Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox

Moon Aiko was now dressed up by Li Xiu, making her wonder what was wrong with them.

Ah Cy sighed. ”You shouldn’t do that.”

”But it’s not like everyone doesn’t have a skill that makes clothes disappear.” At this point, Aiko had 3 of them, so it was definitely not uncommon.

Ah Cy choked on her tea. ”Was that why you-??”

”I mean, even [Clean] can be used to undress others, so I don’t think you have any ground to stand on.” Moon Aiko shook her head.

”Clean can’t be used to get rid of clothing.” Li Xiu shook her head. She didn’t believe Aiko since clean was used only for getting rid of anything dirty.

”Don’t try me; it won’t end up well for you.” Moon Aiko crossed her arms.

”Tsk. You can’t bluff this time. The Sacred Realm was believable, but clean? No way-” Li Xiu reported, but then she heard that calm and collected voice.

”[Clean]” Moon Aiko said simply.

*riiiiiip*

Li Xiu’s clothes disappeared as they were thoroughly cleaned up.

”Kyyya!” Li Xiu covered her body, not expecting Aiko to be able to do even the impossible.

Ah Cy, at this moment just sat frozen, tea pouring out of her mouth.

’Was she always so abnormal...?’ Ah Cy was trying to process that someone weaponised one of the most useful support skills.

”Do you believe me now?” Moon Aiko crossed her arms again and glanced towards Ah Cy.

”Don’t you dare to try it on me!” Ah Cy immediately glared at Aiko, worrying about her clothing.

Moon Aiko shrugged and sat down slowly. It was nice here, but it was probably not the best idea.

”Is there a place I can use to ingest poison that would also count as containment, just in case something went wrong?” Moon Aiko asked them.

The Sect Leader was trying to appear invisible, especially when he saw something he shouldn’t.

”He can deal with that.” Ah Cy glanced at him, not giving him any way to refuse.

”Yes...” He groaned gently. It was bad enough that he was still in the same room when ’those’ things happened, but now he was even ordered by a Peak Elder...

’What happened to me...’ Wu Tao shook his head. He couldn’t believe what was happening.

”Follow me.” He still dutifully fulfilled his task, not because he was ordered to do so, but because he worried that it would end just like his destroyed gazebo.

’I will have to replace it before they finish their ’fun’.’ He still wanted to play more of Go against his friend before they left.

Moving on to another Peak, they arrived at the Alchemy Peak. Well, the back of the mountain, since that’s where all the poisonous Herbs were located.

Unlike that special peak, this place was off limits because of its extreme toxicity that would affect you even by breathing.

Wu Tao gestured. ”Even if something is destroyed, it won’t cause issues since we don’t really use them.”

They did use it against Fiendish Cultivators before, but then they found better ways to combat them, so nobody was really taking care of this place.

It was the perfect place for the destructive Aiko to play in.

Wu Tao still wondered if Aiko could digest so much poison, but he soon stopped thinking about it. He would now plead with the Hidden Peak Leader that he didn’t see anything before things got worse between them!

Moon Aiko tilted her head. For some reason, the Sect Leader was less energetic than before, which puzzled her slightly. Well, she didn’t think too much about it, as the system told her something interesting.

[The average toxicity reached its limit in this area, making even breathing difficult.]

[Just one breath would render a Golden Core Stage Cultivator unable to move.]

[A few minutes for Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator.]

[This is a perfect place to form a special physique for the Captivating Bloodline.]

’Does each Bloodline need a special body?’ Moon Aiko tilted her head.

[That is correct. Once you reach a certain stage, without a special body, you wouldn’t be able to nurture your Bloodline.]

[As you are a special case, you have very limited ways to improve your Bloodlines.]

[The first way would be to be enhanced by specific energies, and the other would be physique.]

[It was more lax before, but now you won’t be able to progress as smoothly.]

[As you improve your physiques, the limiters on Elemental Affinities will also lift.]

’There are too many new things for me.’ Moon Aiko shook her head.

[Till now, you were able to improve your Elemental Affinity through Evolution. However, that consumed too much Providence that could be used on gifts or more items in the [Primordial Shop].]

[As such, the system limited the growth for more potential in the future. Moreover, you can really progress to the [Affection] stage without a proper body. The previous system bypassed that rule with Providence, but that will no longer be possible.]

[With physique, the [Affection] stage would grow quicker, making you more immune to specific elements.]

Moon Aiko was slightly overwhelmed, but still happy. Yeah, sure, she was special in so many ways that it now hurt her, but as long as she had a way to progress, everything would be fine.

’What are we trying to accomplish?’ Moon Aiko pondered on this question multiple times, but she couldn’t figure it out.

Sure, physiques were cool and all, but the system was going out of its way, which seemed suspicious.

[The physique will allow you to obtain a very special mission. Moreover, you will be able to obtain very special abilities.]

[The [Divine Solar Body] also has special abilities, but as most of its power is sealed, you are unable to access it.]

[Something as gentle as Poison Body would be easy to control, and you would be able to learn how everything works, giving you the opportunity to train before all hell breaks loose.]

’What do you mean by that last part?’ Moon Aiko felt called out.

[You will cause chaos, it’s inevitable, Princess...]

’...’ Moon Aiko really wanted to slap the system for some reason, as this kind of sentence felt familiar.

’Anyway, what’s next?’ Moon Aiko was quite unhappy, so she was trying to distract herself.

[Just being in this place tempers your body and would allow you to reach a higher grade of physique.]

’I will go to sleep.’ Moon Aiko’s ’feeble’ Divine Sense didn’t catch anything alive in a large radius, so it would be fine if she slept through this whole thing.

[Sleeping (Stage 1)]

[Effect: Allows you to accomplish things like you would when you are awake. This includes Cultivation, Attainment, among other things.]

Moon Aiko felt like this was different to what she was used to, but at the same time, the same. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, so she would just test it.

[Sleeping will take effect once you fall asleep.]

Moon Aiko blinked a few times. As if by instinct, she pulled out Spirit Crystals and a few pelts, making a bed out of them.

’... damn habits.’ Moon Aiko ruffled her eyes as she was quite annoyed by how quickly and precisely she was able to set this up.

Of course, she would not store this away, and she immediately plopped onto it and got rid of the clothing.

’Why does Li Xiu always pick clothing with such a tight chest...’ Moon Aiko couldn’t figure it out. She would never imagine that Li Xiu was never that ’large’. ’Does she hold a grudge against me?’ She started to believe that Li Xiu might hate her for destroying those clothes.

’I will have to be more careful.’ Moon Aiko swore that she would make up for it, so that Li Xiu would not be upset with her.

’For now let’s sleep.’ Moon Aiko closed her eyes and quite quickly drifted to sleep.

...

[Adjusting breathing.]

[Large intake of poison registered.]

[Concentrating all the poisons inside the body into beads.]

[Those beads will be sealed until the physique is ready.]

[Completion: 2%]

[Increase of 0.1% per hour in these conditions.]

[The toxic Herbs in the storage can be used to speed up this process.]

[The system locks that for now, as it’s better to slowly build it before rushing it.]

[Everyone votes in favour of this, as the Princess would be safer this way.]

[Some members vote to increase the threshold of the physique with Providence.]

[Other members are displeased.]

[Voting is underway.]

[Majority wins. It’s in favour of those who wish for a better physique.]

[#### chimes in.]

[She adjusts it to her favourite physique.]

[The members are questioning if it’s a good idea.]

[#### shakes his head. He would indulge the Princess this time, as she was working hard this whole time, unlike before.]

[The members are confused, but do not dare to question that decision.]

...

A greenish cloud was entering Aiko’s body, especially through her breathing.

It felt like she was draining the whole back of the mountain of its poison. That included the air, soil and even the Herbs themselves!

The sudden change alerted the Peak Elder.

The Peak Elder couldn’t figure out what was wrong, so he went to report this to the Sect Leader.

Unfortunately, the Sect Leader dismissed him with the words: ”You should activate the Protection Array.”

The Peak Elder was flustered, but he didn’t question anything. He would just listen to the Sect Leader and do as he was told, just in case something bad was coming his way.

-----

Li Xiu pouted slightly. ”Master. I want to undergo metamorphosis!”

”You can do that only once on purpose. The second time would be difficult.” Ah Cy shook her head. She was trapped in her old body because she was too hasty, not listening to the warning of her Elders.

She later acquired a special physique that allowed her to dance with her sword, but it also caused ’defects’ due to improper body proportions.

Thus, she became a cow that everyone loved and drooled over...

”I know.” Li Xiu believed that she would be able to do metamorphosis again later, thanks to her bird.

”...” Ah Cy was questioning if she was doing it for herself, or because of Aiko.

’Well, Aiko had a pretty lukewarm reaction to her body, so she might be hurt...’ Ah Cy concluded this. It would be better to question her Disciple for a little bit and teach her about the importance of metamorphosis before allowing her to do it. This way, there would be no mishaps along the way...