An Introduction to the Dao of Staying Alive

The valley, surrounded by several mountains, is gently caressed by a warm Qingfeng. Coupled with the white lilies blooming all around, it gives the place a touch of ethereal beauty.

This place is Gale Sword Valley. Although it is only a second-rate sect, its strength is not weak. There are two Body Integration Realm experts in the sect.

Beneath a large tree, Shen Tianci sat cross-legged, faint Spiritual Qi gathering into threads that entered his body.

After a long while, a beautiful figure arrived, and Shen Tianci ended his cultivation.

"Junior brother, you're awake. Come here, it's time to study." The woman gently beckoned and called softly from the pavilion beside her.

Shen Tianci stood up, dusted off his clothes, and then nodded to the woman. "Yueyin."

After sitting down in the pavilion, Shen Tianci frowned slightly, looking at the two books on the table, somewhat puzzled.

These two books are not about spiritual practice or knowledge, but rather miscellaneous essays.

One of them is titled "A Thousand Ways for a Cultivator to Die," and the other is titled "The Human Heart Is Unfathomable."

Shen Tianci looked at the two books and asked, "Senior sister, these shouldn't be within the scope of the curriculum, right?"

Yueyin smiled and said, "He's not here, but I think you should learn from him. Take a look first."

After staring at each other for a while, Shen Tianci finally gave in and picked up the book "A Thousand Ways for Cultivators to Die" with a bit of helplessness.

In just a few breaths, Shen Tianci unconsciously dropped the disdain on his face, and his expression became solemn. Before a cup of tea could be brewed, his solemn expression unconsciously revealed a trace of fear.

Seeing that things had gone on for a while, Yueyin reached out and pressed the book down from Shen Tianci's hand, then asked with a light laugh, "You've read three stories now, tell me what you've learned."

"In the first story, if you were in that situation, how do you think you would have gotten out?"

Shen Tianci slowly suppressed his still somewhat rapid breathing, and only began to think after his mind had completely calmed down.

The first story is an ambush. A cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement encounters an ambush by five Qi Refinement Eighth Layer of Qi Refining. After a fierce battle, the cultivator ultimately dies.

This story isn't set up from the beginning; rather, it unfolds from two perspectives, with one side setting up and the other silently entering a designated location, triggering a battle.

Shen Tianci put himself in her shoes and pondered for a long time, finally able to only sigh helplessly, "Senior sister, this matter is already settled, there's no way I can turn the tide."

"Their traps and ambush locations are all unusual, making them difficult to detect beforehand. Once undetected, it means the ambush is inevitable, and you've fallen into it and lost the initiative. Unless you're exceptionally strong, it's all for naught."

Yueyin nodded, it was unclear whether she agreed or disagreed with the answer.

"I remember there's a technique within our sect; I wonder if you, junior brother, still remember it?"

Shen Tianci frowned. He knew his senior sister wouldn't suddenly bring up unrelated things, so he immediately tried to recall.

After a full cup of tea, Shen Tianci's eyes suddenly lit up, and he exclaimed with slight excitement, "Wind Sensing Technique!"

"The reason they were able to successfully ambush us this time was because the people caught in the ambush didn't notice it beforehand. This was also because their breathing techniques were so sophisticated that no one could detect anything unusual."

The Wind Sensing Technique can detect this anomaly. As long as one detects it in advance and avoids entering the encirclement, even if Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement is no match for five Qi Refinement Eighth Layer Refining cultivators, they can still escape.

"While the Wind Sensing Technique is good, there's an even more suitable one," Yueyin pointed out. "The Subtlety Perception Technique. This Law Technique consumes less energy than the Wind Sensing Technique, and its range is even slightly larger."

"The Subtlety Perception Technique?" Shen Tianci's eyes lit up. "That's it! This technique can sense unusual sounds from the ground within a mile around, which is indeed stronger than the Wind Sensing Technique."

Yueyin's lips curled slightly, and she asked again, "Have you analyzed the preconditions now? Now, take a look at how many ways he can break through in this battle."

"Still able to break through?" Shen Tianci asked in surprise, because in his analysis of the battle, the surrounded person was already doomed the moment he fell into the trap, so how could he possibly break through?

Yueyin didn't say much, but instead listed out the techniques that both of them had learned for Shen Tianci.

"Take another look."

Shen Tianci carefully analyzed the spells, constantly simulating the battle between the two sides in his mind. After a full incense stick's time, he suddenly opened his eyes. "Senior Sister, it's the Gale Technique!"

"He shouldn't have used the Gale Technique on others; he should have used it on the rubble of the battlefield. The Gale, carrying the rubble and dust, would create a cloud of dust that would confuse the enemy, and that chaos might just be the opportunity to break through their encirclement!"

"Anything else?"

"Besides?"

Surprised, Shen Tianci fell into deep thought again. This time, two incense sticks burned before he excitedly exclaimed, "It's the Golden Sword Talisman!"

"Use this talisman to attack the weakest one, and break through the encirclement with a forceful attitude!"

But this time, Yueyin shook her head. "The battle time is too short to identify the weakest person; this method is not feasible."

"Not feasible?" Shen Tianci pondered for a moment and it seemed that it was indeed not feasible. After all, his method was based on the perspective of the later comrades. At that time, the battle was fierce, and it was difficult to determine who was the weakest at the first moment.

After thinking for a while, Shen Tianci shook his head helplessly and said, "Senior sister, I can't figure it out. Please teach me."

Yueyin chuckled lightly, not pressing the matter further, and instructed, "See that Burst Talisman among the spoils? The moment the two sides made contact, he immediately activated the Burst Talisman, combined with the Golden Sword Talisman and the Gale Talisman. While he might not be able to turn the tables and kill them, escaping unscathed would be no problem at all."

This person lost because of his reluctance to let go, his arrogance, and his inability to see the bigger picture.

"He clearly had the chance to leave safely, yet he ended up dying and perishing. That's utterly foolish!"

"Junior brother, you must remember this: in any conflict, you must use your full strength immediately. Afterwards, whether you kill or run, your chances of survival will greatly increase."

Shen Tianci reviewed the entire battle situation based on Yueyin's explanation and found that it was indeed the case.

Yueyin looked at Shen Tianci, who was deep in thought, and smiled slightly. She then said softly, "Junior brother, I still have a chance to live, but it will require you to put aside your pride and dignity."

"You mean beg for mercy?"

"Yes, beg for mercy." Yueyin nodded and said, "But it's not just simple begging. You also need to use someone else's name to intimidate others, and you can't sound too weak or too forceful. This method has a 50% chance of succeeding."

Shen Tianci imagined the scene for a moment, and couldn't help but twitch his lips, feeling quite disdainful.

Yueyin saw through his thoughts, but she just smiled and didn't continue to persuade him. The seed had already been planted, and when he was desperate, he would naturally think of this method and use it.