Breathing Through the Ears

Rustle...

A breeze swept past, and the trees rustled.

The nighttime air was somewhat chilly.

Lin Zheyu took out medicinal herbs for Replenishing Qi and Nourishing Blood from inside the house and began brewing them.

Over these past days, he had accumulated nearly Two Hundred Taels of Silver, and his Source Power had reached 7 units.

Unfortunately, he did not dare raise his strength recklessly.

Liang Song was planning to leave, though Lin Zheyu did not know where he was going.

During the time before his departure, Lin Zheyu had to go to him every day for guidance and practical combat training. If he raised his strength without restraint, it would be far too easy to expose himself.

There would be no way to explain it then.

Fortunately, he now had the Turtle Breathing Technique. Lin Zheyu planned to raise the Turtle Breathing Technique first, so he could safely improve his other Martial Arts without worrying that anyone would discover his strength had inexplicably soared.

While waiting for the medicinal soup to brew, he took out the pages recording the Turtle Breathing Technique and studied them.

"Though oxen have ears, they breathe through their noses; though turtles have noses, they breathe through their ears. Whenever turtle breathing is spoken of, it must refer to the ears."

"Turtle breathing guidance must be practiced by listening to the breath..."

"..."

"When asleep, Qi emerges through the ears. This is called turtle breathing; one shall surely enjoy the longevity of a great turtle."

As he read the profound and mystifying manual, together with Liang Song's explanations, Lin Zheyu began to understand.

The Turtle Breathing Technique was a biomimetic Martial Art. It imitated the breathing of long-lived turtles, controlling Essence and Qi and circulating Qi and blood to achieve longevity.

The primary purpose of this Cultivation Method was longevity. Concealing one's breath and masking one's strength were merely incidental effects.

"What a miraculous Martial Art. The expert who created this Cultivation Method was truly formidable!"

Lin Zheyu exclaimed in admiration.

He remembered that Taoism in his previous life had also possessed such a Cultivation Method, though he did not know how effective it was.

Unfortunately, Lin Zheyu had never come into contact with such things in his previous life. Otherwise, he could have tried to see whether the Martial Arts of his former world would work in this one.

Following the Cultivation Method's instructions, he sat cross-legged.

His upper body was upright, his entire body relaxed and natural. His hands formed the ZiWu Knot, clasped together before his lower abdomen.

He vibrated his nasal cavity and breathed according to the Turtle Breathing Technique's requirements. His chest and abdomen rose and fell as his breathing became extraordinarily long and slow.

More than an hour passed. Lin Zheyu gradually entered the state, his heartbeat began to slow, and even his body temperature dropped slightly.

After another thirty-odd minutes, he opened his eyes. He could no longer maintain the state.

The Turtle Breathing Technique required a martial artist to possess an extremely high degree of control over the body in order to control the flow of Qi and blood and heart rate, thereby slowing metabolism.

Heaven Rewards Diligence

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 7

Skills:

Wild Bull Fist (Proficiency 4%)

Golden Goose Skill (First Layer 39%)

Turtle Breathing Technique (Uninitiated 2%)

After practicing for so long, this little progress—and even getting started is extremely difficult.

Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

He wanted to sit cross-legged again and continue cultivating the Turtle Breathing Technique, but his heart and Lungs felt terribly uncomfortable. This was a sign that his internal organs were not strong enough to withstand the Turtle Breathing Technique.

After several hours of brewing, a rich medicinal fragrance drifted through the courtyard.

Lin Zheyu took a deep breath and felt his spirits recover somewhat.

This time, he had put in fifteen portions of herbs for Replenishing Qi and Nourishing Blood, dividing them among five medicine pots to brew at once.

I should ask Master Liang whether he has any formulas with stronger medicinal effects. As my strength rises, I need more and more medicinal herbs.

I can't possibly brew hundreds of portions at once in the future, can I?

Lin Zheyu mused.

He poured out the brewed medicinal soup, let it cool, and drank it down.

Sitting cross-legged, he assumed the posture of the Turtle Breathing Technique and sent out a thought.

Use two units of Source Power to raise the Turtle Breathing Technique.

The Turtle Breathing Technique primarily trained control over the body's muscles, tendons, skin, membranes, Five Viscera and Six Bowels, as well as Qi and blood. It did not greatly strengthen or transform the body, and offered very little increase in combat strength.

Thus, it did not require much energy to transform the body.

His Source Power decreased by two units, and Lin Zheyu's mind entered a special state.

He forgot everything, forgot all things, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivating the Turtle Breathing Technique.

Within that special mental state, he seemed to spend several years there, his understanding of the Turtle Breathing Technique growing ever deeper.

The Turtle Breathing Technique's progress rose rapidly. In an instant, it went from uninitiated to the first layer, and shortly afterward reached the second layer.

It stopped at 26%.

At the same time, mysterious energy surged into his body, stirring the medicinal effects and strengthening and transforming him.

Unlike when he had raised the Wild Bull Fist, the Turtle Breathing Technique's increase to his strength and toughness was negligible. It mainly enhanced his control over his body.

The mysterious energy drew the medicinal effects from the soup into every muscle, bone, cell, and drop of blood in his body, carrying out deep, meticulous nourishment and transformation.

What improved were subtle areas, parts that were difficult to cultivate through martial training.

As his strength rose, Lin Zheyu's aura did not increase in the slightest. Instead, it became even weaker.

The sharpness forged by practicing the Wild Bull Fist also gradually diminished with the Turtle Breathing Technique's improvement, even vanishing completely.

A few breaths later.

Lin Zheyu opened his eyes, a trace of amazement flashing through them. "The Turtle Breathing Technique truly is miraculous."

This was a miraculous Cultivation Method.

The Turtle Breathing Technique was not cultivated to increase martial strength, but to prolong one's life.

To control metabolism and Qi and blood, reduce cellular activity, and thereby achieve longevity required an astonishing degree of understanding of the body.

Moreover, it was incomparably difficult to cultivate.

Through training, one had to strengthen the subtle parts of every muscle throughout the body, the subtle parts of the Five Internal Organs, step by step, and enhance control over the body.

After the Turtle Breathing Technique entered the second layer, Lin Zheyu felt that his control over his body had risen to another level.

Although he was still far from the Qi and Blood Realm, the Turtle Breathing Technique had given him much greater understanding of Qi and blood.

"Phew~~"

Lin Zheyu used the Turtle Breathing Technique's breathing method. As he circulated the Turtle Breathing Technique, the aura around his body rapidly weakened.

With each breath, his aura swiftly declined until it resembled that of an ordinary person who had never practiced Martial Arts, merely somewhat stronger in body.

Heaven Rewards Diligence

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 5

Skills:

Wild Bull Fist (Proficiency 4%)

Golden Goose Skill (First Layer 39%)

Turtle Breathing Technique (Second Layer 13%)

The second layer. The medicinal effects I drank have been completely consumed, along with a trace of my body's energy. Fortunately, it wasn't much.

Lin Zheyu assessed himself and thought inwardly.

He had used two units of Source Power at once just now, so the consumption had been greater. The medicinal effects of roughly seventeen portions of medicinal soup would be enough to meet it.

It's a pity there aren't enough medicinal herbs in the house. Otherwise, I could directly raise it to the third layer.

Lin Zheyu thought.

The second layer of the Turtle Breathing Technique was not particularly useful to him.

The Turtle Breathing Technique had three layers in total.

Upon reaching perfection in the first layer, one could conceal one's strength from others in the same realm.

Upon reaching perfection in the second layer, even martial artists two major realms higher would be unable to see through one's strength.

If one reached perfection in the third layer, the body would be without leakage and return to its primal source. Control over Qi and blood, Essence, Qi, and Spirit would reach an unprecedented level.

At that point, even a Martial Arts Grandmaster might not necessarily be able to see through one's strength.

Tomorrow, I'll ask Master Liang whether he has a formula with stronger medicinal effects. Otherwise, having to brew so many medicinal herbs every time will be an enormous hassle.

Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

Based on the progress from just now, raising it to the third layer would likely require around three more units of Source Power, together with nearly twenty-five portions of medicinal soup for Replenishing Qi and Nourishing Blood.