Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 238: Blood Qi Furnace (II)

Late at night.

Roar!

A furious roar suddenly echoed from the depths of the mountains. The sound was so loud it jolted Lin Zheyu awake from his rest.

Hiss!

Little Black also woke with a start, letting out a low, fearful growl. Its fur bristled as it assumed a defensive stance. If Lin Zheyu hadn't been beside it, the creature would likely have bolted straight away.

"What terrifying might."

Lin Zheyu's eyes narrowed slightly.

The roar came from an immense distance, several kilometers away at least, yet even from so far, he could still sense the terrifying will contained within it. If one were any closer, that roar alone could knock out a weak-willed Blood Qi Realm martial artist.

To think such a powerful beast is hiding in these mountains. I wonder what level it has reached.

He knew dangerous beasts dwelled deep within the wilderness, but he had never imagined one this terrifying. Even with the Boiling Blood Secret Art, he doubted he could escape from whatever creature had made that sound.

Whoosh.

A cool breeze brushed past, carrying a faint chill. Lin Zheyu steadied his mind, alert to every sound around him. After that dreadful roar, the mountains grew quiet again. There was no sound of battle, and no further cries from the beast.

A trace of puzzlement lingered in his heart. Though curious about the source of the roar, he had no intention of investigating. Curiosity not only killed the cat, but it also killed men as well. He waited quietly for about twenty minutes, and after confirming there was no danger, resumed his cross-legged meditation, circulating the Tortoise Breath Grand Method to recover.

Morning arrived, and mist shrouded the mountains. A drop of dew slid from a branch and then fell onto Lin Zheyu's forehead. He slowly rose and stretched his limbs. After a night of rest, his spirit had recovered well. Though he had yet to reach his peak, he was ready to use Origin Force to advance the Primordial Origin Technique {Modified}.

"Little Black, go gather some firewood," Lin Zheyu said, patting the still-sleeping creature beside him.

Around them lay two beast corpses from creatures he had killed by chance the previous night.

He paused for a moment, feeling uneasy about eating flesh that had been dead for several hours, then added, "Go catch another beast for food."

The moment Little Black heard the word 'roast,' its sleepy eyes lit up, and in a flash, it dashed away excitedly.

"After the meal, I'll look around to see if there's a cave nearby suitable for living in," Lin Zheyu murmured to himself.

He had no plans to move further ahead. That sudden roar from last night had made him wary.

This area was far from Wuling City and was rarely visited by people. Leaving Little Black here would keep it well hidden in the vast mountains.

He planned to stay in the forest for three or four days, finish using the remaining three sets of herbs, and then return once his strength had improved. He took out a small knife from his pack, the one he had taken from the Tang Family martial artist, and gripped it tightly before striking a nearby tree. The blade sank into the trunk with a dull sound.

"What a dull blade..."

He felt heavy resistance, as though he were hacking with a blunt knife. After fiddling with it for a while, he still could not figure out what was so special about this black-iron dagger that made the Tang Family martial artist keep it so close.

Could this thing have been a keepsake from the woman he loved? Lin Zheyu thought dryly.

He put the black-iron dagger away, then took out a sharp dagger and used the trunk to carve out a wooden basin. Drawing some water from a nearby puddle, he poured the herbal powder into it.

With 1 more unit of Origin Force, I should be able to reach the sixth transformation of blood qi. That'll mark a major leap in strength, Lin Zheyu thought as he sensed the flow of blood qi within him.

He immersed his hands in the water infused with herbs and willed silently, Use 1 unit of Origin Force to advance the Primordial Origin Technique {Modified}.

In an instant, his mind blurred, and he entered the consciousness space. There, he began his endless cultivation, running the Primordial Origin Technique {Modified} over and over. Each cycle drew out his body's latent potential, only to have it quickly recover, and then be pushed again. The process repeated endlessly.

In that endless, monotonous, and agonizing cultivation, the blood qi within Lin Zheyu's body grew increasingly powerful. The already pure blood qi was refined further with each cycle, and the energy contained in every unit of it became more terrifying.

Within the mountain forest, Lin Zheyu's brows furrowed deeply, his expression twisted in pain. The blood qi inside his body circulated at great speed, growing thicker as it became more refined. The viscous flow surged through his veins, producing a faint thunderous rumble from within.

Suddenly, Lin Zheyu's body trembled violently. His skin turned red, and a faint metallic scent of blood emanated from him. Yet in the next moment, that aura was forcibly suppressed. The redness faded quickly, and the energy he exuded slowly withdrew until every trace vanished within his body, leaving not the slightest leak.

"Huff..." Lin Zheyu exhaled a long breath, the air warm as heat waves rolled from his mouth.

"Finally... I've broken through to the sixth transformation of blood qi!"

Despite the bloodshot exhaustion in his eyes, excitement gleamed brightly within them. Just as he had expected, breaking through from the fifth to the sixth transformation had taken about 5 units of Origin Force.

"No wonder the sixth transformation is also called the Furnace Transformation. It's truly extraordinary. The body becomes the cauldron, nutrients the fuel, and the blood qi the fire, turning oneself into a living furnace to temper the physique," Lin Zheyu murmured to himself.

As he circulated his blood qi rapidly, the redness previously suppressed by the Tortoise Breath Grand Method surged across his body once more. His skin flushed crimson, heat radiated from every pore, and a faint scent of blood rose from his body.

Boom.

Faintly, Lin Zheyu seemed to hear the sound of the thickened blood qi surging through his veins, rumbling like thunder. As it circulated faster, the crimson force spread outward, merging into his muscles, tendons, skin, and bones, and nourishing and strengthening his entire body.

This was the sixth blood transformation: Furnace Transformation. The fire was the blood qi, the vessel the flesh, and together they tempered muscles, tendons, bones, and skin. At this stage, a martial artist's physique underwent a tremendous metamorphosis, marking the point where true geniuses began to outstrip ordinary men.

Two hours later.

What astonishing power. So this is the might of blood qi after six qualitative changes.

Lin Zheyu sighed, feeling the faint yet definite strengthening of his body.

After cultivating the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual, his physique had already reached the defensive strength of a Marrow Refining Realm beast. Yet even such a hardened body could feel a noticeable improvement under the nourishment of blood qi that had undergone six qualitative changes. This enhancement was unlike that from the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual, which focused mainly on defense and offered little to strength. Blood qi tempering strengthened the physique in every aspect.

Lin Zheyu couldn't help but look forward to the day when his blood qi underwent nine qualitative transformations, entering the Dragon Transformation. When that time came, his physique, tempered under the nourishment of blood qi that had undergone nine qualitative changes, would surely ascend to a new level of power.

After the sixth qualitative change of blood qi, the energy contained within it has grown immensely stronger. The nurturing effect on the body is far beyond anything before the sixth transformation. If I were to use this blood qi that had undergone six qualitative changes to train the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual again, perhaps my physique's defense could be improved even further. I wonder if there exists a body-refining technique that focuses entirely on tempering the physique using blood qi?

The sixth transformation of blood qi marked a complete divide from everything before it. Prior to the sixth qualitative change, the tempering effect of pure blood qi on the body was far inferior to external stimulation combined with physical training. The Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual, for instance, relied mainly on blunt strikes and martial cultivation exercises, using blood qi only as an aid. But after six qualitative changes, the blood qi energy became incomparably pure, and its refining and nurturing effect on the body immensely powerful.

Lin Zheyu felt that if there truly existed a body-refining technique specifically designed to temper the body using blood qi energy, the results would undoubtedly be remarkable. After all, blood qi refinement strengthened the physique in every aspect, unlike the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual, which mainly improved defense and had little effect on physical strength.

"Forget it, there's no point thinking about that. Even if such techniques exist, they'd never be spread outside, as only great powers would have them in their collections. Besides, such techniques would only be effective for geniuses who have reached the sixth transformation of blood qi or beyond. For those below that level, their effect would be negligible," Lin Zheyu muttered, shaking his head and setting the thought aside.

For now, his main priority was to raise his martial cultivation realm. The higher his realm, the more qualitative transformations of blood qi he could undergo, and the stronger his power would become. Increasing the number of qualitative changes at the Blood Qi Realm remained the fastest path to growth.

"That's strange... Why hasn't Little Black come back yet? Don't tell me it's gotten into trouble again?" Lin Zheyu suddenly realized that quite some time had passed since Little Black went out.

Chirp, chirp.

Fortunately, not long after, Little Black returned, dragging a massive beast in its jaws. The creature was so large that it blocked Little Black's line of sight, forcing it to pull the carcass along the ground all the way back. The dense forest had hindered its path, and it had broken numerous trees while hauling the beast, which explained why it had taken so long.

Lin Zheyu stared at the enormous beast Little Black had hunted, speechless. He was convinced that its round belly had only one cause and that was sheer gluttony.

"Was that really necessary? There are already two beasts over there; it's plenty for you to eat. I told you to hunt a fresh one so I could have some," Lin Zheyu said in exasperation, knocking on Little Black's head. One glance at the mangled carcass was enough to make his appetite vanish completely.