I felt the sun tickle my nose, gently trying to coax out a sneeze from me. Hoping the feeling would go away, I scrunched my nose to no avail. My vocal cords rumbled into a quiet growl as the feeling grew worse until finally, I sneezed. Not the best way to wake up, for as gentle the warmth giver is at times, he also brutally tears away the warm embrace of sleep.

My ears twitched as they caught the sound of heavy panting in the distance. How long have I slept, I wonder? It does not matter, for sleep is eternal, for sleep can never be enough. My eyes twitched again, catching the sound of breaking twigs and rustling leaves. The panting seemed to come closer.

I continued acting as if asleep, maybe it would come back again and hug me close? My hopes were dashed as I heard a figure break through the brushes, gulping after air like a drowning man, thumping with shaky steps towards me.

"Fur..ball.." I heard him pant, struggling to bring out the words. "Stop lazing around, I got the mushroom."

I tried faking my sleep, secretly collecting my thoughts. That was faster than expected, or was it? For how long have I slept? I lazily opened an eye, looking at the do-gooder with an accusing stare. "Hmm.. Yes?" I drawled out, ending my affirmation in a long drawn out yawn.

"I got the Moonlight Devourer Shroom of Life And Death." He repeated in an annoyed tone.

That wouldn't do, I am the wise beast. I demand respect.. or at least a cozy new pillow to sleep on. Yes, that would do.

"Which one now? The Icy Yin Shroom Of Life And Death? Be careful to not confuse them, for each has their own method of use, boy." I fixed an eye on his face, looking on as it morphed through various expressions.

"I was sure he didn't know the real name and was making it up.." I heard him mutter under his breath. "Yes. No. I mean, I got the Moonlight Devourer Yin Shroom." He grumbled.

I was thankful for that, for I had already forgotten the lengthy fantasy name I came up with. In the first place, how high are the chances for the same thing to have the same name I randomly spoke? I closed my eye again and continued talking.

"I trust in your judgment, for a cultivator always takes risk on their path to power." Would it be more convincing if I wasn't looking like a rendition of the world's fluffiest plushy? Yes, yes it would.

I stood up, not even pausing to stretch my body, and opened my eyes, before circling him with a lazy gait. "Beware that I am only your guide."

I saw his eyes track my every movement, his body tired, beaten and bloody pulled taut and ready to react at a moment's notice. "Good boy. Vigilance is important, but so is resting. Do you see me bask in constant paranoia?"

"No. You are even weaker than me, how could you be so.. so relaxed?" His shoulders slightly slumped, before he sat down on the ground, continuing to track my movements.

"It's important to be vigilant, especially in the lower levels of power. You are barely a rank three in the first realm, almost anyone or anything could squish you like an ant." He tensed up again as he heard my words. "But others do not have what you have. Do you know what it is?"

He stopped watching me and pondered with a thoughtful expression. "Is it a wise beast as you call yourself?"

I yipped a laugh, my snout forming into a foxy grin. "I'm glad you appreciate and value me that much, boy. But that's not it."

Of course it was a wise beast, if it wasn't me he'd stumble upon the death place of a powerful cultivator, maybe gain an all powerful secret technique out of this world. Or possibly a wise grandpa as a ghostly spirit, following along his journey offering him advice.

His eyebrows scrunched further, warping his visage into a strained frown. Thinking is a difficult thing, young'un. "An open spirit and a powerful will to survive all adversity." He looked up towards me with a grateful look, enlightenment filling his eyes.

Of course a main character only needs a few simple words of affirmation. I held back a sigh. "Look below my resting place." I told him. It would be painful to lose my personal heater, but I'll ask for a pillow and firestone later.

He got up with a grunt of exertion, closing in on the spot I slept.

"Fiery Yang Flower?!" He gasped in astonishment before turning towards me. "I thought.. you.. ugh, now I feel like a jerk." I suppressed a smirk at his muttering. Yes, feel like a jerk for ever having doubted me! The wise beast!

"You have all the ingredients? Then dig a hole. Don't forget to pack the dirt, add some sand, stones, gravel, clay.. whatever you can find. Then infuse it with some mana so the water won't escape." His eyes lit up in gratitude and I saw his body get infused with renewed waves of energy.

Was that the mysterious power of the world? I saw him almost break down with how tired and hurt he looked. Some nice words and some hope and he's ready to face another army? I almost scoffed at how ridiculous it was.

He was done digging a shallow pit, barely enough to fit both of us in, before walking towards the little creek to collect enough water. In the blink of an eye even that was done.

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"Cut all of them into pieces, then grind them into a paste one by one and soak the bowl and paste into the water before continuing on to the next." I instructed him as he took out all the herbs, mystical plants and mushrooms we collected over time. I say we, but it was him doing most of the work.

Stumbling upon a rare plant here, barely surviving his way through a high level cultivator fight there. Always coming out on top by the smallest of margins, no matter how ridiculous the stories he told were.

"But I've read in a rare alchemy tome I found in a hidden cave I fell into while fleeing from my enemies, that you can't and shouldn't cut some of them. They wanted me to pull out the medicinal efficacy with my mana, so less dregs pollute the final result of the product." He said thoughtfully, but not hesitating to grind up a hundred year old bellflower.

"That's where cultivators of this world are wrong. They teach you to steal, to pillage, to take whatever you want just because you have power." I started another improptu lesson. "But nature is a give and take. Even cultivators follow along that principle, no matter how high they rise towards power." He stopped grinding the herb, listening intently to my every word as confusion graced his features. "Tell me, during the nascent soul stage, what do you do to break through to the next rank?"

"You have to cut away some memories, some thoughts and some beliefs to purify your nascent soul through nine stages.. with the final one being that you cut away an emotion of your choice." He repeated what he seemed to have learned from somewhere.

"Is that not the price you pay for greater power? Didn't you fight against the heavens plundering and taking, so it forces you, pushes you.. and takes back even more important things than you took?"

His confusion morphed into shock, betrayal, realization and horror. "Yes. Cultivation is nothing more than paying for atrocities committed, growing less human the stronger they get." I finished, swishing my tail back and forth while watching him squirm. Is that truly how cultivation works? Maybe? But he is a genius cultivator and the main character of his world. If he believes it to be true, won't it be?

My lips twitched into a foxy grin, showing some teeth. "I have full trust in you, to find a way to give and take, without robbing nature, the world and the heavens, for they are inanimate beings."

"Thank you." I can't get enough of his look of pure sincerity. It always brings me joy to see him return with renewed doubts, like a never ending game. He goes out into the world, gets taught their truth and starts to question my every word. It's his right to verify things he hears, better safe than sorry right? I couldn't help it. I started snickering.

He nonchalantly continued grinding one herb after another, slowly soaking the herbs into the water as it's color slowly changed to mixtures of brown, yellow, green and ethereal blue. The first time he heard me snicker, he took offense and tried to fight me to gain back some face, as they call it. The tenth time, he just started sulking and pouting. Who would straight up believe a beast spouting nonsense?

I had to cultivate a sense of trust, keep statements vague and self fulfilling. As our game of doubt and trust repeated over and over, we reached a state of mutual understanding. He knows that my predisposition is inherently good after all the time.

Maybe I should create my own cultivation method? Instead of body, spirit root or soul, cultivate the heart and reach perfection in the dao of bullsh-, wisdom. Dao Of Wisdom. I affirmed my thoughts as he put the last ingredient into the medicinal bath and walked up to it. Taking deep breaths I could feel my body vibrate in elation. An instinct in the back of my mind begging me to take it for myself, to get stronger.

"Instead of taking from nature, open yourself up to nature. That will be your first real trial." I said, lying down next to the bath, waiting for him to get inside first.

"Open myself up to nature..? Exchange with nature.. take as much as it gives, don't take too much. Give as much as I can, don't give too much. A cycle." His eyes lit up with a spark, throwing some light around us as he understood more from my words I ever could. He stripped down and lay down in the bath, with me following behind.

He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, as I sat on his chest. The water ebbed to and fro, soaking both of us. I suppressed the urge to greedily absorb everything once more as I felt the water wash through me, through him, taking some things, leaving others behind. I closed my eyes and synced my breathing to his own.

The warmth of the sun went away and came again as I opened my eyes after an indeterminate amount of time. Blue eyes met red ones. I saw the mirth in my eyes reflected in his blue ones, as he saw his genuine surprise and contentment reflected in mine.

"I reached the next realm." He whispered, scared, trying to keep quiet as if it was a dream he would wake out of at any time.

"Which rank?" I whispered back, enjoying his confusion.

"Six minor ranks of the first realm.. a big rank into the second realm and one more rank.. I'm at the second rank of the second realm." He said in astonishment. "How could this be? All the materials I gathered were rare indeed, but I needed to suffer! Body tempering without pain?" His voice gained an annoyed tint to it.

"Temper the body with the yang energy, suffering through days of being burned alive. Temper the body with the yin energy, suffering through days of being frozen alive. The others would be made into pills and regenerative baths!!' His voice continued to rise as anger bled into it.

I continued watching as he went through multiple stages of grief. I myself have broken into the second realm, not knowing whether this is good or bad, fast or slow. His tirade ended as he looked back into my eyes, seeking an explanation, anything for him to reach the final stage of grief. Acceptance.

"You gave as much as you could, you paid the correct price. There was no need to steal, no need to pay with pain." I looked up as a flower petal fluttered past us to land on the tip of my snout. "Nobody asks for the tree to give. But it grows. Taking more than it could give, growing bigger and stronger until it reaches a point where it can give back. Losing its leaves, dropping it's healthy offspring. Year after year it gives back and gains so much more."

Acceptance. He radiated peace as we left the bath. It didn't change much in it's color, turning only a little more translucent. The moment we stepped onto the ground, a warm breeze passed by us. It dried our bodies, like a comfortable hug. Maybe the world approves of his new method? I looked at him as he put on his clothes again.

All his wounds were completely healed, not a single blemish or scar left on his body. No disgusting shedding of the skin or secretion of taint through pores. The process felt more natural and peaceful than anything I heard of before. His gaze met mine again, and with a wordless exchange he stomped the ground lightly, removing the mana preventing the water from draining.

"Mutual giving instead of mutual stealing." He mused, stretching his body and flexing his muscles. The new power coursing through me felt natural. There was no need for any acclimation, no need to train to contain said power, it just was.