Absorbing the Qi from the flower was very beneficial for Yun Kou she felt how her Ice flame grew stronger and even her cultivation inched ever closer to the late second realm. Ever since coming here and wearing this cuffs her progress was a lot quicker and Kou understood why that was. She was constantly forced to fight to hunt until she had become the strongest one in her area there had been many battles and struggles. Kou knew by this point that unlike before she could not always do the safest route she could not remain here in this "Safe" space forever.

Challenging beasts as strong or even stronger than herself would help her cultivation way more than any pills or cores could! But these kinds of things went against her character quite immensely. She always stayed back, never got involved and tried to the quickest and safest method to get away... Unless provoked off course, but there were few people that got her to the point that she would retaliate.. openly. Until now it has only been that Prince.

Already feeling her anger rise again she stopped herself before it went too far. There where more pressing matters today! And one of which was that Bear-like person! He was a little unsettling and Kou already wanted to move her home to a different place, but now that plan was out as he had told her to stay around here, it did not sound like an order but that creature was so powerful he could kill her with a snip of his fingers so she would not risk going against his words. "I'll have to ask him to clarify once I see him again, Aside.. from being ... weird he was nice to me, but... best to stay suspicious! Cultivators rarely are nice without getting anything out of it.

Well... most of them at least...

Kou would stay here a while longer! She had worked hard on her home the cave underneath the tree was tightly packed dirt, it was cold and spacious for her, she could even dig deeper - it felt very much like her very own den, and that somehow felt calming. "Mh...Maybe I'm more fox than human.." She mumbled to herself as she looked down into her cave but did not enter.. instead she moved to the side where the small house she had made out of hide - bone and wood stood. It was more of a tent than a house really. Here she kept many of the plants she had gathered over the last half a year, as well as the Book Shi Shi had given her.

Before going to bed today she would once more start reading the book, she had fought herself through the first half of it already, memorizing Plants and Vegetation, it listed many many different kinds of them! All of them in some way or the other useful to a cultivator. The second half was about actual alchemy, and she had not started with that yet, instead, she continued to memorize the first half, her goal was to recognize and name every plant in it even if she found it in the wild! Always being able to identify something useful or harmful to her seemed rather useful after all!

A few days later.

Kou had just finished her daily hunting spree when she suddenly felt something. There he was - appearing in front of her out of nowhere.. Xióng. Just as massive - she almost ran into him but managed to stop just short of him and quickly jumped backward. "Ah! Didn't want to surprise ya" The massive man had his kind grin again and Kou's ears tilted downwards slightly. "Wanted to see how ya doing, did ya like the flower I brought before?"

Kou curled her nose, unsure on how to interact with the man. "Flower was nice, helped me... " She mumbled. The man's eyes became shiny and Kou felt weirded out again! It was a little like how Xiu Shihong would look at her sometimes... "Good Good Good!" Saying good three times his voice boomed through the tropical forest, even the large trees shook under his happiness. Kou backed up a few more steps... and curled her nose further.

"Mh! I see, ya used the flower to cultivate.. did help you a lot hrm.. a few more of those and you will be able to rank up..." Xióng Remarked while looking at her with kind eyes. "Listen, I will bring you one of those every few days, how does that sound?" Kou looked up at him, she could not afford to offend this creature so she nodded slowly. "That.. would be nice... But can I also go deeper into the forest? I want to fight stronger things.." Just her Cultivation growing would not help her much. She had to go out and train, fight!.

Xióng looked down at her in surprise! Why was she asking HIM?! Had she already accepted him as her guardian! His hearth quickly became warmer and a wide grin appeared on his face. "Mh! Of course, you can, I will even show you an area appropriate for your level!" He felt very generous in front of such quick trust in him! "I shall also oversee your training! I'm very happy that you intend to become strong!" He tried to encourage her just like a "Parent" should and laughed out loudly.

Kou tilted her head to the side and slowly nodded ["What exactly is he on about... he sounds weird.."] Thinking to herself she shakes her head slightly before looking up to Xióng once more "So..can I just go now?"

"Haha! No No, it is already getting late, right? Here take this." Once more he pulled forward one of those Ice-flowers, filled with frozen Qi, the little creature's eyes went wide and he had the sudden urge to pinch her puffy cheeks! Resisting that urge as to not destroy the suddenly found trust that Kou had in him he carefully handed her the flower. "I will come back in a few days and show you an appropriate area!" With those words, he vanished a wide grin on his face.

He could not wait to get home and tell his mate! That nagging woman had little interest in the girl but had told him that he was a big old idiot if he thinks he would get close to someone that way! Xióng threw open the giant door to his cave, his form expanding right afterward, quickly he was no longer human but a giant white bear with many scars on his pelt. "Woman! Listen to me! She asked me already if it is ok to do things! She already sees me as a parent!" He growled into the cave.

The answer was a snarl from inside.. his mate was a few meters smaller than him and had not to jet managed to take on human form, but she was not all that much weaker than him! She was brown and had lovely blue eyes. "You Oaf, that thing is clearly scared and does not want to offend you because you are powerful. What kind of Parent are you!" She growled at him. "You come across as some old pervert more than anything, I'm sure!"

There they were, two bears as big as buildings tussling and bickering with each other but even though the tone was rough and the words biting, both of them looked at each other with kind and happy eyes, clearly both of them did not want to miss the other at all!

Kou let out a sigh of relief. Once more she had gotten an Ice Flower so she quickly settled down to absorb it, she could feel the abundant ice Qi filling her. The feeling was amazing and she could feel how her Ice-flame devoured part of the Qi growing stronger and stronger while the rest flowed into her dantian, one of these flowers. For her, that could deal well with the frigid cold qi that those flowers had it was like skipping many days of cultivation in the span of one breath!

Of course, not everyone would be able to do it, this much Ice Qi would freeze and destroy everyone that was not naturally connected with Ice! Of course, there would be many other things like this in this world. Some places and objects in this world had very strong Qi of a specific element, making them to something akin to a holy-land for cultivators of said element, places like those would quickly pull in large clans that would guard them to the last person!

And here was Kou just absorbing a flower that very clearly came from a place full of Ice Qi! It had to be said that not just any simple snowy mountain had Qi like this. There was something very special here, and Kou... was keen to find out what it was in the future!

Another day passed.

After Absorbing the Ice-flower Kou felt even closer to the late stage, she could feel the cracks in her dantian, how it would burst very soon making her step into the late second realm in just a bit over half a year! But today! There would be no cultivation, Well.. at least none of the sitting down kind! She would scout the deeper parts of the forest. Here, near the shore, the beasts were just about the mid-second realm, but the further in she went the stronger they would become.

Kou's current goal was ... testing the power of her Ice-flame and fighting Late second realm beasts!

Carefully were her steps, she was at the very edge of the territory that she called "Her own" she had never gone further than this. In her left hand, she carried a spear made out of bone, a disposable weapon, but also a bait. she hid her daggers as her primary weapon underneath her cloak! The beasts here were smarter than most, so tricking them into thinking this spear was her only weapon was beneficial for Kou!

Well..If it would even come to that! It was already late afternoon, and under the thick canopy, there was very little light, for Kou this was a huge advantage! She could move freely around with Hunting Shadows, thick shadows hiding her from spying eyes. While she jumped from tree branch to tree branch.

Very quickly she found her first prey. It was a 4 armed ape. They resembled Gorillas but had 4 large arms and very tiny feet, most of the time they moved around like spiders using her arms, or swung around in the trees. The beast was just about as strong as Oink had been. But it lacked one feature. It did not have that thick problematic hide. It also seemed very relaxed and not on alert at all. His hands ripping fruits from the trees.

Kou grinned, she coated her spear in ice and jumped into the ape's shadow. It did not even have time to react before the icy spear ripped into his back and penetrated its heart. Limbs growing limp it fell to the ground and Kou quickly followed. She would not eat this creature, simply taking its core for herself was enough, the other beasts in the forest would get a free meal today!

"So..I can almost effortlessly kill them if they don't see me... the next one I'll try in an open confrontation.."