Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

In the depths of the mountains, a campfire crackled. Lin Zheyu was roasting the ferocious beast hunted by Little Black, and the aroma of meat spread through the air.

After consuming the blood-red medicinal pill, his previously exhausted mind had recovered, though it was still far from its peak state.

This medicinal pill must be something used when performing a life-burning technique, meant to lessen the side effects on the body and mind while enhancing the technique’s effect.

The medicinal power within the pill was indeed potent, though not overwhelmingly so. Its most remarkable trait was its incredible absorption speed. Unlike regular herbal decoctions that required several hours to take effect, this pill was absorbed almost instantly. Moreover, its cooling aura had an extraordinary restorative effect on the mind. It was the first time Lin Zheyu had seen a pill with such remarkable mental recovery properties.

”In any lifetime, connections are everything. A blood-red pill like this isn’t even sold at auctions, so ordinary people would never have a chance to touch one. I need to strengthen myself as soon as possible and join a powerful sect,” Lin Zheyu murmured.

There were several ways to raise one’s social standing. The first was to be born into it, which was a matter of fate. The second was through friends, though finding one who would treat you sincerely enough to share techniques or medicinal pills was rare. It was probably easier to charm a wealthy young lady, and Lin Zheyu was rather confident in his looks. The third was to join a powerful force, either as a disciple or by marrying into an esteemed family.

After much thought, Lin Zheyu decided that joining a powerful sect would be the most reliable path. As for the top-tier forces, he had no illusions. Those sects were flooded with applicants and had extremely strict requirements, often only accepting children under thirteen whose minds were still impressionable.

Lin Zheyu was already eighteen years old, far beyond the age limit. His only option was to look for sects that were less strict about age.

”Little Black, from now on, you should roam the deep mountains. Don’t go near human cities again,” Lin Zheyu said suddenly as he ate his roast meat, glancing at Little Black.

Bringing Little Black along had turned out to be a mistake. The creature’s fur was matted with dried blood. It was truly in a pitiful and ragged state.

When Lin Zheyu had brought Little Black all the way from Bafang City to the Central Plains, he had intended for it to roam the forests and help him hunt beasts for silver, relying on its familiarity with the wilds. Now, it was clear that that plan would not work. If Little Black had been an ordinary beast, it might have been okay, but it was actually an Ink Fox, a species renowned among ferocious beasts. The moment it appeared, it drew the attention of countless hunters.

The Central Plains were unlike Bafang City; it was filled with far more powerful martial artists. With strength at the second transformation of blood qi, Little Black could still run wild in the forests outside Bafang City, but here, escaping the pursuit of so many martial artists was nearly impossible. It hadn’t been long before it was almost captured.

Chirp?

Little Black looked at Lin Zheyu doubtfully, not understanding what he meant.

”Eat some roast meat first. Once you’re done, I’ll take you to a remote place where no humans go. You can live freely there,” Lin Zheyu said with a smile, patting Little Black’s head. ”When I become stronger and join a sect, I’ll come back to bring you home.”

Relying on Little Black for hunting was no longer feasible. It could no longer survive in Wuling City. Because of Little Black, the Tang Family had lost a powerful Marrow Refining Realm martial artist, so they would likely issue a kill order soon. The moment Little Black showed itself, it would be hunted down by the Tang Family. For now, he could only send it away to live in the desolate wilds. Once he grew stronger, he would bring it back and keep it safely in the city.

However, Little Black first needed to lose weight and change its appearance, slimming down into a cute Ink Fox. A fat Ink Fox that looked like a pig drew too much attention. As far as Lin Zheyu knew, most Ink Foxes were slender and adorable, with a natural charm. They also possessed exceptional intelligence and could form emotional bonds over time. Such beasts, with immense latent potential and high intellect, could eventually grow into peak Marrow Refining Realm guardians. That was why so many young nobles liked to raise them.

As for Little Black, he had no idea what it had been eating to become so fat.

***

After finishing the roast meat, Lin Zheyu took Little Black and headed deeper into the mountains. He was in no hurry to return to the city. Having just killed a member of the Tang Family, he might have lingering tracking marks on him that were hard to remove. To be safe, he decided to stay in the wilderness for a while and use that time to improve his strength.

He ground the remaining three sets of herbs into powder and brought them along as well. The medicinal essence left in the basin back in the courtyard could still be reused later. He had originally thought he would need some time to rest before using Origin Force again to cultivate, but unexpectedly, the blood-red pill had worked so well that it pulled him back from mental exhaustion.

Although his mind was still weak, resting for one night would be enough for him to resume his cultivation the next day. The medicinal power of those three sets of herbs might even be enough to push him to the seventh transformation of blood qi. He was already close to the sixth transformation, and it would not take much more energy to reach it.

***

A gentle breeze swept through the silent forest, rustling the leaves. The bright moonlight spilled down, and from time to time, low beastly roars echoed through the wilderness. Lin Zheyu wandered through the woods with Little Black at his side. After several hours of walking, they entered the depths of the mountains.

”Little Black, don’t run around. The beasts here seem terrifying,” Lin Zheyu said, catching hold of Little Black before it could dart off.

He activated the Tortoise Breath Grand Method to suppress his aura to the lowest level, then sprinkled medicinal powder on himself to mask his vitality and avoid drawing the attention of any beasts. The density of ferocious creatures in this unknown forest was high—no less than that of Beast Roar Mountain near Songyi City. It was far from Wuling City, so even martial artists needed several hours to travel here, while ordinary people would take a whole day. No martial artist would choose to hunt in such a place.

Even when Lin Zheyu went hunting, he would never pick a place too far from the foothill markets. Otherwise, carrying the carcasses of beasts back and forth would take tremendous effort and simply not be worth it.

Chirp, chirp.

Little Black patted its belly and pointed at its mouth, signaling that it was hungry and wanted to eat. Lin Zheyu shot it an exasperated look and rapped it hard on the head.

”Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you ever think about. The danger here is unknown. No lighting fires at night. Go practice your fists,” Lin Zheyu scolded. Seeing that Little Black did not move, he couldn’t help but kick it away.

Hiss!

Little Black let out a dissatisfied cry.

When it noticed Lin Zheyu glaring at it, fear crept into its heart. Reluctantly, it stood on its hind legs and mimicked the stance of the Barbaric Ox Fist that Lin Zheyu had taught it, beginning its awkward practice.

Lin Zheyu had no idea whether such training would do the creature any good, but something was better than nothing. This lazy glutton did nothing but eat and sleep, so he might as well make it practice some fist techniques, no matter if it was useful or not.

Lin Zheyu sat cross-legged and began circulating the Tortoise Breath Grand Method to recover, though he did not dare to enter deep sleep. Even though he had already scouted the area and found no powerful beasts nearby, being in an unfamiliar forest meant he had to remain alert.

***

Time passed slowly. Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves.

After training for over two hours, Little Black stopped and lay beside Lin Zheyu, soon falling into a deep sleep.