If the scan didn’t tell me that this would help in getting the Panther to my side, I’d really think I’d be making the situation worse for myself.

The seemingly blind rage it approaches me with doesn’t help with that opinion either.

With me still having my full faculties, and not being impeded in any way, I’m easily able to avoid its first attack.

However, with each strike, and the distance it puts between its original spot in itself, it’s able to shake off a little bit more of the fog that it was found itself in. Even the restricting poison is being torn off with every swipe.

Of course, I’m not staying still during this. And I’m still throwing some of the other potions that I have. But ever since those first strikes, I haven’t been able to land even a single hit. Even with the area of effect ones.

One poison I throw, is even nudged away in air towards another area which I was heading to, and I had to avoid it myself as it turned into a building sized foam pile.

It’s like the matrix, just with this cat being the Neo and me being the agent.

I’ve completely switched to my combat scan, to be able to contend with the natural experience these creatures had for the course of its life.

The swipe of a paw coming inches to my face, or a kick to its abdomen, barely missing. Somersaults back and forth, paired with the wall jumps along the cavern walls. A myriad of tactics used, with none of them landing on each other.

It easily and almost magically blends into the darkness. Unfortunately for it, I can see in this darkness (using my scan) as easily as the day.

This is a stalemate.

But, I’m not the one that needs to hit…

It’s weakened and every second that passes hurts it further. Every burst of energy it uses speeds up the poison within more.

Despite it revealing numerous hidden cards, like vast bursts of speed, illusory copies, or shining claws, I’m able to avoid them.

It slows and slows… until it is finally collapses.

An anticlimactic finish.

This is an excellent reminder of why I need to use my alchemy more. Without it, I’d have to trade blows and rely on other creatures to help me fight.

With it, as long as I can survive…. Which is my specialty, I can come out on top.

All that is left now is a defeated Panther, panting on the ground. There are no other bursts of energy or hidden cards up its sleeve.

It is now up to me what I want to do with them.

Before I move any closer, I obviously double check to make sure that I can’t do anything else. Once that’s confirmed, I began by binding it up with the strongest material around.

I managed to find a flexible Qi infused root system that had collapsed down here with us. Using my massive strength to bend it to my will, I bind the creature’s legs and body.

At full strength, it could break this.

After some time, of course.

No longer has the energy to even resist as I do this. Once I’m done, I turned it head to look at me.

And I growl at it.

To be specific, I use my scan to copy the vocalizations of communication that its species would have.

What I actually said (in a way it could understand), is that I’m not an enemy.

The way I communicated it is to show that I’m not submitting to it, but simply acknowledging it.

Even in its weakened state, its eyes are wide as it just looks at me. Seemingly in shock.

And then, I continue with what I intended to do.

Which is to heal it fully. Using my cultivation healing, of course.

Starting with the poisons, I remove each of them from its body.

From there, I begin by preparing the areas that the poison has damaged, such as its heart and organs. It also includes areas such as its skin and muscles, which deteriorated under the properties of the poisons.

Finally, I begin the general healing and improvement process.

At first it struggled, but almost immediately it could feel that calming sensation of healing. I’m very grateful that all the healings that I have available to use involve pleasant sensations during the healing process.

Eventually, it’s just laying there and looking at me. All the way until I’m done.

I perform a scan while I’m doing this, other than the healing scan, to help determine how I should take things from here. I’m surprised to see that I shouldn’t extend a taming contract request. All I need to do is leave it alone.

Don’t be nice, but just let it be.

So, once I’m done, I look back at it, growl that I’m heading out and to be well, before moving to the other side of the cavern and digging my way into a tunnel leading up to the surface for an easy way up.

It will also be clear where to go for the Panther, as well. Both visually and by following my scent.

My scan picks up just as I leave at the range of being able to see it, that it’s struggling with the bindings I put on it.

It will take a good couple of hours before it’s able to actually get out. I did a pretty good job, if I may say so myself.

Once that’s all done, I began going back to my original plan and collecting the main ingredient, then different ingredients to bring back to the original treehouse.

Launching myself from the tops of the trees like some kind of green monster, I’m able to leap from place to place. I then dive to the ground, while using my avoidance contracts to keep pesky creatures away.

Despite me going deeper into the jungle, which has stronger and more intelligent creatures, I’ve been able to use the updated parameters of my scan to avoid issues before they can actually pop up. I did this by increasing the range at the cost of some combat capabilities. The mindset is that if I can tell that something is coming before it is close, then I can switch more to my combat scan that much faster.

Preparation over reactiveness.

It all banks on the idea that I won’t get sniped from 100’s of kilometers away. Which, based on a quick pulse of the area, shouldn’t be the case.

Nonetheless, I have occasionally sent out a weak impression pulse that goes much farther than my constant scan, to get a general idea of what’s further out.

For creatures which were even somewhat similar to the Panther, I make sure to incentivize other creatures to target that one and drive it away from where I am. I also put it in the terms to also leave me alone.

This seems to happen more and more the deeper I go in.

I actually spend a good seven hours doing this, and finally end up reaching a star renewal flower. To be specific, a small area of them.

There are other patches close by as well, so there isn’t a shortage.

Surrounded by the parasitic lightning bugs, it’s a beauty of a flower. Blueish petals glowing in the darkness of the dense jungle with an ethereal light. The bugs slowly landing on top of it, leaving a toe pad print on it that shines briefly like stars before fading away.

Too bad I know it would hurt really badly if I let them get near me.

So, I pass the avoidance contract to them and everything around.

A good move, because there are a few other creatures around protecting other rare items nearby. Things like plants that can slightly increase the flow of Qi nearby, helping with cultivation or ‘residue’ from the local fauna that can increase the hardness of the skin over time.

Everything accepts the contract.

I’m shocked, as I was prepared for something to go wrong.

Taking the chance in front of me and not wanting to risk anything, I grab three of the flowers and before I go, as well as some of the rare items nearby. The creatures don’t seem to mind, as the benefits I give are better than the ones that they were getting.

It’s getting harder to tell what my best ability is. Well, I still think the scanning ability is the best one, there are really is something to be said for being able to heal almost anything, and being able to negotiate with almost anything that usually couldn’t be LO.

Heck, for carnivorous tree caught me, if it had the slightest bit of intelligence, I’d be able to convince it to let me go.

… Actually, I suspect that even if it didn’t have intelligence, I might be able to do so. With enough time, at least.

With this done, I rush all the way back to the treehouse, spending the next seven hours to do so.

I then pack it into the bags and secure it so it’ll be safe and secure for the return.

With no issues.

No followers or anything.

Not even the Panther is nearby.

This feels really weird.

Things never go this well. Something has to be wrong.

Just in case, though, I send out another pulse just to be sure. One that reaches hundreds of kilometers.

And then another one with a much farther distance.

This is the one that catches something. A person seems to be fighting something. Some type of giant snake beast. They’re deep in the jungle, almost as far in as I was to get the flower. Just in a different area.

I focus in with the next one to get more information.

The man seems gravely injured, though he’s putting up a good fight. He must have been heading out of the deeper parts of the jungle than even I went into.

Based on his fighting speed and strength, he must be mid foundation establishment.

Something catches my eye, though.

Out of his hands as he fights, light-beams shoot out and blind the eyes of the beast. This is distinctively the cultivation method of the Ao clan, a prominent clan in the Continuum.

This also means he’s related to Ao Hai, the goth styled guy who I met in the initial challenges.

I have to decide whether to help him or… aaand my body was already moving to assist.

Dammit, me.

I already knew my answer.

Hopefully, he can hold it off until I get there…