Heaven Dou Royal Academy

When the carriage stopped, Ning Rongrong was the first to lift the curtain.

Before her lay an expansive stretch of wooded mountainside. Looking up from its foot, she saw stone steps disappearing into the deep shade of the trees. Through the branches and leaves, she could just make out buildings halfway up the mountain.

As for the students she had been thinking about the whole way, she did not see a single one.

"The academy is on the mountain?"

"Right up there."

Xue Qinghe was already waiting beside the road. When he saw Chen Xin get out with the two children, he stepped forward to offer his greetings before smiling and pointing the way for Ning Rongrong.

Chen An followed his gesture with his eyes and was somewhat surprised himself.

He had imagined a Soul Master Academy would simply be a large compound with more places to cultivate inside. He had never expected to arrive and find an entire mountain before him.

Especially when Xue Qinghe said that even the forest behind it and the lake at the foot of the mountain belonged to the academy, Chen An could not help taking a few extra looks.

The place really was huge.

They climbed the stone steps. A cool mountain breeze swept past, rustling the leaves and branches beside the path. At an open stretch, they could look back and see the lake at the mountain's foot, its waters glittering in the sunlight.

Ning Rongrong never stayed still along the way. Whatever she saw, she wanted to go and have a look. Chen Xin did not hurry her, only calling out when she ran too far ahead.

They rarely came out like this. As long as it did not delay their business, there was no harm in letting the children play a little longer.

Only when they reached halfway up the mountain did the academy buildings gradually become more numerous.

It was much livelier here than on the mountain path. People talked in the distance, while others practiced with their Martial Souls. Seeing Xue Qinghe bringing visitors over, the teacher responsible for receiving them hurried forward. Upon learning Chen Xin's identity, his expression grew even more respectful.

Chen Xin, however, did not let him go to much trouble.

"I brought the two children for a look. Just follow your usual arrangements."

The teacher acknowledged this and led them toward a training ground nearby.

Only then did Chen An realize that the shouts he had heard earlier had come from that direction.

Several students, considerably older than the two of them, had split into two sides and were practicing their coordination.

A boy standing at the front had already completed Martial Soul Possession. His hands had transformed into sharp claws, and a layer of gray wolf fur had grown over his body. When the staff-wielding student opposite him retreated two steps, he immediately pressed forward after him.

They exchanged several blows in succession. The staff struck the claws with sounds that suggested considerable force.

Ning Rongrong was instantly captivated. She pulled Chen An to the edge of the training ground, completely forgetting the flowers and plants she had wanted to look at earlier.

The wolf Martial Soul student fought faster and faster, but his opponent avoided meeting him head-on, parrying while retreating to the side.

Seeing an opening, he pushed off with his feet and pursued once more.

Just then, another student on the opposing side suddenly skirted the front line and rushed toward the rear from the side.

An auxiliary-type student holding a small flag stood there. He had been boosting his teammates all along, and when he saw someone coming at him, he hurriedly retreated.

But his teammate at the front had chased too far, while the other student with a round shield Martial Soul was tied up by an opponent. Neither could spare him any attention just then.

Within a few steps, the attacker had closed in.

"Stop."

The instructor spoke.

The students on the training ground immediately stopped. The boy who had chased ahead turned around, and his expression instantly soured.

He had been focused solely on what was in front of him. A little later, and the opponent would have reached the teammate behind him.

The teacher walked into their midst and pointed out their respective positions.

"You chased all the way over here. If something happened behind you, could you get back in time?"

The boy glanced at the distance without saying a word.

"What did we say before the fight started?"

"We couldn't leave him behind."

"Remember that. Again."

The teacher had them return to their positions, adjusted the distances slightly, then stepped back to the edge of the training ground.

Chen An understood what he had seen.

Looking at their individual movements, none of those students had seemed particularly worse than the others. But once someone charged ahead thinking only of himself, disorder followed behind him.

This really was different from watching Shao Heng and the others practice separately as they usually did.

As the second round began, the staff-wielding student once again tried to draw his opponent outward.

This time, the boy with the wolf Martial Soul did not give chase. After advancing two steps, he held his position again.

The other student tried to repeat his earlier trick and circle around from the side, only to find his path blocked by the round shield.

The little flag swayed, and a ray of light fell on the teammate at the front. The claws that had been pinned down by the staff suddenly lifted, actually pushing the shaft some distance away.

The boy seized the opening and advanced, finally forcing his opponent back.

The auxiliary student behind him shifted position as well, never leaving the area his teammates could cover. His opponent changed direction twice in succession but failed to rush up to him as easily as before.

Ning Rongrong watched intently. When she saw the little flag light up again, she could not help edging closer to Chen Xin.

"Grandpa Sword, his boosts strength too."

Chen Xin nodded.

"Did you see? He only sent the boost over when his teammate needed to block that blow."

Ning Rongrong watched a little longer without rushing to answer.

When she used her first Soul Skill in her daily practice, she simply summoned the tower and sent her Soul Power over. She had never really paid much attention to when delivering it might be more suitable than keeping it active all the time.

Clearly, the students on the training ground could not spend their Soul Power carelessly either. As the fight dragged on, their movements slowed, and even the light shining from the flag was no longer as steady as it had been at the start.

When this round ended, the teacher told them to rest. They went to the sidelines, some sitting cross-legged, while others could not even be bothered to talk and first tipped their heads back to gulp down some water.

As Chen An watched, his thoughts turned to his popcorn.

On the night Rongrong obtained her first soul ring, he had made her a bowl to eat before practicing her Soul Skill, saving her some time spent regulating her breath.

After several rounds of practice, these students also had to stop repeatedly to recover. If Shao Heng and the others trained this way, he could use the same method as before. They could eat some before starting, and their recovery would be thirty percent faster for the following hour.

Their usual visits to the Kitchen for meals might not happen to coincide with their training. Asking about the schedule in advance would make things much easier.

As for the new soup he had just obtained, that was better suited to drinking during their breaks.

After all, although he could produce the ingredients with Soul Power, he still could not skip cleaning, cutting, preparing, or simmering them. If he waited until a fight had actually started to set up a pot and boil water, that would certainly be quite a scene.

The thought amused Chen An himself.

Still, there was no hurry right now. Once he got back, he could discuss it with Shao Heng first and prepare the popcorn ahead of their usual training time, letting them eat it on the spot before going to practice.

The food would remain the same, but putting it into their mouths at a different time might make it more suitable.

Xue Qinghe had been keeping an eye on both children. Seeing how absorbed Chen An was, he asked with a smile.

"Would you like to see anything else?"

"They'll keep practicing in a bit, right? I'd like to watch some more."

"Of course."

Xue Qinghe did not hurry him and stayed beside him at the edge of the training ground a little longer.

After their rest, the students got up again. This time, the teacher changed the matchups, and the coordination that had just become familiar immediately changed as well.

Chen An watched with considerable interest, and Ning Rongrong no longer clamored to leave either.

Only once their lesson ended did Chen Xin lead the two children away, walking slowly along a mountain path toward another part of the grounds.

Seeing that neither seemed quite satisfied yet, Xue Qinghe said with a smile.

"When you're a little older, if you want to attend the academy, I can make inquiries for you. There are plenty of people your age here. Besides cultivating on your own, you can get to know more companions."

Chen An considered it, then shook his head.

"I'll stay in the sect for now. Cooking and cultivating are both convenient there, and Grandpa can teach me too. But when I have time in the future, I'd still like to come and watch."

It was a very practical answer.

The academy had its advantages, but he had only just gotten his own affairs in order, he was still figuring out the new soup, and so many people in the sect were looking after him. There really was no need to rush into moving somewhere else.

Besides, only after watching today had he realized how much there still was to learn. If he could not see it all in one visit, he could simply come a few more times.

Xue Qinghe did not try to persuade him otherwise.

"All right. Whenever you want to come, let me know beforehand."

Beside them, Chen Xin's smile deepened as well.

It was good that the children wanted to look beyond their surroundings, and it was equally good that they knew what they should be doing now. He had never brought them here intending to settle their plans for the next few years today.

Afterward, they walked around the academy some more and stayed for lunch.

The meal was quite lavish, and Ning Rongrong was hungry too. She lowered her head and ate quickly, but when she reached the shrimp, she clearly remembered yesterday's plate and turned to glance at Chen An.

Chen An pretended not to notice and thoroughly enjoyed his own food.

For once, he did not have to tend the stove today. The food was brought straight to him, ready to eat. What was there to be picky about?

The shrimp's seasoning leaned toward salty and savory, and its sauce had been reduced more heavily. It was different from his tea shrimp, but it went well with rice.

That afternoon, as they descended the mountain path they had taken up, Ning Rongrong finally had less energy than she had that morning.

She had been the one running out in front when they left home, and now she was the one sticking close to Chen Xin and wanting a rest after every stretch of walking.

Chen Xin simply picked her up.

Ning Rongrong happily wrapped her arms around his neck. Before they had gone far, she began telling him about the coordination she had just watched.

Chen An listened beside them, occasionally adding a comment. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, he had not found the walk boring at all.

Only after saying goodbye to Xue Qinghe and getting into the carriage did the two children quiet down.

By the time they returned to the sect, the sky was gradually darkening.

The two had dinner with Ning Fengzhi and told him about what they had seen at the academy that day before going their separate ways. Passing the Kitchen, Chen An went inside to say hello to Uncle Zhou as well.

Uncle Zhou was cleaning up. Seeing him come in, he hurriedly told him to sit down and rest.

"There's still hot water in the pot. Take some back to wash with later. If you haven't eaten enough, I'll get you another helping."

"I'm full. I just came to let you know that tomorrow will be the same as usual."

He had barely finished speaking when Fang Ming poked his head around the doorway.

"Xiao An, could you put more shrimp in tomorrow's fried rice?"

Chen An froze for a moment, then felt rather amused.

Had this fellow been waiting for him to return just to say that?

"Sure. Come early tomorrow morning and help peel the shrimp yourself."

"That's nothing. Leave it to me."

Fang Ming agreed without the slightest hesitation.

As long as he could get a few more mouthfuls in his bowl, never mind coming a little early-even asking him to prepare all of tomorrow's ingredients ahead of time would be easy enough to agree to.