As time slowly passed, Dugu Bo's arrival finally stopped the plants in the courtyard from growing out of control. The birch trees, which had once stood only two stories tall, now reached forty meters.
Qingxi landed on the eaves of a neighboring house, sat down, and looked at the mass below wrapped in green vines. The vines slowly shifted, and the powerful life force they had been giving off gradually weakened.
Dugu Bo slowly opened his eyes and breathed out a mouthful of stale air. He had reaped enormous benefits from this celebration of life.
At the same time, the green vines slowly retreated, revealing a girl with long, ink-blue hair. The vines automatically wove themselves into a green dress around her. Her lashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Huh?!" Dugu Yan stared at the courtyard, now overgrown with bushes like a jungle, and couldn't make sense of what she was seeing.
Hadn't she been at home? Where was this?
"Over here." Qingxi fished out a nut and tossed it at her.
"Master? Grandpa." Dugu Yan spotted the two of them standing on the eaves and leaped up to join them.
"I've formed my core!!" Dugu Yan spun around in front of them. She could clearly feel the liquid in her dantian condensing into a black inner core. An unending stream of power surged out of it, and she could even sense the sounds of the plants' veins around her. She felt like she could control them, too.
Thinking that, Dugu Yan did just that.
She raised a hand slightly, and the flowers and grass in the courtyard seemed to answer her call. Fallen leaves rose from the ground without a breeze, forming a Taiji pattern with thousands upon thousands of them, and floated in the air.
"Go!" Dugu Yan cried softly. The leaves shot out like blades, riddling the ground with holes. The wildly growing plants were naturally not spared, and came crashing down.
"This..." Shock appeared in Dugu Bo's eyes. He hadn't expected Yan'er to be able to control leaves, let alone unleash such destructive power.
"Mm, excellent. But now the house is completely ruined." Qingxi pointed at the sunken courtyard below. Dust filled the air; it hardly looked like a place anyone could live.
"Hehe..." Dugu Yan gave an awkward laugh.
"It's fine. We can just buy another place." Dugu Bo remained calm. "I've spent the past few months in seclusion cultivating, and have already reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining. I plan to head to Sunset Forest and cultivate in seclusion there. The spiritual energy is richer, so it may be more suitable for cultivating a wood spirit root. Would either of you like to come with me?"
"I'll pass. My true body is there, so it's the same wherever I am. What about you, Yan'er?" Qingxi asked.
"I won't go either. I've just broken through to core formation, so I need to stabilize my realm. Besides, I haven't been back to school in ages, and I want to see my friends and prepare for the National Soul Master Tournament a year from now. Master, come with me! We can take care of my enrollment while we're at it." Dugu Yan rested a hand on Qingxi's shoulder and gave her a playful smile.
"Sure."
Dugu Bo said no more. Yan'er and the others were still young, after all, and young people had their own paths to follow.
"Since that's settled, I'll return to Sunset Forest. I'll come see you again in a while." He ruffled Dugu Yan's hair, his eyes full of affection. "If anyone dares to bully you, remember to tell Grandpa so I can stand up for you. Heaven Dou Royal Academy isn't far from Sunset Forest, either."
"Don't worry, Grandpa. Besides, who'd dare bully me?" Dugu Yan raised her chin proudly.
As if! She was now the top genius at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, a Soul King at only twenty years old. It was anyone's guess who'd bully whom.
"Take care." Qingxi lifted the barrier. She watched Dugu Bo leap across the rooftops and gradually disappear into the distance, then she and Dugu Yan jumped down from the eaves.
"Let's go, Master." After gathering a few things, Dugu Yan left the house, which had long since become a ruin, with Qingxi.
Dugu Yan led Qingxi toward the outskirts of the city. Along the way, they occasionally stopped to admire the scenery. The buildings here were grander and more imposing than those in Suotuo City. Knights in royal armor even patrolled the streets, and everywhere they looked was peaceful and flourishing.
At the city gate, Dugu Yan rented a carriage from a nearby stable, and the two of them rode out of the city.
"Is Heaven Dou Royal Academy outside the city?" Qingxi lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. It was autumn, and the dense woods along the road had turned golden. Leaves rustled, and small animals occasionally darted through the trees.
"Mm. The academy takes up a lot of land, so it was built outside the city. It only has a little over five hundred students, but it's definitely the best academy in the Heaven Dou Empire. It has mimic environments suited to cultivating every kind of Soul Master." Dugu Yan took a bite of the peach in her hand and crossed her legs as she looked out the window.
"We're about twenty li from the academy now. We should get there in time for lunch, then I can take you to handle your enrollment. But..."
"Mm?" Qingxi turned to look at Dugu Yan, prompting her to continue.
"Most of the students at Heaven Dou Royal Academy are nobles, with only a few commoners admitted through special recruitment. So there aren't many capable students. The students are divided into three grades: Heaven Micro Grade, Heaven Supreme Grade, and Heaven Dou Grade. When you enroll, they'll assess your grade. Those with Soul Power below level twenty-five are Heaven Micro Grade; those between levels twenty-five and thirty are Heaven Supreme Grade; and those above level thirty are Heaven Dou Grade. Most of the students in the first two grades are good-for-nothing rich brats who are just there to kill time. The dormitories are divided by grade, too. You're enrolling as the younger daughter of the Dugu Family—in other words, as my little sister—but our dorms aren't in the same section. Some fool might pick on you..."
"And then?"
Dugu Yan tossed aside the peach pit and said solemnly, "Please, for the sake of their noble status, don't beat them to death."
She knew what those students at Heaven Dou Royal Academy were like: they picked on the weak and feared the strong, and were good for nothing. Her master was petite and delicate-looking, the sort who seemed easy to bully, even though she was anything but.
Still, they ought to be shown a little mercy.
"I'm not that kind of person." Qingxi's face went dark. She'd thought Dugu Yan was going to say something important.
"Aw, I was only joking!" Dugu Yan said as she pounced on her, wrapping her arms around the tiny Qingxi. "You're the best, Master, and the most well-behaved. If anyone bullies you, just tell them my name. I'll protect you."
"Want to spar? Just using our Martial Souls, of course." Qingxi summoned the Universe Staff and used it to nudge Dugu Yan away, only half-joking.
"No!" Dugu Yan scooted back and waved her hands frantically.
Remembering the Soul Skill even Zhao Wuji couldn't break free from, she had to wonder: what chance did a Soul King like her, barely past level fifty, stand?
As they spoke, the carriage came to a stop.
"Ladies, we're here," the middle-aged driver said.
"Let's go!"
Qingxi followed Dugu Yan out of the carriage and looked up to see a mountain a thousand meters tall. Dense green woods covered its slopes, and magnificent white buildings appeared and disappeared among the trees. From the foot of the mountain to its highest peak, the buildings were all Western-style structures carved from white marble. Shrouded in mist, they looked like a paradise beyond the mortal world.
"This entire mountain belongs to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. There's also a forest behind it, and that lake over there belongs to the academy, too." Dugu Yan pointed to the other side of the mountain's base.
Looking over, Qingxi saw an endless lake. Under the midday sun, its surface shimmered, and fish occasionally leaped out of the water.
It was a lovely place.
Qingxi took one look at the lake and was immediately taken with it. Wouldn't it be peaceful and carefree to build a little wooden house by the water?
"Can I build a house over there and live in it?" She pointed toward the lake.
Dugu Yan looked at the distant lake and frowned slightly. "You can, but it'll be a bit far from the academy. It won't be very convenient."
"That's fine, as long as I can."
Qingxi nodded, already set on the idea. She'd build a house tonight.
Before you continue