Life at Tianxing Martial Arts Academy was a brand-new beginning for Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao, one filled with both challenges and surprises.
The siblings were assigned to different dormitory areas. The academy's facilities were excellent; the dorms were double rooms equipped with private bathrooms, clean and bright. When Yu Yunting pushed open the door to his assigned room, a boy with slightly dark skin and a sturdy build, who was busy organizing his luggage, looked up at the sound and flashed a bright, hearty smile.
"Hello! My name is Gao Zeyu, my Martial Soul is a Pole Scythe, and I'm from Gao Family Village, west of Dragon City! We're roommates from now on!" The boy's voice was loud and clear, carrying a rustic simplicity unique to the countryside.
Yu Yunting was stunned for a moment before he also revealed a gentle smile: "Hello, Gao Zeyu. I'm Yu Yunting, my Martial Soul is the Thunder Sacred Dragon, and my home is right here in Dragon City." His tone was natural, without a hint of arrogance.
Gao Zeyu's eyes lit up: "Wow! Thunder Sacred Dragon! Is... is that the Martial Soul of the honorable Yu Yuanchen? Your surname is Yu, could it be..." He realized it a beat late, his eyes widening in shock.
Yu Yunting rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed: "Yeah, Yu Yuanchen is my father."
Gao Zeyu gasped, then leaned in even more enthusiastically: "My god! I'm actually roommates with the son of the Dragon Emperor Douluo! That's amazing! Don't worry, I definitely won't go around blabbing about it!" He patted his chest to guarantee his silence, his eyes filled with admiration, yet there was no fawning or fear—only pure enthusiasm and curiosity.
Looking at this roommate who was slightly taller than him and had such clear eyes, a sense of affinity grew in Yu Yunting's heart. He liked this kind of equal and natural interaction. "It's nothing. Here, we are all just students of Tianxing Academy." He smiled and began to tidy up his bed.
The two young boys chatted as they unpacked, and they quickly grew familiar with one another. Gao Zeyu talked about interesting anecdotes from the farmlands of his hometown, while Yu Yunting shared what he had seen and heard in Dragon City; the atmosphere was harmonious.
Yu Yunting discovered that although this boy from the countryside had parents whose Martial Souls were merely a sickle and a wooden stick, his own Martial Soul was a positive mutation. With an Innate Soul Power of level seven, he possessed an optimistic and steady character, was hardworking, and was a friend worth making.
On the other side, the atmosphere in Yu Yunyao's dormitory was much quieter.
Her roommate was a girl named Cui Xiaoya, who wore a simple, elegant dress and carried herself with grace, her features soft and gentle. Upon seeing Yu Yunyao, she bowed slightly, her voice soft: "Hello, I am Cui Xiaoya. My Martial Soul is the Jade Ruyi, and I come from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I am very happy to be your roommate."
"Hello, Cui Xiaoya. I am Yu Yunyao, my Martial Soul is the Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia, and my home is also in Dragon City." Yu Yunyao returned a polite smile, her voice gentle and graceful. In front of strangers, she was accustomed to appearing quiet and well-behaved.
A flash of surprise crossed Cui Xiaoya's eyes, as she clearly guessed Yu Yunyao's identity, but she maintained her composure well and smiled: "Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia... that is the Martial Soul of the honorable Ye Zhilan, right? I have long heard of it. Please take care of me in the future."
"Let us look out for each other." Yu Yunyao smiled faintly. Both girls were delicate-minded, and they soon found common topics, chatting from the characteristics of their Martial Souls to the academy's curriculum, getting along quite well. Yu Yunyao could feel that this girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was very well-bred; although she had the reserve of a young lady from a prominent family, her heart was kind.
And so, the campus life of the two little ones officially began.
Tianxing Academy was not a free paradise. Beyond basic lodging and instruction, cultivation resources had to be earned by the students themselves. The academy had a dedicated Mission Hall, connected to the official mission platform of Dragon City, which was open to all Soul Masters.
All sorts of commissions were posted here: escorting merchant caravans, assisting in hunting Soul Rings, gathering medicinal herbs, clearing out low-level soul beasts, and so on. The rewards ranged from Gold Soul Coins to rare materials. Students from poor backgrounds could use this to earn living expenses and study resources.
Yu Yuanchen had originally intended to promote this model across the entire continent to create a standardized and safe mission platform for Soul Masters. He had even written the proposal, but unfortunately, he was too lazy to handle the specific affairs himself, and the proposal was still gathering dust in his study. However, in Dragon City, relying on the prestige of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, this system was implemented quite well and enjoyed an excellent reputation.
The academy stipulated that starting from the fourth year of the Junior Department, students had to complete a certain number of missions each year to advance (four missions in the fourth year, increasing by two each year). On one hand, this was to train the students' practical combat and survival skills; on the other, it was to prevent some students from becoming "flowers in a greenhouse" who only knew how to cultivate.
The academy would also release some exclusive "Academy Missions," which offered higher rewards and were very popular. The newly enrolled Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao did not need to worry about missions for the time being, but they had already seen many senior students moving through the Mission Hall, among whom were many commoner students in simple clothing, their eyes filled with a hunger for resources and a drive to struggle.
On the first day of formal classes, the siblings were assigned to different classrooms. The class Yu Yunting was in consisted mostly of students whose Martial Souls leaned toward the Power Attack and Agility Attack Systems; they were all energetic and had sharp eyes. Yu Yunyao's class, however, was mostly comprised of those with Support System and Control System Martial Souls, and the atmosphere was relatively gentle.
The first lesson was the highly anticipated "Martial Arts Foundation Course."
The instructor was a middle-aged man with a lean build and eyes like lightning. Without any wasted words, he led the students directly to the spacious Martial Arts Arena.
"Everyone, you are not allowed to use your Martial Souls! Now, run ten laps around the field! Warm up!" The teacher's voice was loud and unquestionable.
Immediately, a chorus of groans erupted on the field. For these children, most of whom were pampered and accustomed to relying on their Martial Souls, running ten laps relying solely on their physical bodies was nothing short of torture.
Yu Yunting, however, felt his eyes light up. He had been tempering his body with his father since he was young and had endured plenty of hardship in building his martial arts foundation, so this amount of exercise was nothing to him. He followed in the middle of the pack with ease, his breathing steady and his pace firm. Gao Zeyu, coming from a farming family, had done farm work since he was a child, so his stamina was also quite good, and he kept pace closely beside Yu Yunting.
In contrast, some students with powerful Martial Souls but a lack of exercise were panting and pale-faced after only a few laps. The teacher watched coldly from the sidelines, occasionally pointing out their form or forcing those who were clearly slacking off to do extra training. He was experienced and could tell at a glance the approximate limit of each student; the training volume varied from person to person, but the standards were never lowered.
"Running is the most basic physical reserve! A powerful Martial Soul requires an even stronger physique to support it! What will you do if your soul power is exhausted? What will you do if someone gets close to you? Without a good body, you are just meat on the enemy's chopping block!" The teacher's lecture was concise and to the point.
After the run came various strength training exercises: push-ups, squats, pull-ups... Yu Yunting completed them with ease, even feeling like he hadn't had enough. He noticed that his roommate, Gao Zeyu, although his Martial Soul quality was not as high as many of his classmates, had excellent endurance, performed the movements with standard form, and possessed an unyielding tenacity in his eyes.
This guy has a good foundation, Yu Yunting praised him silently.
After the training ended, most of the students collapsed on the ground, wailing. Yu Yunting was only slightly sweaty. He walked over to Gao Zeyu, who was panting heavily, handed him a canteen of water, and smiled gently: "Are you alright, Zeyu?"
Gao Zeyu took the water, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and said while gasping for air: "I... I'm fine! Yunting, your stamina is just too good! You don't look like someone who just awakened their Martial Soul at all!"
Yu Yunting smiled, his "humble-brag" nature inadvertently showing: "It's alright, I guess it's because my dad pushed me hard since I was little, so I'm used to it."
On the other side, the martial arts class for the support class where Yu Yunyao was located was relatively gentler, but no less easy. They needed to perform flexibility training, balance training, and some aerobic exercises to enhance endurance. Running was included, but the intensity was lighter than that of the Power Attack class. Influenced by her mother since childhood, Yu Yunyao focused on health preservation, and her physical flexibility was excellent, allowing her to complete the tasks easily and happily.
She completed every movement with ease, her posture graceful, drawing envious gazes from many classmates. Cui Xiaoya seemed to be struggling a bit, but she was also trying her best to persist, and Yu Yunyao would occasionally whisper reminders about the key points of the movements.
"Yaoyao, you know so much," Cui Xiaoya said sincerely during a break.
Yu Yunyao smiled faintly, a trace of hard-to-detect pride flashing in her eyes: "My mother taught me some." She added in her heart: And my father occasionally used his Bloodline Power to help me clear my meridians, so of course it's easier for me than for you guys.
After a day of classes, both little ones felt very fulfilled. The academy's infirmary indeed had Ye Family healing-type Soul Masters stationed there; several students who had overtrained were helped inside and soon came out full of life, which gave everyone a great sense of security.
In the evening, Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao met up at the cafeteria to exchange their experiences from the first day.
"The teacher in our class is so fierce, but he really teaches well," Yu Yunting said while gnawing on a chicken leg. "My roommate, Gao Zeyu, is a good guy, very down-to-earth."
"Our class is alright, and Cui Xiaoya is quite nice too," Yu Yunyao said, eating her vegetables in small bites. "It's just that the martial arts class is a bit tiring, but I can still keep up. Brother, are there a lot of very powerful people in your class?"
"Yeah, there are a few guys with quite strong Martial Soul auras, but if we really fought, I wouldn't be afraid of them." Yu Yunting lifted his chin, full of confidence. Although his personality was gentle, he had inherited his father's pride in his bones.
Just as the two little ones were gradually adapting to academy life, in Dragon City, at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan had finally finished packing. Sending their son and daughter to the academy had resolved a major matter, and both felt much more relaxed.
"Finally sent those two little troublemakers away." Yu Yuanchen put his arm around his wife's waist, looking at the setting sun outside the window, his tone carrying a smile and a trace of hard-to-detect emotion. "It's time for us to go and relax, too."
Ye Zhilan leaned into his embrace, her face glowing with happiness and anticipation: "Yes, for so many years, it's been either cultivation or raising children; we haven't had a good look at this world in a long time. Yuanchen, where do you want to go first?"
"Let's just wander around and see," Yu Yuanchen's gaze was distant. "The ice and snow of the Extreme North, the waves of the Vast Sea Universe, the local customs and traditions of the Star Luo Empire, and... the overseas continents; we can go see them all. By the way, we can also see how the promotion of martial arts has been going all these years."
They had planned a long journey, without a clear destination, following their hearts. This was their time, to make up for the companionship they had missed over the years due to their responsibilities.
"Should we go tell Father and Grandfather?" Ye Zhilan asked.
"No need, we already talked about it. With Father and Grandfather in the sect, nothing will go wrong. The children are also very safe at the academy." Yu Yuanchen lowered his head and kissed his wife's hair. "We'll leave quietly, so those two little ones don't get reluctant to let us go when they find out."
The next morning, when the rising sunlight bathed Dragon City, the figures of Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan had already quietly disappeared outside the sect. They were like the most ordinary travelers, embarking on a journey around the continent.
Meanwhile, at Tianxing Academy, Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao were full of anticipation for the new day, completely unaware that their parents had "abandoned" them to go off and enjoy themselves. Their story had only just turned its first page.
The fledgling eagles had left the nest, and the future sky was waiting for them to soar. Life at the academy and the winds and clouds of the continent would all become the nourishment for their growth. And their traveling parents would also, during their journey, witness and influence this world that had changed because of them.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan