Academy Life, Journey Begins

For Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao, life at the Tianxing Martial Arts Academy was a brand new beginning, full of challenges and surprises.

The brother and sister were assigned to different dormitory areas. The college had excellent facilities; the dormitories were double rooms with private bathrooms, clean and bright. When Yu Yunting pushed open the door to his assigned dormitory, a boy with slightly dark skin and a sturdy build, who was busy packing his luggage, looked up at the sound of his voice and gave him a hearty smile.

"Hello! My name is Gao Zeyu, my Martial Soul is Pole Scythe, and I come from Gao Family Village in the west of Dragon City! We'll be roommates from now on!" The boy's voice was loud and clear, carrying the unique simplicity of the countryside.

Yu Yunting paused for a moment, then smiled gently. "Hello, Gao Zeyu, my name is Yu Yunting, my Martial Soul is Thunder Sacred Dragon, and my home is in Dragon City." His tone was natural, without a trace of arrogance.

Gao Zeyu's eyes lit up. "Wow! Thunder Sacred Dragon! Is... is that the Martial Soul of His Yu Yuanchen? Your surname is Yu, could it be..." He belatedly realized what he meant and his eyes widened.

Yu Yunting touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly. "Yes, Yu Yuanchen is my father."

Gao Zeyu gasped, then leaned in even closer with greater enthusiasm. "My God! I'm actually roommates with the son of Dragon Emperor Douluo! That's amazing! Don't worry, I definitely won't tell anyone!" He patted his chest to assure him, his eyes filled with admiration, but without the slightest hint of flattery or fear, only pure enthusiasm and curiosity.

Looking at his roommate, who was slightly taller than him and had clear eyes, Yu Yunting felt a surge of affection. He liked this equal and natural way of getting along. "It's nothing. Here, we are all students of the Tianxing Academy," he said with a smile as he began to make his bed.

The two teenagers chatted as they tidied up, and quickly became acquainted. Gao Zeyu talked about interesting things in the farmland of his hometown, Yu Yunting recounted his experiences in Dragon City. The atmosphere was harmonious.

Yu Yunting discovered that although the boy from the farming family's parents' Martial Soul were only sickles and wooden sticks, his own Martial Soul was a benign mutation, with Innate Soul Power at level seven. However, he was optimistic, down-to-earth, hardworking, and a friend worth making.

On the other hand, the atmosphere in Yu Yunyao's dormitory was much quieter.

Her roommate was a girl named Cui Xiaoya, dressed in an elegant dress, with graceful manners and gentle features. Upon seeing Yu Yunyao, she gave a slight bow and said softly, "Hello, I am Cui Xiaoya, my Martial Soul is the Jade Ruyi, and I come from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It's a pleasure to be your roommate."

"Hello, Cui Xiaoya, my name is Yu Yunyao, my Martial Soul is Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia, and my home is also in Dragon City." Yu Yunyao returned a polite smile, her voice gentle. In front of strangers, she habitually showed her quiet and well-behaved side.

A hint of surprise flashed in Cui Xiaoya's eyes, clearly indicating that she had guessed Yu Yunyao's identity, but she maintained her composure and smiled, "Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia... is that Her Ye Zhilan's martial Martial Soul? It's an honor to meet you. I look forward to your guidance in the future."

"Let's teach each other." Yu Yunyao smiled slightly. Both girls were thoughtful and quickly found common ground, chatting about everything from the characteristics of their Martial Soul to the academy's courses. They got along quite well. Yu Yunyao could sense that this girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School was very well-mannered. Although she had some of the reserve of a young lady from a prominent family, she was not a bad person.

And so, the two little ones' school life officially began.

Tianxing Academy is not a free paradise. In addition to basic accommodation and teaching, students need to earn their own cultivation resources. The academy has a special Mission Hall that is connected to the official mission platform of Dragon City and is open to all Soul Master.

Various commissions are offered here: escorting caravans, assisting in hunting Soul Ring, gathering herbs, clearing out low-level Soul Beast, and so on. The rewards range from Gold Soul Coin to rare materials. Students from impoverished families can use this to earn living expenses and study resources.

Yu Yuanchen had originally intended to promote this model throughout the continent, creating a standardized and secure platform for Soul Master missions. He had even written a plan, but unfortunately, he was too lazy to handle the specifics, and the plan is still gathering dust in his study. However, in Dragon City, relying on the prestige of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, this system has been executed quite well and enjoys an excellent reputation.

The academy stipulates that starting from the fourth year of the Junior Department, students must complete a certain number of tasks each year in order to advance to the next level (4 tasks in the fourth year, increasing by 2 tasks each year). This is partly to train students' practical combat and survival skills, and partly to prevent some students from becoming "greenhouse flowers" who only know how to cultivate.

The academy also releases some exclusive "Academy Mission," which offer higher rewards and are very popular. Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao have just enrolled, don't need to worry about missions yet, but they have already seen many senior students moving around in the Mission Hall. Among them are some plainly dressed ordinary students whose eyes are full of desire for resources and their drive to strive.

On the first day of formal classes, the brother and sister were assigned to different classes. In Yu Yunting's class, most of the students' Martial Soul were geared towards offensive or Agility Attack System, and they were all energetic and had sharp eyes. In contrast, Yu Yunyao's class was mostly composed of students with Support System or Control System Martial Soul, and the atmosphere was relatively mild.

The first lesson was the highly anticipated "Martial Arts Foundation Course".

The instructor was a middle-aged man with a lean build and piercing eyes. Without wasting any words, he led the students directly to the spacious Martial Arts Arena.

"Everyone, do not use your Martial Soul. Next, run ten laps around the field! Warm-up!" The teacher's voice was loud and clear, leaving no room for argument.

Immediately, a chorus of groans erupted from the field. For these children, most of whom were pampered and used to relying on their Martial Soul, running ten laps with their bare hands was pure torture.

Yu Yunting's eyes lit up. He had trained his body with his father since childhood, enduring the hardships of Martial Foundation Establishment, so this amount of exercise was nothing to him. He easily kept up in the middle of the group, his breathing steady and his steps firm. Gao Zeyu came from a farming family and had done farm work since childhood, so he was also quite strong and stayed close to Yu Yunting.

In contrast, some students with powerful Martial Soul but who lacked training were panting and pale after only a few laps. The teacher watched coldly from the side, occasionally offering pointers on their movements or giving extra training to those who were clearly slacking off. He was experienced and could tell the approximate limits of each student at a glance. The amount of training varied from person to person, but the standards were never lowered.

"Running is the most basic physical reserve! A powerful Martial Soul needs a stronger physique to support it! What if you run out of Soul Power? What if someone gets close to you? Without a good physique, you're just meat on the enemy's chopping block!" The teacher's admonition was concise and to the point.

After running, it was time for various strength training exercises: push-ups, squats, pull-ups... Yu Yunting completed them with ease, and even felt a little unsatisfied. He noticed that his roommate, Gao Zeyu, although his Martial Soul quality was not as good as many of his classmates, had excellent endurance, standard movements, and a tenacious spirit of never giving up in his eyes.

"This guy has a good foundation," Yu Yunting thought to himself.

After training, most of the trainees collapsed to the ground, wailing and howling. Yu Yunting, however, was only slightly sweaty. He walked over to Gao Zeyu, who was panting heavily, handed him a thermos of water, and said with a gentle smile, "Are you alright, Zeyu?"

Gao Zeyu took the water, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and said breathlessly, "Not bad! Yunting, your stamina is amazing! You don't look like someone who just awakened their Martial Soul at all!"

Yu Yunting smiled, his Versailles-like nature inadvertently revealed. "It's alright, maybe it's because my dad pushed me a lot when I was young, I'm used to it."

On the other side, the auxiliary class, where Yu Yunyao was, had a relatively mild Martial Way class, but it was still not easy. They needed to do flexibility training, balance training, and some aerobic exercises to improve endurance, including running, but the intensity was lighter than that of the offensive class. Influenced by her mother since childhood, Yu Yunyao paid attention to health preservation and had excellent flexibility, so she completed the training with ease and enjoyment.

She completed each movement with ease and grace, drawing envious glances from many classmates. Cui Xiaoya seemed to be struggling a bit, but she persevered, Yu Yunyao would occasionally whisper reminders to her about the key points of the movements.

"Yaoyao, you know so much." During the break, Cui Xiaoya said sincerely.

Yu Yunyao smiled faintly, a hint of barely perceptible smugness flashing in her eyes. "My mother taught me some things." She added in her mind, "And my father has occasionally used his Bloodline Power to help me regulate my meridians, so of course it's easier for me than for you guys."

After a day of classes, both children felt very fulfilled. As expected, the academy's infirmary was staffed by Healing System Soul Master from the Ye Family. Several overtrained students were helped in and quickly emerged full of energy, greatly increasing their sense of security.

In the evening, Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao met in the cafeteria and shared their experiences from the first day.

"Our teacher is really strict, but she teaches really well," Yu Yunting said, munching on a chicken leg. "My roommate Gao Zeyu is a nice guy, very honest."

"Our class is doing okay, and Cui Xiaoya is doing well too." Yu Yunyao ate her vegetables in small bites. "Martial Way class is a bit tiring, but I can still manage. Brother, are there many really strong people in your class?"

"Hmm, there are a few guys with pretty strong Martial Soul auras, but if it really comes down to a fight, I'm not afraid of them." Yu Yunting raised his chin, full of confidence. Although he had a gentle personality, he inherited his father's arrogance.

Just as the two children were gradually adapting to school life, in Dragon City, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan...

Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan finally packed their bags and sent their two children to the academy, putting a major task to rest. Both of them felt much more relaxed.

"Finally, we sent these two little troublemakers out." Yu Yuanchen held his wife's waist and looked at the setting sun outside the window, with a smile and a hint of emotion in his tone, "We should go relax."

Ye Zhilan nestled in his arms, her face beaming with happiness and anticipation. "Yes, so many years have passed, spent either cultivating or raising children. It's been so long since I've had a proper look at this world. Yuanchen, where do you want to go first?"

"Let's just wander around and take a look." Yu Yuanchen's gaze was distant. "The ice and snow of the Extreme North, the waves of the Vast Sea Universe, the customs and culture of the Star Luo Empire, and... the overseas continents, we can go and see them all. By the way, let's also see how far the promotion of Martial Way has been over the years."

They planned a long trip, without a specific destination, just going with the flow. This was their time together, to make up for the years they had missed each other because of responsibilities.

"Should we go and tell Father and Grandfather?" Ye Zhilan asked.

"No need, it was already agreed upon. With Father and Grandfather in the sect, there won't be any trouble. The children are also safe at the academy." Yu Yuanchen lowered his head and kissed the top of his wife's head. "We'll leave quietly, so those two little ones won't feel bad if they find out."

The following morning, as the rising sun bathed Dragon City in its light, Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan had already quietly disappeared outside the sect. They were like ordinary travelers, embarking on a journey to travel around the continent.

Meanwhile, at the Tianxing Academy, Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao were full of anticipation for the new day, completely unaware that their parents had "abandoned" them to enjoy themselves. Their story had only just begun.

Like fledgling eagles leaving the nest, the future sky awaits their soaring. The life at the academy and the Wind and Clouds of the continent will nourish their growth. And their parents, traveling far away, will witness and influence the world that has been changed by them.