Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

For Master Liang Song to have noticed those errand boys means he truly frequents the teahouses, only in disguise. It seems I’ll have to search for him personally.

Since he had confirmed the man was indeed in the city, the rest would be easy. Even if Liang Song had changed his appearance, he was confident he could still recognize him. Experts of the third transformation were rare in teahouses; by sensing his aura and examining closely, he could identify him with ease.

Lin Zheyu slightly altered his appearance, disguising himself as an ordinary middle-aged man. With a light push of his toes, he vaulted over the courtyard wall. Since his master had no intention of meeting him, he would respect that. If his master sought revenge, then he would simply find the target and help him from the shadows.

The entire afternoon, Lin Zheyu visited several teahouses, but found no trace of Liang Song.

That night, the black market opened. As usual, he browsed through the stalls but still couldn’t find a suitable body-refining technique.

Techniques for Blood Qi Realm cultivators were extremely rare, and those sold in the black market were all ordinary ones with limited effect.

It had been five days since he last visited the black market. He still hadn’t found his master, but this visit to the black market brought an unexpected surprise.

”How much for this Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual?” asked Lin Zheyu.

The seller was a martial artist at the first transformation of blood qi. However, his muscles were tightly knotted and his physique massive. Lin Zheyu noticed that his aura was far stronger than that of an average Blood Qi Realm cultivator.

”1,300 taels of silver. Don’t complain about the price; this technique allows Blood Qi Realm cultivators who’ve hit their limit to continue growing stronger! If cultivated to its peak, it grants a body as tough as that of a Marrow Refining Realm beast.”

The stall owner spoke quickly, explaining further, worried that Lin Zheyu might find the price too steep. Too few people were willing to practice the body-refining technique, and having finally found a buyer, he didn’t want to lose him.

”All right.” Lin Zheyu agreed readily.

Recently, with the help of Little Black, he had hunted many Blood Qi Realm beasts. His savings had soared and now neared 7,000 taels of silver. He had discovered just how easy it was to earn money.

The stall owner froze for a moment, then exclaimed in delight, ”You’ve got a sharp eye, friend. Here, this is the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual.”

The stall owner had thought the customer before him would try to bargain; after all, 1,300 taels of silver was no small sum. He hadn’t expected Lin Zheyu to agree so readily.

After receiving the manual, Lin Zheyu found a nearby seat beside the vendor and began to read. He needed to verify the technique’s authenticity first.

This was a body-refining technique that could only be practiced by martial artists in the Blood Qi Realm, requiring the use of blood qi to temper and strengthen the body. When cultivated to Perfection, it granted a defense comparable to that of a peak Organ Forging Realm beast.

The process required various special instruments to assist in refining the body, while the cultivator circulated their blood qi in tandem. From it, Lin Zheyu discovered a new way to utilize his blood qi.

”I didn’t know blood qi could be used this way,” Lin Zheyu murmured in amazement.

Following the technique described in the manual, he stirred his internal blood qi and instantly felt his muscles, tendons, and skin tense as if struck by a heavy blow. Having confirmed its effect, he did not linger.

***

In the courtyard, bright moonlight poured down.

Lin Zheyu took out three sets of Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder ingredients, poured them into a wooden basin, and mixed them thoroughly. The potency of one set of Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder equaled that of fourteen servings of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction.

Tempering his body and enhancing his physical strength would likely consume a large amount of energy. Lin Zheyu decided to try using 2 units of Origin Force alongside the medicinal power of three portions of Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder to see if it would suffice. Once prepared, he focused his intent.

Use 2 units of Origin Force to enhance the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual.

In an instant, a vast mysterious energy surged from the depths of his cells, drawing in the medicinal power from the basin and coursing through his entire body. His mind grew hazy, and he entered a strange, ethereal consciousness space.

Within this space, every instrument required for training the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual appeared before him in full. The Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual was exceedingly difficult to cultivate, and the process was one of intense agony.

It required using spiked clubs to relentlessly strike the body while circulating blood qi through special techniques to temper the muscles, tendons, skin, and bones at a deeper level. After each round of training came a medicinal bath to cleanse the body, followed by a coating of a special ointment to aid recovery and fortify the physique.

The most valuable parts of this manual were the secret formulas for the medicinal bath and ointment, as well as its unique method of manipulating blood qi. Only after that came the specific techniques for refining each part of the body.

Lin Zheyu chose not to use the medicinal bath or ointment, as his body could already recover infinitely within the consciousness space. Though skipping the bath and ointment meant missing out on some bodily reinforcement, the overall impact was minor.

Inside the consciousness space, dozens of half-meter-thick cylindrical maces forged of black iron hung suspended in the air, their spikes replaced with rounded studs. Lin Zheyu’s body was banged against them, each rounded iron stud slamming into him with immense force.

Every strike brought tremendous refining results. With his blood qi erupting in tandem, not a single inch of his body was spared from pain. The agony twisted his mind; he soon realized he had overestimated himself, as the unlimited recovery did not mean immunity to pain. Relying on his limitless recovery, he had raised the difficulty, which improved the results but doubled the torment.

Time trickled by, second after second. Lin Zheyu trained without rest, and as he advanced, the scene within the consciousness space shifted, changing the method of refining.

Moments later, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes, the whites streaked with blood.

”Haa...”

He exhaled deeply and muttered, ”Body-refining techniques are truly painful to cultivate!”

Still shaken, Lin Zheyu dared not continue. He would need at least a few hours of rest to recover. Even with his repeatedly tempered will and extraordinary mental resilience, the relentless high-intensity training in the consciousness space had nearly broken him. He glanced at the data in his consciousness, and fortunately, his progress had not disappointed him.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 5]

[Skills: Raging Wind Slash (Perfection), Golden Goose Technique (Ninth Stage: 100%), Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual (First Stage: 97%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 100%)]

Lin Zheyu had previously accumulated 7 units[1] of Origin Force. After using 2 of them, 5 units remained. 2 units of Origin Force were nearly enough to push the first stage to Perfection.

The Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual consisted of three stages in total. Reaching Perfection, he estimated, would not consume much more Origin Force. With the remaining 5 units, even if he couldn’t reach Perfection, he could likely advance to the third stage.

Sensing his condition, Lin Zheyu noticed subtle changes in his body. Beneath his skin, a faint film had formed, like a gauze of blood qi, while his muscles, tendons, and skin had grown noticeably tougher.

He tested his physical strength; the increase wasn’t dramatic, being only roughly seven to eight percent. After testing his strength, he took out a small knife and lightly drew it across the back of his hand. The blade glided over his skin without breaking it. He applied more force, around twenty percent of his strength, before the blade finally cut through the skin.

”Not bad. This skin feels like wearing a layer of leather armor,” he said with satisfaction.

Lin Zheyu was quite pleased with the results of the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual. This was only the effect before reaching Perfection in the first stage. Once he advanced to the third stage, his skin would be comparable to that of the terrifying beast he had once encountered. A full-force strike could be blocked by his skin alone!

1. I’m not sure where the extra 2 units came from, as it was 5 previously, but he probably gained it somewhere in between the days. ☜