Douluo Dalu: Path of Power

"Of course, we can, Yulin. Have you forgotten what the most common attribute of our Bixie Clan is?" Beixuan leaned in close to Yulin's ear and whispered in a voice that Ma Hongjun couldn't hear.

For now, the secrets of the Twin Martial Souls and the Bixie Royal Clan had to remain hidden.

Yulin was momentarily stunned but quickly nodded. That's right—Beixuan's body was born from Xuan Ge's Bixie King Bone, while his bloodline came from Bei Luo and Yun Wuyue.

Given this, it was uncertain whether his body carried Yun Wuyue's water attribute, but he had definitely inherited Bei Luo and Xuan Ge's wind, fire, and metal attributes.

The ability to naturally wield attributes was a specialty of the Bixie Clan. At the very least, Beixuan should be able to infuse his attacks with fire. If he activated his Bixie Martial Soul, it would manifest as an all-consuming yang fire; if he used his Nightmare Martial Soul, it would take the form of eerie and sinister yin fire.

Whichever he chose to display, it wouldn't matter—as long as he could gain admission to Blazing Fire Academy, there would be no issue.

With this plan in mind, Yulin led the two out of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Blazing Fire Academy wasn't located within the Balak Kingdom; they needed to head to the Heaven Dou Empire.

Since Blazing Fire Academy and the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy were in the same division during the Continental Soul Master Academy Tournament, it was logical that the two schools weren't far apart.

After purchasing a map of the Heaven Dou Empire in a nearby town, they found that it clearly marked the locations of the Five Elemental Academies.

All five were situated in large cities near Heaven Dou City.

Tianshui Academy and Blazing Fire Academy were in Icefire City, while Thunderclap Academy and Divine Wind Academy were in Wind Thunder City. The final academy, composed almost entirely of disciples from the Elephant Armored Sect, was located in Giant Elephant City—the sect's base.

No wonder the Elephant Armored Academy had a strained relationship with the other Four Elemental Academies later on. They had been isolated from the start.

But the real reason was that the Elephant Armored Sect had aligned itself with the Spirit Hall early on. Their paths were simply too different to reconcile.

At this moment, Beixuan faced a dilemma. He remembered that Ma Hongjun and Tang San were the same age. If so, Tang San had likely only recently awakened his martial soul.

He wasn't sure whether Tang San had enrolled in Nuoding Academy yet.

If he hadn't, could Yulin intercept Xiao Wu before Tang San met her?

If Tang San met Xiao Wu, it would be too late—Tang Hao would recognize her immediately as a transformed 100,000-year soul beast.

Beixuan didn't want Yulin to clash with Tang Hao again.

Besides, unlike Tang San, he had no intention of treating the troublesome little rabbit as a sister, gradually raising her into a wife. He was only interested in her 100,000-year spirit ring and spirit bone.

If he kept her for too long, he might grow attached, making it difficult to act when the time came.

He also didn't want to report anything to the Spirit Hall. The feud between the Spirit Hall and the Tang Clan was none of his business for now. Moreover, if he exposed Xiao Wu, the Spirit Hall would seize her, and her precious spirit ring and bone would be theirs instead.

Additionally, even if Yulin captured Xiao Wu now, all he could gain was her spirit bone. Beixuan was only at the tenth spirit rank—he couldn't absorb a 100,000-year spirit ring. In the end, it would simply dissipate, which would be a massive waste.

"It's better to let Tang San raise her for now. I have knowledge of the future, so I can make my move later."

Beixuan ultimately decided to leave the little rabbit alone for now. After all, she would be the direct catalyst for the inevitable clash between the Spirit Hall and the Tang father-and-son duo.

If Ah Yin's death was the root cause, then Xiao Wu would be the immediate trigger.

Having foresight was Beixuan's greatest advantage, and there was no need to disrupt things too much. If he wanted to build his own power, it was best to profit from the coming chaos. Eventually, Tang Hao, Tang San, and Xiao Wu would draw a great deal of the Spirit Hall's attention.

Besides, he and Ma Hongjun were still too weak. They couldn't travel to Icefire City alone and still needed Yulin's protection.

With his decision made, Beixuan stopped dwelling on Xiao Wu for now.

As the trio journeyed toward the Heaven Dou Empire, Yulin guided them in their training.

Beixuan focused on diligently practicing the Fiery Sun Demon-Slaying Palm and Moon Shadow Footwork. His physique was already exceptional, so he didn't need to build a foundation and could directly train in high-level martial techniques.

Ma Hongjun, on the other hand, had it much tougher. Every morning, he had to start with horse stance training, followed by practicing the most basic martial arts—the Ten-Step Long Fist, a fundamental style for building strength and endurance.

Yulin was doing this for his own good. After all, a weak foundation would lead to instability.

If his body wasn't strong enough, training in advanced techniques would do more harm than good.

After several days of travel, they finally arrived at their destination: Icefire City, within the Heaven Dou Empire.

This city was one of the most renowned in the empire, second only to the capital in prosperity.

"Wow! Such wide streets! So many people! So much delicious food!" Ma Hongjun exclaimed, looking around like a country bumpkin entering a grand estate for the first time. "Brother Xuan, can we explore the city for a bit?"

Having spent his entire life in a small village, he was utterly dazzled by the bustling metropolis.

"Hongjun, don't rush. We'll be living in this city for a long time, so there will be plenty of opportunities. Right now, we need to focus on business first," Beixuan reminded him.

Ma Hongjun was obedient and followed Beixuan's lead.

After asking for directions, they arrived at Blazing Fire Academy's admission office.

Since the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony had recently taken place, this was the peak season for academy enrollments.

To their surprise, Tianshui Academy and Blazing Fire Academy were located on the same street, with their main gates directly facing each other.

Despite being elemental opposites, the two academies appeared to have a close relationship. Aside from Elephant Armored Academy, the other elemental academies shared strong camaraderie.

"If you wish to enroll, please read the admission requirements carefully. If you do not meet the criteria, please leave promptly. For those who have already applied, the registration fee will be fully refunded," a staff member announced, posting a notice on the wall.

Beixuan stepped forward to take a look.

Blazing Fire Academy and Tianshui Academy had nearly identical admission requirements. The schools were divided into three levels: Junior Academy, Intermediate Academy, and Advanced Academy.

For children aged 6 to 9, as long as they possessed a fire-attributed martial soul, they could enroll in the Junior Academy without any additional requirements.

For those aged 9 to 12, students with a spirit rank between 10 and 18 could enter the Intermediate Academy, while those above rank 18 could join the Advanced Academy.

Tianshui Academy had one extra requirement—students had to be female. They did not admit boys.

It was a testament to their professionalism that they publicly posted the admission criteria, allowing applicants to make informed decisions. If someone who didn't meet the requirements had already registered, they would even receive a full refund. This was a stark contrast to Shrek Academy.

Additionally, their Advanced Academy had a lower entry threshold than Shrek's by two levels. After all, reaching rank 18 by age 12 was already impressive—reaching rank 20 or above was a rarity.