The Mingdou Mountains stretched across the border of the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire, acting like a massive natural barrier separating the two continents.
On both sides of the mountain range, the border armies of the two nations were stationed year-round, heavily guarded and filled with a tense atmosphere.
Huo Yuhao stood at the foot of the mountain, looking up at the rolling peaks in the distance, and took a deep breath.
The border of the two nations, the Mingdou Mountains.
Being in a long-term state of war, both sides had a significant number of troops stationed here, and that person, the White Tiger Duke, was currently somewhere within the Star Luo Empire's garrison.
Huo Yuhao's gaze crossed the mountains and looked into the distance, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
But soon, he withdrew his gaze.
Now was not the time to think about such things.
He raised his wrist, and with a flash of light from his Storage Soul Tool, the silver-white soul guidance car was put away.
"Brother Tianmeng."
Huo Yuhao called out softly in his Sea of Consciousness.
"What is it, little Yuhao?"
Skydream Ice Worm's voice sounded lazily, carrying a hint of grogginess from just waking up.
"Help me hide my presence; I need to cross the Mingdou Mountains and enter the Sun Moon Empire."
"No problem, it's a small matter."
Skydream Ice Worm yawned, and an invisible mental fluctuation spread out from his body, enveloping Huo Yuhao completely.
Huo Yuhao looked down at himself and felt no change, but he knew that under the cover of Skydream Ice Worm's Mental Force, the Spirit Power fluctuations on his body had become imperceptible. Unless a powerful expert far exceeding his own strength deliberately investigated, they would not discover anything unusual.
"Alright, let's go."
Skydream Ice Worm said.
Huo Yuhao nodded, his figure flashing as he silently sped towards the depths of the Mingdou Mountains.
The mountain paths were rugged and overgrown with thorns.
But for him now, these were not issues. His figure moved through the forest like ghost, without making any sound.
Spiritual Detection was kept active at all times, sensing every movement within a radius of several hundred meters.
He avoided several patrol camps and bypassed a few outposts. After more than half a day, he finally crossed the highest point of the Mingdou Mountains.
Standing at the peak, Huo Yuhao looked out, taking in the entire view of the other side.
That side was the land of the Sun Moon Empire.
The sky seemed even bluer, and the distant plains were filled with patches of farmland and villages, not much different from the scenery on the Star Luo Empire's side.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and started walking down the mountain.
...
After entering the Sun Moon Empire, Huo Yuhao did not choose to stay in the border city just across the Mingdou Mountains.
In this place, with both sides at war, border inspections would surely be very strict. He had come from the Star Luo Empire's side after all; if he were discovered and couldn't prove his identity, it would cause a lot of trouble.
It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Huo Yuhao quickened his pace, heading deeper into the Sun Moon Empire.
He needed to find a city that seemed relatively developed and well-informed so he could inquire about Spirit Tools.
After traveling for about a day, a city of considerable size appeared in Huo Yuhao's vision.
The city gates were tall and wide, with heavy traffic and people coming and going.
Huo Yuhao blended into the crowd entering the city and successfully passed through the gates.
He found a tea house that looked relatively clean and walked inside.
There weren't many people in the tea house; a few customers sat in corners drinking tea and chatting. Huo Yuhao chose a window seat, ordered a pot of tea, and then beckoned the shopkeeper over.
It was an old man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with gray hair and the kind smile typical of a businessman.
"Customer, do you have any orders?"
The old man bowed and asked with a smile.
Huo Yuhao took out several gold coins from his bosom, placed them on the table, then looked up at the old man with a gentle smile.
"Old sir, I'd like to ask you about something."
Seeing the gold coins on the table, the old man's eyes brightened slightly, and his smile became even more radiant.
"Please speak, customer. As long as I know, I will tell you everything."
Huo Yuhao picked up the teacup, took a light sip, and then asked.
"Old sir, I want to ask, if one wants to study Spirit Tools, where would be the best place to go?"
The old man was slightly startled and looked Huo Yuhao up and down. To ask such a question, he must be an outsider. Of course, for him, it didn't matter.
"Customer, looking at your age, you must still be a student?"
Huo Yuhao nodded.
"Indeed."
The old man smiled and said.
"Then you've asked the right person. In our Sun Moon Empire, if you're talking about the best place to study Spirit Tools, it must be the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy."
"Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy?"
Huo Yuhao repeated the name, a trace of curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"That's right."
The old man continued.
"That is the best Soul Engineer academy in our Sun Moon Empire, specifically for training Soul Engineer talents. The teachers there are all Grandmasters in the field of Spirit Tools, the equipment is top-notch, and Mingde Hall has trained countless excellent Soul Engineers for our Sun Moon Empire."
As the old man spoke, his eyes were full of pride.
Huo Yuhao nodded seriously, silently noting this information.
"Thank you, old sir."
He stood up, pushed the gold coins toward the old man, and then turned to leave the tea house.
...
After leaving the tea house, Huo Yuhao found a quiet corner and took out the compass-style Spirit Tool navigation system from his Storage Soul Tool.
This was personally made by Dean Lin Feng, and a detailed map of the Douluo Continent had been fully entered into it.
As long as the destination name was entered, the navigation system would automatically plan the optimal route.
Huo Yuhao entered the words "Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy" into the navigation system.
A flash of light appeared on the screen, and a clear route map was presented before his eyes.
"So convenient..."
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
The things made by Dean Lin Feng were always so thoughtful.
He did not use the soul guidance car.
When he entered the city just now, Huo Yuhao had observed carefully; no one on the city streets used a soul guidance car. In fact, since entering the Sun Moon Empire, he had never seen anyone use this type of transportation.
This indicated that in the Sun Moon Empire, at least for now, the soul guidance car was not a widespread item.
Or, it simply didn't exist. (In Douluo II, there are flying spirit tools, but most travel by running, or using spirit tool thrusters to assist running, or using horses.)
Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
Although the soul guidance car he assembled himself was crude enough, its very existence might still be too advanced.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better to be careful.
Huo Yuhao put away the navigation system and started walking, following the direction indicated by the route, heading toward the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
...
The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was located on a plain near the capital of the Sun Moon Empire.
When Huo Yuhao followed the navigation system's guidance and arrived near the academy, the sky had gradually darkened.
He stood on a high slope, looked out, and couldn't help but be startled.
Looking down from the height, the lights of the entire Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy outlined a massive hexagonal area. The size of that area was comparable to a medium-sized city!
Within this hexagonal area, many buildings were scattered like stars; some were tall and magnificent, some were delicate and exquisite, and others had peculiar shapes.
But even more were large patches of open space.
Seeing this scene, Huo Yuhao didn't feel too much of a ripple in his heart, but compared to the Star Luo Empire, it had to be said that the development level of Spirit Tools in the Sun Moon Empire was truly high.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection caught a figure approaching from behind. Huo Yuhao looked over.
That person looked like a youth, with a tall and straight build and a handsome face. His brows carried a hint of faint arrogance, and he had heterochromatic eyes, one green and one blue.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
After hearing these words, Huo Yuhao spoke slowly.
"I come from Shrek Academy. Having heard that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's Spirit Tool technology is superb, I have come specifically to seek instruction."
------------------------------------------------
A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.