'Is he like me?'
From the moment Bronya saw Shi Tian, she felt the danger he posed. It is a form of uneasiness that something bad will happen once he makes a move. Her first encounter with Cocolia awakened that sense.
By the time Cocolia disappeared from Bronya's Kar-98, she knew everything else was pointless. Her life being spared was completely unexpected. It gave her a second chance to live a life different from what she knew.
Hence, she did not think much when Cocolia asked her to keep an eye on him and Kiana. The abilities he showed during the past three months confirmed that.
'A disciple. Master. Fighting…'
"...Sister Bronya?"
Seele looked at her with concern. They are currently outside the orphanage. Ever since Shi Tian taught them "martial arts", they always met up with him. He acted as the knowledgeable senior and corrected their mistakes.
The cold no longer had much effect on them. They are more than halfway done with the early stage of Qi Refining. Part of the problem came from learning the techniques.
Kiana has a god-given intuitive feeling. Seele and Bronya did not have that, hence they had to learn it step-by-step.
"You won't fall!"
"I know!"
"My shoulders…"
The two looked up and saw Shi Tian on his usual hoverboard (i.e., flying sword). It was faster than usual which caught his passenger—Kiana—off guard. She tightly held his shoulders from the back.
"Haven't you tried it before?"
"You're way too fast this time!" She retorted.
"Oh…"
The jian's blade only had a length of eighty centimeters. It is the equivalent of two people standing sideways. The flying sword can carry that amount.
Bronya looked at Seele by her side. She can see jealousy oozing out of her eyes.
"Why not ask him?"
"A-ah?!"
Seele did not lie to her… though she did not tell the whole picture.
"I-I want to experience it too. Flying."
"Da. The Bronya will give you a way."
"Ah? Wait…"
Before she could further explain, the noisy duo arrived.
"Ahem. Sorry about that."
"Hm."
He faced the duo. His eyes alone can tell Bronya's progress surpassing Seele's, though not by much.
Shi Tian taught them the [Two Phase Art] along with their cultivation techniques. It included qi cultivation, improving Spirit Roots, and spells. He did not worry about them getting leaked.
There is a reason he waited two weeks before deciding to teach them. Seele only took a few days. Bronya wasn't blindly believing Cocolia as in the canon. The brief three months of interaction made her closer to Seele than Cocolia.
His Sword Heart senses others' thoughts sharply; like a lie detector. The two complied when asked to keep everything a secret. It did not set off any alarms.
'Bronya can keep a secret. She betrayed Cocolia even with the chip…' He thought. 'Then there's that phenomenon.'
Shi Tian tried checking others' dantians. He did not see anyone with them. Their metaphysical bodies are blank. He has a feeling it has got something to do with the golden orb. It requires his presence for the others' Spirit Roots and dantians to show up.
For now, the spread of cultivation techniques are limited to the cast Shi Tian met. He does not have an idea to spread it wide-scale. Who knows when the Will of Honkai gets triggered and increases honkai's intensity further.
The civilization's progress is directly proportional to the strength of the honkai. That's a proven fact with Chiyou's existence.
"Can I see your [Cloud Seeking Steps]? Bronya."
"Da."
Shi Tian evaluated their progress over their techniques. First, it was only the qi cultivation techniques. He gave the [Cloud Seeking Steps] later on, followed by a set of spells exclusive to them.
Seeing their progress with the [Cloud Seeking Steps] are satisfactory, he moved on with their spells.
Swoosh-!
A crystal-like string rose up from the ground. God knows when it appeared. It swiftly entangled Shi Tian's right leg.
"Go on. Use your siphoning ability."
"O-okay!"
Without any warning, Shi Tian's right leg was grasped by a translucent light blue string. It emitted a unique fluctuation, disturbing the spiritual qi circulation in his legs. Uncontrollably, it began to get attracted to the strings. It ended up not being able to do so. Shi Tian's control over his spiritual qi, more so with his spiritual consciousness opened, is enough to block this interference.
Nevertheless, the purpose of today's practical training is to see Seele's progress. Shi Tian allowed it to be attracted to the vines.
'It's not just spiritual qi. How can I say… Is it my blood? No, blood essence!' He mused. 'Her control's good.'
Her spell, [Tianshui Falling Art] (lit. Heavenly Water Falling Art), allows the control of water elements. In Qi Refining, it can be used to siphon, lock, inject poison, or heal allies. Heck, it can even be turned into a shield of sorts.
It is the perfect spell that covers offense, defense, and support roles.
Seele demonstrated all of them, showing her current capabilities now.
"Seele did great."
"Hum!"
Her face contained a bit of blush. It remains unknown whether it came from the spell or somewhere else.
"Bronya. It's your turn."
"Da."
Bronya clasped both her hands. As her opening formula progressed, she slowly pulled her hands away.
Fist-sized spheres of white light began to appear on her side. It stopped when the number reached four.
When one of the spheres glowed, Shi Tian's feet sank to the ground. The pressure gradually became stronger as all four spheres glowed.
With another flash, Shi Tian's eyes saw a white comet streaking towards him. His vision saw the comet and nothing else.
'The mental attack portion! Bronya learned it!'
Hum-!
The intangible sword in his heart was unsheathed. A flicker of light came from his eyes.
Bam-!
The comet crashed at his forehead, unable to do anything else. A sound akin to fireworks rang in his ears. His vision returned to normal.
Bronya's exclusive spell, [Xinghui Controlling Art] (lit. Astral Radiance Controlling Art), allows fine control of the stars itself. In Qi Refining, it can switch between physical and mental attacks.
Her pale face made it evident how she overdrew it.
"You can force most people to faint with that one." He commented. "Just be careful not to use it on honkai beasts. I haven't asked Master how they work."
Translation: I don't know the mental power of the honkai beasts.
The difficulty of being the cultivation pioneer gradually bore on Shi Tian's shoulders.
Does he regret being one?
Hell no.
It puts his abilities to test. Plus, he has a vague feeling that the honkai willgreatly help in developing immortal cultivation.
"Overall, you two can protect yourselves against bad guys. Just don't forget to cast the [Two Phase Art]. You need to create a proper environment for recovery…"
In the midst of teaching, he did not notice Kiana's changing looks.
'Heh. I am still better..!'
Only she is aware of the roller-coaster she went through. Five months ago, she protected him. Now, he is responsible for protecting her. Kiana felt the change more when they fought some stray zombies and the flying honkai beasts.
Nobody wants to be left behind, and so is Kiana.
She might not be able to pull her weight in studying, but in fighting, she must not become a deadweight. Kiana already showed this mindset once when she was about to get deranked to D Rank Valkyries responsible for logistics.
The performance she pulled off at that time was nothing short of amazing. With immortal cultivation, it could only get better, if not absurd.
Like that, the day progressed along with their differing thoughts.
*****
A/N: Honkai + Immortal Cultivation = ???