Chapter 0002 - Life and Death

Qin Wen had long since gotten used to the looks of the Qing Yun Sect disciples, whether sympathy or ridicule, he accepted them all openly. After living here for eight years, Qin Wen was always like a passerby who didn't fit in, and the Qing Yun Sect didn't want to accept him any more.

He dragged his tired and injured body back to the Qing Yun Sect's supply warehouse.

This was where he had lived for the past eight years, located on a small hill near the main peak of Qing Yun Sect, the warehouse was very large, and while there used to be five people, there were only two people looking after it now.

One was the strong Qin Wen and the other was a disheveled old man.

They belonged to the lowest level of the Qing Yun Sect and had depended on each other for many years.

Qin Wen returned to the warehouse and rubbed his face hard in front of the iron door, revealing a light smile as usual.

"Old Master, I'm back."

Qin Wen pushed open the iron door and snapped his fingers as if nothing had happened.

The white-haired old man sat silently under the old tree in the distance, where there was a lonely grave, and the old man would sit there every day, quietly thinking about his deceased.

One lonely and despondent, the other stubborn and strong, two completely different personalities, yet they had lived here in harmony for many years, it was strange.

Qin Wen hummed a little tune and went to the warehouse to change into clean clothes. There was no anger, no frustration, no resentment towards anyone, rather than being used to it, it was more like he was trying to be optimistic, a kind of optimism under resilience and perseverance, for eight years, it had always been like this.

By the lonely grave in the distance, the old man was sitting quietly, as if he hadn't seen Qin Wen get hurt, his attention was all on the lonely grave, the magnolias swaying by the side of the lonely grave. This was basically how he lived every day, except for organizing the camp and eating something, he just sat there with that grave.

"We'll eat later today, I'll practice for a while."

Qin Wen greeted and sat cross-legged on a stone bench, as still as a bell, his breath steady as he swallowed the subtle vitality of Heaven and Earth to soothe his injured body.

What he was practicing wasn't a martial art, it was a wonderful set of qi swallowing methods - the Bi Bi Decision!

Generally speaking, the lifelong pursuit of martial artists was to swallow the energy of Heaven and Earth and condense it into spiritual energy in their bodies, thus unleashing a powerful fighting force through specific martial arts. It was recognized by the world that the energy between heaven and earth was the 'wild state', the 'original state' of spiritual energy.

However, what Qin Wen was now capturing was not energy, but anger, the qi of life!

This miraculous and rare way of swallowing qi came from the old man in the distance.

The old man had been here ever since Qin Wen was imprisoned in the Qing Yun Sect as an ordinary disciple and made to work as a servant in the storehouse. It seemed like no one knew where the old man came from or cared about such a bad old man like him. The old man had a strange temper and rarely spoke to Qin Wen, let alone anyone else. However, on that rainy night five years ago, when Qin Wen came crawling back covered in blood, he accidentally said a series of catchphrases that Qin Wen had memorized in his heart.

"Vitality is ethereal, wandering between heaven and earth, without beginning or end."

"The Big Dipper multiplies qi, transporting the four seasons and mediating the eight directions. Heaven and Earth intersect, and everything is born, with a beginning and an end, circulating back and forth."

"The four seasons are born, day and night are made.

"Essence is the thing, wandering souls are the change."

"If you can understand the coming and going, then you can skillfully add divination, tend to prosperity, and avoid decay."

Qin Wen had fumbled and researched for three years before he finally studied it thoroughly and was able to integrate it and use it freely.

It was because of this miraculous way of swallowing qi that Qin Wen's injuries could be healed in the shortest possible time, allowing him to stubbornly and tenaciously survive the persecution and oppression of the Qing Yun Sect until now.

What was the origin of this set of oral skills? The old man did not say, and Qin Wen did not ask.

After a day of recuperation, Qin Wen had recovered most of his qi, blood, and injuries, and the pain had basically disappeared.

The effect of the Sheng Sheng Decision was magical.

In the evening, Qin Wen saw that it was getting late, so he stopped his cultivation, went to the storehouse, and cooked a meal and set it on the simple wooden table outside. "Elder, it's time to eat."

They were all very common wild vegetables, pretty much the same every day, but still, Qin Wen made some different patterns and set up four dishes.

The old man looked at the dishes here, probably because the color and appearance were good, or maybe he was really hungry after not eating for a day, he patted the dust on his body and sat down to eat slowly without speaking.

"You old man eat, I'll practice for a while." Qin Wen, on the other hand, picked up two chopsticks haphazardly and continued to sit on the stone bench to swallow the vital qi.

He had to heal his injuries as quickly as possible, and he couldn't leave any hidden dangers behind.

The old man tasted the dishes one by one and felt that they tasted good, so he pulled out all four plates and ate them slowly.

He seemed to have a special appetite today.

"Mr. Qin?" A pretty and white young girl knocked on the iron door and entered.

"Caiyi." Qin Wen greeted her with a light smile, "I haven't seen you in a few months, you're pretty again."

"Haven't seen you in a few months, you've gotten into trouble again, don't let people worry about you, Elder Sister Yue Ting asked me to bring you some medicine." The young girl shakes the small bamboo basket in her hand, by the way, she says hello to the old man, only to be ignored, the old man eats his own food, the young girl doesn't care, she quickly steps in front of Qin Wen, her steps are light, "I'll see how the injury is".

"Nothing, much better, don't worry."

"Really, why are you suffering? Knowing that they won't let you pass." The young girl placed the small bamboo basket next to Qin Wen, her appearance was purely beautiful, fresh and pretty, like a lotus flower as white and delicate, she looked lively and cheerful, but Qin Wen's pale face still caused her face to be filled with worry, scolding him for being impulsive.

"The chance is there, how can you not know if it works or not without trying?"

"Where is the chance. Why don't you understand, with the Grand Elder and the others there to push forward, the other elders won't want to cause any trouble. I know you're worried about your loved ones and want to gain status to improve their situation, but the more you play hardball like this, the more they'll oppress you. Can't we just soften our stance a little?" Cai Yi was disturbed by Qin Wen's pale face.

"Lower our guard and become a dog? Wagging our tails and begging for mercy? Praying for alms? I, Qin Wen, can't do that."

Cai Yi pursed her rosy little mouth and didn't say much else, she didn't know how many times she had talked him into it before, even Senior Sister Yue Qing had talked her into it, but what was the point? She opened the small bamboo basket, inside were two bottles of medicine to heal bruises and regulate qi, there were also some exquisite pastries, she softly said, "Guess who made them?

"Thank Yueqing for me, don't worry about me, haven't I lived well all these years?" Qin Wen picked up the pastry and put it in his mouth to taste, nodding his head as he ate, "It's Yueqing's handiwork, it tastes good."

"You call this living well? I'm heartbroken by this mess. Fighting twice in three days, either you beat others to a bloody pulp or they beat you to a bloody pulp. They're obviously picking fights on purpose, so just avoid them if you can."

"The weak shall not die well, the strong shall not live well, I want to be the strong! The strong forever!"

"Who said that?"

"My father." Qin Wen's complexion turned slightly pale, but then relieved, he picked up another snack and tasted it.

Cai Yi opened her mouth and carefully looked at Qin Wen s face, "Do you ... hate her? I don't mean anything else, it's just that other people say that she really ..."

"Hate? Why should I hate? They won't abandon me, they won't abandon their loved ones."

"I'm sorry, I said the wrong thing." Caiyi knew that she had stumbled upon Qin Wen's sad past.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

"By the way, Elder Sister Yueqing asked me to remind you that if you remain silent for so many months and suddenly openly display your strength in the Spiritual Martial Realm, it will attract a lot of attention and provoke more people to suppress you, so you need to be mentally prepared."

"Have I ever been afraid? It's been eight years, and it has finally allowed me to break through the Spirit Martial Realm, this is just the beginning, I will become even stronger so that the higher echelons of the Qing Yun Sect will really take me seriously, one day I will save my loved ones and the 200,000 townspeople." Qin Wen spoke casually, but his tone was filled with a determination that only he knew.

"Don't be in such a hurry, you've endured it for eight years, what do you care now? During this time, if you really feel that someone is trying to harm you, just run to Senior Sister Yueqing, we can't save Thunder Ancient City, but we can definitely protect you ..."

"Boom!"

The iron gate of the camp was kicked open with a rumble, and Zhao Lie swaggered in with his followers.

"Zhao Lie! What are you doing here?" Cai Yi shouted in anger.

Zhao Lie wasn't surprised that Cai Yi was here, "Isn't this Senior Sister Cai Yi? It's been so long since I've seen you, I don't even dare to recognize you.

"I ask you, what are you doing here?"

"Where do I, Zhao Lie, have to report to you?"

"You are not welcome here, get out!" Caiyi knew exactly why they were here.

"Is this your home?" Zhao Lie smiled wickedly, and some of his followers heckled nonchalantly.

"You ..."

Qin Wen sat on the stone bench without even getting up, eating snacks by himself, "No need to get angry with some trash."

"Sinful citizen Qin Wen, what did you just say? Dare you say it again?" Zhao Lie walked towards them.

"I've said it many times over the years, what, are you addicted to hearing it?"

Caiyi hastily reminded, "Qin Wen, he's not the old Zhao Lie anymore."

"I'm not the old me either." Qin Wen had been holding back for more than two months, making breakthroughs after breakthroughs, and although he had been humiliated by Elder Chu Hua today, his strength was no longer at the level of the former Hardened Spirit Realm.

"Is that so?" Zhao Lie signaled his followers to close the Iron Gate and stood in front of Qin Wen with a humming smile, looking down at him with his eyes downcast.

Qin Wen raised an eyebrow and looked at him as he stood up on the stone bench, standing a head taller than him, and turned to look down at Zhao Lie with his eyes downcast. "Is something wrong?"

Zhao Lie's just raised aura weakened on the spot, he was irritated, "Qin Wen, I just don't understand where you sinners get your superiority complex!"

"Say what you have to say, and get lost if you have nothing to say."

"I will challenge you!" Zhao Lie didn't want to talk nonsense with him anymore, he just wanted to beat up Qin Wen mercilessly to get rid of his bad anger. His aura was certain, and his hands actually spat out flames that blazed.

Spiritual power was manifested outwardly, Spirit Martial Realm!

"I haven't seen you for two months, how many levels of Spiritual Martial Realm have you reached?" Qin Wen looked at the flames on his hands and was not surprised.

"Spirit Martial! Three Heavy Heavens!" Zhao Lie puffed out his chest with bravado, he had disappeared for so long, he was actually taken away by Elder Chu Hua to have a small cooking session, it was his sister who helped him get the opportunity to train hard with Elder Chu Hua, being guided with all his heart, he ascended two levels of Heaven in a row, advancing from the beginning of Spirit Martial realm to the third level of Spirit Martial Heaven.

The group of disciples were all proud of Zhao Lie.

"Qin Wen, listen, our elder brother Zhao Lie passed today's test, scored first place, and was given an extra batch of Spirit Pearl Grass by Elder Chu Hua!"

"Do you know what Spirit Pearl Grass is? It's a mid-level spirit herb!"

"In ten days, our elder brother Zhao Lie will enter the Martial Arts Pavilion and receive a stronger martial arts inheritance, and in the future, he might not only be a Pro disciple, but also grow up to be a Golden Pearl disciple. As for you, continue doing odd jobs in this warehouse, haha."

"From now on, you can only stand behind our Senior Brother Zhao Lie and watch his back, haha."

Qin Wen's expression finally wavered a bit, Spirit Pearl Grass? He looked at the embroidered pouch on Zhao Lie's waist.