Tang Xi advanced cautiously, atteo her surroundings. Although excited about her destination, she repared for bat. She allowed herself to be guided by the faint pull of the Lunar Umbrel. The artifact pulsed softly in her hand, its stelr energy iing with the enviro arouhe path, however, was not straightforward.

  She had to take multiple detours.

  Sometimes, she sehe presence of other cultivators and hunters; other times, her instincts warned her of an invisible danger. Evehe path seemed safe, she didn't hesitate to keep her body covered in stelr wood aura—a rudimentary teique that, while not very effective i days, still provided some degree of camoufge without ing her energy. It was different from the [Luminous cealment] of the Lunar Umbrel, which, though ing little energy, did so tinuously.

  As much as she avoided tact, enters were iable.

  Most cultivators who crossed her path simply ignored her, tinuing on their own journeys. However, one of them made the mistake of uimating her. A man with a sly grin blocked her way, his covetous eyes sing her appearand the equipment she carried.

  She didn't buing.

  Wheried to attack, her Lunar Umbrel had already sliced through his throat.

  Blood staihe forest floor, and she moved forward without looking back.

  After some time traveling, the ndscape began to ge.

  The vegetation grew dehe humidity thied the air, and sunlight barely reached through the tree opies. Small spirit animals, such as the Broad-Fanged Rabbit, moved about the area but showed no aggression.

  They ignored her.

  Tang Xi knew why. on spirit animals didn't attack beings they sensed were strohan them unless provoked.

  So why did she feel an intense gaze fixed on her body?

  Her body tensed instantly.

  'Someone—or something—is watg me.'

  Her breathing slowed, and she let her senses expand. Nothing moved, but she k was there. Hidden in the shadows, waiting…

  'If I wait, I'll be giving it the advantage.'

  She had made that mistake before and nearly lost her life.

  This time, she would strike first.

  Her fiightened around the Lunar Umbrel's hilt, and with an agile movement, she spun on her heels and sshed toward the source of the gaze.

  — Roar!

  Whatever was lurking leaped with terrifying speed.

  Tang Xi barely had time to react.

  The sound of the air being torn apart by the predator's moveme her mind rag. Her body reacted before her eyes could even process the creature's shape.

  "Phoenix-Wiep!"

  Her feet pushed off the ground, activatieique to the limit. Her [Phoenix Wings] gleamed in a faintly transparent hue—deeper than before, a clear sign ress ieique. The movement created a wave of heat as the wings unfurled.

  But it wasn't enough.

  The creature was too fast.

  'Even at my maximum speed… I 't pletely dodge!'

  Her eyes narrowed. If she couldn't escape, she had to shift the fight's bance.

  'Amplify weight.'

  The gravity around her shifted abruptly, propelling her backward with greater force, alterirajectory at the st sed.

  — CLASH!

  The Lunar Umbrel's bdes met the beast's cws in a brutal impact.

  The metallic sound echoed like steel scraping against steel, sparks scattering through the air.

  Tang Xi felt her arms tremble uhe force of the collision.

  Yet the monster didn't retreat despite the impact.

  Even with her Phoenix Wings activated, even with the heat radiating from her body, the creature ig all.

  'It doesn't care about the heat?'

  That was her st thought before bei flying several meters back.

  She nded with a quick roll, but before she could fully recover, the enemy had already vanished into the shadows. A red figure remained in its pce, which quickly dispersed.

  Silence.

  Her heart pounded in her chest, her eyes sing the darkness ahead.

  Nothing.

  It was gone… but not for long.

  She knew atack was ing.

  And she didn't have to wait.

  A new movement came from the left!

  With a precise turn, she raised the Lunar Umbrel, which cshed against the feline's cws in a sharp metallic impact. The shockwave rippled through the air, sending leaves spiraling around them.

  This time, she didn't wait to see its rea.

  She attacked.

  The Lunar Umbrel gleamed with a sharp metallic aura as Tang Xi unleashed a flurry of swift, aggressive strikes, trying to match her enemy's speed.

  The feline dodged with astonishing reflexes, twisting midair and leaping at impossible angles. For an instant, it seemed untouchable, its silhouette vanishing amidst the falling leaves.

  'It's as fast as I am!'

  The thought settled in her mind as she tinued pressing forward. It was rare to find an oppo who could match her agility, making her grip her oighter.

  Yet, no matter how many strikes she delivered, the feline remained unscathed.

  It dodged a bde aimed at its fnk, jumped back before a cutting arc could graze its head, and finally retreated a few meters, its pierg gaze locked onto her.

  Then, uedly, the feline shifted its attention.

  With a single fluid motion, it turoward a small bush and leaped. Tang Xi merely followed with her eyes, not intervening.

  The Broad-Fanged Rabbit didn't stand a ce.

  Its cws fred with a fiery glow as they desded in a perfect arc, slig the animal to pieces before it could eve. The st of charred flesh filled the air, and only then did Tang Xi notice a crucial detail:

  The feline's cws were enveloped in a fiery aura.

  She frowhe heat from her Phoenix-Wiep had no effe it earlier, and now she uood why.

  'So it's really a fire-type. That means fme-based attacks won't be very effective.'

  Tang Xi examihe creature more closely—reddish-brown mottled fur, sleek yet powerful muscles, and sharp eyes that glowed like embers.

  A fragment of memory surfaced in her mind.

  This beast was…

  Aug_N7052