Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

After leaving the Shamanic Clan secret realm, Tu Mingzhen asked curiously, "Uncle Ming, do you think Fellow Xiao will be able to obtain the Shamanic Clan's inheritance?"

"In ancient times, when the world's spiritual qi was abundant, finding even a single cultivator capable of receiving the Shamanic Clan's inheritance was extraordinarily difficult, let alone now. Over the years, Great Wei has produced countless astonishing martial artists, yet I've never heard of anyone successfully passing the first trial.

"Xiao Yu's natural talent may be exceptional, but he'll most likely stop at the first trial as well. Like all those other remarkable martial artists, obtaining a fragmentary inheritance is probably the most he can hope for," Tu Yangming said calmly.

As an esteemed cultivation family, the Tu Family had certainly tried to obtain the Shamanic Clan's inheritance before, but every attempt had ended in failure. In the end, it proved that even though something had gone wrong with this world, the Immortal Dao remained the path best suited for humanity.

"Martial cultivation... is simply too difficult. With Fellow Xiao's talent and aptitude, if he had switched to the Immortal Dao after advancing to the Martial Innate realm, he probably would have reached the Nascent Soul realm long ago." Tu Mingzhen shook her head regretfully, deeply lamenting Lin Zheyu's choice.

Still, she knew there was no point trying to persuade him. Among the Martial Alliance, those ordinary people without ancient martial bloodlines who chose to devote themselves completely to martial cultivation had all but made it the very meaning of their lives. Convincing them to abandon martial cultivation and switch to the Immortal Dao was virtually impossible.

Cultivating both the Immortal and Martial Daos, however, was something quite a few martial artists attempted. But cultivation was already an act of defying the heavens that demanded an immense expenditure of essence, qi, and spirit. Dividing one's attention between two Daos only scattered one's efforts and usually led to accomplishing neither.

"It's useless. All one can say is that it's a pity. He possesses unwavering determination and extraordinary comprehension, yet lacks first-rate talent for immortal cultivation. Martial artists are burdened by an innate flaw. Forcing open the Bridge of Heaven and Earth plants enormous hidden dangers for all future cultivation. Cultivation is already an act of defying the heavens. Forcing the opening of the Bridge of Heaven and Earth and continuing the path of cultivation with an incomplete body can never truly lead to the Dao.

"Even if he were to switch to the Immortal Dao, reaching the early Nascent Soul realm would almost certainly be his limit. He'd be better off dedicating himself to martial cultivation instead. At least then, there's still a decent chance he could one day become like the Martial Alliance's alliance leader and wield strength comparable to the Deity Transformation realm," Tu Yangming said evenly.

He was widely traveled and exceptionally knowledgeable. Although he had never practiced martial cultivation himself, he had studied martial cultivation techniques in pursuit of greater strength and understood the path extremely well. Some of its hidden truths were things that even Lin Zheyu himself did not fully understand.

"Yes, that's true. The Martial Alliance's alliance leader is truly an extraordinary figure. It's a shame he lacks the aptitude for immortal cultivation," Tu Mingzhen said with a nod.

The two rode away on their disc-shaped dharma artifact, transforming into a streak of light that disappeared beyond the horizon.

***

Heavy breaths echoed throughout the grand hall. As Lin Zheyu advanced, the oppressive pressure bearing down on him grew increasingly terrifying, and each footstep landed with greater weight. After taking a hundred steps, the pressure inside the hall suddenly surged.

Boom!

Lin Zheyu stepped forward with his right foot, stomping heavily onto the ground with a dull boom. In that instant, it felt as though millions of tons of weight had been added to his body. His upright posture was instantly crushed beneath the overwhelming pressure, forcing his back to bend and his body to hunch over.

"Huff... It's been a long time since I felt something like this... How nostalgic... Interesting... Very interesting..." Lin Zheyu murmured softly.

The corners of his lips curled upward into a faint smile. Though he bore an unimaginably terrifying pressure, he seemed completely unfazed, his eyes still filled with unwavering confidence and composure. Time and again, he had pushed beyond his limits. Time and again, he had used Origin Force to strengthen himself. With each breakthrough, both his spirit and spiritual soul had been tempered again and again.

Lin Zheyu's spirit had long since been forged to an inconceivable level of resilience. It was as if his body no longer belonged to him. No matter how intense the pain or how overwhelming the pressure, it could no longer bring him even the slightest suffering.

The aura within his body roared into motion, and every bone in his body crackled loudly. A fierce glint flashed through Lin Zheyu's eyes, yet the faint smile never left his lips. His immense blood qi erupted, and he slowly straightened his back until he once again stood tall with his head held high.

Lin Zheyu continued forward, each step growing heavier than the last. At this moment, the only things he could rely on were his blood qi and the raw strength of his physical body. Neither the true origin he had cultivated nor the golden energy within him could be used.

Another hundred steps later, the pressure became even more terrifying. The increase was far beyond anything it had been a hundred steps earlier. Even with Lin Zheyu's extraordinarily powerful physique, he felt tremendous strain, his waist nearly forced to bend once more.

"Hm?"

After taking another dozen or so steps, a look of surprise appeared on Lin Zheyu's face. A cool stream of aura suddenly flowed into his body. It felt as though he had downed an ice-cold bottle of cola beneath the blazing summer sun, filling him with indescribable refreshment.

Golden blood qi surged through his veins along with his blood, carrying that cool aura throughout every part of his body.

Lin Zheyu exclaimed in surprise, "My body... seems to have grown stronger!"

Under the influence of that mysterious cool aura, his physique, which had long since reached its limit, actually improved ever so slightly. It was completely beyond Lin Zheyu's expectations. Inside his body, seven massive golden Heavenly Dao shackles were embedded deep into his flesh, firmly binding his physique. No matter how hard he cultivated, any improvement to his physical strength came at an agonizingly slow pace.

No, even a snail would have been faster. Left with no other choice, Lin Zheyu had taken a different path by cultivating divine patterns and strengthening himself through refining the Golden Body. Yet now, in less than five breaths, he could already feel his physique improving, however slightly.

"I came to the right place! The opportunity to break free of these shackles may really lie within the Shamanic Clan's inheritance!" Lin Zheyu said excitedly.

He raised his head and looked toward the statue of the powerful Shamanic cultivator deep within the hall. As Lin Zheyu drew nearer, the statue's imposing presence became increasingly overwhelming. Its lifelike eyes seemed to awaken, their gaze as sharp as lightning as they fell upon him. Although he could not use his golden Heavenly Eye, his physical senses were astonishingly acute. He could clearly tell that the cool aura had originated from within the statue, and the closer he approached, the stronger it became.

"Phew..."

Lin Zheyu steadied his breathing and slowly straightened his slightly hunched back. As he sensed the cool aura flowing through his body, he found that its only effect was to temper his physique and strengthen his flesh. It carried no other side effects. Only then did he finally relax, though he still remained somewhat vigilant.

It was a pity he could not use his golden Heavenly Eye. Otherwise, he could have examined the aura more closely and put his mind completely at ease. Even so, he was not overly concerned. As long as it did not affect his sea of consciousness or his soul, any problems with his physical body could easily be resolved using Origin Force.

Lin Zheyu continued onward. As he approached the statue, the pressure bearing down on him rose at an astonishing rate. Even with his current physique, it was becoming difficult to endure. He had no choice but to slow his pace and shorten each step. Yet from beginning to end, his back remained perfectly straight. No matter how terrifying the pressure became, he refused to bow before it.