Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 228: A Wild Approach (II)

Lin Zheyu tactfully took out a tael of gold and handed it over with a smile, saying, "Interesting... But I'm only looking to strengthen a fierce beast, not to meddle with yao demons. Tell me, can this formula enhance a beast's blood qi and make it stronger in a short time?" he asked.

He had a basic understanding of yaos and demons. Their vitality was immense, but unlike ordinary creatures that relied on qi, blood, and life essence for energy, yaos and demons drew power from the Baleful Yin force within their bodies. It was an entirely different form of energy.

A formula effective for yaos and demons might work by stimulating their Baleful Yin force, but for Lin Zheyu, its usefulness was uncertain. Origin Force enhancement consumed blood qi. Without a medicinal supplement to replenish it, energy depletion and blood qi deficiency would occur.

Lin Zheyu had tried many other herbs, but none produced good results. Only formulas like Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction, which specifically targeted blood qi, yielded satisfactory effects. As for Baleful Yin force, he had never tested it as the energy was simply too difficult to obtain.

"Heh. Of course. A martial artist's foundation lies in blood qi. If one loses it, and their essence and qi turns entirely into Baleful Yin force, that's a path to self-destruction." As he spoke, his voice slowed, as though he was about to stop talking again.

Seeing this, Lin Zheyu produced another tael of gold and handed it over. The shopkeeper accepted it with a faint smile.

Lin Zheyu was speechless. This man was truly greedy; after taking 2 taels of gold, he still refused to continue speaking. If what the shopkeeper said next didn't satisfy him, he swore he would make the man regret it. He took out another tael of gold and handed it over. The shopkeeper's face lit up with a radiant smile as he resumed his tale.

"In ancient times, some families secretly researched Ghost Dao Secret Arts, attempting to achieve rebirth through death and transform themselves into beings akin to yaos and demons. But without exception, they all perished in the end, becoming mindless living corpses. That particular village, however, understood this and decided to take a different approach.

"This formula's medicinal power is extremely fierce. They tried to use these terrifyingly potent concoctions to stimulate the qi and blood within yaos and demons. If they could somehow induce the birth of blood qi that could coexist with Baleful Yin force, they believed they could uncover a method for life essence and Baleful Yin force to exist together.

"But allow me to remind you, sir," the shopkeeper said with a chuckle, "that the people of that village were all madmen. How could one ever draw forth blood qi from a yao or demon? Blood qi is born from the fusion of essence, qi, and blood, refined under the guidance of spirit. Yaos and demons are dead things; they have no life, and thus can never produce blood qi."

As the manager of a major pharmacy, he often dealt with medicinal formulas and herbs. What he had just said was mostly hearsay, but the formula itself was real.

"You overthink, shopkeeper. I'm not buying this formula to study yaos and demons. I only intend to use it for raising fierce beasts," Lin Zheyu said with a smile and a shake of his head.

The shopkeeper, to his credit, still had some conscience left. After taking 30 taels of silver, he warned Lin Zheyu that the formula was practically useless. In his experience, people who sought out such dangerously potent concoctions without caring for side effects were almost always trying to study yaos and demons.

Such formulas didn't account for medicinal conflicts among ingredients or neutralize their toxic effects. They pursued only maximum potency. Even after dilution, the toxicity remained terrifying. Any fierce beast that used it would suffer side effects far worse than its gains, and only lifeless yaos and demons could truly withstand it.

There were many powerful martial artists in the Central Plains, and traces of yao or demon activity were often found deep in the mountains. Some martial artists, after capturing one, would experiment out of curiosity. The shopkeeper had met such customers many times before.

"Good, good. The formula itself costs 2,000 taels of silver, and each set of herbs costs 500 taels. How many sets would you like, sir?" the shopkeeper asked with a pleasant smile.

He was a shrewd man who understood customers' minds well. Martial artists always had strong wills, and none would abandon their intentions just because of a single warning. So he might as well caution them, earn a bit of goodwill, and build his reputation as an honest shopkeeper.

"So expensive!" Lin Zheyu exclaimed in disbelief when he heard the price.

He could accept the formula being pricey, but the herbs costing that much was outrageous. The most expensive medicine he had ever bought, Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder, had only cost 75 taels of silver.

"How much stronger is this formula's medicinal effect compared to Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder?" Lin Zheyu asked.

500 taels of silver were enough to buy six whole sets of Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder.

"At least ten times stronger than Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder," the shopkeeper said.

"Alright, I'll take the formula. Please prepare two sets of herbs," Lin Zheyu said after a moment of thought.

As Jishi Hall was a renowned apothecary in Wuling City, its reputation was priceless. There was no reason for them to lie over such a small amount of silver.

"Very well, sir. Please wait a moment."

The shopkeeper turned and went inside to prepare the herbs. Before long, he returned carrying a sheet of yellow paper with the prescription written on it, along with two sets of medicinal ingredients.

"Here is your purchased formula and the two sets of herbs," he said respectfully.

Lin Zheyu took the paper and glanced at the name written on it: Blazing Flame Blood-Burning Powder.

"The Blazing Flame Blood-Burning Powder cannot be used on ordinary beasts, and even less so on martial artists. Once consumed, the body burns like fire, blood boils, and blood qi surges like blazing flames. Even the most robust beasts can hardly endure its terrifying potency. Also, the brewing order is crucial; the process is far more complex than regular decoctions. If the order or method is mishandled, not only will the effects weaken, but the toxicity will increase," the shopkeeper warned carefully.

Lin Zheyu nodded lightly, paid the silver, and left the shop carrying the herbs. Since his enhancement relied on Origin Force, the mysterious energy could directly extract the medicinal essence from the herbs, so there was no need to brew them first.

***

Upon returning to the courtyard, he took out a stone mortar used for grinding herbs into powder, a common tool in apothecaries. Placing the herbs inside, he began grinding them one by one into fine powder.

As expected of the Central Plains. The martial artists here are truly daring. Capturing yaos and demons for study and even trying to use potent medicines to stimulate blood qi in their bodies is quite the idea. And perhaps... not entirely impossible.

If Blazing Flame Blood-Burning Powder can't do it, maybe the problem lies in the prescription. Perhaps using another formula might work. Right, if I combine such medicine with the Seven Fiend Ghost Manual, could it produce a living corpse where blood qi and Baleful Yin force coexist?

His thoughts raced. The shopkeeper's words had given him many new ideas.

Once he became stronger and wealthier, he planned to capture a yao or demon himself for study. He had always been fascinated by such eerie creatures. After grinding both sets of herbs into powder, he took a wooden basin, poured in clean water, added in a pack of Blazing Flame Blood-Burning Powder, and stirred it thoroughly by hand.

"Let's begin," Lin Zheyu murmured to himself.

He had only added one set of Blazing Flame Blood-Burning Powder herbs. Back when he advanced from the third to the fourth transformation of blood qi, it had taken around one hundred and thirty sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction. Now, to reach the fifth transformation, he estimated he would need at least one hundred and sixty to one hundred and eighty sets' worth of medicinal power.

One set of Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder equaled the potency of fourteen sets of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction. If one set of Blazing Flame Blood-Burning Powder was ten times stronger than that, then its power was equivalent to one hundred forty sets combined. If true, its potency was indeed terrifying and worth every bit of the 500 taels of silver.

He closed his eyes, sending forth a thought.

Use five units of Origin Force to enhance the Primordial Origin Technique.

In an instant, Lin Zheyu's consciousness blurred as he entered the familiar mental space. Using Origin Force for enhancement consumed immense spiritual energy. Previously, he had only managed to use 5 units at once, and even then, his spirit had nearly been exhausted.

Now that his overall strength had improved, so had his spiritual endurance and resilience. He estimated he could probably handle an 8-unit enhancement, but to be safe, he chose to use only 5.

Within his consciousness, Lin Zheyu trained relentlessly, and blood qi surged through his body like a tidal wave. Without the protective energy born of burning essence, qi, and spirit, and without the aid of secret medicine or mental methods, the impact of channeling blood qi through his acupoints was tremendous.

Each time his blood qi coursed through an acupoint, it felt as though countless barbed needles pierced and twisted inside his flesh, making his face twitch involuntarily. Fortunately, his prior training with the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual had hardened him against such pain; this was nothing to him now.

Good thing I restrained myself and didn't use 8 units of Origin Force at once. Otherwise, I might have overdrawn my spirit again, Lin Zheyu murmured inwardly.

Enduring such agony placed a heavy toll on the mind. Though not as extreme as burning essence, qi, and spirit, the strain from using 5 units of Origin Force at once was still formidable.

In the courtyard, Lin Zheyu sat with eyes shut, brows furrowed, and face contorted in pain. As the Primordial Origin Technique circulated, blood qi surged through his acupoints, flooding him with intense agony. Yet with each circuit, as his blood qi became purer, he felt the suffering was worth enduring.

Several breaths passed quickly. Under the combined influence of immense mysterious energy and medicinal power, the blood qi within Lin Zheyu's body grew ever purer and more formidable.