Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

As anyone would expect, the Ancient Beast Mountain Range has an overabundance of beasts. However, what's kept from the general public is that the variety of beasts inside the mountains is more than they can comprehend.

Beasts are often categorized and separated by bloodline, species, and subspecies. Strength also plays a significant role in the hierarchy, but one's bloodline grade is equally as important as that determines a beast's potential.

Bloodline grades for beasts in the Mortal Realm are slightly different, but overall the same as the grading system for weapons, techniques, pills, etc. They go as follows:

Common Grade: Rank 1 Potential (Equivalent to the Body Tempering Realm). Beasts with this bloodline grade are the lowest of the low. They don't have any special bloodline, as living is the minimum requirement for most beasts to evolve into a Magical Beast and reach Rank 1.

Mortal Grade: Up to Rank 3 Potential (Equivalent to the later stages of the Qi Condensation Realm).

Black Grade: Up to Rank 5 Potential (Equivalent to the Xiantian Stages in the Foundation Realm)

Earth Grade: Rank 6 Potential (Equivalent to the Core Formation Realm)

Heaven Grade: Rank 7 Potential (Equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm)

Sovereign Grade: Rank 8 Potential (Equivalent to the Soul Transformation Realm)

Mystic Grade: Rank 9 Potential (Equivalent to the Mortal Shedding Realm)

Divine Grade: Rank 10 Potential (Equivalent to the Divine Sea Realm)

Ascendant Grade: Immortal Ascension Realm potential

Although these are the bloodline grades for beasts, anything below the Earth Grade is essentially nothing more than canon fodder. In the early stages, before Rank 6, beasts can still easily evolve their bloodlines by consuming other beasts as well as a large number of resources. Hence, there is an extra grade, the Black Grade.

Beasts in this stage need all the help they can get to cultivate and evolve, and having more grades can make this easier, but things stop being so simple once they reach the peak of Rank 5.

To advance to Rank 6, a beast has to form a Beast Core in their body, similar to a human's core in the Core Formation Realm. Having a bloodline can make this process much easier as their instincts will guide them to create a Beast Core suitable for their bloodline and species.

However, if a beast doesn't have an Earth-Grade Bloodline yet they've reached the peak of Rank 5, it can still form a Beast Core and evolve into a different species and breakthrough to Rank 6, but the likelihood that it'll be able to go any further is abysmally low.

That's why having a higher-graded bloodline is so important, but it's also a massive restriction. While it determines a beast's potential, it also sets its limits.

Unlike humans, who can forge their own path with enough willpower and luck, beasts can't do that. If they have an Earth-Grade bloodline and reach the peak of Rank 6, breaking through to Rank 7 is near impossible unless they find a treasure that can help them evolve or they consume so many resources that it squeezes out every bit of potential their ancestors left them.

The last major change between the human occupation grading system and the beast's bloodline grading system is the [Sovereign Grade]. Rank 8 is a huge turning point for beasts, as that's when they gain the ability to shapeshift into human form. To do this, a beast must have total control over their body, soul, and Qi. If any of those are missing, they can't become a fully-fledged Rank 8 beast.

For 99.999999% of beasts who don't have a Sovereign Grade bloodline or higher, breaking through to Rank 8 is impossible. The difference between a beast with a Heaven-Grade bloodline that forced it to become a Sovereign Grade one and a beast who already had one, to begin with, is monumental.

While that's still the case for the various bloodline grades after Rank 8, the requirements aren't nearly as severe as the ones for a beast to reach Rank 8. That's not to say that it isn't difficult, as the difference between a beast with a Low-Stage Sovereign-Grade bloodline and one with a Mid-Stage Sovereign-Grade bloodline is enormous.

The difference in physical strength, Qi quality/density, intelligence, reaction speed, and everything else, the one with a bloodline at a higher stage, is substantially stronger in all realms.

Thus, since bloodlines are so important to beasts and literally determine their potential and strength in any given characteristic, that's how they set up their hierarchy.

For example, if a raven had a Low-Stage Heaven-Grade bloodline, and so did the rest of its species, their clan would be classified as a Heaven-Grade Raven Clan. Then, the one in charge of that clan would be the strongest Raven, even if there was another raven in the clan with a Mid-Stage Heaven-Grade bloodline. Until the one with the higher bloodline reached its full potential, the clan as a whole wouldn't evolve into something higher.

Inside the Ancient Beast Mountain Range, the ones at the top are the Divine-Grade Clans, with the amount being unknown to humans. Under that, there are dozens or more Mystic-Grade Clans.

Last, there is an overabundance of Clans under the Mystic Grade. The amount still needs to be discovered as there are too many species variations. For example, there might be a whole Clan of Night Leopards, but another Clan of similar strength called Nightmare Leopards.

While the Ancient Beast Mountain Range is still a mystery to most humans, experts know that somehow the mountains increase fertility, promoting inter-species breeding. Over time, this effect has caused countless sub-species and even more Clans.

However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing for the beasts, as having children with stronger species is one way to increase the Grade of their Clan's bloodline. It might take tens or hundreds of years, but as long as there's a chance for their bloodline to become stronger, they'll take it!

Sue Ming knew all this about beasts, as it's the same in almost every cultivation world. Beasts are incredibly lawless until Rank 8 when they start to care about building a Clan and strengthening their species. Breeding is one of the best and most reliable ways to do this, and in this Mortal Realm, what's better to impregnate than a 9-tailed fox?

Not just Sovereign and Mystic Clans, but even Divine and Ascendant Grade Clans would go to war just to breed with Mira!

***

Sue Ming appeared above the mountains, somewhere deep inside the mountain range. Around her were her ten subordinates, each one wearing a serious expression. Even Sue Ming's brows were furrowed, and her eyes were focused.

They could sense numerous overpowering auras beneath them, spread out all across the mountains. While individually, each of these auras wasn't quite as strong as Sue Ming's, she'd be in trouble if they decided to gang up on her.

Looking at her subordinates, she said, "I want you all to disguise yourself as beasts and spread a rumor among many of the Sovereign and Mystic Grade Clans that a lone 9-tailed fox is wandering through the mountains. I'll go talk with the Divine Grade Clans to see if they're interested in a 9-tailed fox."

The subordinates saluted and bowed, "Yes, Mistress!" With that, they descended into the mountains in different directions.

After Sue Ming sent them off, she turned her attention to a particularly powerful aura. Just from that alone, she could tell that whatever beast was over there was almost as strong as her.

Zooming in her eyes, she spied on the clan and was surprised by what she saw!

"The White Tiger Clan? What are they doing in this Realm? Shouldn't they all be in the Immortal Realm?"

Seeing dozens of white tigers with black stripes walking around made her brows crease. While she didn't know the White Tiger Clan personally, she knew that none of them should be in the Mortal Realm.

While still hovering in the air, she examined a few of the weaker tigers, and soon her face relaxed a bit.

"None of them have a bloodline higher than the Divine Grade... Are they just a rare subspecies of tigers that look similar to those in the White Tiger Clan, or are they part of the Clan, and their bloodline has degraded?"

The corner of Sue Ming's lips rose at the thought of uncovering this secret.

"Interesting." Her smile grew, "It seems my time here won't be as boring as I initially thought. Maybe there's more to this world than meet's the eye!"

Sue Ming's body flashed, and she landed in the middle of the tiger's territory in just a split second! As soon as she landed, she immediately felt an oppressive and domineering pressure fall on her shoulders, causing the ground to crack underneath her!

*ROAAAAARRRR!!!*

A thunderous roar reverberated through the area in the depths of the tiger's territory, causing all the beasts in the clan to stop what they were doing.