After folding the letter, sealing the opening with glue, Xis carefully placed it into the mailbox. The post office had a dedicated delivery route; in about seven or eight days, the letter would reach Aisafu.
Once he had finished all that, Xis stepped out of his room. By then, the ferry was nearly at the dock.
Passing by the dining hall, he saw Mu Yang eating inside. Glancing at the darkening sky, he felt that rain was about to fall.
"Mu Yang, once the ferry docks, are you coming back to the Da Qingshan Mountains with me, or are you planning to travel on your own?"
Xis sat beside Mu Yang and casually ordered some pastries.
"I'll travel outside for a while first. I plan to see more of the outside world while I have this free time before going back. This tournament gave me a lot to think about. There are many areas where I can improve."
Mu Yang set down his chopsticks and spoke bluntly. Xis wore an expression that said, as expected.
He nodded. "Mm, it's good to broaden your horizons out there. To be honest, your martial arts are already quite good. Compared with us, what you lack is simply experience. Seeing more of the world will do you good."
At that, Xis paused, then smiled. "You've grown up now. You can decide these things for yourself. As for cultivation, there's really not much more we can teach you."
Judging from the results of this World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament, Mu Yang's performance had exceeded his expectations. The only thing he lacked was improvement in combat technique. Perhaps because he had too little fighting experience, Mu Yang was still somewhat disorganized when facing opponents. He could clearly have won more easily, yet he had spent far more effort than necessary. If his strength had not surpassed his opponent's, the final outcome would have been difficult to predict.
In lower-level contests, the importance of technique went without saying. Even in higher-level battles where power had greatly increased, combat technique still played an equally important role.
Neither Xis nor Aisafu had any way to teach him those things. He could only come to understand them himself.
All of it required experience.
"Mm." Mu Yang nodded while eating. In truth, he had recognized this himself. In the final match, if his strength had not been greater than Arlo's, the result might have been different. The eventual victor might have been Arlo of the Maple Leaf Style.
History was written by the victors. Even if the victors did not write it personally, was the history that got written not still an affirmation of them? Mu Yang was this tournament's champion, so at the post-match exchange gathering, every school praised this dark horse who had appeared out of nowhere and held him up as a model.
Yet Mu Yang, standing beneath the spotlight, also knew that he still had obvious shortcomings. At most, he was considered decent among people his age! If praise made him become smug and complacent, what achievement could he possibly attain?
A lash! A lash!
Polite flattery was a sugar-coated bullet. The proper thing to do was eat the sugar coating and spit out the bullet!
Thus, after the post-match exchange gathering ended, Mu Yang was in no hurry to return to the Da Qingshan Mountains with Xis. Instead, he planned to travel and gain experience for a while.
Besides, since he had come to the southern region, he had to find time to visit Superpower Academy and see how Meixia was doing. Otherwise, if she found out he had come all this way without visiting her, who knew how much she would complain about it?
After casually eating a few pastries, a torrential downpour had begun outside.
Rain fell upon the azure sea, raising a hazy mist. At the same time, the wind and rain intensified the waves, forcing the ferry to slow down.
An hour later, the drizzling rain gradually stopped. Delayed for a while by the storm, the ferry finally docked that afternoon.
"Mu Yang, I'll head back first, then. Be careful while you're traveling out there. Once you've had enough, come home." Before they parted, Xis reminded him again and again.
"I know." Mu Yang nodded.
"Then... take care!"
Xis was a straightforward man. After thinking it over, he realized there was not much else for two grown men to say, so he left it at that. He knew that, with Mu Yang's current strength, he would not encounter much danger even alone. After giving him a few reminders, he waved goodbye, picked up his luggage, and headed toward the train station by himself.
Watching Xis's back disappear into the crowd, Mu Yang gathered his spirits. He then turned in the opposite direction and walked away, soon vanishing into the sea of people as well.
Superpower Academy was located deep within a secluded mountain forest somewhere in the southern region. The exact time when the academy had been established was impossible to verify; in any case, it had existed since long ago.
Its mystery was much like Karin Tower in Karin's Holy Land, and all sorts of miraculous legends surrounded it among the local people. It was said that it recruited students once every few years and set up enrollment sites in nearby cities, but the academy's actual location was never revealed to outsiders.
In the tranquil old forest, birdcalls rang out noisily.
Suddenly, an azure beam shot straight through the forest, and every large tree it struck along the way toppled over.
Rumble! The tremendous noise echoed through the sky as the earth shook. Birds fluttered their wings and took flight, while thick trees, trailing green smoke, crashed to the ground. A path had actually been carved through the primeval forest.
Mu Yang had already wandered through this forest for several days. His dry rations had long since run out, so whenever he was hungry, he hunted wild animals to fill his stomach. Whenever he was sleepy, he simply found a large tree, leaped onto a branch, and fell asleep.
After several days, he had not even caught a glimpse of Superpower Academy.
"It should be somewhere nearby." Mu Yang wandered through the woods, stepping over the green ground and forcibly clearing a path.
The surrounding mountains and forests were lush and beautiful, yet exceptionally quiet. There was not the slightest trace of civilization.
Mu Yang frowned slightly and spread his psychic power throughout the surrounding area, but he still failed to discover anything unusual.
It really is hard to find. Mu Yang grumbled inwardly, though he was not surprised. If Superpower Academy truly was a place that trained Psychic Power users, then with their methods, finding it would naturally not be easy.
"If I still can't find it, I won't have a chance to see Meixia this time." Mu Yang sighed softly, feeling somewhat regretful.
However, now that he had come all this way, Mu Yang had no intention of leaving empty-handed. Even if he could not find Superpower Academy, he was prepared to cultivate here for a while.
After thinking it over, Mu Yang found a pool of water nearby, then located a relatively open area close by. He divided the Ki Blast in his hand into several streams and sent them spreading outward. Rumble! Dust billowed into the air as he actually cleared out an open space.
He then gathered wood and built a simple little cabin.
His practical skills were maxed out!
"This environment is pretty good. It can serve as a place to rest and recuperate for now." Looking at the peaceful scenery around him, Mu Yang nodded in satisfaction and decided to stay here temporarily.
Next, he cleared away the obstacles between the pool and the cabin, then carried over stones to build a stove and set up a wooden rack for grilling. His basic living facilities were complete.
"That'll do." Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Mu Yang clapped his hands and went off to look for food.
With a whoosh, Mu Yang turned into a black shadow and darted into the dense forest. Not long afterward, he returned carrying a rabbit.
He skinned it, removed its innards, then placed it on the rack to roast slowly over a low fire. As the bloody red flesh gradually turned golden-brown beneath the flames, transparent oil dripped down along the wooden rack, and a rich aroma of meat immediately filled the forest.
After finishing the roasted meat in satisfaction, Mu Yang's strength was replenished. Next, he prepared to enter Acceleration Space to cultivate.
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