Do you guys lay eggs?

Xayah, who was being held in Rakan's arms, suddenly frowned. Three feather blades shot out from her Feather Robe, embedding themselves in a tree below.

Rakan then leaped down from the tree trunk, reaching the tree in a few steps.

"There are two little brats here, eavesdropping on the grown-ups' sweet talk."

Rakan discovered Jia Ruo and Neeko hiding behind the tree.

His Feather Robe was already gathering golden light.

Jia Ruo quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, we're not enemies."

Jia Ruo pulled Neeko out from behind him and said, "We heard that the Western Sea Island is experiencing Magic Power depletion and the trees are turning pale. It's very similar to her destroyed hometown. She's currently looking for clues."

"Neeko wants to go to that island with you," Neeko said timidly.

"Oh, really? Where did you two little brats hear about it?" Xayah asked, also descending from the branches upon hearing this.

"Actually, actually my senior brother told me. He's a Symi Ape," Jia Ruo said, scratching his head, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

As expected, Rakan lunged forward and grabbed Jia Ruo by the collar. "Is it the one wearing the red scarf?"

"Uh, yes."

"Is your senior brother out of his mind?" Rakan's reddish-brown eyebrows tilted upwards.

"He's probably just a bit mischievous and likes playing pranks," Jia Ruo tried his best to defend his energetic senior brother.

"You seem honest enough, but we're not mother hens taking care of chicks. If you want to travel with us, you'll have to show me your skills first." With that, Rakan pushed Jia Ruo away. "I'll let you have the first move."

Xayah walked to Neeko's side and whispered something to her.

"Then I won't be polite."

Jia Ruo looked at Rakan, who had already retreated twenty to thirty meters, and slowly drew You Meng.

Instantly, a purple light flared, and Cherry Blossoms scattered.

"Yo, this kid is even flashier than you, Rakan," Xayah said, fanning the flames from the side.

"Jia Ruo, you can't lose! Sword Saint Master said you already have half his skill!" Neeko also shouted.

The bond between girls always formed inexplicably fast. Xayah and Neeko seemed to have reached a consensus and stood aside, waiting to watch the show.

"My gold suits you better, darling," Rakan said.

He beckoned Jia Ruo over.

Jia Ruo cast aside his distractions, gripped the sword hilt with both hands, and lunged towards Rakan. He only left a faint, dissipating shadow in his original spot.

His current speed hadn't reached the realm of Sword Saint Flowing Light yet, but he could already leave afterimages.

As the sword edge approached, Rakan lifted his Feather Garment, spun around swiftly, and transformed into a golden sphere.

Jia Ruo only saw a brilliant golden light erupting in front of him and instinctively closed his eyes.

When he passed through that sheet of golden light, he found himself striking at empty air.

He had already lost Rakan's trace.

Jia Ruo concentrated and sensed, "Above!"

Grand entrance!

Rakan rapidly descended to Jia Ruo's side, then leaped up.

Golden Mana enveloped Jia Ruo, pulling him into mid-air.

Although Rakan's attack was unexpected, Jia Ruo's senses had been enhanced by the Blue Shard and he had undergone training from the Sword Saint.

He quickly reacted.

He spun around and swept his sword, forcing Rakan back, then performed a backflip and landed steadily.

"Beautiful!"

Seeing Rakan's attack neutralized, Xayah cheered.

Just as Jia Ruo landed, Rakan shot out a Plume emitting a dazzling golden light, aimed directly at Jia Ruo's chest.

Jia Ruo swung his sword to cleave the Plume, a sudden sense of alarm striking him.

It turned out Rakan had hidden beneath the golden light, had already closed the distance, and was now kicking.

A smile played on Rakan's lips; his greatest strength was to first confuse his opponent, then launch a surprise attack.

Too fast, this strike was unavoidable.

Facing Rakan's surprise attack, Jia Ruo instead leaped lightly, releasing You Meng.

He clasped his hands together and crossed his legs, resembling someone in meditation.

Meditation!

This peculiar posture not only greatly increased his perception of Mana between heaven and earth but also allowed him to rapidly mobilize the Mana within his body, causing it to surge outward and form protective Aura around him.

The price for this powerful protection was the inability to attack.

Moreover, the duration of this Meditation would be very short.

Jia Ruo was now out of Mana, and could only maintain his Aura for five to six seconds at most.

Perhaps because of You Meng floating within the Aura, Jia Ruo's Aura wasn't clear and bright like the Sword Saint's, but was instead filled with a purple glow.

Perhaps every Vastaya swordsman's Aura was related to their own sword.

Bang bang bang

Rakan continuously struck the purple Aura surrounding Jia Ruo.

But whether it was punches and kicks, or slashes with Feather Garment, or barrages of Plume, the effect was minimal.

Jia Ruo's eyes narrowed, his Aura was about to dissipate.

He seized an opening in Rakan's attack, reaching out and gripping You Meng, which floated in his Aura, by the hilt with the blade pointing down.

Jia Ruo launched another assault.

Rakan's reaction was not slow either, dodging to the side. Both had probed the other's limits, and the duel devolved into a back-and-forth tug-of-war.

Jia Ruo and Rakan were both agile fighters, their figures constantly crossing paths in the forest.

Golden light and purple Cherry Blossoms were continuously unleashed, reflecting in the twilight sunset, creating a dazzling spectacle.

"I'm not fighting anymore. It's almost dark, and you kid actually have some skill."

Rakan waved his hand, unable to do anything about Jia Ruo.

But he was confident that if he and Xayah teamed up, they could defeat five of someone like Jia Ruo.

"Don't say that, let's decide a winner."

Jia Ruo, however, became energized. Although his cultivation progress was fast, he still needed to spar with many different people to hone his skills.

Rakan was a rare and good opponent.

Jia Ruo was beginning to understand—his senior brother wasn't just playing a prank.

"Are you as crazy as your senior brother?"

Rakan looked at Jia Ruo in alarm.

"Where did your master find the two of you? A mental asylum?"

Seeing Rakan about to lose his temper, Jia Ruo could only give a sheepish smile and put down You Meng.

At night, the four sat around a bonfire under a tree. Rakan, Xayah, and Neeko, the three Vastaya, were sharing stories of their tribes' past.

Jia Ruo listened from the side.

Suddenly, he asked, "Excuse me, in your and Xayah's Loxran tribe, like, how do you say it..."

Jia Ruo scratched his head. "When you have children, do you lay eggs?"

This question made not only Rha and Xayah, but even Neeko burst into laughter.

Neeko said, "Of course not. Vastaya give birth to babies. We're not much different from humans, just a little bit more peculiar in appearance."

Rha and Xayah looked at the only human by the campfire. Knowing the young man meant no offense, they slowly began to recount the history of the Vastaya.

In ancient, unrecorded times, the division of the Land of Birth began with a war between humans and a Giant Race that descended from the heavens.

To awaken the wisdom of their ancestors, the most spiritual humans channeled the energy of the spirit realm into themselves, becoming the Vastaya Shuray—immortal shapeshifters who could wield the power of nature as their weapons.

The giants were ultimately defeated, and the Vastaya Shuray became heroes revered by all.

However, they did not see themselves as superior because of this, but lived alongside humans as equals.

Their descendants were what people later called the Vastaya.

These mysterious hybrid beings were neither mortals nor true immortals, and they could resonate deeply with the magical energies of Runeterra.

As time passed, the balance between the material and spirit realms gradually shifted, and the powers of the Vastaya Shuray began to wane.

The Vastaya left the humans and formed their own tribes.

They proudly inherited the names of their ancestors who defeated the giants—the noble Chiller, the loyal Cheer, the wise Lorant, and Neeko's Mistveil, Rha and Xayah's Loxran... and so on, too many to list.

For thousands of years, the Vastaya focused on protecting their spiritual heritage, never backing down even when conflicts arose between them.

Now, as humans continued to disrupt the world's magical currents, relations between the tribes had deteriorated.

Furthermore, generations had passed in the human world, yet no new Vastaya had been born.

It seemed this ancient race had once again arrived at an era of great change...