Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox

Aiko compiled all those stories and changed many parts into special Runes that she connected discreetly on the side with other Inscriptions that would cause invisibility, and burning, among other things.

Aiko was satisfied with her work, but it took her a year to do this. It was really fun though. No birthday gift though, it seems like the system won’t give her anything until she reaches 40 years old...

Aiko sighed sadly, but marvelled at her wonderful work. It was all placed into a Jade Slip since it was easier to view than paper. She didn’t need to be worried about losing pieces or them getting wet or anything like that.

This was a very nice thing, since her previous blueprint was already pretty much ruined. It doesn’t seem like the quality of the paper is all that good.

She will have to spend a lot of money on Jade Slip, since she didn’t want to risk the corruption of her blueprints.

And before you ask. No, she won’t use wooden sticks as paper alternatives. They break quite easily and the thickness was distressing.

While the paper was also thick, it was nowhere near the wooden sticks. So it’s only natural that it would be denied too.

Aiko went outside. The team grew closer thanks to the stories, but strange tension could still be seen in the air. She didn’t know for what reason, but that was fine.

Aiko learned more etiquette from the Blood Fox and what she shouldn’t do, but at the same time, Mei encouraged the bad things? It was very confusing for Aiko, so she just gave up and acted as she saw fit.

Aiko yawned, placing the Jade Slip on the table.

Mei picked it up immediately to check it out. She only trained with Aiko because of her Divine Sense, so she didn’t spend as much time with Aiko.

That was fine, since Aiko’s Divine Sense was advancing nicely.

The Grandmaster also taught others about Divine Sense and they progressed faster than Aiko’s, but they were also less powerful than hers.

But this was still a good idea, since the Secret Realm was slowly approaching.

The safety from the Divine Sense was undeniable. Moreover, only Foxes were able to attain this thanks to their pseudo-Human form, so they were the only Beasts, other than Dragons, that would be able to scan the surroundings easily.

That is not to say that the Divine Sense was omnipotent, but it was still good enough to improve everyone’s safety.

Aiko yawned again. She was small, so she easily wrapped her body in nearby tails and slept peacefully.

...

The team sighed that some of Aiko’s antics persisted, but they were more or less satisfied with their work. Aiko was fast learning when it came to sex for some reason, which disheartened Mei, but other than that, the little chaotic fluffball was doing great!

”Do we now state the price?” The Blood Fox asked Mei. They were in cahoots when it came to this, so that others would not wrong Aiko.

”Not yet.” Mei said. ”He is currently busy with his own ’Inscriptions Table’ project, since ’we took too long’.” She giggled softly.

The Blood Fox shook her head. ”That will take time right?” She narrowed her eyes.

”And that is fine.” Mei smiled. ”We already have over 6 million Spirit Stones, thanks to Aiko’s diligence. If we add another few million now or later thanks to this Jade Slip, it does not matter now.”

Mei sighed. ”Even if we have all this money, it’s not like we can actually use them. All the Auctions and shops banned Beasts from entering this continent, so we would need to pay for ’pardon’ in order to get inside. That is just not worth it.” She shook her head.

The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. ”But doesn’t the Sect Leader bother you, thanks to the amount of Spirit Stones we made?”

Mei was slightly surprised. ”Divine Sense, right?” She smiled.

The Blood Fox said nothing in return.

”It’s good you have this kind of control over it already.” Mei nodded. ”The Sect leader is concerned we will squeeze the Fox Village out of all of its Spirit Stones.” She shrugged.

Yuxi added. ”But she is not wrong. We aren’t buying all that many things.”

”It’s not that we are not buying. The quality is too low to justify those prices.” Mei corrected this cute twin.

”Don’t forget that most things were bought for Feifei.” Wanshu defended her partner from Mei’s gaze.

The Princess was startled. She was rarely called by her name, not to mention most would usually just call her the Princess, or simply Young Fang. It always felt weird and warm when others did it...

”That is true...” Mei narrowed her eyes. She had to concede this one.

”Take your time, Feifei. There is no need to hurry your Cultivation.” Mei said gently. She was concerned that Fang Feifei would rush to the finish line and ruin her chances of ascending. She was an important piece that would allow her Mate and possible team to dominate the Immortal World!

Fang Feifei blushed. They were all too beautiful and kind. She never experienced this kind of thing and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

”It’s strange for you to treat Humans kindly.” Dai Lu suddenly popped out of nowhere, but none were startled or flinched. It seemed like everyone got used to the fact that the Grandmaster would just pop out of nowhere whenever she was bored.

”Tsk. Booo!” Dai Lu clicked her tongue, displeased that they weren’t startled.

”It’s not strange. I treat others how they treat me. I will push away all Humans until they prove themselves.” Mei proclaimed.

”’All Cultivators’ you mean. You are always more biased towards Mortals.” Dai Lu added, so that the Princess would not misunderstand.

”Whatever, but it’s good that she was able to start her Cultivation.” Mei gazed at Fang Feifei’s body, measuring her.

Fang Feifei blushed even more.

Dai Lu’s eyes shined. She was curious how this relationship would develop. She should definitely stockpile enough nuts to watch the show from the sidelines!

”Your body is in good condition. You weren’t slacking, or rushing. A good and stable increase in strength. You did well.” Mei smiled gently. Unlike the chaotic Aiko who gained strength suddenly, she liked this Princess more. She was diligent, always listening to her words.

Yet at the same time, Mei didn’t like it. The Princess was too tame and the only one who made her happy was Aiko with her antics...

...

Aiko woke up from her sleep and yawned. ”What’s next?” She rubbed her eyes, but fortunately, her Stamina was topped up.

”You will keep training your Divine Sense, but we will also start Pill Refining. There are places where your Divine Sense will be locked, so it’s a good idea to learn Pill Refining without the use of Divine Sense.” Mei smiled gently.

Aiko nodded. She didn’t ask about the Jade Slip, since that would take time to create, but what was important was another thing.

”How can I melt metals inside my body?” Aiko believed that this was a good time to bring this trouble forward.

Mei was startled and paused. ”What kind of metals?”

Aiko pulled one of the broken swords.

”Hmmmm...” It had a bit of everything, but the main issue was still at hand. Mei narrowed her eyes. ”Why do you need to melt it?”

Aiko paused. While she believed her team, that didn’t mean she would tell them about her system.

Mei noticed that hesitation and everyone left the table, except for the Grandmaster, since she already knew about it.

”I have this Martial Technique called [The Ever Shaping Cauldron], but it needs materials for me to start shaping it.” Aiko gazed towards Mei intently.

Mei’s lips twitched and the Grandmaster also paused midway through her sip.

Dai Lu didn’t know what was the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron], until she peered into Mei’s mind, which then made her speechless.

”Is it really that Mythical?” Dai Lu asked.

”It’s more than that. One disgruntled Cultivator in the Immortal World was upset at the Phoenix Clan for hogging all the Forging Cauldrons blueprints, especially the [Perfect Heavenly Phoenix Dragon Refining Cauldron].” Mei proclaimed. ”The Phoenix Clan was unrivalled thanks to their wide variety of flames.”

”This naturally upset many, but not all could create something that could rival the Phoenix Clan.” Mei added. ”That’s where this disgruntled Cultivator came in. He doesn’t have an official name, since he was killed by his fiancé from the Phoenix Clan, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t do anything.”

”That’s where the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] came in.” Mei paused to sip tea in order to moisten her lips. ”Contrary to its simple name, it was a groundbreaking Cultivation Cauldron. It could be both used for Fiendish and normal Pill Refining.”

”This Mythical Cauldron was sought by many, but...” Mei sighed. ”It didn’t see the light of day thanks to the Phoenix Clan. There were only a few Ever Shaping Cauldrons created, but for some reason, they could not separate from owners.” Mei shook her head.

”That’s because it’s connected to your body.” Aiko nudged Mei.

Mei’s eyes shook and she paused for a long time.

”Does it also have a connection to your Soul?” Mei asked in curiosity.

[The Ever Shaping Cauldron]

[Cauldron that is created from one’s body. It is tied to the body and protects the body.]

[It can both Refine Pills and Treasures. Not just weapons, but all Treasures.]

[This is an incomplete version of the Shapeless Cauldron and thus is not tied to the Soul, but you can still tie it to your Soul if you are skilled enough.]

”Shapeless Cauldron, huh...” Aiko narrowed her eyes. She browsed her shop, but she could not find it...

Meanwhile, Mei was completely shocked! While the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron] was just a Mythical, [The Shapeless Cauldron] should not exist! It was beyond Mythical! It could be called the Pinnacle of Cauldrons!

Mei was shocked for so long that Aiko turned towards the Grandmaster, leaving Mei to her own thoughts.

”Do you know of a way that I could melt metals inside my body?” Aiko asked the Grandmaster.

”I know of a few, but it will be better to let Mei teach you.” Dai Lu was unable to reject Aiko’s soft eyes. ”Ugh. You can eat Fire Shards and try to attain the Fire Affinity. With that, you should be able to melt basic metals, but nothing exceptional. You would need Spiritual Flames to melt the rare materials.” Dai Lu had a soft side for small Foxes.

”And before you ask. Spiritual Flames are different to Spirit Flames. One is created in nature, while the other is artificial. You can still melt metals with Spirit Flames, but you would need an artefact to protect you from harming yourself!” Dai Lu emphasised the last part.

”Are Spiritual Flames hard to find?” Aiko asked.

”Yes, but even if you find one, it doesn’t mean that you would be able to contract it!” Dai Lu sighed and turned to drink her tea. Saying more than this might lead Aiko astray, which would mean that she would be punished by Mei...