The Celestial Springs Resort was a place that remained open regardless of war, blizzards, or any other reason.
In fact, the staff would fight to work these shifts as they were paid multiple tis more based on the threat they were facing. Safety was almost guaranteed as long as they stayed within the confines of the resort, all they needed to do was tend to the custors as usual.
However, that's what made these shifts great. There were hardly any custors, and the ones they did have almost never caused trouble.
Maria and Celaine floated not far away from the Resort and couldn't help but be surprised by the scale of it.
"This whole place is the resort? The entire mountain range? What the hell?" Celaine muttered. Although the Crystal Spire said it was big, they didn't ntion this!
"Alright, enough gawking. Let's see if Mira's inside!" Maria exclaid as she descended to the ground and walked toward the main entrance.
"...You know she's not going to be. It's impossible for that woman not to cause trouble. She's definitely out there in the blizzard sowhere."
Maria slowly nodded, but her eyes remained firm. "...Still, it doesn't hurt to check."
Celaine shrugged and walked next to her friend as they entered the building.
"Hello~! Welco to the Celestial Springs Resort~! My na is Cherrele, how may I help you today~?" A cute, bubbly girl at the front desk exclaid with a professional smile.
Maria smiled as well, causing a faint blush to creep up on the girl's face, "Hi~! I'm actually here to look for soone. Her na is-"
Before she could say another word, Cherrele shook her head, her ponytail swaying. "I apologize, but one of our policies is not to give out our custor's information. However, if there's anything else you need, I'm happy to help."
"Oh, co on~ I'm sure you know her. Her na's Mira, she looks like a fox woman with multicolored tails."
Cherrele's eyes shook for a mont as she knew this woman more than she'd care to admit. She was always in the mountains, hamring away, shaking the place! When they tried to stop her, she just threw out Spirit Stones and rare herbs, telling them to 'Shut up and leave her alone'.
There were even a few rumors that so of the custors who complained too much disappeared… but that was never confird.
Maria's smile widened, but she didn't call her out. She raised her hand, showing off her ring, and said, "You see, she's actually my fiancee~ I heard she was causing trouble and ca to drag her back ho~ Haaa… That woman, always making a ss."
All the staff mbers looked over with wide eyes, staring at Maria as if she was their savior. It wasn't just Mira that was a problem, but everyone in that group. Hana was caught sneaking in and out of places she wasn't supposed to be, spying on people. Coralia threatened all their neighbors. Rhydian seed to destroy everything she touched, even spotted sleeping in restricted areas.
Dominique always carried a bloody aura, and Elenei's re presence scared anyone who neared her.
They received constant complaints about them, but the higher-ups wouldn't make a move, probably because of the rare herbs she handed out. However, for the staff, this was a nightmare.
"R-Really?" Cherrele asked with a shaky voice. "You're going to take them away?"
"Of course~!" Maria then gave a smile that didn't reach the eyes. "It's about ti she cos ho, after all."
"R-R… Right this way!"
***
A day later
A small lump of snow lifted from the ground, revealing a small white fox underneath. It shook the snow out of its fur, breathing a sigh of relief that nothing happened.
Mira's tail twitched, dropping a little girl onto the snow. "Ugh." Hana groaned as she held her head before abruptly waking up, feeling the painful chill down to her very bones.
"Wh-What happened?! What's going on?!" She looked around before screaming as she saw a small white fox with crimson eyes staring at her. "B-Beast! MIRA! Save !"
'Idiot! I'm the fox!'
Hana's eyes widened, hearing Mira's cold voice in her mind. She stared down at the little fox, bewildered. Mira was… this little fox? She could be so cute?!
While her mind was still a ss, Mira reached out her paw and dropped the iridescent shirt she obtained from the skeleton on the ground, along with a few other items like a jacket, pants, and things that would protect her.
'Put these on.'
Hana snapped out of her thoughts and quickly did as she was told.
"Oh~! I'm not cold anymore!" She exclaid, running around a bit despite her bones protesting. Sohow, during the ti she had passed out, her injuries had mostly healed, but she was still sore. "But, why can't I sit in your tails anymore?"
'We're being followed. So, I'm going to stay in this form for a bit until I feel it's safe to go back to normal.'
"...I see." Hana nodded gravely. If even Mira was nervous about their pursuer, they were in deep trouble if they ever got caught.
'So, which place did you have planned next?'
Hana gave Mira a weird look. "...Seriously? Even after escaping death several tis, you still want more?"
'What? Our bodies are fine, and that's all that matters. No need to waste ti resting.'
"..."
Although the logic was sound, Hana couldn't help but feel that sothing was off.
'Our bodies might be fine, but my mind isn't! I'm tired!' She wanted to complain but kept her mouth shut, knowing it was useless.
If she had known that joining Mira on her personal adventures would've been like this, she would've reconsidered her decision. She was way too weak to be standing next to Mira, which beca abundantly clear whenever she fought.
Mira did her best to protect her, but her mind and body still felt like mush after all was said and done.
'Gah! Whatever! I just need to last until this blizzard ends, right? I can do that! How long can a blizzard last, after all?!' She resolved herself, not knowing that it wouldn't be long before she regretted that decision.
"...I was going to take us to a battle arena that, for so reason, only opens during the Decennial Storm, but considering I have no idea where we are, I say we just head east until we run into sothing."
'Then, what are we waiting for?'
Mira, in her small fox form, led the way, her crimson eyes cutting through the blizzard like beacons. Hana followed closely behind, not wanting to get lost.
During this ti, Mira swept a part of her consciousness throughout her mind, soul, and body, inspecting the changes that breaking through to the 3rd Stage of the Soul Transformation Realm brought.
Breaking through the stages in the Soul Transformation Realm was not rely an increase in power; it was a fundantal developnt of her entire existence. Mira felt the beginnings of a fusion between her soul and physical body. Not so re connection brought about by a unique technique but sothing much deeper.
'Like, at so point, my body will be my soul and vice versa.' She didn't quite understand it but instinctively understood she was heading in the right direction.
Her Dao also manifested more overtly in her physical form. Each movent, each breath carried the weight of her spiritual insights, making her connection to the elents around her more intimate.
"What're you doing, Mira?" Hana asked, noticing the fox's contemplative pause. Despite the howling wind and the snow that danced around them like wraiths, there was a serene aura surrounding Mira.
'I'm exploring the changes my breakthrough brought,' Mira explained, her consciousness still examining the changes within her.
Her Absolute Essence Core had beco more robust, pulsating with over twice as much Qi as before. Her physical body had grown stronger, every muscle and bone infused with the power of her Dao.
But the most striking change was her connection to her Nascent Soul. Although there was always a link there, it felt more profound now. She understood that her Nascent Soul was just a manifestation of her inner will, but there were subtle differences between the two. Now, it wouldn't be wrong to say they were the sa person, just in different bodies–similar to identical twins.
However, with the direction things were going, she wondered if-
'...there might be no more Nascent Soul once I reach the peak of the Realm,' Mira thought aloud.
"What does that an for you?" Hana inquired, her curiosity piqued.
'It ans that the journey of cultivation is one of constant evolution and unity. My soul, my body, my essence—they're all becoming one. It's a path towards becoming a true expression of the Dao,' Mira replied, speaking more to herself than Hana.
As they continued eastward, Mira tested her enhanced capabilities. With a re thought, she manipulated the snow around them, creating a protective bubble that shielded them from the worst of the blizzard's fury.
Suddenly, a roar pierced the silence of the blizzard. From the whiteout, a massive creature of ice and snow erged. Hana tensed, but Mira stepped forward.
'This will be a good test,' Mira stated, smirking.
As the creature charged, Mira's form blurred. She called upon her Dao, and pure Yin Flas danced around her. With a swift motion, she struck, her paw emitting a burst of chilling fire that collided with the creature.
The impact was devastating. The creature howled in agony as it was consud by the flas, lting away to nothingness in monts.
Hana nodded, skipping over to Mira. "So, you're still powerful even in this form!"
Mira just rolled her eyes and carried along like nothing happened, not bothering to pick up the beast core that dropped.
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