Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox

*Stab*
*Munch**Glare**Munch*
*Level up*

"Ummmm..." The Sect Leader didn't know what to do. She ate just a bit of meat and the little Vicious Cub was like this.

*Stab*
*Munch**Glare**Munch*
*Level up*

Mei meanwhile had a hard time containing her laughter as she watched her little sweetie trying to intimidate and glare at the Sect Leader.

She wouldn't stop glaring and always menacingly stab the piece of meat, before ripping it apart and munching it.

"Can you eat... less menacingly?" The Sect Leader asked gently.

*Glare*
*Stab*
*Munch**Glare**Munch*
*Level up*

"No." Aiko glared at the Sect Leader, while savouring the delicious meat, how unfortunate that she wouldn't be able to enjoy it properly with this ugly nuisance.

"HAHAHAHA" Mei was finally laughing out loud prompting the Sect Leader to blush.

"It's not my fault, I wanted to taste your cooking." The Sect Leader's smaller ears drop down dejectedly.

"Who told you to eat her meat?" She laughed out loud.

"But..." The Sect Leader was speechlessly looking at them.

*Stab*
*Munch**Glare**Munch*
*Level up*

"Will she do this till the end?" The Sect Leader didn't know how to handle the little one.

"Unless you leave." Aiko spat at her, holding herself back from cursing. She was still the Sect Leader, she would let her retain some of her pride.

The Sect Leader cried in her mind. She just wanted to eat some homemade cooking, but was immediately placed on the to-kill list and kicked out of that place.

"It's better to leave for now." Mei gestured to her.

The Sect Leader sighed. "But finish the meat quickly, we are approaching the Roc territory, it would be bad if we got ambushed by them."

"Got it." Mei nodded. "You heard her."

Aiko nodded.

*Stab**Munch*
*Stab**Munch*
*Stab**Munch*
*Stab**Munch*

Aiko gave Mei a thumbs up with filled cheeks.

Mei shook her head, finishing roasting the last few pieces.

...

Aiko woke up refreshed. Her belly was full and she didn't need to do anything. She postponed her Rune Research as they couldn't finish the massage chair and Mei refused her from blueprinting the flying feather.

Aiko was bored. So she left that place, not knowing that the smell of meat was still on her body.

The Foxes gave her strange looks, but Aiko ignored them.

She arrived on the deck in front of the very familiar, but strange duo.

"Why are you doing this?" Aiko was so bored that she socialized!!!

They looked at each other. "We are training."

"How does that work?" Aiko asked.

The Blazing Fox was the first one to answer. "Well, it's simple. I'm continuously using my flames, slowly improving my control over them. In turn, those flames refine my Beast Core, slowly burning the impurities. That allows me to increase the intensity and possibly Grade of the flames. And you repeat that cycle."

The Glacial Fox was the second to answer with a pout. "I have a similar way, but in my case, I have to freeze, encase and spit. You freeze the impurities, encase them in my ice and spit them out, improving the Beast Core purity."

Aiko was a bit fascinated. She didn't have Fire or Ice affinity, but it was fascinating how different elements took care of their Beast Cores.

"How about the Grades?" Aiko asked with interest.

"You can improve them by either finding wild flames and subduing them or by feeding your current flame materials that burn well." The Blazing Fox was yet again the first one to answer.

"For Ice it's different, you have to compress it, freeze it, melt it." The Glacial Fox was yet again a beat late. "Depending on the type of the Ice, you either compress it until you run out of Beast Core. Freeze, in other words, decreases its temperature with materials. Melt it, to strengthen some types of Ice to be more resistant to flames."

The Glacial Fox pointed at the Blazing Fox. "My Ice requires melting it, so I'm training with this buffoon." She sighed. "You don't increase the grade of flames just from feeding it, you can also quench it with water or ice for it to become more resistant. You can also increase its temperature, by encasing it in earth and so on."

Aiko nodded, she was completely hooked.

"How about Shadows?" She asked curiously.

This time Glacial Fox was the first one as Blazing Fox didn't know anything about it.

"They increase their grade by staying in the Shadows..." The Glacial Fox was startled by seeing the dejected Aiko. "I'm sorry, I don't really know much about shadows..."

Aiko sighed. "How about Earth?"

"That..." The Glacial Fox was startled. "You shouldn't go for that Element." She shook her head.

Aiko was completely crestfallen.

"W-well, it's the best Element for defence and you can do a lot of cool stuff with it..." The Glacial fox mumbled her speech, trying to soothe Aiko.

"Like?" Aiko stared at her quietly.

"You can build caves!" The Glacial Fox said proudly.

"But I don't like them..." Aiko quietly cried out.

"..." Glacial Fox didn't know what to say, she just wanted to appease this little fluffball.

"Just tell me straight how shitty of an Element that is." Aiko sniffled.

"... It can't purify the Beast Core as it more pollutes than removes." The Glacial Fox looked away as she couldn't watch Aiko being crestfallen and other Foxes nearby were staring daggers at her for saddening the little fluffball.

The Glacial Fox talked fast."But the way to increase grades is the simplest. Compress, find, destroy. You can compress some of the earth to make it harder, you can find higher-quality soils and add them to your existing soil. Destroy is a bit... you need to drown, burn, wither and so on, the earth you are currently using, that way it will be more resistant."

Aiko stared at her. She was surprised at how much understanding this Fox had.

Seeing the admiring fluffball she puffed her gentle chest and they talked some more until it was an evening and the sun was setting.

"Fuck! You really hate me!" The Blazing Fox cursed as the Glacial Fox increased the intensity of her Ice.

"You are just too weak during nights..." the Glacial Fox shook her head.

Aiko was waiting to bathe in the moonlight but observed them. She wanted to use her [Moon's Eyes], but the last time she used it, she got quite the headache, so she was not tempted.

'It's too bothersome to use just [Lunar Bath]...' Aiko thought. 'I wonder if I can do both [Meditation] and [Lunar Bath]...' Aiko paused and looked through her system.

'Hm?' Aiko tilted her head. 'Why do I have [Essence of ####] in my inventory?'

She was unaware that, that was her prize from the surprise option that the system gave her.

'Do I eat it? How do I use it?' Aiko was excited.

[You can't eat it.] The system sighed.

'Why not you stinky system?!' Aiko growled in her mind.

[Because you would get devoured during the night, it's not safe.] The system had a headache.

'So I just need to find a place and eat it.' Aiko narrowed her eyes.

[Yes... I mean no! You need to prepare properly!] The system was angry at the clueless cub.

'How do I do that?' Aiko asked, ignoring the glare from the system.

[You need to find a very secluded space with lots of sunlight. The small secret Worlds would be the best since there is a chance that you will encounter Nightless World.] The system patiently explained and Aiko listened.

It was fascinating to hear about a World that does not have nights.

[You need protective gear against heat/flames and the Flame Quenching Pill.] The system listed things that Aiko would need.

[Lastly, it will take around a year to completely absorb it, so only do it once you know you won't get stuck in that small World!] The system warned.

Aiko smiled nodding. 'You know, sometimes you are useful.' This was small payback for not giving her the [Sleeping] option, but there would be more to come.

[I'm always useful!] The system screamed.

'Sure, sure.' Aiko rolled her eyes and returned back to the [Meditation] x [Lunar Bath] dilemma.

...

'I also have to find from where those fish came and roast them alive.' Aiko narrowed her eyes, she was upset since she was unable to activate them at the same time, so her anger was directed at them.

'It's not like I can't do it, but it takes too much concentration and I always fall asleep.' Aiko frowned. She would make sure that those fish are well boiled, roasted, steamed, dried...

She practised the double meditation for a week, with little to no success, but she realized something.

[Beast Cores(50%): 1,423 -> 1,615 (33,645)]
[Moonlight Qi: 1,320 -> 1,512]
[Seed of ####; Nurtured 25,000/100,000 -> 25,192/100,000]

If she was successful, she was actually able to nourish that strange seed. This made her really happy as she didn't need to spend her precious Beast Core Energy on it!

'But then, wouldn't [Nourish] be useless...?' Aiko paused for a moment to think. 'Well, shit... I know it was for free, but having it so useless...' She sighed. She turned into her fox form.

She didn't like when something was completely useless and was kept in her system. Looking at you [The Ever Shaping Caldron].

Aiko sighed when she felt a peck on her head.

She turned around to find a small strange creature sitting on the railing. It had two pairs of wings and stared at Aiko curiously, with hints of hunger.

It pecked her again with its long beak, but it didn't hurt Aiko, her Toughness was beyond of normal Magical Beasts.

*Peck*

Aiko was upset as she couldn't think.

*Peck-Slap*

She slapped that beak away and that creature stared at her again.

*Peck-Slap*

They both narrowed their eyes.

*Peck-Slap**Peck-Slap**Peck-Slap**Peck-Slap**Peck-Slap*

There was a small battle of pecking versus slapping, but since Aiko was superior in her speed that little pecker never pecked her again.

"Give me food." Crackled the little bird.

"No." Aiko refused.

...

The Great Roc Mother was startled as she couldn't find her little baby anywhere. She sensed his Bloodline far away from her nest and panicked.

With one flap of the wings, she flattened her surroundings and with the blink of an eye arrived near her baby.

She wanted to destroy the kidnappers, but something strange happened...

*Peck-Slap**Peck-Slap*

"Give me food." Her little baby said.

"No." The little fluffball said.

She stared at her little baby speechlessly. How could he be like this, but soon she also smelled that alluring smell of meat.

She stared down at the little cub.

The Cub was growling at her baby, while her baby was clicking at her back.

She blinked several times before she said anything. "Sweetie, what are you doing?"

The little Roc was startled. "Mom, I'm hungry..."

The Great Roc Mother's clicked her beak. "You are always hungry, let's go back."

The little Roc reluctantly left his meat and flew away with his mother.

Aiko stared at them with relief, unaware that there was an audience watching the peck-slapping competition.

This wouldn't be a calm night...