There was no one around at this spot. David Harris slowly entered a state of forgetting both himself and the outside world, a state between sleep and wakefulness, with a sliver of clarity in his mind. This was not the Lin family’s Xuan Tian Qi Jin mental technique, but a secret only David Harris himself knew—a secret his family had guessed at for years but never uncovered: the Embryonic Breathing Technique.

It was precisely with the aid of this Embryonic Breathing Technique that David Harris had made such rapid progress. The first time David Harris practiced it, he was in a state of suspended animation for six whole days and nights; no medical equipment could help. He was only eight years old at the time. Since then, he had fallen unconscious many times, eventually drawing the attention of his family—especially his grandfather, who began to observe and restrict his martial arts training. But David Harris had his own plans.

He had been practicing this Embryonic Breathing Technique for fourteen years now, and David Harris had discovered some of its mysteries. Each time he walked the line between life and death, after experiencing extreme danger and intense combat, the results of his cultivation were at their best.

Gradually, David Harris’s breathing faded away, disappearing completely, making him like a stone atop the mountain. This was the greatest mystery of the Embryonic Breathing Technique.

But something strange soon happened. The wound on David Harris’s shoulder, nearly pierced through by a python’s bite, and the fingers he had ruined climbing up earlier, were slowly healing. The speed was slow, but visible to the naked eye—already beyond the scope of normal human self-recovery.

Sixteen hours later, when David Harris opened his eyes to the just-risen morning sun, his injuries had mostly healed. At that moment, David Harris exhaled a long breath, and a stream of white vapor, like high-temperature steam, appeared within three feet in front of his chest.

“Ah, that feels good…” David Harris stood up and moved his arms. He hadn’t expected that this session of the Embryonic Breathing Technique would more than double the Xuan Tian Qi Jin he had just advanced to the fifth level.

Looking around at the scenery, he liked it even more. Casually, he took a signal device from his backpack and glanced at it. Fortunately, the device was sealed with a special alloy. David Harris placed his palm on it, and after instant verification, the communicator turned on and the signal was transmitted. Inside was a palm-sized video communicator, much like a handheld computer.

On the screen appeared a beautiful woman with rimless glasses and long hair draped over her shoulders, a faint joy in her expression. Seeing David Harris, she immediately complained, “Young master, I told the old man you’d be back in a month, but it’s been three months now. He’s already urged me dozens of times.”

Grace Turner, David Harris’s personal assistant and chief steward, though David Harris was more used to calling her The Housekeeper. She was responsible for everything related to David Harris, including managing his assets, daily life, and even lying to his family.

Grace Turner was two years younger than David Harris, but already held three master’s degrees and was fluent in seven foreign languages. Most importantly, she was beautiful.

“Sorry, sorry… ha…” David Harris quickly apologized with a smile. “It was a critical moment then, I couldn’t be distracted. But I always believed Little Lily could handle it.”

Little Lily was the nickname David Harris had given Grace Turner when they were children. The Grace Turner family had served the Lin family for generations. Now, Grace Turner’s grandfather was still the Lin family’s chief steward, and Grace Turner had grown up alongside David Harris.

“Sorry.” Grace Turner pushed up her glasses and spread her hands slightly, helplessly saying, “Young master, this time I really can’t help. Not long after you entered the jungle, the old man started looking for you and eventually summoned me as well.”

After speaking, Grace Turner lowered her head slightly, as if mourning for the misery David Harris was about to face.

Grandpa had met with The Housekeeper in person—this time, he was really in trouble. David Harris’s hair had grown quite a bit over the past few months. He gently blew upward, watching the hair in front of his eyes float up, thinking to himself, It’s over. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have healed my injuries or practiced the Embryonic Breathing Technique just now—at least I could have earned some sympathy points.

Grace Turner then added, “I’ve already arranged for a helicopter to pick you up, and the private jet is ready. I’m handling some other matters right now. I’ll give you a detailed report when you return.”

With that, the call ended. David Harris put his things away and rubbed his wounded shoulder helplessly. In the family, Grandpa didn’t care about anyone else practicing martial arts except him. Of course, he was a bit rebellious, and there had been quite a few incidents early on with the Embryonic Breathing Technique. But David Harris knew those weren’t the real reasons. The real reason was that curse-like existence: in the Lin family, anyone who broke through the Human Limit Nine Boundaries would die.

Lost in thought, time passed quickly. Soon, a helicopter arrived and took him to the nearest airport, where David Harris’s private jet was already waiting.

An hour later, David Harris was enjoying a comfortable bath. Now on his private jet, dressed in cozy pajamas, holding a glass of red wine, he lay there watching the beautiful Grace Turner. Grace Turner rarely smiled, always looking serious, exuding an aura of intelligence and charm, her expression full of confidence and rigor.

“Where are we headed now?” David Harris took a sip of wine and casually operated the controller at his side. A 120-inch screen in front of him immediately displayed the news from the past few months.

Grace Turner closed her electronic notebook. “Shen Gang City.”