After bidding farewell to Jun Yi and Zhu Zhuqing, Yan and Xie Yue headed towards the outer edge of the Mist Grand Canyon.
Along the way, they encountered some highway robbers, but Yan decisively took action, burning them to ashes without leaving a trace. The flames Yan can now control are much more powerful than before, and even Xie Yue felt a little apprehensive when facing them.
Having a map of the Mist Grand Canyon, the two of them left the Mist Grand Canyon in just seven days, arriving at a border town to recuperate and prepare to find a carriage to return to the Spirit Hall.
Xie Yue and Yan arrived at a restaurant, ordered some food, and then Xie Yue lay back in a chair, stretched, and said, "It's been so long since I've breathed such fresh air. I really don't want to come to a place like the Mist Grand Canyon again."
Yan, standing to the side, then spoke up, stating his plan. "I intend to return here for further training after I've completed the process of attaching the Soul Ring."
Xie Yue looked at Yan in surprise, feeling somewhat incredulous, and asked, "Really? You want to come back to this godforsaken place?"
"Well, although my Soul Power might not increase significantly here, I can improve my combat skills and experience. I can't always rely on the advantages of my Martial Soul and Soul Ring to crush my opponents and show my strength. After all, I have now become a Soul King Soul Power is enough to cope with the upcoming All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament. Next, I need to hone myself in battle to deal with even stronger enemies," Yan said seriously.
"I didn't expect you to have this idea, very good." Xie Yue nodded in satisfaction, then shared his thoughts, saying, "How about this, for the next year, I'll accompany you on your training in the Mist Grand Canyon. The following year, you'll return with me to the Spirit Hall Academy. We need to work on our teamwork with the other teammates. After all, His Holiness the Pope values this Soul Master Tournament highly, and we must give it our all to keep the championship in the Spirit Hall. What do you think?"
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
"I've already sent a message to my sister, telling her we should be back in Spirit City in about three days, and that she should come to greet us."
Xie Yue continued in a deliberately teasing tone, "Let her come pick us up, consider it a reward for you, you should be secretly happy."
Yan's reaction surprised Xie Yue. Unlike usual, Yan wasn't excited at all. He simply smiled and said, "If she has time, she can come pick me up. If she's busy, forget it. We're two grown men, capable of anything, we don't need a girl to pick us up."
"Huh?" Xie Yue was puzzled by Yan's reaction. This guy usually got extremely excited whenever he heard news about his sister, so why was he acting differently today?
"The food is here, let's eat!"
After saying that, Yan picked up a piece of meat and began to eat it, while Xie Yue stared at Yan with a look of deep doubt and disbelief as she ate her food.
After a hearty meal, the two hired a luxurious carriage to return to Spirit City. Xie Yue got into the carriage and immediately lay down on the bed that came with it, falling asleep right away. In the past six months, he hadn't had a good night's sleep, his nerves constantly on edge, fearing that an Evil Soul Master might suddenly appear and attack them.
"Yan, do you want to take a nap? This bed is quite big, enough for the two of us."
Xie Yue extended an invitation to Yan, but Yan declined, saying, "You go to sleep. I'm not sleepy yet. I'm going to cultivate properly. I'll wake you up when we get to the next place."
"Okay, I'll take a nap first, and you can sleep after I wake up."
Xie Yue assumed that Yan felt uncomfortable sharing a bed with another man, which was why he refused. However, Xie Yue also felt that it was indeed a bit strange, so he didn't say anything and simply went to sleep.
However, in the next two days, Yan's behavior made Xie Yue feel that this guy was like a different person. Apart from the necessary meal times, this guy was always cultivating. He didn't even sleep and kept meditating to cultivate his Soul Skill. This was completely inconsistent with Yan's usual behavior. If it weren't for the fact that he could answer all the questions when they talked about the past, Xie Yue would really think that the Yan in front of him who didn't look like Yan was the Yan he knew.
"Yan, aren't you going to get some sleep? We're almost at Spirit City. I'll wake you when we arrive," Xie Yue said, looking at Yan, who was sitting cross-legged like a monk.
"No need, I'm not sleepy. I already nourish my spirit during meditation and cultivation," Yan replied.
"Did something happen to you? You've completely changed!" Xie Yue asked curiously.
Yan didn't open his eyes, but slowly said, "No, this trip to the Mist Grand Canyon has been very rewarding, and I've also come to understand the importance of diligent cultivation."
"Suit yourself. I hope you can stay this calm when you see Nana later."
Xie Yue crossed his hands behind his head, leaned against the carriage window, and looked at the scenery outside without saying a word.
The carriage didn't enter the city, so the two got off in front of the gate of Spirit City. Just after getting off the carriage, they heard Hu Liena's voice from not far away.
"Brother, you're back!"
Xie Yue turned around and saw Hu Liena waving at him from beside a carriage. He waved back in response.
Then, looking at Yan beside him, he noticed that Yan's emotions were still fluctuating. Although he remained calm on the surface, his slightly trembling hands betrayed his inner feelings.
At that moment, Yan closed his eyes and then exhaled deeply.
"Let's go, Yan. Nana is here to pick us up." Xie Yue nudged Yan with her elbow, then pulled him toward Hu Liena.
The two approached Hu Liena, Xie Yue spoke first, " Nana, how long have you been waiting?"
"Not long ago, I just arrived too." Hu Liena smiled, then looked at the handsome red-haired man next to Xie Yue. She immediately felt a strange sense of familiarity, but she was certain that this was the first time she had seen this face. When she tried to make eye contact with Yan, the red-haired man turned his face away.
" Nana, guess who's next to me..."
"Yan, how come you suddenly became so handsome?"
Before Xie Yue could finish speaking, Hu Liena immediately recognized Yan's identity, which shocked both Xie Yue and Yan.
" Nana, how did you recognize him as Yan?"
Xie Yue looked at his sister in confusion, then at Yan's face. He couldn't find any resemblance between this face and the previous Yan. How did his sister recognize him?
Yan was equally shocked as he looked at Hu Liena. He was a completely different person from before; how did Hu Liena recognize him?
(End of this chapter)