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  Chapter 7: Hunting Back in the Forest

  Dawn’s golden light spilled over the Spirit Willow Inn as Flux awoke. A cool breeze swept through the slightly open window, rustling the paper talismans he'd set for protection. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. Despite the warmth of the bed, his mind was already in the forest—on the hunt.

  “Time to get moving,” he murmured, tying his hair into a neater bun. He adjusted his robe, checked his pouch, and carefully fastened the flying sword on his back.

  His tail, once freely swaying, was now wrapped tightly around his waist under his robe, hidden from curious eyes. His voice, once soft and childish, had also shifted. With a conscious adjustment of his throat and breath, he’d given it a slightly older tone—just enough to pass as a young cultivator.

  Downstairs, the scent of sizzling meat and warm steamed buns greeted him. He ordered a simple breakfast—meat buns, dried jerky, and strong tea.

  The innkeeper nodded. “Back to the forest, little sir?”

  Flux gave a small nod. “I need to train and gather. Can't stay comfortable too long.”

  “Hah! Good mindset,” the man ughed. “Just keep an eye out for the bear this time.”

  Flux smirked faintly. “If I see it again, I’ll be ready.”

  After breakfast, he moved through the morning bustle of Oaktown. Hawkers shouted their wares, and spirit beasts in harnesses pulled heavy carts. Cultivators swaggered through the streets, most ignoring him entirely—just another young face in a world of swords and ambition.

  By the time he reached the town gates, he drew little attention. His wide-brimmed hat, well-tailored bck robe, and calm steps helped him blend in. Even the guard from his first visit barely spared him a gnce.

  Outside, the open pins stretched to the horizon. Flux pulled out his flying sword. With a pulse of qi, it rose and shimmered in the air. He stepped onto it smoothly, his bance much improved.

  The wind rushed against him as he took off, soaring into the sky.

  “This is still the best part of cultivation,” he muttered with a quiet smile.

  Hours passed in the sky. Hills rolled beneath him, rivers sparkled in the sun, and forests stretched endlessly. Eventually, he reached the familiar edges of the wildwood—home to beasts, herbs, and danger.

  He nded near his old cave and stepped lightly onto the mossy ground. The pce hadn’t changed much. Vines curled along the entrance, and a few cw marks on nearby rocks reminded him of past battles.

  Inside the cave, he checked his supplies, unfolded his new map for reference, and took a deep breath.

  “I’m not just here to earn spirit stones,” he reminded himself. “I need to test myself. To grow.”

  With that thought, he stepped outside, sword in hand.

  ---

  The forest welcomed him with chirping birds, rustling leaves, and faint pulses of spiritual energy hidden beneath the foliage. He ascended into the canopy on his sword, gliding silently above the trees.

  It didn’t take long to find prey.

  Below, a spirit deer grazed, faint golden runes glowing on its back. With a flick of his fingers, his sword moved like a whisper through the trees.

  A fsh of silver, a moment of silence.

  The deer colpsed without a sound.

  “Fast, clean, no wasted motion,” Flux said as he retrieved the core. “I’m improving.”

  He pressed deeper into the forest. A pack of iron-hide boars blocked his path, their bodies clustered around a blooming patch of spiritual herbs.

  He waited.

  When the wind shifted, he struck.

  His dagger gleamed in the underbrush as he dispatched the first. The rest squealed and charged—only to be sliced down by his flying sword, descending from above like a falling star.

  By nightfall, his pouch was full. Back at the cave, he roasted meat, brewed tea with forest herbs, and sat beside the fire, sharpening his control over the flying sword using fallen twigs and leaves for target practice.

  The next day, he dove deeper into the forest. The canopy thickened, sunlight turned to dim streaks, and silence stretched between each rustling leaf. He moved with caution, flying low.

  He battled silver-cwed panthers, snuck past howling ape tribes, and traded blows with a wind serpent that coiled in the high branches. The serpent nearly sshed his robe in half before he pinned it to a tree with a swift sword thrust.

  But his biggest challenge came when the ground shook beneath him.

  A massive tiger—its fur stone-gray, its body coated in jagged rock—emerged from the trees. Its aura was suffocating.

  “Ninth-stage Qi Refinement,” Flux whispered. “Let’s see if I’m really stronger now.”

  The battle was fierce. Flux danced between the tiger’s crushing blows, using bursts of movement techniques and quick sword flurries to whittle it down. When it finally fell, he was panting, blood streaking his arm, but standing.

  “I’ve come a long way from struggling with a single wolf,” he muttered, wincing as he tended to the scratches.

  ---

  On the third day, deeper than ever before, he paused mid-flight.

  Something was wrong.

  He felt it—not with his eyes, but his spirit.

  “Something’s… watching me,” he whispered, reaching out with spiritual sense.

  There.

  Beneath a twisted, ancient tree. Hidden beneath its roots. Cold. Coiled. Alive.

  “A demon bck snake… Foundation Establishment level,” he murmured. “Fourth level, at least.”

  The moment he focused, the snake struck—erupting from the ground like a bck lightning bolt. Its fangs gleamed, venom hissed, and its crimson eyes locked onto him.

  Flux barely escaped upward, the ground where he had floated seconds earlier now cracked and smoking.

  “Fast!” he excimed, spiraling higher.

  The serpent coiled mid-air, chasing him with eerie silence.

  Flux gritted his teeth and held his sword at the ready, spiritual energy swirling around him.

  “No way around it… I have to fight.”

  The serpent lunged.

  Flux moved.

  Steel met fang, qi cshed against venomous mist. The forest lit up with fshes of silver and bck.

  For the first time since reaching Foundation Establishment, Flux felt truly challenged.