Chapter 40: Departure, and the Complicated Feelings of Hun Cang

Outside the house.

Seeing the energy stabilize, with only the vortex of Dou Qi slowly rotating above, Hun Xiaoqiang and Hun Wu departed one after another.

A long time passed.

Creak!

The door opened, and Hun Cang stepped out. The cold, piercing aura that had once defined him had faded significantly, leaving him with a refined and gentle appearance, as if he were carved from jade.

This was the difference between the Soul Clan’s cultivation techniques and the *Zhenfen Jue* (Flame-Suppressing Art).

Arriving at the main hall, Hun Cang ordered someone to find Hun Xiaoqiang.

"Reporting to the Hall Master, the Vice Hall Master went out two days ago," a member of the Soul Hall replied, bowing respectfully.

"How long have I been in seclusion?" Hun Cang asked, stunned.

"Three days."

"Very well, I understand. You may go about your business." Dismissing the man, Hun Cang sat silently in the hall and, with a flick of his finger, retrieved a jade slip from his spatial ring.

Injecting his Dou Qi into it, he sent a command.

A few moments later, the jade slip flickered, and a message was transmitted into his mind.

"Not in the Jia Ma Empire? Found leads on a Heavenly Flame and went to collect it?" After processing the information from the jade slip, Hun Cang was somewhat bewildered.

*Seriously? Why didn't you do that earlier?*

Hun Cang’s current strength was around the level of a three-star Dou Shi. The journey to the Canaan Academy in the Black-Corner Region was far from short. It would certainly be much more comfortable to have a Dou Zong escort him.

"Forget it, let him keep searching. I'll head over myself. If he manages to find me a Heavenly Flame, it’ll be a bonus." Hun Cang sighed. He was not worried about the lawless Black-Corner Region.

Because the Dou Qi he had cultivated previously had not truly vanished; instead, it had been condensed by the Heavenly Flame into pure crystals of Dou Qi and stored within his body. Whenever he cultivated, he could rely on this reservoir of power to recover as quickly as possible.

Based on his progress with the Ink Jade Lotus Pedestal and the Fire Lotus Seeds, he estimated he could fully recover his strength within a year at most. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for an average person to reach the Dou Huang realm in less than three to five years. Even three to five years would be considered exceptionally fast for a genius. Of course, those with the bloodline talents of the Soul Clan were an exception.

Hun Cang was quite satisfied with his current situation: "A three-star Dou Shi—getting admitted to the Canaan Academy shouldn't be a problem. The rest depends on how I approach the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower."

Everything in the Jia Ma Empire was on the right track, and having no deep attachments, Hun Cang set out immediately after making his decision.

He left the Soul Hall and traveled to a nearby city, where he paid the required fee to begin his journey to the Black-Corner Region.

Due to the immense distance, Hun Cang chose to travel by flying magical beast. Even so, the owner of the beast informed him that it would take at least half a month to reach the Black-Corner Region.

Hun Cang was never stingy when it came to money; coming from the Soul Clan, he lacked nothing. He immediately chose the most luxurious room available.

During the journey, Hun Cang did not neglect his cultivation. With the help of the Ink Jade Lotus Pedestal, his strength increased by one star almost every two days.

In contrast, Xiao Yan, who was far away, was exhausted. Despite having his elder brother's Green Jade Lotus Pedestal and various medicinal aids, it took him several days just to break through a single star. Furthermore, he had to maintain rigorous physical training, leaving him half-dead every day.

Time flew, and half a month passed.

The attendant on the flying beast informed the passengers that they were half a day away from the Black-Corner Region.

Hun Cang ended his meditation, put away the Ink Jade Lotus Pedestal, and stepped out of his room for the first time. Standing at the edge of the beast’s back, he looked down through the gaps in the clouds.

The land below was mostly swamp, shrouded in mist, with small squads occasionally visible clashing with magical beasts.

"The chaos truly lives up to its reputation. In just a short moment, I’ve seen at least five skirmishes caused by treasures," Hun Cang muttered, shaking his head and pulling back his gaze.

Just then, he felt a sensation. He turned his head toward one of the windows. The person inside seemed startled that Hun Cang had noticed them; as their eyes met, they hastily and clumsily shut the window.

The structure built on the back of the flying beast was like a small inn, very stable and free of the usual turbulence of flight. In Hun Cang's opinion, it was even more comfortable than an airplane.

"Targeted?" Looking away, Hun Cang walked back to his room with a wry expression.

Although this was a world where the strong preyed on the weak and murder and robbery were the norm, for Hun Cang—who had been a Dou Wang at his peak and was accustomed to being treated with reverence everywhere he went—it was difficult not to feel a sense of irony.

*It’s a good thing I was reborn into the Soul Clan...*

Not long after, the flying beast slowly descended. Figures emerged from their rooms and began to disembark.

Glancing at the city, Hun Cang walked directly toward the streets.

"Since I've arrived near the Canaan Academy, there's no rush." Hun Cang planned to find a place to stay first, then find someone to contact the academy to inquire about Xiao Yu and the others.

However, after walking for a while and passing several inns, Hun Cang did not stop. He eventually turned into an alleyway, and as soon as he rounded a corner, he quickened his pace and hid behind another bend.

Thump, thump, thump!

Rapid and chaotic footsteps approached. A squad of six men rushed into the alley.

"Huh? Where did he go?" The burly man in the lead paused, looking around in confusion.

The underlings behind him were equally bewildered. They had clearly seen the man enter; how could he have vanished? Did he know how to fly?

One of the underlings said in shock, "That shouldn't be. I watched him for a long time; his strength is only around five-star Dou Shi. How could he run so fast?"

This group had boarded the flying beast midway. Their usual practice was to scout for wealthy individuals traveling to the Black-Corner Region, assess their strength, and then rob them once they arrived. Because the Black-Corner Region was defined by chaos, killing a few people was of no concern. Once they had the money, they would leave immediately, enjoy their spoils, and then repeat the process.

They had succeeded over ten times already. Last time, they had happened upon a mother and daughter who were looking for relatives; not only did they take their wealth, but they didn't even spare the women. This time, as soon as they boarded, they had set their sights on Hun Cang because he was staying in the best room and appeared to be alone.

"Are you looking for me?"

Just as they were puzzled, a voice came from behind them. The group turned sharply. The moment they saw Hun Cang, the scout yelled, "It's him, Boss!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Attack!" The burly man’s eyes flashed with malice as he hissed.

The men around him surged with Dou Qi. Each of them was not weak—all were Dou Shi. Even the burly man’s Dou Qi armor was beginning to take shape. Clearly, he was on the verge of breaking through to the Da Dou Shi realm.

The burly man’s eyes were filled with greed; he thought that after this haul, he would have enough money to buy materials to break through to the Da Dou Shi realm!

Unfortunately, the moment that thought crossed his mind, he saw the men beside him suddenly engulfed by flames. Without even a scream, they were reduced to ash.

*Run!* The thought had barely surfaced when the burly man’s vision was filled with fire, and he lost consciousness.

A while later, Hun Cang walked out of the alley with his hands in his pockets and arrived at a nearby inn.

"I’m sorry, guest, but we are out of the best rooms. The Canaan Academy is currently recruiting, so the inn is very crowded."

The receptionist at the front desk looked at the handsome young man with an apologetic smile.

"That's fine. A standard room will do."