Spirit City stood between two hills. Its walls were not especially long, but they towered over those of every city along the way.
As the convoy approached the Gate, the competing students grew noticeably quieter. Nowhere on the continent had a denser concentration of Soul Masters. Shops along the streets sold Soul Tools and Soul Beast materials, and even the lowest-ranking patrol guards were two-ring Soul Grandmasters.
Bai Jin had barely stepped down from the carriage when three people blocked his path.
The Shrek group climbed out as well. Ning Rongrong spotted Chen Xin waiting beside the Gate and ran over with a delighted cry. The chill on Chen Xin's face vanished at once, and he reached out to smooth the hair the journey had blown out of place.
"Grandpa Sword, why did you go Soul Hunting with him again?" Ning Rongrong lowered her voice, though her eyes kept darting toward the red ring behind Bai Jin.
"To keep an eye on him. Otherwise, he'd tear the forest apart."
Bai Jin heard him clearly from a distance. "Senior Sword, that last mountain collapsed on its own."
"Shut up."
Ning Rongrong doubled over laughing. Dai Mubai and the others exchanged glances. So the rumors were true: the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's guardian Douluo, a man as cold as his sword, really did lose his composure around Bai Jin.
Tang San went to the Gate's registration desk and handed over his updated Soul Power records. The Deacon checking them looked up at him twice after seeing level forty-one and a Ten-Thousand-Year fourth ring. The commotion caused by his Clear Sky Hammer in the Canyon had yet to die down, and this black ring beyond the normal limit gave his name even more weight.
Bai Jin did nothing to shield him from