Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

The sky gradually darkened, but inside the Chen residence, lights blazed brightly. The New Year had just passed, but the festive atmosphere still lingered throughout the estate. The guests were well fed and content.

On stage, the opera troupe performed traditional plays, while the audience below listened with great interest. Xu Qinyi, Ren Qingfeng, and several others were present. Xu Yuxiang was there as well, invited specifically by Xu Qinyi. She sat beside Lin Zheyu, her eyes on the stage, though all her thoughts were focused on the man next to her.

From this angle, Young Master Lin truly is remarkably handsome!

A faint blush colored Xu Yuxiang’s cheeks as she stole glances at Lin Zheyu from the corner of her eye. Regret suddenly welled up in her heart. If she had known, she would have acted more gently and virtuously back then. Now, Young Master Lin no longer paid her any attention.

Lin Zheyu caught the faint fragrance of the woman beside him, but it stirred no thoughts in his mind. He leaned back in his chair in a leisurely manner, listening to the opera on stage and letting his body and mind relax.

When the performance ended and the intermission began, Chen Mu walked over to Lin Zheyu and said, ”Brother Lin, I lost in our last spar, but I’ve gained some new insights over the past few days. How about another match?”

”Nothing would please me more!” replied Lin Zheyu with a smile.

The main reason he had come was to spar with Chen Mu. Although Chen Mu’s momentum was not particularly strong, it could still offer him valuable insights. After several days of battling fierce beasts, Lin Zheyu had gained new understandings and intended to test them through a spar with Chen Mu.

”Let’s go to the side courtyard. We can’t move freely here,” said Chen Mu.

The two stood up, left the seating area, and headed toward the Chen residence’s side courtyard. Seeing this, Xu Qinyi and the others also rose and followed. A fight between those two was always a sight worth watching.

”Go watch if you want. Aren’t you always straightforward?” said Ren Qingying with a smile to Xu Yuxiang.

”Why are you telling me that? I don’t want to go. What’s so interesting about a fight?” Xu Yuxiang withdrew her gaze and turned toward the stage, speaking in a way that betrayed her true feelings.

”Yes, yes, you don’t want to watch. I’m the one who wants to, all right? Come with your sister and let’s go see. I wonder who will win this time between Young Master Lin and Chen Mu,” said Ren Qingying with a smile.

”Lin... uh, my cousin will win, of course!” said Xu Yuxiang.

Under the moonlight, her cheeks were slightly flushed. Whether it was from the firelight or something else was hard to tell. They arrived at the side courtyard, where oil lamps were lit around the area, casting bright light over the space.

”Who do you think will win this time?” asked Ren Qingfeng with a smile.

”It will definitely be Brother Lin. What’s there to doubt?” replied Xu Qinyi.

”Not necessarily. After Chen Mu went home last time, he trained like a madman and has improved greatly since then. That terrifying momentum qi of his makes me feel fear just standing in front of him,” said Chen Xihong.

He had seen Chen Mu sparring in the training arena yesterday. The momentum qi radiating from him had been so overwhelming that even as a bystander, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear.

”That strong?” asked Ren Qingfeng in surprise.

”You’ll see for yourselves soon enough,” said Chen Xihong mysteriously.

They all turned their eyes toward the center of the courtyard, where the two men had already taken their stances.

”Please enlighten me!” said Chen Mu.

As his words fell, a surge of astonishing momentum qi erupted from his body, nearly twice as strong as before.

”Good!”

Lin Zheyu’s eyes lit up. This was a pleasant surprise. The stronger his opponent’s momentum, the more insight he could gain from it. He assumed the stance of the Barbaric Ox Fist, invisible fist momentum coiling around his body as he resisted the pressure from Chen Mu’s momentum qi.

The two clashed with invisible momentum qi, and a knowing expression appeared on Chen Mu’s face. He had suspected during their last match that Lin Zheyu had also comprehended momentum, but Chen Mu’s strength had been insufficient to draw it out. The two stood facing each other as a vast and terrifying sense of danger spread unchecked through the courtyard.

Ren Qingying and Xu Yuxiang had never trained in martial arts. Confronted by that invisible momentum, they were struck by the illusion that the two men before them could snatch away their lives at any moment.

”Fall back!” Ren Qingfeng and Xu Qinyi each grabbed the two pale-faced girls and pulled them a step back. They exchanged glances, their faces filled with disbelief.

”Brother Lin is truly a monster! During the last spar, I already suspected he had comprehended momentum, but I never expected his momentum to be on par with Cousin Chen Mu’s!” said Chen Xihong with a deep breath, his tone tinged with bitterness.

Xu Qinyi and the others shared the same sentiment as their expressions turned complicated. The three of them were all born into direct bloodlines with privileged backgrounds and were considered outstanding talents within their esteemed families. Yet when faced with the two before them, a sense of inferiority inevitably crept over them.

”Brother Xu, let’s enter the army for some tempering for a while, or we could form a team and hunt bandits instead. If we keep going like this, we’ll be left far behind soon,” suggested Chen Xihong.

”That was exactly my thought,” replied Xu Qinyi, nodding.

”Count me in, too. These two are absolute freaks. If I don’t work harder, I’ll be too embarrassed to even call them brothers in a few months,” muttered Ren Qingfeng.

”Haah!”

Chen Mu roared, and a momentum filled with bloodlust and slaughter swept outward. Like a ferocious beast locking onto its prey, he lunged toward Lin Zheyu. Lin Zheyu’s muscles bulged across his body as he stood firm with fist momentum coiling around him. He threw punch after punch against Chen Mu’s relentless assault.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The dull sounds of impact echoed through the courtyard, drawing many members of the Chen Family to watch. They were so intimidated by the overwhelming momentum qi released in the battle that they retreated to a distance, not daring to get too close.

The Berserker Art had no specific attack form; the entire body was a weapon, and anything that could kill the enemy was a valid method. Chen Mu’s attacks were frenzied and ruthless. Against Lin Zheyu, he held nothing back, going all out as his momentum qi surged to its peak and continued to rise steadily.

Yet Lin Zheyu remained unmoved. He did not use the Golden Goose Technique, relying entirely on the Barbaric Ox Fist throughout the fight. As their fists collided, their momentum qi clashed head-on. Feeling the gazes of the spectators around him and the fear in their eyes, Lin Zheyu suddenly gained an inexplicable realization.

I am strong! I am invincible! thought Lin Zheyu as the momentum qi around him grew even more solid.

Fierce winds howled as he exhaled an aura through the breathing method of the Barbaric Ox Fist that faintly resembled the furious roar of a savage ox.

Chen Mu’s momentum grew stronger the longer he fought, feeding on the battle itself. Yet Lin Zheyu’s momentum qi also rose continuously in the midst of combat, steadily suppressing Chen Mu from start to finish.

Chen Mu’s blood-soaked, frenzied, and seemingly invincible momentum qi felt as if it might be torn apart when faced with the even more domineering fist momentum of Lin Zheyu.

***

”Good!”

A cute cheer erupted when Lin Zheyu sent Chen Mu staggering back with a single punch. Xu Qinyi and the others all turned to look at Xu Yuxiang. Her cheeks flushed crimson under their gazes, prompting everyone to burst into laughter.

At that moment, two middle-aged men walked past the corridor. Several attendants with powerful auras followed behind them. Noticing the lively scene in the courtyard, the two glanced over with curiosity.

”Those two youngsters, are they both from your Chen Family? Quite interesting,” said the man on the left with a smile.

”The one on the left is. The one on the right should be Hong’er’s friend. Chen Cai, whose son is that young man fighting Chen Mu?” asked the man curiously.

The man called over a servant and asked out of curiosity. He was Chen Xihong’s father and the Chen Family Head, Chen Yongnan.

”Master, that is Young Master Lin. He was recruited into the Feihong Gang a few months ago by Leader Xu and is a friend of Young Master Chen,” replied Chen Cai.

”I see. Brother Jingwu’s eye for talent is as sharp as ever, to have discovered yet another promising seedling,” said Chen Yongnan with a smile.

”Both of these young men are fine prospects. To have comprehended momentum at such a young age... with proper cultivation, they may well have a chance to break through to the Marrow Refining Realm,” said the man with a smile.

They stood watching for a while before leaving.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the courtyard, the two fought fiercely, the sound of their fists and feet colliding ringing out continuously. Chen Mu’s Berserker Art was forged in the army. His fighting style was savage and relentless, with every move aimed to kill.

Lin Zheyu remained calm in the face of Chen Mu’s assault, repeatedly striking with the Barbaric Ox Fist. One punch shot straight toward Chen Mu’s abdomen, while the other feinted before swinging upward from below.

Boom!

His fist slammed hard into Chen Mu’s jaw with a faint crack, sending Chen Mu flying from the sheer force.

Chen Mu bared his teeth, wincing from the sharp pain in his jaw as he said, ”Damn, bro! I give up. I can’t beat you.”

Moments ago, his killing intent had begun to cloud his reason, his eyes turning slightly red as his strikes grew more vicious. Just as he was about to lose himself to madness, Lin Zheyu’s punch had jolted him back to his senses.

”Thank you for letting me win!” exclaimed Lin Zheyu, cupping his hands with a smile.

”How did you cultivate your momentum? It’s so much stronger than mine. Is there some trick to it?” asked Chen Mu curiously as he stood up.

Back when he was training in the Berserker Art, he had hit a bottleneck and only comprehended momentum after years of bloody battles in the army. Yet Lin Zheyu had not been cultivating for long and had already grasped such a powerful momentum. Chen Mu couldn’t help but wonder if there was some special method behind it.

”Mm... I just kept training, and it became this strong on its own. Does that really require any technique?” said Lin Zheyu after a brief pause.

Upon hearing his words, Chen Mu, Xu Qinyi, Ren Qingfeng, and Chen Xihong were all speechless. The few who had just gathered around fell silent at his words, swallowing back the comments they had been about to make.

”Hahaha, let’s just talk about lighthearted things today, and not martial arts. Come on, let’s go listen to the opera and watch the show!” said Chen Xihong with a laugh, beckoning everyone along.