'Master, be careful! Chou saw this type of Spirit Beast before. It's a strong one.'

"Are you stronger than him, Chou?" Li Meirong asked.

'Chou is slightly stronger, but that's a Fire Spirit Beast, Master. Chou is only a Plant Spirit. Fire is no good for plants.'

Li Meirong muttered under her breath. "It's as if the heavens purposefully pit me against fire elements because they know my weakness. Nevermind, stay hidden."

The Tiger Spirit growled menacingly. It leapt from the cave mouth and prowled around Li Meirong, waiting for the precise moment to strike. With its every move, it exposed a powerful set of muscles underneath the striking red fur.

Li Meirong took a step back and went into a fighting stance, her pulse pounding in her temples. She knew that she was strong enough to take this beast down, but confronting an enemy, and training to fight one were two different matters altogether.

She was no killer, and she knew it. However, fate seemed to propel her onto a path of bloodshed. Her rational mind urged her to flee, avoid the danger altogether. But she knew that if she did… if she ran away now, then she'd have to keep running for the rest of her life. It wasn't a matter of dealing with one enemy, it was a matter of choice. Her choice on how to live this life.

Despite her trembling hands, her pupils sharpened as she stood her ground.

The Tiger Spirit finally made its move, pouncing upon the girl.

Li Meirong evaded the tiger's claws by the narrowest of margins, shifting herself sideways. A few strands of her midnight hair were slashed as she dived to safety. She could see them from the corner of her eye almost in slow motion, gently wafting in the air as they fell away. It almost felt like a warning.

The tiger dashed after her, lifting its body up as it struck again. This time, she was too slow to avoid the attack and took it head on, bracing for the impact with the flaming blue shield in front.

Luckily for her, Feng Huang's barrier technique was nearly impenetrable and blocked what might have possibly been a fatal strike.

Li Meirong's teeth chattered from the collision. The tiger didn't wait for even an instant before rising again for the kill.

It kept slashing across the spectral shield, growling and screeching with frustration as it realized it could not reach through and maul its prey.

Even though the shield protected Li Meirong, the sheer difference in size between them offered the tiger a physical advantage over her. It cornered her to the ground. With every strike, the tiger pushed her further and further down until she ended up crouched on the grass beneath her bare feet.

'What is Master waiting for? Strike back! Shoot the baddie!' Chou urged, panicking.

At first, Chou was confident of his Master's capability to wipe out this Spirit Beast. Master was unquestionably a lot stronger than the mangy beast! Though sadly, as the battle progressed, it became evident that his Master lacked the necessary fighting experience as well as the confidence in herself to do so.

Li Meirong had no time to argue with Chou and explain how she couldn't very well shoot the beast if she was too busy defending herself from getting chopped up. However, his suggestion seemed spot on. She had to find a way to attack from a distance, far enough so that she would have time to switch from a defensive position to an offensive one.

"I need you to distract him." Li Meirong groaned as she blocked another blow. After a repetitive series of impacts, the barrier seemed to have sustained some damage as a crack appeared on the side of the translucent shield.

'Chou is scared.' Chou whispered back. He huddled inside Li Meirong's sleeve, thoroughly terrified. Gobbling up humans was simple and easy, but dealing with humongous, fire breathing beasts was certainly not! It was difficult for the Plant Spirit to admit it, but he was frightened of fire element beasts. His last encounter with the Drake made his fear only worsen.