Chapter 523 - 441: The First Avatar, a Juvenile Nine-Tails, 1-Tail

In less than three days, Jiang Qiu had guided the Nine-tailed Fox to master the most basic Cultivation Technique for the Nine-tailed Form. This technique only had a first layer, and the subsequent ones would naturally rely on the Nine-tailed Fox’s own exploration. Theoretically, the number of layers she could cultivate corresponded to the number of tails she possessed.

However, Jiang Qiu didn’t have nine tails, so he naturally couldn’t completely deduce the technique’s subsequent cultivation path. It was only due to his profound understanding of cultivation that he could adapt it into a method suitable for the Nine-tailed Fox.

Once the Nine-tailed Fox became strong enough on her own, she could naturally continue to grow more powerful by following this method. Until then, Jiang Qiu had already done all he could.

As a result, the Nine-tailed Fox could now draw out streams of blue light with a casual flick of her hand. It was as if the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm had gathered at her scarlet fingertips, dancing with their every move like a fluttering butterfly.

Moreover, the Nine-tailed Fox was gradually getting used to wearing skirts. She had woven a long skirt for herself from grass and flower petals, though the handiwork was crude, leaving large patches of her snow-white skin exposed. It reached a point where Jiang Qiu couldn’t tell if she was simply bad at weaving or if she actually liked showing that much skin.

After a moment’s thought, he reconsidered. ’She’s been of the Demon Race her entire life, how could she possibly know how to weave a skirt? With only the little I’ve told her, she couldn’t possibly fashion something from fine silk. I suppose it’s good enough that she’s covering the vital spots.’

The thing was, Jiang Qiu found his own cheeks flushing for no reason. Every time the Nine-tailed Fox came skipping up to him and nodded a greeting, all it took was a slight downward glance, and he saw everything.

White as cotton, red as cherries.

Her behavior was giving Jiang Qiu a real headache. He hadn’t felt this way before, but after just three days together, this feeling had inexplicably surfaced.

He was probably thinking about the future. ’If the Nine-tailed Fox ever follows me to other places and we run into members of the Human Race, I have a feeling it won’t be a good look.’

Besides, even for a less-developed member of the Demon Race, once they awakened their intelligence, it made things... uncomfortable. So, Jiang Qiu took a little time to personally measure the Nine-tailed Fox and weave her a more intricate dress.

Er, it wasn’t exactly high-quality craftsmanship, but at least there were fewer gaps. This alone made Jiang Qiu feel much more at ease. The Nine-tailed Fox, for her part, was overjoyed and immediately moved to kowtow, sticking her rear in the air.

Given that her intelligence was actually quite high now, and Jiang Qiu himself wasn’t used to people prostrating themselves before him—it made him feel like some kind of barbarian—he told her that a simple bow would suffice as a courtesy. There was no need to throw herself to the ground at every turn. For one thing, the posture was indecent; for another, it tended to let his imagination wander.

So, over the past three days, Jiang Qiu hadn’t just taught the Nine-tailed Fox a Cultivation Technique; he had also familiarized her with some of the most basic human-like etiquette.

As for that oaf, Xiong Batian, he was always hunting in the vicinity and didn’t require any training. He was fine just fooling around on his own.

’I’ll worry about him when he’s able to achieve Transformation.’

"Master, I think I’ve successfully cultivated it!"

A sudden, clear call echoed from the depths of the cave. Jiang Qiu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them. A pair of gleaming Dragon Eyes turned to look, only to be met with the sight of a great white form running out from within.

It was simply that the nine tails behind the Nine-tailed Fox were too eye-catching; it was as if a giant mass of cotton or a white cloud were propelling her forward. And because the vine-woven dress wasn’t sturdy at all, her chest bounced with every step.

However, Jiang Qiu had already grown accustomed to such bounciness. He shot a brief glance before retracting his gaze. "What did you cultivate?"

Her success in cultivation naturally referred to the Nine-tailed Form, but Jiang Qiu himself couldn’t predict the result. It was called a Clone Secret Technique, but the actual effects weren’t all the same.

Many Clone Secret Techniques had different properties to begin with, and since this was the first time Jiang Qiu had personally modified one, he was quite curious about the result.

Besides, once the Nine-tailed Fox cultivated the first layer, it would mean she had adapted to the basic use of Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm. Then, he could take her out to seize the Spirit Fruits from the other Great Dominators.

That’s right. Jiang Qiu’s most pressing goal now was to quickly obtain the Spirit Fruits of the other seven Great Dominators. The reason was simple: the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm these Spirit Fruits provided was incredibly potent.

Right now, with just Jiang Qiu here—oh, no, the two of them—cultivating in this vast White Mist Forest, even though the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm was dense, it still didn’t compare to the rush from devouring a Spirit Fruit.

Therefore, he needed a way to rapidly advance his Realm, and that meant consuming Spirit Fruits. However, with his current combat strength, it would be difficult to snatch the Spirit Fruits from the other seven Great Dominators.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t win. Rather, he was worried about tipping his hand and alerting the True Dominator. ’If that Golden Eagle senses something is wrong and decides to target me, I’m finished!’

That was just how this world worked. Among the lower-level members of the Demon Race, nobody cared who killed who. But once one’s status reached a certain level and they became a link in the upper echelon’s chain of command, killing one could stir up the entire network.

Without a doubt, the seven Great Dominators tasked with caring for the Spirit Fruits for the True Dominator were not independent entities. Their mission was to help the Golden Eagle grow the Spirit Fruits. If anything happened to them, the Golden Eagle would inevitably intervene.

Since Jiang Qiu’s primary target was the Spirit Fruits, an act that would enrage the True Dominator Golden Eagle, he couldn’t afford to make a move without absolute confidence.

Furthermore, the Golden Eagle’s power was not to be underestimated. According to the Nine-tailed Fox’s description, it was a great bird with a wingspan stretching hundreds of feet, and it carried a trace of the Chaos Bloodline. It was considered a Great Demon passed down from a primordial age, living atop the canopy of a colossal tree thousands of feet tall on the outskirts of the Primitive Ancient Forest.