Standing outside Yu Village and looking at the village ahead, although he had been gone for less than half a year, Yu Yan felt as if he had been away for a very long time.
Perhaps it was because so many things had happened during this period?
The length of a life lies in the number of experiences one has.
An unforgettable month is more impressive than a mediocre year.
Xiao Wu, on the other hand, didn't feel much; this wasn't her home, so she didn't share Yu Yan's sentiment.
After standing outside the village for a while, the two of them walked into Yu Village together and headed toward home. Having been away for some time, Yu Yan wanted to go back and tidy up the house, and perhaps stay for a night.
"Xiao Yan?"
As he was walking toward his house, Yu Yan heard a familiar voice from behind and to the side; it was the voice of the Village Chief, Old Man Yu.
"Hello, Grandpa Yu!"
Yu Yan turned around and saw Old Man Yu wearing cotton-padded clothes, standing there with a smile on his face. Yu Yan returned the smile and greeted him.
After Yu Yan greeted him, Xiao Wu also spoke up to greet Old Man Yu.
"Why are you back? Is the Balak Junior Soul Master Academy on break?"
Hearing the familiar way Yu Yan and Xiao Wu addressed him, Old Man Yu walked over slowly.
"It's not on break yet. Xiao Wu and I took leave to handle some business and just got back. Since we were passing by the village, we wanted to come back and take a look." Yu Yan truthfully explained the reason for their presence.
After a few simple pleasantries, Old Man Yu asked about the matter he was more concerned with: "I heard from my son that you and Xiao Wu are already Spirit Masters?"
"Yes, Xiao Wu and I became Spirit Masters a few days ago."
This wasn't a secret. Since Old Man Yu asked, Yu Yan naturally chose to tell the truth.
"Can I see your spirit rings?"
Old Man Yu's request was a simple matter, and Yu Yan did not refuse. He summoned his Spirit and spirit ring.
Old Man Yu's gaze fell upon the yellow spirit ring rhythmically moving up and down Yu Yan's body, his eyes filled with the pride of another Spirit Master emerging from Yu Village.
When Old Man Yu's gaze shifted to Xiao Wu, she very timely summoned her Spirit and spirit ring, allowing Old Man Yu to clearly see the rhythmic yellow hundred-year spirit ring.
"Good, good, good!"
With a smile on his face, Old Man Yu said "good" three times in a row to express his happiness.
After chatting with the Village Chief, Old Man Yu, for over half an hour, Yu Yan bid him farewell and returned to his home in this World.
Because no one had lived there for a long time, there was a thick layer of dust on the tables and chairs, and some wild weeds grew haphazardly on the ground in the courtyard.
Yu Yan and Xiao Wu set to work tidying up the mess in the house, wiping the tables and chairs, and clearing the weeds. The Spirit Cat they had brought back walked around as if it were patrolling its territory.
After dinner, the two of them reclined on chairs in the courtyard, looking up at the twinkling stars in the sky. The Spirit Cat lay quietly in Yu Yan's arms. The scene was beautiful and harmonious, a picture of peaceful times.
After resting at home for a night and bidding farewell to the Village Chief, Old Man Yu, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu set out on the road to Balak City.
Both of them were Spirit Masters, and their speed far exceeded that of ordinary people. In less than a day, they successfully arrived at the long-absent Balak City.
To be cautious, Yu Yan did not take Xiao Wu directly back to Balak Junior Soul Master Academy. He arranged for her to stay temporarily in a hotel in Balak City while he returned to the academy alone.
With the talent of one ring and two Spirit abilities, Yu Yan was worried that even though he had been away for two months, there might still be experts at the level of Spirit Douluo or above waiting for him.
As the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry... "Teacher Sun, I'm here to report back from my leave."
Returning to the school, Yu Yan first went to the school's Academic Affairs Office to find Sun Qian, who had recruited him to join the Reserve Team Member Plan, to report back.
"Yu Yan!!" Seeing Yu Yan appear before him, a clear joy appeared on Sun Qian's face. A thousand words converged into one sentence: "You're finally back."
Seeing Yu Yan appear before him, Sun Qian was truly happy.
When he recruited Yu Yan to join the Reserve Team Member cultivation plan, he didn't know about Yu Yan's one ring and two abilities. If he had known then, he would have definitely made Yu Yan sign a written agreement to join on the spot, rather than just a simple verbal agreement.
By the time he learned about Yu Yan's one ring and two abilities, Yu Yan had already left Balak City to go out for training with his family elders.
And after an investigation, it turned out Yu Yan wasn't out training with family elders. Because of this, he had even been dragged out and scolded by a teacher from the Balak Advanced Soul Master Academy.
"Yes, I'm back now that the training is over. I want to cancel the long leave Xiao Wu and I took. By the way, who has come to the academy looking for me during this time?"
Yu Yan didn't show much emotion in response to Sun Qian's enthusiasm.
"A small matter like canceling leave, you just need to tell me."
After answering Yu Yan's first question, Sun Qian was silent for a long time before truthfully explaining who had come looking for Yu Yan during this period.
Yu Yan's talent was extremely good, and he would definitely become a powerhouse in the future, at least much stronger than himself. Moreover, he already knew that people had come looking for him while he was away. Lying would be meaningless and might even create a grudge.
Therefore, he would tell the truth.
Because of the one ring and two Spirit abilities, many people had come looking for Yu Yan: Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, the Black Tiger Sect, the Fire Leopard Sect, the Elephant Armored Academy, and so on.
Except for the Clear Sky Sect, which had closed its gates and was not coming out, almost all the famous major powers had sent people over, wanting to recruit Yu Yan.
Many academies had also sent people to try and recruit Yu Yan. The terrifying ability of one ring and two Spirit abilities provided a huge advantage in the early stages, and they all wanted Yu Yan to represent their academy in the All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament.
After learning that the highest cultivation among those who came to recruit him was only a Spirit Ancestor, Yu Yan immediately relaxed a lot.
"Are these forces that want to recruit me still in Balak City now?"
Feeling much more relaxed didn't mean he was completely at ease.
At the thought of having to face recruitment from so many forces, Yu Yan felt a bit of a headache.
"Most people left Balak City when they saw they couldn't wait for you. As far as I know, there are currently only four major forces still in Balak City."
Seeing Yu Yan's troubled expression and combining it with his behavior of running away, Sun Qian, who could guess a few things, gave Yu Yan a piece of good news.
Sects like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, which had been prosperous for a long time, had an indelible pride engraved in their bones. They believed that coming to recruit Yu Yan was a favor to him.
I have bestowed such a favor upon you, yet you weren't even in Balak City waiting for our gift. You simply don't know what's good for you and are unrefined.
Driven by such emotions, they naturally wouldn't wait long in Balak City.
"Only four, that's great."
Hearing that there were only four, Yu Yan's distress vanished, and his expression returned to normal.