Fighting to be Kind in a Cultivation World

 I can’t help but look down at my foot with frustration; specifically, my shoe that is stuck in this weird, sticky substance.

 The first thing I do is identify what exactly I’ve stepped in.

 My scan informs me it’s just a residue left on the top of a naturally occurring Moss in the forest. What’s most interesting about it, is that it’s a cooperative action between it and small predator creatures.

This moss grows best on top of prey trails, which are a little more cleared away because of the constant movement than other areas. This gives it more sunlight, rainfall, and room to grow compared to the surrounding area.

Why this is important is that when predator animal defecate on top of it, it releases a similar scent to the area, as well as the sticky substance. When a prey animal gets stuck in it, it releases a slightly different scent that can alert the predator animal to the catching of prey.

Giving them both easy access to another food source.

Luckily for me and likely the predator animal, almost all the creatures around here have learned lessons about cultivators and messing with them.

The guards don’t tolerate strong creatures being around here, and slaughter them if they’re nearby. Even when a cultivator is caught in this trap, the animals won’t make a move until they’re absolutely sure the cultivator is dead. In the meantime, they’ll wander off and do other things.

However, this is only one type of plant in this part of the jungle. This doesn’t include the other parts of the jungle, which aren’t close to the guards and their protective influence.

 Compared to the things over here, anything that slows me down or catches me could be a large waste of time and possibly get me killed.

There are just too many things out here to watch for.

While keeping my combat scan active, I move my other foot to another area, off of the path in the middle of a thick grouping of plants that I double check will not cause any issues for me. Then, I slipped my foot out of the shoe.

Then I carefully use a knife that I previously bought at the market to cut away the substance from the shoe.

I then put the shoe back on.

Just as a test, I attempt to use my scan to find other things that could be issues for me, in a similar way. That means not hurting me, but hindering or damaging my possessions. Just in case, I also include anything that could double as a trap.

  70% of everything I can see with my scan lights up like a Christmas tree.

Vines that are positioned in ways to catch onto feet like rope traps. Leaves that will cause severe itching, even for me. Large networks of bug tunnels that will collapse when a creature of sufficient size steps on it, normally allowing them to feed on it. And countless more variations of things.

Every single thing in this jungle is trying to survive in one way or another, and is packed densely together. Whether that’s by working together or preying on something weaker.

 It also cannot be understated about how much is truly in front of me. Even without the light of my scan, as I look straight in front of me, I can’t see more than six feet in front of me through the brush (outside the animal path). Patterns of roots and vines cross the ground and small patches of water are everywhere. Even with this being an animal path, it is still difficult to move through, as there is a bunch of brush in the area, starting around my midriff.

Funnily enough, my scan had told me that this was the safest way to move on the ground to get to the Star Renewal Flower and back in time. From a combat and attention gathering perspective, at least.

 Supposedly, there is a path that cultivators typically take that is much clearer and more open. It’s just that it would be easier for any chasing cultivators to find me, as well as some animals, spirit beasts, and even plants that ambush cultivators on that road. Let alone me.

Even with my taming, I can only bring so many creatures under my control at a time, and still have a comfortable margin for my healing. Meaning, I have to limit my actions so I don’t get overwhelmed.

Not only that, but it costs me a lot more to do taming contracts with creatures with cultivation.

… But that brings in another idea.

Maybe I’ve been thinking about this all wrong.

I’m not trying to control these creatures. I only want them to leave me alone.

Not only that, why should I limit myself to the ground?

Using this new train of thought, I use my scan to determine the best method to get to the Star Renewal Flower within the time lime and back, while considering the combat and trap scan.

Just as I suspected, instead of progressing on the ground, it would have me leap from tree to tree using my super-powered jumps. While this would open me up to attack by the aggressive and predatory creatures in those tree layers, it would allow me to move absurdly quickly and safely.

Adding to this is that I could put out a taming contract that only requests that they move away and ignore me.

With all these elements and my foot free, I brace myself and then leap high into the tallest tree near to me, using my scan to find the best launch vector while bracing myself against the layers of leaves I head into.

 This is a comparatively small feat for me, despite the fact that these trees reach hundreds of meters in the sky.

As I fly through the air at fasts speeds, breaking through layer of layer of tree layers, I activate my “leave me alone” taming scan to make sure that nothing strikes out at me, despite my intrusion into their homes.

Thank goodness I did, too.

A vast number of creatures and wildlife reveal itself before my eyes and scan. Not just hundreds, but tens of thousands of different creatures live here.

And now are panicking at the man's bullet that just shot through their home. Despite this, all of them near instantaneously accepted the contract, as it makes it so they don’t have to eat and increases their intelligence a small amount.

For normal animals, this is an easy decision.

I had considered sending the same thing to plants, but it would serve no purpose.

Despite that, I had already tested it was possible (back in the cave with Lin, Ai, and Gong), these have no level of sentience. Not only that, but they wouldn’t be able to move their limbs, anyway. It’s all automatic actions at their level.

It would be like telling a regular person to stop their stomach from digesting food.

Because of the vector chosen, though, I don’t have to deal with any plants that would stop my short-term flight.

When I do land, I find myself on a thick branch just above the emergent layer of the tree, above the canopy. There are a few creatures here, but as they have accepted the contract, they are basically ignoring me.

Seeing this opportunity, I plan out my route using the scan.

Where previously, I would have taken 9 days to get deep enough into the jungle to grab the flower, now I could get it within the day.

This is mainly because I will be flinging myself through the air, which opens the possibility to many many things I could do in this jungle. Like collecting rare plants and materials for alchemy. Or taming wild and interesting creatures. And practicing my healing in different ways.

The only issue is that it will get dark soon. And that’s when the real monsters move.

I also can’t use anything too crazy over here, as I’m still well in sight of the guard’s spiritual sense.

I could stay within the zone for a bit and just head out tomorrow.

But, despite the goodwill they have toward me, I can’t rely on that. They also have a responsibility to the sect and city (when their lives aren’t unnecessarily threatened). I also don’t know who else might come through the teleporter looking for me.

I’ve already risked enough being here this long.

So, before I start, I send out the avoidance taming contract along the route and then move through the sky with a jump, from emergent tree to emergent tree. From a distance of around 3 kilometers or more away.

Every time I hit a tree; it shakes the whole thing from the force of my jumps.

If these trees weren’t so huge and sturdy, they would have snapped.

It’s also good that I put out the avoidance contract. If I hadn’t been pacifying them, I’d likely be assaulted with absurd amounts of angry creatures.

This continues on for an hour, before the light dims and I can sense stronger creatures coming out.

Landing on the last tree for today’s journey, I quickly spend the remaining daylight creating a small treehouse in the emergent layer.

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