Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

”Hm?”

Lin Zheyu was taken aback. He had already prepared himself for battle, yet this man suddenly changed the topic and extended an invitation instead.

”What benefits would there be if I joined the Nine Nether Sect?” asked Lin Zheyu.

”After joining the Nine Nether Sect, we would be able to provide you with pills even stronger than the Blood Pill. With your natural talent, you might even have a chance to break through to the Grandmaster Realm one day. As long as you prove exceptional and earn the favor of the Demon God, even immortality may not be out of reach,” said the man evenly.

”Can I go back and think about it?” said Lin Zheyu while quietly letting a pouch of powder slide into his palm from his sleeve.

”Heh. Do you really think that’s possible?” replied the man with a sneer.

”Alright, alright. Before I join, I have a question, however. How did you find me just now?” asked Lin Zheyu.

”You’ll know once you join the Nine Nether Sect,” replied the man calmly.

”Alright, I’ll join then,” said Lin Zheyu with a nod.

”Then come with me. Your natural talent is impressive, you know? Unlike those bandits, you won’t even need to earn contribution points to exchange for pills. Once we test your talent level, you’ll receive cultivation resources every month,” the man explained.

A hint of envy flashed in his eyes because only true geniuses received free monthly resources. Ordinary people like him could only rely on missions to earn contribution points and exchange them for training supplies. No matter where one went, geniuses were always highly valued.

The young man before him looked no older than twenty, yet he had already reached the Blood Qi Realm. Such talent would be considered extraordinary even in the Central Plains. As long as he brought this youth back, he, too, would receive a large amount of contribution points. Recruiting a genius into the Nine Nether Sect brought substantial rewards; the more gifted the recruit, the greater the points awarded.

”Is there any ceremony required to join the Nine Nether Sect?” asked Lin Zheyu.

”You just need to kowtow before the Demon God’s statue and receive its blessing. That counts as your initiation,” replied the man. He gestured for Lin Zheyu to walk ahead, clearly not trusting him entirely.

”Oh.” Lin Zheyu responded softly, then suddenly flung the powder from his hand.

That Demon God statue was far too strange, and he had no intention of bowing to it. He worried that the Nine Nether Sect might possess some kind of oath-binding or curse-based method of control. This was a world of extraordinary powers, with ghosts, living corpses, yao, and demons roaming about, so he could not afford to be careless. He did not believe the Nine Nether Sect would let him join and invest resources in him without any safeguards.

The man had anticipated this and leapt back swiftly, hurling a throwing knife straight toward Lin Zheyu.

Clang!

Lin Zheyu swung his blade, knocking the hidden weapon aside, then stepped forward and slashed with his long saber.

Whoosh.

The man shifted sideways as the saber’s gleam swept past his chest. One hand curled into a claw as his body sank into a pouncing stance, like a leopard springing forward.

Boom!

A heavy thud echoed beneath his feet as he slipped past the blade’s edge and lunged forward, clawing viciously toward Lin Zheyu’s throat. Lin Zheyu tapped his toes lightly and retreated swiftly, his movement techniques fluid and nimble as he widened the distance.

A surge of domineering momentum qi burst from his body, and with a sharp swish, his saber came crashing down, carrying overwhelming momentum qi that bore down on the man like a tidal wave. It was Lin Zheyu’s first time facing a martial artist at the first transformation of blood qi. Fearing that delay might lead to complications, he resolved to go all out and kill the man as swiftly as possible.

What powerful momentum qi!

The man was shocked. At such a young age, this youth had already grasped such momentum qi. Even many Marrow Refining Realm martial artists could not comprehend momentum qi. Achieving it required not only extensive experience but also exceptional comprehension. This young man’s comprehension was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

Clang!

Startled, the man hesitated for just a second. As the saber came crashing down, he hastily raised his arms to block. Both his arms were protected by silver gloves extending from his palms up to his forearms. The material was unknown, but when the long saber struck it, the sound was like metal clashing against metal.

Thud, thud, thud.

The man staggered back several steps, leaving five deep footprints in the ground, his arms numb from the tremendous force transmitted through the blade.

What terrifying strength...! This force is even greater than mine! A martial artist at the first transformation of blood qi under twenty with such talent is exceedingly rare, even in the Central Plains.

The man was shaken to his core. His initial assumption had been that someone so young, from a barren place like Songyi City, would already be considered exceptionally gifted just by reaching the gauze stage of the Blood Qi Realm. He never expected that Lin Zheyu was not merely at the gauze stage but had already reached the first transformation!

With a bang sound, the man’s legs exploded with power as he retreated quickly. At this point, it was no longer a question of capturing Lin Zheyu, but whether he could even survive against him. His speed was impressive, suggesting he had trained in leg techniques as well. But it was still lacking compared to Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu’s figure blurred as his blood qi power erupted. The Golden Goose Technique surged at full force, and the man’s vision flashed; Lin Zheyu had vanished from sight.

Whoosh.

A fierce gust swept in from the left, and the man instinctively raised his right arm.

Clang!

A crisp metallic sound rang out as the man’s blood qi churned violently within his body. Just as he clenched his right hand into a claw to counterattack, Lin Zheyu vanished again. A gust then swept toward him from behind.

Clang, clang, clang.

The crisp clang of metal striking metal echoed through the forest, and the man’s face grew paler with each clash. Terror filled his eyes. His opponent’s speed was terrifyingly fast; it was so fast it defied belief. The only reason he had managed to block several strikes was thanks to his rich combat experience and trained reflexes.

Clang!

The man blocked another strike from Lin Zheyu, but his arms trembled slightly as his blood qi was draining rapidly. Before he could catch his breath, a wet slicing sound followed as a blood-stained blade burst through his chest.

With a sharp rip, Lin Zheyu wrenched the saber upward, carving a diagonal path from the man’s chest up through his right shoulder. The man’s upper body slid down slowly as his eyes were filled with terror and unwillingness.

Thud.

His body hit the ground with a heavy thump as blood sprayed outward.

”Whew...”

Lin Zheyu let out a slight breath of relief. It was his first time facing a martial artist at the first transformation of blood qi. He had expected a fierce battle, but the man in black and red robes had proven far less resilient than anticipated.

After his Golden Goose Technique reached a transcendent stage, his speed had far surpassed that of an expert at the first transformation of blood qi. With overwhelming speed and agile movement techniques, Lin Zheyu had dominated the fight from start to finish.

Fortunately, only one martial artist at the first transformation of blood qi came. If there had been more, or if a second transformation martial artist had appeared, it would have been trouble, thought Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu would need to be more cautious when dealing with these cultists in the future, as their tracking methods were disturbingly strange. He removed the gloves from the man’s arms, feeling a sudden chill as they touched his hands. The gloves were forged from some unknown metal; it was extremely soft and silver-black in color. At first glance, they appeared black, but under sunlight, they shimmered with a silvery glow.

After removing the gloves, he began searching the man’s body. On him, Lin Zheyu found quite a few valuable items. There was no silver, but there were several medicine bottles and a small booklet.

Ten Thousand Troop Steps? Is this a lightness technique?

Lin Zheyu flipped through it briefly, pleasantly surprised. He had not expected to obtain a new technique from this man.