Chapter 7: To the Far North
Wang Dong'er returned to the dormitory, then sat on his bed absentmindedly, replaying everything that had happened in his head.
His back was straight at first.
But little by little, tension began to creep into his shoulders.
And when he saw Ji Lin push the door open and enter, he quickly closed his eyes.
He pretended to meditate.
And chose silence instead of any direct confrontation.
As for Ji Lin, he did not disturb him.
He merely watched him in silence.
Ji Lin sighed quietly.
Then fixed his gaze on Wang Dong'er for a long moment.
His expression did not change much.
But the calm that covered his face was not empty.
It was the calm of someone who had already made up his mind.
I am going out for a while… and I will return.
Wang Dong'er kept his eyes closed.
He did not move.
And he did not speak.
Even his breathing remained steady, as though he were determined to cling to that silence until the very end.
Ji Lin looked at him for one more second.
Then turned around.
His steps were light.
But straight.
And the moment he left the room, silence fell behind him once again.
Then the door closed softly.
And as Ji Lin continued walking, his mind had already begun arranging everything.
What he would take with him.
What he would leave behind.
And what he needed to begin immediately, without hesitation.
There was no longer any room for distraction.
From this moment on, he had to arrange his own path by himself.
And because of that, Ji Lin did not change his direction.
His steps remained straight.
Calm.
And direct.
Until he headed toward the entrance of the new students' dormitory.
There, Mu En was at the entrance.
Leaning against his reclining chair in quiet stillness.
As though time itself had stopped around him.
His gray robe draped over his aged body with barely any movement.
And his eyelids hung low, as usual.
As for his expression, it remained still.
Lowered.
And devoid of any initiative.
As though he had grown used to staying in his place, moving only when something reached him that he needed to carry out.
Ji Lin's steps stopped in front of him.
He did not turn away.
And he did not add a single unnecessary word.
I want to go to the far north. Have you prepared the training materials?
Mu En's eyes opened slowly.
Then his gaze lifted directly toward him.
And he straightened slightly in his seat.
The movement was simple.
But clear.
As though his entire body had responded the instant the voice reached him.
The far north… Young Master?
I want to train there.
In the Leakproof Golden Body.
And obtain my second spirit ring.
Silence fell between them for a brief moment.
It was not the silence of refusal.
Nor the silence of hesitation.
But the silence of someone who had received the order, then rearranged it inside his mind exactly as it was.
Without adding anything.
And without objecting.
Mu En fixed his gaze on Ji Lin.
Calm.
Lowered.
And filled with clear obedience.
He was not standing before him as someone sharing the decision.
Nor as someone reviewing it with him.
But as someone merely waiting to know exactly what he wanted from him.
You have made up your mind, Young Master.
I have.
Mu En lowered his head slightly.
And his expression did not change much.
No real surprise appeared on his face.
As though the decision, so long as it had come from Ji Lin, was no longer something he had the right to discuss.
Very well.
If you believe that the far north is the best choice for you.
And that the time for the second spirit ring has come.
Then this old man will follow your command.
Ji Lin fixed his gaze on him.
As for Mu En, he placed his palms on the sides of the chair.
Then rose slowly.
The movement was calm.
And free of any display.
There was nothing in it that suggested authority.
And nothing in it that suggested he was the one making the decision.
Only an old servant rising at once after receiving what he had to carry out.
If you are going to begin this path, Young Master, then I will not delay it.
Ji Lin's breathing settled.
And his face did not change.
But his gaze became even steadier.
That is what I want.
Mu En's eyes lowered slightly.
Then he inclined his head to him in clear submission.
I know.
As long as this is what Young Master wants.
Then this old man will prepare everything.
The words were not many.
But they were enough.
Enough to confirm that Mu En was not looking at this as an idea to discuss.
Nor as a decision to take part in.
But as an order given to him.
And an order like this, to him, was not something to be reviewed.
It was something to be carried out.
We will go, Young Master.
The words came short.
Clear.
And decisive.
Without circling around.
Without testing.
And without unnecessary questions.
Because the decision had already settled inside him.
And because that implanted loyalty had left him no real space to place Ji Lin in doubt.
Ji Lin remained standing steadily.
No visible joy on his face.
And no confusion.
Only that calm that appears when the first piece settles into its proper place.
When?
Today.
The word settled into the air with simplicity.
Then Mu En slowly turned his body.
His gray robe moved lightly.
Then his steps began to move forward.
It was clear that he no longer saw any need for more words.
The decision had already been made.
And the next step had already begun.
As for Ji Lin, he followed him directly.
And as he walked behind him, his mind returned to arranging everything once again.
Apex of the North.
Leakproof Golden Body.
The second spirit ring.
These were no longer matters to be postponed.
And they were no longer merely thoughts circling in his head.
They had become a real path.
A cold path.
A harsh one.
But it was the path he had to begin now.
They left the area of the new students' dormitory.
Then crossed the corridors of Shrek Academy in silence.
The buildings passed by their sides one after another.
And the wide stone courtyards seemed still beneath the light.
As for Ji Lin, he remained silent.
His eyes moved calmly.
Taking in the road before him.
Then the buildings.
Then the open distance that widened more and more the closer they came to the outside.
His breathing, meanwhile, remained steady.
And even.
As though his mind had already reached what was coming before his body did.
A short while later, they arrived outside Shrek Academy.
Mu En's steps came to a stop.
And Ji Lin stopped directly behind him.
Mu En did not speak at once.
He slowly raised his hand.
The movement was calm.
Brief.
And devoid of any display.
But the spiritual power that came from it was enough to make the air before them tremble slightly.
And in the next moment, a flying soul tool appeared before them.
Its appearance was not noisy.
Rather, its metallic frame began to take shape gradually beneath the flow of spiritual power.
Piece by piece.
And line after line.
Until its full form settled before them.
Its body was long.
And stable.
And designed with a clear smoothness suited for flying over long distances.
Rows of precise spiritual inscriptions stretched across its surface.
And interconnected metallic operating circles were distributed along both of its sides.
At its front, a clear guidance unit was fixed in place.
As for beneath it, coordinated spiritual propulsion ports appeared.
There was nothing excessive about it.
And nothing designed for decoration.
Every part of it had a clear purpose.
A clear function.
As though it had been made only to move.
And only to cross distances.
Ji Lin fixed his gaze on it for a second longer.
And his expression did not change.
But that brief pause alone was enough to reveal that he had recorded its form in his mind with precision.
This was the mark of Soul Tools in this era.
Metal.
Spiritual inscriptions.
Operating circles.
And a practical structure that cared for nothing but function.
Mu En moved forward.
Then stopped beside it.
His eyelids lowered slightly as he directed his gaze toward it, before lifting his eyes to Ji Lin once more.
Young Master, get on.
The words came out short.
Calm.
And direct.
Ji Lin stepped toward the soul tool.
His eyes swept across the metal frame once.
Across the fine inscriptions.
And across the clear arrangement of the operating circles.
He did not look for long.
But that brief glance was enough.
Enough to preserve its form in his mind.
Then he climbed in from the side.
And the moment his feet touched its floor, the sensation reached him clearly.
A solid floor beneath his feet.
Cold metal.
And a stable frame that did not tremble even once.
Mu En climbed in right after him.
Then his hand settled on the control point.
His movement was calm.
Brief.
And free of any hesitation.
In the next moment, the operating circles on both sides of the soul tool began to light up one after another.
The light was not dazzling.
But steady.
And orderly.
Then a faint hum rose from the propulsion ports below.
The air around it trembled slightly.
And the soul tool lifted from the ground with stability.
The ascent was not violent.
But smooth.
And precise.
As though the entire frame had been designed to maintain its balance no matter how the speed changed.
Then it shot forward.
In a brief instant, it rose above the level of the nearby buildings.
And Shrek Academy gradually receded into the distance behind them.
The walls appeared first.
Then the courtyards.
Then the buildings, which slowly grew smaller and smaller beneath them.
Ji Lin stood firmly inside the soul tool.
The cold wind struck his face.
And stirred a few strands of his hair.
But his body remained still.
His shoulders steady.
And his breathing even.
As for his eyes, they remained fixed on the land below.
Forests.
Roads.
Rivers.
And vast stretches of land spreading beneath them at increasing speed.
Mu En, meanwhile, remained calm at the control position.
He did not need much movement.
Only steady fingers.
A lowered gaze.
And complete control over every part of the soul tool.
Everything in it remained stable under his hand.
After a few minutes, they had completely left the range of Shrek Academy.
And the soul tool turned north.
Farther north.
And colder north.
At that moment, what awaited him was no longer just an idea.
The Leakproof Golden Body.
The second spirit ring.
And the far north.
They were no longer merely names moving through his mind.
They had become a real path opening itself before him now.
A cold path.
A harsh one.
And a direct one.
Ji Lin's eyelids lowered slightly.
Then he lifted his gaze toward the horizon.
It was distant.
Colder.
And harsher.
But no hesitation appeared in his eyes.
Nor in his stance.
Nor even in his breathing.
Only that sharp calm.
The calm that comes before the true beginning.
As for the soul tool, it continued its flight steadily.
Cutting through the sky at a constant speed.
And with every passing moment, the distance between him and Shrek grew greater.
While the distance between him and the far north grew smaller.