The Legend of Swordsman

Chapter 4 Have Faith in Yourself

　　Mike sat on the stone bench and studied for an entire night, but he was not exhausted in the slightest. Instead, he was energetic. He was able to absorb the Qi of life between heaven and earth which allowed him to recover from his injuries at a much more rapid speed. It also enabled him to stay awake throughout the night.

　　It took Mike three years to master the first part of the Pithy Formula of Life. It was time-consuming because he had been too young and knew little about it. Besides, his knowledge concerning the method of refining Qi through the pithy formula was limited. Over the years, he had depended solely on himself to learn and grasp the concept. But now, the second part of the Pithy Formula of Life was obviously much easier to get on hand. He managed to grasp some insights in just one night. Mike was confident that he could master the first and second parts in about half a year.

　　Maxwell had returned to the warehouse to sleep, leaving only Mike and the lonely grave in the courtyard.

　　Mike was in a good mood. He relieved himself of the gloominess after being rejected by Clare. After making breakfast for Maxwell the next day, he ate a steamed bun and proceeded to perform his daily training at the corner of the courtyard. He lifted the two-meter-high stone jar in one hand and steadied it on his palm. All the muscles in his body were tightened, accentuating his perfect muscular contour.

　　This stone jar was for him to carry goods.

　　His job was to deliver necessities to various locations in the Blue Cloud Sect. At first, he would push a wooden wheel car to deliver goods before switching it to a wooden barrel of more than one meter in length. He would place the goods in the barrel and carry it for delivery. Two years ago, he had changed the barrel into a stone jar.

　　The exterior of the stone jar was filled with iron cones, weighing up to 300 jin. In addition to the goods that he carried daily, it would weigh at least 500 jin. Sometimes, the number would go up to 700 or 800 jin.

　　Bare-chested, Mike lifted the stone jar and strode towards the exit of the courtyard. His strong muscles, his explosive power, and his perseverance were built up day after day like this.

　　Mike would tell himself every day that he had to turn these difficulties into a form of training and improving himself.

　　"Mike, are you here?" A sharp voice broke out from outside. A fair, stout, and arrogant-looking man stood outside the metal door. He deliberately raised his head and squinted his eyes.

　　The man was Done Zhang, and he was one of the managers of the Blue Cloud Sect. He was in charge of watching half of the Blue Cloud Sect's servants as well as arranging their daily works.

　　Mike ignored Done as he continued his training with the stone jar in his hand.

　　"Are you f*cking deaf? I'm talking to you..." Done screamed at Mike.

　　Boom! Suddenly, the stone jar in Mike's hand fell heavily onto the ground. The large impact caused the entire warehouse and courtyard to shake.

　　Hearing this, Done jolted and lost his voice in an instant like a frightened chick. He stood frozen by the door, not daring to take even half a step inside.

　　Mike wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked, "What's the matter?"

　　Done's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the stone jar that weighed a few hundred jin. However, he remained unyielding as ever. He raised the list in his hand and said, "These are the goods to be delivered today."

　　"You always stick the list on the door. Why do you come in and visit me today?" asked Mike.

　　"Hey, you puny sinner! You should be honored for my presence..." Being stared at by Mike, Done struggled to formulate a complete sentence. He dared not to show off in front of Mike. Otherwise, he would be beaten up mercilessly, just like many times before. In Mike's eyes, his status did not matter in the slightest.

　　"Give it to me." Mike walked over and took the list. He glanced at the list and inquired, "Why are there so many locations today?"

　　Done snorted in response. "Aren't you in the Spiritual Martial Realm? You even dared to challenge Master Clare. Is it so difficult for you to go to more locations?"

　　Mike pressed on, "Some of these places here don't fall under my responsibility."

　　Done answered curtly, "It's up to me to decide where you deliver the goods. Those who are capable should shoulder more responsibility. From now on, your delivery locations will be three times more than before."

　　Mike threw a cold glance at Done and waved the list in his hand.

　　"What are you doing? If you dare to hit me again, I will assign all the goods of the Blue Cloud Sect to you in the future. You will have to work to death! Wh-wh-what are you still looking at? Mike, hold yourself back. What's wrong with delivering a few more jin of goods..." Mike was approaching Done slowly; the latter was so scared that he staggered backward. When Mike was just ten years old, he had always chased Done around and beaten him up. From then on, Done had been pummeled twice every year. The more severely Done punished Mike, the fiercer Mike would hit him. Mike was strong and not afraid of being punished. Done had been greatly traumatized, even when Mike hadn't hit him this year.

　　"I'm picking up my stuff. Don't worry." Mike picked up a stone from the ground and threw it into the stone jar.

　　Done was both embarrassed and irked. He huffed, "Pack up quickly and deliver the goods. Let me warn you, even if you reach the Xuan Martial Realm in the future, you would still forever be a servant and have to deliver the goods every day."

　　"Done, don't be too arrogant. You'll forever stay as a manager, but I don't necessarily have to be a servant for the rest of my life." Mike fetched a bucket of water from the well and entered the warehouse to shower. Then he changed into clean clothes.

　　Although he was a servant now, he was also a well-respected man. He was the Young Master of the Ancient City of Lightning.

　　He didn't need expensive clothes, as long as they were clean. He was not afraid of hardships; he just needed to laugh them off.

　　It didn't matter how the other people thought of him. Most important of all, he had to have respect and faith in himself.

　　This was the right attitude of life, and also Mike's attitude toward martial arts.

　　Irritated, Done rolled his eyes. He thought to himself that Mike should stop putting on a show. No matter what, Mike would be a servant for the rest of his life.

　　After that, Mike moved the goods into the stone jar one by one according to the list. When he looked back at Done, who was squinting at him by the metal door, Mike frowned slightly. He then went into the warehouse and stuffed something into his waist before coming out again.

　　The stone jar was filled with all sorts of goods with a weight of at least 800 jin.

　　Mike gripped his fists and let out a muffled shout. The stone jar was lifted up easily by him before it landed steadily on his hands.

　　Done sucked in a deep breath as he was flabbergasted by Mike's strength. He quickly ordered him, "Hurry up! Don't dawdle. If you're late, I'll make you crawl back here."

　　Mike left the warehouse with the stone jar. 800 jin was a lot of pressure for him, but he insisted on holding it up every day while keeping his pace and maintaining smooth breathing.

　　Envious of Mike, Done mocked, "Look at you. What's the use of your strength? For a strong martial artist, martial arts techniques and the realms are the keys. It's a pity that you are destined to never possess them. You can only be at the Spiritual Martial Realm. Don't even dream about reaching higher realms."

　　The stone jar in Mike's hand suddenly tilted, seemingly about to smash in Done's direction.

　　Shocked, Done let out a scream. He immediately scurried far away to save himself.

　　Mike then casually straightened the stone jar again before he strode past Done.

　　"You... you b*stard!" Done was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

　　The Blue Cloud Sect was located in the depths of Cloud Forest and had existed for thousands of years. The sect was huge and was surrounded by more than 30 mountains and hills. There were 8,000 disciples and countless powerful martial artists. It was a well-known sect and a sacred place for the martial artists within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.

　　Every two years, the Blue Cloud Sect would publicly recruit disciples. At that time, there would be tens of thousands of people gathered at the foot of the mountain. Parents would try their best to get their children to practice martial arts and condense their Spiritual Power in order to be selected as a disciple. If they could complete the Spiritual Tempering Realm and enter the Spiritual Martial Realm, it was enough to make their parents proud. If they were lucky enough to become an elite disciple or even a personal disciple of an elder, they would be likened to be blessed by their ancestors.

　　Mike lifted the stone jar and strutted through the Blue Cloud Sect. Every step he took caused the stairs to tremble slightly. This was definitely the most eye-catching scene in the early morning of the Blue Cloud Sect. Although many disciples were used to this, Mike would always attract attention every time he appeared.

　　Mike appeared strong and mighty with his strapping figure. He was 1.8 meters tall and looked to be 17 or 18 years old, but in reality, he was only 15. It was the eight years of torment in the Blue Cloud Sect that made him seem even more mature, both mentally and physically.

　　"Mike, congratulations on advancing into the Spiritual Martial Realm."

　　On the way, someone took the initiative to greet him with a friendly smile that contained a little of both admiration and sympathy.

　　"Thank you." As always, Mike would greet these friendly disciples.

　　"Let's have a friendly battle some other day," another disciple shouted from afar.

　　"Sure. I'll be waiting for you," Mike responded with a smile.

　　Of course, some thought highly of him while others disliked him. Along the way, there were many disciples coming and going. Some sneered and some whispered, but most of them blatantly ignored him.

　　Mike held the list and carried the stone jar, walking steadily on the steep steps from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain. Then, he headed to the courtyards, side rooms, individual martial arts arenas, and other places to deliver the goods. At the same time, he also collected the goods and materials that were of no use anymore.

　　While he was focused on completing his job, he was also training his strength.

　　His dozen trips went smoothly. However, when Mike climbed to the training field at the top of the mountain, he was met with a problem.

　　"I wanted a 100-jin iron stick. Why did you bring me two wooden sticks?"

　　A brawny disciple broke the wooden sticks and threw them at Mike.

　　The spacious training field became quiet at once, and many disciples who had been doing their morning exercises were looking over at the two.

　　This large-scale training field was where the disciples of the Blue Cloud Sect would train together. It was designed with special training platforms made of stones as well as those items and equipment used for training. Here, the platform could be used for training, cultivation, or watching the battles between elite disciples. One could gain many experiences and techniques here. Each training field could accommodate at most 1000 people, and it was an important venue for the disciples to conduct training.

　　There were 15 such large-scale training fields in the Blue Cloud Sect.

　　Mike placed the stone jar on the ground and took out the list of goods, reading aloud, "It says here 'two wooden sticks for training field 10'."

　　"Bullsh*t. I told Done last night that I wanted a 100-jin iron stick. You must be Mike. I heard that you're in the Spiritual Martial Realm. What a joke. How dare you secretly switch my iron stick to wooden ones? Believe it or not, you will be confined for ten days with just a word from me."

　　Following that was a burst of faint laughter coming from the side.

　　"It's not a big deal. I'll go back and change it for you." Mike lifted the stone jar and turned around to leave.

　　"When will you get it for me? I need to use it now," hissed the disciple.

　　"In the next life," replied Mike.

　　"What the hell? I'm so going to kill you!" The disciple was annoyed at Mike's sarcastic answer, but he was being held back by other disciples. They reminded him that he was already 20 years old and he had no need to waste time with a child-like Mike.

　　Mike didn't bother himself with the said disciple. He carried the stone jar and resumed delivering the rest of the goods. In a short while, he arrived at another tall mountain. This mountain was not within his delivery range in the past because those who resided here were female disciples.

　　"Hey, isn't that Mike?" A voice as delicate as silver belts rang out.

　　"I think so. Why is he here?"

　　"I heard that he has reached the Spiritual Martial Realm. What a talent," chirped another.

　　"He is quite talented, but he is too strong-willed and never humble himself." The girl let out a sigh.

　　"He's obviously a young master. It's a pity for him to be in such a miserable state."

　　There were many female disciples coming and going in his path while making remarks, but none of them made things difficult for him.

　　Mike held the stone jar and walked halfway up the mountain. This was the delivery site, but he was somewhat confused when he noticed where he had arrived. It was the hot spring area.

　　There were various independent hot springs, both large and small. It was said that the warm water came from deep underground and contained a rich amount of water power. Many disciples liked to train here because of that.

　　"Who are you?" a female disciple asked as she encountered Mike face-to-face. She had just finished her cultivation; her long, wet hair draped over her shoulders and her clothing was revealing. One could faintly see some parts of her body. She stared at Mike's two-meter tall stone jar, a bit surprised. However, she quickly recognized him. "Why are you here?"

　　"Here are the 30..." Mike paused. He didn't know that it was the hot spring area. He opened his mouth but didn't continue speaking. How could there be an order of 30 wooden sticks here?

　　"30 what?" asked the girl.

　　"Nothing. I am at the wrong place." Mike understood that it must be Done's doings. That b*stard was making trouble for him.

　　"Why is there a man here?" At this moment, several disciples came over one after another. Their hairs were damped; their thin clothes accentuated their figures. It left little to his imagination.

　　Mike did not want to get himself in trouble. Therefore, he held the stone jar and prepared to leave. It was when one of the disciples pointed out coldly, "No male disciple is allowed to enter this mountain, day or night. Don't you know the rules?"

　　Another disciple tried to dissuade her and said, "Forget it. He might have come to the wrong place."

　　"Who knows? Maybe he's up to something."

　　Another one giggled and said, "He's quite young, but he's pretty strong."

　　With a soured mood, Mike hastily left the place and dumped all of the 30 wooden sticks at the foot of the mountain. He had done his job in delivering them anyway. Since they did not let him in, he could only leave the goods there for whoever to retrieve.

　　"What a despicable trick," Mike cursed under his breath and looked carefully at the next location on the list. Other than a couple of places that seemed to be quite logical, there was the Ninth Mountain.

　　Wasn't the Ninth Mountain Herb Mountain?

　　Herb Mountain was forbidden ground for the Blue Cloud Sect, and no disciple was allowed to enter without permission. Anyone who dared to violate the rules would be severely punished.

　　Done was so vile to have Mike deliver the goods to Herb Mountain. If Mike were to go there, he might very likely be beaten up and chased out. If he were not to deliver the goods, Done might take the opportunity to report to the general manager and give Mike a punishment for not accomplishing his job.

　　Frustrated, Mike threw away the list decisively and was ready to leave. He didn't care about the punishment, and he didn't want to entertain Done.

　　However, after taking a few steps, Mike halted and looked back at the list.