Yan Kai's legs burned with exhaustion as he crashed through the thick undergrowth of the Dark Wood Forest. Behind him, he could hear the terrifying growl of the red cheetah getting closer with each passing moment. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, blood dripping steadily from where the beast's claws had torn through flesh and muscle just minutes ago. The pain was overwhelming, but the fear of death pushed him forward through the dense trees and tangled vines.
"Keep running, just keep running," he whispered to himself between ragged breaths. His cultivation was only at the third level of Qi Gathering stage, which meant he was barely stronger than a normal person. Against a spiritual beast like the red cheetah, which was equivalent to a seventh level Qi Gathering cultivator, he stood no chance in a direct fight.
The memory of what had happened just fifteen minutes ago flashed through his mind as he stumbled over a root. He and five other local cultivators from Green Stone Village had entered the forest together, searching for the Moon Dew Herb that grew in these dangerous woods. The herb could be sold for fifty silver coins in the market, enough money to buy cultivation resources for two months. For struggling cultivators like them who had no backing from major sects or clans, taking risks in dangerous places was the only way to advance their cultivation.
They had been carefully searching through a small clearing when the red cheetah had attacked without warning. Its speed was incredible, like a red blur of death. Zhang Wei, who had been walking beside Yan Kai, didn't even have time to scream before the beast's fangs pierced his throat. Blood had sprayed everywhere, covering Yan Kai's face and robes. In the chaos that followed, everyone had scattered in different directions. The red cheetah had chosen to chase after Yan Kai, perhaps because he had been the closest when it finished killing Zhang Wei.
Now, as he ran desperately through the forest, Yan Kai could feel his strength fading rapidly. The blood loss from his ruined left arm was making him dizzy and weak. His vision was starting to blur at the edges, and he knew that he couldn't keep running much longer. The red cheetah was playing with him, he realized with growing horror. It could have caught him already if it wanted to. Instead, it was enjoying the hunt, savoring his fear before the final kill.
Suddenly, Yan Kai spotted something unusual through his blurring vision. To his right, partially hidden behind a curtain of hanging vines and moss, was a small opening in the rocky hillside. It was a cave entrance, but it was positioned in such a way that it would be almost impossible to notice unless you were looking at it from exactly the right angle. Without thinking twice, Yan Kai dove through the vines and rolled into the cave.
The cave was deeper than he had expected. He crawled further inside, leaving a trail of blood behind him on the cold stone floor. The passage was narrow at first, barely wide enough for him to squeeze through, but after about twenty feet it opened up into a larger chamber. The air inside was strangely warm compared to the forest outside, and there was an odd smell that he couldn't identify, like flowers mixed with something metallic.
Behind him, he heard the red cheetah reach the cave entrance. The beast growled in frustration, and he could hear its claws scraping against stone as it tried to force its way into the narrow passage. But the opening was too small for the creature's large body. After several minutes of trying, the red cheetah gave up and left, probably deciding to hunt for easier prey.
Yan Kai collapsed against the cave wall, his whole body trembling from exhaustion and blood loss. He pressed his remaining good hand against the wounds on his left arm, trying to slow the bleeding, but he knew it was futile. He had lost too much blood already. His body was growing cold despite the warm air in the cave, and he could feel death approaching like a shadow creeping over him.
"So this is how I die," he thought bitterly. "Twenty-three years old, still at the third level of Qi Gathering stage, killed in a cave like a wounded animal. What a pathetic end for someone who dreamed of becoming an immortal cultivator."
As his vision continued to fade, something caught his attention in the dim light of the cave. In the center of the chamber, lying on a flat piece of stone that looked almost like an altar, was a bone. But this was no ordinary bone. It was purple in color, about the length of his forearm, and it seemed to glow with a faint inner light. The bone looked like it might have come from an arm or leg, but it was hard to tell because the surface was covered in strange patterns that looked like runes or symbols from an ancient language.
Yan Kai stared at the purple bone with desperate hope filling his heart. In the cultivation world, unusual objects found in hidden places were often treasures left behind by powerful cultivators of the past. Maybe this bone was some kind of healing treasure that could save his life. Or perhaps it contained some kind of inheritance that would give him power. He had heard stories of lucky cultivators finding mysterious treasures that changed their fate overnight.
With the last of his strength, Yan Kai crawled toward the purple bone. Each movement sent waves of agony through his ruined arm, but he forced himself to keep going. He had nothing to lose at this point. If he didn't try to use the bone, he would die anyway. When he finally reached the altar, he stretched out his good hand and grasped the purple bone.
The moment his fingers touched the smooth surface of the bone, something incredible happened. The bone suddenly turned into liquid, like purple water that glowed with mysterious light. Before Yan Kai could react, the liquid flowed up his arm and into his body through his skin. He tried to let go, but his hand seemed to be stuck to the bone as more and more of the purple liquid entered his body.
A burning sensation spread through his entire body, starting from his hand and moving outward like wildfire. It wasn't painful exactly, but it was overwhelming, like every cell in his body was being taken apart and put back together. Yan Kai tried to scream, but no sound came out. His consciousness began to fade as the purple energy consumed him completely. The last thing he remembered was falling backward onto the cold stone floor, his body convulsing as the transformation began.
What Yan Kai didn't know was that the purple bone was actually a legendary treasure called the Primordial Yin Bone, a relic from an ancient ice phoenix that had died thousands of years ago. The bone contained the essence of ultimate yin energy and the bloodline of the ice phoenix. When it entered his body, it began to remake him completely, changing not just his physical form but his very essence as a cultivator.
Hours passed in the quiet cave. Outside, day turned to night and then to day again. During this time, Yan Kai's body underwent a complete transformation. His rough, masculine features softened and changed. His short black hair grew long and turned purple like the bone itself. His broad shoulders narrowed while his hips widened. His entire bone structure shifted and reformed. Even his spiritual roots, which had been low-grade five-element roots that made cultivation difficult, transformed into high-grade ice spiritual roots that were perfect for cultivating ice-attribute techniques.
The transformation also healed his injuries completely. His ruined left arm regenerated, the flesh and muscle growing back as if it had never been damaged. All the scars and marks from years of fighting and struggling as a weak cultivator disappeared, leaving behind skin as smooth and white as fresh snow.
Two days after the transformation began, a powerful presence approached the cave. Fairy Liu Mei, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator from the Sky Moon Mansion, had been flying over the Dark Wood Forest when she sensed an unusual fluctuation of spiritual energy. As someone who had lived for over three hundred years, she had developed sharp senses for detecting treasures and unusual occurrences.
Liu Mei landed gracefully at the cave entrance, her white robes fluttering in the wind. She was a beautiful woman who looked to be in her thirties, though her actual age was much greater. Her long black hair was decorated with silver ornaments that marked her status as an elder of the Sky Moon Mansion. With a wave of her hand, she dispersed the vines covering the entrance and walked into the cave.
What she found inside made her stop in surprise. Lying unconscious on the floor was a young woman of extraordinary beauty. The woman had long purple hair that spread around her like silk, and even with her eyes closed, her face was stunning enough to cause kingdoms to go to war. But what really caught Liu Mei's attention was the spiritual energy emanating from the unconscious woman's body. It was pure ice-attribute spiritual energy of remarkable quality.
"Such pure ice spiritual roots," Liu Mei murmured to herself as she approached the unconscious woman. "I haven't seen talent like this in over a hundred years. But what is she doing here, and why is she not wearing any clothes?"
Liu Mei quickly checked the woman's body for injuries or signs of attack, but found nothing wrong. The woman seemed to be in perfect health, just unconscious. Her cultivation level was still very low, only at the third level of Qi Gathering stage, but with those incredible ice spiritual roots, she had the potential to reach great heights in the future.
After thinking for a moment, Liu Mei made a decision. She took out a spare robe from her storage ring and carefully dressed the unconscious woman. Then she gently picked her up and carried her out of the cave. The Sky Moon Mansion was always looking for talented disciples, especially those with ice spiritual roots that matched their cultivation techniques. This mysterious woman would be perfect for their sect.
As Liu Mei flew through the sky carrying the transformed Yan Kai, she wondered about the mystery of the woman she had found. There were no signs of battle in the cave except for some old blood stains that had already dried. The woman didn't have any identification tokens or belongings that might tell who she was or where she came from. It was as if she had appeared from nowhere.
"When she wakes up, I'll ask her about her background," Liu Mei thought. "If she really has no connections to any other sect or clan, I'll invite her to join the Sky Moon Mansion as an inner disciple. With her talent, she could become a core disciple within a few years if she works hard."
Meanwhile, in the unconscious mind of the transformed Yan Kai, confused thoughts and memories swirled like a chaotic storm. The personality and memories of Yan Kai remained intact, but they were now housed in a completely different body. When consciousness finally returned, the shock of the transformation would be overwhelming. The cautious and cunning male cultivator who had struggled for years in the harsh cultivation world would have to adapt to life as a beautiful woman with incredible talent.
But that moment of awakening was still hours away. For now, the transformed cultivator remained unconscious, being carried through the sky toward a new life at the Sky Moon Mansion, unaware of the complete change that had occurred or the challenges that lay ahead in this new existence.
^^^^^^^