Chapter 48: Canaan Academy (Probably)
A single day slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes, a flash of keen light flaring and then fading within his pupils. He had successfully broken through to rank twenty soul power. By all rights, this should have been a moment of joy—yet a trace of dissatisfaction flickered across his brow.
"Still... too slow," he murmured under his breath, his knuckles tightening unconsciously. The three Profound Water Pills had cleansed his marrow and reforged his meridians, pushing his cultivation aptitude to the very peak his body could reach. On top of that, the Mysterious Heaven Technique Sister Furina had bestowed upon him had lent wings to his training speed. And still—still, it wasn't enough. If only his original foundation hadn't been so terribly weak...
He drew a deep breath and forced down the restlessness in his heart. Whatever his misgivings, the goal had been reached. Today was the day he would set out with Sister Furina, following Brother Tianmeng's guidance, to find his second martial soul. At that thought, the shadows clouding the young man's heart were finally dispersed by anticipation.
He focused inward, sinking his consciousness into that vast, boundless spiritual sea. "Brother Tianmeng," he called, "I've reached rank twenty. When do we set out?"
Deep within the spiritual sea, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's enormous body gave a slight wriggle, forcibly suppressing the surging excitement within. "Good! Your big bro's been waiting for this day a long time too! But Yuhao—the place we're headed is no ordinary destination. It's the Far North, the bitter, frozen wasteland at the continent's extreme edge. Danger lurks everywhere. We must be fully prepared. Go and let that young lady know."
It had originally intended to say that such a perilous journey would be more difficult with more people. The Far North was home not only to the "Ice Emperor" it yearned for with all its heart, but also to the other two of the "Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North"—all Savage Beast–level existences. In its current state, protecting Huo Yuhao alone was already the absolute limit. Dividing its attention any further could invite disaster.
Yet, as the words reached its lips, it swallowed them back. It thought of Furina's endless, bewildering array of strange and wondrous methods—the Profound Water Pills that could cleanse marrow and reforge meridians, the exquisitely profound Mysterious Heaven Technique... That girl seemed to carry an endless treasury hidden somewhere on her person. Letting her come along might not be a burden at all—it might instead be an unexpected safeguard. With her capabilities, she'd surely have some way to conceal her presence and evade the senses of those Savage Beasts.
Its thoughts spinning, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm changed tack. "...Still, that girl's full of tricks, and she always has some bizarre treasures up her sleeve. Having her travel with you—even if something unexpected happens along the way, she should be able to keep you safe. Besides, the journey to the Far North is long and arduous. With her help, you'll get there much faster."
"Mm!" Huo Yuhao nodded firmly, a weight lifting from his heart. His trust in Furina was absolute—the kind born from long accumulation of reliance and admiration. In his heart, Sister Furina's presence was more reassuring than even those legendary Titled Douluo.
He rose, straightened his robes, and walked briskly toward Furina's chambers—the place known as the "Papal Palace." Though, to be entirely honest, calling it a solemn hall for handling church affairs was far less accurate than calling it her personal retreat for leisure and enjoyment.
Nowadays, the day-to-day operations of the Church of the Water God were all coordinated by that meticulous and steady Monsieur Neuvillette, with the Four Protectors (formerly the four city lords) assisting from the side. Furina, the nominal Pope and Water God, only needed to grasp the overall direction and occasionally appear before the believers to maintain her divine radiance. Even so, the church's development had continued to soar, its expansion encountering virtually no obstacles.
Arriving at the ornate door decorated with flowing water motifs, Huo Yuhao stopped and knocked lightly.
"Sister Furina, are you in?"
"In, in~ The door's not locked—come right in!" From within came Furina's distinctive voice, tinged with its usual mix of languid ease and lively energy.
"Alright."
Huo Yuhao pushed open the door and entered. He found Furina bent over the desk by the window, a fine brush in her hand, writing and sketching across an enormous unfurled scroll. Her expression was one of rare, deep concentration.
"Sister Furina, what are you working on?" Huo Yuhao drew closer with curiosity.
Furina lifted her head at the sound, her azure eyes shimmering with the light of someone charting a future. "I'm drafting the blueprint for the Church of the Water God's future structure. I feel like the current departmental setup is far too crude. It's time for a sweeping, fundamental reform."
She tapped the scroll lightly with the tip of her brush and began enumerating her vision as if she were counting treasures.
"First, I intend to establish a 'Research Department.' And this department can't just study soul tools. The people of the Douluo Continent's exploration into the very nature of martial souls, soul bones, and even soul rings is far too shallow! I want to subdivide it into several directions: one, investigating the evolutionary pathways of martial souls and how to guide them toward beneficial mutations. Two, pursuing artificial soul bone and soul ring technology."
At this, her tone grew more somber. "Soul beasts are not an inexhaustible resource. If humanity continues this unchecked, relentless slaughter, there will come a day when soul beasts face extinction. And when that happens, the entire soul master system will collapse along with them. How will humanity continue to pursue individual transcendence and power then? What's more..." A flicker of compassion crossed her eyes. "Soul beasts themselves are simply living creatures struggling to survive on this continent. They, too, have the right to exist."
Huo Yuhao listened with bated breath, his heart shaken beyond measure. He'd thought Sister Furina had been somewhat lax in her management lately, spending her days in leisurely pursuits. He had never imagined that she had been silently conceiving a plan so grand, so far-reaching. This was no longer merely about helping the poor awaken their martial souls and change their fates—this was a vision that encompassed the future of every living being on the entire Douluo Continent!
Within his spiritual sea, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was silent for a long, long moment before letting out a complex sigh. "That young girl... the direction of her heart is nothing less than the balance and continuation of the entire world. This ideal of hers... it's vaster than I ever imagined."
"Beyond that," Furina's tone turned light and brisk once more as her brush swept across the scroll, "I'm also planning to form an 'Intelligence Department.' It won't just gather secret reports on the movements of every major power across the continent—it'll also compile major events into newspapers and distribute them publicly. This will both generate additional income for the church and expand the Water God Church's influence. You should know—in certain times, guiding the direction of public opinion can decide victory or defeat far more decisively than swords and blades."
"Then, the 'Enforcement Department.' In my ideal, they should be the sharp blade that roots out evil and hunts down evil soul masters, the guardians who maintain peace and order. But, well..." She spread her hands with a touch of helplessness. "Right now, those who can truly fight are still a minority within the church. Our power, compared to a behemoth like the Star Luo Empire, is still pitifully small. So for the time being, they'll focus primarily on assisting with martial soul awakenings across the various territories."
"Next—education." A light of longing shone in Furina's eyes. "I'm going to establish an academy. I've even thought of the name: 'Canaan Academy.' It will be dedicated to nurturing the finest soul masters, soul engineers, and all manner of specialized talents. I want everyone to know who the true best academy on this continent is! Of course," she added with a sly grin, "to truly realize that goal—to build the academy into what I envision—I estimate it'll take at least ten years of bitter effort."
At last, her expression turned grave. "The final department—I call it the 'Internal Affairs Department.' Its duty is to oversee the church's own members, root out corruption, and ensure the Church of the Water God's purity. One must admit: any organization, when its scale swells to a certain point, inevitably breeds parasites. Tragedy strikes when the dragon-slayer becomes the dragon. The Church of the Water God must never repeat that mistake!"
Huo Yuhao stood rooted in place, speechless for a long moment. This grand vision, this meticulous design, these precautions against future perils yet unseen—it all utterly surpassed his imagination. He gazed at the young woman before him—at times whimsical and flighty, at others profound and far-sighted—and a deep, indescribable admiration filled his heart.
"That's incredible... Sister Furina." In the end, a thousand tangled sentiments condensed into the simplest, most heartfelt praise.
Furina, hearing this, merely waved a casual hand. A faint, almost nostalgic smile curved her lips, and her voice took on a drifting, faraway quality.
"Oh, it's nothing much. I'm merely standing on the shoulders of giants, borrowing a few faint glimmers of wisdom from those who came before."