Chapter 416: Accepting Xuzhou

Yu Lin followed the newly carved stairs downward, each step taking him deeper, and the earth vein's spiritual energy grew ever denser and purer.

At last, at the end of the stairs lay a naturally formed spacious cavern, and in its center stood a plain, massive Great Cauldron — the Xuzhou Cauldron.

The cauldron's body was surrounded by a faint glow, subtly resonating with the surrounding earth veins.

He stepped forward, as usual, lifted his hand and gently pressed the cold surface of the cauldron.

In an instant, the cauldron burst into brilliance, a bright halo filling the entire cavern.

In the light, an elegant, slender illusion gradually solidified — it was a fox entirely snow‑white, bearing nine fluffy long tails.

She first stretched lazily, her nine tails fanning out and gathering like drifting clouds; her narrow fox eyes were half‑open, as if just awakened from a long slumber, her tone carrying a hint of perturbed cuteness and haziness:

"Um~ who's there, disturbing my nice dream…"

"Fox sister! It's us!"

The Qilin was the first to lose restraint, leaping forward excitedly.

The White Tiger, unwilling to be outdone, pushed past the Qilin:

"Yup yup yup, Fox sister, you still remember me? I'm White Tiger! Your favorite little White Tiger brother!"

"Why don't you go over there!" the Qilin jabbed White Tiger with a horn, "Who doesn't know Fox sister was closest to me back then? The two of us often groomed each other's fur!"

The two fellows shoved each other for the fox's favor before the nine‑tailed fox illusion, nearly coming to blows.

The Dragon Lord trailing behind, seeing this, helplessly covered half his face with a claw, shook his head and sighed, "Alas, look at these good‑for‑nothing guys."

"The Sage does not wade into love; better join me in a fierce assault!"

The nine‑tailed fox illusion, seemingly accustomed to the commotion, brushed aside with two fluffy tails, pushing the White Tiger and Qilin that were scrambling to get close to the side:

"Alright, alright, you go over there, don't block."

Her gaze swept past them and settled on Yu Lin, who had been standing quietly all along.

Her slender, charming fox eyes narrowed slightly, bearing scrutiny and curiosity, her voice much clearer, "You… are the new master?"

Yu Lin nodded, concisely: "If nothing unexpected occurs, I suppose so. I'm called Yu Lin."

"Alright, alright." The nine‑tailed fox seemed to accept the fact readily, stepped a few paces forward, bowed her head toward Yu Lin, and performed an elegant salute:

"The nine‑tailed fox Tu Shan Zhi has seen the master."

"Huh? She actually has her own name?"

"Being beautiful and elegant is just different."

"And the Dragon Lord and the others… hmm, it's fine, fine."

"Mm." Yu Lin nodded, thought for a moment, and asked a question that surprised Tu Shan Zhi:

"Do you have any hobbies?"

Tu Shan Zhi lifted her head, a trace of confusion flashing in her fox eyes: "What does that mean? Doesn't the master want me to help you with tasks, handle some matters?"

As the spirit of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, she had long been accustomed to being summoned to deal with any situation.

For example, she had once fought the Demon Beasts that raided tribes, offered development advice to tribal leaders, and so on.

Yu Lin waved his hand casually, "No need."

"If I were a few hundred years younger, perhaps I'd still need you to lend a hand. But now…"

"I no longer require you to do anything specially for me."

"Go then, find something you enjoy, just don't cause any big trouble."

Tu Shan Zhi: "…………"

Her nine tails stiffened, as if she didn't quite grasp this retirement‑like treatment.

The Dragon Lord, seeing this, with a seasoned look, tapped his big head and added, "Yes, yes, Zhi‑mei, if you tally it up, I awakened and met Yu Lin roughly a thousand years before you."

"Now this fellow, wherever he goes, is a guest of honor, in a word."

"His connections span the three realms and six paths, crossing past, present, and future."

"We just follow and enjoy! Have fun, and in a few days join my squad; I'll help you rank up in battles, guaranteed excitement!"

Tu Shan Zhi: "…………"

She fell silent again for a moment, her nine tails gently swaying, finally speaking with a hint of resigned nostalgia:

"Alright, alright, seems I woke up late, can't keep up with the pace."

"Then… what about the others?"

Without waiting for the Dragon Lord's detailed explanation, the pushed‑aside White Tiger answered immediately: "There's also Jin Wu and Xuanwu! Jin Wu loves traveling everywhere, often loses contact; Xuanwu follows them, so the two didn't come with us this time."

"Now we're only missing three cauldrons; the nine of us will be united!"

Hearing she wasn't the last to awaken, Tu Shan Zhi seemed a bit steadier and gave a slight nod indicating she understood.

Then, with a thought, the massive Xuzhou Cauldron rapidly shrank, turning into a stream of light that merged into the Ding Pattern on Yu Lin's chest.

Simultaneously, her spirit transformed, the radiance swirling into a pocket‑sized fox, only cat‑sized, snow‑white, with nine conspicuous tails.

She leapt lightly and landed on Yu Lin's shoulder.

She thought, then adjusted her position, comfortably lying on Yu Lin's head, nine tails hanging like a luxurious, soft fox‑fur hat.

"Then I'll first follow the master to see the situation," Tu Shan Zhi's voice rang again, lazy, "You all go play; sister has no time to fool around with you now."

Hearing that, White Tiger and Qilin's eyes lit up, about to shout "We also stay…", but the Dragon Lord, swift as lightning, his massive claws snatched the two, dragging them out of the cavern without a word.

"You two come with me! Our three‑person squad can't be missing anyone!"

"Dragon brother! I'm not human either, I don't want to go, I want to play with Fox sister…"

"Stop the nonsense! Yu Lin, we're leaving first, Zhi‑mei, take your time to adapt!"

The Dragon Lord's booming voice, accompanied by the White Tiger's and Qilin's disgruntled howls, faded quickly as they vanished down the cavern tunnel.

The cavern fell silent again, leaving only Yu Lin and the nine‑tailed fox perched atop his head, swaying its tail contentedly and surveying the surroundings.

"So, where shall we go now?"

Yu Lin thought for a moment: "Let's go for a walk, I'll take you to a nice place."

"What nice place?"

"Spirit Platform Fangcun Mountain."