South of the Heaven Dou Empire, Barak Kingdom.
After leaving the Star Dou Forest, Cheng Xiao rode on his shadow soldier, the Nether Tiger, galloping all the way. He didn't stop until a city, faintly visible in the distance, came into view—Barak City.
When all of the shadow soldiers had merged back into his own shadow, Cheng Xiao, after a brief inspection by the city guards, smoothly entered the city.
Passing through a dimly lit passage under the city walls, his vision suddenly opened up. The bustling noise of people filled the air, making Cheng Xiao's head spin slightly from the sudden overwhelming atmosphere. After spending half a month in the tranquil Star Dou Forest, Cheng Xiao found himself at a loss for what to do next as he stood in the crowded streets.
However, recalling the token left to him by Qian Renxue before she departed, Cheng Xiao sighed softly. He then asked a passerby for directions and soon learned the location of the city's transportation station.
After thanking the passerby, Cheng Xiao followed the directions, walking through a few unfamiliar streets. About ten minutes later, he found a transportation hub within the city.
Renting a carriage from the station, Cheng Xiao immediately set off toward the Heaven Dou Empire.
Heaven Dou Empire's royal capital, Heaven Dou City, is located in the northeastern part of the empire. It is the political and power center of the Heaven Dou Empire, and one of the two largest cities on the continent. The only other city that can compare to it is Star Luo Empire's royal capital, Star Luo City.
To reach Heaven Dou City, one must travel through the entirety of the Silvis Kingdom, which lies north of the Barak Kingdom, before entering the royal capital region of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Traveling further east, one finally arrives at Heaven Dou City. The journey is long and arduous, spanning nearly 2,000 kilometers.
The lengthy trip made Cheng Xiao feel somewhat bored, though cultivation helped pass the time. Moreover, he could also use this time to harmonize the holy energy from Qian Renxue within his body with his shadow energy.
Several days later, after leaving the Barak Kingdom, Cheng Xiao entered the Silvis Kingdom.
After resting and resupplying for a night in the city, Cheng Xiao left the next morning at dawn, eager to continue his journey.
As one of the top cities, aside from being incomparable to the two royal capitals, Silvis City lived up to its status as the capital of the Silvis Kingdom. Even in the early morning, the streets were lively and bustling. Occasionally, city guards would march past in neat formation, the clanking of their armor echoing crisply, reminiscent of a morning bell.
After leaving Silvis City, another week of travel ensued. By the time Cheng Xiao finally reached his destination—Heaven Dou City, the royal capital of the Heaven Dou Empire—both the carriage driver and Cheng Xiao were exhausted from the journey.
The constant travel over several days had left Cheng Xiao irritated, but after a brief check at the city gates, he was allowed to enter without issue.
Once inside the city, Cheng Xiao quickly got off the carriage, taking in the sight of the magnificent imperial capital. He couldn't help but marvel—indeed, it was the royal capital of the Heaven Dou Empire. Its grandeur and scale made it the largest city within the empire. However, he couldn't help but wonder how the Spirit City, which he had yet to see, might compare.
After observing for a while, the carriage driver approached and asked, "Young master, is there anywhere else you'd like to go?"
"Take me to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy," Cheng Xiao replied after a moment's thought.
"Alright," the driver nodded in agreement. Shortly after, Cheng Xiao returned to the carriage, and the driver took out a map showing the location of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Following the directions, he drove out of the royal capital, heading towards the academy.
After some time, the driver smiled and called out, "Young master, we've arrived at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy."
Cheng Xiao disembarked from the carriage and looked at the large mountain before him, nodding to himself. Yes, this was unmistakably the place—the iconic landmark of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, a towering mountain.
"Thank you for your service," Cheng Xiao said, paying the driver. He then strode toward the mountain.
But before he had gone far, trouble found him.
"Stop! Who are you, and what are you doing here?" A group of a dozen youths, roughly seventeen or eighteen years old, blocked Cheng Xiao's path. Judging by their pale yellow uniforms, they were clearly students of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
Although these students hadn't summoned their Spirits, Cheng Xiao could still sense a faint soul power fluctuation from them. However, the intensity of that fluctuation was... underwhelming, to say the least.
Seeing that Cheng Xiao remained silent, one of the youths, thinking that he was frightened, barked, "Where did this bumpkin come from? How dare you not bow when seeing our Prince Xue Beng? It seems you're tired of living!"
"You're quite good-looking, but judging by your clothes, you're probably some backwater country bumpkin." The youth in the lead sneered, "A commoner should have the self-awareness of a commoner. This isn't a place for the likes of you. If you don't scram, we'll have to use force."
After traveling for over ten days, Cheng Xiao indeed appeared somewhat travel-worn. However, he understood that these people were just here to pick a fight. What surprised him, though, was how the lead youth looked—he had the appearance of someone who had indulged in too much pleasure. His pale skin, sunken eyes, and sallow cheeks screamed of a man ruined by excess.
"Are you deaf? Get lost!" The lead youth, seeing that Cheng Xiao was unmoved, thought his domineering aura had intimidated the other. He walked arrogantly toward Cheng Xiao, though even this short distance seemed to sap his energy, revealing his physical weakness.
Knowing that they were clearly here to cause trouble, Cheng Xiao had no intention of indulging them. After all, if anything happened, he had the Spirit Hall behind him—what was there to be afraid of? With a benevolent smile, Cheng Xiao feigned weakness and said, "Gentlemen, I'm only here to enroll in the academy. Please, don't give me any trouble."
Hearing this, the lead youth sneered disdainfully. After another glance at Cheng Xiao's attire, he became even more certain that the latter wasn't a noble. "A country bumpkin like you wants to enroll in Heaven Dou Imperial Academy? Judging by your clothes, I can tell what kind of trash you are. If you want to beg, go somewhere else. Seeing scum like you disgusts me."
"Heh," Cheng Xiao chuckled softly, his pupils glinting with a dark purple light. The shadow soldiers lurking in his shadow stirred, their eyes gleaming fiercely, ready to tear the youth to pieces at a moment's notice.
"You dare laugh? I see you're looking for death!" Sensing that he wasn't being taken seriously, the lead youth quickly retreated behind his lackeys and shouted, "Boys, this brat dares to disrespect me! Kill him! I'll take full responsibility!"
"Understood, Prince Xue Beng!" The group snickered. With Xue Beng backing them up, what did they have to fear? Even if the boy had some skills, they had numbers on their side!
Seeing this, Cheng Xiao couldn't help but burst into laughter. This was exactly the kind of scenario he loved—bullying with numbers, wasn't it? Shadow soldiers, don't you agree?
"You still dare to laugh? Boys, kill him!"