Kaelan sits cross-legged on the cliff beneath the blazing sun, his feathers faintly trembling as he draws in the streams of spiritual energy that flow unseen through heaven and earth.
The air thickens with radiance as the power gathers, swirling toward him like a tide, and his mana refines within his core with steady pulses.
Around the cliff, the land transforms into a place of abundance, a haven where spiritual energy lingers so heavily that it feels sacred.
Beasts creep closer from the forest, their instincts driving them to bask in the richness, their bodies quivering as they absorb what they can to sharpen their strength.
Lesser demons slip out of the shadows too, bowing their heads as if the air itself proclaims this place holy, and they dare not disturb the crow demon at its centre.
A flock of wild crows circles above, black wings cutting the sky, and in time they alight on the stone ledge, their beady eyes glinting with recognition of their kin's might.
They fold their wings and stand in silent rows, entering a stillness that mimics cultivation, as though the presence of a true crow demon allows them to seek their own destiny.
Kaelan senses all of it—the beasts, the demons, the crows—yet he remains unmoving, his focus rooted in the endless refinement of his mana.
As dusk bleeds across the sky and the first shadows stretch long, his perception trembles with a ripple of foreign auras.
Two demon presences step onto the far side of the riverbank, clear and sharp against the flow of energy.
His spirit reaches out, and in the vision of his mind's eye forms the image of an old woman, her body ordinary, but her aura coiled tight like a snake beneath her skin.
Beside the old woman stands a girl with wide eyes and a fox tail, white as snow, peeking beneath her dress; her presence is both innocent and sharp, like a knife hidden in silk.
Kaelan slowly halts his cultivation, and at once the thick tide of spiritual energy begins to scatter, thinning until only a faint mist lingers over the cliff.
The beasts lift their heads, bow low toward him, and one by one depart into the forest, their limited wisdom still enough to understand gratitude.
But the crows do not leave—instead, they begin to caw and circle around him, their voices rising like a chorus.
Kaelan, now a crow himself, understands their language with startling clarity, the sound shaping into words in his mind.
One calls, "Brother, why are you so big? Why not grow another head?"
Another asks, "Brother, why did you stop?"
A third caws with excitement, "I already formed a wisp of demon energy, one more and I can become a demon."
Others chatter among themselves—"This brother looks different from the powerful brother near the sour-sweet fruit place."
"That brother has three legs and feathers shining bright."
"That brother breathes fire."
"The mad brother with two heads shrieks all night."
"This brother only looks bigger, but nothing else has changed."
Kaelan's spirit threads into theirs, linking with the chorus of thoughts that beat within the flock.
Their weak defences peel open like fragile shells, and through them he peers deeper, glimpsing fragments of memory hidden in their simple minds.
Kaelan's spirit drifts deeper into the scattered memories, and the first image rises from the crows' minds—a dark forest hidden within a jagged ridge.
There, a monstrous crow with two heads spreads its wings wide, and when both mouths open, a shockwave of death rips outward, felling a demon bear in an instant.
The lesser crows swoop down without hesitation, tearing into the bear's corpse and feasting in savage frenzy.
Another memory surfaces, this one painted in fire and ash, where a crow with feathers glowing bright orange and three clawed feet roosts at the lip of a roaring volcano.
Its beak splits open and fireballs burst forth, each shot crashing like molten meteors across the slopes.
Scenes blur one into the next—human towns bustling with life, cities gleaming under banners, small villages nestled by rivers, and demon gathering places thick with blood and smoke.
A snow-white tiger streaked with blue stripes tears across frozen ground, thunderbolts flashing from its fangs.
Leopards leap from cliffs, striking with lightning claws, while above them, humans ride on flying swords, streaking through the sky like burning comets.
Kaelan peers through it all, the world's vastness opening through the innocent eyes of the crows.
But the flow halts suddenly, shattering as his senses snap back to the present.
Below the cliff, two demon auras press against the air, steady and unhidden, as an old woman and the white-tailed girl step into the clearing beneath him.
Kaelan peers down at them from the cliff and says, "Greetings, fellow demons, I am Kaelan."
The old woman tilts her head back, her pupils glimmering like candlelight in the dark, and though her face seems plain, her presence carries the sharp cunning of the wild.
Her tail, faintly outlined under her robe, flicks once as she speaks with a voice smooth as silk yet edged with command.
"I am Bai Huli, and this is my granddaughter, Bai Yaoyue."
Beside her, the girl bows lightly, wide eyes gleaming with a bewitching innocence.
The white fox tail peeking from beneath her dress sways like drifting snow, soft and silent, though the air around her carries a subtle sharpness, as if a blade were hidden in velvet.
Kaelan says, "Thank you for accepting my invitation."
Bai Huli bows with calm grace and answers, "It is our honour for a senior to invite us."
Kaelan nods slowly. "I invited you to learn about the area nearby. Are there any demon gathering places close?"
"There is one," Bai Huli replies, "but it is closed. It only opens once a month—two days from now."
"Where is it?" Kaelan asks.
"I will also be going," she says, "we can go together."
"Good," Kaelan agrees.
Bai Huli's eyes flicker, then she speaks again. "Senior, may I ask for your advice? I am stuck at the half-step Core Formation realm, unable to advance."
"It can be for many reasons," Kaelan replies evenly. "To be certain, I would have to check your body or study your cultivation technique."
Hesitation flashes across her face.
Kaelan continues, voice steady. "Sometimes the body or spirit is not strong enough, and that alone can block advancement."
Determination hardens in Bai Huli's eyes. "Then… could you check my body?"
"I will use my spirit to examine," Kaelan says. "Do not resist."
Bai Huli nods. "Very well."
At his side, Bai Yaoyue watches curiously. Her thoughts run wild—if the great crow demon can truly help her grandmother break through to Core Formation, then Grandmother could capture all the humans in Qinghe town. She imagines eating human flesh every day, and a thin string of drool glistens at the corner of her lips.
Kaelan's spirit delves, and after a long moment, he speaks with certainty. "Your body is not strong enough. That is why you are stuck and cannot break through to the Core Formation realm."
Bai Huli does not ask how to strengthen her body—she already knows the answer.
They exchange a few pleasantries, promise to meet again in two days, and then depart. Kaelan watches their figures fade until his senses tell him they have crossed the river.
Silence settles, and he turns his thoughts inward. His body and spirit make others believe he is already a Core Formation realm demon, but in truth, he still lingers in the Demon Refining realm. Now the path ahead is clear: he must condense his mana into a true core to step into the second stage—what humans call Core Formation.
Closing his eyes, he resumes cultivation. His breath deepens, and the mist of spiritual energy coils around him as he remains fixed in the initial stage of Refining.
Moments before dawn, his eyes snap open. From across the river, giant eagles rise into the sky, carrying armed humans. Murderous intent pours from them like a tide—they are coming for him.
Kaelan rises to his feet, startling the crows clustered nearby. With a powerful beat of his wings, a gust tears through the cliff top, scattering the birds into the air. Then, with a cry that echoes like thunder, he takes flight, climbing high to meet the hunters head-on.
------
Zhu Mingjin senses the crow demon closing in. His sharp voice cuts through the air. "Stop."
At once, his eagle halts mid-flight, wings beating steadily, and the five others around him follow suit.
A disciple leans forward nervously. "Uncle, what happened?"
Zhu Mingjin's eyes narrow. "Form the formation. The crow demon is coming straight at us."
The six eagle demons shift, circling, their auras linking as arcs of blue energy weave between them. In an instant, the lines flare into a luminous net, tightening and shaping into a dome meant to trap their prey.
Kaelan watches, sharp eyes glinting. The eagles swoop to enclose him, the dome snapping shut—but he surges forward a heartbeat earlier, slipping free before the cage locks around him. His wings thunder against the air, carrying him beyond their bind.
Still, he knows the truth. He has no confidence in an outright victory. Death itself does not trouble him, but the vessel matters—if this crow body dies, he must abandon it and seize another, a setback he does not welcome.
The humans attack in unison. Spells flare, blades whistle through the air, and one youth charges with a spear aimed for his chest.
Kaelan's feathers blaze with a metallic sheen, runes flickering faintly across his body. A spell matrix snaps to life, and with a screech, he hurls a fireball at the onrushing human.
Blades of light and searing spells slam into him. Most break against his wards, but one bursts through, hammering into his defence. His feathers, hardened like steel, absorb the strike, though pain lances through him.
He snaps his gaze to the one who struck hardest—a middle-aged cultivator, aura sharp with the pressure of a half-step Core Formation.