Departure for Spirit City

Judging by its appearance and craftsmanship, it was certainly no ordinary item—at the very least, not something a place like Niuma Village could possess.

Jiang Bai picked up the bracelet, examined it for a moment, and put it on his right wrist.

The bracelet automatically adjusted its size, fitting snugly around his wrist without being too tight or too loose.

He focused his mind and injected a trace of Soul Power into the bracelet.

He sensed a space of roughly thirty cubic meters within it.

The inside was empty, save for a few things piled in one corner.

Jiang Bai probed those items with his spiritual power.

There were several finely bound books and a few small porcelain bottles. Their labels read things like "Golden Sore Medicine," common healing medicine.

Then Jiang Bai's gaze fixed on the deepest part of the space.

A pile of gold coins had been neatly stacked there, giving off an enticing gleam under his Soul Power's perception.

Gold Soul Coins!

Jiang Bai's heartbeat skipped. He carefully "counted" them—there were roughly a hundred and fifty!

One hundred and fifty Gold Soul Coins!

"Mom..."

Jiang Bai murmured, his emotions complicated.

"You had so much money. Why didn't you take it out sooner...?"

Jiang Bai took a deep breath and suppressed the surging emotions in his heart.

Without dwelling on it further, he began packing his belongings.

Several changes of clothes, a cotton quilt, a water skin, and some dried provisions.

He stored every item in the bracelet.

Thirty cubic meters of space was more than enough for all of it.

Once he was done packing, Jiang Bai gave the little wooden house one last look.

Its packed-earth floor, plank bed, rough wooden table, and the small ornaments his mother had woven from Blue Silver Grass still hanging on the wall...

"It's time to go," Jiang Bai said softly.

He locked the door. Though locking that broken wooden door made little difference, it was a ritual—a farewell.

Jiang Bai did not immediately go to the village entrance to wait for the people from Spirit Hall.

Instead, he headed toward the other side of the village.

That was where Niuma Village's graveyard lay.

The graveyard stood on a small hillside west of the village. Dozens of earthen graves lay quietly arranged there. Most did not even have gravestones, only simple rocks serving as markers.

Jiang Bai passed through the graves and came to one at the very back.

A crude wooden marker stood before it, carved with the words, "Grave of Beloved Mother Jiang Ning." The handwriting was childish—Jiang Bai had carved it himself.

He knelt before the grave, took out the incense, candles, and several fruits he had prepared from the bracelet, and arranged them neatly before it.

"Mom, I came to see you," Jiang Bai said softly as he lit the incense and candles.

Thin smoke curled upward, slowly drifting away in the morning breeze.

"Tomorrow, the people from Spirit Hall will come to take me away. I'm leaving Niuma Village for a very distant place."

The wind swept across the hillside, rustling the wild grass as if in response.

"You don't need to worry about me."

Jiang Bai continued, then kowtowed three times.

"I know how to survive, how to become strong. In this world, I'll carve out my own path."

He stood quietly before the grave for a long time, until the incense and candles had burned out.

A quarter of an hour later.

Jiang Bai walked down the hillside and headed toward the village entrance.

After returning from the graveyard, Jiang Bai went beneath the old locust tree at the village entrance.

About half an hour later, dust rose at the end of the dirt road.

Five figures clad in silver-white armor appeared in view, their armor reflecting a cold gleam in the sunlight.

The leader rode an especially magnificent white horse. Four riders followed behind in a protective formation, with a carriage in the middle.

They were the Hall Protector Knights of Spirit Hall.

The group stopped at the village entrance, and the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves slowly settled.

The knight captain in the lead, who looked to be around thirty, dismounted. His gaze swept across the surroundings before finally settling on Jiang Bai.

"Are you Jiang Bai?"

The knight captain's voice was steady and forceful, carrying the crisp decisiveness unique to soldiers.

"That's me." Jiang Bai stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes.

The knight captain examined him for a few moments, confirmed that his age and appearance matched the intelligence report, then nodded.

"By His Holiness's order, we are here to escort you to Spirit City. Prepare to depart."

There was no unnecessary small talk, nor any intention of entering the village to rest.

Jiang Bai cooperatively climbed into the carriage.

"Hold tight." The knight captain mounted his horse and waved as he gave the order. "Move out!"

Five riders and one carriage turned around and galloped back the way they had come.

Several days later.

The leading knight captain spoke through the carriage compartment. "Kid, Spirit City is just ahead."

Jiang Bai perked up and moved to the carriage window.

The first thing that entered his sight was the majestic gray outline on the horizon.

As the carriage continued forward, the outline gradually became clearer.

Towering city walls!

They had been built entirely from enormous, neatly cut granite blocks.

And every section of the city wall bore a gigantic relief carving!

Patrolling soldiers were clearly visible atop the walls. All of them wore Spirit Hall's standard silver-white light armor, their ranks neat and orderly.

A flicker of amazement crossed Jiang Bai's eyes.

However, the carriage did not head directly toward the enormous city gate.

The leading knight captain tugged the reins, and the group turned onto a broad road, heading toward the eastern side of Spirit City.

After several kilometers, another, somewhat smaller cluster of buildings came into view.

A tall arched gatehouse could be seen from afar.

The entire gatehouse was built from light-gray granite. Every stone had been polished smooth and flat, fitted together seamlessly, making the structure appear solid and imposing.

The gatehouse's main structure was shaped like the character for "mountain." Its central arch resembled a heavy yet powerful half-moon, rising more than ten meters high.

The slightly shorter side arches were also nearly ten meters high, their lines clean and flowing.

Exquisite patterns had been carved along the edges of the arches, the gate pillars, and the beam above.

At the center of the lintel were four large gilded characters: "Spirit Academy."

Beyond the gatehouse lay a vast campus built along the mountain.

At that moment, scattered students were entering and leaving the academy. Most wore uniform light-gray academy robes, ranging in age from seven or eight to their teens.

The carriage stopped before the gatehouse.

The knight captain dismounted and walked over to Jiang Bai's carriage, knocking on the window.

"All right, kid. We're at the academy. Take this and go directly inside to complete your enrollment."

He handed Jiang Bai a sealed parchment envelope, bearing Spirit Hall's seal across its closure.

Jiang Bai took the envelope, jumped down from the carriage, and gave the knight captain a solemn bow.

"Thank you, Uncle!"

A rare hint of gentleness appeared on the knight captain's face as he nodded.

"Go on in. Cultivate well, and do not disappoint this talent of yours or His Holiness the Pope's expectations."

"I will."

The five knights said nothing more. They turned their horses around and galloped toward Spirit City.

Jiang Bai watched them leave. Then he turned, looked up at the towering gatehouse, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

There were indeed guards at the entrance—two young men in their twenties.

They glanced at the envelope in Jiang Bai's hand, then at the retreating Spirit Hall knights behind him. Understanding flashed through their eyes, and they made no move to stop him.

What a joke. A child personally escorted by Spirit Hall's Hall Protector Knights, carrying official documents stamped with the Hall's seal—how would they dare stop him?

They even skipped the routine questioning.

Jiang Bai entered the academy without issue.

Following the signs along the school roads, Jiang Bai walked along the main road for about ten minutes before a simple yet elegant three-story building appeared before him.

Far fewer people came and went here, making the area notably quiet.

He took a look around the first floor and quickly found a room with a sign reading "New Student Enrollment Office."

The door was half-open, and the faint sound of papers rustling came from within.

Jiang Bai steadied himself, raised his hand, and knocked on the door three times—not too hard, not too softly.

"Come in."

A somewhat cool female voice came from inside.