Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 317: True Disciple (I)

After changing into the Azure Tide Pavilion inner sect disciple attire, he shaved off his full beard and tied up his hair in a topknot. Lin Zheyu looked at himself in the bronze mirror and felt very satisfied with his current appearance. He smiled slightly, his features handsome and his bearing fully revealed. There was elegance mixed with a hint of carefree ease, calmness tinged with bold and commanding spirit. If this were his previous life, he would undoubtedly be a professional historical drama heartthrob, the kind who could captivate countless young women the moment he appeared.

Lin Zheyu's looks could not be considered exceptionally handsome, only slightly above average. Appearance was merely one factor affecting aesthetic appeal, and the weight of temperament on perception was no less than that of looks. Having cultivated the Tortoise Breath true intent and the Dominance true intent, and having experienced many events, Lin Zheyu's temperament had already undergone earthshaking changes compared to before.

"Alright, this will do."

Lin Zheyu stood up and stopped Yu Qing, who wanted to continue tidying his clothes. After leaving Plain Elegance Residence, with every step he took, the fluctuations of blood qi within his body diminished slightly. The Ninefold Origin Lock Art quietly circulated, and under the guidance of the technique, life energy and blood qi energy rapidly subsided, becoming firmly locked within the acupoints across his body.

Although he was very confident in the concealment effect of combining the Tortoise Breath True Technique with the Evernight Slumber Secret Art, this time, he was formally entering Huang Baizhong's tutelage to become a true disciple of the Azure Tide Pavilion. Without physical contact, he could still deceive Huang Baizhong. However, if the other party wished to assess his strength or test his aptitude, there was a possibility of exposure.

Lin Zheyu did not want to take this risk. One had to know that cultivating golden blood qi and refining it to the point where it accounted for roughly one tenth of the total blood qi in his body was utterly shocking. If this were exposed, it could invite countless troubles.

After entering the Wuji Sect and reading a large number of texts related to martial cultivation, Lin Zheyu finally understood how difficult it was to cultivate to the Dragon Transformation while still in the Blood Qi realm. It was not as he had imagined, something that could be achieved simply by piling up enough resources and relying on powerful medicinal pills. Once blood qi reached a certain limit, the effectiveness of ordinary condensing methods dropped to an extremely terrifying degree, and even with medicinal pill assistance, efficiency remained very low. If one persevered in cultivation, it might indeed be possible to break through to the Dragon Transformation.

However, the time required could be thirty years, forty years, or even fifty years, long past the optimal period for advancing to the Marrow Refining realm. During the cultivation process, even when using many herbs to assist training, martial artists would inevitably accumulate hidden injuries. Over time, these hidden injuries became exceedingly severe.

If one failed to advance to the Marrow Refining realm before the age of forty, to temper martial cultivation into the marrow and cleanse the sinews and bones, allowing the physique to shed its old shell and be reborn with new vitality, then the best opportunity would be lost. Forty years old was a boundary established through countless years of experience, the lower limit for advancing to the Marrow Refining realm. After forty, even if one advanced to the Marrow Refining realm, although strength would still increase, it would no longer be possible to greatly extend one's lifespan.

The vitality contained within the body would also be far lower, and recovery speed, latent potential, and other aspects would all be affected. Because of this limitation, martial artists could not recklessly waste too much time on other techniques, nor could they cultivate endlessly within the Blood Qi realm. If Lin Zheyu's golden blood qi were exposed, many people would likely want to capture him for dissection and study, to see how he had cultivated it.

***

The assembly was held at Azure Water Plaza. The once-monthly gathering was extremely lively, and Lin Zheyu saw many unfamiliar faces. Some of these faces belonged to those who had gone out on missions, while others were stationed in different regions and only returned to the sect for the monthly assembly.

"Young Master Lin, over here." Huang Youwei waved at Lin Zheyu with a smile. Standing beside him were several young men, all descendants of sect deacons, elders, and the like.

"You have been getting quite close to this guy recently. You are not planning to have him stand up for you, are you?" one of Huang Youwei's companions said, casting him a sideways glance.

"This person's strength is indeed quite good, but he cannot possibly be a match for Heng Qiming. Being noticed by Elder Yang and exceptionally accepted as a sect disciple means his natural talent should be very good, but turning talent into strength takes time. By the time he grows up, Heng Qiming will probably have already advanced to the Force Transformation realm," said another companion, shaking his head and analyzing.

"Heh, you all do not know a damn thing," Huang Youwei said dismissively, curling his lips in disdain.

Their moment of shock would come soon enough. As a newly initiated inner sect disciple, Lin Zheyu was attending the sect assembly for the first time and did not know where his seat was. Fortunately, an attendant helped guide him to the front rows of the inner sect disciple area, where he sat beside Bo Yi and Gu Qing.

Bo Yi had met Lin Zheyu once yesterday at the Waterfall Deep Pool, while Gu Qing was someone Lin Zheyu was seeing for the first time. He was a man with firm features who, seated in his place, did not even glance sideways at Lin Zheyu's arrival, his gaze fixed on the distance as though pondering something. Lin Zheyu passed by Bo Yi and sat down in the seat beside him.

"You are quite good," Bo Yi said calmly without turning his head.

"Thank you," Lin Zheyu replied politely.

"Work hard and give it your all. You still have three years. I hope that at the true disciple assessment three years from now, you will bring me some surprises," Bo Yi continued.

He was a proud man. When faced with a newly arrived and powerful opponent, he felt no fear at all and was instead filled with fighting spirit. Pressure was what gave rise to motivation. Among this generation of disciples, only Gu Qing could be considered a rival, which made Bo Yi feel somewhat bored. Gu Qing was a taciturn type whose eyes held nothing but martial cultivation, with nothing else beyond it. Competing with someone so pure to the point of being a little dull left Bo Yi uninterested. Now that another opponent with great natural talent had appeared, a new fighting spirit ignited within him.

"Then you may be disappointed. I will not be participating in the true disciple assessment three years from now," Lin Zheyu said calmly with a smile.

"Hm. So lacking in ambition. If you do not even dare to contend, then I will be very disappointed. The true disciple assessment is held once every ten years. If you do not participate three years from now, you will face even more opponents thirteen years later. If you wish to take part in the next true disciple assessment, you cannot advance to the Force Transformation realm. Only Marrow Refining realm disciples are qualified to compete for true disciple positions. In more than ten years, how old would you be... uh..." Bo Yi stopped himself mid-sentence and swallowed his words.

He had originally wanted to say that wasting so much time lingering in the Marrow Refining realm was not worth it. After advancing to the Marrow Refining realm, although one was rejuvenated with new vitality, it could not be squandered freely. The more vigorous the life force and the stronger the vitality, the faster one would break through the Force Transformation realm. If one wasted too much time in the Marrow Refining realm, then upon reaching the Force Transformation realm, missing the optimal cultivation period would result in very slow progress.

Just as Bo Yi was about to bring this up, he saw Lin Zheyu's smooth and fair face, full of youthful vitality like that of a twenty-year-old. He immediately found himself unable to continue. Good heavens, he was young to an almost unfair degree. Back when Bo Yi had just advanced to the Marrow Refining realm and rejuvenated his body through cleansing sinews and bones, he still had not looked as young as Lin Zheyu did now.

"I do not need to participate in the true disciple assessment," Lin Zheyu said softly.

"What?" Hearing this, Bo Yi was filled with confusion.

What did he mean by not needing to participate? 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Just as he was about to ask further, the assembly began. With Huang Baizhong's appearance, the entire venue instantly fell silent.

"At this assembly, there are several major matters to announce. First is the matter concerning the Yao Heavenly Palace. The influence of the Yao Heavenly Palace is far greater than imagined, intertwined like a massive spider web and spread throughout the territory of Great Wei. These yao martial artists are colluding with heretical sects and secretly plotting matters unknown to others.

"Under the leadership of the Great Wei authorities, an alliance to eradicate the yao has been formed by many sects and esteemed families. Relevant missions will be released in the near future, and you are encouraged to participate actively. In addition to the rewards provided by the authorities, for every yao martial artist killed, the Wuji Sect will grant additional contribution points based on the strength of that yao martial artist..." Huang Baizhong said slowly.

It was precisely because of this matter that he had been delayed, only rushing back in time for this assembly. The Great Wei authorities had begun to take yao martial artists seriously. It was rumored that the rapid fall of the Southern Barbarian Region was inseparable from the large number of yao martial artists hidden within the cities. Otherwise, even with the assistance of the ancient yao clans, it would have been impossible to seize the entire Southern Barbarian Region so silently and with such overwhelming force.

Aside from matters concerning yao martial artists, there were also announcements regarding changes in sect positions. After inner sect disciples advanced to the Force Transformation realm or exceeded the age limit, they would shed their disciple status and receive no further support. They would need to take up positions within the sect and burn themselves like fuel to contribute to the sect's prosperity. There were also notifications of major events beyond sect affairs, such as the Buddhist sect formally establishing itself in Wuling City and renewed harassment from the northern barbarians, requiring manpower support.

Lin Zheyu sat below and listened quietly. A single ordinary assembly allowed him to access much information he had previously been unable to reach. As his standing rose and his circle changed, many things that had once been difficult to obtain and required great cost to learn were now within easy reach.

"All right. Next, I will announce the final matter. Over these past few days, you have surely all seen the newly arrived sect disciple," Huang Baizhong said calmly, looking in Lin Zheyu's direction.

Hearing this, the sect disciples all turned their gazes toward Lin Zheyu.

"This is Lin Zheyu. I was delayed by matters concerning the Yao Heavenly Palace and was unable to return to take him as a disciple. From this day forward, he is the new true disciple of the Azure Tide Pavilion."

Huang Baizhong's voice was like a bomb exploding in the hearts of the uninformed disciples.

They stared at Lin Zheyu in shock, their hearts filled with disbelief. To become a true disciple, the moment he entered the sect, skipping the inner sect disciple stage entirely was quite incredible. Everyone was wondering how astonishing his natural talent and comprehension were. Bo Yi, seated beside Lin Zheyu, widened his eyes and stared dumbfounded at Lin Zheyu's back. He finally understood what Lin Zheyu had meant by those words just now.

Several of Huang Youwei's companions were equally stunned and could not help asking him, "You knew it all along, didn't you?"

"Of course. I knew it on the very first day he arrived at the Wuji Sect," said Huang Youwei proudly.

Back then, upon learning that he had inexplicably gained a junior grand uncle, his mood could not have been worse. However, after suspecting that Zhao Hao was merely an alias used by Lin Zheyu and having someone test Lin Zheyu's strength, he changed his attitude.

Lin Zheyu slowly walked onto the stage and respectfully saluted Huang Baizhong. The matters for taking a master had already been prepared. The process was very simple. In the presence of everyone, he paid respects to the founding patriarch, signed the disciple register, swore an oath, offered tea, and listened to Huang Baizhong's instructions. The ceremony concluded. There was no traditional kneeling ritual.

Martial artists possessed pride in their hearts and an unyielding spirit in their bones. They did not kneel to heaven, did not kneel to earth, and did not worship gods, seeking only strength within themselves. When young, disciples would still kneel upon entering a master's tutelage. But for a powerhouse like Lin Zheyu, who had already achieved mastery and cultivated true intent, this process no longer existed.