Wind Mausoleum Pass.
It was a great city on the border between the two empires. Once through the pass, one entered the territory of the Sun Moon Empire.
Xiao Yan had now arrived at an outpost established by the Sun Moon Empire.
"Name, age, country of origin, and your reason for coming to the Sun Moon Empire?"
The man in charge of inspection was an officer in silver-white armor.
The officer looked to be around thirty, with a sharp gaze and a soldier's authority in every movement. His strength was roughly that of a Soul Elder above level thirty.
Behind him, several hundred soldiers were checking the identity papers of travelers one by one.
Beside the queues stood a peculiarly shaped metal device that glimmered whenever someone passed by.
It was Xiao Yan's first time seeing such a thing, and his gaze lingered on it.
What kind of Soul Tool is that?
Although he didn't know exactly what the Soul Tool was for, he figured it had to do with verifying identities.
The Sun Moon Empire truly deserved its reputation for advanced Soul Tools. In every respect, it was far beyond what the Star Luo Empire could match.
As the queue moved forward and Xiao Yan's turn came, he withdrew his gaze. He took the identity documents he had prepared in advance from his Soul Tool ring and handed them over.
"Xiao Yan, twelve years old, from the Star Luo Empire. I'm going to the Sun Moon Royal Academy to take part in an exchange between our two empires' academies."
"Xiao Yan, twelve years old, from the Star Luo Empire. I'm going to the Sun Moon Royal Academy to begin an exchange program between our two empires' academies."
The silver-armored officer nodded slightly and accepted the documents Xiao Yan handed him. As he looked over the information, he asked:
"You're an exchange student from the Star Luo Empire?"
"Yes." Xiao Yan nodded.
Although the two great empires had occasional dealings, exchanges between their academies were no small matter.
In particular, exchange students from imperial academies usually came after formal discussions between the higher-ups on both sides. Their status naturally couldn't be compared to that of ordinary people.
The officer examined the golden card in his hand and checked the seal on it, confirming that the documents were genuine.
"There's nothing wrong with your documents. But according to national regulations, since you're an exchange student from an academy in another empire, the receiving academy must confirm your identity and arrange the rest of your journey when you enter the Sun Moon Empire. Only then can I let you leave."
As the officer spoke, he handed the documents back to Xiao Yan, then summoned another soldier standing nearby and said to him:
"Contact an instructor at the Sun Moon Royal Academy. Tell them the exchange student from the Star Luo Empire has arrived at Wind Mausoleum Pass, and have them send someone to receive him."
"Go to the Sun Moon Royal Academy's local post and tell them the exchange student from the Star Luo Empire has arrived at Wind Mausoleum Pass. Have them send someone to receive him."
"Yes, sir!"
After receiving his orders, the soldier strode toward a watchtower to the southeast.
The officer then had a soldier escort Xiao Yan to another rest camp inside Wind Mausoleum Pass.
"All right."
Xiao Yan put away his documents, his expression calm as he waited for the arrangements to be made.
Xiao Yan knew that the academy would make arrangements once he reached the border between the two empires, so he understood that they weren't simply leaving him to wait.
While he waited, Xiao Yan examined the layout of the place.
It was somewhat different from the layout of the Star Luo Empire's border passes.
Besides conventional ballistae and defensive equipment, numerous metal devices could be seen embedded in the city walls.
A closer look revealed fine patterns engraved on their surfaces, with Soul Power faintly circulating within them.
Xiao Yan merely gave them a few curious glances and looked no further.
Putting the events of the original story together with present reality, he had come to understand.
The Sun Moon Empire had long prepared to attack the Star Luo Empire. It was only waiting for a breakthrough in Soul Guidance Technology before sweeping straight through the Star Luo Empire.
I have to learn about Soul Tools!
How can I become a grandmaster of my generation if I have a gun and don't use it?
Soul Tools were the "guns" of this era.
They combined Soul Power with metal and machinery, so that strength was no longer entirely limited by the Soul Master himself.
Countless thoughts ran through Xiao Yan's mind as he was escorted to a great hall.
He had only been seated a short while when the soldier who had left returned.
A middle-aged man in a dark blue robe followed behind the soldier.
The man appeared to be around forty, with a medium build and a silver badge on his chest. Engraved on the badge was a pattern of the sun and moon intertwined, the emblem of the Sun Moon Royal Academy.
The man appeared to be around forty, with a tall build and a silver badge on his chest.
Engraved on the silver badge was a pattern of the sun and moon intertwined, the emblem of the Sun Moon Royal Academy.
"Student Xiao Yan, this is the instructor the academy sent to receive you. He'll arrange your itinerary from here on."
After making the introduction, the soldier tactfully withdrew from the hall.
The middle-aged man's gaze settled on Xiao Yan, and a gentle smile appeared on his face:
"Are you the exchange student sent by the Star Luo Empire's imperial academy? Your name is Xiao Yan?"
"Yes, teacher."
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, his manner neither servile nor overbearing.
"My surname is Wang. My name is Wang Chengyuan, and I'm one of the teachers in charge of external exchanges at the Sun Moon Royal Academy. The academy has already received notice of this exchange, but I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."
Wang Chengyuan couldn't help taking a few more looks at him.
Xiao Yan looked young and was dressed rather plainly. There was nothing particularly eye-catching about him, but his eyes were exceptionally steady, nothing like those of a boy of twelve or thirteen.
"Nothing delayed me on the way, so I arrived ahead of time."
"That's good too."
Wang Chengyuan smiled and nodded, then led Xiao Yan out of the hall.
On the way, Xiao Yan also took out his identity badge for him to verify.
"Now that your identity has been verified, come with me. It'll still take some time to reach the Sun Moon Royal Academy from here. The academy has already arranged your accommodations. Once we arrive, I'll take you through the formalities for enrollment and the exchange program."
"Thank you, Teacher Wang."
Xiao Yan thanked him.
"You probably can't fly, can you?" Wang Chengyuan asked out of the blue.
"No." Xiao Yan shook his head.
"In that case, I'll take you to experience the special treatment the Sun Moon Royal Academy gives its new students."
The two traveled by carriage and soon arrived at an exquisitely furnished waystation.
Inside the waystation were several very peculiar flying machines.
The machines were streamlined overall, their main bodies made of silver-white metal, with mechanical structures resembling birds' wings attached to either side.
Each feathered wing had been finely polished. The feathers were connected by special metal shafts, and Soul Power conduction devices were embedded at their ends.
Xiao Yan needed only one look to guess what they were.
In the original story, when Huo Yuhao went to the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy as an exchange student under Shrek Academy's arrangements, he had tried a flying machine with Bionic Feather Wings.
"Teacher Wang, is this a Flying Soul Tool?"
"You could say that."
Wang Chengyuan smiled and nodded, walking over to one of them.
"To be precise, these are called Bionic Feather Wings, an auxiliary flight-type Soul Tool. They aren't as agile as a true Flying Soul Tool, but they make up for it with a stable structure and easy maintenance. They also don't require the user to be able to fly."
After introducing the pair of Bionic Feather Wings, Wang Chengyuan explained to Xiao Yan how to use them.
Xiao Yan quickly familiarized himself with their use.
Once Xiao Yan had familiarized himself with them, Wang Chengyuan said, "Let's set off now!"
"Teacher Wang, I have a question," Xiao Yan said.
"Go ahead." Wang Chengyuan nodded.
"Before I came to the Sun Moon Royal Academy, I heard that Soul Engineers at the academy are divided into research and combat branches. How exactly does that work?"
"That question?"
Wang Chengyuan thought for a moment, seemingly searching for words to describe the relationship between the two.
"Actually, what you call the distinction between research-branch and combat-branch Soul Engineers is merely a matter of a Soul Master studying a particular direction. The academy doesn't force Soul Engineers to do only research or only fight."
"At the Sun Moon Royal Academy, we want well-rounded Soul Engineers, not ones who excel in only one area. If you're torn between majoring in research or combat, there's no need to worry. Our academy makes no clear distinction between the two."
Xiao Yan nodded, suddenly understanding. "So that's how it is? I understand now. Thank you, teacher."
It was like attending an open university: you could take whatever courses you wanted. You weren't barred from studying combat just because you had designated yourself as part of the research branch, and the reverse was also true.
"You're welcome. Once you enroll, there will be dedicated courses where you can learn these simple basics."