Chapter 3591: Xueyan

The young foxkin stepped forward with a composed posture, his long ears twitching ever so slightly as his gaze settled upon Lin Mu. For a brief moment, his eyes lingered, as if trying to confirm something he had already been told but still found difficult to believe.

Then, without hesitation, he bowed deeply.

"This one greets Honored Master."

The choice of words did not go unnoticed.

Lin Mu raised a brow faintly.

Not Honored Disciple.

Not Senior.

Not even Holder of the Decree.

Honored Master.

It was a title that carried a very specific implication, one that most would not dare to use so casually. And yet, from the look on Xueyan’s face, there was no hesitation or doubt at all.

If anything...

There was reverence.

Lin Mu could already tell.

If not for the presence of Minister Ren and the others, the young foxkin would have likely dropped to his knees and begun kowtowing right there, just like Temple Head Puyi had done earlier.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the formality of the moment restrained him.

Xueyan straightened and turned toward Minister Ren.

"You may take your leave," he said respectfully. "I will handle things from here. My master has given me this duty."

Minister Ren cupped his hands.

"As you wish."

He did not question it.

After all, this was the disciple of the Temple Head himself, and more importantly, someone directly assigned to assist Lin Mu.

With one final bow toward Lin Mu, Minister Ren and the entourage withdrew.

The courtyard grew quiet.

And the moment the last of them disappeared... Lin Mu acted. Because he knew exactly what was about to happen.

Before Xueyan could even lower his body further, Lin Mu raised a hand slightly.

"Stop."

SHUA.

Space solidified.

The area around Xueyan froze.

It was not ice.

Not energy.

Not pressure.

But space itself.

The invisible fabric of space around the foxkin locked into place, turning into something akin to an immovable wall. Xueyan’s body halted mid-motion, unable to move even a single millimeter.

His eyes widened.

Not in fear.

But in shock.

And then... in delight.

Lin Mu could clearly feel it.

The subtle fluctuations of space around Xueyan shifted rapidly as the young foxkin tried to perceive what had just happened. His spatial perception mixed with his immortal sense extended outward, probing, analyzing, attempting to grasp the structure of the skill.

But unfortunately for him, there was nothing.

No runes.

No activation sequence.

No discernible flow of Qi.

It was as if the space itself had simply... obeyed.

Xueyan’s attempts faltered almost instantly.

His perception could not even properly touch the mechanism behind the technique.

Yet instead of being discouraged, he looked like he had just discovered treasure.

"What is this!?" Xueyan asked, his voice filled with excitement despite being unable to move.

Lin Mu relaxed his hand slightly.

"It’s a spatial skill," he said calmly. "Called Meld."

The pressure around Xueyan eased just enough for him to move again.

"Meld..." Xueyan repeated, tasting the word.

"It manipulates space as if it were solid," Lin Mu explained simply.

That was all.

But for Xueyan... It was everything.

For a split second, the young foxkin stood completely still.

Then, he exploded.

"WHAT!?"

His ears shot upright.

His tail began wagging uncontrollably, swishing back and forth so fast it almost blurred. His entire demeanor shifted from composed to utterly ecstatic in an instant.

"You can solidify space itself!? Without runes!? Without formation support!? Without even a visible Qi activation!?"

He stepped forward rapidly, his eyes practically shining.

"That’s not just spatial restriction—that’s—"

He stopped mid-sentence, unable to even articulate the concept properly.

Then—

He grabbed Lin Mu’s hand.

"Please teach me!"

The words came out in a rush.

"Let me learn from you! Let me observe! I’ll do anything! I’ll follow you wherever you go! I won’t get in the way, I promise! Just let me watch, just a little—"

His tail was wagging so hard now that Meng Bai genuinely wondered if the foxkin might take off into the air.

Lin Mu sighed.

But then...

He smiled.

It was faint, but genuine.

’So this is why Puyi sent him,’ he thought.

It made perfect sense. Spatial cultivators were rare. Extremely rare. And someone like Lin Mu... He was not just rare, he was an anomaly. For Xueyan, this was not just an opportunity. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Lin Mu placed a hand on the foxkin’s shoulder.

"I’ll teach you what I can," he said.

Xueyan froze.

"...Really?"

"But," Lin Mu added, "you’ll need to be patient."

For a moment, Xueyan simply stared at him.

Then he nodded vigorously.

"Yes! Yes, I can do that! I’ll be very patient! Extremely patient! The most patient person you’ve ever seen!"

His tail wagged even faster.

"I’ll do whatever you say, Honored Master!"

Lin Mu nodded slightly.

"That’s enough."

From the side, Daoist Chu chuckled.

"Well," he said, "it seems you’ve picked up another follower."

Lin Mu gave him a look.

"...I didn’t pick him up."

Cattaleya, however, did not share the same restraint. She stepped forward with a grin.

"Let’s see what this little spatial master can do."

Before anyone could react—

THUD.

Her hand came down on Xueyan’s back.

It looked casual.

Light, even.

But the result... Was not.

Xueyan’s eyes widened. For a split second, his instincts kicked in.

HUALA

A spatial barrier formed around him instantly, a thin layer of distorted space meant to absorb the impact.

CRACK

But it shattered like glass.

And the next moment...

WHOOSH

Xueyan was sent flying for five meters. He landed with a roll, barely managing to stop himself before crashing into a stone pillar.

Silence descended for a few moments after that.

"Hahaha." Cattaleya laughed. "Not bad. You reacted fast."

Xueyan, however was frozen.

Not by a skill this time, but by realization.

"That... that was casual..." he muttered.

His back still tingled from the impact.

It hadn’t injured him severely, but the force behind it... It was absurd.

He slowly stood up, looking at Cattaleya with a mixture of awe and fear.

"...What kind of monster is she?"

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