Stealing Heavenly Secrets

Li Zhi naturally had no objection to Zhou Mei's suggestion and directly nodded in agreement.

The next day, Li Zhi, refreshed and full of energy, arrived early at the shop to wait for Ye Fan.

Just past nine o'clock, Ye Fan appeared at the shop with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

It was clear he had come straight from the station.

As soon as he saw Li Zhi, Ye Fan said, "Boss Li, you've really struck gold. That Daoist priest I consulted said that any Breathing Technique recorded in Oracle Bone Script is a Qi Cultivation Method passed down from the Ancient Era, each with its own special effects."

Li Zhi handed over the article he had already copied out and said, "I've put you to trouble, Brother Ye. I owe you a big favor."

Ye Fan replied, "I'm just riding on your coattails, Boss Li, to get a glimpse of the True Appearance of an ancient cultivation method."

After that, Li Zhi wanted to treat Ye Fan to a meal, but Ye Fan was eager to see the true form of the breathing technique, so he declined and hurried off with the article.

Three days later, an annotated version of the article was back in Li Zhi's hands.

According to Ye Fan, long-term practice of this breathing technique could strengthen the body and improve health.

As for whether it could cultivate supernatural powers, even the Daoist priest who translated the breathing technique for them wasn't sure.

What was certain was that it was a cultivable breathing method, but it would be hard to see results in a short time.

Li Zhi understood that the reason for the lack of obvious short-term effects was the scarcity of vital energy in the world.

At this time, Earth was in the Age of Dharma Decline.

The Great Dao was distant, and vital energy was so thin it was nearly nonexistent.

Unless one embarked on the Path of Cultivation within a Blessed Grotto-Heaven, no Cultivation Method would likely be effective.

One couldn't even take the first step—activating the Bitter Sea and sensing the Wheel of Life.

This breathing technique wasn't complicated; its essence was to absorb the vital energy of heaven and earth to supplement one's own deficiencies.

It carried a certain flavor of "The Way of Heaven takes from the abundant to make up for the lacking."

Combined with the title "Stealing Heavenly Secrets,"

Li Zhi named this breathing technique the "Heaven-Stealing Breathing Technique."

But after muttering it twice, he felt something was off.

"Heaven-Stealing Breathing Technique."

"Heaven-Stealing Breathing Technique?"

"Heaven-Guiding Breathing Technique."

The name slipped out almost instinctively, and Li Zhi froze completely.

"Could this breathing technique be the predecessor of the Heaven-Guiding Breathing Technique from the later Sacred Ruins Era?" The thought arose inexplicably in Li Zhi's mind.

"Stealing Heavenly Secrets"

The opening

turned out to be a breathing technique.

But Li Zhi had no intention of rashly attempting to cultivate it.

Every Cultivation Method had prerequisites; forcing cultivation without meeting them would only harm oneself.

It wasn't that Li Zhi was timid, but rather that he had a genuine sense of responsibility for his own life.

Only someone who had lived a second life would truly understand how precious life was.

So, after compiling the translated manuscript Ye Fan had brought him, Li Zhi didn't immediately start practicing. Instead, he planned to seek advice from a Daoist master.

Thanks to the advanced internet age, the whereabouts of Daoist masters were no longer as elusive as they had been centuries ago.

Li Zhi even posted online looking for places rumored to have immortals appearing.

He actually found a few leads: Mount Longhu, Mount Zao Pavilion, and Zhongnan Mountain—all places where people claimed to have seen "immortals."

Staring at those names, Li Zhi tried hard to recall the Earth-based inheritances described in the original text.

He managed to remember a few things: the Shangqing School, Lingbao School, Taiyi Dao, Shenxiao School, Quanzhen School, and other Daoist sects.

There were also Shushan Sword Cultivators and Kunlun Qi Practitioners.

And families of Demon Gods like the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, Heavenly Qilin, and Vermilion Phoenix, as well as heterodox forces like the Ten Thousand Demons Valley and the Western Church.

Counting them up, there were quite a few factions that could help him verify the authenticity of the breathing technique.

Unfortunately, as an Ordinary person, Li Zhi had no connections to any of them.

Seeing those messages also made him realize that if he stayed holed up in his shop, he might never uncover the true nature of "Stealing Heavenly Secrets."

Only by taking the initiative could he have any chance of finding an opportunity.

Once he figured this out, Li Zhi immediately changed his daily routine.

Every morning, he ran for half an hour, then practiced with martial arts weapons for another half hour—mainly long knives, short knives, long spears, and short staffs.

In the afternoon, he went to a climbing gym to practice rock climbing for an hour.

Sharpen your tools before you set to work.

Going out to seek opportunities was no exception.

Without a strong physique, trying to find true masters among those famous mountains and great rivers was pure fantasy.

If one lacked exceptional physical fitness, they might not even make it up the mountain before collapsing halfway from exhaustion.

The places where those masters lived had no ready-made elevators or cable cars, nor specially built roads or steps.

You could only rely on your own strength to cross mountains and ridges to reach your destination.

Seeing Li Zhi shed his usual lazy demeanor made Zhou Mei very happy.

She thought Li Zhi had changed because of her.

So every day, she prepared nourishing tonics for him in different ways.

This life lasted a full six months, and Li Zhi developed a set of lean, muscular limbs.

The weather had also shifted from the scorching summer to a winter of howling north winds.

One day, after finishing the old hen, goji berry, and ginseng soup Zhou Mei had brought, Li Zhi, who usually would have lain on the lazy chair for a short rest, suddenly said to Zhou Mei, "Mei'er, I plan to go out for a trip."

"How long will you be gone?" Zhou Mei asked as she cleared the soup bowl.

"Maybe a month, maybe three to five. This matter isn't certain, so the time is unclear," Li Zhi said.

"Then let me go with you," Zhou Mei said, immediately lifting her head to look at Li Zhi.

"You stay home obediently. If I'm gone, someone has to watch the shop for me," Li Zhi said with a smile.

"Fine, I'll watch the shop for you," Zhou Mei said.

Hugging Zhou Mei from behind around her waist, Li Zhi whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I'm not disappearing. It's just that the person I'm looking for this time isn't easy to find."

"Hmph! Who's afraid you'll disappear?" Zhou Mei said, twisting her waist.

Then she turned to look Li Zhi in the eyes and said, "Li Lang, I have good news. I'm single again now."

Li Zhi said, "He agreed to the divorce?"

Zhou Mei nodded. "I didn't take the house, so he agreed very readily."

Li Zhi let go of Zhou Mei, then pulled a set of keys from his bag and handed them to her. "Then stay at my place for now. When I get back, I'll arrange a new place for you."

After taking the keys, Zhou Mei immediately broke into a blissful smile. "I really didn't pick the wrong man."

Li Zhi also said, "And I didn't pick the wrong woman."

With the atmosphere built to this point, what followed was naturally a beautiful scene of thunder meeting fire.

Soon, Zhou Mei, her eyes seductive as silk, wrapped her arms around Li Zhi's neck and said, "I want to have a child with you."

Li Zhi said, "Now isn't the time."

"Mm!"

Li Zhi left.

He left with the resolve to seek immortality and the Dao.

His first stop was the Qinling Mountains, known as the Ancestral Veins of China.

On Zhongnan Mountain, he sought out many reclusive practitioners.

But he encountered few true Cultivators, while fake ones came one after another.

They didn't even know the breathing techniques for cultivation, let alone proper guidance methods for strengthening the body.

Each one held a Daoist classic and pretended to be a hermit right there.

Li Zhi was deeply disappointed.

His second stop was Jiangxi.

Though he knew there were masters there, he didn't meet a single one.