After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

"Shut up!" Yu Linzhou hated it when people compared the two of them, and Lin Zhixu's words hit him right where it hurt.

"You're not allowed to call him by honorifics! He doesn't deserve it!"

"What do you know! If it weren't for this damned restriction suppressing me at every turn, how could I be inferior to him in every way! Since I can't break this restriction, then I'll train you, so you can surpass his disciple!"

Lin Zhixu didn't argue with him anymore.

It's not that I don't want to argue with him, it's that I really don't have the energy.

It felt as if molten iron had been poured into my limbs and bones, burning along my meridians, and even my blood was boiling wherever it went.

Blood beads seeped from the skin's surface, then evaporated into a pale red mist by the high heat.

He curled up on the ground, his fingernails digging into the cracks in the stone slabs, his fingertips a bloody mess, yet he still couldn't stop the excruciating pain of his bones being crushed and reassembled inch by inch by the fire elemental power.

Looking back on these past two months, from the Marrow Cleansing Pill to the Spiritual Energy Infusion, and now to the Fire Essence Pill, the pain has become more and more intense, as if it has no end.

If he hadn't really wanted to die, he probably wouldn't have made it this far.

Cultivating immortality is not something that ordinary people can do.

No wonder those with spiritual roots are already one in ten thousand, and those who can cultivate to the point of success are one in ten million.

You must endure what ordinary people cannot endure, and you must feel what ordinary people cannot feel.

He had no choice at all; he was forced to move forward from beginning to end.

Yu Linzhou scooped him up from the ground and held him tightly in his arms.

One hand pressed down on his back, forcefully channeling spiritual energy to protect his heart meridian and dantian.

Lin Zhixu's forehead pressed against his shoulder, his whole body convulsing. He instinctively tried to break free, but was held even tighter.

"Don't move," Yu Linzhou's voice came from above, reassuring, "Just bear with it a little longer, it'll be over soon."

Lin Zhixu's lips moved twice, as if he was saying something.

Yu Linzhou leaned closer and heard him cursing.

His tone was clearly weak, yet he stubbornly refused to back down.

Yu Linzhou was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled up.

"Okay, you still have the energy to curse, looks like you're not going to die."

After an unknown amount of time, the searing pain that burned my heart and bones finally receded slowly like the receding tide.

Lin Zhixu collapsed into Yu Linzhou's arms, utterly exhausted. His clothes were soaked with cold sweat and blood, and he looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

Yu Linzhou examined his meridians, and the slight frown between his brows finally relaxed a bit.

He looked down at the boy in his arms, who was too weak to even curse, paused for a moment, and then picked him up horizontally.

Yu Linzhou carried him to the hot spring, tested the water temperature, found it a bit cold, heated the water a little, and then carefully put him in.

Warm water flowed over his shoulders and neck as Lin Zhixu leaned against the pool wall, his body still trembling slightly.

Clothes soaked with sweat clung to the skin.

Yu Linzhou frowned and reached out to take off his outer robe.

The movements weren't exactly gentle, but it was already quite an achievement for a celestial being who had never served anyone before to help someone take a bath.

Lin Zhixu didn't even have the strength to resist, and closed her eyes to let him do as he pleased.

He only hissed softly when Yu Linzhou's fingers accidentally touched a burn mark on his rib caused by fire elemental power.

Yu Linzhou paused.

He raised his hand to check his injury, but Lin Zhixu gently pressed his hand down.

"I can do it myself," Lin Zhixu said in a hoarse voice. "No need to trouble Master."

Yu Linzhou looked at him for a moment, then slowly withdrew his hand.

He took a small porcelain bottle out of his sleeve and placed it on the stone platform by the pool.

"There's medicine inside. Remember to apply it after you wash up."

Lin Zhixu kept his eyes closed and did not respond.

Yu Linzhou knew that he was still angry, so he didn't linger and turned to leave the hot spring.

Lin Zhixu soaked in the water for a long time until he gradually regained some strength, at which point he slowly stood up, supporting himself against the pool wall.

She staggered into the house and collapsed onto the bed.

The system cautiously appeared: [Host, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Your body has indeed become much stronger, and your innate talent is now barely at a medium level.]

The difference between inferior and average physical attributes is like heaven and earth. With your efforts, catching up with Luo Yiyan is not impossible.

Lin Zhixu buried his face in the blankets, his voice muffled and hoarse: "Don't speak. I don't want to talk to you right now."

The system wisely shut up: [Okay, then you should get some rest.]

The room fell silent.

The night wind rustled through the bamboo forest outside the window.

Lin Zhixu lay there, his fingers slowly clenching the corner of the blanket.

……

Whether it was to let Lin Zhixu rest or because he felt guilty, Yu Linzhou did not appear for seven days in a row.

Even without his supervision, Lin Zhixu did not become despondent.

I get up before dawn every day to meditate, practice swordsmanship in the morning, circulate my internal energy in the afternoon, and then meditate for an extra hour in the evening.

It wasn't until late at night that I dragged my aching body back to bed.

The system looks so weak it's almost painful to look at.

Although it doesn't know what heartache is.

Lin Zhixu didn't care much. He had already suffered, and giving up halfway would be the greatest torture to himself.

Moreover, Lin Zhixu did indeed feel the benefits of improved physical constitution.

In the past, absorbing spiritual energy was like scooping water with a fine sieve; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't retain much.

Now that his meridians have widened several times over, spiritual energy enters his body much more smoothly, and the power and speed of his sword moves are much stronger than before.

After breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, the Qi Sea in his dantian transformed from a dry well into a shallow spring.

Although the spiritual energy is far from abundant, it is at least no longer in a state where it could dry up at any time.

That evening, Lin Zhixu finished practicing his sword and was sitting on the stone steps wiping his sweat.

Little Black darted out from the corner of the yard, something in its mouth, and excitedly snuggled into his arms.

He looked down and saw a wild rabbit that he had caught somewhere, its fur grayish and struggling.

Lin Zhixu pried open Xiao Hei's mouth and released the rabbit, which darted into the bamboo forest in a flash.

Little Black let out a pitiful howl, lay down at his feet, and rubbed its wet nose against his fingers.

Lin Zhixu patted Xiao Hei's head and said with genuine envy, "You are so free and carefree. Unlike me, I am not in control of my own destiny. Now even leaving the hospital has become a luxury."

A familiar voice suddenly came from the doorway.

"You want to go out?"

Lin Zhixu didn't even raise his head, casually scratching Xiao Hei's chin with his fingers: "I'm not a criminal. Of course I want to get out after being locked up here for so long."

Yu Linzhou walked into the courtyard, about to say something, when he suddenly paused.

He noticed that the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from Lin Zhixu were significantly stronger than they had been a few days ago, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "You've broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining? It seems my hard work hasn't been in vain."

Lin Zhixu smirked: "Stop trying to make yourself look good."

Yu Linzhou didn't care about his sarcasm. Instead, he sat down opposite him in a cheerful mood: "That kid surnamed Luo just broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refining yesterday. The gap between you two is getting smaller and smaller. I believe that it won't be long before you surpass him."