Journey to Cloud City

Two months flew by, and before they knew it, the holiday was almost over again.

There were still two days left before the holiday ended, but Haitian Soul Master Academy—or rather, all of Haitian City—could be described as bustling today. One reason was that it was enrollment season, with many new students arriving. But more importantly, today was also the day Sky City's Cloud City recruited new talent.

Cloud City, as its name suggested, was a city built atop the clouds. It was a gathering place for everyone from the ground, including Soul Masters. Only Soul Masters with sufficient qualifications could enter. Cloud City recruited once every three years. While there was no limit on the number of applicants, it had its own standards: those under sixteen had to have a Soul Power Level of at least twenty.

Most of these people were of student age, so most would be admitted to the more advanced academies within Cloud City, where resources were more abundant. The better the academy they entered, the brighter their future would be.

Cloud City's location was not fixed. Just like its name, it drifted around the world along a set route through the skies. Roughly every three years, it passed over certain cities and remained above them for a time. Without exception, those cities would go on to develop into major cities, and Haitian City had risen in exactly this way.

At Haitian Soul Master Academy, Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling were saying goodbye to the classmates they had spent three years with. Haitian Academy had not originally planned to hold this assessment. The original plan had been to wait another three years, allowing more students to reach the required standard before setting out.

However, Tang Chenfeng and his sister had unexpectedly met the requirements in this year's recruitment plan, so they became Haitian Academy's student representatives for Cloud City's assessment. Besides, even if they failed this time, they would still have another three years.

Most of those seeing them off were from the Work-Study Student dormitory. Ning Tong and Mo Xiaoyu had also come to bid them farewell. They could be considered the ordinary students with the best relationship with the Work-Study Students.

"Boss, Xiaoling, I really can't bear to see you leave. I finally got my first Spirit Soul, and once I fully recover, I was hoping to spar with you again."

The speaker was none other than Ze Ping. After returning from the Spirit Pagoda, he had begun absorbing the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Spirit Soul. It was said that he had nearly run into serious trouble during the absorption process, but fortunately, he succeeded in the end. The price was that he might need an entire semester of adjustment before he could continue cultivating.

"Ze Ping, don't be sad. My brother and I aren't never coming back. When we get the chance later, we'll come find you again."

The moment Ye Hongling spoke, the expression on Ze Ping's face that had looked close to tears vanished. He immediately seemed much stronger.

"Yeah, we're not gone forever. We'll meet up again later. It's almost time, so we should get going. We'll definitely see each other again." With that, the two waved goodbye to everyone and left reluctantly.

Watching them leave, Ze Ping could not help sighing. "Boss and Hongling really left."

"And the person you really can't bear to part with is Ye Hongling, isn't it?" Ning Tong suddenly said from beside him.

Ze Ping's face instantly flushed red. He stammered, "N-No... that's not... I... Ah, fine. You're right."

"It's okay. We still have three years, so there'll be opportunities." Ning Tong patted him on the shoulder.

"You know that, so why aren't you hurrying up and cultivating with us? Tang Chenfeng and the others caught up from behind. We need to speed up too." With that, Mo Xiaoyu left.

"Hey, Xiaoyu, wait for me!"

At the school gates, Tang Chenfeng and the others had already set off. Entering Cloud City naturally required a specific mode of transportation. Tang Chenfeng's group was currently riding the academy's dedicated school bus toward the airport.

Looking at the city around them, like a forest of steel, Tang Chenfeng could not help sighing at how quickly time had passed. In only three years, he was about to head to the place he had once dreamed of. As Tang Chenfeng was thinking, Ye Hongling leaned closer to him.

"Brother, are you still thinking about everyone at the academy?" Ye Hongling asked.

"Yeah. But more than that, I think I'm looking forward to it."

"All right, children. You don't need to be so sad." The one speaking was the youthful-looking Ye Jiulong. Ling Wei and Zhao Gaobo were beside him. They were also on the bus, traveling with Tang Chenfeng and the others.

Just yesterday, Ye Jiulong and Ling Wei had said farewell to the residents of Tianhun Town without revealing their identities. After relinquishing their roles as village chief, they left once more, saying they would return often in the future. Tang Chenfeng still remembered the envious looks on the townspeople's faces.

Clearly, Tang Chenfeng and the others entering Cloud City was also an opportunity for the elderly couple to return there. Although they could have simply asked Zhao Gaobo to handle it, they still chose to travel with the children.

"Mm. Parting is also a required lesson in a person's growth. Without parting, there would be no new meetings. At the very least, we need to look ahead now," Zhao Gaobo said.

"Mm, we understand," the siblings replied in unison.

The journey was not far. After all, the city was only so large. About twenty minutes later, Tang Chenfeng and the others arrived at the airport. After getting off the school bus and taking a shuttle for another ten minutes, they finally entered the core area of the Aviation Center.

The entire Aviation Center was decorated primarily in white. Massive white metal walls held broad screens displaying various images. The most eye-catching image was a colossal island floating in the sky. Without a doubt, that was Cloud City.

The Aviation Center was also exceptionally lively now. Although aviation centers in other cities could also depart for Cloud City at this time, Haitian City was undoubtedly the city closest to Cloud City right now. Many students from academies in other cities had also come to participate in this assessment, making the once-spacious Aviation Center especially bustling and crowded.

Fortunately, local academy students still had some advantages. Tang Chenfeng and the others had earlier tickets and could enter ahead of time.

The group of five completed the boarding procedures. The process was somewhat cumbersome; security inspection alone required passing through five separate checkpoints. The security was so strict that not even a fly could get through.

After passing checkpoint after checkpoint, they finally entered the interior area. All that remained was to wait.

Through the enormous glass windows, Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling saw that what was parked on the distant tarmac was not a conventional Soul Tool Aircraft, but a massive airship.

"That's right. That's the Soul Tool Airship we'll be taking later." Before Tang Chenfeng and Ye Hongling could ask, Ye Jiulong had already answered their question.

"An airship? Grandpa Ye, did you also take one to Cloud City before?" Tang Chenfeng asked.

"Yes. Cloud City is extremely strict about everything from the outside world. One of its regulations is that high-powered soul tool systems outside Cloud City cannot get too close. Soul Tool Aircraft are naturally included, so Soul Tool Airships, which use balloons as their primary carrier, are the best option." Before Ye Jiulong could answer, Zhao Gaobo spoke first to explain.

They did not wait long before it was time to board. After one final security check, the five of them finally boarded the Soul Tool Airship smoothly.

The Soul Tool Airship was primarily white. Compared to the enormous gasbag that provided lift, the passenger gondola beneath it looked pitifully small. Even so, it could hold at least thirty people. Unlike ordinary airships, the gondolas of those bound for Cloud City were not directly attached to the gasbags, but suspended beneath them by specially made ropes. Therefore, this airship had a deck, and there was quite a large area for people to move around on. Aside from Tang Chenfeng's group of five, many people from other places had boarded this airship as well.

Departure came quickly, and the airship's announcement began to play.

"Welcome aboard the passenger airship specially designed by Sky Island's Cloud City. We hope to provide everyone with quality service and assistance during the journey ahead. Next, we will introduce several simple precautions. All parents, teachers, and children must follow them."

"The airship travels at a relatively slow speed. All passengers are requested to cooperate with the staff to ensure a satisfactory travel environment for everyone."

"Passengers on deck, please enter the gondola and take your seats first. There may be turbulence during flight, so please fasten your seatbelts. You may move freely on the deck only after the airship has stabilized and the Soul Tool Shield has been activated. If you feel unwell, please contact a staff member immediately. We will promptly assess your condition and provide assistance."

While the electronic announcement played, Tang Chenfeng and the others had already taken their seats. The seats around them quickly filled with passengers, most of them one adult accompanying two or three children. Clearly, they were teachers leading students from other academies.

Before long, the Soul Tool Airship finally took off. Compared with an aircraft, the airship was truly very steady, with only slight jolts during takeoff.

Portholes had been installed along the gondola walls. Through them, everyone watched the ground gradually grow farther away as the airship began to rise into the sky. Outside the windows, there was only an azure sky, and above it, snow-white clouds. The ascent was remarkably smooth. Occasionally, they could feel the airship tilt at an angle, but it did not cause any discomfort.

Soon, the airship rose into the sky. The airflow caused slight turbulence, but fortunately, most of those aboard were Soul Masters and would not be greatly affected... probably.

"Bleurgh..."

However, Ye Hongling's complexion looked rather poor. Her face had turned slightly green, and she covered her mouth tightly with both hands, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Ye Hongling, what's wrong with her...?" Tang Chenfeng asked in confusion.

Ling Wei, seated on the other side, hurriedly reached over and placed her hand on Ye Hongling's forehead. After checking for a moment, she said, "There shouldn't be any problem. She's probably just airsick. Let her close her eyes and rest. She should be fine in a while."

There were many people in this world who got airsick, but very few who got airsick on an airship. Perhaps this was some kind of unusual constitution.

Sure enough, after Ye Hongling closed her eyes, her airsickness symptoms eased considerably. Before long, the airship's turbulence passed, and the interior soon became steady again. It continued onward quietly for nearly an hour.