Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?

Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?

Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 43: The Dao of the Spirit Dog!

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As the BMFS Faction rose higher in altitude, so did the temperature and concentration of Flame Qi. Rare spiritual plants and trees began to appear, hardy grasses and crimson flowers, tall thornbushes and creeping vines. Even in a burning environment, where the air temperature would kill an ordinary human, life found a way to thrive.

'That should be a Crimson Menace Lotus, that tree is an Ashwinder Bark whose fruit are quite valuable...'

The faction harvested a good portion of the plants they encountered, grasses, flowers, fruits and even whole trees were uprooted and placed into the bottomless hole of the industrial-size spatial rings Bing Meilu had specially prepared for the expedition. They were not just here for tempering, but also for money!

"Hey Boss, I found something?"

Bing Meilu turned to see Xi Fu holding up a blood-red crystal which burned with an intense Flame Qi. She raised an eyebrow.

'Is that what I think it is?'

"Excavate this area," Bing Meilu ordered.

The Elemental Five's power surged, qi pulling away the ashy soil to reveal rock blow. Through the rock ran countless veins of the red crystal. Doubtless, there was far more they had yet to uncover.

'During my first life, the Redscale's discovered a large vein of Dragonblood Spirit Crystal, which only further helped their rise to power. This should be the very same mine, correct? I suppose I can sell this information to them early, for a favour. But, until then... Don't blame me for being greedy!'

"Start mining. Take as much as you can." Bing Meilu immediately ordered. "These red crystals are highly valuable."

'In my first life, this vein was discovered by Flame Princess Xiyi, a Chosen of Heaven with incredible luck. If Xi Fu could also find it, does that imply he may also be one?'

Chosen of Heaven were those born blessed by the Dao of Heaven, beloved by the laws of the world. They were not only incredibly lucky but would comprehend natural law and cultivation far easier, find purifying spiritual energy trivial and even have less dangerous tribulations. Bing Meilu had herself been one such Chosen of Heaven, alongside around ten or eleven others, including such people as Flame Empress Xiyi of the Redscale Clan, Young Miss Heaven Sword from the Order of the Sharpened Heaven Peng, and the self-proclaimed 'Fatty Pill God' Wang Bai from the Bluewing Alchemy Academy.

At the peak of the Bird Talon Continent's competitions, only Chosen of Heaven were considered true geniuses. The rest were simply side characters in their struggles and battles.

'It can't be,' Bing Meilu shook her head. 'Has anyone ever heard of something as nonsensical as a Chosen of Heaven condensing Heaven Defying Spear Intent? That almost sounds like a paradox. It could just be a coincidence, or there may be another source. In fact, simple proximity to a Chosen of Heaven like me might influence his own luck.'

If Bing Meilu had been at the Ancient Sage Realm, able to peer at the mysteries of heaven and the rhythms of natural law, it would be simple to determine who was or wasn't a Chosen of Heaven, but until then, she would have to use deduction.

Even with their cultivation, cracking open the hyperdense black rock that surrounded the red crystals was difficult. In hours of mining, they only extracted several wagons full. Even still, that already far exceeded the amount Bing Meilu had spent on healing items in value.

"We'll come back for more later, for now, we need to continue our hunt," Bing Meilu ordered.

The group pushed forward, finding themself in a relatively lush valley between two mountains. A steaming geyser gushed upwards, feeding an enormous natural hot spring, filled with rich minerals and burning heat. Water and fire mixed to produce dense Steam Qi that blanketed the valley.

'A place like this would make an excellent long-term body tempering facility. Sadly, the effect would only be noticeable after years of repeated use, so it's not of much value to us... At least cultivation-wise.'

It should still have the effect of helping heals one body and reduce muscle soreness. They bottled a large amount of the mineral-rich spiritual water, which could be sold to be used to water certain spiritual plants, or even drank in an emergency.

Around the hot springs were many more of the plants that called the Ashen Mountains home. Jiang Hu munched on a large berry-like spirit fruit filled with fire Qi. Bing Meilu herself was already on the cusp of a breakthrough so none of the cultivation benefits were of much use to her yet.

"Let's set up camp here, you lot can use the spirit spring to rejuvenate your sore muscles."

The men cheered, some going to set up a perimeter while the others began to disrobe and hop into the boiling hot springs. Bing Meilu watched an eyebrow slowly raising.

'How the hell did I go from running an all-female sect to this absolute sausage fest? New priority one when I return to the Port, start recruiting some female cultivators.'

It wasn't that Bing Meilu hated men like many of her fellow disciple-sisters from the Moon Crying Swan Palace had. She understood Yang had its place in the natural order. Just, as a master of Yin methods, she naturally had a preference for the disciples with a constitution more compatible with her methods. Yin was a feminine force while Yang was a masculine one, so those she was best suited to teach would all be women.

The girl conjured a concealing wall of ice and then dipped into the hot springs herself. Just because there would be little cultivation benefit didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the relaxing effects. Treating oneself right was also a form of investment, as her master had always taught her. Yet, because she couldn't have nice thing, it only took a few moments for an interruption. In the distance, the sound of fighting broke out. The faction leader quickly dressed herself, heading out to look. She blinked in shock at the sight.

Ji Hui leaped backwards as a horse-sized red-furred wolf leaped at him, closing its jaw over where his neck had been only a moment earlier.

"Senior Spirit Dog, I will defeat you with my own might! Only then will I be worthy to sync with your power using my art!"

'You idiot, that's not a Spirit-Dog, that's a bloodthirsty Corpse-Refining Red Wolf! Not to mention... These creatures are incredibly rare due to overhunting. Where the hell did you even find one?'

The wolf roared enraged, its fang glowing red hot with fiery Qi. This was bad. The wolf was already well into the Second Realm, while Ji Hui was only in the mid-level of Qi Condensation. The power difference was immense. Bing Meilu raised her hand to intervene... but then paused.

'Is he... evading all the attacks?'

Ji Hui effortlessly dodged a swipe of claws, landing a kick to the face. Leaping forward, the wolf bit at him, only for the Private to masterfully duck under, punching its stomach. It was almost like a dance, watching him over and over just barely evading attacks from the much stronger wolf, receiving a tiny window of attack here and there, whittling down the beast.

'This level of evasion... Could it be he's managed to learn how to use the Beast-Man Becoming Art to synchronize with Spirits Beasts to predict their attacks?'

"I spent years studying the fighting style of your kind, Senior. When it comes to understanding Spirit-Dogs, If I, Ji Hui claimed to be second, no one under Heaven could claim to be first! I've been studying you closely, Senior Spirit-Dog. Your attack patterns... I've already memorized them all!"

Bing Meilu pinched her nose.

'No, he's just an idiot. 'Memorized' it's attacks... It's a living animal, not a robot!'

The wolf roared angrily at its failed effortlessly to kill the puny creature before it. A burning, ghastly white flame appeared around it. This was the Corpse-Refining Flame the wolf was named for, ranked twelfth on the Bluewing Alchemy Academy's Flame Essence Board. This Yin-laden flame was used to kill and refine corpses into undead ghouls under the control of the wolf. It burnt away the soul and left the body intact. Such a flame had a myriad of uses, especially for alchemists, demonic cultivators and innate flame cultivators. The overhunting of the wolfs contributed to their rarity.

The Corpse Refining Flame condensed into a ball in the wolf's mouth. This was an attack Ji Hui could not hope to dodge. Instead, he leapt forward, slamming his fist into the Wolf's jaw. Scalding flames bit at his hand but he pressed forward undaunted, punching, kicking and whacking the wolf in the head over and over again. The beast shuddered, its flame fading as it fell to the ground, whimpering in pain and half unconscious from head trauma.

'How the hell did he know to attack it when it was conjuring its flame? Its weakness in that state isn't common knowledge! It's almost like he has some sort of innate physique to understand and predict Spirit-Beasts...'

Bing Meilu resolved to have Ji Hui be tested for special bloodlines or constitutions when they returned to Red Scale City. The man in question gasped for air desperately, his whole body soaked with sweat from the fight. He stood over the whimpering, defeated wolf.

"Senior Spirit-Dog, I, Ji Hui, have defeated you and proven myself. Now, I shall copy your might! Beast-Man Becoming Ar!"

A red light began to pour from the wolf, forming a spectral copy. The spectral wolf leaped forward, jumping into Private Ji's body. Fiery Qi erupted around him as the cultivator sat down next to the defeated wolf, The torrential power of the Corpse Refining Red Wolf poured through him in accordance with his cultivation manual.

Qi Condensation seventh stage. Eighth stage, Ninth stage. Tenth stage. In just a few hours, he had reached the peak of the First Realm. He, alongside the Elemental Five, and Li Ji, were close to breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

Meanwhile, of the outer circle members in Foundation Establishment, Shang Bolin, or slave one, had reached the fifth stage, while slave two, Mu Gong, had reached the third. Of the ones in Qi Condensation, two were at the tenth stage, two at the ninth stage, and three were at the eighth stage. if it weren't for the Manyheart Sheild barrier that evenly distributed damage, many of the weaker Outer Circle members would likely have died.

Bing Meilu walked towards where the half-conscious Corpse-Refining Red Wolf lay. A spear of ice formed in her hand as she prepared to kill it.

"Wait! Boss, don't kill him!" Ji Hui interrupted desperately.

Bing Meilu turned to look at him skeptically.

"Why?"

"Boss, there's no need to kill him. By defeating him, I've proved my dominance and become his Alpha. From now on, he will follow me obediently," Ji Hui smiled.

"Corpse Refining Red Wolfs are fierce and bloodthirsty. They hate all life and seek to create undead. There's no way for a human being to tame it, and your cultivation base is far too low to use a slave seal on it. Even if you could successfully tame it, others would hunt you down to poach it, and we would gain the suspicion of all righteous cultivators for keeping a tamed beast capable of creating ghouls. The best thing is to kill it now and harvest its flame ourselves."

"Can't we disguise it as some other creature?" Ji Hui asked, voice getting desperate.

"Maybe we could conceal it from low-level cultivators, but do you think you have the strength to deceive a Nascent Soul? What about an Ancient Sage?"

"I know you're right... but even so... My Dao demands I protect all Spirit-Dogs! Not to mention, I owe this Senior a debt of gratitude. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been able to increase my cultivation. Please, spare him, boss!"

'Idiots- I'm surrounded by idiots! Do you even know how dangerous that thing is?'

"Fine. But you'll be responsible for everything, I won't lift a finger to help you tame it, disguise it, or even protect it should poachers learn about it. If it kills anyone, it will be entirely up to you to deal with it."

"Thank you, boss! I'm sure Senior Sprit-Dog will remember your magnanimity," Ji Hui bowed. "Give Bing Meilu a bow of gratitude."

Shockingly, the creature seemed to understand him. The wolf whimpered, slowly pushing itself off the ground. Its face was swollen and bloody from Ji Hui's beating. He snapped, and it bowed its head in obeisance towards her.

'This straight up shouldn't be possible- How can a living human command a demonic, ghoul-creating Red Wolf? -Could it be The Beast-Man Becoming Art? Does the wolf actually think that Ji Hui is its alpha? ...I suppose Spiritual Beats normally only gain intelligence at the Nascent Soul Realm. it's too stupid to realize Ji Hui is a human who copied its power, not another Red Wolf. I wonder how its face will look when it does finally realize.'

"See boss? When it comes to a wild Spirit-Dog, it's all about showing it whose boss. It needs to understand that you're the alpha. Once you do that, you can easily train it!"

Ji Hui didn't have the perspective to understand how ridiculous what he was saying was. Corpse Refining Red Wolfs were not 'tamable'. Their innate nature was to slaughter all life. Only with a strong slave seal could they be controlled. Countless people had been brutally murdered by wild spirit beasts, thinking they had 'tamed' them like a common puppy. Only the immortal-level technique Bing Meilu had given the idiot made his plan even slightly feasible.

"I need to kill something," Bing Meilu decided.

Mercifully, only ten minutes later, Li Ji walked over to her.

"Good news boss, Mu Gong found Drake prints nearby. Judging by the size, it should be in the early Third Realm."