Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Within the consciousness space, no matter how severely his body was injured, it could recover swiftly. As long as he had enough medicine, a single unit of Origin Force could achieve several years’ worth of cultivation results, and it could do so without any side effects.

I wonder how fast the absorption of medicinal energy would be in the consciousness space, Lin Zheyu pondered.

He had never tried absorbing medicinal energy before entering the consciousness space, instead using it as an auxiliary aid during cultivation there. The medicinal energy served as fuel for strengthening the body after an Origin Force enhancement.

The Toxicology Codex recorded a method called the Poison King Body, which was similar to the Savage Bear Yao Art, though it lacked the physical training aspect.

Lin Zheyu had once considered testing the Poison King Body by infusing Origin Force while bringing medicinal power into the consciousness space to aid his cultivation. Unfortunately, he had never gathered enough herbs to attempt it. If his estimates were correct, a single unit of Origin Force used to advance the Poison King Body would require five to ten years’ worth of herbs in real-world quantities. It was an absurd expense.

He wasn’t extravagant enough to spend that kind of silver on improving a technique that offered little to his overall strength. When the cost of such herbs became negligible to him someday, he would consider testing it.

”Come on, Little Black. Let’s go.”

Donning his heavy armor, Lin Zheyu called for Little Black and leapt out the window. Even with five hundred kilograms of weight, he landed soundlessly. Man and beast moved at incredible speed, vanishing into the forest within moments. Outside the inn, Lai Mao waited for a long time, and just as he had expected, Lin Zheyu eventually left and entered the deep mountains.

”Every few days, he goes into the mountains, and when he returns, he’s always weakened. Should I take a chance?” Lai Mao muttered under his breath.

He would never have dared entertain such thoughts before, but now things were different. His life was in the other man’s hands, and unless he acted, Lin Zheyu would most likely kill him sooner or later. Putting himself in the other’s shoes, he knew he would have done the same. He should eliminate all loose ends to prevent future trouble.

”No... he might be lying in wait somewhere, expecting me to follow,” Lai Mao murmured. He was cautious to the point of paranoia.

He habitually put himself in others’ positions, imagining how he would react if their roles were reversed. After a moment of hesitation, he decided not to follow. Lai Mao planned to wait until Lin Zheyu returned and observe his condition first. Since he was poisoned, killing Lin Zheyu was out of the question; he needed to capture him alive and force out the antidote.

At the forest’s edge, silver moonlight spilled through the gaps between leaves. A dark figure dropped from a tree, followed closely by a bulky beast.

”How dull. I thought he might actually follow,” Lin Zheyu murmured. With a light tap of his foot, he vanished into the depths of the forest.

Deep in the dense mountain forest, a bonfire flickered. The scent of roasted meat filled the air. Lin Zheyu sat cross-legged before the flames, his face slightly pale as he drank deeply from his water pouch filled with medicinal broth.

”Whew... I’ll head back tomorrow at noon. After all of the effort it took to earn a unit of Origin Force, I can’t waste it because of that fool,” Lin Zheyu muttered to himself.

Lai Mao clearly harbored ill intent, and Lin Zheyu wasn’t in great condition right now. If he returned immediately, the man might strike. By tomorrow noon, though, his blood qi would have recovered by forty or fifty percent. It would be more than enough to deal with Lai Mao.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 40]

[Skills: Raging Wind Slash (Perfection), Boiling Blood Secret Art (Perfection), Golden Goose Technique (Tenth Stage: 100%), Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual (Third Stage: 100%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 100%)]

In several months, I’ve only managed to accumulate 40 units of Origin Force. At this pace, even if I trained without rest for an entire year, I’d barely reach 130 units. As my strength grows, the Origin Force required to enhance it will only increase. I need to raise my martial cultivation realm as soon as possible, Lin Zheyu thought silently.

The acquisition of Origin Force was tied to the strength of one’s essence, qi, and spirit. Only by advancing his martial cultivation realm, and thereby elevating his essence, qi, and spirit, could the amount of Origin Force gained from breaking limits increase accordingly.

At dawn, mist blanketed the forest. After a night’s rest, Lin Zheyu’s blood qi had recovered by about 20%. Little Black, having feasted on roasted meat all night, was now comfortably leaning against him, eyes half-closed in sleep. After months of travel, it had developed the habit of staying up through the night, eating, and catching up on sleep during the day.

Stretching lazily, Lin Zheyu rose and took another water pouch from his pack, drinking the medicinal broth within. The Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction was potent, especially since it contained the condensed power of three full sets of herbs. But to someone with a physique comparable to a Marrow Refining Realm beast, its strength was negligible.

After finishing the broth, Lin Zheyu did not rush back but instead sat cross-legged to continue recovering. By the time he returned to the inn, it was nearly noon. Liang Yuhan and her daughter were nowhere to be seen, so they must have gone out. Instead, he spotted Lai Mao eating on the first floor of the inn.

”How’s the transcription of the technique going?” Lin Zheyu asked casually as he sat across from him.

Lai Mao kept his face expressionless, though his heart sank slightly.

I can’t read his strength anymore. He doesn’t look weak like before. Could it be he was pretending all along? Or did he wait until he fully recovered before returning? Lai Mao’s thoughts churned rapidly.

Keeping his composure, he shook his head and said, ”I can’t transcribe that fast. It’ll take at least five days to copy the entire technique.”

”When your companion fought me, he used a few intriguing techniques. You must know them as well, right?” Lin Zheyu said in a calm tone.

He was particularly interested in the secret art Lai Chang had used during their desperate battle. Perhaps, by studying it, he could find inspiration for a way to halt the Boiling Blood Secret Art’s side effects.

”I do,” Lai Mao replied in a low voice.

Since escape was impossible, all he could do was cooperate as best as he could. He needed to stall for time while hoping Lin Zheyu might show mercy and eventually spare his life.

”Good. Write it well. As long as your copied techniques satisfy me, I promise to give you the antidote and won’t pursue your friend’s matter any further,” Lin Zheyu said, standing up and smiling as he patted Lai Mao on the shoulder.

”Phew...” After Lin Zheyu left, Lai Mao let out a long breath of relief.

Whenever he faced Lin Zheyu, an immense pressure weighed upon him. Yesterday, upon returning to the inn, he had met with the manager and seen Lai Chang’s corpse. From the wounds left behind, it was clear that Lai Chang had died from a single punch. His chest was crushed through, and he was killed instantly.

Other than the broken wrist and the fatal wound to the chest, there were hardly any signs of struggle on Lai Chang’s body. That meant the opponent had killed him in an almost one-sided fashion. Even their nemesis back in Bafang City hadn’t been capable of such a clean, decisive kill.

”A Marrow Refining Realm expert, huh...” Lai Mao murmured quietly, and all thoughts of resistance vanished from his heart.

Against their Marrow Refining Realm foe in Bafang City, they had been powerless and could only flee, so what hope could there be against someone even stronger like Lin Zheyu? Before seeing him earlier, Lai Mao still held onto a faint glimmer of hope. If Lin Zheyu had appeared weak, he might have found a chance to fight back. But he hadn’t. Lai Mao’s last trace of hope crumbled completely.

Come to think of it, I’ve never offended him or shown hostility. This was all Lai Chang’s doing. As long as I cooperate, maybe he’ll spare me, Lai Mao muttered inwardly.

It was all he could tell himself. After a few hurried bites of food, Lai Mao went upstairs. Returning to his room, he took out a brush and paper, beginning to transcribe the martial techniques he had learned. In truth, there were only four techniques he had mastered to proficiency. After all, a martial artist’s energy was limited; one couldn’t learn everything, only what best suited oneself.

In addition to those four, Lai Mao knew nine other techniques he had only dabbled in. He only studied those techniques for reference, but never trained deeply in them. At first, he hadn’t planned to copy everything and only wanted to buy time and wait for an opening. But now, seeing that Lin Zheyu’s strength was far beyond anything he had imagined, he knew resistance was futile. A flicker of regret arose in his heart as he wondered why he hadn’t memorized more techniques back then.

What if these few techniques don’t satisfy him? Should I go to the black market and buy a few more?

As he continued transcribing, Lai Mao’s thoughts drifted restlessly...