Breath Realm, Sixth Level of the Fleshly Body Realm

The Heaven-Palm Bottle was the greatest treasure of the Mortal Immortal Realm, containing the laws of time and chaos. But such things were far too distant for Fang Yu at present. Right now, it was merely a treasure for ripening spirit herbs.

After Zhang Xiuer left, Fang Yu also departed from the area.

Not long after he left, a cluster of seven-colored radiance emerged somewhere on Colorful Cloud Mountain and flew toward Divine Hand Valley...

Upon returning to Red Water Peak, Fang Yu did not immediately leave for the Fang Family of the The Great Primordial World. Instead, he found a secluded place, placed the Heaven-Palm Bottle there, and waited for the green liquid to appear.

He remembered that only one drop would form every seven days, so there was truly no need to rush.

For the The Great Primordial World, seven days in the Mortal World amounted to only a few minutes. It was nothing worth returning for and wasting time on.

However, he would not waste his time either. He had long prepared herb seeds and seedlings, which he had requested from Doctor Mo of Divine Hand Valley.

He had no interest in dealing with that man's affairs. After obtaining a batch of herb seedlings and seeds, he directly planted them in a secluded clearing on Red Water Peak.

He was simply curious what would happen if he brought the Heaven-Palm Bottle into the Eternal Life World.

But for now, he would first see how effective it was at ripening herbs.

Taking advantage of this time, he began practicing the Pine-Crane Longevity Fist in the courtyard.

This was one of the Eclosion Sect outer disciples' three basic martial arts. Though it was only basic martial arts, it far surpassed all the other martial arts collected by the Fang Family when it came to nourishing the body and tempering the flesh.

The cultivation system of the Eternal Life World was divided into ten levels of the Fleshly Body Realm, ten levels of the Divine Ability Realm, ten levels of the Longevity Realm, and ten levels of the Immortal Realm. Fang Yu was currently only at the fifth level of the Fleshly Body Realm, the Divine Strength Realm.

So-called divine strength meant possessing the strength of one horse. Yet this horse was no ordinary steed, but a Heaven and Earth Horse from the The Great Primordial World, capable of traveling three thousand li a day. The entire Fang Family only possessed a few of them.

Though it was merely the strength of one horse, it still gave Fang Yu nearly invincible power, so long as no immortal cultivators from this world appeared.

He remained quite wary of the immortal cultivators of the Mortal World.

After all, spells and divine abilities posed far too great a threat to those in the Fleshly Body Realm. No matter how strong one's body was, it could not withstand water, fire, lightning, and such powers of nature.

In the Divine Strength Realm, one's strength was like a galloping horse. When fighting, every part of the body moved like a well-trained army—swift and decisive. Thunder rumbled through one's sinews and bones.

In the Great Li Dynasty, anyone who cultivated to the Divine Strength Realm could be considered an important figure.

To reach this level in his teens made him the foremost genius of Dragon Deepwater Province. Like his elder sister Fang Qingxue, he had the greatest hope of entering the Eclosion Sect.

Naturally, the Pine-Crane Longevity Fist was not the only martial art Fang Yu knew. On the contrary, he was proficient in all eighteen martial disciplines. However, for cultivating the fleshly body, the best martial art was this Pine-Crane Longevity Fist.

It was equivalent to a cultivation manual, while his other martial arts were used for combat and fighting enemies, each with its own marvelous uses.

For example, the swordsmanship he had used last night was the Great River Sword Sect's sect-defending martial art in Dragon Deepwater Province: Great River Swordsmanship. Yet cultivating such martial arts would leave one at the Divine Strength Realm for life, unable to advance any further.

The Pine-Crane Longevity Fist, on the other hand, could allow one to reach the tenth level of the Fleshly Body Realm. Otherwise, it could not have become one of the Eclosion Sect's three basic cultivation methods and been passed down to this day.

As he practiced the Pine-Crane Longevity Fist again and again, Fang Yu felt the blood and qi within his body gradually heating up like a kettle on a stove.

At once, wisps of mist rose from his head, clothes, and elsewhere. Combined with Fang Yu's tall, slender figure and handsome, distinguished face, he looked like an exiled immortal descending into the mortal world.

Time passed. As the blood and qi within his body churned without rest, streams of scorching energy burst forth from the hidden reserves within his meridians, internal organs, bones, and other parts of his body.

Gulp, gulp, gurgle...

A current of breath, a current of energy, seemed like bubbles, moving in and out of his throat and lungs, washing back and forth. His breath churned endlessly through his body. His breathing drove his blood, his blood pressed against his heart, and the strength of his entire body was stirred by his breath.

Suddenly, Fang Yu halted. With a pfft, he spat out a mouthful of foul-smelling red-black impure blood.

At that moment, he felt as if the meridians, bones, five viscera, and six bowels throughout his body had contracted, becoming even tighter and more solid than before.

Moreover, his hearing, sight, touch, and smell became clearer. He could perceive every slightest disturbance within a radius of ten zhang. This meant he had broken through the Breath Realm and reached the sixth level of the Fleshly Body Realm.

The sixth level of the Fleshly Body Realm, the Breath Realm: the entire body became extremely sensitive, one's reactions grew more agile, the internal organs began to become sturdy and refined, and the impurities within the blood and flesh were gradually refined away and purged.

"Haha!"

Immediately afterward, Fang Yu let out a long howl, like a flood dragon emerging from the sea or a hidden dragon leaving the abyss. It echoed throughout Colorful Cloud Mountain for a long time, deafeningly loud.

Before long, rumors spread through the villages near the Seven Mysteries Sect that an immortal had descended upon Colorful Cloud Mountain.

At that moment, Zhang Xiuer, who was carrying more than ten blank pages of paper at the foot of Red Water Peak, was startled by the long howl. But then delight appeared on her face.

Disregarding both a young woman's modesty and the perilous mountain path up Red Water Peak, she rushed up the mountain as quickly as she could.

The Seven Mysteries Sect Master had originally wanted to come with her, but after some thought, he went to prepare congratulatory gifts instead. He had Zhang Xiuer bring the more than ten blank pages to Red Water Peak first and deliver them to Fang Yu.

A quarter of an hour later, drenched in fragrant sweat and clutching more than ten pages of paper, Zhang Xiuer arrived at the courtyard on Red Water Peak. Seeing Fang Yu in the courtyard, whose aura was steadier than before and whose eyes flashed with sharp light, together with the joyous howl she had heard earlier, she immediately set down the pages in her arms, curtsied, and offered her congratulations.

"Congratulations, Young Master, on advancing your strength another step."

"Mm. Put the things in the study. You may collect them in three days."

Seeing this, the sharp light in Fang Yu's eyes receded. He looked at Zhang Xiuer and smiled faintly.

"Yes, Xiuer obeys."

After hearing this, Zhang Xiuer curtsied once more before picking up the blank pages from the ground and heading toward the study in the courtyard.

The smile on Fang Yu's face did not fade. Once Zhang Xiuer came out, he said,

"Xiuer, I have a set of martial arts and sword techniques suitable for women. I will teach them to you today. I will not say anything else—so long as you master them, you may roam freely beneath heaven."

"Thank you, Young Master, for this reward."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiuer's cheeks flushed with shock and delight. She hurriedly gave him a solemn bow and thanked him.

"It is nothing."

Fang Yu chuckled. He then went to the bamboo grove and snapped off a thumb-thick bamboo stalk. Under Zhang Xiuer's astonished gaze, his fingers moved like blades as he trimmed away the branches and leaves, making it easier to wield.

After finishing the trimming, he walked to the open space in the center of the courtyard. He glanced again at Zhang Xiuer, whose face was filled with anticipation, excitement, and joy, then said gently,

"Xiuer, watch carefully. I will demonstrate it only once. How much you comprehend will depend on your own fortune."