The Blind Elder's sand barge set off once again.
Three Star Spring was wiped out completely, the raging sandstorm burying everything. There's still a water vein here, so maybe in a year or two life will return, but for now, nobody can stay. Many of the residents of Three Star Spring perished—if Fiona Fang and the others hadn’t rushed over to help, more than half would’ve died. Now, about thirty survivors are traveling with the sand barge, planning to seek shelter and settle at the next oasis.
Both disciples made breakthroughs: Fiona Fang’s Bright Jade Skill improved significantly, while Rachel Luo’s Titan Spirit Method broke through to the second stage, reaching the Full Human Realm.
"So it was you tailing me all along, huh? No wonder I kept feeling like I was being watched." Jack Young’s right hand, bandaged and slung like a broken limb, dangled from his neck. Thanks to the Black Masked Man’s mysterious moves, his right arm had taken quite a beating—muscles torn in several places. If not for his micro-perception and muscle control, the blood loss alone would’ve killed him. The worst part, though, was the bone damage: his ulna, radius, and wrist bones looked like they’d been sawed through. If his bones weren’t so tough, his arm would’ve snapped in several places. "By the way, how’d you find me?"
"Come on, I’m the Flower Kingdom’s princess—finding someone in my own backyard isn’t exactly rocket science. Besides, you weren’t even trying to hide, so tracking you down was a piece of cake. But I wasn’t actually following you on purpose—I was looking for the Blind Elder. Then I saw him tagging along with someone and just kept going, and surprise, surprise, it was you." Princess Flower Shifter poked Jack Young’s arm. "Hey, you sure you’re gonna be okay? Not gonna end up crippled, right?"
"This? No big deal." For anyone else, that right arm would be a write-off. But from the fourth level on, the Titan Spirit Method speeds up recovery. Back in the SD underground base, Jack Young took several bullets and healed up without a scar. Now, his healing instincts kicked in, and his whole right arm was warmer than the rest—cells working overtime to fix the damage. It’s not as miraculous as those legendary bloodlines, but give it three to five days and he’ll be good as new.
He had to keep it in a sling for now, since moving it around would just make things worse while it healed.
"Good." Princess Flower Shifter nodded, then huffed a little. "Seriously, though, what were you thinking? You always act so cool, but this time you just charged in like a rookie. If I hadn’t shown up, who knows what would’ve happened!"
Jack Young sighed. "True. If you hadn’t come, my odds of winning that day were maybe one percent. But I’m not the suicidal type—I just wanted to test that guy’s limits, figure out his strengths and weaknesses, then go for the underdog win. Most of that reckless stuff was just for show."
One strike to take down Fu Menglong—now that’s some scary martial power. Jack Young isn’t stupid; he’s not arrogant enough to think he can just walk all over people. This was all part of the plan.
Ever since leaving Eight Directions City, Jack Young had been pondering how to take down the Black Masked Assassin solo. To beat him, you have to focus on two things: first, speed. The guy’s lightning fast, can fight or run, and is super cautious—if you can’t keep up, you’ll never catch him. Second, you have to figure out his secret moves. The more he tries to hide them, the more you need to know. Seeing Fu Menglong go down just made Jack even more sure of this.
So Jack’s plan was to force the guy to show his hidden techniques. With his super senses and beefed-up body, he’d figure out the assassin’s strengths and weaknesses, then take his time plotting the win. Originally, he was supposed to team up with Fu Menglong for this. The Black Masked Assassin hates exposing his identity, so if he can’t wipe out all witnesses, he’ll just bail. Honestly, the plan wasn’t half bad.
"But one surprise after another, and now look where we ended up." Jack Young glanced at the sling on his right arm. "I think I’ve got a handle on his moves now… Oh, by the way, is there anyone out there who can turn innate qi invisible and formless?"
Princess Flower Shifter shook her head. "Never heard of it, but innate adepts are either famous or super mysterious. Who knows what kind of secret techniques those folks are hiding. Besides, innate qi fits the user’s nature—if someone really could pull it off, I wouldn’t be shocked. Anyway, the guy’s dead now, so there’s no point worrying about it. By the way, what are the three chapters of the Lianhua Compendium you picked up?"
Right now, everyone’s obsessed with the Lianhua Compendium, so of course Princess Flower Shifter was curious too.
"I’ve completed the Sword Chapter—it’s been super useful." Jack Young pieced together the whole thing in his head and made a copy. Chuixue Sword Style, Heavenly Flying Fairy, Deadly Thirteen Swords—each one’s a legendary technique. Even Jack needs ages to master them all, so he made a backup first. "If you ever want to pick up a sword, you should check it out."
"You’re generous!" Princess Flower Shifter skimmed through it and nodded. "Definitely top-tier sword techniques—even the Sword Saint would learn something from these. If I actually used a sword, I’d be tempted myself."
"You don’t use a sword?" Jack Young was genuinely curious—what weapons do the two princesses actually use?
"Nope. Our royal lineage practices a mix of everything, but mostly we’re good at both sword and palm techniques. I never had a knack for swordplay, so I specialize in palm strikes and hidden weapons. My sister, though, is a natural with the sword—even the Sword Saint praised her. Too bad she’s picky about swords, so she just practices with tree branches and fights with her bare hands." Princess Flower Shifter shot Jack Young a sly look and grinned, "If someone gifted her a really nice sword, she’d be thrilled. Wouldn’t you agree, oh wise friend of Ouyezi?"
"Ha, you really are the local gossip queen!" Jack Young couldn’t help but chuckle. Still, Princess Embroidered Jade really is something else—too proud for a regular sword, so she just skips it altogether. If she ever does pick up a blade, it’ll be a legendary one, no question. On the flip side, she’s a top-tier powerhouse—at the peak of Innate Level Six. With her true qi, the difference between a regular sword and a tree branch is basically nothing. Maybe I’ll find her a sword someday, just as a thank-you gift.
This chapter isn't over yet~.~ Click next page to keep reading the good stuff!
"I’ve heard the South Wasteland temples have tons of legendary weapons—maybe even a Xuan Divine Weapon. If we get the chance, let’s grab one. By the way, is your poison still not cured?"
"Much better. We’re not fully recovered, but my sister and I have both regained our third-level strength—just barely enough to get by." Princess Flower Shifter still looked a bit shaken. "That Ten Evil Soul Scatter is seriously nasty. None of the antidotes worked, so we just had to tough it out. If that poison has any more tricks, we’d better be careful. If we run into the Silverblade King and his crew again, don’t let them go—catch them all and interrogate them!"
Then the conversation turned back to the Lianhua Compendium.
The chapter from the Aromatic Jade Pendant was pretty interesting—it’s full of all kinds of random knowledge. No wonder Fang Hailong was so confident about Fu Menglong’s escape skills; most of the pendant’s info is about survival. Its official name? Lianhua Compendium: Escape Chapter.
The Escape Chapter isn’t long, but it’s packed with essentials: Heaven Escape, Earth Escape, and Human Escape. Not the magical stuff from cultivation novels, but still super useful in martial arts. For example, Human Escape covers expert disguise and camouflage. Earth Escape goes into tracking and counter-tracking techniques—even pickpocketing and theft. None of it relies on internal energy, so if you master these, you could live free even without any martial arts skills.
The coolest part is Heaven Escape. It requires talent or some internal energy, but there’s a unique method called "Innate Outer Qi." Sounds fancy, and it’s actually pretty useful. The trick is to breathe not through your mouth or nose, but through your pores. By opening and closing your pores, you can breathe deeper, supplementing your lungs.
If you master Innate Outer Qi, your survival odds skyrocket in places with little oxygen—like underwater. It also boosts your resistance to poison. The mucous membranes in your airways are way more delicate than your skin, so most toxic gases only work if you inhale them. Don’t believe me? Try rubbing chili on your finger and picking your nose—spicy pain like you wouldn’t believe! (Seriously, I did this while cooking today. Never again…)
Plus, martial artists often hold their breath in battle, which just wears them out. But if you use your pores to breathe, your internal energy recovers way faster than you’d expect.
There’s a ton of other quirky tricks too—skills to handle weird environments. Like toughening your skin to keep from losing water in a drought, or lowering your body temperature when you’re starving to save energy like a cold-blooded animal. Stop bleeding after an injury, calm your breath if you’re hurt inside—not a long list, but every one’s super practical.
The most amazing trick is the Winter Sleep Technique. Supposedly, it’s the ultimate survival skill—a secret from the South Wasteland, unknown to outsiders. The Lianhua Compendium doesn’t actually teach it, just mentions that as long as you’ve got a breath left, Winter Sleep can keep you alive. Wang Lianhua really regretted never cracking its secret.
"Definitely worth learning." You can never have too many survival hacks, but no one ever compiled them like this before. Wang Lianhua managed to put all these tricks together into one manual—a real achievement. If you master everything in the Escape Chapter, your odds of survival go way up.
Of course, these skills are most useful for folks with lower cultivation. For top-tier experts, they’re not much help. That’s why Rachel Luo and Fiona Fang were the most excited, while Jack Young and Princess Flower Shifter just picked a few highlights, like Innate Outer Qi. Most of the counter-surveillance and anti-tracking stuff was way too basic for them.