The bell signaling the end of the semester rang out, and Tianxing Martial Arts Academy welcomed the first winter break since the two little ones had enrolled. Carrying the harvest and glory of a full semester, along with a touch of fatigue, Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao were picked up by their parents and brought back to the familiar and warm home of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in Dragon City.
A sumptuous welcome feast had long been prepared at home. Grandfather Yu Boxuan, father Yu Mingfeng, stepmother Madam Liu, and maternal grandfather Ye Kuan gathered together. Seeing the grandchildren who had grown noticeably taller and possessed even more resolute and bright eyes, everyone beamed with joy.
They were especially full of praise upon hearing that the two little ones had performed excellently at the academy, both serving as class monitors and leading their side to victory in the final joint confrontation match despite being outnumbered.
"Good! Truly the pride of our Yu Family!" Yu Mingfeng happily hugged his son and daughter, his face glowing with pride. Although he was already the head of the sect and growing increasingly majestic, he could never hide his smugness in front of his family, especially when facing this pair of outstanding descendants.
Yu Boxuan stroked his beard and smiled, his gaze sweeping over Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao with comfort: "Ting'er, Yao'er, your progress is rapid and your temperament is excellent. Very good. It seems the foundation for your martial arts has been firmly established."
Yu Yuanchen had previously carefully investigated the cultivation levels of his two children, and a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes. After one semester, Yu Yunting's soul power had stabilized at the mid-stage of level 15, and Yu Yunyao had also reached the early stage of level 15.
What comforted him even more was that the two little ones had made solid progress in their martial arts foundation. Yu Yunting had vigorous qi and blood, faintly touching the threshold of the second rank of martial arts; although Yu Yunyao focused more on healing and control due to the characteristics of her martial soul, she also stood firmly at the mid-stage of the first rank. One must know, they had only just turned six!
This speed of progress was certainly aided by top-tier resources and innate talent, but it was inseparable from their own hard work and focus. Children were naturally playful, and to be able to endure loneliness and settle their hearts to cultivate at such an age showed that their temperament had been tempered quite well.
Ye Kuan inquired about his granddaughter's auxiliary abilities, carefully asking about Yu Yunyao's application of the Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia Martial Soul and her feelings regarding the contract with the Star-Eating Vine. Hearing the clever parts, he nodded repeatedly, his gaze toward his daughter Ye Zhilan filled with pride—it seemed his daughter's Way of Beast Taming had found an excellent successor.
Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan watched their children, who were surrounded by family and appeared slightly shy yet unable to hide their excitement, and exchanged a smile, their eyes full of tenderness and satisfaction. This trip of several months traveling around the continent had allowed them to see a more vast world, but the warmth of home would always be the deepest attachment at the end of any journey.
The days that followed were filled with long-lost leisure and warmth. Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan set aside most of their sect affairs, leaving almost all their time for their family and children.
They took the two little ones to visit the elders in Dragon City, provided guidance during sparring sessions at the sect's Martial Arts Arena (naturally suppressing the vast majority of their strength), went to the back mountains to tread through the snow in search of plum blossoms, chatted by the hearth at night, and tasted the delicious medicinal cuisine personally prepared by Ye Zhilan.
Of course, they were also inevitably pestered by the two curious little ones to recount the sights and sounds of their travels.
"Daddy, Daddy! Is the imperial palace of the Star Luo Empire really bigger than the one in Heaven Dou? Are the soul masters there all using White Tiger martial souls like the Dai Family?" Yu Yunting lay on Yu Yuanchen's lap, looking up with his small face.
"Mommy, Mommy! Is there really a spring water in the desert shaped like a crescent moon? And sand that can sing?" Yu Yunyao snuggled up beside Ye Zhilan, her eyes sparkling.
Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan smiled and recounted the things they had seen on their journey. They spoke of the martial and fierce local customs of the Star Luo Empire and its architectural style, which was vastly different from Heaven Dou; they described the grandeur and deathly silence of the endless yellow sands, as well as the tenacity of life in the oases; they depicted the magnificence and bitter cold of the Extreme North, where the land was frozen for ten thousand miles and covered in silver.
And when they spoke of their experiences in the Extreme North, the two little ones pricked up their ears even more.
"In the core circle of the Extreme North, we met two very powerful fierce beasts." Yu Yuanchen's tone was calm, yet carried a hint of recollection. "One was the Heavenly Snow Woman, whose cultivation is close to seven hundred thousand years, named Snow Empress; the other was the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, whose cultivation is close to four hundred thousand years, named Ice Empress. They are the rulers of the Extreme North, and their strength... is very powerful."
Ye Zhilan chimed in, her eyes carrying a trace of surprise and admiration: "They control the ultimate power of ice and snow, and in the environment of the Extreme North, their strength is unfathomable. Your father sparred with them at the time."
"Sparred? Daddy, you fought them?" Yu Yunting asked excitedly, "Who won?"
Yu Yuanchen smiled, his tone flat but carrying absolute confidence: "It could be considered a draw. On their home turf, with the help of the terrain, even with them joining forces, Daddy couldn't easily take them down. However..." He paused, "Daddy didn't use his true means either. After all, we weren't there to fight, but to discuss cooperation."
"Cooperation?" Yu Yunyao keenly captured the word.
"Yes, cooperation." Ye Zhilan took over, explaining gently, "The Beast Taming Contract method that Mommy and the fierce beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest researched together is something you have already experienced personally.
This method is beneficial to both humans and soul beasts. We went to find the powerhouses of the Extreme North in the hope of introducing this method to them, to open up a new and more peaceful path of coexistence between soul masters and soul beasts."
She further explained that while the contract method was good, it had its thresholds. Soul beasts needed sufficiently high bloodline potential to withstand the load brought by rapid cultivation growth; otherwise, after reaching their bloodline limit, their progress would become extremely slow.
Soul masters, on the other hand, needed sufficiently powerful Spiritual Power to contract and guide high-year soul beasts. Therefore, there were not many combinations that could truly achieve high-level contracts; it was more of a two-way elite selection.
"So, this is actually a matter that requires time and trust to slowly promote." Yu Yuanchen concluded, "The powerhouses of the Extreme North are not stupid; they can see the pros and cons. In the face of absolute strength, deception is meaningless." His implication was that with his strength, if he truly had malicious intent, there would be no need to go to such great lengths.
Yu Yuanchen smiled faintly. There was a reason why things had gone so smoothly. In the soul master world of this era, there were only so many top-tier combatants, and those with the ability to venture deep into dangerous places like the Extreme North or Star Dou to hunt high-level soul beasts were few and far between.
Therefore, although there was friction between humans and soul beasts, it was far from reaching a life-or-death point. The infighting among soul beasts was far more frequent and tragic than human soul hunting.
Thus, existences like the Snow Empress and Ice Empress did not have deep-seated hatred for humans; it was more of a sense of vigilance. After all, the blade hadn't been turned on them before. As long as sufficient strength and sincerity were shown, there was a foundation for cooperation.
The two little ones listened, half-understanding, but they generally grasped that their parents were doing something very remarkable and difficult, and their admiration for their parents grew even deeper.
The happy winter break always passed by in a flash. In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere of the Spring Festival gradually faded, and there were less than ten days left before the academy started.
That evening, after the family finished dinner, they were drinking tea and chatting in the warm pavilion. Yu Yuanchen set down his teacup, looked at his children snuggled up beside Ye Zhilan, and spoke in a gentle yet solemn tone: "Ting'er, Yao'er, there is something I need to tell you."
The two little ones looked up at their father.
"In a few days, after you start school, Mommy and I have to go out again." Yu Yuanchen said, "This time, we plan to go overseas to take a look."
"Overseas?" Yu Yunting's eyes lit up. "Is that the place with many islands in the legends?"
"Yes, but more than that." Ye Zhilan nodded and stroked her daughter's head. "I heard that the overseas is very vast, with other continents that have completely different local customs and traditions from the Douluo Continent, and there may even be unknown soul beasts and cultivation systems. We want to go and explore."
Yu Yunyao keenly captured the key information: "Will you be gone for a long time?"
Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan looked at each other and nodded gently: "The journey overseas is long, and exploration takes time. This time... it might take a few years."
"A few years?!" Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao exclaimed at the same time. The smiles on their small faces froze instantly, replaced by deep reluctance and tears about to well up. Not seeing Mommy and Daddy for a few years? For them, who had never been separated from their parents for so long, this was simply hard to accept.
Yu Yunting pursed his lips tightly, his small hands clenching into fists. Yu Yunyao's eyes turned red instantly, but she held it back, not letting the tears fall, only lowering her head and whispering: "...Oh."
Watching the two children pretending to be sensible while unable to hide their disappointment and sadness, Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan's hearts softened instantly, feeling both heartache and amusement.
"Pfft—" Ye Zhilan couldn't help but laugh out loud. She reached out and pulled her daughter into her arms, and Yu Yuanchen also laughed and ruffled his son's hair.
"Silly children," Ye Zhilan wiped the tears from her daughter's eyes and laughed, "Look at how scared you were. Your father was teasing you!"
Yu Yuanchen also couldn't help but laugh: "Who said you wouldn't see us for years? Your old man is at least a top-tier powerhouse on the continent; could I really be stumped by this bit of distance?"
The two little ones looked up, bewildered, watching their parents who had suddenly started laughing, unable to react for a moment.
A faint ripple of space flickered at Yu Yuanchen's fingertip, and a shrunken portal with an ancient design and an aura of mystery flashed and vanished: "See that? Your old man has a divine artifact that can perform ultra-long-distance spatial teleportation. Back in Dragon City, Star Dou, the Extreme North, and even your academy, I have left spatial coordinates. Going anywhere is just a step away."
Ye Zhilan added: "So, although we are going overseas to explore, we can come back to see you at any time, every once in a while, or whenever we miss you. It might even be more frequent than when you come home for the holidays!"
The truth was revealed! It turned out their parents were just teasing them!
"Daddy! You lied!" Yu Yunting immediately bristled, his small face puffed up with anger, and he waved his small fists, ready to pound Yu Yuanchen.
Yu Yunyao also lifted her head from her mother's embrace, pouting in embarrassment and annoyance, "Mom, you've learned bad habits from Dad! You made us sad for nothing!"
The warm chamber was instantly filled with sounds of "protest" and laughter. Yu Yunting pounced on Yu Yuanchen's back to "take revenge," and Yu Yunyao, rarely showing her girlish side, relentlessly tickled Ye Zhilan. The lingering Sorrow of Parting from just moments ago was instantly swept away by this warm playfulness.
After the commotion, the family of four sat down properly once more. Although Yu Yunting and Yu Yunyao were still "protesting" with their words, they felt completely at ease in their hearts, even finding their parents' occasional "prank" to be somewhat amusing.
"However, Overseas exploration does indeed take time; it's impossible to come back every day." Yu Yuanchen straightened his expression, "When your mother and I are away, you must be even more self-disciplined at the academy. Do not slack off in your Cultivation, be humble in your Interaction with others, stay calm when encountering problems, and consult with your teachers often. Remember, you are the children of Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan, but more importantly, you are yourselves."
"Mm! We know!" The two little ones nodded heavily. Knowing that their parents were not leaving for a long time, but rather going on an interesting "long-distance trip" and would still be able to return occasionally, their mindset completely relaxed, leaving only curiosity and blessings for their parents' journey.
Over the next few days, the family atmosphere became even warmer. Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan began preparing supplies for their Overseas trip, mainly organizing some Pills, information, and special items that might be needed.
They also took time to provide more in-depth guidance on their children's Cultivation, especially offering many suggestions regarding the characteristics and development direction of their Martial Soul.
Under their father's guidance, Yu Yunting gained more precise Control over his Thunder Power; under their mother's instruction, Yu Yunyao gained new insights into the perception and application of plant life energy.
On the eve of the new semester, Yu Yuanchen and Ye Zhilan personally sent their children back to Tianxing Academy. Standing outside the academy gates, they watched as the two children carried their school bags, waved goodbye, and turned to blend into the stream of returning students, their Back View appearing firm and full of vitality.
"The children have really grown up." Ye Zhilan leaned against her husband, sighing softly.
"Mm." Yu Yuanchen put his arm around her shoulders, his gaze distant, "The academy is their sky, and the Overseas world will be our new journey. Let's go, let's head home for final preparations; it's time for us to set off as well."
A new semester, a new journey. The young eagles continue to hone their wings under the sky of the academy, while the azure dragons prepare to ride the wind and waves to explore the Vast and boundless Overseas world.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan