With about half a year to go before the start of the intermediate Soul Master Academy, Wang Qi embarked on his travels after completing all the graduation procedures.
His first stop was Blazing City, the holy land of fire-attribute Soul Masters.
As one of the four great cities of Douluo Continent, alongside Divine Wind City, Heavenly Water City, and Thunder City, Blazing City's most unique feature was Blazing Fire Canyon.
If the Star Dou Great Forest was the largest, most diverse, and most powerful Soul Beast Forest on Douluo Continent,
then Blazing Fire Canyon was a paradise for fire-attribute Soul Beasts. Its unique environment made it extremely suitable for the growth of fire-attribute Soul Beasts and fire-attribute natural treasures.
The diverse and abundant fire-attribute Soul Beasts made Blazing City a must-visit for almost every Soul Master with even a little talent.
Along the way, Wang Qi cultivated while traveling, also disposing of all the items that shouldn't be stored in his Soul Guidance Device. Finally, a month later, he arrived in Blazing City.
Looking at the scale of Blazing City, Wang Qi realized it seemed somewhat different from his previous understanding.
Books described Blazing City as one of the four elemental cities, extremely suitable for fire-attribute soul masters to cultivate. With a Soul Douluo-level expert residing there, it shouldn't be smaller than major cities like Heaven Dou City, Star Luo City, or Martial Soul City, but certainly not smaller than a medium-sized city like Soto City.
Yet, the Blazing City before him was small; its city walls weren't even as high as Notting City's, and judging by its size alone, it could only accommodate a maximum of 30,000 people.
Was this small city truly Blazing City, one of the four elemental cities?
Strolling through the streets of Blazing City, Wang Qi was curious about everything, except its size.
"Young man, is this your first time in Blazing City? Don't you think it's not as wonderful as you imagined?"
At a roadside teahouse, a waiter approached Wang Qi, trying to entice him to come in for tea.
"That's right, this is my first time here. I'd heard before that Blazing City was a must-visit for fire-attribute soul masters, but I never expected it to be like this…"
Wang Qi chuckled awkwardly, ordered a pot of tea and some pastries, and started chatting with the waiter.
"Haha, you people outside Blazing City always imagine it as something sacred and magnificent, even comparing it to cities like Heaven Dou City and Star Luo City."
"Young man, you must be a fire-attribute soul master, right? You're probably more adaptable to high temperatures and not so sensitive to them."
"Blizzard City is very hot, with long days and short nights. At its hottest, the temperature can even approach fifty degrees Celsius. Do you think this kind of place is suitable for ordinary people to live in?"
The waiter chatted on and on, and Wang Qi also sensed soul power fluctuations emanating from him. Although he couldn't determine the level of his soul power, he could clearly feel the fluctuations.
The air in Blazing City is relatively dry, and it's famous for its fruit. Due to the climate, Blazing City's fruit is very popular elsewhere.
Fruit was available, but grain was in short supply. To secure their livelihood, the Huo family of Blazing Fire City established the Blazing Fire Caravan to trade throughout the continent.
The servant's story was interesting, and Wang Qi listened with rapt attention. Just as the servant was introducing Blazing Fire Academy to Wang Qi, a gruff voice rang out from the doorway.
"You brat, you're just a good-for-nothing who almost didn't graduate from the Blazing Fire Academy's junior division, and you're spouting nonsense. Don't mind me, young man, my brat just likes to talk nonsense."
The burly man, true to his voice, was tall and muscular, his upper body bare, revealing bronze muscles. He carried a two-meter-long, waist-thick soul beast thigh on his shoulder as he entered.
Without a word, he sat down next to Wang Qi, found a plate, cut a piece of marinated soul beast meat for him, and pushed it beside him.
"Come on, try this. It's the hind leg of a 500-year-old Flame Leopard. It tastes quite good. Don't worry, it's all from our own farm, we won't charge you extra."
"Young man, where are you from? Are you in Blazing City to cultivate or study?"
"Don't worry, I mean no harm. It's just that my family rarely has outsiders. People in this area, once you've seen them for a while, you either grow up with them or have watched them grow up. I can tell how many hairs are on their butts just by looking at them. Come on, tell me about the outside world."
The burly man's name was Fire Dragon. He had lived in Blazing City for generations. The farthest he had ever traveled was from Blazing City to the Blazing Fire Canyon defense line; he had basically never been to places further away.
While curious about the outside world, he disliked the climate, finding it too humid.
Fire Dragon had a forthright personality—no, it should be said that most Soul Masters in Blazing City had very forthright personalities. They were hospitable and spoke directly, giving Wang Qi a feeling somewhat like Ice City, which had become a sensation on short video platforms in his previous life.
The difference was that Blazing City was hot, while Ice City was cold.
Although Wang Qi wasn't good at socializing, under Brother Fire Dragon's guidance, he still shared much about what he had seen and heard on the road.
"Brother Fire Dragon, you mean your Blazing Fire City has a thousand-strong Soul Master team stationed in Blazing Fire Canyon, ready to deal with any potential beast tides?"
"Yeah, every spring the Soul Beasts go on a rampage, it's so annoying." Fire Dragon took a big gulp of wine, his rosy face glistening with fine beads of sweat, occasionally letting out a satisfying laugh.
Wang Qi had three reasons for choosing Blazing Fire City as his first stop. First, to buy medicinal herbs. Most of the Soul Masters in Blazing Fire City were fire-attribute, so the city had a 100% supply of herbs beneficial for Soul Master cultivation.
Second, to go to Blazing Fire Canyon to prepare for his second Soul Ring, searching for Soul Beasts that could improve his aptitude for the second ring.
Third, Blazing Fire Academy had an intermediate section, and Wang Qi wanted to understand the training environment there, using it as a basis for comparing it with other intermediate Soul Master academies.
Now that he heard that a beast tide would break out in Blazing Fire Canyon every year during this month, Wang Qisheng had the idea of going to take a look.
"Brother Fire Dragon, I'll go with you then. Although I'm just a one-ring Soul Master, having more help means a better chance of success. When do we set off? Tomorrow or..."
"Haha, Brother Wang Qi, you're too impatient. There's no need to rush. You can rest in Blazing City for a few days and experience its local customs."
"The Blazing City Grand Market is in seven days, held once a month. There are many good things there. You can go and have a look."
"Brother Wang Qi, do you know why Blazing City is called the holy land of fire-attribute Soul Masters? It's because..."
"No rush. Since you're in Blazing City, stay at my place. If you're really itching to fight, I'll take you to Blazing Fire Canyon after the market."
"Brother... Brother..."
Wang Qi called him "brother" repeatedly, while the waiter serving him looked exasperated. Watching his father and Wang Qi, who was clearly younger than him, acting like brothers at the dinner table gave him a headache.
(End of Chapter)