheng quickly entered the apothecary, took off his long robe, and changed into casual clothes. He then took out three items.

Two iron balls the size of eggs, a thick, circular piece of leather three inches in diameter, and a thumb-sized black porcelain vial.

These three items were the ones he had taken from Qin Zhao’s corpse.

At the time, Qin Zhao must have left in a hurry. He hadn’t even bothered to grab his Money Bag, yet he kept these three items on his person, which spoke to their importance.

The two iron balls were undoubtedly Divine Fire Thunder.

Chen Cheng picked them up for a simple inspection. There were no triggers or mechanisms; they were just two smooth iron balls. They probably detonated on impact after being thrown.

If these things could truly shatter a Transforming Force Barrier, they would be two powerful trump cards for him.

Next, Chen Cheng opened a drawer filled with various Hidden Weapons and took out the Iron Lump he had previously obtained from Yu An of the Immortal Bone Sect.

This item was also about the size of an an egg, but its surface was irregularly bumpy.

‘Could this also be a type of firearm?’

Chen Cheng weighed the Iron Lump in his hand. It was noticeably heavier than the Divine Fire Thunder, but other than that, there was nothing special about it.

There was no way to test it.

Chen Cheng could only put it back for now, placing the two Divine Fire Thunder orbs beside it.

Afterward, Chen Cheng opened the thumb-sized black porcelain vial and gave it a gentle shake over the table.

A blood-colored Pill rolled out onto the tabletop.

Chen Cheng observed it closely. It had to be the same kind of Pill Qin Zhao had taken earlier, one closely related to the Red Moon Sect.

Chen Cheng didn’t even dare to touch such a cursed thing, let alone eat it himself.

He found an empty, small white vial that had once held a Red Jade Blood-Nourishing Pill and placed the Blood Pill inside.

Then, he completely crushed the small black vial, gathered the fragments in his palm, went out the courtyard gate, and scattered them directly into the Qingshui River in front of his home.

Returning to the apothecary, he finally picked up the three-inch-diameter, circular piece of thick leather.

The object was azure-blue all over, with a glossy patina. The back had a raised, feather-like pattern, while the front was as smooth as a mirror, upon which a “Dapeng Soaring Cloud Painting” was drawn with aquamarine dye.

‘This must be Cloud Platform Hall’s True Strength Crossing Thought Map.’

Chen Cheng held it in his hands and gave it a quick try. As expected, he could transfer his Power into it.

A moment later, Chen Cheng had completely channeled his Power through it once.

Deep in his Heart Spirit, on the panel for the Secret Cloud Peng Leg Technique, the training progress bar had increased.

‘This is quite good… When it’s inconvenient to practice the Secret Cloud Peng Leg Technique, I can use the Crossing Thought Map as a substitute. It’s discreet enough that I basically don’t have to worry about being exposed.’

Chen Cheng composed himself, sat down cross-legged, and continued the True Strength Crossing Thought process.

With his current Heart Power and physical stamina, he could completely channel his energy through the True Strength Map seven times a day.

However, the training progress for Secret Martial Arts was incredibly slow.

One complete pass through the True Strength Map didn’t even increase the progress on the panel by a single point.

To speed things up, he would have to use higher-level supplementary resources.

GRUMBLE…

He had just finished the second pass when his stomach started rumbling with hunger.

He had no choice but to stop. He grabbed two boxes of dried meat, placed them beside him, and ate as he trained.

Lately, his appetite had surged, and he got hungry much faster. His supply of Iron Bone Crocodile Eel Essence Dried Meat was being rapidly depleted.

But in turn, as the nutrients were absorbed quickly and thoroughly, his physical strength increased even faster. Even the rate of new cell generation from his Unyielding Attribute had improved, and at the same time, his Tai Chi Qi absorbed ‘nutrients’ much more quickly as well.

Overall, as long as he had enough resources, the changes brought by his Gastric Strength were definitely more beneficial than detrimental.

The only problem was, once his resources ran out, how would he replenish them?

…

「The next day.」

「Dragon Mountain Hall, Inner Courtyard.」

Sunlight slanted down over the courtyard wall, blanketing the ground in warmth.

Wan Qianshan was leaning back on a lounge chair in the courtyard. His mood was good, his complexion healthy, and some light had finally returned to his turbid, gray old eyes.

Two round-backed armchairs were placed beside him.

On the chair to his right sat an old man with a small burn on his face and his right arm wrapped in thick bandages.

It was Pang Shixun.

And on the chair to the left sat a man in his thirties, dressed in tight-fitting martial attire.

The man’s back was ramrod straight, like an iron spear thrust into the ground.

He wasn’t particularly burly—one might even call him lean—but just sitting there, he exuded a heavy, oppressive presence, like a mountain about to collapse on you.

What was most suffocating was his gaze.

His eyes weren’t large, and his pupils were extremely dark, like two ancient wells with no visible bottom.

He wasn’t looking at anyone in particular, merely glancing casually at the tree shadows in the courtyard, yet wherever his gaze passed, the very air seemed to grow heavier.

A few sparrows perched on an old tree suddenly fluttered away, not even daring to let out a chirp.

He made no superfluous movements. His breathing was steady and long, the rise and fall of his chest almost imperceptible.

But that oppressive aura spread from him silently, like a tide.

Even experts as strong as Wan Qianshan and Pang Shixun deliberately restrained their own auras, treating him as their pillar of support, not daring to have the slightest thought of challenging him.

He was none other than Xiang Han.

Ten years ago, he was Wan Qianshan’s most prized head disciple before joining the Nine Altars Sect.