The metallic tang of blood filled the crisp forest air. The Iron-Tusk Wolf lay dead at her paws, its massive head charred and its life force completely drained.
[ Ding! Target Slain: Iron-Tusk Wolf (Level 4). ]
[ Experience Gained! Level Up! ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ Host has reached Level 4 (Mortal Beast). ]
[ Rewards Distributed: +80 System Points. Current Balance: 100 SP. ]
A rush of pure, unadulterated energy surged through her tiny frame. The shallow cuts on her flanks knitted together instantly, her pristine white fur absorbing the ambient Qi until it practically glowed under the canopy. Her senses sharpened; she could hear the flutter of a moth’s wings fifty yards away and smell the damp moss growing on the distant riverbeds.
Two levels from one fight, she thought, her heart hammering against her ribs. The system doesn't just make it easy—it makes it terrifyingly fast.
In this world, a regular beast would have to survive for decades, slowly digesting worldly spiritual energy just to break through a single minor realm. She had done it in a matter of minutes.
She looked down at the carcass. In the Azure Cloud Continent, every part of a spiritual beast was valuable. The fur could be woven into defensive robes, the teeth used for forging spiritual weapons, and the meat consumed to nourish a cultivator's meridians.
Willing her mind to interact with the system, she approached the dead wolf.
Store, she commanded.
A flash of blue light enveloped the massive creature. In an instant, the entire carcass vanished, leaving behind only a patch of flattened, bloody grass.
[ Ding! Item Added to Inventory: 1x Iron-Tusk Wolf Carcass (Mortal Beast - Level 4). ]
She let out a soft fox-purr of satisfaction. Traditional cultivators carried spatial rings, but those rings had strict weight limits and could easily be stolen or destroyed if the cultivator was killed. Her inventory was welded directly onto her soul. Even if an Immortal captured her, they could never pry open her pocket dimension.
Now that the immediate danger had passed, she scrambled up a nearby weeping willow, nesting safely inside the thick, drooping branches where predators couldn't easily spot her. It was time to reassess her build.
She opened the Evolution Shop. With the 80 points gained from the wolf, her balance was back to 100 SP.
"If I'm going to face more Level 4 beasts, I can't just rely on a single trick," she murmured to herself, reviewing the options.
Her eyes skipped past the active skills and locked onto the Cultivation Techniques sub-menu. She needed a foundation. Fox Fire was great, but her Qi pool was incredibly shallow. If she ran out of energy mid-fight, she would be nothing more than a glorified pelt.
* Basic Qi Gathering Method (Cost: 50 SP): Increases passive Qi absorption rate by 20%.
"Perfect," she decided. "Efficiency is everything."
[ Ding! Purchased Cultivation Technique: Basic Qi Gathering Method. -50 SP. ]
[ Remaining Balance: 50 System Points. ]
The moment the transaction finalized, a cool, soothing sensation flooded her core. She didn't need to sit still and actively meditate anymore; her small body was now automatically pulling faint, silver threads of spiritual energy from the surrounding air, steadily refilling her Qi reserves even as she sat perched on the tree branch.
With 50 SP left, she cast her gaze toward her inventory, staring at the glowing green sphere she had ignored earlier.
[ Item: Low-Grade Qi Condensation Pill (Mortal Grade) ]
* Effect: Instantly grants a massive burst of pure Qi. May trigger a minor breakthrough if consumed at the peak of a realm.
"I'm at Level 4 now," she mused, adjusting her fluffy tail around her paws. "The wolf was a Level 4, and it almost tore me apart before I outsmarted it. If I encounter a pack, or a rogue human cultivator..."
She didn't finish the thought. Humans in these novels were notorious for capturing beautiful spirit beasts to turn them into enslaved mounts, or worse, skinning them for materials. She was currently a defenseless, exceptionally rare pure-white fox. To humans, she was a walking paycheck.
Using her mind, she retrieved the pill. It materialized right in front of her nose, hovering in the air for a fraction of a second before gravity took over. She caught it deftly in her jaws.
The pill dissolved instantly, turning into a scalding, liquid fire that shot straight down her throat.