Chapter 67: Academy Site Selection, Return to Heaven Dou City
Two days later.
On the main road to Heaven Dou City, a soul tool carriage pulled by ten-year-old soul beasts known as Cloud-Stepping Horses was slowly making its way forward.
There was no one guiding it, yet the carriage steadily followed the road, heading straight toward Heaven Dou City without deviation.
The carriage, built entirely from phoenix tree wood, had intricate yet understated carvings. Upon closer look, it exuded a simple and refined beauty — the kind that echoed the essence of the Great Dao.
The natural fragrance of the phoenix wood calmed the mind and warded off insects and wild beasts alike.
This was none other than a Cloud-Stepping Carriage — a top-tier luxury item favored by the nobility.
And this particular one was from the finest batch.
Inside the carriage sat Wu Tong and Dugu Bo, who had just left Sunset Forest.
Wu Tong felt the jostling from beneath with a bit of helplessness.
He used to find this carriage quite comfortable.
But ever since that trip to Zhang Chulan's world, he'd gotten unused to it.
Compared to the comforts of modern life, this primitive world of soul masters was clearly behind in productivity and convenience.
Take transportation for example — the gap was massive.
After growing accustomed to the smooth ride of a car, this bumpy carriage naturally became unpleasant.
Sigh... So indulging in comfort really is the ladder to progress.
Once I return, I must personally craft a better means of travel. After all, I now have the technological knowledge from the Alien World.
If I can combine that with soul tool technology, I might be able to build an even better vehicle.
While enduring the discomfort, Wu Tong tried to distract himself by striking up a conversation with Dugu Bo.
"Old man, you said the academy's base has been built. Where exactly is it located?"
"You finally asked! I thought you didn't care, and you've been holding it in this whole time — it was killing me!"
The moment Wu Tong asked, Dugu Bo immediately replied with a jab.
"…"
Looking at the mischievous old man who shed all formality around familiar faces, Wu Tong was speechless.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you."
Under Wu Tong's unblinking stare, Dugu Bo relented.
"Your academy was originally meant to be built within the Heaven Dou Empire's borders, but once the other factions heard, they all objected. Nearly came to blows."
"Of course, a man of talent is coveted wherever he goes. And someone as exceptional as me — it's only natural everyone wants a piece."
Hearing that, Wu Tong laughed.
Only to see Dugu Bo glaring at him, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.
Wu Tong quickly zipped his mouth shut in gesture.
Only then did Dugu Bo continue:
"While all the factions were bickering, I thought of the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well."
"So I secured you a location nearby, just outside Sunset Forest."
"That way, it'll be more convenient for you to travel between the academy and the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well."
"The academy is built inside a valley on the eastern side of the forest, and all necessary facilities are already complete."
"As for the environment — rest assured. I supervised the construction myself. With my understanding of your tastes, I'm sure you'll love the place."
"Now, we're just waiting for you to visit and decide when to open the school."
"Then why aren't we heading straight to the academy? Why go to Heaven Dou City first?"
Wu Tong asked, a bit puzzled.
Stroking his beard, Dugu Bo chuckled:
"We're heading there to reap the harvest. These past few days, the factions have already gathered all the resources they could."
"Once they heard I was coming to find you, they surely sent people ahead to negotiate trades."
"If we don't go and collect now, what are we waiting for?"
"You're right."
Wu Tong suddenly understood.
He now looked forward to seeing just how many points these factions' gathered resources could net him.
…
Very soon, the carriage arrived at Heaven Dou City.
The guards at the gate, seeing the noble-exclusive Cloud-Stepping Carriage approaching, didn't dare to stop it and let the two pass through immediately.
The pedestrians on the street, upon seeing the carriage, didn't appear surprised.
After all, as the imperial capital, Heaven Dou City housed countless nobles of all ranks and titles.
Although not every noble could afford such a carriage, it wasn't so rare that it would cause a commotion — one could see several of them in a month.
However, none of these people knew that inside the carriage sat the renowned Poison Douluo and the brilliant scholar of martial soul theory, Wu Tong.
Regardless of what others thought, the Cloud-Stepping Horses paid no mind and steadily headed toward their destination.
…
Outside Wutong Courtyard.
A large crowd had already gathered.
One glance revealed that these were all major figures from top factions:
Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan.
Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo from Spirit Hall.
Xue Qinghe representing the Heaven Dou imperial family.
Dai Weisi representing the Star Luo imperial family.
Tang Yuehua from the Clear Sky Clan.
And the deans of the five elemental academies...
Each one was a heavyweight of the soul master world.
Yet now, they were all gathered here to await a single person's return.
The moment Dugu Bo left Heaven Dou City, every faction received word and immediately guessed his intent.
They swiftly sent representatives, along with the resources they had gathered, to Wu Tong's residence — waiting for his return.
"Wu Tong-sensei is here!!!"
Suddenly—
A sharp-eyed member of the crowd spotted a Cloud-Stepping Carriage slowly approaching.
They immediately shouted in excitement.
Everyone looked toward the direction the voice came from.
Sure enough, a carriage was approaching Wutong Courtyard.
The Cloud-Stepping Horses seemed slow, but their actual speed was anything but.
In no time, they had pulled the carriage to the courtyard gates.
All eyes locked onto the vehicle, their gazes burning with anticipation.
Then, a leg extended from within.
He's here.
Everyone straightened their posture, preparing to welcome Wu Tong.
But—
"You lot... What are you doing here? And what's with those expressions? You're making my skin crawl."
Out stepped none other than Dugu Bo.
The moment he disembarked, he was met with a row of eager old men staring at him like hungry wolves — making him shudder all over.
The crowd collectively rolled their eyes at him.
"No one's waiting for you, old poison. We're waiting for Wu Tong-sensei. Kindly get a grip on yourself, will you?"
Yue Guan didn't bother sugar-coating anything and retorted sharply.
"Yue Guan..."
Dugu Bo had barely started when he was cut off by Wu Tong.
"Greetings, everyone."
Sensing that Dugu Bo was about to start bickering with Yue Guan, Wu Tong stepped out of the carriage and greeted the crowd before things could escalate. This clearly wasn't the time or place for a fight.
[End of Chapter]
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