The Academy Gates – Dawn
The Royal Team stood at the main gate, their bags packed with what they considered "essentials."
Dugu Yan had three suitcases. One for clothes, one for skincare, and one for "emergency silk pillows."
Yu Feng was checking his pocket watch.
"The carriage should be here any minute. I requested the Deluxe Sky-Runner. It has shock absorbers and a mini-bar."
Osler nodded, adjusting his sunglasses.
"Good. I plan to sleep until we hit the border. My legs are still recovering from the rubber bands."
The Graphite Brothers, Shi Mo and Shi Mu, were playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who got the window seat.
Arthev stood a few meters away. He was wearing a light travel cloak, a small backpack, and sturdy boots. He looked at the mountain of luggage Dugu Yan had piled up.
"Impressive," Arthev noted. "You are moving house?"
"A lady needs options," Dugu Yan sniffed haughtily. "The forest is dirty. I intend to be clean."
Just then, a carriage rolled up. It was magnificent. Gold-plated wheels, velvet curtains, drawn by four Horses.
"Finally!" Yu Feng cheered, grabbing his bag. "Shotgun!"
"There is no shotgun," Arthev said calmly. "And there is no carriage."
Arthev walked up to the driver. He handed the man a gold coin.
"Take the luggage to Star Luo City. Check it into the Golden Spire Hotel. We will pick it up in two weeks."
The driver nodded, loaded the bags (including Dugu Yan's three suitcases), and drove away.
Qin Ming stepped out from behind the carriage. He had been supervising the loading. He looked at the departing vehicle, then at his students.
"Wait," Qin Ming said slowly. "If the luggage is on the carriage... and the carriage is leaving..."
Arthev nodded. "You will accompany the luggage, Teacher Qin. Ensure it arrives safely."
"What? No." Qin Ming shook his head. "I am your supervising teacher. I need to stay with the team."
"You are a Soul Emperor," Arthev said calmly.
"You can reach Star Luo City in three days if you run. The carriage takes five. The students need endurance training. There is no reason for you to run with us."
Qin Ming opened his mouth. Closed it. That was actually logical.
"Besides," Arthev added, "someone needs to check us into the hotel and make sure Dugu Yan's three suitcases don't get lost. That is a mission suited for your rank."
Qin Ming looked at the departing carriage. He looked at the long road ahead. He looked at his comfortable traveling robes.
"...I will guard the luggage with my life," he said finally. He climbed onto the carriage and waved at the students. "Good luck! Train hard! I believe in you!"
The carriage disappeared down the road.
The Royal Team stood there. They watched the carriage leave. They watched their pillows leave. They watched their happiness leave. They watched their teacher leave.
"Arthev," Yu Tianheng said, his voice trembling slightly. "Why did you send our clothes away?"
"You have the clothes on your back,"
Arthev replied. "And you have legs."
He pointed down the long, dusty road that stretched to the horizon.
"1,200 kilometers. If we maintain a steady pace of a Soul Elder, we can cover 150 kilometers a day. We will be there in eight days."
"Eight... days?" Osler whispered. "Walking?"
"Running," Arthev corrected. "Walking is for tourists. We are migrating."
Dugu Yan looked at her high-quality leather boots. "These are designer boots! They are not made for migrating!"
"Then you will learn to run light," Arthev said, starting to jog.
"Try not to blister. Formation: The Arrowhead. Graphite Brothers in front. Lingling in the center. Everyone else on the flanks. Move."
He didn't wait. He just started running.
The Royal Team looked at each other. They looked at the empty road. They realized they had no money (Arthev had confiscated their wallets earlier under 'Rule 2'), no ride, and no choice.
"I hate him," Yu Feng sobbed, flapping his wings to hover.
"No flying!" Arthev called back without turning around. "Drag coefficient training!"
Yu Feng dropped to the ground and started jogging. "I hate him so much."
The Road – 20 Kilometers Later
The sun was high. The dust was real.
The Graphite Brothers were actually useful. Their massive bodies cut through the wind like a plow.
"Science Lesson," Arthev shouted from the back of the formation. "Drafting! Stay directly behind the person in front of you. The air pressure is lower. It reduces energy consumption by 30%."
"I don't care about air pressure!" Osler yelled. "I am staring at Shi Mo's sweaty back! It is not an inspiring view!"
"Then run faster and take the lead," Arthev suggested.
"No," Osler wheezed. "The back is fine. The back is safe."
Arthev ran effortlessly. He wasn't using soul power. He was just breathing. Every step was efficient.
'They are noisy,' Shukaku grumbled in his mind. 'Can I throw a sand clod at the bird guy? He keeps humming.'
'He is regulating his breathing through rhythm,' Arthev noted. 'It is a valid technique. Though the song choice is questionable.'
Yu Feng was humming "The Ballad of the Sad Canary."
-------
Noon – The Roadside Stall
"Stop," Arthev ordered.
The team collapsed instantly. They didn't care about the dust anymore. Dugu Yan sat on a log. Yu Tianheng leaned against a tree, panting.
They had arrived at a small, roadside settlement. It was basically a few wooden shacks selling water, tea eggs, and questionable meat buns to travelers.
An old woman with a missing tooth stirred a pot of tea eggs. She looked at the group of exhausted, high-class teenagers in expensive leather armor. Her eyes flashed with the universal sign of "Profit."
"Water!" Shi Mo gasped, crawling toward the stall. "I need water!"
"Five silver coins a bowl!" the old woman cackled.
Shi Mo froze. "Five silver? That's robbery! Water costs one copper in the city!"
"This isn't the city, turtle-boy," the woman grinned. "Supply and demand. You look thirsty. I have water. Price is five silver."
Shi Mo looked at Arthev. "Boss? Wallet?"
Arthev walked up. He didn't look thirsty.
"Rule 2," Arthev reminded them. "No money. We eat what we catch. Or what we negotiate."
He looked at the old woman.
"Grandmother," Arthev said politely. "Five silver is indeed steep. However, I notice your roof has a structural leak on the north side. The wood is rotting due to poor drainage."
The old woman blinked. "What?"
Arthev pointed. "And your tea egg pot. The fire is too hot. The eggs are becoming rubbery. You are wasting fuel."
He walked over to the firewood stack.
"Also, this wood is damp. It creates smoke, which scares away customers."
Arthev picked up a piece of damp wood. He channeled a tiny bit of heat from his White Star Fire (disguised). Steam hissed out of the wood, leaving it perfectly dry.
"If I dry your wood stack and fix your roof tile," Arthev offered, "will you trade for eight bowls of water and eighteen eggs?"
The old woman stared at the dry log. Then she looked at Arthev.
"You're a Soul Master?" she asked, wary. "Usually you types just take what you want."
"We are civilized travelers," Arthev smiled. "Trade is the soul of prosperity."
Ten minutes later.
Arthev was on the roof, adjusting a tile. The Graphite Brothers were stacking the now-dry wood.
The rest of the team sat on benches, peeling tea eggs and drinking water.
"He's fixing a roof," Dugu Yan whispered, biting into an egg. "The guy who broke a Titled Douluo's poison. He is fixing a roof for eggs."
"It's honest work," Yu Tianheng said, savoring the water. "And free eggs."
"It's embarrassing," Yu Feng mumbled. "We are nobles."
"We are broke nobles," Ye Lingling corrected. "Eat your egg."
--------
The Afternoon Jog
"My feet," Dugu Yan complained. "I have a blister. It is the size of a gold coin."
"Poison it," Osler suggested. "Maybe it will fall off."
"I will poison you," she hissed.
They were passing through a small canyon now. The shadows were long.
Suddenly, three men jumped out from behind a rock. They held rusty swords and wore bandanas.
"Halt!" the leader shouted. "This is a robbery! Leave your valuables and... hey, wait."
The bandit leader looked at the group. He saw the expensive leather armor. He saw the beautiful girls.
"Jackpot!" the bandit grinned. "Rich kids on a field trip! Grab the girls, leave the boys!"
The Royal Team stopped. They didn't look scared. They looked... annoyed.
"Seriously?" Yu Tianheng sighed. "I just got my breathing rhythm right."
"Can I zap them?" Yu Tianheng asked Arthev.
"No," Arthev said. "Soul Power conservation. Bandits are not worth a lightning bolt."
"Then what?" Shi Mo asked. "Do we smash them?"
"No," Arthev said. He stepped forward.
The bandit leader pointed his sword at Arthev. "Back off, pretty boy! Or I'll cut your face!"
Arthev didn't blink. He adjusted his gloves.
"Gentlemen," Arthev said, his voice soft. "You are standing on a geological fault line."
The bandits paused. "Huh?"
"The rock formation above you," Arthev pointed up at the canyon wall.
"It is sedimentary sandstone. Very unstable. Vibrations can cause a collapse."
"You think you're smart?" the bandit sneered. "I'm gonna...."
Arthev stomped his foot.
It wasn't a hard stomp. But he infused it with a pulse of earth-attribute soul power, targeting a specific resonance frequency he had identified with his Shinragan earlier.
Thrum.
A low vibration traveled up the canyon wall.
Crack.
A massive boulder, weighing perhaps three tons, detached itself from the cliff face directly above the bandits.
It fell.
"LOOK OUT!" the bandit leader screamed.
The three bandits scrambled away in terror, diving into the dust as the boulder slammed into the road exactly where they had been standing.
BOOM.
Dust billowed everywhere.
When the dust cleared, the bandits were hugging each other, shaking like leaves.
They looked at the boulder. They looked at Arthev.
Arthev was already walking past them.
"Physics," Arthev said without stopping. "Gravity is the ultimate weapon. Have a nice day."
The Royal Team walked past the terrified bandits.
"Did you... aim that?" Osler whispered to Arthev.
"I calculated the probability," Arthev shrugged. "It was loose anyway. I just gave it a nudge."
Yu Tianheng shook his head. "Remind me never to stand under a cliff when you are angry."
--------
Sunset – The Camp
They didn't reach a town. They stopped in a clearing by a river.
"Where is the hotel?" Dugu Yan asked, looking around.
"This is the hotel," Arthev said, dropping his bag. "The Hotel of a Thousand Stars. Amenities include fresh air and dirt."
"I'm sleeping in a tree," Yu Feng declared. "Birds sleep in trees."
"I'm sleeping in my shell," Shi Mo said, curling up. "Goodnight."
Arthev started a fire. He didn't use flint. He just snapped his fingers, and a small blue flame ignited the kindling.
Ye Lingling sat beside him. "You act like you've done this for years."
"I have," Arthev lied (sort of). "The world is a big place. You have to learn to live in it."
He looked at the team. They were tired, dirty, and complaining about the hard ground. But they weren't broken.
"Tomorrow," Arthev announced, poking the fire, "we increase the pace. 200 kilometers."
"You're a demon!" Osler cried out from his sleeping bag.
"Sleep tight, demon food," Arthev smiled.
High above, on a distant branch, a small mechanical rat watched them.
"He stopped a boulder with a stomp," Spark whispered into his comms. "He analyze a landslide."
"Geological manipulation," Whisper's voice replied. "Add it to the file. This kid is dangerous."
"Can I drop a bomb on his tent?"
"No. He probably calculated the wind speed of your bomb already. Go to sleep, Spark."
Spark sighed. "I hate camping."
To be continued....