Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

Squelch, squelch.

Blood sprayed outward as Xing Zhicheng’s body collapsed with a heavy thud, his severed head tumbling free. It rolled across the floor until it came to rest beside the woman’s remains. From the moment Lin Zheyu crashed through the roof to the instant Xing Zhicheng was slain, only a few seconds had passed.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The guards outside finally reacted, raising their crossbows and firing a storm of bolts at Lin Zheyu. Lin Zheyu didn’t linger; with a light tap of his toes, he soared onto the courtyard wall before vanishing into the night.

Whistle!

Two flares shot into the sky; they were an urgent signal for reinforcements. Lin Zheyu glanced back with a cold smile before darting into a nearby alley, disappearing from sight.

The Xing residence erupted into chaos. Xing Zhicheng being slain in his own home was nothing short of a public humiliation for the Xing Family. Shortly after the distress signal was fired, a cold-faced man emerged slowly from the darkness.

”Sixth elder!” The guards of Xing Zhicheng’s residence bowed respectfully simultaneously.

The person was none other than the sixth elder of the Xing Family. He was a gaunt old man with a thin goatee, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s and his bony fingers curved like talons. Without a glance at the surrounding guards, the elder strode into the hall and crouched beside the bodies to examine them.

”All killed with a single strike. To kill Zhicheng in just a few seconds... his strength must be at least at the second transformation of the Blood Qi Realm.”

The elder’s eyes were icy cold. He examined the bodies closely but found no trace of any cultivation technique. The attacker had killed Xing Zhicheng and his concubine through sheer speed and power, leaving behind no sign of any technique.

Was it someone from the Feihong Gang or the Nine Stars Gang?

The elder frowned, his expression grim. They had only just sent men to ambush the two gangs’ retreating convoys from Songyi City, yet the retaliation had come this swiftly. The Xing Family had long been on guard against reprisals from the Feihong and Nine Stars Gangs, but they had not expected the enemy to be so powerful, nor so fast. In just a few seconds, Xing Zhicheng was slain, and the assailant vanished without a trace.

The elder rose and stepped into the courtyard, gazing in the direction Lin Zheyu had fled. The third elder had already gone in pursuit. With his speed, he should be able to catch up.

***

In the dead of night, two figures streaked through the darkness and were moving at blinding speed. Using his perfected Golden Goose Technique, Lin Zheyu easily left his pursuer far behind.

He’s still keeping up. Not bad at all! He must also be skilled in leg techniques, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

He shifted direction, dashing toward the desolate outskirts of Songyi City. At his pace, losing the man behind him would be effortless. He merely wanted to lure his pursuer somewhere deserted and kill him there. Only when the Xing Family bled and lost their strongmen would they stop targeting him.

Hm? Why are there so many following me now?

Suddenly, Lin Zheyu frowned slightly. Through his senses, he detected several powerful auras approaching, tailing them from afar. He couldn’t tell whether they were from the Xing Family or from the Feihong and Nine Stars Gangs.

What a pity.

Lin Zheyu glanced back at the elder pursuing him and sighed softly. There were too many following now, so it would be difficult to act. He feared that if he struck too soon, he might end up like the mantis catching the cicada, only to be caught by the oriole behind.

The blood qi within Lin Zheyu’s body erupted violently, and his speed surged in an instant. Under the moonlight, his figure streaked past like a shadow, widening the distance between himself and the elder behind him. Within a few seconds, he had vanished completely.

What astonishing speed! What level of strength does this man possess? thought the elder who had been pursuing Lin Zheyu. He broke into a cold sweat upon witnessing that sudden burst of speed. He glanced at the several figures approaching from afar and secretly exhaled in relief. If not for their presence, which had made the man wary, someone with such speed and strength could have easily killed him.

The elder frowned deeply and thought, When did such a powerful expert appear in Songyi City?

He couldn’t gauge the man’s cultivation. To possess such speed, he must either be stronger than him or a master of leg techniques. According to the Xing Family’s intelligence, there were fewer than ten people in Songyi City who met either condition. He compared the man’s build with those on his mental list and frowned even harder. The attacker’s physique didn’t match any of them.

”Why, isn’t this the third elder of the Xing Family? Out enjoying the night scenery, are you?” said an elder with a chuckle as he stepped out of the shadows.

Having heard the Xing Family’s distress signal moments ago, he had climbed to a high vantage point to observe the situation, only to see two figures streak past, prompting him to give chase.

”Hmph, and what of it if I am?” the third elder snorted coldly.

He swept his gaze around and found many had gathered. They were cultivators from the Xu, Chen, and Zhao families, all experts above the Blood Qi Realm. The elder tapped his toes lightly and, without further delay, melted into the darkness, vanishing from sight. If he lingered, he risked being besieged and killed by the others. These days, most esteemed families suspected that the City Lord was no longer in Songyi City, so their courage had grown. Clashes between them within the city were no longer unthinkable.

”Old Zhao, was it one of your people who struck first?” asked the elder with a faint smile, turning toward a figure not far away.

”With that kind of speed, surely it was Xu Yingshuo’s doing, wasn’t it?” replied the man, his expression one of surprise.

”Heh. You play innocent well. I didn’t expect the Zhao Family to be hiding someone so skilled in lightness techniques. You’ve kept that secret tightly wrapped!” The elder chuckled lightly as he spoke.

”I should be the one saying that to you. The Xu Family hides its talents even deeper,” replied the man coolly.

Their gazes met, and both revealed knowing, faintly amused smiles. Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, the onlookers turned and began to leave one after another. They had their own estates to guard, lest someone take advantage and strike while they were gone.

With a dark expression, the third elder returned to Xing Zhicheng’s residence.

”Well?” the sixth elder asked. ”Did you catch him?”

”He got away. He has a way of concealing his true strength. I couldn’t see through him, but he’s definitely stronger than I am. His speed was terrifying. If he hadn’t deliberately lured me toward the outskirts, I never could’ve kept up,” replied the third elder grimly, his expression sour. He had nearly fallen for the man’s trap.

”Do you know who did it?” asked the sixth elder.

”No idea. There aren’t more than ten people in Songyi City with that kind of speed, but neither his build nor his techniques matched anyone we know.” The third elder then continued in a low voice, ”It’s very likely one of the other families hired an expert from outside.”

***

After circling around Songyi City and confirming no one was following, Lin Zheyu finally returned to his small courtyard. The two corpses that had been in his courtyard were already taken care of and were buried deep in the desolate hills.

”It’s too bad I still can’t find the fifth elder’s whereabouts. Who knows where that old fox has gone,” muttered Lin Zheyu.

He had already dealt with Xing Penghai and his father, but there was still the fifth elder in the Xing Family who bore him a grudge. Once the fifth elder was eliminated, and a few more of the Xing Family’s elites with him, they would have neither the manpower nor the will to bother him again.

After changing out of his nightwear and washing with cool water, he went into the hidden chamber behind the kitchen and lay down for a restful sleep. Ever since the situation had grown tense, he had stopped fully activating the Tortoise Breath Grand Method before sleeping, choosing lighter rest for safety’s sake.

In the morning, the sky was still dim and misty. As always, Lin Zheyu rose early to practice his martial arts. His condition was much improved today. After four days of rest, his essence, qi, and spirit had all returned to their peak.

Once his warm-up was complete, Lin Zheyu began a new round of training to push his body beyond its limits. He had already twice surpassed his limits and gained 1 unit of Origin Force each time. This time, upon breaking through again, he would be able to obtain 2 units. With those units of Origin Force, he would finally be able to ascend to the Tiger Transformation stage of Blood Qi.

Thud, thud, thud!

The muffled sound of strikes echoed through the courtyard, but the neighbors had long grown used to it. They lived far enough away that the noise was faint. Besides, in this age, early rising was common, and no one thought of it as a disturbance. More importantly, Lin Zheyu was a member of the Feihong Gang and a peak Bone Forging Realm expert. Even if he did cause a disturbance, no one would dare complain.

Vast blood qi power surged within his body, so every move and every punch erupted with terrifying force. After reaching the second transformation of blood qi, the energy within his body had become immense. It now took nearly twenty minutes of unrestrained exertion just to deplete his blood qi reserves.

I need to find a martial art that can consume vast amounts of blood qi and unleash power far beyond my limits, he thought.

If he learned such a technique, it would not only serve as a hidden trump card but would also allow him to rapidly burn through his blood qi during limit-breaking training. Otherwise, as his strength continued to grow, even exhausting his blood qi would take a considerable amount of time.