Wang Nan did not return to the academy with Yan Shaozhe.
Star Luo City was south of the Star Dou Great Forest, and going back to the academy would require a long detour. So, after emerging from the forest, he parted ways with Yan Shaozhe and headed south.
Initially, he was alone, but as he got farther from the Star Dou Great Forest, the number of Spirit Masters coming and going gradually increased.
Soon after, he came across a camp.
There were many carriages parked here, and some stalls nearby sold food and tents needed for entering the Star Dou Great Forest.
Upon approaching, he could hear a cacophony of shouts and bargaining, like a small market.
One person, sharp-eyed, enthusiastically greeted Wang Nan as he approached.
Although Wang Nan looked young, all the vendors here were astute individuals, and none dared to underestimate someone who could emerge from the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Hello, Spirit Master.
You must have just hunted a spirit ring, right?
Would you like to take a carriage?
Our carriages are all the latest models, and they are pulled by well-trained Spirit Beasts, ensuring that nothing along the way will affect the interior of the carriage.
It's the best choice for both rest and meditation."
The man in front of Wang Nan was about thirty years old, and like most merchants here, he was a Spirit Master.
However, their talent was not high, and their cultivation stopped at Rank 10 or 20, so they could only do business near the Star Dou Great Forest.
Although it was a bit dangerous, they could earn more here than in other places.
In fact, Wang Nan's family also owned several shops, but those were not entirely their family's assets. Rather, the owners of these shops approached them and put their shops under Wang Xing's name.
Whether purchasing goods or delivering them, having the title of Spirit King always avoided many unnecessary troubles.
It was already late when they emerged from the Star Dou Great Forest, and after some thought, Wang Nan agreed to take the carriage.
The Douluo Continent was far less safe than the World he had lived in during his previous life.
At this time, there was no one else around him, so he needed to constantly conserve spirit power to deal with emergencies.
Taking a carriage was a good option.
Although slightly exaggerated, the carriage was indeed stable.
Wang Nan meditated the entire way until dawn, when they arrived outside Star Luo City.
"Spirit Master, I'm afraid we can't go any further."
"What happened?"
"Please look."
Wang Nan poked his head out of the carriage and saw a mighty army standing at the city gate.
Their solemn aura put pressure on everyone around them.
At the head was a tall man, and a lifelike White Tiger was embroidered on the flag behind him.
"Is this White Tiger Duke?"
"Yes, White Tiger Duke is going on another expedition.
I wonder where a war has broken out again."
Soon after, the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire came to personally see White Tiger Duke out of the city, and it wasn't until close to noon that the city gate reopened for traffic.
After entering the city, Wang Nan followed the street forward and soon saw his own courtyard.
Leaving here for eleven months, seeing this familiar gate again filled him with an indescribable feeling.
This was something he had never experienced in his previous life.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back," Wang Nan shouted loudly as soon as he entered the courtyard gate.
"It's good that you're back.
You didn't encounter any dangers on the way, did you?"
No sooner had Wang Nan finished speaking than he saw his mother walk into the courtyard, her eyes constantly scrutinizing him.
"I haven't seen you in a year, and you've grown so much taller."
Because of cultivation, Spirit Masters are naturally a bit taller than ordinary people, and coupled with Shrek's good food, Wang Nan, at eleven years old, was already over 1.6 meters tall, which was no longer considered short among ordinary people.
"Taller, and darker.
Cultivation at the academy must be very hard, right?"
"It's alright, similar to home."
"What about your teachers and classmates?
Were you bullied?
Do you understand the class content?
If you don't understand anything, ask your second uncle more questions."
Wang Nan's mother had poor talent.
Although she awakened her Spirit, she did not obtain a spirit ring to become an official Spirit Master.
Therefore, she did not know that with Wang Nan's talent, it would be good if he didn't bully others at the academy, so how could he be bullied?
Amidst the casual chatter with his mother, Wang Xing finally couldn't sit still, pushed open the room door, and walked out.
"Come in and chat when you're back.
What kind of talk is it to just stand in the courtyard?"
Wang Xing deliberately put on a stern face, but the two people chatting in the courtyard were not at all intimidated by his appearance.
They just paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Wang Xing instantly broke character, took two quick steps to Wang Nan's side, patted his shoulder, and joined in the laughter.
"Good, your cultivation hasn't fallen behind, and your body has become much stronger," Wang Xing asked with a smile, "I heard your second uncle say you were going to acquire your third spirit ring.
Why are you back so soon?"
"The journey was relatively smooth, and with the academy's teacher present, it didn't take too much effort."
"That's good, let's go inside and chat."
As soon as they entered the house and sat down, Wang Nan suddenly remembered something and took out several small bottles from his storage spirit tool, which were the ones Yan Shaozhe had given him.
"Dad, these are Medicinal Pills given to me by the academy's teacher.
The academy is relatively safe, so I've kept some for emergencies, and the rest can be left at home.
These are all made by the academy's teacher, and their effects are better than those outside.
Dad often goes out, so he should be able to use them."
"How can this be?
You also have to go out to hunt spirit rings, and there will be competitions at the academy.
You should keep these for yourself."
"Do I need to worry about not having Medicinal Pills at the academy?
I am a Core Disciple now, and Medicinal Pills are plentiful.
Dad, you should keep them."
Wang Xing stared at Wang Nan's face for a long time before finally saying, "Alas, children eventually grow up.
I didn't expect that I would have to rely on my child so soon.
I'm getting old after all."
Wang Nan just smiled and didn't respond.
He had been precocious since childhood, and coupled with Wang Xing not being a rigid personality, their father-son relationship was not that serious, and Wang Xing would often make jokes like this.
"Alright, I'll accept these.
Also, I've prepared a gift for you."
Wang Xing said, taking out a ring, golden around the edges, engraved with complex inscriptions, with a layer of milky white film in the middle.
"This is a Rank 5 spirit tool, the Invincible Shield.
With the strength of a Spirit King, it can block a full-power attack from a Spirit Douluo.
I know you've been interested in spirit tools since you were young, so I specifically bought this from the Sun Moon Empire."
"Originally, I planned to give it to you when your spirit power Rank was higher, but your spirit power is improving so quickly that you might have a chance to use it someday."
Wang Nan took it in surprise.
He had heard of the Invincible Shield, but this was the first time he had seen its original appearance.
The surrounding ring was full of metallic texture, and when he touched the film in the middle, a gentle force would push his hand away, which was very peculiar.
"Alright, you can study it slowly later.
Now, do you want to tell Mom and me about things at the academy?"
"Alright."