Chapter 5: The Hunted Becomes the Hunter

Jingyi continued her journey, moving further away from the sect where she had taken Lian's cultivation resources. As she walked, she thought about her next move. She knew that she needed to cultivate in order to become stronger, but she also needed to be careful. Lian's sect was after her, and she needed to avoid them at all costs.

She decided to head towards a nearby town, hoping to gather some information and supplies. As she got closer, she noticed that the town was bustling with activity. There were people buying and selling goods, farmers bringing in their crops, and hunters selling their catches.

Jingyi watched as a group of hunters walked by, carrying their spoils of the hunt. She was intrigued by their skills and decided to follow them, hoping to learn more about hunting and survival in this world.

She followed them for a while, keeping a safe distance. As they entered the woods, Jingyi noticed that they were hunting for deer. She watched as they quietly approached a group of deer, taking care not to make any noise. When they were close enough, they launched their attack, quickly and efficiently taking down the deer.

Jingyi watched in amazement as the hunters expertly skinned and gutted the deer, preparing it for transport. She realized that this was a skill she needed to learn if she wanted to survive in this world.

As the hunters packed up their spoils, Jingyi approached them cautiously only to observe. She knew that as an outsider, she was vulnerable and could be attacked at any moment. If she asked them to teach her then they would most likely refuse so the most logical choice was to observe them and take their knowledge and techniques for herself regardless of their will.

Jingyi observed from a distance as the group of hunters went about their business. They were a diverse group, each with their own unique style and approach to hunting. Some were quiet and stealthy, while others were loud and boisterous, relying on brute force and intimidation to get the job done.

A new apprentice had joined the group, eager to learn the ways of the hunt. The hunters were patient with him, taking the time to teach him the basics of tracking and hunting. Jingyi watched silently, taking in their every move and analyzing their techniques.

Despite her own lack of experience in the realm of hunting, Jingyi found herself fascinated by the process. She admired the hunters' ability to navigate the wilderness and track their prey, using every tool at their disposal to ensure a successful hunt.

As the hunters worked, Jingyi remained silent, observing and taking in the lessons without interacting with them. She knew that she still had much to learn, and she was content to watch and absorb as much knowledge as she could.

As the day drew to a close, the hunters began to pack up their gear and prepare to return home. Jingyi watched as they gathered their spoils and discussed the events of the day, feeling a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.

She knew that her journey was far from over, and there was still much to learn and discover in this strange new world. But for the moment, she was content to simply observe and absorb, knowing that every lesson learned would bring her one step closer to her ultimate goal. She was willing to do whatever it took to learn this skill and become stronger. She followed them deeper into the woods, determined to gain the necessary skills.

Little did she know, the hunters were about to become the hunted.

As the hunters moved deeper into the forest Jingyi heard them talking about how it would take them half a day to get back to their village. As they walked they suddenly heard a loud screech coming from above. They looked up and saw an enormous owl demon circling above them. Jingyi scanned the demon and saw that it was at the Beginner Foundation Establishment level, making it an impossible foe for the non-cultivator hunters.

Without hesitation, the hunters drew their weapons and prepared for battle. They charged towards the owl, trying to get in close to attack it. However, the demon was quick and agile, dodging their attacks and launching its own calculated counter-attacks.

The battle was fierce and intense, with both sides taking heavy blows. The hunters fought with all their might, but it soon became clear that they were no match for the powerful owl demon.

One by one, the hunters fell to the ground, unable to withstand the demon's attacks. As the owl let its guard down and began to feast on the meat from the deceased hunters, Jingyi stepped forward, brandishing her sword.

With a swift strike, she stabbed the demon through the chest. The owl screeched and attempted to fly off, but the wound made it unable to maintain flight, and it fell back to the ground dead.

Jingyi then took out the healing elixir and took a sip. Jingyi was not only a female child but her constitution made her weaker than a normal person. Due to her being an AI, she was able to disable her body's basic limits to achieve a level of strength that a child would normally be unable to as she had previously done with Lian. However, this also had a price as stabbing the demon with enough strength to price its skin came at the price of tearing all the muscle in her arms and fracturing some of her bones.

After a few minutes of the elixir working its magic, Jingyi could finally move again with some minor pain. Although she wasn't fully healed she only had enough elixir to heal herself one more time so she chose to save it rather than waste it.

Jingyi cut open the demon and dug out its demon core. She knew that this was a valuable resource that could help her cultivate and become stronger. After she looted the hunters of their clothes and equipment she also took some of the owl's meat and prepared to make a fire to cook it as she had previously observed the hunters do.

As she cooked and ate, Jingyi reflected on what had just happened. She had managed to take down an owl demon at the Beginner Foundation Establishment level, something that even a group of experienced hunters had failed to do. It was a significant achievement, although she had done so through a sneak attack.

Jingyi knew that she couldn't rely on luck and sneak attacks forever. Since she could only use the elixir one more time to heal her damaged body this was effectively the last she could do it. She would need to hone her skills and become stronger if she wanted to survive in the world of cultivators. To do that would mean consuming more demon cores and dantian until her racial percentages reached 33% on all three.

After finishing her meal, Jingyi gathered her things and set off into the forest. She would head in the direction the hunters were going in hopes of finding their village and maybe staying there temporarily.