See You in the South

The Soul Device train sped along steadily, endless seascapes flashing past the carriage windows.

The azure sea met the horizon in the distance. Rolling waves crashed against the shore, and the salty, damp sea breeze seemed to seep faintly through the gaps in the windows.

Tang Wulin pressed her cheek against the cool window frame, her gaze fixed firmly outside.

As the train gradually approached its destination, towering urban skyscrapers entered her field of vision one after another.

Rows upon rows of buildings stretched upward, utterly different from the peaceful, simple Aolai City. She had never personally witnessed such a flourishing scene before.

Tang Wulin usually made a habit of acting like an older sister in front of Chen An, doing her best to maintain a mature and steady demeanor.

But she was still young, after all. The heart of a child was difficult to suppress, and her clear eyes could not bear to look away, filled with unconcealed curiosity.

The train slowly decelerated, its wheels producing a long hum as they rubbed against the tracks before finally coming to a stop at Eastsea City Station.

The moment they stepped out of the exit, the clamor of the crowd washed over them. Vehicles flowed endlessly through the streets, and all kinds of pedestrians moved back and forth.

Tang Wulin instinctively looked around, her attention firmly captured by the utterly unfamiliar surroundings, the curiosity in her heart nearly overflowing.

But as soon as the thought arose, she suddenly came back to her senses.

She was the older sister and had to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of Chen An. Her first priority was to get to Eastsea Academy and complete their registration as quickly as possible. She should not be distracted by the surrounding sights.

She concealed the curiosity in her eyes and forcibly suppressed her urge to explore, just about to turn and call Chen An over so they could head straight for the academy.

Chen An took in every subtle change in her expression.

Without showing it, he stepped forward, took Tang Wulin's hand gently, and pointed toward the bustling market not far away, his tone filled with a childlike longing.

"Wulin, I want to look around over there."

Tang Wulin was slightly startled.

The thought she had just suppressed naturally turned into the idea of indulging her little brother.

It was not that she wanted to have fun. Xiao An wanted to go take a look.

The guilt she felt over wanting to play instantly vanished. She tightened her grip on Chen An's hand, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.

"Alright, then let's have a look around. Hold on to your sister's hand. Don't get lost."

"Mm!" Chen An obediently replied.

The market was bustling with voices, and vendors' cries rose and fell one after another.

Chen An deliberately chose only inexpensive snacks and did not pick out anything costly, unwilling to add to Tang Wulin's financial burden.

The two shared simple food as they leisurely wandered through the streets and alleys. Only after filling their stomachs did they set off for Eastsea Academy.

After completing the campus access registration, the senior student in charge brought them registration forms, and the two filled them out in turn.

Once they had finished registering, they could only temporarily part ways because their dormitories had been assigned separately.

"Remember to take good care of yourself," Tang Wulin softly reminded him.

"You too," Chen An replied with a nod.

Following the student guiding him, Chen An arrived at the boys' dormitory and pushed open the room door.

Three boys were already living inside. Chen An recognized them all; they were students from Class One.

Hearing the door open, the three boys, who had just been chatting, all turned to look at him.

Zhang Yangzi was easygoing by nature. He was the first to stand, giving the newly arrived Chen An a friendly look as he took the initiative to greet him and extend his hand.

"Hello, I'm Zhang Yangzi."

"Chen An."

Chen An lightly returned the handshake, then turned toward the somewhat shy brown-haired boy beside him. Only after seeing Zhang Yangzi take the initiative did he step forward.

"I'm Wang Jinxi."

The instant they shook hands, Chen An's Dragon Scale reacted faintly to Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon King Martial Soul.

But the purity was far too low. It was not even as effective as getting drenched in the rain.

Wang Jinxi frowned and stared straight at Chen An. "You..."

Chen An suddenly realized that he had held on a little too long and hurriedly let go.

Wei Xiaofeng alone did not come forward. He sat on the upper bunk with his arms folded, looking down with a hint of scrutiny as he silently sized up Chen An, who had just entered the dormitory.

The expression between his brows revealed an intense arrogance.

"You're in Class One too?"

Chen An knew perfectly well that he had written twelve levels of Soul Power on his form. Although he possessed a Century Soul Ring, his stated Soul Power was right there on paper, so he would most likely only be assigned to Class Two.

The three before him were precisely the three strongest students in this year's Class One. All of them were Two-Ring Grand Soul Masters.

Given Wei Xiaofeng's personality, if he heard that Chen An could not get into Class One, that unpleasant expression would probably appear on his face.

Chen An had no intention of becoming close with him either and only planned to brush him off casually.

"It's a little uncertain. My Soul Power is too low, so I probably won't get into Class One."

After saying that, he did not continue the conversation. He took out the Storage Soul Device Mang Tian had given him, removed his bedding and belongings, and began making his bed on his own, ignoring the conversation behind him.

Chen An arrived outside the girls' dormitory. They had agreed to go to Teacher Mang Tian's place together, but Tang Wulin had not come down yet, so he could only wait for a while.

After tidying up, Chen An left the boys' dormitory and came downstairs to the girls' dormitory.

He and Tang Wulin had already agreed that once they finished dealing with their dormitory matters, they would go together to Mang Tian's workshop.

But students came and went below the building, and Tang Wulin was nowhere to be seen. Chen An found a stone step and sat down to wait quietly.

The afternoon sunlight spilled across the ground as the figures of two girls slowly approached.

As they passed the entrance to the dormitory building, they spotted the boy sitting alone on the stone steps at a glance.

Ouyang Zixin's eyes curved with amusement. With the playful air of a senior student, she stopped and looked down at Chen An.

"Little student, are you sitting here alone because you got lost and can't find your dormitory?"

Liu Yuxin stood beside her, looking at him with interest as well. There was a trace of teasing in her eyes, as though she were amusing a newly arrived junior.

"You're so cute, so tiny!"

Chen An had originally intended to casually brush them off with a few words.

But at that moment, the Virtual Roulette that had been silent in his mind for so long suddenly lit up, its sections quietly beginning to change.

Chen An was slightly stunned.

Could merely chatting with two ordinary senior students count as a variable of fate?

Unfortunately, he had already used up both of his drawing chances. Even though the Roulette had changed, he could not inspect its exact contents.

He could only set aside his surprise and answer their questions honestly.

"I'm not lost, Senior. I'm waiting for someone here."

Ouyang Zixin slightly raised her brows. "Waiting for someone? A classmate?"

"Mm, I'm waiting for my sister." Chen An nodded.

The two senior students exchanged a glance. Seeing the boy's calm demeanor, they did not continue teasing him.

"Then we won't disturb you. Wait well for your companion."

Ouyang Zixin waved gently, then walked away with Liu Yuxin at her side, the two chatting and laughing.

Not long after, light footsteps sounded from the corridor, and Tang Wulin quickly walked out of the dormitory building.

Her gaze swept over the backs of the two senior students leaving in the distance before shifting to Chen An beside her. She asked with slight curiosity,

"I saw you talking to someone just now. Were they people you knew?"

Chen An gently shook his head, his expression calm.

"It was nothing. They were just two senior students passing by who asked a few questions."

With that, he stood and patted the dust from the hem of his clothes.

"Let's go. We're heading to Teacher Mang Tian's place."