Cultivation is Creation

I sent my awareness into the surrounding plants, preparing them for what was to come. Then, with a thought, I caused a branch to snap loudly on the far side of the clearing.

The reaction was immediate.

The Jade-Crowned Serpent Tiger's eyes snapped open, pupils flashing like polished jade in the light. It rose in one fluid motion, muscles coiling beneath its scaled hide. Then, between one heartbeat and the next, it vanished.

"Above!" I called out, already summoning my first vine. "Split up!"

Wei Lin and Lin Mei dove in opposite directions as the beast crashed down between them, its jade claws leaving deep furrows in the earth. The vine I'd called shot up like a spear, aiming for its exposed flank, but the tiger twisted away, its scales gleaming as it gathered power.

The beast's tail whipped toward Wei Lin, jade barb glowing with a greenish qi. Instead of dodging, Wei Lin squared his stance, his body taking on a subtle brown glow. The tail struck his raised forearm and... seemed to sink into it, the jade energy disappearing like water into sand.

"First trade of the day," Wei Lin grunted, his merchant's method converting the absorbed power. Multicolored qi swirled around him as his inner world processed the energy.

The tiger didn't wait for him to finish. It spun toward Lin Mei, probably marking her as the next easiest target. Two quick slashes of its claws sent waves of jade energy cutting through the air.

I knew Lin Mei would not be able to take the full force of a Qi Condensation Stage 5 beast without serious injury or even death. So, I sent my second vine surging up from the ground between Lin Mei and the attack. The jade energy sliced clean through it, but the momentary barrier gave Lin Mei time to gather moisture from the air.

She swept her hands outward, creating a shield of rapidly spinning water droplets that diffused the remaining energy.

"Eight o'clock!" Lin Mei warned as the beast circled around, using the trees for cover.

I tracked its movement through the disturbed plants, waiting for the right moment. When it gathered itself to pounce, I sent my third vine wrapping around a thick branch above its position. The vine pulled taut just as the tiger leaped, altering the branch's angle enough to throw off its trajectory.

The beast landed awkwardly, giving Wei Lin an opening. His right fist glowed with earth essence – the converted power from its earlier attack. But the tiger recovered faster than expected, its jade crown flaring as it met his charge with its own.

"Watch the—" I started to warn, but it was too late. The beast's tail came around in a surprise attack, catching Wei Lin in the side before he could react, sending him tumbling.

"Wei Lin!" Lin Mei's voice carried both worry and anger. She gestured sharply, and dozens of water needles materialized around her, each compressed until they gleamed like steel. They shot toward the tiger in waves, forcing it to break off its attack on Wei Lin.

I recalled my three vines, knowing I'd need them positioned perfectly for what came next. The tiger was focused on deflecting Lin Mei's water needles with its jade barrier, its crown blazing with defensive energy.

"How's the trading going?" I called to Wei Lin as he picked himself up.

"Working on it," he replied through gritted teeth as he clutched his left side. The qi around him was churning as his method processed the new influx of jade energy. "This stuff's not easy to convert. Give me five seconds!"

I sent two vines surging toward the tiger's front legs, trying to draw its attention. The third vine I kept in reserve, waiting. The beast's claws flashed, easily shredding through my attacks. But that was fine – I wasn’t trying to hurt it; I just needed it focused on me.

Lin Mei had been steadily gathering more water essence, drawing moisture from a wider and wider area. Now she released it all at once, not as attacks, but as a fine mist that filled the clearing. The water particles caught the morning light, creating a disorienting array of reflections that made it difficult to track movement.

The tiger's head snapped back and forth, its jade eyes struggling to penetrate the visual distortion. Its tail lashed in agitation, destroying a small tree in its frustration.

"Ready!" Wei Lin called. The brown glow around his fists had intensified, but now I could see threads of green running through it – jade energy partially converted to earth essence.

"Lin Mei, pin its right side!" I commanded. "Wei Lin, circle left! I'll keep it centered!"

I sent my remaining vine straight at the tiger's face, forcing it to rear back. As it batted the vine aside with its claws, Lin Mei's water needles peppered its right flank. They weren’t powerful enough to penetrate its scales, but they kept it turning defensively in that direction.

The beast's crown began to glow brighter, preparing for a major attack. That's when I brought my other two vines up through the ground on either side of it, not attacking, but creating barriers to limit its movement options.

The tiger gathered itself to leap away, but Wei Lin was already there. His strike caught it in the shoulder – not a solid hit, but enough to disrupt its balance. The beast tried to counter with its tail, but this time Wei Lin was ready. His merchant's method absorbed the jade energy of the attack, adding it to his growing power.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"It's favoring its left side!" I called out, noticing how the beast shifted its weight. "Old injury! Wei Lin, I'll create openings – you focus on absorption. Lin Mei, can you slow it down?" ȒАNՕᛒÈs̈

"Got something new for that!" Lin Mei's hands traced complex patterns in the air. The water essence around her condensed into floating rings that began to spin with increasing speed.

The rings shot forward, expanding as they moved. When they reached the tiger, they didn't strike directly – instead, they began orbiting it at different angles. Each ring created a localized zone of increased atmospheric pressure, making the beast's movements slightly more sluggish.

I sent my first vine whipping at the tiger's head, forcing it to dodge right through one of the pressure rings. Its movement was noticeably slower, giving me time to sweep my second vine low.

As it jumped, fighting against the increased pressure, I could clearly see how it struggled to distribute weight on its left leg. The third vine shot straight for its injured flank, drawing an awkward defensive swipe from its claws.

Wei Lin's timing was perfect, he darted forward just as my vines pulled back. His right hand glowed with converted earth essence as he aimed a strike at the beast's exposed flank.

The tiger sensed him coming. Its jade crown blazed as it unleashed a devastating counter – right claw wreathed in jade energy sweeping down in a killing arc. Wei Lin's eyes widened, but his merchant method activated just in time. The sigils around him flared bright green as they struggled to absorb the massive influx of energy.

"Too much power!" Wei Lin grunted, his face strained.

"Hold on!" Lin Mei swept her hands in a circular motion.

A sphere of pure water essence formed around Wei Lin, creating a barrier where the air pressure was perfectly controlled. Inside this space, the tiger's energy attacks would be slightly weakened, making them easier to absorb.

Before the beast could press its advantage, I sent two vines crossing between them, reinforcing Lin Mei's bubble. My third vine struck at the tiger's injured leg, forcing it to awkwardly shift its weight again.

The beast snarled in frustration. It spun into a complex combination – right claw, tail sweep, left claw. Each attack blazed with jade essence. Wei Lin managed to absorb the first strike through the vacuum bubble, though I could see the merchant sigils flickering from the strain. He physically ducked the tail, jade barb whistling over his head.

"I need a little more time!" Wei Lin called out, backing away to process the absorbed energy.

"Lin Mei, freeze the ground!" I shouted, seeing the perfect opportunity.

She understood immediately. Water essence swept across the forest floor, instantly freezing into a slick sheet of ice.

The beast's claws scrabbled on the slick surface as it struggled to maintain its footing. For just a moment, its left rear leg – the injured one – touched down on a specific spot I'd been waiting for.

All three vines erupted from the ground simultaneously. The first wrapped around its right foreleg, the second snared its tail, and the third coiled around its injured left leg. The beast's eyes widened in surprise as it found itself suddenly immobilized.

The ice crackled under the tiger's struggles, already beginning to splinter from its frantic attempts to break free. Its jade crown blazed with gathered power as it prepared to release a massive blast of energy that would surely shatter both ice and vines.

But those crucial seconds of immobility were all Wei Lin needed.

He shot forward, all the power he'd absorbed throughout the fight concentrated into one earth-shattering blow.

The tiger managed to shatter the ice restraints with a burst of jade energy, but it was already too late. Wei Lin's fist connected squarely with its jade crown just as the beast was channeling its power. There was a moment of perfect stillness as the two energies met.

The clash of energies released a thunderous shockwave that sent leaves swirling from nearby trees. The tiger's jade crown shattered with a sound like breaking crystal.

The force of the blow lifted the massive beast completely off its feet, sending it hurtling backward through the air.

It slammed into a massive oak tree with enough force to crack the trunk. The impact shook the entire tree, sending a rain of leaves and broken branches cascading down. The tiger slumped to the ground, its once-brilliant scales dulling to a mundane green as its power source crumbled away.

For a moment, we all stood there panting, almost surprised that our strategy had actually worked.

"Did we..." Wei Lin started.

"Just take down a peak fifth-stage spirit beast?" I finished for him. "Yeah, we did."

Lin Mei let out a slightly hysterical laugh. "That was... actually kind of amazing?"

"Your team coordination still needs work," Azure commented in my mind, "but for a first attempt, it wasn't terrible. Though I notice you let Wei Lin land the killing blow despite having several opportunities to end it yourself earlier."

"That was the point," I thought back. "They need to build confidence in their abilities. Besides, Wei Lin's earth essence was better suited for breaking its crown than my vines would have been."

"If you say so," Azure replied, though he sounded amused. "Though you might want to check on your friends. I think the adrenaline is wearing off."

Sure enough, Wei Lin had sat down rather suddenly, while Lin Mei was looking at her hands like she couldn't quite believe what she'd just done with them.

"You both did great," I said, walking over to help Wei Lin up. "Especially that final strike – perfect placement."

"Thanks," Wei Lin managed, accepting my hand. "Though next time, maybe we could start with something a little less... terrifying?"

"Actually," Lin Mei said, her scholarly interest apparently overcoming her post-battle jitters, "this was probably the safest way to start. Like I said, Jade-Crowned Serpent Tigers are predictable. Now we have a better idea of how to work together before facing something more challenging."

"More difficult?" Wei Lin groaned. "Can't we just enjoy this victory for a minute before planning the next near-death experience?”

I couldn't help but laugh. Despite all his complaints, his eyes shone with pride. We'd just taken down a beast that, individually, would have been beyond either of them at their current cultivation level.

"Come on," I said, making my move on the beast core. "Let's get this preserved properly. Lin Mei, we could probably earn some good spirit stones selling it to the herb gardens."

She nodded eagerly. "The jade essence will be especially useful for certain medicines. Though..." she looked at Wei Lin with a mixture of exasperation and fondness, "we should probably check you for injuries first. Fighting the beast in close quarters was a bit reckless."

"Hey, it worked didn't it?" he protested, though he didn't resist as she began examining him for wounds.

As I watched them bicker good-naturedly about proper combat techniques versus effective ones, I couldn't help but smile. We had a long way to go before we'd be ready for the tournament, but this was a good start.

I looked up at the sun, surprised to see how much time had passed. "We should head back. I want to visit the archives before they close."

"Looking for anything specific?" Lin Mei asked as we started walking back toward the gate.

I thought about the vine I'd left behind in the Two Suns world, about Liu Chen and Rocky's bond. "Just doing some research on soul bonds. I have a few theories I want to check."

"Soul bonds?" Wei Lin raised an eyebrow. "Planning to get a spirit beast of your own?"

"Something like that," I said vaguely. "Though hopefully one that doesn't try to eat me."

"Always a good quality in a companion," he agreed.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!