Chapter 33: Going Home

Shi Quan chuckled, "Does this need proof? Haven't Tool Spirits always been able to absorb the Soul Rings of beast-type Spirit Beasts?"

"But plant martial souls..."

Master still wanted to explain, yet Shi Quan didn't give him the chance to speak at all, interrupting directly: "Just tell me, do plant martial souls belong to Tool Spirits or not?"

Master was speechless, and after gritting his teeth again, he replied: "They belong to Tool Spirits."

"That settles it, so don't go around saying every single theory was proposed by you. Besides, plant-type martial souls have a higher compatibility with plant-type Spirit Beasts; people who can absorb plant-type Spirit Beast Soul Rings will always choose to do so. You emphasizing here that plant martial souls can absorb beast-type Spirit Beast Soul Rings—aren't you just making excuses for yourself? I have never seen a plant-type Spirit Master absorb a beast-type Spirit Beast Soul Ring for their first Soul Ring; Tang San, you are the first!"

As he spoke, Shi Quan couldn't help but give Tang San a thumbs-up.

In Tang San's eyes, this thumbs-up was exceptionally mocking.

"However, a Datura Snake is not much more powerful than a plant-type Spirit Beast, Master Yu, you've put in the effort!" Shi Quan then pointed his thumb toward Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang's expression was ugly. Others might not know how the Datura Snake died, but he and Tang San both knew clearly that he had barely contributed; while it was said to be Tang San's lucky strike, in reality, it was Tang San who killed it through his own strength.

"Xiao Quan..."

Shi Quan had originally wanted to disgust the two of them a bit more, but Maerde's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Teacher." Shi Quan's open mouth paused slightly, and he turned to look at Maerde, who had come down at some unknown time.

Maerde shook his head at him and criticized, "No matter what, Xiaogang is a good friend of your teacher's; show some respect."

"Understood, Teacher." Seeing Maerde, Shi Quan immediately put on an obedient look.

Glancing at Tang San and Master twice, he walked toward Maerde with a grin, "Teacher, you still couldn't bear to part with me, so you came down to see me off?"

Maerde glared at Shi Quan, "I was afraid you'd stir up some trouble before you left."

"How could I." Shi Quan shook his head quickly, "Look, Tang San asked me to spar, and I didn't even agree."

"You, you, how come I didn't know you were so glib before?" Maerde shook his head with a smile.

Shi Quan chuckled, "It's not too late to know now, right?"

Maerde and Shi Quan chatted and laughed, while the expressions of Tang San and Yu Xiaogang on the other side were the exact opposite.

"Captain, the team has finished assembling." A soldier's call came from afar.

"My Lord, we can set off." Furei looked at Shi Quan.

"Teacher, since you've already come down, you might as well see me off." Shi Quan stepped forward and took Maerde's arm.

"You, you." Maerde shook his head with a smile and shouted to Yu Xiaogang, "Xiaogang, I'll come find you in a while, wait for me."

Back gate.

The Iron Guard, with strict military discipline, had already fully assembled.

Maerde and Shi Quan walked toward the back gate, chatting and laughing, showing no sign of reluctance at the impending separation.

"Teacher, I'm leaving; I'll come see you again later." Shi Quan smilingly let go of Maerde's arm and stood on tiptoe to help him tidy his clothes briefly.

"Go on." Maerde patted Shi Quan's head affectionately.

While waving, Shi Quan walked toward the carriage prepared for him by the Iron Guard. Even after boarding, Shi Quan immediately poked his head out and kept waving goodbye to Maerde until the figure became blurry.

Watching the gradually receding figure, the smile on Maerde's face gradually disappeared, replaced by worry, "Xiao Quan, Teacher believes your theory will definitely succeed."

"In the near future, your name will surely resound across the continent and you will become a true Master!"

As his voice fell, Maerde turned and returned to the courtyard.

……

"My Lord, where are we going?"

"My home, Shi Family Village!"

……

Shi Family Village.

The sunset was falling.

Golden light spilled over the villagers chatting in the streets and alleys.

Dong, dong, dong!

The sound of iron armor clashing came from afar.

Because they were wearing iron armor, the Iron Guard's marching speed was not fast. It wasn't until night was about to fall that the group arrived outside Shi Family Village.

The commoners in the village had never seen such a scene and were immediately stunned in place.

"Captain Furei, you all can camp outside the village; I'll go in and inform the Village Chief and the others." Shi Quan quickly got off the carriage.

"My Lord, I will accompany you."

"Camp on the spot." After Furei leaped off his horse, he issued the order to the team and immediately chased after Shi Quan.

Seeing this, Shi Quan couldn't help but shake his head.

He was starting to wonder if Xue Qinghe had sent these people to monitor him or to protect him.

After entering the village, Shi Quan saw an acquaintance and immediately stepped forward to say: "Uncle Shi Yi, go tell the Village Chief that these soldiers are here to protect me, so the villagers don't need to panic. I'm going home first."

Watching Shi Quan's receding back, Shi Yi finally reacted and hurried toward the Village Chief's house.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back."

Before he even entered the door, Shi Quan's voice had already carried over.

At home, Shi Jian and Li Meili were just idling when they suddenly heard the voice outside. The two first looked at each other before they reacted.

Li Meili stood up with a start and walked quickly toward the outside, "Xiao Quan, you're back."

Shi Jian was more composed, walking toward the outside with a hint of worry in his expression.

"Mom." Shi Quan excitedly stepped forward and hugged Li Meili.

Li Meili was happy at first, but when she saw Furei behind Shi Quan, her body stiffened, "Xiao Quan, who is this?"

Shi Quan said with his head held high: "Dad, Mom, you don't need to worry. This is Captain Furei, and they are here to escort me to the Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Academy."

"Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Academy?" Li Meili and Shi Jian were both stunned.

"My lord, please come in and sit." With no time to think, Shi Jian could only invite Furei to come in and sit first.

Furei waved his hand, "You two don't need to worry about me. You can go inside and chat about your business; I will just keep watch outside the house."

"How can that be..."

Shi Jian was about to say something more, but was interrupted by Shi Quan, who said, "Dad, you don't need to worry about them. They have their own discipline. We should just talk about our own things. Let's go, let's go inside."

As he spoke, Shi Quan pulled Li Meili and Shi Jian into the main room in the middle.

Shi Jian looked at Furei at the door, then looked at Shi Quan and asked with a frown, "Aren't you still studying at Notting Junior Academy? Why are you suddenly going to Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Academy?"

"That's just because your son is amazing," Shi Quan said with a grin.

"Xiao Quan, speak properly." Li Meili glared at Shi Quan, then whispered, "This person doesn't look simple. What exactly is going on?"

"I know." Shi Quan waved his hand, "I have already graduated early from Notting Junior Academy. Because of the Dean's recommendation, he helped me apply to Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Academy, and then I was admitted by Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Academy. They are just here to escort me to study."

Shi Jian continued to ask, "Why an advanced academy? Shouldn't you be reading at an intermediate academy after graduating from a junior academy? How did you jump directly to an advanced one?"

"Didn't I tell you already? It's because your son is amazing."

Shi Jian thought of something and asked repeatedly, "What level is your soul power now?"

Shi Quan whispered mysteriously, "Level twenty-one."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian and Li Meili's eyes widened instantly, and Li Meili even covered her mouth, unable to speak.

"Alright, they know too, you don't need to be so surprised, otherwise how do you think I was admitted by Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Academy?" Shi Quan grinned and summoned his martial soul, and two gorgeous soul rings, one yellow and one purple, emerged from beneath his feet.

"Two soul rings!" Shi Jian and Li Meili's eyes were filled with shock.

"But Xiao Quan, why is one of your soul rings yellow and the other purple? I remember the Master who performed the awakening said they were white and yellow, right?" Li Meili curiously touched the soul rings beneath Shi Quan, and her hand passed right through them.

Shi Quan smiled and said, "They are all soul rings, there's no difference, they are all the same. There are even some people whose soul rings are black and red."

Furei, outside the door, couldn't help but glance into the room upon hearing this.

Can these be the same?

And black, red—are Ten-thousand-year Soul Rings and Ten-thousand-year Spirit Rings just things for you to talk about so casually?

Shi Jian asked again, "What kind of academy is Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Academy? An academy of the Heaven Dou Empire royal family?"

"Captain Furei, could you please introduce Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Academy to my parents?" Shi Quan looked at Furei at the door.

Hearing Shi Quan suddenly call him, Furei paused before reacting, then began to introduce, "Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Academy is affiliated with the Heaven Dou Empire royal family and is one of the best academies within the Heaven Dou Empire. The Dean is the current Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire. The academy has three elder teachers, all of whom are Spirit Douluo of level eighty or above. Its faculty is the strongest in the entire Empire, bar none."

Listening to Furei's introduction, Shi Jian and Li Meili's mouths had not closed since the beginning.

They had never even left Fasinuo Province, let alone the Heaven Dou Empire, which was the superior of Fasinuo Province.

And their son was now actually admitted to an academy established by the Heaven Dou Empire royal family, and the Dean was actually the current Emperor.

This was something they wouldn't have dared to imagine before, but now it had actually happened.

Even Shi Jian, who was known for his composure, was too excited to speak at this moment.

Instead, it was Li Meili who reacted first and scooped Shi Quan up, "I knew our Xiao Quan was the best."

Shi Jian was naturally happy for Shi Quan upon hearing this news, but at the same time, he felt some worry in his heart; he was worried that Shi Quan was too special and would be targeted by people with ulterior motives.

Shi Quan knew that his father was steady in his actions and would think more about everything than ordinary people. The main purpose of his return this time was to ensure his parents would not worry about him.

Shi Quan clenched his fists, held his head high, and looked at Shi Jian and Li Meili. "Once I go to study at Heaven Dou Imperial Advanced Academy, I will have the entire Heaven Dou Empire behind me. If anyone dares to bully me in the future, I'll go complain to the Emperor..."

(End of this chapter)