Chapter 415: Have You Said Enough?

Black Wind Mountain was not as bleak and windy as its name suggested; instead, pine waves resembled a jade screen, the mountain grass was lush, wildflowers bloomed abundantly, dotting the sheer cliffs, while vines twined, fine trees thrived, covering the steep ridges and flat hills.

It presented a scene befitting a blessed land of the immortals.

In front of the mountain, a dragon, a tiger, and a qilin waited for a person.

"What's going on?"

Seeing Yu Lin appear, the Dragon Lord instantly perked up, raised his claw, and pointed toward the mountain as he explained:

"We were idle, wandering around, and ended up at this Black Wind Mountain."

"We ran into that black bear spirit who calls himself the 'Black Wind Great King'."

"Hey, I must say, this bear is interesting—he's a scholarly bear, speaks in flowery language, knows etiquette, is spotless, has no trace of blood‑stained karmic debt, yet brims with spirit, as if he's on the righteous path."

"Very courteous, inviting us to be guests in his Black Wind Cave."

"The moment we entered… we sensed it! The aura of the Xuzhou Cauldron is right beneath that cave!"

"Fine." Yu Lin nodded, indicating his understanding, said no more, and stepped toward the interior of Black Wind Mountain.

Reaching the mid‑mountain, he indeed saw a solemn temple not far away, incense smoke curling upward; it must have been the Guanyin Zen Monastery.

Yu Lin merely glanced, then withdrew his gaze and continued onward.

Passing through a tranquil pine forest, the view opened up brightly before him.

He saw a cave dwelling nestled beneath a sheer cliff, its entrance tightly shut, and three large characters carved on the adjacent stone cliff—"Black Wind Cave".

On either side of the entrance there were few plants, but a few ancient pines and several slender bamboos, giving a serene feel.

The area in front of the entrance was a flat courtyard, swept quite clean.

At that moment, a figure paced back and forth on the courtyard.

The figure was broad‑shouldered and robust, clad in black‑gold armor, wearing black‑leather boots, with black fur covering his arms and neck.

He occasionally rubbed his hands, at times craned his neck to gaze toward the mountain path, appearing both impatient and earnestly waiting.

Suddenly, he turned his head sharply and met Yu Lin's gaze as the latter emerged from the forest.

The black bear spirit was first startled, a flash of surprise in his golden eyes, but then his furry face broke into a fully ingratiating smile, almost tumbling forward in a small run to greet him, hastily saying:

"Ah, dear guest has arrived; this little demon has failed to welcome you from afar, forgive me, forgive me!"

"You must be the great immortal whose vast powers and boundless magic the Dragon Lord, Qilin Lord, and White Tiger Lord often speak of, right?"

"I, the little Black Wind demon, have been waiting here for a long time! The dwelling is humble; please, great immortal, do not disdain it, come in, come in!"

Seeing his bowing and nodding, as if he wanted to carve the characters 'Respect' on his forehead, it was clear he had already been trained by the three lords.

Yu Lin gave a slight nod, kept moving, and walked straight to the entrance: "Show the way."

"When the matter is settled, I will have a reward."

The black bear spirit heard this, his dark face blossoming into a grin, hurriedly stepping aside to guide, bending his waist low: "Got it!"

"Great immortal, this way, this way!"

Inside Black Wind Cave, there was another Dong Tian.

The entrance led to several fairly spacious stone chambers, complete with stone tables, chairs, and benches, all polished smooth.

The walls bore little decoration, yet hung a few calligraphy paintings of unknown origin; though not by famous masters, they possessed a certain elegant charm.

On a nearby shelf, rows of books and Scrolls were neatly arranged—Buddhist sutras, Daoist canons, and even some secular poetry collections; the pages were yellowed, clearly well‑read.

In a corner stood a Dan Furnace and a Ritual Altar; the fire was out, but residual warmth lingered, and a faint fragrance drifted.

The floor had been carefully tended, planted with some shade‑loving spirit herbs that emitted a faint glow.

The black bear spirit, while guiding, said with a mix of pride and caution: "Great immortal, see, I chose this place as my dwelling because I sensed its abundant spirit energy, highly beneficial for cultivation."

He glanced at Yu Lin's expression, saw no displeasure, and continued, "Your divine eyes burn like torches, so you can see that my cultivation does not rely on killing for treasure or blood‑feeding, but solely on a spark of insight, meditating day and night, absorbing the essence of heaven, sun, moon, and mountain spirit."

"Therefore, I need a feng‑shui treasure land to quietly refine my mind."

"Only… only because my prior cultivation was shallow; although I sensed this place was extraordinary, I never investigated deeply, nor knew that it housed an ancient artifact like the Nine Tripod Cauldrons to suppress."

"Thanks to the discerning eyes of the Dragon Lord and his brothers, pointing the way, I finally had an epiphany."

While speaking, they arrived before a stone wall deep within the cavern.

Below the wall, a newly chiseled staircase descended, its stone steps still bearing fresh cut marks.

"That is all," the black bear spirit said respectfully, raising a hand to point at the deep staircase entrance, "the Cauldron… lies at the place where the earth's ley lines converge below."

Yu Lin's gaze swept over the staircase, then surveyed the elegantly arranged, spirit‑filled dwelling, his impression of the black bear spirit improving somewhat.

He gave a slight nod: "Hmm, not bad. Keep maintaining this heart toward the Dao."

"Yes, yes, yes! I will faithfully follow the great immortal's teaching!" the black bear spirit replied hurriedly.

Yu Lin said nothing more, stepped toward the staircase leading underground.

"This black bear spirit truly brims with spirit, his root‑bone is also excellent! Cultivating alone, without master or lineage, yet attaining such level of cultivation is indeed rare, truly rare!"

"Look at his appearance; though a non‑human, he is upright, his physique robust and imposing, full of dignity! If one were to take him as a disciple and later present him, it would be a matter of great prestige! Other immortals would surely vie for him!"

"If we were to grant him some divine weapons, magical artifacts, or elixirs, and nurture him, given his talent his cultivation would skyrocket, and soon he could achieve the immortal path, ranking among the Immortal Rank!"

"Such a fine disciple, in later years he could inherit the mantle, and have this honest, reliable bear serve by his side, nurturing his longevity. Even bestowing all his treasures and powers upon him would be fine, better than…"

Yu Lin's steps halted abruptly.

He slowly turned his head, looking at the black bear spirit still at the staircase entrance, who was speaking earnestly, almost gesturing wildly, with invisible black lines seeming to hang from his forehead.

"…have you said enough?"

"Others speak from the heart, but you, you directly give me 'outside‑heart talk'?"

The black bear spirit shivered all over, the torrent of "recommendation speech" instantly stuck in his throat, his expression shifting from "deeply affectionate outlook" to "flattering panic" in an instant, and he kept bowing and saluting:

"Yes, yes, yes! I've spoken out of turn! I've spoken out of turn! My broken mouth should be beaten, should be beaten!"

He symbolically gave his bear mouth two light pats, smiling with utmost caution:

"You continue, you continue! I'll wait here, and will never speak recklessly again!"

Yu Lin only then withdrew his gaze and shook his head.

This fellow really is sprightly and cunning.

He thought about the Black Bear Spirit's future fate, took a ring from his storage space, and tossed it to him without looking back:

"This ring can aid your cultivation."

"If in the future you encounter something, say an unbeatable foe,"

"show it to him; perhaps he is my friend and might spare your life."

The Black Bear Spirit stared at the ring in its hand, a look of wild joy spreading across its face, immediately knelt, gave Yu Lin several resounding kowtows, and shouted:

"Thank you, Great Immortal, for the treasure!"