The Legend of Swordsman

Chapter 2 The Pithy Formula of Life

　　Mike had long been accustomed to the way the Blue Cloud Sect's disciples looked at him. He calmly accepted both sympathy and ridicule from them. He had lived here for eight years, but he had always been like a passer-by. He had never felt a sense of belonging; the other disciples did not want to accept him as one of their own either.

　　Mike dragged his exhausted and aching body back to the warehouse of the Blue Cloud Sect.

　　This was where he had lived for eight years. It was on a hill near the peak of the Blue Cloud Sect. The warehouse was large. There used to be five people, but now only two persons were guarding it.

　　One was Mike, and the other was a decadent old man.

　　The two of them were the lowest-ranked members of the Blue Cloud Sect and had lived with each other for many years.

　　Upon arriving at the warehouse, Mike stood before the metal door and dragged his hands over his face harshly, rubbing away the stains and revealing his usual faint smile.

　　"Old man, I'm back."

　　Mike pushed open the metal door and snapped his fingers, acting as if nothing had happened.

　　The white-haired old man, Maxwell, was quietly seated under an old tree in the distance. A solitary grave was situated there, and every day, Maxwell would sit there and think about the deceased in silence.

　　Maxwell was in solitude while Mike was headstrong and determined. Both Maxwell and Mike had contrasting personalities, but they had lived together in harmony for many years. It was quite strange.

　　Humming a tune, Mike walked into the warehouse to change into a set of clean clothes. There was no regret, no frustration, and no resentment on his face. Frankly, he was trying to be optimistic in a persevering and resilient manner. After all, he was used to all of these throughout the eight years he spent here.

　　Maxwell remained in his seat by the grave, not uttering a word as though he didn't notice Mike's injury. He focused all of his attention on the grave and the orchids swaying beside it. He basically lived like this every day. Besides tidying up the warehouse and eating, Maxwell would sit there to accompany the grave.

　　"I want to cultivate for a while, so I'll make dinner slightly later today."

　　Mike told Maxwell briefly and then quietly sat cross-legged on the stone bench. His Qi circulation was becoming steadier as he absorbed the delicate flow of Qi between heaven and earth to nourish his injured body that was in aching pain.

　　What he was cultivating now was no martial art, but a wonderful method of devouring Qi—the Pithy Formula Of Life!

　　Generally speaking, the lifelong pursuit of a martial artist was to absorb the Qi between heaven and earth, condense the Spiritual Power in the body, and display their mighty fighting prowess through specific martial arts methods. It was common knowledge that the energy between heaven and earth was the 'wild' and 'original state' of Spiritual Power.

　　However, what Mike was absorbing now wasn't just any Qi. It was the Qi of life!

　　This rare and wonderful Qi devouring method came from the old man who was currently sitting in the distance.

　　Ever since Mike was imprisoned as an ordinary disciple of the Blue Cloud Sect and arranged to work as a servant in the warehouse, Maxwell had long been living here. It seemed that no one knew about his background, nor did anyone care to acknowledge an old man like him. Maxwell had a strange temper and rarely talked to Mike, not to mention others. However, five years ago during a rainy night, Mike had clambered back with blood all over his body. At that time, Maxwell had unexpectedly uttered a set of pithy formulas. Since then, the formula had been engraved in Mike's mind.

　　"The ethereal vitality, wandering between heaven and earth, is infinite and endless," Mike mumbled.

　　"The Big Dipper takes advantage of the Qi and moves in four seasons to mediate in all directions. Heaven and earth intertwine with each other and nurture all things. It goes back and forth in a cycle."

　　"It comes to life from time to time and comes into being day and night," he continued to chant.

　　"The essence is the object, and the wandering soul is the change."

　　"Investigate the way it comes and observe its operations. Only then it can be clearly seen, maneuvered and handled delicately before one rushed to the top and avoided the decline."

　　For three years, Mike had groped and studied this pithy formula. Eventually, he was able to grasp the meaning, master and apply it before being able to utilize the formula skillfully.

　　It was because of this wonderful method of devouring Qi that Mike's injuries had healed in the shortest amount of time and allowed him to persevere and survive until now, in spite of the persecution by the Blue Cloud Sect.

　　As for the origin of this pithy formula, Maxwell had never mentioned it, and Mike did not ask about it either.

　　After a day of recovery, Mike's Qi, blood, and injuries had mostly recovered. The pain had basically vanished.

　　The effect of the Pithy Formula Of Life was magical.

　　As night approached, Mike stopped his cultivation. He went to the warehouse to cook the dinner and placed the dishes on the wooden table outside. He then called, "Old man, it's time to eat."

　　Their dinner was only several simple dishes that they had almost every day, but Mike could still make a little variety to make the dishes more palatable.

　　Maxwell glanced at the dishes on the table. Perhaps they looked appetizing, or perhaps he was simply ravenous as he hadn't eaten for the entire day, for he was swallowing his saliva. Maxwell patted the dust off his clothes and took a seat before starting to eat slowly without a word.

　　"You can eat as much as you like. I'll go and practice for a bit longer." Mike hastily picked some dishes before running off to the stone bench and resumed absorbing the Qi of life.

　　He had to heal his injuries as soon as possible. He could not leave any underlying injuries that would cost him in the future.

　　Maxwell tasted the dishes one by one and found that they all tasted rather good. Hence, he gathered all the four dishes in front of him and tucked them in slowly.

　　He seemed to have a good appetite on this day.

　　"Young Master Qin?" At this moment, a pretty, fair-skinned girl knocked on the metal door and entered.

　　"Cathy," Mike greeted her with a light smile. "I haven't seen you for a few months. You are prettier now."

　　"It has only been a few months and you are making trouble again. Stop making me worry. Daria asked me to bring you some medicine." Cathy looked for the medicine in a small bamboo basket in her hand while greeting Maxwell at the same time. Nonetheless, she was ignored. Maxwell was focused on eating his dinner, but Cathy didn't mind. She quickly walked up to Mike, saying, "Let me check your injuries."

　　"I'm fine. I feel much better now. Don't worry."

　　"Sigh, was it necessary to put yourself through to trouble? You knew very well that they wouldn't let you pass the test." Cathy put the bamboo basket next to Mike as she spoke. She looked pure and beautiful, as fair and delicate as a lotus flower emerging from the surface of the water. She was lively and cheerful, too. However, Mike's pale face made her expression fill with worry. Thus, she couldn't help but blame him for being so impulsive.

　　"The opportunity is right there. How would I know the results if I didn't try?"

　　"How can you call that an opportunity? Why couldn't you understand the reality? The First Elder is suppressing you, and the other elders are not going to find troubles for themselves by letting you pass. I know that you are anxious about your loved ones, and you want to win your place to help them. But the more you are butting heads with them, the more they will suppress you. Can't you just keep a low profile?" Cathy's heart ached at the sight of Mike's pallid face.

　　"Keep a low profile and be an underdog? Wag my tail and beg for mercy? No, I can't do that." Mike shook his head.

　　Cathy pouted her red lips mutely. She had tried to persuade him many times in the past. Even Daria had tried, but to no avail. She opened her bamboo basket that contained two bottles of herbal liquid that could cure bruises. There were also a few exquisite desserts. She whispered, "Guess who made these."

　　"Say thanks to Daria for me and tell her she doesn't need to worry about me. I have been living pretty well all these years," Mike replied as he picked up one of the desserts and tasted it. As he ate, he nodded approvingly and complimented, "Daria is a good cook. This is really scrumptious."

　　"You call this 'living pretty well'? My, I feel bad for your helter-skelter life. You're always getting into fights. It's either you beat them up, or vice versa. They're obviously trying to make you look bad. Why don't you just ignore them?" asked Cathy.

　　"The weak shall not die in peace, and the strong shall not live in peace too. I want to be a strong person!"

　　"Who said that?" asked Cathy.

　　"My father." Mike's face became slightly gloomy, but then he quickly hid it and proceeded to pick up another dessert.

　　Cathy stopped herself from speaking her thoughts when she looked at Mike's sullen expression. She asked tentatively, "Do you... hate them? I didn't mean anything else. Everyone said that they were actually..."

　　"Hate? Why should I hate them? They wouldn't abandon me, their loved one."

　　"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Cathy knew that she had made Mike hark back to his sad stories.

　　"It's fine. Don't worry," Mike assured her and waved it off.

　　"By the way, Daria wants me to remind you that since you have publicly displayed your strength and now everyone knows that you're of the Spiritual Martial Realm, it'll certainly attract a lot of attention. More people will come and try to defeat you. You'd better be prepared," said Cathy.

　　"Have I ever been afraid? It's been eight years and I've finally broken through to the Spiritual Martial Realm. This is only the beginning and I'll become even stronger. I'll be truly valued by the elders of the Blue Cloud Sect. One day, I'll be able to rescue my family and my city, as well as those 200,000 citizens," Mike remarked with a hint of resoluteness in his voice.

　　"Don't be so impatient. You've been holding back for eight years, so why should you care about it now? If you feel that there's anyone who wants to harm you, you should go to Daria. We cannot save the Ancient City of Lightning, but we can definitely protect you..."

　　BANG!

　　The metal door at the courtyard of the warehouse was suddenly kicked open, and Liam swaggered in with his followers.

　　"Liam! What are you doing here?" Cathy was shocked and enraged at his uninvited presence.

　　Liam was not surprised that she was here. "Cathy? I haven't seen you for a long time. I almost couldn't recognize you."

　　Cathy grumbled, "I'm asking you, what are you doing here?"

　　"I don't need to report to you," retorted Liam.

　　"You're not welcome here. Get out!" Cathy knew very well what they were here for.

　　"Who are you to chase me out? Is this your home?" Liam revealed a wicked smile as his lackeys began to chuckle impolitely.

　　"You... "

　　Mike remained seated on the stone bench and enjoyed the desserts nonchalantly. He interrupted Cathy, "You don't need to get angry for that piece of garbage."

　　"Mike, what did you just say? Say it again," Liam seethed angrily as he walked towards the two.

　　"I've said that many times over the years. Why? Do you like being called that?" Mike mocked.

　　Cathy hurriedly reminded him, "Mike, he has changed. He is no longer the old Liam."

　　"I'm also not the same person I was before." Mike had endured it for two months and continuously broke through his cultivation. Although he had been humiliated by Clare earlier that day, his strength was no longer at the Spiritual Tempering Realm.

　　"Is that so?" Liam signaled his lackeys to shut the metal door. He snorted disdainfully as he stood before Mike and looked down at him.

　　Mike raised his eyebrow and glanced at Liam indifferently. He stood on the bench and was a head taller than Liam. He lowered his eyes and stared down at Liam, asking him provokingly, "What's the matter?"

　　Liam's imposing manner vanished immediately. His anger flared and he yelled, "Mike, I just don't understand how a sinner like you has such a sense of superiority!"

　　Mike responded, "Say what you want to say. If you don't have anything else to add, get out of here."

　　"I am going to challenge you!" Liam blurted. He didn't want to waste any more time talking to Mike. He only wanted to beat Mike up ruthlessly to vent his anger. Liam concentrated his aura as raging flames that were burning fiercely surged in both of his hands.