Fox in distress!

Alright, let's dive into the next chapter of my journey!

I'm still Verdalor, the World Tree with a dash of researcher flair, and things are about to get even more interesting in the enchanting realm of Soul Land.

So, Yasaka – remember how I sent my tree buddies to track her down?

Well, guess what?

They found her, not too far from where I stand tall.

'Wow, this is very lucky coincidence.'

But here's the unfortunate part – she was in a pickle, surrounded by some pesky humans who had their sights set on her spirit ring.

Now, let me tell you, I'm not the kind of tree who just stands by and watches a friend – or potential mentor – get into a tight spot.

Nope, I'm all about being the knight in shining leaves.

But I'm under a type of knight that need some compensation for his help though, hehe.

'Ah, she's almost reaching the age of a 100,000-year-old spirit beast, I say her cultivation is at 80,000+ years old.'

'I think that's why she was hunted by three peak Spirit Douluos, but why can't she hide or make a run?'

'Whatever, I'll just help her when she's back into the corner'

So, with the swiftness of a galloping horse, I sprang into action.

I manipulate my roots reaching out like eager hands, moving towards Yasaka's direction.

As she's just outside of my territory, my roots can reach her rather quickly.

Plus, I'm a World Tree so if that doesn't tell you how extensive my roots are, I don't know what can.

Now, it become a rescue mission, and I'm the forest's very own superhero, lol.

A superhero my trunk!

Superheroes are dumb, why should you do such a thankless thing?

Well, that's sufficient of that.

I need to wait a little, just to make sure she's desperate.

It's all in the name of forming connections and bonds, hehe.

And you know, getting what I want – a lesson or two from Yasaka.

Yasaka appears quite injured, with blood covering her entire body.

Her fur was died red.

"I think it's time for me to lend my help"

As a World Tree, my spiritual energy is quite high and this allow me to connect with Yasaka's mind telepathically.

'Oi, you're Yasaka, the Nine-Tailed Fox right?' I asked her.

'Huh!?' Yasaka screamed inwardly while dodging their attacks.

'I can help you killing those human but...'

'You want something from me right? I'll agree!'

'Then, it's a deal.'

My roots stretched out and intertwined with the environment around her, forming a protective shield against those bothersome humans.

'You'll escape first, I can kill them easily.'

As Yasaka made her escape, I couldn't help but let out a little smirk.

'Not that anybody can see me smirk though, heh.'

"So, how would you prefer to meet your end?" I asked them.

"It's a 100,000 years old spirit beast! RUN!" one of the Spirit Douluos shouted.

'This is why I need to learn how to reign my aura, if Spirit Douluo can detect me, how can I hide from Titled Douluo!?'

"Human! How dare you enter my territory!?" I shouted angrily...okay I'm not mad, haha.

I just wanted to have fun a little bit.

'Let's end this farce.'

My roots succeed in immobilize them in matter of seconds.

'Wait, they might have some future uses.'

Instead of killing those humans, I captured them.

Now, why would I do that?

Well, let's just say I've got an inkling about using humans to boost my cultivation speed.

The details?

Well, that's a tale for another day, my friend.

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Yasaka is now safe and sound in my branches.

She's got this playful charm, like a sly fox with a wink up her sleeve.

And as she catches her breath, I can practically feel the mischief in the air.

But don't let that flirty exterior fool you – she's got some serious skills under her belt.

After the whirlwind rescue, I bring Yasaka to me, all friendly-like.

"Hi, my name is Verdalor, you're Yasaka, the Nine-Tailed Fox right?"

"Yes, are you the one that helped me made my escape earlier?"

"Indeed, it's me! Hey, before we continue on how you can repay, I've one question."

"Un, you can ask me anything Verdalor."

"Why don't you use your renown technique?

All of us spirit beast that had heard of you escaping ability know that those human shouldn't pose you any problem."

"Sigh, one of them had a spirit skill that can mark his target, that's how they know my location every time I tried to run.

My greatest strength is illusion without my big brother Kurama, it's rather impossible for me to defeat those three."

"And where's he?" I asked.

"He's preparing for his tribulation and I wanted to help him by finding some treasures.

Unfortunately, I was found by those pesky human, hmph!"

"Oho, I understand the gist of it. Now, how should you repay me?"

And then comes the big moment – the trade.

I'm ready to spill my immortal herb secret in exchange for her shapeshifting expertise, it's also fortunate for me as this also can help her brother.

But you know what?

She beat me to it.

With a flick of her tail and a glint in her eyes, she said that she wanted to repay me.

"Umu, I'll teach you my camouflaged technique, I think that's the only thing that I've got to repay you Verdalor."

Turns out, she's the one who wants to teach me, and I don't need to do negotiate anything.

Talk about a lucky, right?

It's like trying to outfox the fox and ending up outfoxed yourself.

As your towering tree friend succeed in his plan, he's getting a massive boost of excitement.

'Nice!'

But before we jump into the magical mischief, there's a pause for a little recovery time.

I suggested Yasaka take some rest, mend those injuries she got from her little tussle with the humans.

"Hey, Yasaka, I'll help you to recuperate from your injury.

It's better if you can teach me when you're in full health.

Don't you think so?"

And oh, she listened.

"Tehe, then I'll give you my thanks.

Em, say Verdalor, can we be friends? I believe you'd make a great companion."

"Hahaha, reach 100,000 years old first then you can be my friend." I said jokingly.

"Hmph, I'll reach soon enough! Just wait you meanie big old tree!" Yasaka stuck out her tongue.

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Then, a week had passed by, Yasaka regained her full strength.

I assisted her recovery using my Nurturing Aura to bring her back to her foxy glory.

As my Nurturing Aura was helpful for plant type spirit beast growth, it had rather rich life aura that's beneficial for recovery too.

An now, the fun part begins.

Yasaka donned her instructor hat, or should I say, her foxy mentor tail?

She got straight into teaching me her shapeshifting and camouflaging tricks.

But here's the catch – she told me if I wanted to nail the shapeshifting game, I had to start with the camouflaging.

Her camouflaging technique, demands a high level of energy control.

It's all about weaving spiritual energy and spirit energy into a delicate pattern.

Picture this – using my spiritual energy to visualize the surroundings, while spirit energy morphs into the aura, mimicking everything around me.

It's like being one with nature, a master of disguise.

But it's not easy as I wanted it to be.

Even with my rather strong connection with nature, it's quite difficult for me to fully grasp the essence of the skill.

As Yasaka guided me through the process, I could feel the energies swirling around me, responding to her teachings.

It's like learning an endless new dance, where every move has to be in sync with the rhythm of the everchanging world.

And let me tell you, it's no walk in the park – it's like trying to juggle flaming swords while riding a unicycle.

But hey, I'm not one to back down from a challenge. I embraced Yasaka's teachings, feeling a connection to her mischievous spirit.

Each tip from her was like a step deeper into the mystical world of camouflaging.

Picture this: I spent a month – yes, a whole month – trying to get the hang of mimicking the 'aura' of my surroundings.

It's like trying to match the beat of a wave, but with energy swirling and there's random typhoon created out of nowhere.

And guess what?

After a whole lot of practice, I finally managed to hit the intermediate level of mastery.

High-fives to me!

Yasaka, my foxy guide, had her say too.

She told me it was good enough for now.

But here comes another catch – she pointed out that, well, my race doesn't have much affinity for shapeshifting.

Bummer, right?

But don't worry, Yasaka had a solution up her fluffy sleeve.

The plan?

I needed to 'change' my huge body temporarily.

Yeah, easier said than done.

I just hoped I can solve this problem.

'Sigh, why does there always have to be a complication when you want something?'