Under the envious and longing gazes of others, Qian Yuelong and Xie Yue walked out of the passageway of the fourth battle platform one after the other, and after wandering around, they returned to another side hall that was similar to where they had gathered.

There are five battle platforms located underground, and this side hall acts as a connecting point, linking the five battle platforms in different directions.

When Xie Yue and Qian Yuelong came out, the side hall was empty, without a single soul master in sight.

"It was a pleasure to partner with you. I have some other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. See you at the academy."

Xie Yue spoke distantly, concerned for her younger sister and companions.

See you at the academy.

Qian Yuelong nodded politely, and watched as Xie Yue turned and prepared to go to the entrance of the battle arena where Hu Liena and Yan were.

Rarely finding herself truly unsupervised, Qian Yuelong stretched and left through the back door of the Martial Soul Hall without a second thought, heading towards the market in Luxi Town.

After entering the academy, most Soul Master academies provide unified accommodation.

There are winter and summer vacations every year, each lasting a month. The rest of the time is like university life in my previous life. If there are no courses or practical training arrangements, you can arrange your own free time.

Cultivation depends entirely on self-discipline; life is a constant struggle.

While she was in the town, Qian Yuelong decided to buy more things.

Aside from her teacher Yue Guan and grandfather Qian Daoliu, she had nothing else to worry about in Wuhun City. As for the former two, Yue Guan, one of the elders in charge of punishments, was either cultivating or busy with tasks assigned by the Wuhun Hall, or working as a henchman. He rarely spent time in Wuhun City, as his cultivation grounds were not there.

As for Qian Daoliu, he generally doesn't show his face unless there's something major that shakes the foundation of the Spirit Hall. He spends most of his time in the Hall of Worship, cultivating and serving the Angel statue. As long as he returns to Spirit Mountain, he will definitely be in the Hall of Worship, so there's no need to worry about not being able to find him.

The morning sunlight was bright and clear. Qian Yuelong, who had found a hotel in town to spend the night, yawned as she walked through the golden sunlight that was scattered on the ground to the front of the Martial Soul Hall.

When Qian Yuelong arrived, nearly three hundred young, unfamiliar faces had already gathered in front of the Martial Soul Hall.

In fact, yesterday was the last day of the spring enrollment for the Spirit Hall Academy.

They were all freshmen who participated in and passed the final assessment, and their number was quite considerable.

The Spirit Hall Academy's spring enrollment lasts only three days each year, and on average, it can recruit nearly three hundred new students each year.

"Da da da—"

The steady, rhythmic clanging of hooves drifted from afar, and the whispers among the crowd gradually subsided as they all turned to look at the source of the sound.

"Da da, da da"

The sand swirled and fell as the horses, equipped with fine iron tack, trampled underfoot, only to be blown up again by the force of their landing hooves.

The young Soul Masters, whether huddled together or scattered, fell completely silent.

Two hundred Soul King-level Temple Knights, clad in mithril armor, rode tall horses in formation following a carriage pulled by six fine horses in the center.

The wheels rolled across the ground as spacious and imposing horse-drawn carriages came to a stop, almost taking up the entire street—this was what the referee referred to as "private car service."

Each carriage can accommodate up to eight people.

Led by Zhao Ruo, whom everyone had met yesterday, and a Soul Douluo and a Soul Saint from the admissions office, and organized by the Temple Knights, the new students entered the carriages in an orderly manner according to the grouping and numbering order drawn yesterday.

The eight people sit facing each other in half, with gaps between each other in the same row, so there won't be any awkward situations where someone is right next to another person.

Xie Yue, who was once again assigned to the same carriage as Qian Yuelong, politely nodded to his former teammate and said hello. They didn't talk for the rest of the journey.

The other six freshmen in the same carriage as the two looked at Xie Yue, who was resting with her eyes closed, and Qian Yuelong, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing at the scenery passing by the carriage window and seemingly lost in thought. Recalling the strength that the two had displayed on the battle stage yesterday, they awkwardly shut their mouths and also became wooden figures, remaining silent.

Like the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the Spirit Hall Advanced Soul Master Academy chose to use an entire mountain as its base. Nestled against the mountain and beside the water, it stands like a giant amidst the undulating mountains. The main color is white, with the iconic light gold as the secondary color. The gate tower, which is more than 20 meters high, is made entirely of iron.

Aside from the royal families of the two great empires, among all the advanced soul master academies, only the Spirit Hall is so generous.

"Creak—"

The lead carriage stopped first, and the paladin knights following behind tightened their reins, causing their horses to halt and line up in a nearly straight line of four. They then turned to open the carriage doors for the new students inside.

"Everyone, we've arrived."

With a white jade base, nine large gold characters are imprinted on it in a flowing, elegant style, and at the end of the plaque is a miniature six-winged angel symbol of the Spirit Hall.

This is where they will be staying for the next few years—the Spirit Hall Advanced Soul Master Academy!

After completing the enrollment procedures and receiving her school uniform, Qian Yuelong took the number she had drawn and headed to the eighth dormitory building. She climbed six floors, checked her dormitory number, and took out her access card to push open the door when she suddenly caught a glimpse of another slender figure checking her access card and confirming her dormitory room number.

"8605"

Hu Liena paused, reading the last digit on the access card.

Just like Xie Yue's reaction upon seeing Qian Yuelong, memories buried deep in the corner of her mind surged forth. The instant she compared Qian Yuelong's current face and distinctive hair and eye colors with those of the little girl from four years ago, Hu Liena's eyes widened in surprise: "It's you?!"

Qian Yuelong looked at the unfamiliar-looking girl and tilted her head: "?"

When did she meet such a pretty young lady? Ah, it seems there really is one.

The image of Xie Yue flashed through her mind, and then, belatedly realizing that Xie Yue must have started school around the same time as her younger sister Hu Liena, Qian Yuelong suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! It's you!" Hu Liena!

They are the future golden generation of the Spirit Hall!

Thinking that Qian Yuelong was recalling the day her martial soul awakened more than four years ago, Hu Liena smiled and her excellent eyesight allowed her to see the room number on the key card in Qian Yuelong's hand. She exclaimed, "I never thought we would meet again here."

Qian Yuelong was one of the few people who were kind to her that she and her brother had met before joining their teacher's "Elite Project" after they had been wandering around.

After the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony, she thought the other person was also an orphan like them. She waited in the side hall for a while, but the girl who made her feel close to her did not come out. She was very disappointed, but she also realized that the background of the girl who was the same age as her might not be what she thought.

But for her, the other person was one of the few people who had shown her kindness before she and her brother joined the teacher's "Elite Project" during their turbulent years of wandering.

—A side note—

I've made a personal interpretation regarding the school age.

Originally, it was "It depends on talent, but most outstanding Soul Masters only enter advanced academies at the age of 20." Now, it's been changed to "It depends on cultivation talent, with a minimum age requirement of 10+."

(End of this chapter)