Chapter 14 - A New Journey
These conditions were incredibly enticing to Quan Yi.
In both the Boknor Forest and the Quan family's underground training chamber, Quan Yi had already experienced the benefits of cultivating in a simulated environment.
Most beginner soul master academies did not have such facilities.
Moreover, the affiliated primary academy of Blazing Fire Academy was located in a large city, equipped with a wide array of advanced amenities—including the one Quan Yi was most curious about: the Soul Battle Arena.
Over the years, Quan Yi had spent most of his time training within the family territory and rarely ventured outside.
Even so, he had always harbored a strong curiosity about the Soul Battle Arena.
Martial soul against martial soul. Soul skill versus soul skill. Just the thought of it made Quan Yi's blood boil with excitement.
In addition, the Blazing Fire Primary Soul Master Academy was very close to two renowned advanced academies.
One was Blazing Fire Academy itself, and the other was Divine Wind Academy, which was also one of the prestigious Five Elemental Academies.
This meant that the city had a very high concentration of young soul masters and a strong academic atmosphere—a perfect environment for growth.
Quan Yi couldn't wait to see the academy for himself.
"The term starts next month. If we want to arrive on time, we'll need to leave a week early. So let's plan to depart in three weeks," Quan Yue calculated the schedule and informed Quan Yi.
Quan Yi nodded in understanding. With the arrangements made, the family turned their attention back to the banquet. The atmosphere was warm and joyful.
In the days that followed, Quan Yi returned to his structured routine.
However, he had now removed swimming from his schedule and replaced it with new forms of training.
Every day—morning, noon, and night—he would alternate between running, anaerobic workouts, and practicing the Quan family's martial arts. At night, he would return to the underground chamber to cultivate soul power, meticulously tracking the efficiency of soul power circulation.
Considering that the school likely wouldn't have a swimming pool, Quan Yi decided to drop swimming from his regimen altogether. Besides, with the enhancements brought by soul power and soul rings, his body's endurance had already increased significantly, making it unnecessary.
After a few days of training, Quan Yi noticed that both his strength and soul power were increasing at a remarkable pace—far beyond what he had achieved before. As a result, his consumption of soul beast meat had also increased substantially.
Fortunately, most of the soul beast meat was reserved exclusively for Quan Yi. Otherwise, just the cost of it would've been astronomical.
Time continued to fly by, and the departure date drew nearer. Outside of his training hours, Quan Yi spent most of his time with his family.
Once he left, it would be a full year before they could reunite.
Although his heart was heavy with reluctance, it was also filled with excitement. In both this life and his previous one, Quan Yi had never traveled far. This journey would be his very first.
Three weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
At the entrance of the Quan family estate, a finely crafted carriage stood waiting.
Quan Yi was saying his final goodbyes to Quan Yue.
Quan Yue gazed at his son, his heart full of unspoken emotions. So many words swirled in his mind, but in the end, they all condensed into a single sentence.
"Go on. Stay safe."
It was a simple line, but although little was said, Quan Yi could feel his father's deep reluctance. For some reason, his eyes began to mist up, and his voice trembled slightly.
"You too, Father. Take care."
Beside them, Su Ling'er watched the emotional exchange, and her usually sentimental heart grew even heavier.
She would be accompanying Quan Yi on the trip to the primary academy. Though her heart was also full of reluctance, this was a path every soul master had to walk.
Quan Yi bowed deeply to his father, then turned without looking back and climbed into the carriage.
Su Ling'er and Quan Yue exchanged a glance. With just one look, they understood each other perfectly.
"Don't worry. With me there, Xiao Yi will definitely arrive safely."
It was time to go. With the sound of a whip cracking, the carriage slowly rolled away from the Quan family estate.
Quan Yue stood at the entrance, watching the carriage disappear into the distance. He didn't move for a long time.
A week-long journey was neither short nor long.
The novelty of travel wore off by the second day. Although Quan Yi couldn't train during the day, he still continued his soul power cultivation at night during rest.
During the day, he listened as his mother explained various details about the primary academy.
Each year, the academy admitted several hundred students, who were then divided into several classes. However, these classes were not equal.
The academy would rank students by innate talent, placing the most gifted ones in Class One, and so on.
This wasn't discrimination against less talented students—it was actually a form of protection.
Sometimes, the gap between soul masters was greater than the gap between soul masters and ordinary people. If less talented students were placed in the same class as top talents, the overwhelming disparity would only hinder their growth.
Of course, with Quan Yi's talent, he would undoubtedly be placed in Class One.
The curriculum was split into morning and afternoon sessions. Mornings were for theory—lessons about martial souls and soul beasts. Afternoons were for independent cultivation.
After all, soul power was the most important aspect of being a soul master. No matter how much theoretical knowledge you had, if your soul power didn't meet the standard, you couldn't even graduate.
Still, this course structure suited Quan Yi perfectly. It gave him ample time to arrange his own training.
He also heard that the academy had a large library filled with rare books—many of which were the only copies in existence and couldn't be found anywhere else.
This was an unexpected delight for Quan Yi. He had already read through every book in the family's collection. Later, in order to acquire more knowledge, he had relied on his parents to bring back books from the outside world.
Thanks to him, the Quan family's library had doubled—if not tripled—in size.
Over the years, it was through books that Quan Yi had come to understand the world. But the more he read, the more questions he had.
To uncover the truth behind these mysteries, he would need to study even further.
After a week on the road, the carriage finally neared the city. Quan Yi could already see the towering city walls in the distance.
The massive wall loomed over the end of the road, exuding an ancient aura. Quan Yi and Su Ling'er stepped down from the carriage.
Su Ling'er's eyes were filled with nostalgia—this place held so many memories from her youth.
Following his mother, Quan Yi entered the city. But before heading to the academy, there was one important task to complete—his advanced martial soul evaluation at the Spirit Hall.
Quan Yi could've undergone this evaluation at the local branch hall during his martial soul awakening. However, since the soul ring he absorbed was of such a high age, his soul power would've risen too quickly and drawn suspicion. So, they decided to delay the evaluation.
Now that four months had passed since his awakening, it would appear far more natural.
The main hall of the Spirit Hall was located in the city center—a level above the branch halls found near the Quan estate. Only large cities had such main halls.
Judging by its location alone, one could sense the Spirit Hall's prestigious status in this world.
After walking for a while, a grand and towering structure came into view. The lavish, ornate decorations made it clear that no expense had been spared in its construction.
Truly worthy of the Spirit Hall—its wealth was staggering. Quan Yi now had a much clearer understanding of the organization's power.
(End of Chapter)