14. New Journey

The conditions at Blazing Academy Affiliated Primary Academy were incredibly enticing for Quan Yi. (T/N: I will call it Volcano Academy)

From his experiences training in the Bokono Forest and the basement of the Quan family estate, he had already witnessed the immense benefits of cultivating in a mimetic environment.

Most Primary Soul Master Academies lacked such facilities.

Furthermore, the academy was located in a major city, boasting top-tier amenities—including something that intrigued Quan Yi the most: the Soul Arena.

For years, he had trained diligently within his family's territory, rarely venturing out.

Even so, Quan Yi had always been fascinated by the Soul Arena.

The thought of witnessing Martial Soul vs. Martial Soul, Soul Skill vs. Soul Skill ignited a fire within him. He could already imagine the thrilling battles, the clashes of soul power, the rise and fall of contenders. His blood boiled with excitement at the mere thought.

Additionally, Volcano Academy was located near two Senior Soul Master Academies—one being Blazing Academy, and the other Godwind Academy, another of the five great elemental academies.

This meant that the city had an exceptionally high concentration of young soul masters, fostering a competitive and academic atmosphere—an ideal environment for his growth.

Quan Yi couldn't wait to begin his journey.

"The academy starts next month. If you want to arrive on time, you'll need to leave a week in advance. That means you'll be departing in three weeks," Quan Yue calculated, informing his son of the schedule.

Quan Yi nodded in understanding. With the important matters settled, the family refocused on the celebration, the atmosphere warm and joyous.

After that, Quan Yi resumed his daily training regimen.

However, he made some adjustments.

He stopped swimming and replaced it with a new set of exercises.

Every day, he ran in the morning, engaged in anaerobic training at noon, and practiced Quan family martial arts in the evening. At night, during his sleep, he would return to the basement to cultivate his soul power, carefully recording the efficiency of its circulation.

Knowing that the academy might not have a swimming pool, Quan Yi removed swimming from his regimen. Besides, after his Martial Soul and soul ring transformation, his body's endurance had skyrocketed—making it unnecessary.

After several days of training, he noticed a dramatic increase in both his physical strength and soul power, far surpassing his previous rate of growth. Naturally, this also meant that his consumption of soul beast meat had increased significantly.

Luckily, most of the soul beast meat was reserved exclusively for him; otherwise, the cost of maintaining his diet alone would have been astronomical.

Time flew by, and his departure drew closer.

Apart from training, Quan Yi spent most of his remaining time with his family.

Once he left, it would be a full year before he could see them again.

Though reluctant to part, he was also filled with anticipation.

Quan Yi had never traveled far before—not in this life, nor in his past life. This would be his first true journey.

Three weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

At the gates of the Quan family estate, an exquisite carriage stood waiting.

Quan Yi turned to face Quan Yue, preparing for their final farewell.

Quan Yue gazed at his son, his heart heavy with emotion. There were countless things he wanted to say, but when the moment arrived, they all condensed into just one sentence:

"Go. Be safe."

Such simple words—yet they carried the weight of a father's love.

Quan Yi felt a lump rise in his throat. His eyes burned, and when he spoke, his voice trembled slightly.

"Father, you take care too."

Su Ling'er, watching the quiet exchange between father and son, felt the heaviness of the moment. Being sentimental by nature, she too found herself overcome with emotion.

This time, Su Ling'er would be accompanying Quan Yi to the Junior Academy. Though she, too, felt reluctant to part, she understood that this was a necessary step in the journey of every soul master.

Quan Yi turned to his father and bowed deeply. Without looking back, he walked toward the waiting carriage.

Su Ling'er and Quan Yue exchanged glances. No words were needed—they understood each other perfectly.

"Don't worry," Su Ling'er said softly. "With me here, Xiao Yi will arrive safely."

It was time to set off.

With the crisp crack of a whip, the carriage began moving, slowly leaving the Quan family estate behind.

Quan Yue stood at the gate, watching as the carriage disappeared into the distance. He remained there for a long time, unwilling to turn away.

A week-long trip was no small journey.

By the second day, the excitement of traveling had already faded. Though Quan Yi couldn't engage in his usual physical training during the trip, he could still cultivate his soul power at night.

During the day, he listened to his mother talk about the Primary Academy.

Each year, the academy admitted hundreds of students, who were then divided into several classes. However, the classification system wasn't random—there were clear distinctions between them.

Students were sorted based on talent, with the most gifted placed in the first class, followed by the second, and so on.

This system wasn't meant to discriminate against those with lower talent—it was to protect them.

The difference between soul masters was sometimes even greater than the difference between a soul master and an ordinary civilian. If a less talented student was placed in the same class as a genius, they would only feel overwhelmed and discouraged, which wouldn't be beneficial for their growth.

Of course, with Quan Yi's talent, he would undoubtedly be placed in the first class.

The academy's daily schedule was divided into morning and afternoon sessions.

Mornings were dedicated to theoretical lessons, covering Martial Souls, soul beasts, and combat knowledge. Afternoons were set aside for independent training, allowing students to cultivate and improve their soul power.

After all, for soul masters, soul power was the most important thing. No matter how knowledgeable one was, without sufficient soul power, they wouldn't even qualify for graduation.

Quan Yi was satisfied with this schedule. It gave him plenty of time to structure his own training.

But what intrigued him most was the academy's library.

It was said to house a vast collection of rare books, many of which were exclusive to the academy and unavailable elsewhere.

This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise for Quan Yi.

He had long since read through all the books in the Quan family estate. In fact, to satisfy his thirst for knowledge, he often asked his parents to purchase books from outside sources. Because of this, the Quan family's library had expanded several times over the years.

Through books, Quan Yi had learned much about the world.

However, the more he read, the more questions he had.

To find the answers, he needed to continue studying and exploring.

After a week of travel, the city finally came into view.

From the carriage window, Quan Yi could see the massive city walls looming in the distance, exuding a sense of ancient majesty.

The sight of the towering walls stirred nostalgia in Su Ling'er's eyes—this was a place full of memories from her youth.

As they entered the city, Quan Yi had one important task to complete before heading to the academy:

He needed to visit the Spirit Hall for an advanced appraisal.

Technically, he could have done this at the Spirit Hall where he had awakened his Martial Soul, but his soul ring's high age made him cautious. If he had rushed to do the appraisal too soon, others might have noticed how unnaturally fast his soul power had progressed.

Now that four months had passed since his awakening, the increase in his soul power level would appear more natural.

The Main Spirit Hall was located in the heart of the city. Unlike the smaller Spirit Halls, which could be found in towns and villages, the Main Hall only existed in major cities.

Even its location reflected the status of the Spirit Hall in this world.

After walking for some time, Quan Yi finally arrived at the massive, towering structure.

Its grand and intricate design made it clear that a fortune had been spent on its construction.

"As expected of Spirit Hall," Quan Yi thought, marveling at its immense financial power.

This was his first real glimpse of the Spirit Hall's influence—and he now understood it on a much deeper level.