Minor Achievement
Mo Hua had clearly learned that demon beasts couldn't understand human speech.
In the following two days, it seemed the cat demon had been frightened by Mo Shan. It always stayed curled up in the iron cage and wouldn't come out even when released, let alone attack Mo Hua.
No matter how Mo Hua tried to communicate with it, the cat demon didn't understand, only staring at him with a fierce yet somewhat cowardly gaze, except when Mo Hua fed it meat, then its eyes softened slightly.
This made practicing the Flowing Water Steps impossible.
What to do?
Mo Hua thought for two days before finally coming up with a solution.
He starved the cat demon for two days until it was ravenous, eyes glowing green, then fed it with small dried fish specially made by Liu Ruhua.
These dried fish were a type of demon beast, with poor meat quality and a strong smell that cultivators disliked but cats loved.
After that, Mo Hua threaded several dried fish onto a string and hung it around his neck. Then he pointed at the dried fish and then at the cat demon.
The implication was clear: "If you want fish, come and snatch it yourself."
It was similar to the rules when sparring with Bai Zisheng before, except now the sparring partner had changed from Bai Zisheng to a young cat demon.
Although the cat demon didn't understand human speech, it now understood.
So the previously timid cat demon, in order to fill its stomach, began to snatch the dried fish hanging from Mo Hua's neck.
But it remembered clearly Mo Hua's father's sharp gaze, so it didn't dare to harm Mo Hua at all. Its only target was the dried fish on Mo Hua's neck.
In this remote storage room, shadows of humans and demons intertwined in pursuit.
After "sparring" with the cat demon for several days, Mo Hua couldn't help but marvel that demon beasts were indeed much stronger than cultivators.
This cat demon was only at the initial stage of the first rank, not particularly strong in strength, but its speed was extremely fast, and its movements were agile to an extraordinary degree, not inferior to a typical cultivator at the sixth level of Qi refining.
The cat demon's attack methods were more diverse than those of cultivators, even to the point of being cunning and eerie.
Cultivators' attacks, whether from physical cultivators focusing on punches and kicks or spiritual cultivators focusing on long-range spells, followed predictable patterns.
In contrast, the cat demon could attack with its mouth, claws, and tail, each at unexpected angles, making it hard to defend against.
Moreover, the cat demon had innate talents fueled by demon power. It could momentarily blur its figure, nearly indistinguishable to the naked eye. Mo Hua could only sense its position by pushing his spiritual awareness to the limit.
And this was only at the initial stage of the first rank. If it reached the middle or late stage of the first rank, its speed would be unimaginable.
No wonder hunting teams of demon hunters typically required around ten people to form a team.
If it were a second-rank demon beast equivalent to a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, how powerful would it be?
For ordinary cultivators, wouldn't they be wiped out with just one encounter?
Mo Hua couldn't help but shiver involuntarily at the thought.
"Mastering the Flowing Water Steps is crucial. Even if I can't win, at least I can run away," Mo Hua silently thought.
Engaging with demon beasts was also a process of honing one's skills.
At first unfamiliar with the cat demon's techniques, Mo Hua's dried fish hanging around his neck would quickly end up in the cat demon's mouth.
The cat demon would then lie in the iron cage, leisurely chewing on the fish, licking its claws, occasionally glancing at Mo Hua with a hint of pride and disdain.
As Mo Hua gradually became familiar with the cat demon's attack patterns, he could vaguely anticipate whether it would strike with its claws, bite with its teeth, or flick the needles on its tail.
The cat demon's innate talents were initially unpredictable, but after repeated exposures, Mo Hua began to foresee its movements through his spiritual awareness.
Feeding the cat demon dried fish became increasingly difficult.
Sometimes, Mo Hua would be careless, allowing it to snatch one or two fish to satisfy its hunger.
However, when Mo Hua focused completely, the cat demon could barely even get one fish. It would stand by the wall, glaring fiercely at Mo Hua.
But this ferocity was superficial and ineffective.
Mo Hua knew the discomfort of hunger and occasionally pretended to be careless, letting it eat several fish.
After a month passed, although the cat demon wasn't fully satiated, it also wasn't starving. Its physique had grown noticeably, now standing at about five feet long.
Mo Hua knew it was time. This cat demon couldn't be kept any longer. If allowed to grow larger, one day when he least expected it, it might decide to eat him.
The nature of demon beasts wasn't easily changed.
Mo Hua didn't intend to kill it but planned to honor their agreement and set it free.
Even though the cat demon couldn't understand human speech or the agreement.
One evening, Mo Hua packed the cat demon into the iron cage, covered it with black cloth, and took it outside Tongxian City to a spot closest to the outer mountains of Big Black Mountain.
Living creatures like demon beasts couldn't be placed inside storage bags; they had to be kept in iron cages.
Mo Hua also covered it with black cloth to prevent other demon hunters from noticing and attacking it on sight.
Seeing no one around, Mo Hua uncovered the cage, opened the gate, and released the cat demon.
At first, the cat demon was startled by the surrounding mountains and trees, then its eyes brightened with joy.
However, it didn't leave immediately but watched Mo Hua cautiously.
Mo Hua said to it, "I'm keeping my promise and letting you go. But remember, it's best not to eat humans. If you do, next time we meet, I will definitely kill you. Even if I don't, other demon hunters will."
"Humans aren't that tasty anyway. It's better for you to eat more fish. If you don't provoke cultivators, with your agility, you should be able to live longer..."
Mo Hua rambled on, regardless of whether it understood, then waved his hand and said, "Go."
The cat demon glanced at Mo Hua in confusion, took a few cautious steps, found Mo Hua didn't stop it, and nodded affirmatively.
With a bit more courage, the cat demon gradually walked towards Big Black Mountain. As it approached the edge of the forest, it suddenly accelerated with a "whoosh" and darted into the depths of Big Black Mountain.
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.
This was a win-win situation. His Flowing Water Steps had now reached a minor achievement, sufficient to handle cultivators of the same level or deal with demon beasts with ease.
And this cat demon had been safely released into the mountains.
Big Black Mountain was vast; he probably wouldn't encounter it again. Even if he did, with its growth and transformation, he might not recognize it.
He only hoped it wouldn't harm other cultivators and ideally wouldn't die at the hands of other demon hunters.
But that was beyond Mo Hua's control.
Feeling relaxed, Mo Hua whistled and headed home with his hands behind his back.
In the forests of Big Black Mountain, the cat demon didn't venture far but lurked in the grass, secretly observing Mo Hua.
After seeing Mo Hua leave, the cat demon looked puzzled for a moment. Its pupils dilated, memorizing Mo Hua's figure, then cautiously glanced around and walked into Big Black Mountain.
Passing through forests, crossing toxic swamps, climbing rocky cliffs, it arrived at a stream in the mountains.
Finding no cultivators or other demon beasts nearby, the cat demon leaped into the creek, rinsing off the dust from its body. After a while, it emerged from the water, shaking off droplets. The dark patterns on its body became deeper, and its white fur sparkled even more.
At the same time, the patterns on its forehead gradually became clearer, slowly revealing the pattern of the character
King!
(End of Chapter)