Chapter 17 – Ru Nio

“Mrawr!” Roaring fiercely, a white tiger cub pawed at her leg.

“Scurry away, little one.” Sher gently pushed the cub away. “It’s dangerous to be around me, right now.”

The beast retreated, but then with a roar another strike landed. Having prowled around the tree, the tiger pawed at her other leg. “Mrawr!”

She picked up the cub and looking into his large, curious eyes, said. “Leave here, it’s for your own sake” She put a slight spiritual pressure behind these words and placed it back on the ground.

Her eyes lifted to the sky; it was a silly preconception to expect the attack would come from above. It was something ingrained in human nature to fear the wrath from heavens. Cultivators were no different, as they faced heavenly tribulations on their Path. Even Immortals, as they ascended by corroborating their own Dao, struggled against tribulation from Heavens to force the Will to accept their ascension.

Wondering about the Dreamer’s designs, she thought briefly about how she entered Foundation Refinement without overcoming a tribulation. Did the display of her Soul break the natural law, or were the tribulations prohibited in the Dream, Dreamer’s will obstructing the Will of Heavens?

She felt something rustling against her skirt. The cub kneaded the skirt, then proceeded to make himself comfortable.

Sher sighed, and started gently petting him. All would probably be over soon either way. The cub began to purr softly.

Beyond the Beast Peak, cultivators started to gather around the site of the struggle. She could barely see them from among the foliage, her senses sharpened by her continued tension. There were fifteen, she recognized Elder Ma and Rubati, four others displayed Nascent Soul spiritual energy, eight at Core Formation. And one Qi Condensation – was that Lars?

Their Qi cycled, ready but dampened, and they remained silent, tense like quarry awaiting a predator’s hunt.

“Greetings, Senior!” a man she didn’t recognize called out. “May these Juniors be so bold as to ask what brings you here, and what your plans are for this insignificant sect?”

They waited in silence for the reply, with bated breaths. Meanwhile Sher sat quietly, awaiting the Dreamer’s response.

Stillness reigned throughout the entire area.

Finally, the cultivators started talking and some descended to inspect the site. Sher could now see that Lars was indeed present. He stood on a hovering stone next to an ancient-looking man, whose skin was like papyrus stained with dark spots. The Elder was bald, however, unlike Lars, he had bushy brows, now furrowed in concentration.

After some time, the cultivators finally departed, their worries clearly not assuaged. Sher figured there was not much for her to do as well. If Dreamer hadn’t attacked right away, and waited for her moment of weakness, there was no use staying here. She would have to be ever vigilant, but the response could occur today, in a month, or in a decade. She would know only when it happened, and until then she had to be ready.

Sher moved the cub aside, waking it. As the tiger saw her walking away, he started chuffing. Failing to stop her, he gave chase and scrambled onto the flying sword she summoned. Looking at her with big pleading eyes, he softly purred.

“I’m not planning to take on an animal companion.” She gave the cub her sternest look. “Now, shoo.”

The tiger cub began chuffing again, almost like it was a negotiation.

A corner of her mouth twisted in displeasure. “You know what? Alright. But I will train you properly and you won’t like it in the least.”

The cub roared defiantly but still clung to the sword.

She took him in her arms as she stepped onto the sword.

“You will be… Ru Nio.” She decided. Ru Nio purred happily.

* * *

Over the last three days, the tension was palpable in the air. Many disciples, who were stuck on the precipice of a breakthrough, entered closed-door cultivation after experiencing moments of epiphany. Others who felt what transpired remained hushed. Even during casual interactions, one of the interlocutors would glance toward the west, the rest followed their gaze, and the conversation died down, replaced by tense silence.

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Sher was no different from the rest, although her reason was different. Having mulled over all the possibilities of Dreamer’s inaction, she decided on three reasons that would influence her future actions.

First, the reason she initially assumed and now expanded on, Dreamer was fully aware of her—her Soul and her current body—but remained wary of the possibility this was a trap to lure Them into a direct confrontation. That meant They would wait to confirm her vulnerability.

Second, Dreamer was caught off-guard and either because of caution or an external factor, They hadn’t confirmed her identity before she veiled herself once more. However, now They were ready to act as soon as a glimpse of her Immortal Soul could be found in the Dream.

Third, Dreamer’s control over the Dream had been impaired by another entity, and while it allowed her more leeway from Them, she had to be cautious of an entirely different interference, and the path ahead of her became more unpredictable. And as there were already herself and the Immortal Rocks who meddled with Their Dream, it wasn’t too far-fetched to assume another’s involvement.

She had to adapt, remain alert for potential clues, and assume the worst-case scenario for each possibility.

Her attention returned to the present; the tiger cub was chasing a shiny gem she willed to move across the room.

“Come here, Ru Nio.” She called, and the gem flew back and landed in her palm. The white furball obediently shuffled over to her. Then he leapt, aiming for the jewel, with his paws outstretched and a roar coming from his throat.

Sher grabbed him out of the air and put him before her.

“Sit.” She commanded. Ru Nio obeyed for now, large eyes seeking approval. She gave him a snack and praised him.

“You may be cute, but you are weak, and helpless, and have a short lifespan.” She lectured. “You have to start cultivating or you’ll leave me in no time at all.”

“I know a technique to bind the threads of Fate of a cultivator and of a willing spirit beast, though I’ve never used it.” Sher explained seriously. “You could cultivate with me, then. Beyond the constraints of your species, against the natural order imposed by Heavens.”

Ru Nio chuffed approvingly.

Sher drew on her Soul, restraining herself to the power of a Foundation Refinement cultivator, and weaved an Art of Divine Sense and Qi, probing Ru Nio’s mind and soul. Whether comprehending, or by instinct, the Art had been accepted.

“Hello, little one. Ru Nio.” She thought. Ru Nio looked around the room curiously, and unable to locate the source of the sound, he bristled and retreated closer to his mistress.

“Don’t worry, it’s me. We can communicate directly now.” Sher patted him on the head. “Oh, you know your name, but you don’t know mine. I’m Sherenna.”

He tilted his head curiously and moaned miserably.

“All right, all right.” Sher turned the cub around and put a hand on his back. “I’ll insert spiritual energy into your body and move it for you. Pay attention to how it circulates and try moving it on your own.”

The tiger rolled onto his back, her hand landing squarely on his belly, expectant of exquisite belly rubs. She humored him for a moment, a small, genuine smile gracing her lips as he purred in satisfaction.

“Well, the body’s position isn’t a requirement, as long as the Qi flows correctly.” The petting stopped, and Qi started to flow into the white cub’s body. A miniscule amount, which was then cycled in accordance with the White Tiger Blawan technique. She wasn’t an expert in beast cultivation techniques, but it did seem like an obvious choice.

The beginnings were difficult, as Ru Nio didn’t quite understand what was expected of him, or perhaps, he couldn’t figure out the how rather than the what. With Sher’s patient guidance—both instructions and actual cycling of his spiritual energy through his body—the tiger cub finally succeeded in condensing a drop of Qi in his Dantian.

Now they sat side by side, Sher getting accustomed to the Foundation Refinement cultivation base and slowly refining another drop of her Qi to expand the Spatial Qi island growing in the middle of her Sea of Qi. For the purpose of refining her body, she cycled the already refined Qi instead of the spiritual energy from the environment to her organs, muscles and bones.

Half her attention lingered on Ru Nio, as she monitored his progress with her Divine Sense. About third of the time he spent cultivating, slowly producing another drop of Qi in his Dantian. The rest of the time he napped, valiantly maintaining his cultivation pose.

As time went on, Sher noticed he began deviating from the designated paths in his cycling, his Qi changing both the way and speeds at which it flowed. Alarmed at first, she noticed that the changed method was actually beneficial for the tiger physique, the little one had talent.

As much as she would have liked to stay like that, there were several things to take care of.

Her mind began to wander, ticking off a mental list of pending tasks. The first priority was to get a copy of the Foundation Refinement version of the White Tiger Blawan from the Arts Pavilion. Then, she needed to see the alchemist. Mortimael was likely ready with the next batch of pills, and she needed to arrange for Foundation Refinement substitutions. There was also the second step of the Seven Azure Steps to train and integrate. And finally, there was the matter of Lars and his master's cryptic message. She'd need to check on him and demand some answers.

She waited until Ru Nio started to doze off in his cultivation again then she picked him up and headed outside.

As she prepared to hop onto her sword, she noticed two Outer Sect disciples approaching her home. She recognized the faces of Tang Jun and Yuan Hao. The pair walked silently, their eyes downcast. Yuan Hao briefly looked up, noticing Sher, a fleeting, stilted smile appeared on his face, quickly replaced by a look full of concern.