Translator: Strivon

  Xue Lei coughed. “Gym master……”


  Xue Lei was a bit flustered. He understood Luo Nan’s thoughts. Frankly speaking, anything involving Formatting Theory was a sensitive topic! He was really afraid of Luo Nan becoming furious, turning around, and leaving. Xue Lei wanted to do his best to save the situation, and he wished that Xiu Shenyu would not say things so bluntly. At least leave some leeway for mediation.

  Unfortunately, the message conveyed by Xiu Shenyu’s dark eyes could not be stopped. It was sent, and there was a near-zero chance that Xiu Shenyu would withdraw his remark with his temperament.

  The tai chi ball continued to roll in the bowl tray. Amidst a rumbling sound, the design on the surface gradually lit up and became clear. Xiu Shenyu turned his gaze to look at it, signaling that he had no further intentions to speak.

  As for Luo Nan, his gaze rested on Xiu Shenyu’s face. Luo Nan had been like this since Xiu Shenyu had said "without a doubt”. Luo Nan didn’t make any other movements. He just stood there in place like a statue. Even his breathing seemed to have stopped.

  Xue Lei looked to his left. Then he looked to his right. In the end, there was nothing he could do. He just hung his head and prayed to himself. He hoped that God would open his eyes and prevent trouble from arising at all costs.

  For a time, the only movement in the spacious room was the constant rolling of the tai chi ball. It rolled from the words and thoughts of a person to the words and thoughts of another person.

  An unknown amount of time passed and Luo Nan, whose entire body had been frozen, suddenly walked forward a single step. He raised a single hand to cut open the incorporeal layer of stone that froze him, and he reached out to press against the rolling tai chi ball. The metal sphere rubbed against the palm of his hand, and the metal sphere jiggled twice due to the uneven distribution of external force. The metal sphere nearly flipped out from the bowl tray, but it just barely stabilized. It now rocked back and forth in the bowl tray, and the luminous patterns on the sphere’s surface naturally faded away without a trace.

  Xiu Shenyu frowned for a moment, then raised his eyes to lock gazes with Luo Nan.

  This was bad! The gym master didn’t like other people disturbing him when he was fiddling with the tai chi ball!

  Xue Lei’s heart began to beat wildly. He simply wanted to cry faced with the situation before his eyes, but no tears could come out. He never expected the situation to unfold like this when he had invited Luo Nan to come to the daoguan and learn breathing techniques!

  But the situation developed in a way that was not as pessimistic as Xue Lei was imagining.

  Luo Nan did not become furious because of the criticism toward Formatting Theory, and Xiu Shenyu did not become angry at Luo Nan for stopping the tai chi ball from rotating. As the monotonous sound of rolling faded away, Luo Nan spoke with a low voice of increasing clarity.

  "Gym Master Xiu, the only flaw in my technique is that it doesn’t consider the human body. Am I right?"

  "I don’t believe that it is ’your technique’."

  Xiu Shenyu reached out a hand as well. He pressed against the tai chi ball, applying similar force for the second time, while Luo Nan found it hard to accept these words from Xiu Shenyu yet again.

  Two people had their palms pressed against the tai chi ball, and the metal sphere became all the more still. It did not move an inch. Through this subtle powerplay, Xiu Shenyu gave a slow answer.

  "In worldly cultivation, the right path should come from the inside to the outside. From me to him. Water travels in accordance to the terrain of the mountain. Breath and energy move due to the human body. And grace and beauty are found within. If such a marvelous spectacle occurs outside the body, then what business do ’I’ have?"

  Xue Lei’s head was spinning from listening to the antonomasia of ’You’s and ’I’s, but Luo Nan could understand each of Xiu Shenyu’s words with clarity. The words related to Luo Nan directly involved a concept that Luo Nan was most familiar with: I. Me. My. The ‘self’!

  This time around the concept was heard in quite an ironic manner.

  Luo Nan’s grandfather had written down a twenty-word secret mantra in his notebook. Every clause began with a ‘my’: My heart’s a prison, my heart’s a furnace; My heart calls for a lens, my heart calls for the nation.

  Wasn’t Formatting Theory rooted in the ‘self’? The ‘self’ had to exist!

  It was because of this that Luo Nan refuted Xiu Shenyu’s words without thinking, "No way. When I cultivate, it all involves ’me’ as the axis!"

  "Do you have anything to ascertain that it is truly the ’self’?"

  Xiu Shenyu gave Luo Nan no chance for further explanation. He immediately shattered his following defenses. "Cultivating for the ’self’ will allow the human body a structure and will allow the circulation of blood and energy. There are changes between movement and stillness. Physicality will inevitably be exhausted, unless you sufficiently prepare. Only in this way will a mark be left with every step. Only in this way can errors be avoided…… This is what you haven’t done."

  Luo Nan stopped talking. He listened attentively in silence.

  "It is inevitable and logical for one to tread wrongly on their journey by relying on pure consciousness for a foundation that lacks all materiality. For others, once the body and soul imbalance reaches a certain degree, the body and soul impeding each other are unable to progress a single step. But for you, the towering glacial mountains are expanding layer upon layer without any sign of their limits."

  Xiu Shenyu did not expound further from this point. The meaning was clear and could not be mistaken. No matter how grand and powerful the framework on the mental plane is, its core mechanism of growth and decline isn’t related to the person himself. How can it be described as ’yours’?

  Luo Nan’s brows were deeply furrowed as he stared at the tai chi ball. He was lost in thought.

  Soon, the room entered a state of silence once more. Xue Lei could not refrain from saying, "If you truly have this problem, then we have to make some adjustments…… Gym master, can we fix this?"

  Xue Lei’s choice of words were tactful, but Xiu Shenyu responded quite bluntly, "External techniques cannot be used for the sake of one’s self. It is not too late to start from scratch and walk toward the correct path."

  Luo Nan lifted his head upon hearing him. He gazed straight at Xiu Shenyu with a face devoid of all expression.

  Xue Lei saw that the situation was going on a bad trend. He scrambled forward and grabbed Luo Nan’s right arm. "We can think over this some more……"

  Luo Nan knew what Xue Lei was nervous about, but he really was not angry. He was just thinking about his grandfather.

  Xiu Shenyu’s thin, decrepit body was somewhat similar to his grandfather’s. Luo Nan’s thoughts floated to the medical treatment center. An insane old man was over there, and the old man’s ailments had tormented him into something inhuman. His life was also near its end.

  What had caused all of this? Luo Nan was not a doctor; he found it impossible to make an accurate assessment. However, right now there existed a fact that was as clear as day.

  Before, the hospital was able to confirm that energy and stimulation were useless in the attempts to improve the old man’s illness. However, Luo Nan’s grandfather was likely a practitioner of Formatting Theory. If Luo Nan were to recognize the flaws of Formatting Theory, revisions could be made upon this foundation, and the positive effects for his grandfather would likely be instant.

  Luo Nan’s mind was in a bit of a daze right now. His thoughts transformed as fast as lightning, and the thought process was not the least bit simple.

  The upheaval of an undercurrent of concepts flipped the sunken grains of memories to the surface of his heart. Luo Nan had synthesized and taken drugs for the past five years. He did this day in and day out in bitter obsession. These memories floated in turmoil, then the silhouette of Gear under the setting sun inexplicably cut into his mind. There was also the lake that faced the building, and the treehouse devoid of all traces of people……

  Luo Nan could not get a grasp on his own emotions for a time, but soon he made up his mind. He took a deep breath, forgot the tangling thought of whether or not Formatting Theory was flawed, and took a step back. He immediately turned to face Xiu Shenyu and gave him a heavy bow.

  "The Formatting Theory I cultivate in is my grandfather’s heart and blood; it’s his life. I cannot give up it up no matter the case, no matter the cause. If the gym master can help me mend its flaws and correct its errors, I will never forget this favor through eternity!"

  It seemed that Xiu Shenyu was stunned for a moment as well. Then, he shook his head. "You are most willing to move in accordance to the technique. You should not desire to be ’imprisoned’."

  Luo Nan just looked at him. "Can you help me?"

  Xiu Shenyu responded as if nothing was wrong, "I’m not an expert in such visualizations. I only use the most basic method of training, practicing, and tempering. I am unable to resolve the so-called flaws and errors of your Formatting Theory…… The most I can do is help you obtain a stronger physique, increase the endurance of your body by a bit, and increase the room for you to experiment and adjust."

  "That’s already enough," said Luo Nan without hesitation.

  Xiu Shenyu was direct as well. "Then prepare for some pain and suffering."