番茄乐园

If she could figure that out, then she could understand more about herself and if there were still some potential left for her to unearth.

However, most of her experiments consisted of examining people\'s meridians, dantian, bones, organs, and blood. Those were the main aspects that separated man from beast, and Mira thought it\'d be best if she started with those.

In the following days, Mira received many people for her to run experiments on while also making many trips to the Alchemy Hall to read up on the human body. As a Sect that has existed for thousands of years, it was impossible for them not to have some information, which would greatly reduce the amount of time she spent on useless projects.

However, despite this, she never stopped running trials with beast Blood Essences. There was still so much to explore here, and if she was going to have her companions and even her wife merge with a bloodline, she wanted to ensure that she wasn\'t limiting their potential.

Other than that, she continued enhancing Blood Essences for the other disciples. Which, when completed, would go to an Elder who would then hand it over to whoever they deemed worthy. 

Nothing was handed out for free to them. To receive such an amazing treasure, they had to contribute something of equal value to the Sect. Whether that be doing missions, creating pills, weapons, armor, arrays, researching new techniques, taking over Spirit Stone Mines, or whatever. It didn\'t matter as long as they contributed.

Mira received a portion of those resources, but most went to the Sect\'s treasury.

Thanks to everyone\'s efforts, the Battle Maiden Sect was quickly building its strength to new heights. Unfortunately for the other major powers, Aelina and the Elders did their best to keep this news under wraps.

It wouldn\'t do anyone any good if word got out that their overall strength had grown in such a short amount of time, but this was just the beginning.

***

While the Battle Maiden Sect had basically closed its doors for the time being, only opening them to collect beast corpses, the rest of the Continent had entered a time of quiet chaos.

The tension between humans and beasts grew every day.

Rumors spread like wildfire throughout the Continent. Whispers in inns and markets were dominated by tales of skirmishes along the borders of human settlements. Entire villages, it was said, were wiped off the map overnight. No survivors, no traces – just eerie silence where once there was life.

Trade routes that passed through territories claimed by the Beast Clans became perilous, with caravans vanishing without a trace. Merchants spoke of increased prices due to the dangerous paths they had to navigate and the extra security needed to ensure their goods arrived safely. Tales of brave warriors, who dared to venture into Beast territories to hunt for precious beast corpses, returning maimed or not returning at all, were common.

In response, fortified walls around human cities grew taller, and watchtowers multiplied. Every figure on the horizon, every rustle in the woods, was a potential threat. Children were no longer allowed to play outside the safety of these walls, and farmers worked their fields in groups, always with a few watchful guards nearby.

The Beast Clans weren\'t passive victims. Powerful Beast leaders emerged, rallying the clans to defend their territory and honor. To the humans, these beasts were monsters – tales of winged serpents casting shadows over entire towns, colossal bears whose roars could shatter stone, and swift panthers who moved as shadows were told in hushed tones. But to the Beast Clans, these leaders were heroes, champions defending their homes from the relentless encroachment of man.

Both sides suffered. While humans had the advantage of organization, traps, intelligence, and weapons, the Beast Clans had the strength, numbers, agility, and innate connection to the land. They knew every nook and cranny of their territories, setting up deadly ambushes and hit-and-run tactics that left the human forces frustrated and demoralized.

The delicate balance between humans and beasts, maintained for centuries, was now shattered. Diplomatic envoys, sent by human kingdoms to negotiate peace or temporary truces, often never returned. Their fate was left to the imagination of the masses.

Every new dawn seemed to bring stories of fresh conflicts, heartbreak, and loss. The atmosphere was thick with tension, a brewing storm that promised to engulf the entire Continent. Both sides awaited a spark, a trigger that would turn these skirmishes into an all-out war.

Unknown to many, the Battle Maiden Sect watched from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to act.

***

Weeks went by, with Aelina and Mira improving the strength of her Sect by leaps and bounds. The only exceptions were the Core Disciples, who were out on their own missions, trying to obtain a unique bloodline.

But, on this day, with about 4 more months remaining until the Prime Disciple competition, Mira felt a fluctuation from the FLDIL.

\'Dominique!\' Her eyes lit up, and she hurried off to a safe place, away from any \'stalkers\'.

Once she was in her residence, in a cave deep underground, she stopped and waited for Dominique to come out. 

Not even a few moments later, emerging from the FLDIL, a tear in the fabric of space, was Dominique. For some reason, Mira felt an innate connection with her, as well as a small boost in power. 

Immediately, Mira felt as if a mountain was lifted off of her mind and soul. All the pain she experienced disappeared, her thoughts cleared up, and there was no longer a strain on her soul.

\'I can finally break through again!\' She exclaimed, closing her eyes to bask in this sensation for a moment.

However, when she finally came down from her high, what she saw wasn\'t the determined little girl Mira remembered, but a teenage… fox?

Mira\'s eyes widened before a slight smile played upon her lips. \'This girl…\'

Standing before her was Dominique, transformed yet still undeniably herself. The once delicate girl now held an aura of beauty intermingled with danger.

Her hair, which used to be ocean blue, had changed to a blood-red with golden streaks intermingling within it. Those same aquamarine eyes, however, still held a tinge of her determined naivety, showcasing that despite the things she\'s faced, she was still a little kid at heart.

Her fox tail, an elegant, ruby-red appendage, moved with fluid grace, each motion revealing her connection to her beast side. It contrasted with the purity radiating from her being, suggesting a duality that was quite interesting. It was as if she was looking at a holy being, similar to Maria, combined with her bloody killing intent.

Intriguing indeed.

And her physique, sculpted and toned, spoke of training and physical exertion, yet it held an inherent elegance, like a dancer poised to break into a powerful yet beautiful routine. 

Mira stepped closer, reaching out hesitantly, fingers grazing the strands of Dominique\'s hair. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped and frowned. Her eyes narrowed as she inspected Dominique closer until she realized that the girl had lost all her cultivation!

But, seeing that the girl in question wasn\'t distraught from this, she calmed down and asked, "What happened?"

"W-Well…" Dominique scratched her cheek awkwardly, her tone much more elegant than it was before, to the point that it was almost mesmerizing. Gathering her courage and pushing away her embarrassment, she shouted, "H-How could I, your daughter, not look anything like you? That\'s not okay! So, I turned into a fox girl, like you, Mother! A Celestial Blood Fox, to be exact!"

"Celestial Blood Fox?" Mira tilted her head. She\'d never heard of something like that. 

"Mmhm!" Dominique nodded, her eyes shining with pride. "It\'s a variant of a Blood Fox I unlocked thanks to the Celestial Nectar you gave me."

"Blood Fox? I thought you had a Water Affinity?"

Dominique\'s smile widened, and she puffed out her chest, "My Water Affinity is technically still there, but it transformed into something more specialized after I integrated with the Blood Fox Bloodline!"

\'Integrate? Wait!\' Mira\'s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Dominique\'s body. She grabbed her shoulders and questioned, "How\'d you merge with the bloodline? And why do you look like this? I figured you\'d change, but I didn\'t think you\'d turn into another species!"

"I died!" Dominique exclaimed with a smile that didn\'t waver.

"..."

After a long silence, Mira nodded her head in understanding, "...Makes sense."

"..."

Now, it was Dominique\'s turn to be shocked. Although she had always known her mother was stoic, she didn\'t think it was to THIS extent.

\'What makes sense?! I just told you I died, and that\'s your reaction?!\' Dominique would be lying if she said she wasn\'t a little disappointed by her mother\'s response. 

She would\'ve liked at least a little bit of care or worry, okay?! She had just faced the most traumatic experiences of her entire life, and all Mira had to say was, \'Makes sense.\'?!

Seeing the betrayed look on Dominique\'s face, Mira felt the need to explain before any misunderstandings arose, "That place is worse than hell, child. So long as you haven\'t vanished from existence, you can be brought back to life. No, rather, it\'s more accurate to say that no matter what condition you\'re in, it\'s impossible to die unless you want to." 

Mira\'s hands shook a little just thinking about it. Something that Dominique didn\'t miss, which caused her to freeze up as if she just saw something she shouldn\'t have.

In her entire life, not one moment has Mira ever shown a sign of weakness, but just talking about the FLDIL made her shiver?

\'Just what the heck did she experience in there?!\' Dominique couldn\'t help but speculate. At the same time, this action made Mira seem a little more human in her eyes. A teeny tiny little bit.

An awkward silence fell between them, which lasted for a while until Mira put a hand on Dominique\'s head and turned away. 

"I-I\'m glad you\'re alive, kid."

Dominique snapped out of her daze and nodded, a large, bright smile blossoming on her face, "Mm!"

***

Title: Dominique Returns; Celestial Blood Fox