Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Bang, bang, bang.

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

From within the courtyard came the constant sound of pounding blows. The sky was overcast, and a cold wind howled through. Lin Zheyu trained bare-chested, his body drenched in sweat as the qi and blood within him surged violently.

The dense energy of qi and blood poured into his arms under his control. Each time his fists slammed into the wooden stake, the qi and blood trembled along with the impact, tempering the muscles, tendons, skin, and bones of his arms.

Since reaching the Blood Qi Realm, his physique, bones, and skin had all been strengthened. However, the main enhancements were in his legs, while the rest of his body showed little change.

Perhaps when his strength advanced further, after five or six transformations of the Blood Qi Realm, successive rounds of reinforcement would temper the rest of his body until every part of him reached the iron-hard level of the Bone Forging Realm. But for now, aside from his legs having attained the Bone Forging Realm’s iron-like toughness, the rest of his bones were only somewhat stronger than those of an ordinary martial artist.

Bang, bang, bang.

Lin Zheyu punched again and again, his aura surging more intensely than before. After several days of arduous training, his comprehension of the Barbaric Ox Fist had deepened significantly. While practicing, he imagined himself as a wild ox or like a bull in an arena, enraged and charging with all its might.

Moo~!

Executing a Barbaric Ox Charge and coordinating it with the Barbaric Ox Fist breathing method, Lin Zheyu faintly let out a sound that resembled the roar of a bull.

His fists struck like a raging storm, hammering the wooden stake in a relentless flurry, the pounding echoing without end. Lin Zheyu fell into the frenzy of an enraged ox, a trace of blood-red flashing in his eyes. He had become too immersed in the fist momentum, and it began to affect his mind.

It wasn’t until four hours later, after exhausting all his strength and once again breaking through his limits, that he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

”Just now, I actually let the fist momentum affect me and lost some of my rationality,” muttered Lin Zheyu, his spirit somewhat dazed.

In order to better grasp the fist momentum of the Barbaric Ox Fist, he hypnotized himself into imagining he was an ox. The effect had indeed been remarkable. In just a few days, his comprehension of the fist momentum had made great strides. But because he had immersed himself too deeply, he had lost himself within the fist momentum.

”This is the wrong direction. If the fist momentum only drives one into madness, then what use is its increased power? At that point, I’d be nothing but a senseless brute, no better than Jia Yanyong. Barbaric may mean reckless, but it does not mean rash or insane. It is courage with reason, a conviction, and a belief of invincibility.”

Lying on the ground, the light in his eyes grew sharper and brighter.

That’s right. Barbaric could mean reckless, but it was not blind recklessness. It was the conviction of invincibility, the will of a strong one declaring, ’with this punch, you will die!’

The brilliance in Lin Zheyu’s eyes shone ever brighter, entirely unaffected by the mental fatigue of breaking through his limits just moments before.

He struggled, wanting to rise again and test his new realization. He wanted to strike once more with the Barbaric Ox Fist. Fist momentum was not something gained merely by knowing of it. It required practice, unwavering conviction, and the fusion of one’s will into the technique, thereby forging a unique ‘momentum’ of one’s own.

However, Lin Zheyu could no longer get up. During his frenzy, he had exhausted his body’s strength and broken through his limits once more, leaving his entire body aching and powerless.

”Forget it. There’s no need to rush,” muttered Lin Zheyu softly as he stopped moving, resting on the cold ground.

Within his body, qi and blood energy rose from his blood under strain, circulating through his veins and slowly mending his fatigue. Lying on the ground, Lin Zheyu gasped heavily for breath. He glanced at the data in his consciousness. Having just broken through his limit, his Origin Force had increased by another unit. Through the past few days of training, both his Sixfold Saber and Barbaric Ox Fist had improved significantly.

After advancing to the Blood Qi Realm, the Golden Goose Technique had slowed considerably in progress. It now required long-term accumulation and daily refinement of qi and blood until the limit was reached. If he relied only on his own efforts, it would take several years to achieve.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 3]

[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Competence: 68%), Golden Goose Technique (Fourth Stage: 67%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 1%), Sixfold Saber (Competence: 35%)]

”I’ve accumulated another three units of Origin Force. What a pity I don’t have the money, or else I could advance the Golden Goose Technique to the fifth stage,” murmured Lin Zheyu.

Right now, he could accumulate one unit of Origin Force roughly every four days. However, using a single unit to improve the Golden Goose Technique required about three sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction to ensure sufficient energy.

He would need at least three more units of Origin Force to push the Golden Goose Technique to the fifth stage. That meant nine full sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction herbs as the energy source. At current prices, nine sets cost over 100 taels of silver, which was no small sum.

Best to rest a while, then focus on raising the Barbaric Ox Fist. With my Blood Qi Realm foundation, improving the Barbaric Ox Fist shouldn’t require too much Origin Force or energy, thought Lin Zheyu.

Two days ago, he received the Feihong Gang’s monthly wage of 5 taels of silver. Together with the payment from storytellers, he had managed to save over 20 taels. For an ordinary family, 20 taels could sustain them for two or three years if they lived frugally. But for Lin Zheyu, two sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction herbs had already drained his savings.

To achieve anything in martial cultivation, money truly flowed like water. It was a pity his story copyright plan had collapsed before it even began. Otherwise, he might have earned around 2 taels of silver daily.

For now, there’s no good way to increase my income. Once I strengthen the Barbaric Ox Fist, I’ll find a chance to go outside the city and take a look. Let’s see what the world outside the city is like these days, thought Lin Zheyu.

He had long wanted to venture beyond the city walls to see just how rampant the bandits outside had become. He wanted to see the true combat strength of the City Guard and whether a formation of a hundred elite soldiers could really contend with a Blood Qi Realm warrior. He wanted to see if there truly were yaos and demons lurking in the deep mountains and forests.

He was endlessly curious about everything. But before, lacking sufficient strength, he had always suppressed himself, endured, and quietly cultivated in secret. Now, however, his strength placed him among the top tier within Songyi City. If he still brushed so close to death beyond the city walls, what chance did the common folk have of surviving out there?

Most importantly, there were countless bandits outside the city. A man could not grow rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse could not grow fat without grass at night. Since bandits could rob others, why couldn’t he rob the bandits? Those who rob others won’t have their belongings spared!

If those two brothers, Xing Jinglong and Xing Penghai, dare to follow me this time, I’ll finish them off outside the city, he thought as a cruel glint flashed in his eyes. If it weren’t for the strict laws of Songyi City that made killing inconvenient, he would have struck them down in secret long ago.

He truly didn’t understand what was wrong with those two, or why they had set their sights on someone as insignificant as him. Even if his martial talent was slightly above average, the strength he displayed outwardly was still only at the Bone Forging Realm. He truly couldn’t fathom why Xing Jinglong remained so fixated on him.