Encounter at Dragon Ascending Town's Gate

Yao Zi saw through his thoughts and explained, "Dragon Ascending Town is remote, with little arable land, so it cannot support too many people. Sea Soul Beasts also frequently come ashore to raid the area, making it unsafe for ordinary people to live here. That is why the population has never grown."

She paused, then added, "However, there is a Low-level Soul Master Academy in town. That is rather interesting."

"A Low-level Soul Master Academy?" Xiao Yun was intrigued.

Yao Zi nodded. "Although Dragon Ascending Town is small, there are quite a few Sea Soul Beasts and land Soul Beasts in the surrounding waters and mountains. Soul Masters often come here to hunt Soul Beasts for soul rings. As more Soul Masters arrived, several small Soul Master families gradually gathered in the town. These families had younger members who needed to cultivate, so they established a Low-level Soul Master Academy to teach those children the basics of being Soul Masters."

Xiao Yun nodded thoughtfully. The presence of a Soul Master Academy, even a low-level one, indicated that Dragon Ascending Town had a certain foundation of Soul Masters.

That was good news for him.

Just as he was about to ask more questions, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.

The carriage jolted slightly, and the sound of its wheels crunching over gravel abruptly ceased.

The coachman called out in a low voice from outside. The horses snorted and stamped their hooves in place.

"What is it?" Sheng Minglan lifted a corner of the curtain and looked outside.

The coachman's voice came from beyond the carriage, tinged with nervousness. "Master, someone is blocking the road ahead."

Xiao Yun's Spiritual Sense spread out soundlessly, instantly covering several miles around them.

The city gate stood not far ahead. Its cyan-gray walls were not