Early in the morning, before the sky had fully brightened, a faint golden light flashed across Sea God Lake, and Wang Nan's figure appeared by the lake on the Outer Courtyard side.
Half a year had passed in the blink of an eye. At this time, Shrek Academy's Outer Courtyard was still on holiday, and the Outer Courtyard Disciples had not yet returned to school; there wasn't a single person around.
Over the past six months, Wang Nan and the other six had been training with high intensity almost constantly. Their individual abilities were already considered top-tier among their peers, so coordination and team combat became the primary focus.
Under Xuan Zi's leadership, the seven of them jointly carried out six surveillance missions. The lowest cultivation of their targets was Spirit King level, while the highest was a seven-ring Spirit Saint with a Martial Soul True Body.
Besides these, team combat was also essential. Initially, their opponents were other Inner Courtyard Disciples, but later, it became Xuan Zi himself. Of course, facing a Rank 98 Super Douluo, they never won a single time.
With less than two months until the Soul Duel Tournament, Ma Xiaotao, who had the highest spirit power rank among them, finally reached a bottleneck and went with Yan Shaozhe to acquire a spirit ring. The rest of them finally got a short break.
Wang Nan took a deep breath of the moist air and slowly exhaled. Counting the time, it had been over two years since he had returned home. The first year was spent in deep meditation, the second New Year in the Star Dou Great Forest, followed by an epiphany and intensive training. By the time he found free time, it was already now.
Just as he was about to leave, Wang Nan saw Wang Yan's figure once again; he was rushing out of the teachers' office area.
"Second Uncle!" Wang Nan moved closer and called out.
Wang Yan looked up upon hearing him, and Wang Nan noticed that Wang Yan's face seemed a bit haggard, clearly a Spirit King in cultivation, yet dark circles were visible around his eyes.
"Nan'er, what are you doing here?"
"Second Uncle, I just got some free time, so I'm preparing to go home," Wang Nan said, looking at Wang Yan. "But you, Second Uncle, why do you look like you haven't slept all night?"
"Is it that obvious?" Wang Yan smiled. "You're a main Disciple for this Soul Duel Tournament, so there's nothing for me to hide. Some time ago, the Academy informed me that I would be the leading teacher for this Soul Duel Tournament, so I've been busy collecting data on other academies."
"Other academies are just like us; their main Disciples for this session were also the reserve members from the previous one. Although they rarely made a move, we can still find some characteristics."
"Don't worry, Second Uncle, don't you trust us? The most important thing for you now is to take care of yourself. If you get sick because of this, it won't be worth it."
"Alright, I'll go back and rest once I've organized these materials."
Wang Nan looked at Wang Yan and shook his head helplessly. He knew what kind of personality Wang Yan had; although he said so, he definitely wouldn't go to rest just like that.
Seeing that Wang Yan's mind was still on the upcoming Soul Duel Tournament, Wang Nan didn't waste too much of his time. After a brief chat, he walked towards the Academy's East Gate.
As his cultivation improved, the flying spirit tool Wang Nan used had become a Rank 6 spirit tool. He arrived at the Star Luo City gate without spending too much time on the journey.
Upon entering Star Luo City, Wang Nan saw many people gathered around Star Luo Plaza in front of the Imperial City. Various materials were piled up nearby, seemingly in preparation for the Soul Duel Tournament more than a month later.
Wang Nan merely glanced at it and didn't linger. He quickly arrived at his own doorstep.
Wang Nan's mother stood at the door, holding a food box, looking like she was about to go out.
"Mom, where are you going?"
"Nan'er?" Wang Nan's mother's eyes lit up. "Isn't the Soul Duel Tournament about to be held? Your Majesty's side called Spirit Masters to set up the venue. Your dad also went there to work. It's almost noon, so I'm bringing him some food."
Wang Nan was a bit confused. It was understandable to gather Spirit Masters to set up the venue, but Wang Xing, being a Spirit King in cultivation, going to do manual labor seemed a bit like overkill.
"Mom, was it a mandatory request from the Imperial family?"
"No." Wang Nan's mother chuckled, scolding him playfully. "I also know it's not appropriate for your dad, with his cultivation, to go set up the arena, but Your Majesty's side issued an announcement: any Spirit Master who participates in building the arena, in addition to basic compensation, can also get priority to buy tickets for the Soul Duel Tournament."
"Didn't you say before that you were going to represent your Academy in this Soul Duel Tournament? As soon as your dad heard that news, he rushed over to Star Luo Plaza."
Wang Nan was startled for a moment but then couldn't help but laugh. He took the food box from his mother's hand. "Then I'll deliver it."
"Let's go together. You won't be able to find your dad on your own."
Wang Nan didn't refuse, nodded, and walked side by side with his mother down the street. They didn't walk fast; Wang Nan kept telling his mother about the events of the past year. Wang Nan's mother just nodded frequently, a smile never leaving her face.
"Dad, come eat!"
Although his mother said he would be hard to find, Wang Nan still saw Wang Xing busy with something in Star Luo Plaza from afar.
At this time, the Soul Duel Tournament arena had already been set up. Wang Xing and several other Spirit Masters stood in front of a giant metal pillar next to the arena, with spirit rings surrounding them, indicating that these were tasks that only Spirit Masters could complete.
Wang Nan moved closer and found that there was more than one such metal pillar. They should be components of some large spirit tool, seemingly prepared to isolate the arena from the outside world.
Wang Xing heard the call and thought it was someone else's child, so he just casually looked up and around, but soon saw Wang Nan waving at him.
"Nan'er, you're back?" Wang Xing said a few words to the people around him, then stopped what he was doing and walked towards Wang Nan.
As he got closer, he looked down at himself again before looking back up at Wang Nan.
"You brat, you're already taller than your dad."
Wang Nan smiled, looking slightly down.
Indeed, the father he used to look up to as a child no longer seemed so tall.
"Come, let's go there and talk while we eat." Wang Xing looked around and pointed to a long bench on the side of Star Luo Plaza.
"Dad, do you still take those commissions for hunting spirit rings?"
"No, no more." Wang Xing sat on the bench, put a mouthful of rice into his mouth, and gently waved the hand holding his chopsticks. "Your Second Uncle said you already have your sixth spirit ring. For things after this, Dad can't help you much. Now, what your mother and I can do is not make you worry and not hold you back."
Wang Nan, his father, and his mother sat on the long bench, eating and chatting. Passersby occasionally walked by, watching this warm scene.
Among them were also some mortals. Perhaps they would never have imagined that the "Spirit Master adults" who were so high above them in their eyes would also have such lives.