Star Shine Water

We woke up to the song of birds. Osis was still on the same branches as yesterday. I looked at Zoe and asked her if she was alright. Yesterday had been a long day, filled with difficulties and lots of suspense. She responded that she was alright. I told her we should go right now without wasting time and she agreed.

I asked Osis to find our beakfast while we were walking. We had rested enough. After 50 minutes he came back with littles deads animals. I cooked them while walking, conjuring a fire with my Fire Qi.

Several days passed like that and we were slowly getting closer to the Core area of the Golden Claw Forest.

" Zoe, do you know the direction of a city ?" That's just now that I asked her and I was quite ashamed of myself. I lead her with Osis but I didn't even know where I was going.

"If we continue like that we should come close to New Jade City. We will have to pass by the core area but it's the fastest way." She said after a moment of thought.

We spend a week reaching the core area and when we arrived, we found a waterfall where a little wolf cub completely golden was running towards us.

It trembled and seemed afraid. The wolf cub was barking nonstop and going back-and-forth on the way it came from."I think he want us to follow him". I said with a look of hesitation. After hearing that, the wolf cub nodded and barked a few more times before going on the way it came from. Before disapearing in the vegetation, it looked at us and waited to see if we followed it.

We walked first as the cub wasn't really fast but the more we advanced the faster it became. 5 minutes later Zoe and me were running at full speed behing the cub. On the way we could see scenes of destruction. Burnt trees, the earth completely returned, rivers changing their courses. It became a totally different area. If before it was a forest, now it became a plain. A plain filled with dead and uprooted tree, with little animals and beasts dead everywhere. We continued our run and little by llittle we could discern some battles noises. The nearer we were the clearer the sounds were.

After another 10 minutes we came across a clearing were two 3 meters high and 5 meters long wolves were fighting a pack of Beasts Qi. One of the wolf was golden while the other was silver. They were both back against back while facing Hyenas.

I was a bit surprised that hyenas had the audacity to attack the ruler of the forest. It wasn't really complicated to deduce it. The Golden Wolf was the Beast Qi the name of this forest was inspired. I didn't really know what a silver wolf was doing here but I didn't care. Seeing the wolf cub looking at me with puppy eyes, I couldn't help myself but curse inwardly.

'Shit, shit, shit, why are you so damn cute, huh ? And why am I so easy to lure ?I asked myself a bit tired. Today I discovered a weakness I never thought I had. I was weak to cuteness.

"Osis we go help them while Zoe you stay here and protect the cub ! Don't let any hyenas near you and him." I ordered and we dispatched oursleves so we could be of help without hindering the two wolves.

"The two wolves there !! We came to help, let's kill these hyenas !!" I shouted for the wolves to know our intentions. I didn't want friendly fire.

Osis flew in the sky and we used our coordination to quickly help the two wolves.

If the two wolf were in a precarious situation, Osis would descend and try to slash or pierce with his claws, giving time for the wolf, in need of help, to take a step back and regain its footing.

On my end, I was using my Spear Qi and my Time Phasing Art the best I could to kill the nearest hyenas. I jumped ten meters away and pierced through a hyenas who was attacking the silver wolf. Soon the hyenas which had been following me, appeared before me. It extended its claws to slash me. Alas for it, while it pounced at me without restrain, Osis lunged and plunged his claws inside the skull of the hyenas. The killing intent previously visible in its eyes gradually subsided as unwillingness and despear replaced it.

A howl was heard from deep in the forest about a kilometers away and the hyenas looked at each other before running away. Before I couldn't see them anymore, I managed, with the help of the wolves and Osis to kill 3 more hyenas.

We panted as the fight was finally ending. I turned to the silver and the golden wolf and nodded at them as a greeting. I could see that they were really tired but were also a bit suspicious.

"Friends, please hear us out before doing anything !" I said.

The golden and silver wolves looked at us and at the little cub. Seeing that we didn't do anything to it, their eyes softened a bit before growing hard again. There I sensed something flow slowly before my forehead.

'Let it enter, it's his means of communication.' I received a telepathic message from Osis.

I let it enter my head and discovered it was a filament of weird Qi, it looked like Soul Qi but was clearly different. I heard a profound and gutural voice inside my head. I needed a little concentration to understand what it says as the pronunciaton was a bit ragged. There was also a certain accent to it but after trying hard I could slowly understand what it means.

'What were you doing in my territory, Human ?' The Golden Wolf asked us.

Zoe and me looked at each other, to think that a Qi could be used as telepathy... Now that I though about it, Osis and me were using that kind of communication too. And during my battle with Loris, he had talked through his thoughts too.' I need to develop more Soul Qi arts too, they are way too important. Arhghh too much to do, and not enough time to do it...'

"We were just passing by, we were trying to go to the city at the other side of the Forest, New Jade City. We just took this way because it was the fastest, I didn't thought that your cub would make us follow him up to the battle." I replied.

His gaze softened again as he nodded. I could see that there was a strange glint in eyes which was appearing and disappearing very fast. 'Probably him communicating with the silver wolf.' I thought.

Then he welcomed us in his lair. We were completely stunned and a bit hesitant for a moment but accepted nonetheless. We followed him in and there disovered a silver cub. It should be the child of the Golden and Silver wolf.

I looked around me. We were in a small cave with numerous small bones on the ground. Probably remnant of a precedent meal.

'Thank you, young human, for your help.' The silver wolf said.

'My name is Ellena, it's nice to meet you.' She said. I could almost see her smile gently. Remarkable knowing she is a wolf.

'Hello young human, my name is Elyo and I thank you for your help. These hyenas are so despicable. Trying to ambush us and kill the king and queen of this forest. Humph ! Stupid vermin !' The golden wolf exclaimed in my head. He was both happy to be alive but discontent to be saved by someone. Way too proud if you ask me.

"It's ok, I was just lucky to find your cub. My name is James and next to me is Zoe. Nice to meet the both of you." I looked at the both of them and was really happy to see that they hadn't any ill intent towards us. It can seem stupid but just the fact we were in their territory would have been a sufficient reason for an attack from them. Even worse, just because they are Qi Beasts and us Humans, it wouldn't be surprising if they wanted to kill us.

That was one of my biggest worries. I already had some plan for the future and our world and in my plan Qi Beasts and Humans lives together and strives together.I didn't want to see Humans and Qi Beasts hate each others, it would become way more complicated for my plans to succeed. It's impossible to completely stop human from eating meats and fleshes but fortunetally Qi Beasts live in a world of dog eat dog. If you're weak you're eaten. To them, it's perfectly normal fo us humans to eat animals because they are way too weak. That's the only thing that prevented Humans and Beasts Qi to hate each other to the bones.

'We ask you for your help, James, Zoe, the Hyenas King won't let you go out of the forest after what you did today. He will wait until you're away from us and will pounce at you with all his minions. Overwhelmed, you won't be able to fight for long and will have gruesome death. But if you stay with us we can fight together the Hyenas King and kill him. If it weren't for his minions, we would be able to kill him but since our pack has been destroyed, we don't stand a chance anymore.

Of course we won't let you fight him without a reward !' Ellena said what she wanted and waited for our answer.

"Do you know how long the Hyenas King plan to attacks ?" I was carefull, even though I knew it was impossible to find our parents in 1 day, I didn't want to spend too much time to find them.

'We have some guess but nothing reliable enough. Basedd on how he has previously attacked us we think that in 4 weeks the Hyenas King will launch an attack and go all out.' Ellena said.

I looked at them and looked at Zoe. I pondered and accepted. This forest was next to the city I wanted to etablish my familly. It would be a good idea if I had some friend in the local leader, right ?

The wolves looked at each other enchanted.

'Good, good, good. Come with us, even thought your battle power is strong you won't be able to fight against all the pack of the Hyenas King. What you saw were the weak members of his pack. After our pack was destroyed, we were left in a predicament. Weak and left alone we shouldn't be too strong. To maximize its earning and minimize its loses, the Hyenas King send the weak members of his pack to probe our strenghts.

You see, our strenghts as wolves isn't only based on how we cultivate but also the number of members our pack has. The more members our pack has, the better our battle intent grows.' The golden said.

I stopped in my track as I was so shocked my jaw dropped. "An Intent ???"

'Yes, it's necessary for us to have at least one Will to dominate an area. So, having an intent, we should be able to easily sweep aside these hyenas. Alas this Hyenas King is extremely cunning and resolute. He don't care about the members of his pack. His only objectif is what we present you as a reward. The Stars shine water.

Just before the arrival of the Hyenas King in our region, my wife and me ended our battle against the other contestants for the king or queen of the forest. As the treasure obtained from our win, we drank a sip of the Stars Shine water and greatly improved our cultivation. After seeing us becoming stronger and stronger, the contestants who had previously lost and retained their lives escaped from the forest and tried their luck in other territories. One of them met the Hyenas King and gave him information about the Stars Shine water. Since then, the Hyenas king has come in our territory and ambushed us, our pack, my wife, childrens and me constantly.

You must know that there is nearly a hundred hyenas in his pack. That added to his cunningness and his viciousness. He is definitively a dangerous and hatefull opponent. We will give you a sip of this Stars Shine water to improve your strenght but you'll have to swear a blood Oath preventing you from leaking any information about it. We have enough problems for now.' He said. I could sense his hate for the Hyenas King and his unwillingness to hand over the Stars Shine water to him.

"How does the Stars Shine water help us ?" I asked him. It was way too unclear as an answer. I didn't want to go astray in my cultivation because of poor guidance. Each materials in the world had several effects on Humans and Qi Beasts. These effects, in a unpredictable situation, could easily become something never seen before. Imagine if a a flower which was reputed for its aboundant lifeforce suddenly absorbed yours because you splashed blood on it, resulting in a chain reaction which lead to you being completely sucked dry of your lifeforce. Wouldn't it be sad ?

'The Star Shine water gives you a surge of Star Qi. It's extremely benefic as the Qi is as pure as one could possibly imagine. The stars are endless and all-changing, you can use the Star Qi to nourish your Soul, your Body or your Qi cultivation. It can adapt and create a lot of miracles. I don't know all of its use as we only used it on us.

For me, I spend the Star Qi to nourish my body. Peviously I cultivated Fire Qi, but after receiving the Star Qi, I mixed my Star and Fire Qi together forming a new Qi extremely powerfull. The Sun Qi. My wife followed me and did the same. She awakened the Mercury Qi. She previously cultivated the metal Qi and quickly surpassed all other female, resulting in her being the Queen. But after she drank the Star Shine water, she was totally different. She had a complete new Qi which was way more robust, fluid, quick. Everything was enhanced. From the adaptability to the sharpness. She also gained some toxic abitlities.

" What shocking effects !!" I exclaimed. I was extremely happy. If I could research and experiment with this Star Shine Water, I could probably find new recipe for alchemy. Also I could understand how the Star Qi was drawn to this pond and use it to create new Arrays or Cultivation Methode.