Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

After stretching his limbs, Lin Zheyu walked to the corner where the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction in his pot was nearly finished brewing. He found that the Redfire Blood-Nourishing Powder and the Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder were unsuitable for brewing as tonics due to their severe side effects, so he didn’t even bother.

For aiding physical recovery, the Yang Gathering Decoction combined with Yin Earth Pills worked even better than the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction, but the cost was far too high.

Lin Zheyu poured out the finished medicinal brew. When finished, it yielded only a small bowl, but its fragrance was rich and potent.

Gurgle, gurgle.

As the medicinal decoction entered his stomach, its power spread through his abdomen, greatly accelerating the recovery of his blood qi. Martial artists in the Blood Qi Realm already recovered quickly, so after drinking the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction, he would regain nearly 30% of his strength by morning. If he drank another dose in the morning and evening tomorrow, he would be close to full strength the day after.

Since arriving in Bafang City, after pushing past his limits, Lin Zheyu would spend two days in the city recovering while inquiring about Master Liang Song’s whereabouts. The remaining two days of his recovery, he would spend hunting beasts outside the city. This time, however, he had stayed in the mountains two extra days to train Little Black.

Lying on the rocking chair in his courtyard, Lin Zheyu gazed at the moon above and fell into deep thought.

My strength can no longer improve unless I switch to a higher-rate technique. But finding a technique in Bafang City that reaches the Dragon Transformation is nearly impossible. I’ll have to wait until I reach the Central Plains to think about it, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

The ninth stage of the Golden Goose Technique, paired with the Mountain Shattering Palm, allowed his combat power to surpass his cultivation realm. He could even rival seventh transformation warriors or stronger. Even if he were to face stronger opponents, his perfected Golden Goose lightness technique would make escape easy. However, Lin Zheyu had a glaring weakness, and that was defense.

The Golden Goose Technique had originally balanced offense and movement, but after being merged with the Ten Thousand Troop Steps, it evolved into a pure movement-based lightness technique. Meanwhile, the Barbaric Ox Fist, Sixfold Saber, and Mountain Shattering Palm all focused solely on offense; none enhanced defense.

In the past, Lin Zheyu relied on his near-perfect agility to avoid being hit by his enemies. That approach worked well against opponents slower or weaker than him, but if he encountered someone with superior agility or overwhelming strength, it would be a serious problem.

At present, Lin Zheyu was like a high-offense, low-defense assassin. He was forced to rely on flawless movement and skill against stronger foes, never daring to confront them head-on. When fighting opponents of higher realms, the margin for error was razor-thin. A single mistake could mean instant death. That was the situation when he fought the beast at the fifth transformation.

Should I learn a hard-body technique to strengthen my defense?

The martial arts, lightness techniques, and combat skills available for purchase in Bafang City were not much stronger than the Golden Goose Technique or the Mountain Shattering Palm, so there was no need to replace them.

However, he didn’t know even one hard-body defensive art.

I’ll check the black market tomorrow and see if there’s a suitable hard-body technique. It’s pointless to keep storing up Origin Force without using it to improve survivability. If danger comes suddenly, it’ll be too late to strengthen myself then.

The most pitiful thing in life was dying with money unspent and no heirs to inherit it. He certainly didn’t want to die before using up his Origin Force.

”Coo-coo-coo~.”

At dawn, before the sun edged over the horizon, the rooster next door began to crow. Lin Zheyu opened his eyes from meditation, feeling refreshed and clear-headed. After washing up, he took out the ingredients for the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction and began to brew the medicinal soup. His earnings from hunting were quite good now, so there was no need to save a few taels of silver.

Knock, knock, knock.

So early? thought Lin Zheyu.

When he opened the door, he saw Han Tianmin standing outside.

”Uncle Lin, I brought you breakfast,” Han Tianmin said with a smile.

”Alright, come in.”

Lin Zheyu accepted the food and sat down by the stone table in the courtyard. Han Tianmin stepped inside and closed the courtyard gate. He sniffed the air and immediately recognized the familiar scent of the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction. His father used to brew it often. Back then, Han Mo had not yet reached the Blood Qi Realm, so a single batch of the decoction was diluted several times for consumption.

”What parts are you still unclear about?” asked Lin Zheyu.

Han Tianmin took out the Toxicology Codex, opened it, and pulled out a sheet of rough paper filled with a dozen small questions.

***

Outside Bafang City, at Dongxian Mountain.

This was the territory of the Forest Net Temple. Three men in crimson Taoist robes moved swiftly through the forest.

”Yong Kang, how did the talks with Purple Yu Mountain Manor go?” asked the man on the left.

”We don’t have enough manpower. To accomplish that task, we’ll need several powerful martial artists working together,” said the man called Yong Kang, shaking his head.

”Contact the people from Shadow Moon Peak and see if they’re interested,” the third man suggested.

”No. Shadow Moon Peak has close ties with the Giant Spirit Gang. They might leak word to them. If the Giant Spirit Gang learns about this, we’ll lose our chance entirely,” Yong Kang said firmly.

A light breeze passed through the woods, carrying with it a faint, unusual fragrance.

Suddenly, Yong Kang’s face changed drastically as he shouted in a low voice, ”Wait, hold your breath!”

At his words, his two companions immediately held their breath, muscles tensing as their blood qi surged. They then stared warily into the surrounding forest.

Whoosh.

A figure shot out from the forest at incredible speed, appearing before the burly man on the left in the blink of an eye. That man was the weakest of the three, being only at the first transformation of blood qi.

Bang!

A dull thud sounded as the figure lashed out with a whip-like kick that struck the burly man squarely on the back. A sharp blade was hidden at the tip of his shoe, so when the kick landed, it sliced across the man’s back, leaving a deep gash.

Swish.

The sound of slicing air followed. The other two reacted instantly, swinging their blades toward the attacker. Their blades swept dangerously close to his head and back, but the intruder moved with remarkable agility, evading the strikes and vanishing into the woods with a light tap of his foot.

”Don’t chase him. We’ll talk later. Ge Bing’s been poisoned,” said Yong Kang in a deep voice.

He pulled a signal flare from his robe, lit the fuse, and launched it skyward, where it exploded in a burst of light.

”I sprinkled some Soul-Chasing Powder on him just now, so he won’t get far,” another man said with a sly grin.

”Damn it, stop talking and get me back for treatment! This poison’s vicious,” Ge Bing cursed.

Within moments, his face had turned ashen, and his body began to weaken. The poison was potent, strong enough that even with his first transformation of blood qi, he struggled to endure it.

”Wu Yang, take Ge Bing back. I’ll go after that dumbass. To dare strike at someone from the Forest Net Temple, he’s courting death,” Yong Kang said coldly, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

With a flicker of movement, he vanished into the forest.

Swish, swish.

A shadow darted swiftly through the trees. Though his face was wrapped in cloth, the fury and regret in his eyes were unmistakable.

”I acted recklessly. I shouldn’t have made a move,” the man muttered to himself.

If Lin Zheyu had been there, he would have recognized the man at once. It was Liang Song, the person he had been searching for all this time.

”I’ve waited for so long. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive. That Ge Bing might not even die, and worse, I may have alerted Ge Wuning,” Liang Song muttered darkly.

Ge Wuning was his sworn enemy. Liang Song had been watching Dongxian Mountain for months, waiting for the right moment to exact his revenge, but no opportunity had come. Ge Bing, being Ge Wuning’s son, had provoked Liang Song’s rage when he appeared, so he had struck on impulse.

He hadn’t expected the two men beside Ge Bing to be so powerful. Even without fighting them head-on, he immediately realized he was no match for the three. If he got entangled with them, it would mean certain death.

”I’ll hide in Bafang City for a while. I think some tracking powder got on me just now,” Liang Song muttered to himself. He sped out of the forest without pause, racing straight toward Bafang City.

An expert watching from afar would have noticed something off; his legs moved unevenly, slowing his pace. It was because he walked with a limp. Liang Song’s entire fighting style relied on his legs, so when he was crippled, more than half his strength was lost.

Though he had recovered much over the past decade, he was still far from the peak of his former prowess. Had it been during his prime, that single kick would have been enough to send Ge Bing to the afterlife; there would have been no need to hide a poisoned blade in his shoe.