Cliched

"Do you know what a cultivation's path essence is?" Ru Meng asked her disciple, Wu Xue, while she waved her fan a few times.

"Master, I believe it is to be selfish," Wu Cue answered with a confused face, "But at the same time, we sometimes need to enter a state of selfless cultivation to progress, it's contradictory."

"It's normal to be confused," Ru Meng grinned, "It's already pretty good for you to have noticed the duality problem."

"Duality problem?"

"We are selfish, but the world isn't," Ru Meng explained, "When we become selfless to merge with the world and comprehend it, we are in truth acting selfishly.

"All cultivation's paths have tendencies, some are more tended to the selfish side, and others to the selfless.

"Take the mainstream qi cultivation path as an example, it has a strong selfish tendency, but it also requires selfless actions from cultivators.

"What about the body refining path? It is almost completely selfish, but it has a tinge of selfless needs as well.

"The literary path I will be teaching you is the complete opposite of the body refining. It has an almost completely selfless tendency, but it also requires individual selfishness.

"I'm telling you those things because you need to be aware of this paradox, it's unsolvable! Knowing this will prevent you from falling into many traps along the way."

"I understand!" Wu Xue nodded.

"You already formed your literary heart, but you didn't condense it," Ru Meng walked to him at placed her hand on his head, "To condense it, you need to selfishly choose your own inner literary path."

Wu Xue was lost in thought.

"There is no technique in this world that can aid you, you can only comprehend it by yourself. That's also the reason the literary path is considered one of the most difficult cultivation paths."

Wu Xue got up from his seat, he was much taller than when he accepted Ru Meng as his master, a few years passed and he was nine years old.

"Master, I think I need to spend some time alone," he said.

"You can go," Ru Meng nodded and calmly observed him leaving her courtyard.

When he left, she sighed with a complex face, she clearly felt her disciple's literary heart condensing in an instant after he heard her words.

"Little monster..." she muttered and shook her head, "Xu Ling is having a hard time..."

Wu Xue went to his own cave abode but was stopped by his brother on the way.

Wu Tian was now much taller since Ru Meng's avatar began to live in the Wu Clan. His face was almost the same as his father's and he carried an oppressive aura by nature, but when he approached Wu Xue the aura disappeared in an instant.

"Big brother," Wu Xue smiled mischievously, "What is up? I thought you were too occupied with your recent sweetheart to visit me."

"Don't provoke me," Wu Tian sighed bitterly, "She dumped me."

"You have never been in a romantic relationship, to begin with," Wu Xue snorted and mocked, "It was just your one-sided wishful thinking."

"Shut up!" Wu Tian smacked his head harshly, "When you reach my age you will know how bad it is! Women were the nemesis of young boys!"

"I already feel attracted to women though?" Wu Xue tilted his head, "But I guess my superior intellect enables me to control my inner desires." He then put his palms together as if praying.

"Hmph!" Wu Tian snorted and mocked in return, "You don't even have hairs down there, your so-called 'attraction' is just a simple emotion, nothing like the fire within true male adolescents."

"Bah!" Wu Xue spat on the ground, "You are just abnormal! I read a lot of naughty books, I know very well how a man has intercourse with a woman, what about you? Have you ever seen a naked woman? Well, I have! There were many naked women in the books!"

"You and your books," Wu Tian shook his head in disdain, "Reading books won't give you REAL experience."

"Do you have REAL experience?" Wu Xue asked.

"...."

"Then don't be so pretentious," Wu Xue snorted.

"Do boys only know to think and talk about those things?" a sweet but cold voice interrupted them, a beautiful young lady appeared a few meters away, she wore colored clothes and had long crimson hair.

"Hoh?" Wu Xue narrowed his eyes and poked his brother, "Aren't you my brother's ex-girlfriend?"

"Y-You!" Wu Tian felt deeply betrayed and almost exploded.

"Hoh?" the young lady smiled and covered her mouth with a hand, "Am I?"

"Don't listen to his nonsense, Bing'er!" Wu Tian shouted desperately.

The young lady's face instantly darkened, "Who permitted you to call me so intimately? Call me by my full name!"

"Sorry, Wu Bing," Wu Tian kneeled shamelessly, "It's just a misunderstanding!"

"Trash!" Wu Xue mercilessly cursed.

"You!" Wu Tian was enraged and about to beat his younger brother to a pulp but was caught by the ear.

Wu Bing smiled beautifully as she brutely contorted his ear with her hand, "What am I?"

"Please have mercy!" Wu Tian was almost crying.

Wu Xue's flashed with mischief and he said, "Oh! What is it that adults say? Right! The more a young couple fights, the more they love each other."

Wu Bing's expression changed drastically and she looked at Wu Xue with cold eyes, "You truly are his brother, you know how to irritate me."

"You are just a tsundere!" Wu Xue snorted and proudly approached her, "I read a lot about your type! You just don't want to acknowledge your love for him!

"Moreover, who permitted you to hurt my brother? Only I can do this!"

Wu Xue looked directly into her eyes without an ounce of fear, although their strength was planned apart.

Wu Bing stopped contorting Wu Tian's ear and walked away, "When you grow up a little, I will settle accounts with you. You are too insignificant the way you are right now."

"Hmph! You are just a coward!" Wu Xue didn't stop provoking her, "I know you are just afraid of my masters, you bully the weak and fear the strong!"

Wu Bing stopped her steps and asked, "Wu Tian, do your brother have a death wish!"

"What?" Wu Tian was angered, "Don't you dare lay a hand on him! Only I can do this!"

Wu Bing looked at both of them for a moment before walking away.

"Witch!" Wu Xue shouted, making her steps stagnate again.

Wu Bing clenched her teeth and took deep breaths while trying to control herself.

"Ice Witch!" Wu Xue shouted again, "I will always call you by this nickname from now on, it combines with your name!"

(Bing in Chinese can mean Ice.)

With great difficulty and under constant curses, Wu Bing walked away and disappeared into the horizon.

"Hmph!" Wu Xue sneered, "I bet she is afraid of being beaten by my master just like the last time."

"You should stop cursing her from now on," Wu Tian said in a grave tone, "She will be my wife one day, and your sister-in-law."

"Brother, you are too cowardly!" Wu Xue shook his head in disappointment, "I bet you are stronger than her but you let her beat you!"

"You don't understand..." Wu Tian smiled awkwardly, "If I resist, she will just dislike me more."

"What a messed up logic..." Wu Xue was confused.

"That's why I said you depend too much on books," Wu Tian laughed, "Don't worry, you will experience the same things I am experiencing when your age arrives."

"Bah!" Wu Xue spat on the ground again and walked away.

"This kid..." Wu Tian sighed, "Why is he getting more childish as time passes? I'm worried."

Just as Wu Xue was about to enter his cave abode, a childish voice called out for him, "Elder Brother!"

He tilted his head and saw a small girl running towards him, she was about three years old and was the child of the second wife of his father, her name was Wu Wan'er.

She inherited the dark purple hair of her mother, Su Yan, but inherited the black eyes of his father.

Interestingly enough, she also had a slight gloom under her eyes, similar to Wu Xue.

"Wan'er?" Wu Xue smiled and hugged her high, spinning a few times before asking, "What are you doing here?"

"Mom wants to see you!" Wu Wan'er smiled purely and explained, "She wants to see you!! Come with me!"

Wu Xue smiled bitterly and didn't find the strength to refuse, he walked with her toward Su Yan's courtyard. It was a green and flowery place, Su Yan liked to take care of plants so it simply turned like that.

"Hello, second miss," Wu Xue greeted politely when he saw her drinking tea and talking with a maid.

"Little Xue, I'm glad you aren't in seclusion," Su Yan smiled, she liked this 'son' of hers a lot.

Although her original name was Su Yan, she was now called Wu Yan, she married Wu Xue's father with all the rights of a legal wife.

"When are you going to call me second mother?" she got up from her seat and walked towards him and patted Wu Wan'er's head with love, "Thank you for bringing him here."

"It's difficult for me," Wu Xue said while caressing the back of his head.

"Then it's fine," Wu Yan smiled and also patted his head, "I have something you might like, but come with me to have a nice meal first."

In the hall, they sat beside a table full of delicacies and were served by a few maids.

"Do you like them?" Wu Yan asked with a smile when she saw how awkward Wu Xue seemed when being served by the maids.

"Don't misunderstand, I just don't like anyone serving me like this," Wu Xue smiled bitterly, "Even if it's my mother."

"Yes, I heard you were the type of child who likes independence," Wu Yan laughed cheerfully.

After everyone was satisfied, Wu Yan glanced at a maid and she brought a carefully wrapped package, it was clearly a gift.

"Open it," Wu Yan said, "I want to see your reaction."

Wu Xue nodded and opened the package, inside were a few books and scrolls, "Those are?"

"I remember you once said you wanted miscellaneous books from the lower worlds," she giggled softly, "Those are very interesting, I read them before giving them to you."

Wu Xue's eyes instantly brightened, he truly wanted books that weren't about cultivation or literature, he wanted to read books about random mortal things.

"Thank you!" Wu Xue was genuinely happy, "Master doesn't like to give me this kind of book, she judges it as a waste of time."

Wu Yan flinched for a moment and asked, "Do your master forbid you from reading this kind of book?"

Wu Xue saw her worries and shook his head, "Don't worry, she didn't forbid me."

"That's good," Wu Yan sighed in relief, "I hope you enjoy reading them."

"I will!" Wu Xue got up from his seat, "I'm sorry for my suddenness, but I need to excuse myself to enter in reclusion."

"You can go," Wu Yan nodded and glanced at Wu Wan'er, "You stay here, don't think about bothering your brother outside."

"Mom..." Wu Wan'er was sad when she heard her, "Can't I just stay out a little?"

The cold stare from her mother answered her question.

Wu Xue tapped Wan'er's head and said, "Don't worry, I will be out of seclusion soon."

Wu Wan'er hugged him tightly for a few seconds before letting him go.

At last, Wu Xue finally managed to enter his cave abode.

He sat on the cushion he received from his master and made a gesture to close the formation around his cave, to avoid anyone entering while he was in seclusion.

A breath came out of his mouth and he began to enter in a state of deep concentration.

The literary heart was not located in the heart, it was integrated in the mind of the cultivator. He looked deep inside his mind, in his depths, and there he found a beating golden heart. It was constantly pursuing as if alive, but there was no blood. From the arteries and veins, pure literary power flowed in and out.

"This is the condensed literary heart..." Wu Xue muttered in amazement, "My own literary heart.

"I could sense it before, but now I can see it!

"I can now use literary power to influence the world around me! My literary power right now is equivalent to someone in the first layer of the Essence Refining Realm."

Wu Xue was very happy. Since Ru Meng became his master he always focused on absorbing and digesting more and more knowledge, but his master never allowed and instructed him to form his literary heart.

He could have deducted how it could be done by himself, but then he would disappoint his master, he didn't want that.

"It's finally ready, my grand plan!" he began to laugh maniacally, "I can finally do it!

"My body is at the peak of the ninth layer of the Smithing Realm.

"My soul is at the peak of the Accumulation Realm.

"My Qi Cultivation is still at the first layer of the Essence Refining Realm... It was all for this day!

"With my condensed literary heart, I will challenge what seems impossible, I will turn what is crazy into reality!

"Buhahahahaha"

He then proceeded to spout more cliched lines and laugh like a villain for a few minutes, he was clearly deeply influenced by some novels he read.

But he thought he was cool by doing that.