Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 224: Auction (II)

After sharing a gloomy drink with Wang Jing, Lin Zheyu even took him to a pleasure house until late at night, letting him vent all his frustration. When he returned to his courtyard on Nanming Street, the night was already deep. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Creak.

He pushed open the door and entered the fifty-square-meter courtyard. Inside, he put on his newly forged heavy armor. The set was significantly heavier than before, weighing around eight hundred kilograms, but its weight was distributed more evenly. It had cost him 2800 taels of silver to commission.

Fortunately, he had taken a good sum of silver from Lai Mao and Lai Chang earlier. After purchasing the armor and other necessities, he still had about 10000 taels of silver left. It was enough to last him for some time.

Once the armor was secured, Lin Zheyu began his training. His fists struck out with a roar of wind, and the gathered force around his body surged with incredible fist momentum.

***

It had rained earlier that afternoon, and puddles still lingered in the courtyard. Under the clear moonlight, the water shimmered with a silver glow.

Time passed slowly. After more than two hours, Lin Zheyu finally stopped, collapsing onto the ground and breathing heavily.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 63]

[Skills: Boiling Blood Secret Art (Perfection), Forbidden Reversal Method (Perfection), Spirit-Wondrous Movement Technique (Fifth Stage: 100%), Golden Goose Technique (Tenth Stage: 100%)]

He looked at the data within his consciousness. He had accumulated 63 units of Origin Force. The Spirit-Wondrous Movement Technique had reached Perfection within just over a month of training. Lin Zheyu had already begun attempting to merge it with the Golden Goose Technique, though progress was slow. Without using Origin Force, he estimated that it might take several years to fully combine the two techniques.

Lin Zheyu did not rush to use his Origin Force for fusion. For now, it was best to save it until he found the right cultivation technique to directly break through to the Dragon Transformation of blood qi.

63 units of Origin Force... once I obtain a proper cultivation technique, I might be able to advance straight into the Dragon Transformation, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

What troubled him now was whether he should continue searching the black market for a technique that could help him advance up to the Dragon Transformation. If he could find one and break through to the Marrow Refining Realm before joining a sect, things would be far easier.

Cultivation beyond the Marrow Refining Realm involved mastering momentum and intent, which could not be improved through Origin Force. To progress, he would have to temper himself through experience and comprehension, forming his own unique martial conviction.

That process could take years, even decades. Joining a sect after reaching the Marrow Refining Realm would make things much easier, and he would no longer have to hide his rapid progress or worry about being unable to obtain higher-realm techniques without revealing his secret.

There's no need to rush. The Blazing Yang Sect isn't my best option, and other sects haven't begun their recruitment yet. Compared to them, the Ox Demon Sect of Wu'an City would suit me better. In terms of power, it's no weaker than the Blazing Yang Sect. And in history, it descends from the Heavenly Sage Sect, making it even older. The only question is, how many of the Heavenly Sage Sect's manuals remain within the Ox Demon Sect?

He had originally planned to join one of the top-tier sects. But after asking around, he learned that those elite sects never lacked talented disciples. They only accepted candidates under the age of thirteen, with extremely strict background checks. Lin Zheyu had long exceeded that age limit. Even if he could join, he would still hesitate, as those great sects all had Martial Innate Realm experts overseeing them.

His Tortoise Breath Grand Method had reached Perfection and could theoretically conceal him even from experts of the Grandmaster Realm. But since he had never tested it, he had little confidence that it would truly work against someone of the Grandmaster Realm, let alone a Martial Innate Realm martial artist. The Martial Innate Realm stood at the pinnacle of martial cultivation; for someone like him to hide from such figures using that technique was nothing but wishful thinking.

If he were to join a sect guarded by a Martial Innate Realm martial artist, he would no longer dare to recklessly use his Origin Force for advancement. Should his secret of being able to rapidly strengthen himself in a short time ever be exposed, even the most exalted experts would be tempted.

***

Time slipped by again, and another seven days passed. Two days ago, Lin Zheyu had visited Wuling City's black market once more, searching carefully, but still found nothing. There were plenty of Blood Qi Realm techniques available, but none that would be useful beyond the fourth transformation. Marrow Refining Realm techniques did exist, yet their prices were outrageously high.

A single Marrow Refining Realm manual cost more than 2000 taels of silver; it was something Lin Zheyu could not bring himself to spend. His remaining silver was limited, so he had to be frugal. Whether it was buying techniques, medicine, or joining a sect, there were countless expenses ahead.

Little Black has been roaming the mountains for nearly two months by now; it should be familiar with that area. It's time to start hunting to earn some silver.

Over the past month, he had visited Little Black outside the city several times, worried something might happen to it. But the little creature was thriving; it was safe, well-fed, and noticeably rounder than before.

Knock, knock, knock.

A sudden knocking sounded from the courtyard gate.

"Brother Lin, are you there?" came a familiar voice, rough yet hearty. It was Wang Jing.

During his time in Wuling City, Lin Zheyu had met a few martial artists like himself who had come from other regions to seek a master. Most of them were only casual acquaintances, but he had grown relatively close to Wang Jing.

"What brings you here?" Lin Zheyu asked with a smile as he opened the door. "Come in and sit."

Usually, they met at Martial Honor Restaurant, and Wang Jing rarely came to visit in person.

"Heh, guess what news I've picked up?" Wang Jing said mysteriously as he sat down in the courtyard.

"Don't keep me in suspense, tell me already! Did some sect loosen its disciple recruitment rules?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

"No, of course not. That's impossible. Recruiting disciples is a serious matter; it concerns the very inheritance of a sect. They'd never relax their standards." Wang Jing rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Without dragging it out, he continued, "Three days from now, the Li Family will be holding an auction. A lot of valuable items will be up for sale. I heard there'll even be a few powerful cultivation techniques. Are you interested?"

"Of course I am!" Lin Zheyu said excitedly.

He had searched the black market for so long, but still couldn't find a technique that could help someone reach the Dragon Transformation. Clearly, such techniques were restricted from circulation. Talented independent martial artists couldn't rely on the black market to grow stronger; they had to join a powerful sect. Otherwise, they could only cultivate ordinary Blood Qi Realm techniques, breaking through to the Marrow Refining Realm at the fourth transformation at best. And even with great talent, one who reached that realm so early would have little potential for further advancement.

"How do we get in? Do we need some kind of qualification?" Lin Zheyu asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

He knew that many auctions required special access, and one couldn't just walk in. After staying in Wuling City for so long, he hadn't even heard of where such auctions were held. Clearly, he lacked the connections and information channels to hear about such things.

"You need an invitation to enter, but don't worry. If I didn't have a way in, I wouldn't be here. My third uncle has some connections with the Li Family, and they gave him several invitation cards. I got two of them from him," Wang Jing said with a grin. He took out two invitation letters from his chest and waved them proudly.

In truth, he had more than two invitations, and he had already given several to other promising martial artists. Coming from an esteemed northern family, Wang Jing knew well how to build goodwill and connections. If even one or two of those gifted martial artists joined major sects and rose to prominence, they could become valuable allies in the future.

"Thank you," Lin Zheyu said sincerely, putting the invitation away. Then he smiled and asked, "Since your family has connections in Wuling City, why not pull some strings and try to get into the sect you want?"

"Not enough influence. The sects we can pull strings with aren't worth joining, and I don't have the means to reach the ones I actually want," Wang Jing replied gloomily.