After these words entered Shen Xia's ears, the whole space lit up. Golden Chinese characters as big as her were spread out as far as the eye could see. This caused Shen Xia to close her eyes due to the sudden brightness. As she slowly opened them, the characters seemed to have formed line after line of actual readable text in front of her eyes. At first, it was too big to read, but slowly it began to shrink down in size and floated in front of her eyes. The main title read: "The Nine Tail Fox Clan..."
'At the dawn of the world, the world was not as it was today. Many sentient beings roamed the land, from beastkins to even demons. The lands were filled with many mysteries, and even monsters roamed upon it and flew in the sky.
'It was then that magic was widely used and was an intricate part of society. But one day, a magical experiment went wrong and caused the world to split into three dimensions. 90% of the planet's inhabitants were pulled into these dimensions, and only a few races were able to survive.
'As time went on, the one race that survived the catastrophe was the human race, and like a plague, they spread out over the world, becoming the dominant species. The other races were forced to go into seclusion. Staying out of sight and out of mind. But as the humans expanded and had long forgotten about the other race, the areas the other races had retreated to were soon being overtaken by humans forcing the other races to have to blend in.
'Our Nine Tail Fox clan was one of these beastkin races. As time went on, our blood became more diluted, and the human gene became more dominant in our bloodline. But every few hundred years, one will be born who will have a purer bloodline than others and after certain conditions are met will regain our clan's original appearance…'
"The text stops there..." Shen Xi felt confused by all of this. She was not sure if this was a dream or reality anymore. But soon after she finished reading the last line of text, the golden text jumbled up before re-aligning and making a new page, and showing a new title. "Path Of Evolution"
'To the one who is reading this… I am sure you must be confused. Many things will be confusing, and the sudden change can be scary. But fear not. By following this manual and cultivating it, you will not only gain control over your new animal instincts but also control of the magic in the air allowing you to use the Nine Tail Fox clan's special abilities. With each evolution, a new tail will appear, and with each tail, your strength will rise. Once you reach the pinnacle, you will never have to worry about anyone around you trying to harm you.
"As a one tailed fox, you are only a little stronger than a human. You can easily deal with them, but this does not mean you can not be killed. Human weapons can still easily hurt you. As for the other races… It would be best to stay clear from them. Luckily our race has a heightened sense of danger. Use this to your advantage to stay out of danger.
"The next part of this manual will be the sutra and directions needed to begin cultivating. This may all seem like a fantasy to you, but one thing you need to remember is that fantasy has always stemmed from reality. If one can think it up, then it will exist in one shape or form.
' Think of it like this. When one reads a fantasy book, they are reading about a world and people they never heard of or seen in real life. But this doesn't mean it does not exist. Because as you read that book, the world and its characters become a reality because you are bringing them to life just by reading about them. The same goes for the one writing the books well. They are the gods of that world creating the world and people in it breathing life into them.'
'So with these thoughts in mind, follow the directions and sutra, and the power to overcome all will be yours.'
Once again after reading the text, Shen Xia watched as the characters began to jumble back up, creating a new page. This time though, it was nothing more than a breathing technique and explaining how to take in the magic in the air into one's body in order to strengthen and build a foundation to evolve. Shen Xia let out a sigh after reading everything as she mumbled: "I just want to leave this place..."
As if on command, the area changed, and Shen Xia's eyes slowly fluttered open. She immediately sat up and looked around the room. The rosewood box was now gone, and so was its contents. But the image of the sutra was still clear as day in her mind, as if imprinted there so she would never forget it. Just closing her eyes allowed her to read it without issue.
"Xiaxia, you're up!" Zi Shu came running into the room and right over to Shen Xia, hugging her.
"Mmm… Thank you, Grandma… If not for you, I would have done something stupid..." Shen Xia reached up and touched her ear. She realized now she was not acting rationally due to everything that happened.
"Silly girl, Grandma is sorry for not being with you when you needed someone the most. Luckily I came back in time or else..." Zi Shu began scratching Shen Xia behind the ear. This caused Shen Xia to pout. "Grandma, you are treating me like a pet again!"
"Ah dear me! It is these ears and tail. They are just so soft and fluffy I can't help it!" Zi Shu reluctantly withdrew her hand. Shen Xia smiled and hugged her grandmother.
"Grandma, what happened to the box that was here?" Shenxia asked.
"Forget the box Xiaxia and remember what Grandma is about to tell you. No matter what. No matter who it is. Do not tell them about the box or what was inside, okay? After you have eaten, Grandma will explain everything in detail to you. Come, Grandma made you some porridge, it will warm the body and help you relax. "