Despite Seedling's promise to help Flint discover a way to cultivate, she found herself preoccupied with her punishments. The first involved repairing the dining hall wall she had demolished. Every time Flint and Spark visited the dining hall, they would spot her perched on a wooden ladder, meticulously laying bricks where the gaping hole remained. Not yet having reached Adept Level, she couldn't master the sword-riding techniques that would have made the task easier. Several stern-faced puppets stood guard nearby, their crystalline eyes fixed on her every movement.

The second punishment proved more demanding - climbing the main peak of Soaring Heaven Sword Peaks with her natural aura sealed and a circular stone strapped to her back. The peak, home to the Celestial Sword Sect's main hall, stretched impossibly high into the clouds. Upon reaching the summit's training ground, two puppets would unceremoniously roll the stone back down, and she would begin again. This cycle was to repeat 101 times.

Whenever Flint encountered her at the summit after she had conquered the thousands of steps, she would ask, "Isn't this exhausting?"

Seedling would simply adjust her high white ponytail, her wavy hair swaying with the movement as her fox ears twitched with amusement. "This? It's nothing," she'd reply with a casual wave of her hand, though her sect robes were soaked with sweat. Her purple eyes retained their characteristic sparkle, and her tail swayed with undiminished energy. Even with her powers sealed, she maintained that air of natural confidence that made her uniquely Seedling.

After nearly two weeks of this routine, she finally completed her punishments, having neither complained nor lost her spirited demeanor once.

"Shhhhh!" Less than two days after completing her punishments, a familiar white-haired figure darted through the Aura Meditation Grounds' entrance. Seedling, who had declared she needed rest (with her instructors' blessing to return whenever she felt ready), pressed a finger to her lips with a conspiratorial wink.

The meditation hall lay peaceful in the afternoon light, filled with disciples seated in quiet contemplation. While no teachers actively supervised the space - it being a place for self-directed practice - everyone understood these hours were meant for absorbing natural aura through meditation.

Seedling's fox ears perked up as she tiptoed between the neat rows of cultivators, her tail swishing silently behind her. Upon reaching Flint, she tugged gently at her sleeve, purple eyes dancing with barely contained excitement. Without a word, Flint rose from her cushion, following Seedling's lead with careful steps toward the exit.

A few cushions away, Spark's golden eyes flicked open at the movement. His gaze followed Flint's retreating form, a question forming in his mind that he deliberately pushed aside. His expression softened slightly as he recalled how Seedling had stood up to Pierce, defending both the spiritual beasts and Flint. She has a good heart beneath all that boldness, he mused.

Almost unconsciously, Spark's eyes drifted to where Pierce sat in meditation, his back perfectly straight and proud. Spark's gaze hardened into a fierce glare at the aristocratic disciple's back, remembering the latter's condescending attitude. The intensity of his own reaction surprised him, and he quickly closed his eyes again, though his usual meditative calm proved elusive.

Meanwhile, Seedling eagerly guided Flint through the doorway, her excitement barely contained and evident in her vibrating movements. Whatever had brought the Wind-Charm Fox back to the sect so soon - and whatever she had planned - promised to be far more interesting than another afternoon of quiet meditation.

Seedling's grip on Flint's wrist was surprisingly strong as she practically flew down the mountain path, her white fox tail streaming behind them like a banner. Flint's feet barely touched the ground between steps, and more than once she felt her stomach lurch as they took particularly sharp turns.

"S-Seedling!" Flint managed to gasp out between bounds. "Are you sure we won't—" She yelped as they narrowly dodged a protruding rock. "—crash into something?"

"Trust me!" Seedling's laughter rang out clear and bright as bells. Her purple eyes sparkled with mischief as she glanced back, fox ears perked forward in excitement. "I may have climbed this peak more than 100 times, but I definitely memorized the fastest way down!"

They burst through a cluster of white clouds that clung to the mountainside, emerging into the valley between the two tallest peaks of the Soaring Heaven Sword Mountains. The wind here was fierce enough to make Flint's clothes snap like war flags, and she had to squint against its force. It howled between the mountains, creating an endless symphony of rushing air.

Finally slowing to a stop, Seedling released Flint's wrist and spun around to face her, white ponytail and robes whipping dramatically in the wind. Her grin was positively radiant.

"Welcome," she declared with a theatrical sweep of her arm, "to your training ground!"

Flint rubbed her wrist, trying to catch her breath. "Training ground?" She had to raise her voice to be heard over the wind's constant roar.

Seedling's purple eyes took on that particular gleam they got whenever she was about to share something she found particularly clever. "There's an ancient saying passed down among the Wind-Charm Fox clan," she said, her fox ears twitching forward eagerly. "They say that if you can catch the wind, you'll gain its power!"

The wind chose that moment to gust particularly strongly, making Seedling's tail brush against her legs. She didn't seem bothered in the slightest by the powerful airflow, standing as naturally as if she were in a gentle breeze.

"You mean literally catch the wind?" Flint asked skeptically, fighting to keep her own hair from whipping into her face.

"Of course!" Seedling bounced on her toes, somehow maintaining perfect balance despite the gusts. "This valley creates the perfect wind tunnel. The air is compressed between the mountains, making it faster and stronger than anywhere else in the sect. If you're going to catch the wind anywhere, it'll be here!"

She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward conspiratorially, her purple eyes twinkling. "Besides, don't you think it's perfect? No one else trains here because of the wind, which means no one will bother us. And after all those punishment climbs, I know exactly when the patrols pass by!"

"Time to run on your own!" Seedling declared, releasing Flint's wrist with a playful flourish. "Follow the wind's direction!" Without waiting for a response, she took off running, her white hair and fox tail streaming behind her like banners in the breeze.

Flint scrambled to follow, her feet pounding against the rocky ground. As she ran, she began to notice something peculiar - that familiar white, intangible force she'd sensed before was flowing more strongly through her body. Instinctively, she tried to channel it the way she'd learned to manipulate natural aura, but her attempts slipped through her grasp like trying to catch smoke with bare hands.

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Ahead of her, something extraordinary was happening to Seedling. The Wind-Charm Fox's feet seemed to be leaving fewer and fewer marks on the ground, her steps becoming lighter and more graceful with each bound. Then, to Flint's absolute amazement, Seedling's feet left the earth entirely. The air currents around her transformed into invisible wings, swirling and dancing around her form. With her arms spread wide and white hair floating ethereally, Seedling soared into the sky as naturally as if she'd been born to fly.

Flint stopped dead in her tracks, jaw dropping as she watched her friend dance through the air. The sight was mesmerizing - Seedling's customized sect robes billowed around her, her fox tail and ears moving in perfect harmony with the wind currents, and her purple eyes practically glowing with joy as she twirled through the sky.

"Don't stop running!" Seedling called down, her voice carried clearly by the wind despite her height. She executed a graceful flip that would have made the sword-riding disciples jealous. "The wind won't wait for you!"

The teasing lilt in her voice snapped Flint out of her daze. Right - she was supposed to be training, not gawking at her friend's aerial acrobatics. Even if those acrobatics were absolutely spectacular.

As the wind's strength ebbed and flowed through the valley, Seedling's movements followed its rhythm like a dancer following music. When the gusts softened, she would descend gracefully to the earth, her feet barely touching the ground as she continued running. Then, as the wind surged again, she would lift off once more, rising into the air as naturally as a leaf caught in an updraft.

To Flint's surprise, she found herself keeping pace with Seedling. The mysterious intangible force flowing through her seemed to push her forward, lending strength to her legs and lightness to her steps. The realization brought an unbidden memory: herself clinging to Spark's wolf form as they fled through the forest. If I'd known I could run like this then, she thought with a mix of amusement and wonder, we might not have needed his wolf shape after all.

Above and ahead of her, Seedling's purple eyes glanced back, and a knowing smile curved her lips. Her fox ears twitched forward with interest as she observed her friend's progress. It's curious, she mused, executing another graceful aerial turn. Everyone says her spirit roots are Deficient in all six elements, but look at her now. She's already keeping up with my pace, and I'm no slowpoke! There must be something special about the way she channels natural aura, something that lets her transcend her physical limits. Otherwise, she'd never be able to match my speed.

The wind gusted strongly again, and Seedling let out a delighted laugh as she soared higher, her white tail and hair streaming behind her like banners in the breeze. Below, Flint's feet continued their steady rhythm, her body moving in unconscious harmony with the mysterious force that flowed through her veins like liquid starlight.

During her descent, as the wind's strength waned, Seedling caught sight of something unusual - a faint reddish-brown glow emanating from a cave entrance ahead. With each passing moment of her descent, the mysterious light became more distinct against the dark cavity of the mountain wall. Her natural momentum carried her closer to the cave's mouth until she finally touched down, taking a few running steps before slowing to a complete stop.

Flint, still caught up in the exhilaration of their wind-chasing exercise, nearly blazed past her. Quick as a striking snake, Seedling's hand shot out and caught Flint's arm. The sudden halt sent Flint pitching forward, her feet stumbling beneath her, but Seedling's grip remained steady, keeping her friend from face-planting into the rocky ground.

"Careful there!" Seedling steadied Flint with her other hand, but her purple eyes never left the cave entrance. Her fox ears were perked forward, twitching slightly as if trying to catch any sounds from within. The mysterious light cast strange, dancing shadows at the cave's threshold, making the darkness beyond seem even deeper by contrast.

"Look at that," Seedling whispered, her usual playful tone replaced by something more cautious. Her tail had gone still - a rare sight for the typically energetic Wind-Charm Fox. "I'm curious about what's happening in there." She tilted her head slightly, purple eyes narrowing as she studied the unusual glow. "Want to check it out?"

The wind whistled past them, its previously playful gusts now seeming to carry a note of warning. The reddish-brown light pulsed slightly, like a distant heartbeat, casting eerie shadows across their faces.

With a curious nod, Flint followed Seedling toward the cave entrance. Their footsteps naturally lightened as they approached, becoming as soft as falling leaves. They crouched at the cave's mouth, peering into the darkness that was broken only by that unsettling reddish-brown glow.

What they saw made their blood run cold.

A figure stood in the cave's depths, surrounded by an aura of sickly reddish-brown light. Around him lay several bodies, their clothing marking them as villagers from the nearby settlements. The figure swayed unsteadily, muttering to himself in a voice that scraped against the cave walls like rusty nails: "So the Soul Leech is real... need more... not enough..."

Seedling couldn't suppress her horrified gasp at the sight of the bodies. The sound echoed through the cave like a thunderclap.

The figure's head snapped toward them, his face twisting into a grotesque grin that split his face like a wound. "More souls... delivered right to my door..."

"Run!" Seedling grabbed Flint's wrist again, but this time there was no playfulness in her grip - only desperate urgency. They bolted back the way they came, but immediately faced a cruel reality: they were running straight into the wind that had aided their earlier journey. The powerful gusts that had been their allies now became their enemies, pushing against them with every step.

Behind them, the madman's footsteps echoed off the valley walls. Though he had no flying apparatus, his pace was unnaturally quick, eating up the distance between them with each stride. His ragged breathing and occasional bursts of maniacal laughter grew steadily closer.

Seedling's fox ears lay flat against her head as she ran, her tail streaming behind her. Her purple eyes darted around desperately, searching for any escape route. The wind that had allowed her to soar so gracefully before now fought against her every movement, making it impossible to take flight.

"Keep running!" she shouted to Flint over the howling wind. "Don't look back!"

But they could both hear it - the sound of the cultivator's footsteps growing closer and closer, accompanied by his raw, hungry breathing and the sickly pulse of that reddish-brown light that seemed to reach for them like grasping fingers.

"Can't you fly?" Flint shouted against the wind, her words nearly torn away by the gale. "Use the headwind to lift off, then generate your own wind power!" The idea struck her as she remembered Seedling's impressive display against Pierce.

"I don't have enough natural aura!" Seedling called back, her white ponytail whipping wildly in the wind. "I can't sustain it long enough!"

The madman's footsteps thundered behind them, getting closer with each passing second.

"Then blast him with wind like you did before!" Flint's suggestion rang out over the howling gusts.

Seedling spun partially, her purple eyes flashing as she summoned a powerful gust toward their pursuer. To her surprise, the force that erupted from her hands was significantly stronger than her usual attacks. The madman staggered but didn't slow much - yet something else caught Seedling's attention. That burst of power... could those 101 climbs with the stone have expanded my Inner Sea's capacity for natural aura?

A wild hope bloomed in her chest. If her power had indeed grown, perhaps she could fly them both beyond the cultivator's reach. Her fox ears perked up with sudden determination.

"Hold onto me tight!" she shouted to Flint, her purple eyes blazing with renewed purpose. "I'm going to try something!"

The wind howled around them, and Seedling's customized sect robes billowed as she prepared to attempt what could be their only chance at escape. Her tail streamed behind her like a banner of defiance against the approaching madman, whose reddish-brown aura cast grotesque shadows on the valley walls.

Seedling broke into a sprint, her feet gradually leaving the ground as she pulled Flint with her. With her free hand thrust behind them, she summoned a massive burst of wind. The force of their opposing energies - the valley's natural headwind and Seedling's conjured gale - lifted them higher into the air. Seedling's body leveled out horizontally, while Flint dangled beneath her, gripping her friend's arm for dear life.

The madman's face contorted with fury at seeing his prey take flight. His reddish-brown aura pulsed violently as he thrust his hands forward, using natural aura to transform the scattered debris around him into deadly projectiles. Stones and branches whistled through the air like arrows toward the fleeing pair.

Flint swung her body wildly to avoid the projectiles, each movement causing them both to pendulum through the air. Seedling fought to maintain their altitude while being yanked in every direction by Flint's desperate dodging. Her purple eyes narrowed in concentration, fox ears flat against her head as she poured every bit of power she had into maintaining their flight.

A sharp stone grazed Flint's cheek, leaving a thin line of blood. A branch struck Seedling's arm with enough force to tear through her sleeve and draw blood, the white fabric quickly staining red. Yet despite the pain, despite the awkward angle, despite the strain of supporting both their weights, Seedling's grip on Flint's hand never wavered.

"I won't let go!" Seedling shouted over the roaring wind, her purple eyes fierce with determination. Each word came out strained as she fought to maintain the powerful air current keeping them aloft. Below them, the madman's reddish-brown aura seemed to pulse with malevolent hunger as he continued his relentless assault.

Without warning, an enormous sword materialized in the air, streaking toward the point where Seedling's hand clasped Flint's. In that split-second of horrified realization, Flint knew they couldn't dodge it. Acting on pure instinct, she swung her body one last time, using her foot to nudge Seedling's wind-channeling hand slightly downward, redirecting her friend's flight path upward.

The sword whistled through the air straight at Flint's face. In that desperate moment, she made her choice - she wrenched her hand free from Seedling's grip and plummeted toward the ground.

"FLINT!" Seedling's anguished cry echoed through the valley. But something else was wrong - the moment Flint released her, Seedling felt her supposedly abundant natural aura suddenly depleting at an alarming rate, as if Flint's presence had somehow been amplifying her power all along.

"Fly up! Get to the mountain!" Flint shouted as she fell, her voice growing more distant. The massive sword sliced through the space between them, catching Flint's fingers as it passed and drawing a ribbon of blood that scattered in the wind.

Seedling watched in horror as her friend plunged toward the ground, toward the madman with his sickly reddish-brown aura, while her own strength rapidly faded. With her natural aura rapidly depleting, Seedling could do nothing to dive after Flint - her failing power left her only one option: reach safety and find help as quickly as possible.