Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

The Sixfold Saber technique was plain and unadorned, simple yet direct. With the support of his blood qi, Lin Zheyu’s strikes carried astonishing force. Each swing of his blade was thick with power and filled with an imposing momentum.

Swish, swish, swish.

Activating the Golden Goose Technique and blending it into the Sixfold Saber strikes, Lin Zheyu darted swiftly around the courtyard. Blades of light filled the entire yard. As if venting himself, he put his full strength into every move, rapidly burning through his stamina until sweat drenched his clothes.

After two hours, his complexion had grown pale. His strength, speed, and stamina had all fallen sharply. His body felt weak and heavy, but he had not yet reached his limit. Another hour passed, and he finally felt the onset of exhaustion. Persisting for another six or seven minutes, Lin Zheyu suddenly felt his essence, qi, and spirit intertwine as one, giving rise to a sense of sublimation.

He had finally broken through his limit. Leaning on his saber, he gasped heavily, his breath so strong it stirred the fallen leaves on the ground. After reaching the Blood Qi Realm, his breathing had become long and steady, and his lung capacity was nothing short of terrifying.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 3]

[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Competence: 5%), Golden Goose Technique (Fourth Stage: 13%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 0%), Sixfold Saber (Competence: 12%)]

I guessed right. This time, it really only increased by one unit of Origin Force, thought Lin Zheyu.

He looked at the numbers in his consciousness, where the Origin Force now showed an increase of one. The last time he broke through his limit, it had increased by two units at once. Now it had reverted to just one.

”In other words, every time I break through my limits now, I gain 1.x units of Origin Force. As my strength continues to grow, this x will gradually increase, until one day it reaches two full units of Origin Force,” muttered Lin Zheyu to himself.

He lay down on the ground to rest for a while. Even though he was already a Blood Qi Realm martial artist, he still felt utterly drained and unwilling to move after pushing past his limits. But there was one advantage of reaching the Blood Qi Realm, and that was his recovery speed had greatly improved.

His blood qi had been completely depleted just now, yet at the Blood Qi Realm, his blood carried immense energy. Although he felt completely exhausted, with a little effort, he could still squeeze out faint threads of blood qi. His blood qi coursed through his bloodstream, seeping into his muscles, nourishing his weary body, and accelerating recovery.

After resting a while, Lin Zheyu felt the soreness in his body begin to fade. Blood qi seemed like a warrior’s backup energy source, not only fueling explosive strength but also hastening physical recovery.

I need to continue raising the Golden Goose Technique. As my strength rises, the Origin Force required to advance each stage increases as well. To push the Golden Goose Technique to the fifth stage, I’ll need at least five more units of Origin Force, Lin Zheyu calculated silently.

He felt that even with the strength of the Blood Qi Realm, he was still far from safe. When he had heard Leader Xu say that a city lord’s power was so immense that they could suppress an entire city alone, Lin Zheyu had been utterly shocked.

Every city lord was appointed directly by the emperor of Great Wei. Depending on the city’s size and strategic importance, a city lord of matching strength would be dispatched. Songyi City was merely an unremarkable small city, yet its lord was already so powerful. If every city lord were this strong, then how terrifying must the rebel army’s strength be to have captured so many cities?

”This world runs far deeper than I ever imagined, ” Lin Zheyu whispered to himself.

***

The medicinal decoction in the pot was not yet finished. He had already boiled it twice over the past three hours, but it needed one more round to fully extract the medicinal power from the herbs.

He poured out the decoction, refilled the pot with fresh water, and continued boiling. Only by the afternoon had the full potency of the herbs been extracted.

He lifted the bowl of medicine and drank it all in one gulp. That single bowl contained the essence of eight full sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction herbs. A heat spread through his body, though without the previous sense of discomfort.

The Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction was indeed a potent medicine meant only for those of the Blood Qi Realm. After drinking it, the rate at which his blood qi increased was noticeable.

He carefully savored the sensation, then cleared his mind and willed his thoughts outward. Use three units of Origin Force to raise the Golden Goose Technique.

In an instant, a mysterious energy surged forth. His mind entered a special state, and he began an unending cycle of tireless training. He felt time rush past, countless years seeming to flow by, and his blood qi steadily grew stronger. The faint threads of blood qi that had once spread through his veins now condensed into a dense, blood-colored mist of energy, flowing with his blood and nourishing his body.

With the nourishment of blood qi, his body underwent a second transformation. He once again understood why blood qi was said to be the very foundation of martial cultivation. With blood qi, the nourishment and strengthening of the body far surpassed anything an ordinary person could achieve.

Under the strengthening of blood qi, his physique transformed, growing sturdier and more powerful, his muscles tightening with explosive strength.

A few seconds passed before he opened his eyes and emerged from the endless training state. The transformation of his body was complete. A rumbling sound echoed through his blood as the dense energy of blood qi coursed through his veins, spreading across his entire body. He felt his body brimming with explosive power.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 0]

[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Competence: 5%), Golden Goose Technique (Fourth Stage: 67%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 0%), Sixfold Saber (Competence: 12%)]

It’s now at 67% progress. I’ll still need two more units of Origin Force to reach the fifth stage, thought Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu glanced at the numbers, then resumed training. After advancing to 67% of the fourth stage, the amount of blood qi in his body had grown considerably, flowing throughout him with his circulation.

He directed the energy of blood qi into his arms. The surge of blood qi caused his arm muscles to swell slightly, giving them a fierce, almost grotesque appearance.

”Haa!”

Feeling the explosive power in his arms, Lin Zheyu exhaled softly. His gaze sharpened as he gripped his saber tightly and slashed out, unleashing a chilling blade of saber qi.

No good. My arms can’t withstand too much of the blood qi’s explosive force, thought Lin Zheyu with a frown.

When he had infused his arms with blood qi just now, a swelling pain had spread through the muscles and tendons. As he unleashed his full strength in that slash, faint cracking sounds came from his bones.

This was the overwhelming force of blood qi, exceeding the limits of his arms. If that strike had been used against an enemy, his arms would have ended up broken, even if it killed them.

Looks like I’ll need to upgrade the Barbaric Ox Fist or the Sixfold Saber as well, thought Lin Zheyu to himself.

When he broke through to the Blood Qi Realm, it was thanks to the Golden Goose Technique, so the parts of his body tempered to iron-hard toughness were only in his legs. As for the Barbaric Ox Fist and the Sixfold Saber, they were only at the early stage of the Bone Forging Realm, far too weak to withstand the violent surges of blood qi power.

After some thought, he decided to focus on the Barbaric Ox Fist and raise its level. The Barbaric Ox Fist was centered on fist techniques, concentrating all its strength in the arms. Once advanced, his arms would reach the iron-hard toughness of the Bone Forging Realm.

By then, even when using the Sixfold Saber, his arms would be able to endure the explosive force of blood qi. More importantly, while training the Barbaric Ox Fist these past few days, Lin Zheyu faintly sensed an inexplicable meaning hidden within the fist techniques.

This mysterious feeling was something he had never experienced in either the Sixfold Saber or the Golden Goose Technique. It seemed that the Barbaric Ox Fist concealed within it a hidden fist momentum. Perhaps he could comprehend it if it were cultivated to a profound level.