It was quite interesting for the foxkin.
Fox beastkin and wolf beastkin were not exactly enemies, but their tribes rarely interacted peacefully either. Seeing one traveling alongside humans and other cultivators was sowhat unusual.
After Elyon, his gaze moved toward the remaining three.
Humans.
The youngest among them imdiately stood out.
ng Bai.
The fox man sniffed faintly.
'Young' he thought instantly.
Very young.
Fox beastkin had incredibly sensitive noses.
person's scent carried
information about age, health, emotional state, and even cultivation stability. Just from the faint traces in the air, he could tell that the young man had not lived many decades yet. Perhaps not even a century.
And yet he was already cultivating at a respectable level.
Though not yet an immortal, his foundation was solid.
'A disciple, the fox man guessed.
Then he looked toward the next man.
Daoist Chu.
His robes and bearing gave away his profession almost imdiately. Formation master.
His scent was calm and stable, carrying traces of refined Qi and long years of cultivation. The fox man's eyes narrowed slightly as he estimated his strength.
Fifth Tribulation Stage of the Immortal Realm.
Respectable.
In a world like Fox Scion, that alone would make soone a major figure in most kingdoms.
But then his gaze shifted to the last man... Lin Mu.
And that was when the fox man paused.
His nose twitched.
Then again.
Then once more.
His brows furrowed slightly.
"...What?"
He inhaled more deeply.
Humans had a distinct scent profile. Every race did. Beastkin especially relied on this instinctively.
Yet what he slled from Lin Mu was... confusing.
On the surface, the man slled human.
But beneath that, there was sothing else.
Sothing ancient.
Sothing vast.
The fox man's eyes narrowed.
The scent was not sharp like bloodlines.
Nor heavy like beasts.
Nor refined like ancient sect cultivators.
Instead, it was strangely natural.
It reminded him of standing within an ancient forest.
Not the small groves outside cities.
But the Mother Forest.
The primordial woodland that covered much of the central continent of the Fox Scion World. The place where the oldest fox tribes traced their lineage.
At first he thought his nose was deceiving him.
But then his sister spoke again.
Huli Miyeon stepped forward slightly, her eyes focused on Lin Mu.
"He slls like the air in the Mother Forest," she said quietly.
The fox man's pupils shrank.
Now he was truly shocked.
His sister's senses were exceptional even among fox beastkin. While his cultivation was higher, her perception was sharper. Her nose and spiritual awareness could detect subtleties that even elders sotis missed.
If she said this man carried the scent of the Mother Forest...
Then sothing about him was deeply unusual.
The fox man imdiately adjusted his posture.
The casual curiosity he had shown earlier vanished. Instead, he adopted a more respectful stance and brought his hands together in a polite fist salute.
"My apologies for the earlier informality," he said calmly.
"My na is Huli Zu."
He gestured toward the hall around them.
"I am the Lord of this Teleportation Hall."
Then he turned slightly toward the woman beside him.
"And this is my younger sister, Huli Miyeon."
Miyeon gave a small nod, her fox cars twitching slightly as she continued
observing Lin Mu's group.
Lin Mu returned the salute politely.
"My na is Lin Mu," he said calmly.
"I am an independent cultivator."
He then gestured toward ng Bai.
"This is my disciple, ng Bai."
ng Bai quickly bowed respectfully.
"We have arrived from the Western Immortal Court."
The na alone caused several of the formation masters nearby to stiffen
slightly. Even Huli Zu's expression sharpened with interest.
The Western Immortal Court was quite far and even in distant worlds, its
reputation carried weight.
Daoist Chu stepped forward next.
He cupped his fists respectfully.
"I am Daoist Chu of the Zenith Dao Sect," he said. "Also a part of the Western
Immortal Court."
Huli Zu nodded slowly.
'A formation master from a major sect, he thought.
Then Cattaleya introduced herself.
"I'm Cattaleya," she said casually. "Companion to Lin Mu. I'm from the
Duskthorn Clan."
Her tone was relaxed, almost indifferent.
She did not elaborate further.
Lin Mu noticed the slight pause Huli Zu had at the ntion of her clan. The fox
man clearly had never heard of it, which was unsurprising considering its true
origin.
Finally, Elyon stepped forward.
His posture straightened slightly.
"I am Elyon," he said.
"I co from the Dark Wolfkin Tribe."
That alone caused a ripple of surprise among the fox guards lining the hall.
But Elyon continued.
"I am a follower of Lin Mu."
Lin Mu blinked.
He turned slightly toward Elyon, surprised. Elyon had never referred to himself
that way before. They were companions. Allies. Traveling partners. Not master
and follower.
But Lin Mu quickly realized sothing.
Elyon was doing this intentionally.
In beastkin culture, declaring oneself a follower or subordinate was a formal
act that carried weight. It signaled loyalty and hierarchy clearly.
By presenting himself this way, Elyon was effectively elevating Lin Mu's status
in the eyes of the fox beastkin.
Lin Mu decided not to contradict him.
The others seed to understand as well and remained silent.
Huli Zu's expression shifted again.
"A Dark Wolfkin..." he muttered.
That tribe na was not one he heard often.
The Dark Wolfkin were known to be rare and scattered.
Yet this one was openly declaring himself a follower to the man who slled
like the Mother Forest.
The fox lord's interest deepened further.
He smiled faintly.
"Then welco." Huli Zu said.
"Welco to the Fox Scion World."
He spread his arms slightly in a welcoming gesture. "You have arrived in the territory of the Huli Kingdom."
Several of the formation masters nearby bowed again, now with greater
respect.
Lin Mu inclined his head politely.
But internally, he was already thinking.
A fox kingdom.
A beastkin dominated world.
And a teleportation hall lord personally greeting them.
Their arrival here was already becoming more interesting than he had
expected.
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