Spirit Academy

The closer they came to the region where Shrek City was located, the more frequent the Soul Tool trains became. Standard-issue flying Soul Tools could occasionally be seen streaking through the sky, displaying the prosperity and bustle of this core region of the continent. At a large transfer station several hundred li from Shrek City, Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena tacitly reined in the overly eye-catching auras around them.

The dazzling Golden Dragon Yueyu and the cool, noble Silver Dragon Wulin turned into specks of light and quietly disappeared back into their bodies. At the same time, their peerlessly beautiful features, enough to spark a commotion wherever they went, became far more ordinary under subtle adjustments of spiritual power. Their foundations could still be seen to be exceptional, and their temperaments remained outstanding, but once they blended into a crowd, they would no longer draw every eye at first glance. Like an ordinary young Soul Master couple from a well-off family traveling for study, they bought two premium compartment tickets to Shrek City and calmly boarded the train, which was filled with the feel of modern Soul Tool technology.

The premium compartment was quiet and comfortable, with soft seats, private viewing windows, and soundproof Soul Tool arrays that shut out the noise outside. However, they had to pass through the relatively crowded second-class carriage on their way to their compartment.

As they passed through the connection between carriages, a distinct conversation reached their ears, causing both of them to slow their steps in unison.

The speaker was a boy who looked eleven or twelve years old. His skin was slightly dark, and his large eyes held a sharp intelligence and a trace of defiance. Beside him sat a plainly dressed middle-aged woman whose face bore faint traces of hardship. She tightly gripped the child's hand, her gaze full of eager hope and a hint of helplessness that was hard to detect.

"Mom, why can't I take the entrance exam for Shrek Academy?" The boy's voice was full of grievance and confusion. "Teacher Wang said that with my talent of reaching level forty Soul Power at twelve, I have a great chance even of entering Shrek's outer court! That's Shrek! The sacred land every Soul Master dreams of!"

The boy was not quiet, and his words immediately drew sidelong glances from many nearby passengers. Twelve years old, forty levels of Soul Power, a Soul Ancestor! Even in this era, when the overall standard of Soul Masters had risen, he was unquestionably a genius! Many people looked at the woman curiously, seemingly unable to understand why someone with such talent was not being sent to Shrek.

Feeling the surrounding gazes, the woman lowered her head awkwardly, but her grip on the boy's hand tightened. She sighed and explained in a gentle yet firm voice, "Xiao Yuan, Mom knows you're outstanding, and Shrek Academy is wonderful. But we have to be realistic."

She raised her head, looked into her son's bright eyes, and patiently explained, "First, Spirit Academy is now the second-best academy after Shrek Academy. It has even surpassed the formerly famous Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. What does that mean? It means that aside from Shrek, Spirit Academy has the best resources!"

The boy pressed his lips together, seeming to want to argue, but the woman continued, "Second, and most importantly, Spirit Pagoda controls soul spirits. If you study at Spirit Academy, you'll receive the most direct internal discounts when you obtain soul spirits in the future. Do you know how much money that could save? And Spirit Academy has the broadest and most comprehensive future career paths. As long as graduates meet the requirements, they can directly join the Spirit Pagoda system. If you're capable, you can become upper management and earn everyone's respect. Even if your abilities are ordinary, you can steadily start from the bottom. At the very least, it's an iron rice bowl, and you'll never have to worry about making a living."

She reached out to stroke her son's hair, her voice filled with heartache and a touch of bitterness. "Mom knows your personality best. You don't like fighting or competing. You only want to cultivate peacefully and study the Soul Tools you like. Shrek Academy is good, but it's packed with geniuses, and the competition is too fierce. Background, resources, connections—what doesn't matter? You know our family's situation. Your father passed away early, and Mom is just an ordinary food-type Soul Master. I can barely make ends meet running a small shop. At Shrek, without the foundation those children of great families have, you'll have to fight and compete for good resources. It'll leave you exhausted and make life hard. Mom... can't bear that."

The woman paused. Tears faintly glimmered in her eyes, but she held them back. "But Spirit Academy is the most suitable and safest choice for families like ours. It can give you a visible path upward, one you can truly walk. Xiao Yuan, listen to Mom, all right?"

As Xiao Yuan listened to his mother, the defiance in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a maturity beyond his years and a trace of heaviness. He lowered his head and fell silent for a moment. When he raised it again, he had already forced out a smile and nodded firmly. "Mom, I understand. I'll go to Spirit Academy! I'll work hard. When I join Spirit Pagoda in the future, I'll make sure you live a good life!"

Seeing how sensible her child was, the woman could no longer hold back. She pulled her son into her arms, her voice choking with emotion. "Good child, my good child..."

The passengers around them, who had initially been somewhat puzzled, now mostly showed understanding and sympathy.

Reality was like this. Talent was certainly important, but the resources and choices behind it often determined a Soul Master's future path even more.

Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena silently withdrew their gazes. They exchanged a look and saw a trace of complicated emotion in each other's eyes. Neither spoke as they quietly passed through the carriage and returned to their peaceful compartment.

After closing the door and shutting out the noise outside, Tang Wulin pulled Gu Yuena down onto the comfortable seats and sighed softly. "Spirit Pagoda truly stands alone when it comes to drawing in Soul Masters and building a system around them. Soul spirits, the Ascension Platform, direct post-graduation pathways... every link connects to the next. Especially for commoner Soul Masters with decent talent but ordinary family circumstances, Spirit Academy is almost an impossible choice to refuse."

Gu Yuena leaned by the window, watching the scenery race backward outside. A trace of reminiscence and faint self-mockery flashed through her violet eyes. She spoke softly, her voice slightly distant. "Back then... I was one of the key people who pushed Spirit Pagoda to establish a Soul Master Academy."

Tang Wulin looked at her with gentle eyes and listened quietly.

"At the time, the idea was simple, and also... cruel," Gu Yuena continued, as though recounting a piece of history unrelated to herself. "Soul spirits and the Ascension Platform were the key to controlling the Soul Master class and delaying the conflict between soul beasts and humans. Establishing Spirit Academy could maximize that control. Influence them from the earliest stages of their growth as Soul Masters, select talent, instill ideals, and bind them firmly to Spirit Pagoda's chariot. The outstanding ones would become the Pagoda's backbone; the ordinary ones would become its foundation. And I could use the Dragon God Core for mental control. That way, the Spirit Pagoda of that time could remain standing forever, and I could use it to fulfill the demands of the soul beast side."

At this point, she turned to look at Tang Wulin. Her violet eyes held clear apology and the frankness that came after letting go. "Wulin, I'm sorry. Back then, responsibility and my position pushed me forward. The methods I used... were not honorable."

Tang Wulin reached out and gently drew her into his arms. His chin rested against her hair, his voice steady and full of acceptance. "No, I should be the one apologizing. I wasn't strong enough back then. I couldn't find a better path or resolve the seemingly irreconcilable conflict between soul beasts and humans early enough. That was why you had to bear so much alone, resort to those methods, and suffer so many grievances."

He held her tighter, as though he wanted to make up completely, in this moment, for the support he had failed to give her ten thousand years ago. "Let the past remain in the past. What matters is that now, we have a chance to choose again."

Gu Yuena nodded gently in his embrace. Feeling the warmth from his chest and his strong heartbeat, the ripples stirred in her heart by the past gradually settled.

"Still, from the looks of things now," Tang Wulin said, shifting to an analytical tone, "Shrek Academy seems to have retained its tradition as an 'academy of monsters.' It is elite-oriented, fiercely competitive, and focuses more on honing personal potential and character. Spirit Academy, on the other hand, is more like a massive talent cultivation and delivery system—systematic, standardized, and deeply tied to Spirit Pagoda's interests. It provides commoner Soul Masters with a relatively stable and reliable path upward. Their paths are different. Neither is necessarily better or worse; they simply serve different roles."

Gu Yuena agreed. "Mm. Shrek cultivates peak powerhouses and leaders, while Spirit Academy cultivates the foundation and core forces that support Spirit Pagoda's operations. I just don't know how far Spirit Pagoda has traveled along the path I set for it after ten thousand years. Of the two voices within it, which is stronger now, and which is weaker?"

She recalled the two Pagoda Masters mentioned in Tang Fenghua's intelligence—Qian Gu Hongchen, who feared her return, and Leng Qianshan, who hoped to restore Spirit Pagoda with her help.

Tang Wulin looked at her thoughtful profile, and an idea came to him. He tightened his grip on her hand and suggested, "Since we're both interested in the current Spirit Pagoda and Spirit Academy, and the Silver Dragon Spear's call does not seem urgent... why don't we change our itinerary?"

Gu Yuena looked up at him, a trace of confusion flashing through her violet eyes. "What do you mean?"

"We won't go to Shrek City for now." A light of exploration flickered in Tang Wulin's dark eyes. "We'll take a detour to Mingdu. We can see for ourselves what the Spirit Academy, which Spirit Pagoda pushed to establish ten thousand years ago, has become. And we can experience the changes in this political center together."

The proposal was unexpected, yet entirely reasonable. It would allow them to better understand the current balance of power on the continent and indirectly observe the attitudes within Spirit Pagoda. Perhaps they might even find some clues regarding that unseen guidance.

Gu Yuena nodded almost without hesitation. A faint smile carrying a hint of anticipation curved her lips. "All right. Then we'll go to Mingdu first."

With the decision made, Tang Wulin immediately used the Soul Tool communicator in the compartment to complete the procedures for changing their destination. The train would separate and be rerouted at the next major transportation hub, and the carriage they were in would switch onto the tracks leading to Mingdu.

Outside the window, the scenery continued to flash past. But their destination had changed. From Shrek City, which carried countless memories, they were now heading toward Mingdu—the modern metropolis representing the authority of the Federation Parliament and the place where part of Spirit Pagoda's foundation now lay.