People Leaving the City and People Entering It

Wang Nan did not return to the academy with Yan Shaozhe. Star Luo City lay south of the Star Dou Great Forest, and returning to the academy required taking a lengthy detour. Thus, after leaving the forest, he parted ways with Yan Shaozhe and the other man, then hurried south alone.

At first, he was by himself. But as he got farther and farther from the Star Dou Great Forest, the number of Soul Masters traveling nearby gradually increased. Before long, he spotted a campsite.

Quite a few carriages were parked here, with stalls set up beside them selling food, tents, and other supplies needed for entering the Star Dou Great Forest. As he drew closer, he could hear a clamor of hawking and haggling, making the place feel like a small market.

One sharp-eyed man noticed Wang Nan approaching and warmly came up to greet him. Though Wang Nan looked young, everyone capable of setting up a stall here was shrewd. No one dared to underestimate someone who had emerged from the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Hello, Lord Soul Master. You've just hunted a Soul Ring, haven't you? Would you like a ride? Our carriages are all the latest models, and the Soul Beasts pulling them are properly trained. We guarantee that nothing happening along the way will disturb the inside of the carriage. Whether you want to rest or meditate, it's the best choice."

The man before Wang Nan was around thirty. Like most of the vendors here, he was also a Soul Master. However, his talent was limited, and his cultivation had stalled at around ten or twenty ranks. He could only do business near the Star Dou Great Forest. It was somewhat dangerous, but it was still more profitable than working elsewhere.

Wang Nan's family actually owned several shops as well, though they were not entirely considered family assets. Rather, the shop owners had approached them and registered their businesses under Wang Xing's name. Whether purchasing stock or making deliveries, using the name of a Soul King always avoided plenty of unnecessary trouble.

By the time Wang Nan left the Star Dou Great Forest, it was already getting late. After some thought, he agreed to take the carriage. The Douluo Continent was far less safe than the world of his previous life, and with no one else by his side, he needed to preserve his soul power at all times in case of emergencies. Taking a carriage was a good choice.

Though the salesman had exaggerated somewhat, the carriage truly was smooth. Wang Nan meditated throughout the journey, only arriving outside Star Luo City after dawn.

"Lord Soul Master, I'm afraid we can't go any farther."

"What happened?"

"Please look."

Wang Nan leaned out of the carriage and saw a vast army standing at the city gate. Their solemn bearing placed immense pressure on everyone nearby. At the front stood a tall man, while the banner behind him bore an incredibly lifelike white tiger.

"Is that Duke White Tiger?"

"Yes. Duke White Tiger is setting out on campaign again. Who knows where war has broken out this time?"

Not long afterward, the emperor of the Star Luo Empire arrived to personally see Duke White Tiger out of the city. Traffic through the gates did not resume until nearly noon.

After entering the city, Wang Nan followed the street ahead. Before long, he saw his family's courtyard. He had been away for eleven months, and seeing those familiar gates again stirred an indescribable feeling within him. It was something he had never experienced in his previous life.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back!" Wang Nan shouted as soon as he entered the courtyard.

"It's good that you're back. You didn't run into any danger on the way, did you?" The moment Wang Nan spoke, he saw his mother walk into the courtyard, her eyes continuously examining him. "You've grown quite a bit taller in the past year."

Because of their cultivation, Soul Masters tended to be taller than ordinary people. Combined with Shrek's decent meals, Wang Nan had already grown past 1.6 meters at the age of eleven. Among ordinary people, he was no longer considered short.

"Taller, and darker too. Training at the academy must have been hard, right?"

"It was fine. About the same as at home."

"What about your teachers and classmates? Did anyone bully you? Could you understand the lessons? If there's anything you don't understand, ask your Second Uncle more often."

Wang Nan's mother had poor talent. Though she had awakened a Martial Soul, she had never obtained a Soul Ring and become an official Soul Master. Therefore, she did not know that with Wang Nan's talent, it would already be impressive if he did not bully others. How could anyone possibly bully him?

As he and his mother chatted about this and that, Wang Xing finally could not sit still any longer. He pushed open the room's door and walked out.

"Since you're back, come inside and talk. What kind of behavior is standing around chatting in the courtyard?"

Wang Xing deliberately put on a stern face, but the two people chatting in the courtyard were not intimidated in the slightest. After pausing briefly, they broke into laughter.

Wang Xing instantly lost his composure. He quickly stepped over to Wang Nan and patted him on the shoulder, joining in the laughter as well.

"Good. Your cultivation hasn't fallen behind, and you've become much sturdier too." Wang Xing asked with a smile, "Your Second Uncle said you were going to obtain your third Soul Ring. Why did you come back so quickly?"

"The trip went smoothly, and there were Academy Teachers with us, so it didn't take much effort."

"That's good. Let's go inside and talk."

As soon as they entered the room and sat down, Wang Nan suddenly remembered something. He took several small bottles from his Storage Soul Tool—the very ones Yan Shaozhe had given him.

"Dad, these are pills an Academy Teacher gave me. The academy is relatively safe, so I kept some for emergencies and left the rest at home. They were all made by Academy Teachers, so they work better than the ones sold outside. Dad often goes out, so you should be able to use them."

"How could that do? You need to go out to hunt Soul Rings too, and there will be competitions and such at the academy. You should keep these for yourself."

"Would I lack pills at the academy? I'm a Core Disciple now, so there are more than enough pills. Just keep them, Dad."

Wang Xing stared at Wang Nan for a long while before finally speaking. "Sigh, children have to grow up eventually. I never expected that I'd have to rely on my son so soon. I really am getting old."

Wang Nan merely smiled without responding. He had matured early, and Wang Xing was not particularly rigid by nature, so the relationship between father and son was not overly serious. Wang Xing often joked around like this.

"Fine, I'll accept these. Also, I prepared a gift for you."

As Wang Xing spoke, he took out a ring. Its outer edge was golden and covered in intricate inscriptions, while its center was a layer of milky-white membrane.

"A Level 5 Soul Tool, the Invincible Barrier. When used by a Soul King, it can block a Soul Douluo's full-powered strike. I know you've been interested in Soul Tools since you were little, so I specially bought this from the Sun Moon Empire."

"I originally planned to give it to you after your Soul Power Level had risen a little more, but your soul power has improved so quickly that you might have a chance to use it any day now."

Wang Nan accepted it in surprise. He had heard of the Invincible Barrier, but this was the first time he had seen what it actually looked like. The ring around its edge had a strong metallic texture, while touching the membrane in the middle caused a gentle force to bounce his hand away. It was remarkably strange.

"All right, you can study it slowly later. For now, why don't you tell your mother and me about life at the academy?"

"Sure."