The journey from Lan City to Godwind City normally takes five days, but Feng Xiaotian has compressed the time to three days.
It was already dark when they set off. The thirteen of them headed north along the official road, with Feng Xiaotian walking in front, his steps quick and steady. Feng Lingtian followed half a step behind him, his hand occasionally reaching into his robes—the Resonance Stone was no longer hot, but he could still feel it vibrating slightly.
On the evening of the first day, Feng Xiaotian found a grove of trees by the roadside for everyone to rest. Su Ran took out the Wind Grain Ears) she had previously stored in her Storage Soul Tool and distributed them one by one. Shi Yan took one, chewed it in a couple of bites, and without caring about the taste, leaned against a tree trunk, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. Bai Yu sat on the ground and took off her shoes—several blisters had formed on the soles of her feet, two of which had already broken, and her socks were stained with light red blood. Ye Qingyu sat next to her, tore off a piece of her bandage, and handed it to her. Bai Yu shook her head and said she didn't need it. Ye Qingyu didn't say anything and simply stuffed the bandage into her hand.
Zhong Yue returned from fetching a jug of water from the river. As he passed Shi Yan, he gently straightened Shi Yan's head, which was tilted to the side. Lu Qing leaned against the outermost tree, his eyes closed, his breathing as steady as if he were asleep. Lu Hanxiao sat beside him, saying nothing, but simply broke off half of his share of Wind Grain Ears and placed it on Lu Qing's lap. Ji Ning leaned against the back of a tree trunk, his hand without a dagger, but his fingers were constantly drawing something in the air—he had recently developed the habit of practicing thrusting trajectories with his bare hands, practicing as he walked, his fingers becoming his blade.
Jiang Lin and Cheng Luo sat side by side a little distance apart, discussing in hushed tones the details of the final Soul Fighting in Lan City. Cheng Luo drew a few lines on the ground with his finger, depicting the changes in the opponent's dual-control formation. Jiang Lin looked at it for a moment, then reached out and erased one of the lines, redrawing an arc— Cheng Luo glanced at it and nodded.
After Su Ran finished distributing the last ear of Wind Grain Ears, he was exhausted and sat down next to Su Mei'er. Su Mei'er was so sleepy that her eyelids were almost closed, but she was still talking. "I need to sleep for three days when I get back this time—no, five days—" Before she could finish speaking, she leaned her head on her brother's shoulder, and the rest of her words became a mumbled murmur. Su Ran couldn't stay awake either, and leaning against his sister's head, his breathing soon became heavy.
Feng Xiaotian leaned against another tree not far away, arms crossed, eyes closed. Feng Lingtian sat beside him, knowing his brother wasn't asleep—when Feng Xiaotian was truly asleep, his breathing would slow down, not the even but strained breathing he was doing now. Every now and then, he would open his eyes to check the sky, then glance at the resting state of the entire team, and then close his eyes again. Feng Lingtian didn't need to ask to know what his brother was calculating—at their current speed, if they didn't slow down or delay for the next two days, they could reach Godwind City by the morning of the day after tomorrow. Any faster and some people wouldn't be able to keep up; any slower and they might not make it in time. This speed was what he had calculated.
After resting for less than half an hour, Feng Xiaotian opened his eyes.
"Set off."
Everyone opened their eyes simultaneously. It wasn't the grogginess of being woken up, but a conditioned reflex—their bodies were still tired, but their minds were already prepared to continue their journey before they even opened their eyes. Shi Yan pushed himself up, Zhong Yue picked up the water bottle and slung it over his shoulder, and Su Ran stuffed the remaining Wind Grain Ears into his Storage Soul Tool. Su Mei'er rubbed her neck, lifted her head from Su Ran's shoulder, her eyes still sleepy, but her hands were already fastening the chain belt around her waist. When Bai Yu stood up, the blisters on the soles of her feet were pulled by her shoe uppers. She gasped, didn't say anything, and tightened her shoelaces again. Lu Qing stood up from under the tree, exchanged a glance with Lu Hanxiao, and neither of them spoke. Ji Ning shook his wrist and flexed his fingers—his short blade wasn't on his body, but his fingers were already his blade. Jiang Lin and Cheng Luo put away the tactical scratches on the ground and dusted off their clothes.
No one said anything. The team set off again, the thirteen men lined up in the twilight, their footsteps echoing along the silent road.
On the morning of the third day, the walls of Godwind City appeared in the morning mist.
Feng Xiaotian did not slow down, leading the entire team directly through the city gate. There were not many people on the street yet, only the stoves of the breakfast stalls were just being lit, and a few early-rising elderly people were sitting in front of the stalls drinking hot soy milk.
"Have you heard? The dean of the Godwind Academy is trying to become Titled Douluo."
"Really? That's Titled Douluo —our Godwind City has never produced one before, has it?"
"Absolutely true. My nephew works as a handyman at the academy, and he said the back mountain has been closed off for several days; nobody's allowed in."
Feng Xiaotian abruptly stopped. Feng Lingtian heard it too, and the two exchanged a glance before quickening their pace. The entire group crossed the familiar streets, heading towards the academy. Feng Lingtian walked beside his brother, his heart pounding faster than his steps. His father was about to attempt to become Titled Douluo —if he succeeded, he would be a top expert on the continent, the first Titled Douluo in the entire history of Godwind City. But the price of failure was equally heavy. Feng Lingtian had read too many examples of people failing at the last hurdle in ancient texts since childhood. He clenched his fists and quickened his pace.
The gates of the Godwind Academy were wide open, much quieter than usual. The training grounds were deserted, and a few Soul Power lamps in the teaching buildings were still lit, but the corridors were empty. Occasionally, a few lower-grade students would hurry by, their faces showing suppressed tension and excitement.
The back mountain has been sealed off.
A faint, emerald-green mist enveloped the foot of the mountain, isolating the entire back mountain from the academy. The mist appeared thin, like a veil, but upon closer inspection, a very faint, grassy scent could be detected—this was Dugu Bo's poison array, specifically designed to isolate external interference. Several teachers were on duty at the edge of the poison array. Seeing Feng Xiaotian leading the entire team, one of the middle-aged teachers quickly stepped forward to greet them.
"You're back." He lowered his voice, his tone tinged with excitement. "The Dean is in seclusion inside. Senior Dugu is protecting him—he asked us to convey a message: no matter the outcome, do what you're supposed to do, don't linger. That's the Dean's order."
Feng Xiaotian remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
But instead of leading the team away, he turned around and glanced at the entire group. After three months of running around, everyone had lost weight and become more muscular. Shi Yan's shoulders were broader than before the trip, Ji Ning had several small scars on her fingers, and Bai Yu's wrists were stronger than before—she had been practicing weightlifting even while traveling, and the calluses on her fingers were thicker than before. Su Mei'er leaned against the wall, her eyelids still drooping with sleep, but the corners of her mouth were turned up. Zhong Yue stood to the side with his arms crossed, his breathing heavier than before the trip.
Feng Xiaotian raised his head and looked towards the back mountain. The emerald green poison array flowed silently at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain peaks only showed a blurry outline in the morning mist. His father was in there.
"Let's rest for two days." Feng Xiaotian withdrew his gaze. "We'll meet at the training grounds in two days."
After everyone dispersed, Feng Lingtian didn't return to his dormitory. He walked alone to the foot of the back mountain and stood at the edge of the poison array for a while. Dugu Bo sat cross-legged not far in front of the array, his back to him, and emerald green mist slowly flowed between the two of them. Feng Lingtian didn't say anything, just stood there, looking at the mountain peaks shrouded in mist.