Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

"That kid has been inside for almost a month, hasn't he? And he still hasn't come out! Don't tell me he died in there?"

At the secret realm's exit, Woo Shuo hid in the shadows, watching the direction of the waterfall. He curled his lip, growing somewhat impatient. It was simply too boring. They were lying in ambush, and they had to constantly watch for any movement behind the waterfall. They could not afford to split their attention and do anything else.

Woo Yiyan frowned slightly, also sensing that something was wrong. "Something is indeed off. Why don't I find someone else to come and test it, to see whether they can enter this secret realm?"

It had simply been too long. According to the Woo Family's wealth of experience, even someone with the strongest aptitude would already be considered heaven-defying if they could last ten or more days.

There had never been anyone like Xiao Yu, who had stayed inside for nearly a month. Generally, anyone who exceeded twenty days was considered to have died inside. However, Woo Yiyan did not believe that with Xiao Yu's aptitude and natural talent, he would die in the Shamanic Clan's inheritance trial.

Woo Shuo stood up and said, "Forget it. You've already gone out once. If you go out and come back in again, you won't have another chance in the future. Be careful. I'll go out and test it."

He did not want to keep waiting any longer. This aimless waiting was unbearably dull.

"Don't worry. He's only a martial artist who has just advanced to the Shackles realm not long ago. Even without an ambush, I can kill him easily." Woo Yiyan spoke expressionlessly, his words filled with confidence in his own strength.

"Fine, fine. I know you're amazing. But that kid has been in the inheritance trial for so long. Who knows how much of the inheritance he has obtained? This place is his home ground. I know he isn't your match, but they say his attainment in space-time is very strong. With the home-field advantage, be careful he doesn't slip away," said Woo Shuo, waving his hand. With that, his figure shifted slightly and vanished into ripples in the void.

In the great hall, Lin Zheyu held the bone talisman in his hand. Under its effect, his consciousness seemed to gain a god's-eye view, taking in every action of the two men.

"They really are cautious enough. But while you're afraid I'll run, I'm also worried that you'll escape." Lin Zheyu chuckled softly, a hint of coldness rising in his eyes.

The expert who was with Woo Yiyan was very powerful. He had already broken free of seven shackles and reached the peak of the Shackles realm, comparable to the peak of the Golden Core realm. Moreover, this man was extremely cautious. While setting up a trap and waiting for Lin Zheyu to walk right into it, he had also prepared a means of retreat for them, just in case. He was absolutely steady!

"I'll let you live a few more days. We'll talk after I break through to the Shackles realm," Lin Zheyu said calmly.

He glanced at Qiong Yun's body, which had fallen back into slumber, and did not plan to use Origin Force here. With an expert of Qiong Yun's level by his side, Lin Zheyu was worried that if he used Origin Force in the great hall, Qiong Yun might notice something strange. The human heart was something that rarely withstood temptation.

Although Lin Zheyu had taken Qiong Yun as his master, he did not understand Qiong Yun's character very well, and he was no match for Qiong Yun either. If he exposed the existence of Origin Force and Qiong Yun noticed something, stirring greed in his heart, that would be troublesome.

"With my current strength, I should be able to break free of the weakest shackle..." Lin Zheyu murmured softly.

The Shamanic Clan's path of cultivation, in the truest sense, was essentially the same as martial cultivation. It was also a path of evolving oneself and transforming one's life. However, shamanic cultivators possessed the blessings of twelve unimaginably powerful Ancestral Shamans, and they absorbed chaos origin qi to condense their natal shamanic pattern.

With the help of the natal shamanic pattern, they cultivated and improved step by step, advancing toward the Ancestral Shamans and gradually transforming their own lives to the life stage of chaos gods and demons.

Thus, the path of a shamanic cultivator was likewise one of transformation and ascension of life. The difference was that they were not burdened by the Heavenly Dao's shackles. Martial cultivation, however, was different. It was an unprecedented path. There was no blessing from a Martial Ancestor, nor any natal martial divine pattern to guide the way. Everything depended on oneself.

Relying solely on one's own strength, one repeatedly surpassed personal limits, broke free from the Heavenly Dao's shackles, transformed and elevated one's life, and advanced toward an unknown stage.

The cultivation system of the Ancestral Shamans also gave Lin Zheyu an entirely new idea. Perhaps one day, when he became as powerful as the Twelve Ancestral Shamans, he could follow their example and bestow the blessings of a Martial Ancestor. That said, he was still unimaginably far from such a realm.

"Let's begin!" Lin Zheyu cast aside his distracting thoughts and calmed his mind.

During the process of condensing his natal shamanic pattern, his body had been tempered by Earth Power and chaos origin energy, breaking past the limits imposed by the Heavenly Dao's shackles and undergoing astonishing improvement.

Lin Zheyu's body shuddered violently as seven massive, golden Life Shackle chains materialized with a resounding clang. His body swelled rapidly as crackling sounds echoed from within, his frame growing taller by the second. In the blink of an eye, he had reached a height of over four meters. This was the result of pure physical strength, not an enlarged form forced through the manifestation of a Golden Body.

As Lin Zheyu's body expanded to over four meters tall, the Heavenly Dao shackles binding his flesh tightened to their absolute limit. He adjusted his breathing as his blood qi roared like thunder through his body.

Lin Zheyu suddenly stretched his body to its fullest. His blood qi, physical strength, and the newly condensed shamanic pattern drew upon the torrents of Earth Power surging up from beneath his feet. In that instant, every source of his power erupted. All of it slammed into the very first shackle he had ever condensed. Instantly, the seven shackles resonated with one another, unleashing an even more overwhelming force of restraint.

The radiant golden shackles resembled chains forged from the most indestructible divine metal in existence, each radiating an indescribable power of origin.

They bound his body firmly in place. Amplified by the resonance of all seven shackles, their terrifying restraining force instantly suppressed every energy fluctuation within Lin Zheyu. Whether it was his blood qi, physical strength, or Earth Power, everything was forced into stillness in an instant. His blood qi surged backward through his meridians, and his body staggered, nearly losing its footing.

A brilliant golden light flashed across Lin Zheyu's eyes as he thought, Still not enough!

Golden energy surged out from his flesh and merged into the divine patterns covering his body, condensing into a suit of radiant golden scales that enveloped him from head to toe. At the same time, the golden Heavenly Eye deep within his sea of consciousness snapped open.

Lin Zheyu steadied the energy within his body and calmed his mind once more. He pushed the golden Heavenly Eye to its absolute limit again, causing it to blaze with dazzling golden radiance as it rapidly consumed the little golden energy remaining within his sea of consciousness. The Heavenly Eye resembled the merciless eye of the Heavenly Dao itself as it repeatedly examined the Heavenly Dao shackle embedded in his heart.

Lin Zheyu's mind worked at incredible speed. Using the Heavenly Eye's ability to see through falsehoods and perceive the underlying essence, he searched for the shackle's weakest point. Having received the Blessing of the Ancestral Shaman, been tempered by its energy, and successfully condensed his natal shamanic pattern, Lin Zheyu had already embarked on the path toward becoming a chaos god or demon.

The very essence of his life had begun to transform. It was not only the golden energy within his body that had changed. The golden Heavenly Eye, whose power was rooted in his physique, had also undergone astonishing improvement.

"Found it!" Lin Zheyu's eyes flew open as a brilliant flash of golden light vanished in an instant.

Lin Zheyu suddenly stepped forward with his right foot and spread his arms wide. Torrents of Earth Power surged up through the soles of his feet and poured into his body. His boiling blood qi raced through his body, rumbling like deafening thunder. Earth Power, physical strength, and blood qi merged into a single, overwhelming force. Under his control, it crashed toward the shackle embedded in his heart. It was the very first shackle ever to form within his body.

"Break!" Lin Zheyu shouted in a low voice as his essence, qi, and spirit reached their peak in an instant.

The immense force that had been twisted into one split into more than thirty streams of energy, each one striking at a weak point in the shackle.

A tremendous explosion erupted from within Lin Zheyu's body as the incomparably tough golden shackle shattered apart. The mysterious energy released by the broken shackle transformed into countless streaks of golden light that scattered in every direction before merging into his flesh, tendons, and bones. The mysterious energy was extraordinarily wondrous, as though it were supplying something his body had always lacked. It complemented the very essence of his life, filling countless imperfections.

As the mysterious energy merged into him, Lin Zheyu experienced a rapid increase in power. His heartbeat thudded loudly, resembling distant thunder. With each beat, a boundless vitality surged from within, filling him with energy. Light radiated from every part of his body, making him look like a fiery sun radiating brilliance that lit up the entire hall.

A Vitality Shackle? Lin Zheyu thought to himself as he sensed the explosive growth of the life force within him.

The shackles a martial artist faced varied according to their cultivation technique, physique, experience, and strength of soul and will. After breaking certain shackles, a martial artist would gain astonishing vitality, to the point where regenerating a severed limb was effortless.

Such shackles were known as Vitality Shackles. Breaking others caused a martial artist's physical strength to grow at an incredible rate, as though they possessed divine might capable of overwhelming every technique through sheer force alone.

Others, once broken, could even trigger mutations within a martial artist's body, granting control over powerful forces such as lightning or flames. The changes brought about by breaking shackles were varied and countless. The shackle Lin Zheyu had broken this time was most likely a Vitality Shackle. Although his overall strength had risen dramatically, the greatest increase was in his already extraordinary vitality.

With a thought, the golden scales covering Lin Zheyu's body vanished instantly. His towering figure rapidly shrank back to the height of an ordinary human. He flicked his right hand, and a long saber radiating razor-sharp intent appeared in his grasp.