Chapter 32: Breathing Through The Ears

A gentle breeze swept by, and the trees rustled softly. The night air was a little chilly.

Lin Zheyu brought out qi-tonifying and blood-nourishing herbs from the house to boil into medicine. In recent days, he had saved nearly two hundred taels of silver, and his Origin Force had accumulated to seven units. Unfortunately, he did not dare to advance his strength recklessly.

Liang Song was planning to leave, though Lin Zheyu did not know where. In the days before his departure, Lin Zheyu went to him daily for guidance and combat training. If he advanced recklessly, it would be far too apparent to his master. When that happened, there would be no way to explain it.

Fortunately, with the Tortoise Breath Grand Method in hand, he could possibly circumvent any problems. Although his master advised against it, he planned to cultivate it first. That way, he could safely improve his other martial arts without worrying about others noticing a sudden, inexplicable surge in his strength. While the medicinal decoction was simmering, he took out the paper containing the Tortoise Breath Grand Method and began to study it.

Though cattle have ears, they breathe through their nose; though tortoises have noses, they breathe through their ears. Thus, when speaking of a tortoise's breath, it must be described through the ears. The method of guiding a tortoise's breath is to listen to the breath... In sleep, qi leaves through the ears. This is called a tortoise's breath, and why it enjoys a long life.

Looking at the profound manual, combined with Liang Song's earlier explanations, Lin Zheyu began to grasp its meaning. The Tortoise Breath Grand Method was a form of bionic martial arts, imitating the tortoise's long-lived breathing technique, control of essence and qi, and circulation of blood qi. The main purpose of this technique was longevity, while concealing aura and masking strength were only secondary effects.

What a marvelous martial art. The expert who created this technique was truly extraordinary!

Lin Zheyu sighed in admiration.

He remembered that in his previous life, Daoism also had such a technique, though he did not know how effective it was. Unfortunately, Lin Zheyu had never practiced such things in his past life. Otherwise, he could have tested whether martial arts from his previous world would work in this one.

Following the technique's instructions, he sat cross-legged. He kept his upper body straight and fully relaxed as his hands formed the ziwu seal[1], resting together before his lower abdomen. He vibrated his nasal cavity and breathed as required by the Tortoise Breath Grand Method. His chest and abdomen rose and fell, his breath becoming long and steady.

After more than two hours, Lin Zheyu gradually entered a meditative state. His heartbeat slowed, and even his body temperature dropped by several degrees. Another thirty minutes later, he opened his eyes, unable to maintain the state any longer.

The Tortoise Breath Grand Method required extremely high control over the body. Only then could one manipulate their flow of blood qi and control their heartbeat, thereby slowing metabolism.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 7]

[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Competence 4%), Golden Goose Technique (First Stage, 39%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Dormancy 2%)]

"After practicing so long, I've only made this little progress. Even reaching the first stage is extremely difficult," muttered Lin Zheyu to himself.

He wanted to sit cross-legged again to continue cultivating the Tortoise Breath Grand Method, but his heart and lungs felt unbearable discomfort. This was a sign that his internal organs were not strong enough to endure the strain of the method.

After several hours of decoction, the courtyard was filled with the rich fragrance of herbs. Lin Zheyu took a deep breath and felt that his spirit was somewhat restored. This time, he had used fifteen sets of qi-tonifying and blood-nourishing herbs, split into five cauldrons for simultaneous brewing.

I'll have to ask Master Liang if he has stronger prescriptions. As my strength increases, the amount of herbs I require grows greater and greater. I can't possibly keep brewing a hundred sets of herbs at once in the future,

thought Lin Zheyu to himself.

He poured out the finished decoction, let it cool, and drank it down. He sat cross-legged, assumed the posture of the Tortoise Breath Grand Method, and willed his thought forth.

Use 2 units of Origin Force to improve the Tortoise Breath Grand Method.

The Tortoise Breath Grand Method mainly trained control over the muscles, skin, internal organs, and blood qi. It offered little direct physical enhancement or power increase. Thus, Lin Zheyu felt that the energy required to remodel the body would not be much.

Two units of the Origin Force disappeared, and Lin Zheyu's mind entered a special state. He forgot everything else, immersing himself entirely in cultivating the Tortoise Breath Grand Method. In this special state, it felt as if several years had passed. His comprehension of the Tortoise Breath Grand Method grew deeper and deeper.

The progress of the Tortoise Breath Grand Method rose swiftly, leaping from Dormancy to the first stage in an instant, and then shortly after to the second stage. It stopped at 26%.

At the same time, mysterious energy surged into his body, drawing upon the medicinal power to strengthen and reshape it. Unlike the feeling of improving the Barbaric Ox Fist, the Tortoise Breath Grand Method brought only negligible increases to strength and power. Its main effect was to enhance his control over his body.

The mysterious energy drew upon the medicinal power of the decoction, infusing into his muscles, bones, cells, and blood, nourishing and transforming them on a deep and intricate level. What improved were the subtle aspects of the body, parts that martial cultivation alone found nearly impossible to refine.

As his strength improved, Lin Zheyu's aura did not grow stronger. Instead, it weakened. The sharp edge honed by the Barbaric Ox Fist also diminished with the advancement of the Tortoise Breath Grand Method, gradually fading away until it was gone.

A few seconds later, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes, with a trace of awe flashing within them. He thought,

The Tortoise Breath Grand Method truly is wondrous.

It was indeed a marvelous technique. The purpose of cultivating the Tortoise Breath Grand Method was not to increase martial strength but to extend one's lifespan. To achieve the control of metabolism, blood qi, and reduce cellular activity in pursuit of longevity required an astonishing degree of bodily understanding.

Moreover, the cultivation of it was incomparably arduous. Through training, one had to gradually strengthen the minute aspects of muscles and the innermost details of the organs, step by step, to gain greater control over the body.

After advancing the Tortoise Breath Grand Method to the second stage, Lin Zheyu felt his control over his body rise to another level. Although he was still far from reaching the Blood Qi Realm, through the Tortoise Breath Grand Method, he gained a much deeper understanding of blood qi.

Hu~.

Lin Zheyu employed the breathing method of the Tortoise Breath Grand Method, circulating it as his aura rapidly diminished. With each breath, his aura fell swiftly, until it resembled that of an ordinary man who had never cultivated martial arts, save for being somewhat sturdier.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 5]

[Skills: Barbaric Ox Fist (Competence 4%), Golden Goose Technique (First Stage, 39%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Second Stage, 13%)]

The second stage already. All of the medicine I drank has been exhausted, and even a trace of my body's energy was consumed, though fortunately not much,

Lin Zheyu thought after feeling around his body carefully.

He had just used two units of Origin Force at once, which was quite a heavy consumption. Roughly the medicinal strength of seventeen sets of decoction would have sufficed.

What a pity that there aren't enough herbs in the house; otherwise, I could have directly advanced to the third stage

, thought Lin Zheyu to himself.

The second stage of the Tortoise Breath Grand Method was not of much use to him. It had a total of three stages.

At perfection of the first stage, one could conceal their strength from others within the same realm. At the perfection of the second stage, even martial artists two realms higher would be unable to see through one's strength.

If one reached the perfection of the third stage, the body would be flawless and return to its origin, granting unprecedented mastery over blood qi as well as essence, qi, and spirit. At that level, even martial grandmasters might not be able to see through one's strength.

"Tomorrow I'll ask Master Liang if he has stronger prescriptions. Otherwise, having to decoct so many herbs each time is far too troublesome," murmured Lin Zheyu.

Based on the rate of progress just now, advancing to the third stage would require about three more units of Origin Force, along with nearly twenty-five sets of qi-tonifying and blood-nourishing decoctions.

1. The term 子午扣 (ziwu kou) refers to a specific Daoist/Qigong hand seal or mudra, often used in breathing exercises, meditation, and internal martial arts. ☜