Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Nanming Street, the Li Residence.

”Hello. Please help me inform everyone that a friend surnamed Lin has come to visit.” Lin Zheyu arrived at the Li Residence along the way back to the sect and took out Li Mengxi’s token, handing it over.

When he departed from the martial cultivation exchange last time, he had left the medicinal pills with Li Mengxi and entrusted them to auction them off. He could not use so many medicinal pills himself and only kept ten Origin Stabilizing Pills and two hundred Essence and Qi pills as reserves.

”Yes. Please wait a moment,” the servant outside the Li Residence replied respectfully.

Not long after, Li Wensi’s voice came from inside.

”Young Master Lin, you are here. Please come in. Brother Mengxi is not around today. Sister Mengqi and I will be receiving you,” Li Wensi said with a cheerful smile. Seeing Lin Zheyu again, she appeared very happy.

Lin Zheyu nodded and entered the Li Residence. He was fairly familiar with both women. Although Li Mengqi always seemed cold, with the talkative Li Wensi enlivening the atmosphere at the side, the mood was still quite pleasant.

”Has Li Shuqin been targeting you recently?” Lin Zheyu asked.

Life was not easy for Li Mengqi and Li Mengxi in the Li Residence. With no elders backing them and while occupying direct lineage resources, they were pushed aside in many ways.

”Yes. That wicked woman. But it is fine. With Sixth Uncle and the others helping us, Li Shuqin does not dare to act recklessly,” said Li Wensi while nodding, anger appearing on her face.

Because that woman interfered behind the scenes, Li Yanming even defected, nearly damaging Li Mengqi’s state of mind.

”If there is anything you need help with and it is within my ability, you can quietly let me know. Mengxi and Mengqi are thin-skinned and feel embarrassed to speak up. You do not need to worry about that,” Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

”Not at all. Brother Mengxi is not thin-skinned in the slightest. That fellow is extremely thick-skinned and utterly shameless,” Li Wensi retorted.

While chatting casually, the two arrived at the courtyard where Li Mengqi stayed. Upon hearing that Lin Zheyu was coming, Li Mengqi had already instructed the servants to prepare food and wine and was quietly seated in the courtyard waiting for him. Her beautiful features and cold demeanor were bathed in clear moonlight, making her resemble an ethereal fairy untouched by the mortal world.

”Young Master Lin, please have a seat,” Li Mengqi said softly, her clear voice carrying a hint of ethereal lightness.

”It has only been a few days, yet Miss Mengqi has grown even colder and more striking,” Lin Zheyu praised with a smile. ”Visiting late at night, I have been rather presumptuous.”

”Young Master Lin is too polite. Mengxi has recently begun handling family affairs and has not been around these past few days. I will be receiving you tonight, and I hope you do not mind,” Li Mengqi said with a smile.

Since cultivating the Ice true intent, and as its influence grew stronger, she had rarely smiled. Now, when she tried to smile, it appeared quite unnatural. After the two chatted briefly about recent matters, Li Mengqi had someone bring over the silver notes.

”Young Master, this is the silver from the auction. A total of 4.3 million taels of silver was earned, but the family takes a 15% commission. This is the lowest commission I could secure for you using my authority within the family. After deducting the commission, 3.65 million taels remain.” Li Mengqi handed over the silver notes as she explained.

She belonged to the Li Residence, but the Li Residence did not belong to her. The Li Family was vast and powerful, and Li Mengqi was merely one of many direct lineage descendants with some natural talent.

”Many thanks, Miss Mengqi.” Lin Zheyu accepted the silver and expressed his gratitude.

Being able to auction off so much silver already left him very satisfied. If he were an outsider, the commission charge would likely have reached a staggering 20% to 30%. However, not all of that money went into the Li Residence’s pockets. The reason the Li Residence could operate an auction house at all was that it had obtained the qualification only after extensive arrangements. The bulk of the commission was used for such dealings. Lin Zheyu did not stay long at the Li Residence. As night had grown late, after briefly catching up with Li Mengqi, he took his leave.

”Sister Mengqi, what do you think of Young Master Lin? He is so handsome and strong, and now that the Wuji Sect has taken him in as a true disciple, his background has also been made up for. You are so beautiful. If you could be together with him, you would truly be a perfect match,” Li Wensi said with a smile as she looked at Lin Zheyu’s departing figure.

Li Mengqi shook her head and said calmly, ”I have no such intentions. Young Master Lin’s status is no longer what it once was. Even if I were willing, with my natural talent and comprehension, I would still not be worthy of him.”

”Ah. Sister Mengqi, you are not really planning to never marry, are you? Even the third grandaunt in the Li Residence, who cultivates Ice true inten,t is not as cold as you,” said Li Wensi. She felt that Li Mengqi was different from others who cultivated Ice true intent, far too cold, with an icy chill seeping out from the inside to the outside.

”The third grandaunt’s cultivation has succeeded, and she has already shaken off the influence of true intent. I focus primarily on Ice true intent and have devoted myself to it completely, so its influence on me is much greater than on others. But it is not a major problem. Once I advance to the Force Transforming realm, I can gradually try to rid myself of the influence of true intent,” Li Mengqi said softly.

This kind of cultivation brought excellent results and rapid progress, but the risks were also great. With a single misstep, one could lose oneself, have one’s mind and will assimilated by true intent, and undergo a drastic change in temperament.

When Lin Zheyu previously cultivated Tortoise Breath True Intent and Dominance true intent, he had already felt the immense influence that true intent exerted on him, let alone Li Mengqi. Within the War God Sect, many disciples followed the same extreme path as Li Mengqi, devoting themselves entirely to Berserk true intent, each one a battle-crazed combat fanatic.

***

Upon returning to the sect, Lin Zheyu walked in with no issue. The disciples on duty had already seen Lin Zheyu earlier that day. After checking that his identity posed no issues, they let him pass. Carrying nearly 4 million taels worth of silver notes, he was filled with emotion. Not long ago, he had still been worrying over a mere 100,000 taels of silver, yet now he had leaped straight into the ranks of millionaires, and with nearly 4 million taels at that.

All of this was brought about by status. As Lin Zheyu made a name for himself at the martial cultivation exchange, with his aptitude and natural talent, it would not be long before other powerful sect forces took notice of him. The Tang Family and Ni Qiangkun knew they had no way to deal with him and could only think of offering compensation and seeking reconciliation. A martial artist with status and backing and one without were two completely different concepts.

The Pei Family does not seem to have any intention of reconciling. Once my strength grows further and I establish myself within the Wuji Sect, it will be time to properly settle accounts with them, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

Li Mengqi had just told him that the assassination order hanging at the Soulcall Tower had not ended. The Tang Family had paid a great price to reach a reconciliation with him, but the mission at the Soulcall Tower had been issued by the Pei Family and could only be canceled by the Pei Family themselves. Canceling the mission required paying double the cost. After so much time had passed, the mission to assassinate Lin Zheyu was still posted there, which showed that the Pei Family had no intention of reconciling whatsoever.

***

In the morning, at Plain Elegance Residence.

This was a place within the sect used to receive visiting guests. Although Lin Zheyu had become an inner sect disciple, once he became a true disciple, he would have to change his residence again. Therefore, he had not moved out of Plain Elegance Residence and continued to live there. The environment was elegant, quiet, and peaceful, making it very suitable for living.

As dawn had only just begun to break, Lin Zheyu started his day of cultivation. Martial training could not be rushed. Only through diligent cultivation accumulated day after day could one grow into a true powerhouse. Although he possessed the bug-like ability of Origin Force, which allowed him to bypass the accumulation of time and grow rapidly, he would not relax in the slightest because of it. Martial training was both physical cultivation and cultivation of the mind.

During the process of cultivating techniques, his spirit and mind also grew stronger alongside it. Today, after practicing Great Strength Vajra Fist for half an hour, Lin Zheyu stopped and turned to studying Azure Tide Boundless True Technique. This was the primary cultivation technique of the Wuji Sect and Azure Tide Pavilion, far more powerful than any technique he had cultivated before.

No wonder it is a technique cultivated by a top-tier sect. It truly is extraordinary.

Lin Zheyu could not help but sigh as he flipped through the Azure Tide Boundless True Technique manual.

The Azure Tide Boundless True Technique was a primary cultivation technique. It contained no combat techniques at all and was purely a method for tempering the body, refining sinews, bones, and skin, condensing blood qi, and cultivating true strength. It was unlike techniques such as Golden Goose Technique or Violet Thunder Dominance Fist, which were broad, blending cultivation methods with combat techniques.

Truly powerful true techniques were all pure. The Divine Battle True Technique of the War God Sect was also like this. Luo Manghan and Luo Dinglong both came from the War God Sect, and both cultivated Divine Battle True Technique, yet their combat styles and the martial techniques they used differed greatly. This was because these powerful sects separated primary cultivation techniques from martial techniques. The primary cultivation technique was like the trunk of a great tree, growing strong and forming the foundation, while the accompanying martial techniques were like branches and leaves. With the same trunk, different martial artists cultivating different accompanying techniques would grow into different forms.

”This technique is different from any technique I have cultivated before. It can even cultivate a special physique. A physique that can increase one’s blood qi capacity is truly an incredible technique. I sought it before without success, yet I did not expect to obtain it so easily.”

As he came to understand Azure Tide Boundless True Technique more deeply, Lin Zheyu grew ever more shocked by its power. This kind of top-tier true technique focused on forging a powerful foundation, working from multiple aspects such as physique, the number of qualitative transformations of blood qi, and the maximum capacity of blood qi. It allowed a martial artist to lay a solid foundation before advancing to the Marrow Refining realm, so that upon advancing and refining martial cultivation into the marrow, one could undergo a transformation into a powerful physique and an exceptionally solid martial cultivation foundation.

Back at the marketplace, Lin Zheyu had once seen a secret method that could increase the maximum capacity of blood qi, but he had missed the opportunity because he lacked sufficient silver. Later, through a fortuitous coincidence and taking an unconventional path, he used Ninefold Origin Lock Art in conjunction with Origin Force to achieve the effect of increasing his blood qi capacity.

At the beginning, the increase was relatively fast, with each use boosting it by around 10%. Later, as the number of uses grew, the rate slowed down more and more. Now, his maximum blood qi capacity had increased by roughly 23% compared to before.

In theory, Azure Tide Boundless True Technique can allow a martial artist’s maximum blood qi capacity to reach roughly three times their original limit. This technique increases blood qi capacity by using the blood essence of special sea beasts, combined with various rare medicinal ingredients to cleanse the body and alter the physique. At the same time, it is supplemented by the unique blood qi circulation method of Azure Tide Boundless True Technique, allowing one’s blood qi to surpass its limits. If I also use Ninefold Origin Lock Art to increase blood qi capacity at the same time, I wonder to what extent I could raise the maximum blood qi capacity within my body.

His heart was filled with anticipation. The Blood Qi realm was the level at which a martial artist laid their foundation. The stronger the blood qi and the greater its maximum capacity, the more powerful one would be upon advancing to the Force Transformation realm. However, before cultivating Azure Tide Boundless True Technique, he would need to go to the Hall of Vital Longevity to purchase the cultivation resources required for this technique.

This true technique differed from ordinary cultivation techniques and required special beast blood essence and rare medicinal ingredients as support. Without these medicinal aids, the cultivation effect would be greatly reduced, and it would be impossible to cultivate the physique best suited to this technique.