Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Time flowed unnoticed in cultivation.

The atmosphere for training in Yanwu City was excellent. The Martial Alliance, mainly composed of martial artists in the Martial Innate realm and above, fostered a strong culture of exchange, giving Lin Zheyu a faint sense of returning to his student days in a past life.

Outside Yanwu City, Woo Yixuan was still stirring up trouble. No, the conflict had only grown worse. Young martial artists from the three great esteemed families and those from the Martial Alliance frequently clashed within the Martial Realm. Even so, they kept their limits. At most, they inflicted serious injuries, but never damage that would cripple one’s foundation.

After returning to Yanwu City, Lin Zheyu did not leave again and never crossed paths with those from the esteemed families.

In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed. Over that time, aside from periodically pushing his limits to obtain Origin Force, he spent nearly all his time immersed in the vast sea of martial cultivation knowledge within the Martial Alliance’s library. Though he had yet to secure the position of vice hall master and could only exchange for ordinary techniques and manuals, the Martial Alliance’s collection was astonishingly rich.

Lin Zheyu’s time in cultivation had been too short, and the breadth of his knowledge was far too limited. The Martial Alliance’s extensive collection perfectly filled this gap. He absorbed all kinds of martial knowledge with a hunger that bordered on obsession, gradually building a solid foundation of his own.

In the morning, at the largest martial arena in the center of Yanwu City. On most days, it was a place for sparring and exchange among martial artists. Today, however, it was far livelier than usual, packed on all sides with onlookers.

”Fellow Xiao, give it your all!”

”Good luck, Fellow Xiao!”

Zong Linjing and Bai Lin called out with smiles.

”Mhm.” Lin Zheyu nodded with a faint smile.

Today was the day of the vice hall master election, yet Lin Zheyu paid it little mind. His thoughts were still on the formation knowledge he had been studying over the past few days. It was only a vice position, after all. The strongest among the candidates were merely at the peak of the Divine Repository realm, and he did not consider them worth his attention. Zong Linjing and Bai Lin felt the same. Being close to him, they had full confidence in their friend’s strength.

Not far from the Martial Hall’s election grounds, a burly man watched the absent-minded Lin Zheyu and asked his companion, ”That’s the newcomer who joined the Martial Alliance not long ago, right? Xiao Yu, was it? How strong is he?”

He was also one of the candidates for the vice hall master position, Qiu Jun.

The woman to Qiu Jun’s left, her body corded with muscle and built as solidly as any man’s, said with a serious expression, ”Very strong. I heard that when he first arrived in the Martial Realm, he ran into Woo Yixuan of the Woo Family and beat him badly. That incident was the spark that set off the current chaos, escalating tensions between the esteemed families and the Martial Alliance.”

”Even you think he’s strong? Have you fought him before?” Qiu Jun looked at her in surprise, his expression turning more solemn.

The woman was named Bai Siyu, and her strength was on par with his. She was also here to compete for a vice hall master position, though for Azurewood Hall instead.

”This is my first time meeting him today. But I heard Qiu Kun fought Xiao Yu and lost. Qiu Kun admitted it himself,” Bai Siyu said.

”Even Qiu Kun lost to Xiao Yu?” Qiu Jun froze.

Reluctant as he was to admit it, Qiu Kun was indeed significantly stronger than him. If even Qiu Kun had lost, then he likely stood no chance.

”Good luck to you, then. I told you to run for vice hall master of Azurewood Hall with me, but you just wouldn’t listen.” Bai Siyu let out a light laugh, teasing her friend.

Lin Zheyu sat quietly outside the martial arena, waiting for the selection to begin. He could feel many eyes on him, yet he paid them no mind, remaining immersed in the Dao of formations. Before long, more than an hour had passed.

A middle-aged woman in a flowing purple gown gracefully moved across the sky from a distance. While her beauty was subtle rather than stunning, her presence was commanding, exuding a soft warmth. There was a hint of maternal kindness in her, reminiscent of a caring mother. The person overseeing this event was none other than Nie Zhiyu, whom Lin Zheyu had met once prior.

”Fellow Niu Yanchuan is occupied and unable to attend, so I will be presiding over this Martial Hall vice hall master selection. There are four participants: Xiao Yu, Qiu Jun, Tian Yue, and Fan Qing. The format will be head-to-head matches. The winners will then compete for the single vice hall master position.”

Nie Zhiyu did not waste words. After sweeping her gaze across the crowd, she directly announced the rules. She then looked over Lin Zheyu and the others with a smile before her gaze settled briefly on him.

Nie Zhiyu paused slightly before announcing the matchups. ”Alright, let the matches begin. Xiao Yu versus Tian Yue. Qiu Jun versus Fan Qing.”

With a light step, she rose into the air, leaving the arena to the two pairs of competitors. Hearing his name, Lin Zheyu leaped onto the stage. His gaze remained distant, his mind still tangled in a formation-related problem.

Tian Yue cupped his fists and greeted him with a smile. ”I am Tian Yue. Greetings, Fellow Xiao. I’ve only recently returned to Yanwu City, yet I’ve already heard of your reputation. You’ve been making quite a name for yourself lately.”

Lin Zheyu returned to his senses and cupped his fists in reply. ”Greetings, Fellow Tian. After you.”

”Alright!” Tian Yue was equally straightforward. He nodded, and a powerful aura erupted from his body. A surging martial intent swept outward as the immense power within his divine repository burst forth, accompanied by a dense, blood-soaked aura.

”So strong!”

”Tian Yue has grown even stronger. He’s probably already touched the threshold of the Shackles realm, right?”

”Yeah. When he goes all out, you can faintly sense the aura of the Heavenly Dao shackles.”

”Who do you think will win?”

”Tian Yue, probably. He’s already touched the Shackles realm threshold. Xiao Yu may have a strong reputation, but there’s no sign of Heavenly Dao shackles on him yet. He’s still far from that level.”

”I’m betting on Fellow Xiao. Heh, I’ve heard that he...”

Outside the arena, the watching martial artists chatted with keen interest, eagerly anticipating the clash. One was the well-established Tian Yue, the other a rising newcomer to the Martial Alliance. Who would come out on top was truly something to look forward to.

”What the—!”

”So fast!”

”That’s it?”

”What just happened?”

Suddenly, a wave of commotion erupted across the arena, shocked voices ringing out one after another.

Just moments ago, Lin Zheyu and Tian Yue exchanged greetings, and Tian Yue’s aura reached its peak. Then, it suddenly ended, like a show that barely finished its opening theme before abruptly stopping before the story could start.

Before anyone could react, the newcomer to the Martial Alliance, Xiao Yu, stepped forward and abruptly appeared beside Tian Yue. In the next instant, his arm swelled as if colliding with an unseen force, and a fist the size of a sandbag slammed into Tian Yue’s chest. A deafening boom rang out. The rising battle intent around Tian Yue shattered instantly, and the intense pain contorted his face.

Tian Yue was sent flying, crashing hard into the arena’s energy barrier, his expression twisted in pain. He could feel that at least three of his ribs had snapped. The surging blood qi he had pushed to its peak was violently interrupted by that sudden punch, now rampaging chaotically through his body and leaving him in great discomfort.

Lin Zheyu cupped his fists toward Tian Yue, who lay on the ground, and said calmly, ”My thanks!”

Before anyone could fully process what had happened, he lightly tapped the ground and returned to his original spot, slipping back into his absent-minded state.

The watching martial artists instantly erupted into an uproar.

Even Bai Lin couldn’t help but swallow. He turned to look at Lin Zheyu, his gaze filled with mixed emotions.

Fellow Xiao seems even stronger now. Is this how fast a genius grows?

Zong Linjing also looked toward Lin Zheyu, a faint gleam flickering in her eyes.

Among martial artists, strength was always admired, and they were honest in their hearts. Lin Zheyu had helped her once before, leaving Zong Linjing with a favorable impression. Combined with their recent interactions, she had come to think highly of him. His insights into martial cultivation were often unexpectedly profound. Now, seeing him unleash such overwhelming strength and end the fight in an instant, her heart couldn’t help but pound fiercely.

Fellow Xiao’s mastery of space is astonishing, Zong Linjing thought in amazement.

To step forward and instantly appear before Tian Yue, then defeat him with a single unexpected punch, was no simple feat. At that moment, Zong Linjing wanted to speak with Lin Zheyu. Unfortunately, seeing him lost in thought, clearly preoccupied with something else, she could only give up.

Hovering in the air with her arms crossed, Nie Zhiyu also showed a trace of surprise in her eyes at how cleanly Lin Zheyu had ended the battle. As a Shackles realm martial artist with a unique innate talent, she had exceptionally sharp perception.

Was that a totem just now? No, it wasn’t just a totem. There seemed to be traces of demonic patterns as well. Hm, quite an unexpected little fellow. I wonder which faction trained him.

A faint smile curved Nie Zhiyu’s lips. After studying Lin Zheyu thoughtfully for a few moments, she withdrew her gaze and turned to the other battlefield.