Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing

A burst of purple ghostly light exploded outward, and a mountain shook violently as a massive crater was blasted into its surface. A green-robed elder formed a hand seal with his right hand, and a streak of silver-white light cut through the void, appearing before an immortal-looking elder standing some distance away.

A clear metallic ring echoed through the air as the silver-white light transformed into a shield and positioned itself before Fan Hongwei.

"Old man, are you getting on in years? Starting to suffer the Five Decays of Heaven and Man already?" Turning around, Ling Feng said with exasperation, "Are you seriously losing focus at a critical moment like this?"

They were in the middle of a secret realm trial, yet Fan Hongwei had suddenly spaced out for a brief instant.

"Something came up, but it's nothing serious." Fan Hongwei waved his right hand. The silver-white shield before him rapidly shrank, turning into a streak of silver light that flew back into Ling Feng's hand.

"What happened? Let's hear it." Ling Feng curled his lip, curiosity immediately surfacing.

Fan Hongwei said calmly, "The puppet I left outside has been destroyed. It was the one assigned to monitor the martial artist named Xiao Yu. It seems something unexpected has occurred within the demon cave."

As he retreated, his hands continuously formed seals while he activated a secret technique to deduce the circumstances of the puppet's destruction. Fan Hongwei had long since placed certain preparations on the puppet. Although it had failed to transmit any information before its demise, he could still use the technique to reconstruct fragments of what had happened. The method, however, could only provide a vague picture. Before long, an intrigued expression appeared on his face. "Interesting. That puppet's death was actually connected to that little fellow."

Ling Feng raised a brow. "Oh? That Divine Repository realm martial artist? A mere Divine Repository realm fighter was actually able to deal with the Golden Core realm puppet you left behind?"

Fan Hongwei's artifact-refining skills were exceptionally refined. Although that puppet possessed only early Golden Core realm strength, it could still hold its own against some weaker mid-stage Golden Core realm cultivators without falling behind.

Fan Hongwei smiled faintly. "The exact details are unclear. I can't calculate them. The interference within the demon cave is too severe. What I can tell is that the puppet died extremely quickly—so quickly that it didn't even have time to send a message back to me. He's only a martial artist, but once I've settled matters here, I think I'll pay him a personal visit and meet this interesting little fellow for myself."

"Then I'll come with you. The more I hear, the more curious I become." Ling Feng grinned. The youngster who had repeatedly caused trouble for his old friend had thoroughly piqued his interest.

Fan Hongwei nodded and said, "Very well. Let's finish off these monsters first, then go see how Kong Diqiu's side is progressing."

***

In the Martial Realm, Yanwu City, the city's teleportation formation shimmered with streams of light flowing across it. A tall, broad-shouldered man in white stepped out. His aura was so subdued that he appeared like an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated. Despite this, his elegant and calm demeanor revealed quiet confidence. This man was Lin Zheyu, freshly returned from the demon cave.

"Please present your..." The martial artist on duty, a member of the Martial Hall, suddenly froze. "V-Vice Hall Master Xiao! Y-You've returned?"

The leading guard stared at Lin Zheyu as though he had seen a ghost.

"What's wrong? Is my return really that surprising?" Lin Zheyu asked, puzzled.

For cultivators, disappearing for years to adventure or cultivate in seclusion was perfectly normal. He had been gone for less than half a year. Why was everyone acting as though he had died?

"Well..." the man said awkwardly. "A few months ago, Woo Yixuan started spreading word that you'd entered the demon realm through the space-time node inside the demon cave. He said you'd been in there for months without returning."

He hesitated before continuing, "He also said you'd probably died in there..."

Lin Zheyu was speechless. He had only been away for half a year, yet rumors of his death had already spread. The Martial Alliance was a relatively loose organization and did not require members to leave behind soul lamps or soul flames. Participation was entirely voluntary, and he had chosen not to leave one. Even if he died somewhere outside, no one would know. Since he had vanished for so long and had indeed used the teleportation formation to enter the demon cave, many people had readily believed the rumors.

After returning to Yanwu City, Lin Zheyu sent messages to several fellow cultivators he was on good terms with, including Qiu Kun, Bai Lin, and Zong Linjing. None of them was currently in the city, each occupied with matters of their own. Having spent nearly half a year enduring the harsh environments of the demon cave and the demon realm, he found himself missing the delicacies of the Profound Light Tower.

He had originally planned to gather Bai Lin and the others for a meal at the Profound Light Tower, but since none of them were around, he went by himself and enjoyed a lavish feast.

Afterward, he made his way to the Martial Hall. Having joined the organization long ago without taking on any truly significant assignments, he felt it was no longer appropriate to keep putting them off.

A rough, booming voice rang out from ahead as soon as he arrived at the Martial Hall. "Oh? Fellow Xiao! Hahaha! I knew you'd be fine. That brat, Woo Yixuan, was just spreading rumors!"

The speaker was a burly man with a bare upper body, bronze-colored skin, and muscles knotted like coiled dragons. His name was Gao Zihang, and like Lin Zheyu, he served as a vice hall master of the Martial Hall.

"Fellow Gao, congratulations. It's been a long time. The aura of the Shackles realm around you has grown much stronger," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

"Haha, it's still far too early. I've only just touched the threshold of the Shackles realm. I'm still a long way from actually breaking free of the shackles." Gao Zihang laughed. Though his words were modest, the pride on his face was impossible to miss.

"I've also recently begun to touch the threshold of the Shackles realm. Fellow Gao, we should exchange insights when we have time," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

Almost every martial artist who joined the Martial Alliance was someone deeply devoted to the martial path and determined to forge a road that had never existed before. They were, for the most part, pure seekers of the Dao. Lin Zheyu found them far more pleasant to associate with than most cultivators.

Gao Zihang's eyes immediately lit up. "Fellow Xiao, you're preparing to advance to the Shackles realm as well?"

Xiao Yu was widely recognized as the foremost martial artist below the Shackles realm. After the previous vice hall master election, virtually no one disputed the title anymore. Within the entire Martial Alliance, he was acknowledged as the number one martial artist beneath the Shackles realm. For Gao Zihang, living in the same era as such a prodigy and exchanging insights with him was a tremendous opportunity.

Lin Zheyu smiled helplessly and replied, "I've only just touched the threshold of the Shackles realm. Actually breaking the shackles is still a long way off."

The situation within his body was far from ordinary. Not only had all seven shackles manifested, but they had also undergone a strange transformation. Each had become thicker and stronger, turning into brilliant golden chains. Whenever he attempted to break any one of them, all seven resonated together, dramatically increasing the difficulty.

"You're being too modest. With your talent, you'll surely advance to the Shackles realm before long and join the Martial Alliance's council of elders." Gao Zihang laughed heartily.

The Shackles realm was the final established realm of traditional martial cultivation. Beyond it, every step had to be researched and explored by the martial artists themselves. The paths they developed were rarely the same, with each person ultimately forging a martial road uniquely their own. In other words, there were no universally recognized martial cultivation realms beyond the Shackles realm.

Within the Martial Alliance, any martial artist who advanced to the Shackles realm was qualified to join the council of elders. To Lin Zheyu, it was much like the research institutes of his previous life.

"Then I'll gladly accept your good wishes," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile.

The two chatted as they entered the Martial Hall together. Having been away for nearly half a year, Lin Zheyu needed to familiarize himself with recent developments and determine whether any important matters required attention. He also wanted to see if there were suitable assignments he could complete to fulfill his responsibilities as vice hall master while earning some contribution points. Advancing to the Divine Repository realm and cultivating the Primordial Golden Body to the peak of the third stage had consumed most of his accumulated knowledge and insights.

The further one progressed along the path of cultivation, the more difficult every step became. Remaining stuck at a major bottleneck for decades or even centuries was entirely normal. Lin Zheyu's current knowledge base was no longer sufficient to support his continued exploration of his martial path or his future breakthrough into the Shackles realm.

After spending some time in the Martial Hall and learning about its recent affairs, Lin Zheyu took his leave and wandered around the Martial Alliance. Along the way, he met with several fellow cultivators with whom he had exchanged pointers in the past. Most of them were martial fanatics.

Lin Zheyu greatly enjoyed discussing cutting-edge theories and speculative ideas about martial cultivation with these martial fanatics. They often possessed unique perspectives and unconventional insights into the martial path. While some of their ideas could be overly obsessive or narrowly focused, they frequently sparked a wealth of inspiration for him.