Spirit Hall Academy

Ten days later.

Fang Qingshan and his nephew Duan Fan arrived safely in Spirit City.

The sun hung high overhead, its light pouring down across the city.

It was a truly enormous city, countless times larger than Notting City.

Compared to this place, Notting City was little more than a corner.

The city's overwhelming presence bore down on them. Just looking at it from afar was enough to make them feel short of breath.

The city walls stood eighty meters tall. They weren't made of the same drab gray bricks as Notting City's, but were built from massive blocks of granite, their cut surfaces as smooth as if they'd been sliced by a blade.

The city was hexagonal, with a huge Spirit Hall relief embedded in each of its six walls. The lines were sharp, and the imposing design radiated solemn grandeur.

Duan Fan stood beneath the city gate, tilting his head back to look up.

What did eighty meters even mean?

Notting City's walls weren't even a quarter as tall.

He had to crane his neck until it ached just to see the edge of the battlements.

Standing at the foot of the wall made people feel small without even realizing it.

Fang Qingshan stood beside Duan Fan. He reached out, pressed Duan Fan's head down, and said with a laugh, "Stop looking. Your neck's going to hurt."

"Pretty impressive, isn't it?"

"I felt the same way the first time I came here."

"We should go in."

Soul Master guards stood watch at the city gate. They wore the standard-issue uniforms of Spirit Hall, badges hanging at their waists, and calmly surveyed the people coming and going.

Fang Qingshan led Duan Fan through the city gate.

As soon as they entered Spirit City, Duan Fan's eyes lit up.

The interior of the city was exceptionally spacious.

The streets were at least three times wider than Notting City's main street, paved with large slabs of bluestone and kept smooth and clean.

The buildings on either side stood in neat rows. Their walls were pale gray, and the wooden door and window frames had been coated with clear varnish. Shops lined the street one after another, far more numerous than in Notting City.

There were plenty of people on the streets, but unlike the raucous bustle of Notting City, everyone here walked at an unhurried pace and spoke quietly. Everything seemed so orderly, with an ease that came from deep within.

Seeing how Duan Fan stared at everything without blinking, Fang Qingshan asked with a smile, "Isn't Spirit City much grander than Notting City?"

Duan Fan nodded. "Yes."

Fang Qingshan explained with a smile, "Most of the people who come here are Soul Masters, and most of the shops along the street sell things related to Soul Masters."

"This place really is nice. Maybe you'll be living here someday, Xiaofan."

"Let's find somewhere to eat first. After lunch, we'll go to Spirit Hall Academy."

"If you can enroll there, you'll have plenty of opportunities to get to know the city."

A little while later, the uncle and nephew found a small restaurant by the roadside. Its storefront was modest, but the inside was clean.

Fang Qingshan ordered two meat dishes and a soup, along with three bowls of rice.

Prices in Spirit City were considerably higher than in Notting City. The cost of one meal here would have been enough to eat for several days in Notting City.

But when Fang Qingshan paid, he didn't even furrow his brow. He simply pushed the dishes toward Duan Fan. "Eat more. If it's not enough, we'll order more."

"This journey has been hard on you. We've been rushing the whole way, and you haven't had proper meals or proper sleep."

Duan Fan picked up a meatball and placed it in Fang Qingshan's bowl. "You're the one who's worked hard, Uncle. We've traveled such a long way, and you've had to take care of me the whole time."

Fang Qingshan smiled warmly. "You're always so thoughtful."

After they'd eaten their fill and rested for a while, Fang Qingshan set off with Duan Fan for Spirit Hall Academy.

"When I was young, your father and I came to Spirit City many times. I can't say I know the place especially well, but I remember the basic routes."

"See those two buildings on the distant mountain? The one glittering gold halfway up is the Pope Palace, and the white building at the summit is the Douluo Palace..."

Along the way, Fang Qingshan introduced Duan Fan to many of Spirit City's landmark buildings.

Although he said they were heading straight to Spirit Hall Academy, he actually took Duan Fan sightseeing to quite a few places.

By the time the uncle and nephew reached the gates of Spirit Hall Academy, the sun was already setting.

Spirit Hall Academy stood at the foot of the hill where the Pope Palace and Douluo Palace were located.

The academy was entirely gray-white, built from massive stone pillars and arcades. From a distance, it looked as solid as a fortress.

Its main buildings rose in tiers along the slope, and they could just make out students in Spirit Hall uniforms moving about.

The academy entrance was small. Two iron-gray barred gates stood half open, with a small guard booth beside them.

The uncle and nephew had only been standing at the entrance for a short while when a middle-aged gatekeeper in a Spirit Hall uniform came out.

He stood ramrod straight, his face expressionless, but spoke politely enough. "The academy isn't open to the public. If you're here for a visit, please turn back."

Fang Qingshan stepped forward and said with a smile, "We're not here for a visit. I've brought my nephew to enroll."

The gatekeeper looked the two of them over, hesitated briefly, then said, "For enrollment, please show proof that you belong to Spirit Hall. Spirit Hall Academy is only open to insiders. Those who aren't affiliated with Spirit Hall may not enter."

Hearing this, Fang Qingshan immediately reached into his clothes, took out two badges, and handed them over.

The badges were made of a special metal. The Spirit Hall emblem was engraved on the front, and each had a name and a line of small-print information on the back.

Fang Qingshan spoke evenly. "These two badges belonged to this child's parents."

The gatekeeper took the badges and examined them, his expression turning solemn with respect.

He immediately returned them to Fang Qingshan with both hands, bowing slightly. His tone was much warmer than before. "Please, come in."

"Follow this main road straight ahead. At the end, you'll find the academy's administrative offices. Once you get there, just ask anyone, and they'll direct you to the enrollment office."

"Thank you."

Fang Qingshan put away the badges and led Duan Fan inside.

Duan Fan wasn't curious about the badges, because he'd already seen them on the road to Spirit City.

During their ten days of travel, Fang Qingshan had told him many things about his parents.

He'd also told him about the belongings his parents had left behind.

Those two badges were among them. They had served as Duan Fan's parents' identification within Spirit Hall, as well as their death certificates.

Besides those, there were two black cards, each holding ten thousand Gold Soul Coins—the death compensation paid by Spirit Hall.

As they followed the academy's main road, Fang Qingshan and Duan Fan passed quite a few students from Spirit Hall Academy.

They ranged in age from sixteen or seventeen to children about Duan Fan's age.

Some of the students looked at the uncle and nephew with curiosity, but only for a moment.

All the students hurried along, as if each of them had somewhere to be.

After walking for quite a while, Fang Qingshan and Duan Fan finally reached the academy's administrative area, as the gatekeeper had described.

Two five-story gray buildings stood on the grounds, with academy teachers constantly coming and going.

Fang Qingshan quickly asked around and found the enrollment office.