Under the leadership of the village chief, Old Man Yu, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu arrived at the front of the village.
A large caravan was parked in front of Yu Village, and the leader of the caravan was discussing procurement matters with Yu Qiqiang.
Yu Village cooperated with this caravan year-round, selling fish, pearls, aquatic delicacies, and some herbs, while also helping them purchase some goods on their behalf.
Originally, Yu Village only sold fish caught in the Balak River. However, after Old Man Yu's son became a Spirit Master, he brought back many ways for the villagers to get rich and contacted this passing caravan to establish a regular trade relationship with Yu Village.
Over time, Yu Village and the caravan became familiar with each other. They would not refuse a small favor like taking Xiao Wu and Yu Yan to Balak City.
After finishing the business, Old Man Yu stood before Yu Qiqiang and admonished him with a serious expression, "Yu Qiqiang, remember to take good care of Yu Yan and Xiao Wu on this trip to Balak City. If anything happens to them, I will never forgive you."
"Don't worry, Village Chief. It wasn't easy for another Spirit Master to emerge from our village. If something happened to him in Balak City, I wouldn't even need you to punish me; I'd die of guilt myself."
As the village's second-in-command, Yu Qiqiang put on no airs in front of Old Man Yu. He bowed and scraped, expressing that he would definitely keep a close eye on Yu Yan to ensure no accidents occurred.
Besides, this was just a trip to the city for business; what could possibly go wrong?
Old Man Yu patted Yu Qiqiang on the shoulder, then turned to Yu Yan's side to brief him on what to watch out for in Balak City.
According to Old Man Yu, Balak City was the main city of the Balak Kingdom within the Heaven Dou Empire. Many nobles lived in the city, and these nobles were existences that one must absolutely never provoke.
In addition to the city's nobles, one should not easily provoke powerful Spirit Masters. Some individuals among Spirit Masters had nasty personalities and might even start a fight directly within Balak City.
Knowing that Old Man Yu truly cared about him, Yu Yan didn't feel the slightest bit of annoyance despite Old Man Yu's rambling admonitions.
To be honest, he really liked this feeling of being cared for and valued.
"Old Man Yu, you don't need to worry too much. I'll help you look after this little fellow who's destined to be a Spirit Master. Besides, Balak City is a capital city with guards patrolling; it's not as dangerous as you say. Plus, they won't be gone for long."
Seeing that the goods had been unloaded and loaded, and that Old Man Yu was still tirelessly giving instructions, the caravan leader quickly walked to Old Man Yu's side. While showing goodwill, he subtly reminded him that it was time to leave.
Old Man Yu also knew there wasn't much danger in Balak City, but he was just worried. If it weren't for his advanced age, he would have definitely gone along.
"Remember what I said, stay safe."
Understanding the meaning behind the caravan leader's words, Old Man Yu gave Yu Yan one last instruction.
"Don't worry, Grandpa Yu, I'll be careful."
"I'll be careful too."
Yu Yan and Xiao Wu obediently nodded in agreement. Under Old Man Yu's gaze, they followed the caravan toward Balak City.
Considering Yu Yan and Xiao Wu's young age, and the fact that Yu Yan would surely become a powerful Spirit Master in the future, the caravan leader arranged for them to ride on a freight carriage in the middle of the caravan... Two days later, the caravan arrived at its destination, Balak City, safely and without incident.
This caravan had traveled this trade route for several years without any major accidents. If a sudden situation occurred just because Yu Yan joined, he would really start to wonder if he had some kind of 'jinx' Physique.
After an inspection by the soldiers at the city gate, the caravan successfully entered Balak City.
Once inside Balak City, Yu Yan had to temporarily part ways with the caravan since their destinations were different.
Looking at Yu Qiqiang, who was supposed to escort him to Spirit Hall, Yu Yan remembered he had his own business in the city: "Uncle Qiqiang, go do what you need to do. It's just a Spirit Awakening; I can take Xiao Wu there myself. No need to waste your time."
"No way. If Old Man Yu found out I didn't take you to Spirit Hall, I'd definitely be scolded when I get back. You know how much weight these matters hold in his heart," Yu Qiqiang explained. He then said, "Let's hurry to Spirit Hall for the Awakening. Afterward, I'll drop you off at the inn where you'll be staying, and then I'll get busy with my own affairs."
"Alright."
Yu Yan understood what Yu Qiqiang meant, so he didn't continue with the formalities. Going back and forth with politeness here would just be a waste of time.
Although Xiao Wu was the protagonist of this Spirit Awakening, she didn't voice an opinion; she was the one following the arrangements.
During this time, Xiao Wu had learned a lot about human society, but that didn't mean she could face everything that was about to happen with total composure.
Seeing that Yu Yan didn't refuse further, Yu Qiqiang nodded with satisfaction and led Yu Yan and Xiao Wu toward the Spirit Hall of Balak City.
Walking through the bustling streets of a human city, Xiao Wu looked left and right. She was full of curiosity about everything, feeling like a country bumpkin entering a grand manor.
Yu Yan was also observing everything around him, but he didn't show much emotion. In terms of prosperity, Balak City couldn't compare to the bustling metropolises of Earth. Yu Yan wasn't too surprised by the place; he just found the scenery quite novel.
There weren't many things that could catch Yu Yan's attention, but the Soul Fighting Arena was one, and Balak Academy was another.
The Soul Fighting Arena was easy to recognize; it was a building similar to a large stadium. Standing at the entrance, one could faintly hear the cheers coming from inside.
The Soul Fighting Arena was a place in Yu Yan's future plans for making money and training his combat abilities, so he took a few extra looks.
Balak Academy, also known as Balak Advanced Soul Master Academy, was a very famous noble academy.
Yu Yan remembered that this academy's team had appeared in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament during the year that 'Little Brat' participated. Being able to stand out from countless academies proved that Balak Academy definitely had some substance.
After walking for over an hour, the trio finally arrived at the Spirit Hall of Balak City.
As an organization that worshipped the Angel God, Spirit Hall's architectural style was entirely Western European cathedral-like, and the Balak City Main Spirit Hall was no exception.
"Lord Spirit Master, hello. We are here for Spirit Awakening."
After taking a deep breath, Yu Qiqiang approached the two Spirit Masters standing guard at the entrance of Spirit Hall and explained his purpose.
Yu Qiqiang was very nervous right now. At the end of the day, he was just an ordinary person without spirit power. It was inevitable to feel timid when facing Spirit Masters.
"Go through the lobby, then take the passage on the left. The Spirit Awakening Room is the room at the very end of that passage. Someone inside will tell you what to do."
Many people had come to Spirit Hall for Spirit Awakening these past two days. The Spirit Masters at the door didn't make things difficult for Yu Qiqiang; the one questioned simply told him what to do next as a matter of routine.
Yu Qiqiang thanked the Spirit Master who directed him and led Yu Yan and Xiao Wu into Spirit Hall.
Upon entering Spirit Hall, Yu Yan could clearly sense that the usually shrewd Yu Qiqiang had become nervous; even his walking posture had changed.
The massive chasm between Spirit Masters and ordinary people could be glimpsed from this.
Not only did Yu Qiqiang become nervous, but Xiao Wu, who was by his side, also clearly became tense. She began to unconsciously lean closer to Yu Yan, trying to gain some sense of security from him.