Kaslana's Way of Survival

"I—of course I wouldn't. I'm not someone who doesn't know gratitude. You did save me, after all."

"You really aren't ungrateful. You're just a bit foolish."

Li Sushang was stunned by the undeserved scolding, then puffed up her cheeks, ready to flare up.

"You took a sword and insisted on a fair duel—one where the other side could use True Qi but you couldn't."

"Then when the sword ended up in their hands, you couldn't even snatch it back. And when they wanted to kill you, you didn't even think to run. Tell me, if that's not foolish, what is?"

To be honest, Kaino had considered the idea of offering timely aid, but he figured that with Li Sushang's baseline strength as an A-rank Valkyrie, even if Old Eagle had the sword, she could still wear him down.

Yet Li Sushang, like some reckless hothead, insisted on fighting to the death with him.

"In Shenzhou duels, how could I flee? I already made a bet with him! I..."

Hearing Kaino's words, Li Sushang's puffed-up cheeks instantly deflated. Though she wanted to argue, when she met Kaino's gaze, she turned her head away.

"Fine, I admit I was wrong."

"Then let's get moving."

Kaino stood up and walked out of the kitchen first. Li Sushang quickly got up and followed behind him.

"There shouldn't be any caravans at this hour. I remember the Golden Sands Gang still has a few horses, right? We'll grab them and leave."

"Mm... Hey, wait. Raiken, weren't you captured along with a caravan? Shouldn't we at least rescue them?!"

"...Do you think I came straight to the kitchen after getting out of the Black Prison? By the time I found them, they were already dead."

Kaino hadn't forgotten the Kaslana family creed—the shield of the people. Once he confirmed the Golden Sands Gang wasn't an official force but a band of outlaws, he naturally wouldn't ignore them.

But the caravan members captured alongside Kaino weren't rare Raiken like him, so they couldn't fetch a good price.

And goods that couldn't be sold for a decent sum had no value to a gang like the Golden Sands Gang. Keeping them around would just waste food.

"But don't worry. I swiped all the Golden Sands Gang's food. And with their horses stolen by us, they won't be able to leave this desert."

Patting Li Sushang's shoulder as she looked a bit dazed after hearing the caravan members were all dead, Kaino offered some comfort.

Li Sushang bit her lip and slowly nodded.

If it had been before tonight, she might have felt a twinge of pity for the gang members condemned to death. But after going through that life-or-death struggle, her perspective had shifted slightly.

Even without their leader, the Golden Sands Gang would just elect a new one. If she didn't kill them, they'd keep killing others and looting treasures.

Just like her and Old Eagle before.

"Ah, right."

Just as they reached the stable, Li Sushang looked up at Kaino.

"Raiken, I never asked—where are you headed in Shenzhou?"

There was a faint hint of reluctance in her tone.

"Didn't I tell you?"

Kaino conjured a carriage with seats and hitched it to the horses in the stable. Hearing Li Sushang's question, he scratched his cheek.

"Mm... I'm looking for the Red Sparrow Immortal. I have some questions I want to ask the Immortal, and if possible, I'd like to learn... well, a technique."

"Looking for the Immortal?"

Li Sushang had already seen Kaino's ability to conjure objects, so she wasn't surprised by it. But hearing his answer, her eyes lit up.

"Looking for the Immortal? I can help you with that!"

"Help me?"

Hearing Li Sushang's words, the corner of Kaino's mouth twitched upward slightly, then quickly returned to normal as he feigned confusion.

"Oh, I remember now. You said that Tai Xu Sword Qi you practice is a technique passed down by the Red Sparrow Immortal?"

"That's right!"

Li Sushang nodded happily.

"My master and my mother are two of the Immortal's only seven disciples. If anyone knows where the Immortal is, it's definitely them."

"As for you wanting to learn Tai Xu Sword Qi... my master did say the Immortal forbids teaching it to outsiders, but I can plead with her—maybe she'll teach you. Still, it's best to start training in Tai Xu Sword Qi from childhood. You're a bit old to begin now."

"Oh, is that so?" Kaino blinked and smiled.

"Then thank you."

Chapter 16: Tai Xu Five Essences

On the golden desert, a horse-drawn carriage trundled along leisurely. A man and a woman sat on it, idly gazing at their surroundings.

The two were Kaino and Li Sushang.

Li Sushang sat sideways on the seat, curiously examining the conjured cart with its seats.

The cart was different from traditional wooden ones, made of a material that gleamed with a metallic luster yet was very light. The seat cushions weren't cotton cloth but a soft leather that felt comfortable to sit on.

The desert sand, carried by the gentle breeze, kept blowing into their faces. But with their extraordinary physiques, the sand wasn't too bothersome.

Otherwise, Kaino would have long put a cover over the cart.

"Hey, Raiken, how exactly did you do that? Is it martial arts or something else entirely?"

Li Sushang blinked, tapped the carriage, and looked at Kaino with curiosity.

"You promised you'd explain it to me before."

"I only said I'd explain the method I used to heal you. I didn't say I'd explain how I conjure things, did I?"

Kaino, who had been leaning back on the leather seat in a daze, snapped back to reality and sighed with some exasperation.

He'd long since given up correcting her on how she addressed him.

"You said it wasn't a secret, so asking shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Li Sushang chuckled.

"Hmm... Let me think how to explain it."

Kaino rubbed his chin in thought, then spoke:

"As far as I know, these two methods I use probably can't be learned by others... at least, we haven't found a way to teach them."

"So I wouldn't call them martial arts."

"As for the method itself, I think it'd be better to just show you directly—let me see that Xuanyuan Sword of yours."

With that, Kaino reached out his hand toward Li Sushang.

"Oh, sure, here you go."

Without any hesitation, Li Sushang handed the Xuanyuan Sword straight to Kaino.

Once the sword was in his hand, Kaino raised an eyebrow.

He hadn't looked closely before, but now he noticed... this Xuanyuan Sword seemed to be a God Key too.

Interesting.

"My ability to conjure things isn't really 'conjuring' in the strict sense. It's more like observing an object and then recreating it. Like this."

Kaino held the Xuanyuan Sword in one hand while his other hand hovered in the air. Then, a weapon identical to Li Sushang's Xuanyuan Sword gradually materialized from hilt to blade in his empty hand.

"Of course, I've experimented, and even without analyzing or observing, I can still create these things. But the amount of True Qi required increases dramatically."

Saying this, Kaino let out a helpless sigh.

"But for some reason, I can directly create certain things while others I can't. Take this carriage, for example—I don't fully understand its details, but I can still conjure it straight away."

Kaino had long tried to directly create a Herrscher Core to free up his capacity for absorbing Honkai energy, but the core didn't seem to be something he could conjure directly.

And while cores were a no-go, God Keys worked. Even though Kaino had never analyzed the God Key Oath of Judah, he'd still managed to fully recreate it—though because he didn't understand it and his Honkai energy reserves were low, it took him an entire day, and the resulting Judas Oath was only temporary, vanishing once the Honkai energy was withdrawn.

Apparently, the Priest had said God Keys were made from cores.

But Kaino couldn't analyze something he'd recreated without prior understanding, so he couldn't exploit any bugs.

"Hey! That's amazing!"

Li Sushang's eyes lit up as she stared at the two Xuanyuan Swords in Kaino's hands, exclaiming loudly.

"As for the method I used to heal you, it's like my conjuring ability—something I just have, not something I can teach."

"At the same time, it's also an ability I can use without needing to understand the relevant knowledge in detail. Like this."

Kaino handed Li Sushang's Xuanyuan Sword back, then used the one in his right hand to cut a gash on his own arm.

"In this case, I just think about the wound healing, channel my True Qi, and the next moment..."

Kaino didn't finish, but the wound on his arm had already vanished without a trace.

"Of course, these two abilities that I can use without understanding are the only ones I have."

Setting the Xuanyuan Sword on the seat, Kaino shrugged.

"I see."

Li Sushang nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly lifted her head to look at Kaino, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"Raiken, are you saying you have other abilities too?"

"That's a secret. I don't tell just anyone."

Kaino wagged his finger, then smiled. "Alright, I've told you about my abilities, haven't I? How about you tell me more about Tai Xu Sword Qi?"

"Hey, with abilities as strong as yours, you still want to learn Tai Xu Sword Qi? Careful not to bite off more than you can chew."

Li Sushang sighed, then began to explain.

"Let me warn you first... I haven't asked my master yet, so I don't know if I can actually teach you Tai Xu Sword Qi. Explaining it is fine, but I can't teach you how to cultivate it—at least not now."

"I'm not some clueless kid."

Kaino said helplessly.

Though he was admittedly a bit disappointed inside.

"Tai Xu Sword Qi is divided into five essences—Heart, Spirit, Intent, Form, and Soul."

"The Heart Essence is the one I mentioned before that greatly increases the speed of absorbing True Qi. I won't go over that again."

"Intent Essence is a form I have yet to master. Once you learn it, the Xuanyuan Sword will no longer be what it is now—it will conform to the user's will, changing its own shape and gaining unique abilities."

"Form Essence refers to a set of sword techniques. There are four forms: Activate, Transform, Guard, and Transform, totaling twenty-one moves."

Hearing this, Kaino nodded to himself. He had already secretly learned quite a few moves back when he spied on Li Sushang and Old Eagle sparring.

"As for Soul Essence, it's a realm where anything—even a blade of grass—can become a sword. Once you master it, you can wield Tai Xu Sword Qi no matter what weapon you use."

"And Spirit Essence—that one is both incredibly powerful and incredibly difficult. As far as I know, only Grandmaster Chi Yuan and my master have mastered it."

"I've never seen my master use it myself. But I've heard that once you grasp this essence, you can use formless energy to shape tangible..."

Before Li Sushang could finish, her words were cut off by the sound of hooves.

A man riding a blood-red horse caught up from behind, moving faster than the two of them in the same direction.

"This direction... there should only be my master."

Li Sushang looked at the man with some surprise. "My master actually has an acquaintance?"

"I think if she found out you were badmouthing her behind her back, she might..."

Before Kaino could finish, the man, now riding alongside them, tilted his head to glance at the two, paused briefly, then raised his empty right hand and swung it fiercely at the rope binding the cart to the horse.

Chapter 17: Defeat

The strike came without warning and with ferocious force.

Glancing at Li Sushang, who seemed caught off guard by the sudden attack, Kaino activated the Herrscher of Wind's authority, condensing a Wind Blade to clash against the emptiness in the man's hand.

Though he couldn't see what the man held, Kaino's various abilities weren't just for show—it wasn't hard to tell there was a rod-like object there.

To keep his replicated cart from becoming useless, and since Li Sushang hadn't reacted, Kaino had no choice but to intervene himself.

Beyond that, one other thing bothered Kaino.

If his judgment was correct, the way this man concealed his weapon was remarkably similar to his own Herrscher of Wind's authority.