Chapter 9: Want to Learn? I’ll Teach You!

Watching Lin Bei’s bodyguards rearrange the talisman formation, Kuang Tianyou pondered for a moment and said, “I know a retired Taoist priest. If needed, I can bring him over to help, though his fees might be steep.”

Lin Bei raised an eyebrow and asked, “He Yingqiu?”

Kuang Tianyou looked at him in surprise. “You know him?”

Lin Bei shook his head. “Not personally, but I know of him. He’s Mao Xiaofang’s last disciple and currently the head of the Heavenly Dao Sect. Am I right?”

Kuang Tianyou nodded. He and He Yingqiu had a history forged through conflict—Kuang had broken He Yingqiu’s leg, which led to He Yingqiu retreating from the public eye to nurture the heirs of the Southern Mao and Northern Ma families.

Lin Bei smiled faintly. “Money isn’t an issue, as long as he comes. Also, I know he’s one of the heirs of Southern Mao and Northern Ma. If possible, have him help me get in touch with the Ma family’s heir.”

After agreeing, Kuang Tianyou turned and called Qiu Shu.

Meanwhile, Lin Bei retreated to the backyard to practice the Breath of the Sun.

The breathing technique had two phases. The first phase was the foundational full concentration breath, primarily to strengthen the heart and lungs, enabling the blood to absorb a large amount of oxygen in a short time, dramatically boosting physical abilities.

The second phase was called ‘Full Concentration: Constant Centering,’ where one practiced the breathing method continuously in all activities—walking, sitting, lying down—amounting to non-stop cultivation.

The patterned and transparent worlds were special states, accessible only under certain conditions.

Lin Bei was still in the first phase; after all, the Breath of the Sun had thirteen sword forms, and he had mastered only two.

Mastering a breathing technique demanded extensive practice.

Gao Jin, Wang Jianjun, and others were experts among ordinary people, but against such extraordinary power, they could only suffer defeat.

Though Lin Bei had taught them the breathing method, none had truly grasped it.

Among all breathing techniques, the Breath of the Sun was notoriously difficult, which explained why various branches had evolved.

Lin Bei resolved that the next time he encountered his counterpart from the Demon Slayer world, he would have him help gather the other breathing styles.

Otherwise, even if he became invincible in this world, facing a slightly stronger opponent would force him to act personally.

The bodyguards couldn’t spar with Lin Bei, but Kuang Tianyou had no such problem.

Zombies specialized in endurance; as long as they had enough fresh blood, they could recover quickly from even grave injuries.

Lin Bei wanted to test if the Breath of the Sun would work in this world.

The result proved that, regardless of the world, the solar power inherent in the Breath of the Sun suppressed evil spirits.

A thunderous roar followed by a massive red arc flashed by. Kuang Tianyou, caught in the front line, had to swiftly retreat to dodge.

As he evaded the circular dance strike, Lin Bei unleashed the second form of the Breath of the Sun—Azure Sky.

This attack was even more ferocious than the circular dance, a downward circular slash that seemed intent on cleaving Kuang Tianyou in two.

The solar power infused in the Tang Dao forced Kuang Tianyou to reveal his zombie form. Even so, he dared not take the blow head-on.

His instincts warned him that while the slash might not cause severe injury, it would certainly be unpleasant.

He activated his superpower—extreme speed—and dodged just before the blade struck.

Though he avoided the slash itself, the sword energy attached to Lin Bei’s blade still grazed his chest.

Stopping to examine, Kuang Tianyou saw a fresh wound on his chest.

Though healing visibly before his eyes, it was the first time in nearly sixty years he had been injured.

Since becoming a zombie, this was the first time Kuang Tianyou felt genuine alarm.

He looked at Lin Bei, panting heavily, and at the charred, broken blade in his hand, then asked with burning eyes, “What kind of magic is this?”

Lin Bei glanced at the ruined Tang Dao he’d paid dearly for, sneered slightly, and replied, “It’s a breathing technique. Want to learn?”

Kuang Tianyou frowned. “Zombies can learn magic?”

Lin Bei shook his head. “Strictly speaking, this isn’t magic, and you’re not exactly a true zombie.”

Kuang Tianyou touched his canine tooth and thought of his craving for fresh blood. If this didn’t count as being a zombie, then what did?

Lin Bei noticed his confusion but offered no explanation—it was too soon.

He was more curious whether Kuang Tianyou could actually learn the breathing technique.

Looking at the trilogy of “Jiang Yue,” Kuang Tianyou displayed many abilities. When malnourished, he only exhibited extreme speed.

But after feeding on fresh blood, he gradually developed various powers.

These included teleportation, energy projection, ice creation, lightning manipulation, and even space distortion.

Compared to these, clairvoyance and flight were mere parlor tricks.

If evolving into a red-eyed zombie weren’t so arduous, Lin Bei might have tempted Kuang Tianyou—or even asked Jiang Chen to bite him.

Zombies of the Pangu lineage shared the same bloodline suppression as ordinary zombies in their evolution towards becoming zombie kings.

The provider of zombie blood was the master, and the recipient was the subordinate.

Normally, subordinate zombies were completely suppressed and controlled by their master, who could reclaim their zombie blood at will, turning them back into corpses.

Under such suppression, no matter how hard the subordinate zombies trained, they couldn’t advance.

Lin Bei didn’t want to be controlled and didn’t believe he would experience extreme love or hate, so from the start, he abandoned the idea of becoming a zombie.

He firmly believed that more versions of himself would appear in the mysterious space, and his strength would rise eventually, making this risky shortcut unnecessary.

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