Twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.
Over those twenty days, Lin Mo trekked along with the caravan and finally arrived safely at their destination-Heaven Dou City-despite a few scares along the way.
Towering city walls stood majestically, their imposing weight palpable even from a distance.
Carriages and horses streamed through the gates, and pedestrians flowed past without end. Its prosperity was far beyond that of a small place like Nuoding City.
The caravan slowly stopped near the gates for the routine entry inspection.
Lin Mo jumped down from the wagon carrying the goods, shouldered his luggage, and walked over to the caravan captain.
"Captain, thank you all for looking after me along the way," Lin Mo sincerely thanked the burly caravan captain.
Hearing this, the caravan captain broke into a hearty smile and gave Lin Mo's shoulder a firm pat.
"Haha, little brother Lin Mo, you're being far too polite! We should be thanking you for everything along the way!"
He meant every word.
When they first accepted Headmaster Wang Zongchang's request to take Lin Mo along to Heaven Dou City, they had thought they were merely returning a favor by bringing a child along.
None of them had expected this young-looking boy to be so strong.
His martial soul, called Charmander, was even more formidable. They had encountered several disturbances on the road and had once nearly been targeted by a band of bandits who did not know who they were dealing with. Each time, Charmander had settled the trouble with a few blasts of flame.
Those flames were frighteningly hot, far beyond what ordinary people could withstand.
The caravan's guards had not even needed to act, and the caravan had actually ended up owing Lin Mo a considerable favor.
With a Soul Master present, few bandits would be foolish enough to provoke them.
The other caravan members nearby gathered around as well, waving warmly to Lin Mo in farewell, kind smiles on all their faces.
"Little brother Lin Mo, if you ever come back to Nuoding City, remember to look us up!"
"Safe travels!"
"Work hard at cultivating in the intermediate academy. You're sure to become someone important someday!"
Their time together had left them with an excellent impression of Lin Mo.
Although he was young, the boy was steady, neither arrogant nor impatient. He was also strong and reliable when it mattered.
Lin Mo smiled and waved to everyone too. After thanking them again, he turned and merged into the stream of people entering the city.
After entering Heaven Dou City without any trouble, Lin Mo did not rush off to wander around. Instead, he found a quiet corner, took the map out of his luggage, and studied it carefully before checking the directions with a passerby.
Heaven Dou City was simply enormous. Its roads were more than ten times as complicated as those in Nuoding City.
He silently worked out the timing. There were still three days before Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy officially began its term.
"Good, I made it in time after all." Lin Mo let out a long breath, a great stone lifting from his heart.
If he missed the start of the term, it would inevitably lead to plenty of trouble later.
Without delaying any further, he followed the map and the directions he had just received, setting off toward Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy.
Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy lay on the eastern outskirts of Heaven Dou City, occupying a sizable area in a peaceful setting.
Strictly speaking, most of Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy's grounds lay outside Heaven Dou City's walls.
After walking for about an hour, Lin Mo saw a fairly large complex of buildings appear before him.
The first thing that caught his eye was the towering iron gate. A huge plaque bearing the words "Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy" hung above it, looking exceptionally grand.
A guard in a matching uniform stood on either side of the gate.
Lin Mo swept his gaze over them, and something stirred within him.
The faint Soul Power fluctuations emanating from these two guards were unmistakably at the level of One-Ring Soul Masters.
Although they seemed to have only recently entered the Soul Master realm, with Soul Power that was not particularly substantial.
That was already enough to surprise Lin Mo.
At Nuoding Academy, the gate guards were merely ordinary people.
This alone offered a glimpse of Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy's resources and strength. It truly was beyond comparison with a junior academy like Nuoding.
He straightened his clothes and strode up to the gate.
One of the guards noticed Lin Mo. Seeing his young age and the luggage on his back, he assumed he was someone who had taken a wrong turn and come to ask for directions.
A friendly smile appeared on his face, and he took the initiative to ask, "Young fellow, this is Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy. Are you looking for someone, or is there something you need?"
His attitude was friendly, and he did not look down on Lin Mo because of his age.
Lin Mo stopped and looked up at the guard, saying politely, "Hello, uncles. I'm not looking for anyone. I'm a new student here to complete my enrollment."
"A new student?" The guard froze for a moment and exchanged a puzzled glance with his companion.
The other guard moved closer too, looking Lin Mo up and down as he asked with some uncertainty, "Young fellow, are you sure you're here to enroll in our academy?
"Have you made a mistake? We're an intermediate Soul Master academy. Our incoming students are generally around twelve years old.
"You look... like you're not even ten yet?"
It was hardly surprising that the guards were doubtful.
Students eligible to enroll in an intermediate Soul Master academy had generally just graduated from a junior academy and were around twelve years old.
Although exceptionally gifted children occasionally enrolled early, even they were at least ten.
Yet while Lin Mo's diligent cultivation and body martial soul had given him a sturdier build than others his age, his face still retained its childishness. No matter how they looked at him, he did not seem to be ten.
Lin Mo did not explain much. He merely took two things carefully out of his clothes-the enrollment recommendation letter Headmaster Wang had written himself, and the Soul Master booklet he had received after registering at Spirit Hall.
"Uncles, these are my enrollment recommendation letter and Soul Master booklet. Please take a look." Lin Mo handed both items over.
The guard who had spoken first took them with some skepticism and examined them carefully with his companion.
One look was enough to change both their expressions.
Leaving aside the contents of the recommendation letter, the Soul Master booklet clearly recorded Lin Mo's most recently updated information-
Name: Lin Mo Age: Six Martial soul: Charmander Soul Power level: Twelve First soul ring: Hundred-year
"S-six years old? Level twelve Soul Power? A hundred-year soul ring?" the guard read the information in the booklet under his breath, his eyes growing wider and wider, his face filled with disbelief.
Moreover, according to the date recorded in the booklet, Lin Mo had last registered his Soul Power at Spirit Hall only half a year ago.
He looked up at Lin Mo again, his gaze darting back and forth between Lin Mo and the booklet as he repeatedly checked whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.
The other guard leaned even closer, staring fixedly at the Soul Master booklet as he muttered, "Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy? Nuoding City? Where is that? Why have I never heard of it...?"
Lin Mo's place of departure, as recorded in the booklet, was simply too far from Heaven Dou City-so far that neither of them had even heard the names Nuoding Academy or Nuoding City.
However, Spirit Hall's exclusive seal on the Soul Master booklet and Nuoding Academy's seal on the recommendation letter could not be false.
No one would dare forge such things.
The two exchanged a glance, each seeing profound shock and a trace of excitement in the other's eyes.
Six years old, level twelve Soul Power, a hundred-year first soul ring... this little fellow's talent was frighteningly strong!
They had seen plenty of talented students during their long time guarding the gate, but this was the first time they had seen someone so outrageous.
The two scratched their heads, complicated expressions of difficulty and excitement appearing on their faces.
According to the academy's rules, Lin Mo's age and Soul Power level had indeed already met Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy's enrollment requirements.
Although Heaven Dou Intermediate Soul Master Academy's admission requirements were somewhat stricter than those of other academies, they required incoming students to be no older than twelve, with Soul Power at level thirteen or above.
However they looked at it, Lin Mo met the requirements. After all, the registration date recorded in the booklet was already half a year old. This little fellow's cultivation had already reached level twelve half a year ago, so surely he was at least level thirteen by now.
But his talent was simply too outstanding! Now that he had come to Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy, they absolutely could not let him leave. If another academy poached him, the loss would be enormous!
The guard who had asked the questions reacted quickly. He immediately said to his companion, "Stay here with this young student. I'll go in and notify Director Xue right away!
"The director must decide this personally!"
"All right, hurry!" The other guard nodded hastily, then gave Lin Mo an even kinder smile.
"Young student, please wait here a moment. We've already gone to notify the director in charge of admissions." His manner was even warmer than before.
Lin Mo nodded in understanding. "All right. Sorry for the trouble, uncle."
Lin Mo was not surprised by this situation.