In Star Luo City, the pedestrians on the streets no longer wore the same worried expressions as before; occasionally, a few relaxed laughs could be heard.
Inside a not-so-large courtyard, two men and one woman stood together.
One of the men, who looked to be around fifty years old, surveyed the surroundings and sighed softly.
"Sigh, I've lived here for decades. It's really hard to leave."
The younger-looking man on the other side also looked around, his gaze lingering on the courtyard gate for a moment.
He then turned back. "Dad, if you really can't bear to part with this courtyard, how about I move it to Gengxin City?"
"No!" The middle-aged man waved his hands repeatedly. "Although you are now a Peerless Douluo, the power of a Titled Douluo is not meant for such things. Besides, your mother and I might come back to live here again someday."
The young man was undoubtedly Wang Nan. Listening to his father, Wang Xing, he nodded with a smile. "Alright then, we'll leave it here. You can come back anytime you want to reminisce about your younger days."
"Speaking of which—" Wang Xing turned to Wang Nan's mother. "Ayu, do you still remember what I buried in the backyard?"
Wang Nan's mother's face uncharacteristically flushed. "Why are you talking about that in front of the child?"
Although Wang Nan knew his parents' relationship had always been good, this was the first time he had seen his mother, Yu Yu, display such an expression.
After thinking for a moment, he suppressed his curiosity and did not use his mental force to check what was buried in the backyard. In truth, he knew without looking that it probably held memories from his parents' younger days.
More than a month had passed since Wang Nan received news from Marshal Dai Hao that the Sun Moon Empire wanted to negotiate for peace.
After continuous negotiations between the Three Great Empires and the Sun Moon Empire, the three-year-long war finally came to an end.
Wang Nan also returned from the front lines.
Similar to previous proposals, the Sun Moon Empire returned the territories of the Tianhun Empire and the Star Luo Empire and guaranteed that it would not initiate war again. As for the other compensation details, they remained unclear.
Of course, everyone knew that ceasefire agreements were ultimately meant to be torn up. No high-ranking official of the Three Great Empires believed that the Sun Moon Empire would truly stop the war because of a piece of paper.
They believed only in the power in their own hands.
Therefore, after the war ended, the Three Great Empires began exchanging Soul Guidance Device technologies. Even the notoriously stubborn Body Sect accepted Soul Guidance Devices, and its Sect Master, Du Busi, began leading by example in using them.
The Soul Guidance Devices that the Sun Moon Empire had previously forced Tianhun Empire civilians to use for promotion were not reclaimed. Instead, the Tianhun Empire seized this opportunity to learn many of the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Guidance Device manufacturing methods, raising the overall level of Soul Guidance Devices throughout the empire by a significant margin.
Just as the three of them were talking in the courtyard, several clear footsteps sounded from outside the courtyard gate.
Wang Nan had already noticed this. Now, looking toward the door, a figure soon walked in.
"Why are you here?"
"It's not just me. There are others too." Ma Xiaotao walked to Wang Nan's side and smiled.
Wang Nan looked up and saw two more people walk through the courtyard gate one after another.
One of them had long, flowing hair and moved with light steps; if one did not look closely, they might mistake him for a girl.
Years had passed, and Gongyang Mo had become even more refined. With him was Ye Xiaosheng, who had participated in the Soul Duel Tournament alongside him back then.
Although the three of them did not deliberately release their auras, Wang Xing, standing nearby, could vaguely sense that all of their cultivation levels surpassed his own.
"Nan'er, who are these people?" Wang Xing asked.
"These are—" Wang Nan and Ma Xiaotao exchanged glances. "These are my classmates."
As a mother, Yu Yu knew her child all too well. Ever since Ma Xiaotao entered, the smile on Wang Nan's face had not faded. She had already made some guesses in her heart.
"You didn't tell me your classmates were coming. We're about to leave, and it's difficult to prepare anything."
"They didn't tell me either," Wang Nan replied.
He turned to Ma Xiaotao. "You're a member of the Sea God Pavilion now. Does the academy really let you out?"
"The Sea God Pavilion is quite free," Ma Xiaotao replied. "You see, Elder Lin and the others usually stay in the Jubao Pavilion and don't return to the academy. Besides, the academy was worried I'd be in danger before because my strength was insufficient. But now, where is safer than being by your side?"
Watching Wang Nan and Ma Xiaotao chat happily, Wang Xing wanted to say something, but Yu Yu tugged lightly on his sleeve.
"Nan'er, take your classmates to look around. Your father and I will prepare some food for everyone."
"No need to trouble yourselves, Auntie," Gongyang Mo said as he stepped forward and linked arms with Yu Yu. "We just heard that Xiao Nan was leaving and came specifically to see him off."
"That's right," Ye Xiaosheng nodded, his face stern. "We had nowhere to go after leaving the academy, so we had no choice but to serve under Duke Heaven's Equal. We hope the Duke can take us in."
"Get out!" Wang Nan pretended to be angry and kicked him lightly.
Ye Xiaosheng was already an eighth-rank Soul Master and would be treated as an honored guest anywhere within the Three Great Empires. How could he possibly have nowhere to go?
Unable to maintain his serious expression after the kick, Ye Xiaosheng burst out laughing.
Healthy parents, a beautiful woman by his side, and two or three close friends.
When Wang Nan first began cultivating, this was all he had hoped for.
No, even now, what Wang Nan desired was still this scene, with only one difference: he wanted this moment to last longer.
"What's wrong?" Ma Xiaotao asked when she saw Wang Nan looking up at the sky. She followed his gaze but saw nothing but clear blue.
"Nothing," Wang Nan shook his head. "I just realized it's getting late, and we should leave."
"Alright."
Wang Nan looked at the people in front of him, chuckled softly, and waved his sleeve. A faint Dragon roar echoed, and in the next instant, everyone was lifted into mid-air.
A golden light shield enveloped them. Outside the shield, the wind howled, and the scenery on both sides rapidly receded.
As an ordinary person, Yu Yu rarely had the chance to overlook the land from such a height. After a few glances, she withdrew her gaze and quietly observed Ma Xiaotao instead.
With Ma Xiaotao's cultivation, how could she not notice Yu Yu's gaze? She could only pretend not to notice, while her earlobes slowly turned red.
Concerned for his parents, Wang Nan did not fly too fast. It was not until late evening that a city gradually appeared in their field of vision.
As expected of Gengxin City, the City of Metal. As a major production site for rare metals, it was never short of Soul Masters and Soul Guidance Devices. As night fell, countless points of light bloomed across the city.
"We've arrived."