Early the next morning, Niu Wenchuan and the other two finally sat up in bed, rubbing their sleepy eyes as they prepared for another day of training.
But the moment Niu Wenchuan looked up, his brow furrowed, and he blurted out, "Huh? Where's Chang'an?"
As soon as he spoke, Vincent and Han Yun followed his gaze. Yang Chang'an's bed was completely empty, with not a soul in sight.
His bedding was still piled on the bed just as it had been last night, without the slightest sign of having been folded or straightened. Clearly, he had left in a hurry and hadn't had time to tidy up.
Vincent and Han Yun exchanged a glance, neither looking particularly surprised. Yang Chang'an often got up before them, either to cultivate early or to secure a spot at the Martial Arts Arena. It had long since become routine, so neither gave it any thought as they got up to dress.
Niu Wenchuan, however, was different. He stood there, feeling increasingly uneasy the more he thought about it. He knew Yang Chang'an's temperament better than anyone. Whether he was getting up early to train or heading out on an errand, Yang Chang'an always told him before leaving first. He never slipped away without a word, much less left his bedding untidy.
Niu Wenchuan looked down at Yang Chang'an's crumpled bedding and reached out to touch the bed frame. There wasn't a trace of warmth left. Clearly, he had been gone for some time, not just a few moments.
But then he reconsidered. This was the Worship Hall's territory, guarded by its powerful experts. There was no way Yang Chang'an could come to any harm here.
At that thought, Niu Wenchuan relaxed a little. He carefully smoothed and folded Yang Chang'an's bedding, tidied the bed until it was perfectly neat, then turned and left the Dormitory with Vincent and Han Yun, heading toward the Martial Arts Arena where they trained each day.
When the three reached the Martial Arts Arena, they spotted a familiar figure in the distance, leaning against an old pagoda tree at the edge of the grounds and quietly resting with his eyes closed. Who else could it be but Yang Chang'an?
Niu Wenchuan immediately hurried over and plopped down beside Yang Chang'an. Lowering his voice, he asked worriedly:
"Chang'an, what were you doing last night? I thought something had happened to you!"
Despite Niu Wenchuan's burly build and his appearance as a brute who knew only how to fight and kill, he was remarkably attentive, more perceptive than many people known for their meticulous minds.
While tidying the bedding back in the Dormitory, he had already deduced that Yang Chang'an must have slipped out in the middle of the night, not early that morning.
At Niu Wenchuan's words, Yang Chang'an gently exhaled a stale breath before slowly opening his eyes.
The instant he opened them, a sharp gleam flashed through his previously calm gaze. Niu Wenchuan stiffened, his heart jolting. It was as though the person before him wasn't the brother he spent every day with, but a bladeless weapon suddenly drawn from its sheath, its keen edge fully bared and too piercing to look at directly!
"Chang'an, you..."
Niu Wenchuan's eyes widened, his face filled with shock and uncertainty. His mouth opened and closed, but for a long while, he couldn't form a complete sentence.
Looking at Yang Chang'an now, he felt as though the person before him was completely different from yesterday. An exceedingly subtle change had come over his bearing.
It felt remarkably similar to the accounts his grandfather Niu Yue and his father Niu Ying often gave of Grandfather Wushuang in his youth, and of the legendary Grandfather Yang Wudi!
If he hadn't grown up with Yang Chang'an and known him inside out, he would never have noticed this subtle change. Anyone else would simply have thought Yang Chang'an was still the same Yang Chang'an.
Seeing Niu Wenchuan's astonished expression, Yang Chang'an merely gave him a gentle smile and shook his head, then spoke softly enough that only the two of them could hear:
"It's nothing major. I just came across a little opportunity. I'll tell you all about it when no one's around."
Niu Wenchuan immediately nodded, suppressing his curiosity, then stood to one side without asking any more questions.
Just then, Niu Wenchuan heard footsteps behind him. Looking up, he saw Qingyu and the other three approaching.
Normally, the four would go straight to the training area in the center of the Martial Arts Arena to begin warming up. Today, however, they didn't head that way. Instead, they walked directly toward Yang Chang'an and Niu Wenchuan, their eyes all resting on Yang Chang'an.
Qingyu stopped in front of Yang Chang'an with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting, his voice full of congratulations:
"Congratulations, Chang'an! From today onward, the sky is high enough for any bird to soar, and the sea is vast enough for any fish to leap. No one will dare look down on you again!"
Indeed, with an Enshrined as his master, his future was now bright. Even the Yang and Niu families no longer needed to worry about being harassed by Spirit Hall's senior ranks.
One could say that, as long as Yang Chang'an and the Yang and Niu families didn't go out of their way to court death, it wasn't impossible for him to inherit part of the Coiling Dragon Staff clan's influence and establish a new great clan within Spirit Hall.
At the same time, Qingyu's smile grew more sincere. With Qianjun Douluo as his master, Yang Chang'an was truly one of the Worship Hall's own from this day forward.
Yang Chang'an naturally understood what Qingyu meant. He merely smiled noncommittally without saying more, then turned his gaze directly toward Shi Hao, who stood beside Qingyu.
Their eyes met. The corners of Yang Chang'an's mouth lifted slightly, and he casually offered two words:
"Wanna spar?"
Shi Hao froze for a moment at those words, blinking before he registered them. Then fierce fighting spirit blazed in his eyes, and the blood throughout his body seemed to boil.
"Absolutely! Looks like you gained quite a few insights last night. Perfect timing-I've wanted to see just how powerful the true Soul Breaking Spear really is!" Shi Hao said excitedly, his whole body brimming with eagerness.
Listening to their exchange, Niu Wenchuan roughly understood that Yang Chang'an had indeed gained something tremendous last night. But what did that last phrase, "the true Soul Breaking Spear," mean? Hadn't Chang'an's martial soul always been the Soul Breaking Spear? Why was there suddenly a "true Soul Breaking Spear" now?
Niu Wenchuan scratched his head. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't make sense of it, so he could only stand blankly to one side and watch.
Meanwhile, Yang Chang'an's and Shi Hao's gazes collided fiercely in midair, instantly striking sparks thick with the scent of gunpowder. Intense fighting spirit spread from both of them.
Quite a few people were still warming up in the Martial Arts Arena. Sensing the atmosphere around the two, they all stopped and turned to look, their faces showing their eagerness to watch the spectacle:
Were these two about to fight again?
Yang Chang'an and Shi Hao had sparred before. Both were powerful, and every match between them was especially exciting. The moment the others saw this stance, they knew the two were itching to fight again.
Just as the atmosphere grew taut as drawn swords and strung bows, Le Zhengxuan shook her head helplessly and hurried between Yang Chang'an and Shi Hao. She lightly raised both hands, instantly breaking their locked gazes.
She rolled her eyes at them in annoyance and scolded:
"Fight, fight, fight-is that all you think about all day? Have you forgotten Lord Azure Luan's rules? Practical combat is in the afternoon. Are you two asking for extra training?"
After speaking, Le Zhengxuan didn't forget to glare at Jin Li'er and Qingyu, whose eyes were also shining as they prepared to enjoy the spectacle-or even join in themselves. Finally, she looked at the bewildered Niu Wenchuan, who still hadn't grasped the situation. Her gaze clearly said, Don't you lot join in the commotion either!
At Le Zhengxuan's reprimand, displeasure crossed Shi Hao's face. He curled his lip and said reluctantly, "Fine. We'll fight this afternoon, then!"
No one dared violate Azure Luan Douluo's rules. No matter how badly he wanted to spar with Yang Chang'an, he could only obediently wait until the afternoon. Otherwise, even his grandfather wouldn't be able to save him.
"That works."
Yang Chang'an nodded as well, speaking calmly.
He had acted on a sudden impulse and forgotten that it wasn't time for practical combat yet. This really wasn't a good moment to fight.
With a single remark from Le Zhengxuan, the sparring match that had been on the verge of erupting was stopped. The onlookers withdrew their disappointed gazes and resumed their warm-ups.
The group stopped chatting as well and, following the Training Camp's rules, began the first high-intensity warm-up of the day-a hundred-thousand-meter run!
A distance of a hundred thousand meters was an enormous trial even for Soul Masters who had already obtained soul rings.
Everyone ran with all their might. Before long, they were all panting, sweat pouring down like rain. Their clothes quickly became soaked and clung uncomfortably to their bodies. By the time they finally finished the hundred thousand meters, their legs were weak with exhaustion, and they gulped down great breaths, barely able to stand.
Still, they were all accustomed to training at this intensity. After catching their breath a little, they supported one another and dashed toward the Training Camp's cafeteria.
It was worth mentioning that the food at Spirit Hall's Worship Hall Training Camp was truly beyond reproach. Every meal was a deeply nourishing medicinal dish made from precious medicinal ingredients and the meat of spirit birds and strange beasts. Eating it not only restored their stamina quickly, but also nourished their bodies and aided their cultivation.
Without such top-quality food to sustain them, even the strongest Soul Masters would never have been able to endure this hellish, high-intensity training day after day.