Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox

Mei snuggled Aiko for the rest of the day.

Most Muscle Foxes didn't mind as the Passion Fox replaced her in customer service.

The Muscle Foxes liked the Passion Fox more as she was well-spoken and softer than the cruel and unforgiving Jade Fox.

There were also rumours that there were multiple Jade Foxes now, which puzzled them.

When it came to the Vicious Jade Fox, there were no questions about the validity of that nickname.

She was cute and playful, a bit sinister, but which Fox wasn't.

Meanwhile, the other Jade Fox didn't make as much sense. She always hid somewhere. She was nowhere as gorgeous as the two others. It just felt like she was trying to weasel her way between them.

As such, the general consensus was to intercept the ugly Jade Fox and keep her away from those two cuties.

...

Mei and Aiko listened to the gossip and exchanged meaningful looks.

"She can't be that ugly, right?" Aiko nervously laughed.

"She doesn't compare to us. We are well-known and resourceful, not using our beauty to our advantage. However, her whole personality is her looks. That's why she is so petty." Mei sighed, nuzzling Aiko again.

"No wonder that she feels like she is out to get us..." Aiko clicked her tongue. She was quite upset that nobody was trying to do something like that.

"It's fine. Everything is in place, you just have to make it out safely." Mei took the special powdered ink. She intended to make that Rune on Aiko's hand.

"Will this be really alright?" Aiko's eyes narrowed as she was worried about Mei.

"Don't worry, I'm not weak, and unlike you, I will have plenty of time to meditate." Mei's eyes softened. It felt incredibly good when someone worried about you.

"I will leave it to you then..." Aiko pursed her lips. She couldn't really dissuade Mei, so she would just be careful during her exploration.

'I hope I won't attract too much trouble...' Aiko sighed.

...

Mei finished the Rune, and it was slowly getting time to leave for the Sacred Realm.

"You are going too?" Aiko tilted her head.

"The Rune is not omnipotent, so I have to be somewhat close to you. Moreover, this Sacred Realm is used to teach the younger generations about dangers and how it looks inside." Mei explained this event briefly.

"So you will be watching others..." Aiko now understood what those previous words from Mei meant. She would not be watched, so she could let loose, but others would likewise not be watched, which meant they would be the troublesome group.

"In general, try to avoid the Northern Sects. Southern Sects seem friendly to you, but just in case, be cautious as for the rest. From the Western Sects, there is some kind of strange obsession about you and Eastern... Well, you don't have to worry about them since they will always be late." Mei chuckled.

"This is very little information." Moon Aiko frowned.

"Well, it's not like I can guess their goal. I'm just warning you that there might be a certain agenda since we both are on the Hunter's List." Mei shrugged.

"What is that?" Aiko tilted her head.

"It's a special institution that keeps tabs on Beasts and gives them danger ratings associated with bounty rating." Mei explained. "Once you are in their eyes, you will be given a danger level. So that Cultivators can seek you out or avoid you. As for the bounty rating, that is for, if they capture you, how much Spirit Stones can get out of you." She clicked her tongue in displeasure.

Humans liked to give everything a price tag, even when things were complicated. This resulted in many peaceful Beasts going for a lot of Spirit Stones, making them almost extinct in the process.

"How about we burn them?" Aiko narrowed her eyes.

"That wouldn't help. Just because they disappear, doesn't mean that the intention behind the institution also disappears." Mei shook her head. It would take too much time to get rid of them, and eventually, there would be someone else who would pop up, making the whole eradication pointless.

"Can't believe that Humans do something like that." Aiko sighed.

"Foxes have Human form and are beautiful, unlike most Humans. As such, we are the staple of those bounties." Mei shrugged.

"Gotcha." Aiko nodded slowly. Fortunately, her [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix] was active, so she wouldn't be easily enslaved.

"Why did you pack so many things?" Aiko tilted her head.

"Just in case you find something nice in the Sacred Realm, I will be able to immediately make it into Pills for the Grandmaster, and after that, we pretty much have a powerful force that can rival the delegation." Mei licked her lips. Even the Divine Beast would not have an easy time against the Grandmaster during her prime.

"You really like to antagonise them, huh?" Aiko chuckled.

"Who told them to bring that old bastard over, he is too old to engage in these things, but fortunately, he won't side with the old fogeys." Mei smacked her lips. If he joined them, their plans would be delayed again.

"Can't we just put the healed Grandmaster against him and deal with those old fogeys?" Moon Aiko was already making plans towards her special flags to reward those bastards for what they did.

"It would be possible, but that is only if you find Herbs inside the Sacred Realm..." Mei noticed a certain marking between Aiko's eyebrows. 'Since when did she have that? Was it concealed till now? Did that appear after finishing Evolution?' Mei had quite a few questions, but she would postpone them for later.

"I will do my best." Moon Aiko nodded with a happy expression, making Mei want to hug her once again.

"Good, then let's go so that we are not bothered by the others." Mei licked her lips.

"By the others?" Aiko tilted her head.

...

The plaza was completely filled with Foxes, unlike the Secret Realm, which was mostly for good seedlings. The Sacred Realm was for everyone picked by the delegation.

Unlike the Elders of the Fox Village, the Fox Sect had a better and more advanced rating and ranking system. So, they found plenty of seedlings that were ignored by the Fox Village.

"Is that Vicious Jade Fox?"

"And next to her is Jade Fox, right?"

"I can't believe they let 'that' have the same name as them."

"I know right? It's ridiculous how ugly she is compared to that pair."

"I want them to hug me..."

"Keep dreaming, they will easily crush you."

The Foxes whispered between each other, but since Aiko's ears were quite sensitive, she could hear all of them.

'There will be more animosity between our groups since the public opinion is like this.' Moon Aiko sighed, but she didn't mind being in the spotlight.

Did she get used to it after such a long time, or did she just not care about this situation at all? It was hard to say, but Aiko was happy that she was not bothered by them.

The flying ship flew over the plaza, and Aiko was startled.

'It's as big as a large city.' Aiko couldn't believe that such a big flying ship would take them along.

'It's because they are trying to raise our prestige that they are using the delegation's flying ship.' Mei explained through telepathy. She saw how startled Aiko was, so this was the best time to explain everything.

'There are in total 5 groups in the delegation. We have already met the most powerful group and the forerunners that can give us the best benefits.' Mei kept going but sighed inside her mind. Even the best benefits were shit compared to what Aiko could find in Secret Realm, much less in Sacred Realm.

'The other group competes against each other about who will gain the most and best seedlings.' Mei's passive expression was quite startling, but that didn't stop Aiko from listening.

'Those groups had their own factions on the mainland, which would allow them to give you said benefits. This was made so that they could spread their influence and learn how to lead others, but...' Mei paused with questionable feelings.

'They misused it?' Aiko tried to guess, but she missed the mark.

'No, the Foxes would offer so little that they would gain too much in return, making the whole Fox Sect unstable.' Mei clicked her tongue.

'But isn't that misusing?' Aiko was confused.

'No, since the first rules didn't state that it needs to be an equal exchange, and that's where the Elder from the mainland comes in.' Mei shook her head.

'To watch over them so that they don't do anything stupid?' Aiko tilted her head.

'En. Because they ripped off a few Foxes, there was great resistance inside the Fox Sect. That almost caused the whole Sect to disband since a few prodigies were completely livid about being scammed.' Mei chuckled.

'Were you part of that?' Aiko believed that if something like that happened, Mei would definitely be part of it.

'No. I was the one doing the scamming.' Mei coughed awkwardly when she saw Aiko's speechless expression.

'Seriously...?' Since when did her kind and cute Mei turn into a devil? Aiko didn't understand.

'Well... the Elders were too stingy with resources, so I had to gain them from somewhere.' Mei looked away, feeling nostalgic about her previous life.

'Why?' Aiko believed that there would be a good reason for this.

'Because I was not as talented.' Mei said expressionlessly, but Aiko could feel the hidden pain in her voice.

'Oh... but you are progressing quite quickly?' Aiko tilted her head.

'And whose fault is that?' Mei pinched Aiko's cheek gently, giggling to herself.

"D-did you see that?"

"Jade Fox smiled! Jade Fox smiled!"

"I feel like I'm going to faint..."

"Then faint. I want to have a better line of sight."

"You-!"

"Fight me."

"Shut up, you bastards. Can't you see they are lovey-dovey?! Just enjoy the ride before she pulls out the flags!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Aiko's lips twitched as the scene grew quiet. Those last words were enough to silence most of them, even those who were bleeding from their noses.

Aiko felt like she had become quite the celebrity, but she also felt something looming over her.

It was not a good sensation and made her feel on guard...

The huge flying ship didn't land, as there was not enough room for it to land.

There were no mountains that could be used to make an anchor point, and as such, they were unable to make a proper dockyard.

The next challenge was upon them...