Chapter 7 – Farewell to the Coastal Home
Ryuga flexed his fingers slowly after the ring's power settled within him.
A faint pulse of purple light circled his body, and he felt the subtle increase in strength run through his veins like a new heartbeat.
"And my mental power increased as well," he said, testing the sensation with quiet satisfaction.
He studied the ring humming around him.
"My first soul skill is passive. I can use it even without summoning the ring," he added, feeling proud of the fine control humming beneath his skin.
Granvill watched him with a broad smile.
He nodded several times, the happiness in his eyes impossible to hide.
Seeing Ryuga grow stronger was more meaningful to him than any cultivation breakthrough he ever achieved himself.
"Alright, enough talking," Granvill finally said.
"You can admire your ring all you want, but don't forget you're leaving for Heaven Dou Academy soon."
The reminder made Ryuga pause mid-sentence.
His father tilted his head and asked, "Have you prepared everything for the trip?"
Ryuga's expression shifted to mild helplessness, a silent plea for mercy.
Noble children in the Heaven Dou Empire were required to attend the academy, and he knew he could not escape that any longer.
Attendance ensured loyalty to the empire, and it allowed promising heirs to form friendships and alliances.
After news spread that Granvill's son awakened a mutated top-tier martial spirit with innate full soul power, nobles from every direction sent gifts.
Some even proposed marriage, much to Eliza's horror.
Eliza had declined every proposal with fierce protectiveness, declaring her son was still a baby.
But even after a full year of rejection, nobles still occasionally tried.
Ryuga would have laughed if it didn't make his mother so stressed.
He had already delayed academy entry for a full year using various excuses.
He knew he couldn't delay again without insulting the noble circle and the royal family.
He was ready to go, but his biggest obstacle wasn't politics — it was his mother.
The moment she heard he would be living in the academy dorms, she burst into tears.
"He's still a baby! How can he live so far away? I can't live without him—wuwuwu—" she wailed, hugging Ryuga like a child clutching her favorite toy.
Neither Granvill nor Ryuga could calm her down.
Ryuga tried reminding her that he'd return during every holiday.
Granvill tried comforting her with every excuse he had gathered over the years.
Nothing worked.
In desperation, Ryuga joked, "Mother, why not come to the academy with me?"
He didn't expect her reaction.
Her tears stopped instantly.
"That's a great idea!" she declared, bouncing to her feet with sudden happiness.
Even Ryuga needed a moment to process how fast she switched from misery to joy.
Granvill, however, felt the emotional blow.
He couldn't accompany them to the capital because of his responsibilities as the governor of Vast Sea City.
Hearing that both his wife and son would leave together made his smile droop helplessly.
Ryuga rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's already taken care of, Father… thanks to Mother," he said gently.
Granvill changed the subject so quickly it was almost comical.
"So, what's your soul bone skill?" he asked with curiosity.
Ryuga thought for a moment before answering, "I don't know yet. It looks like it needs a few days to manifest fully."
He knew from the original novel that Tang San recognized his soul bone skill instantly only because he fell unconscious.
Ryuga was conscious the whole time, so his martial spirit needed time to synchronize with the new bone.
He suspected the skill would be shaped by Shadow Armour's adaptive nature.
Granvill nodded in understanding.
"Alright. Then let's check your current soul power," he said, taking out a crystal ball the size of a human skull.
He held it out to Ryuga with quiet anticipation.
Ryuga placed his palm on the crystal.
A warm light spread through his arm and chest, scanning him thoroughly.
After a few moments the sphere lit up one-seventh of the way.
Granvill's brows shot upward.
"Level seventeen. Not bad at all," he said with clear pride in his voice.
Ryuga shrugged lightly, as if it were expected.
"It's nothing strange. I've cultivated every day this year and used Whale Glue the whole time," he replied calmly.
His body had absorbed only a fraction of the energy he circulated each day, but it still added up.
To him, level seventeen was the natural result.
Time passed quickly after that assessment.
Only one day remained before Ryuga and Eliza were set to leave Vast Sea City.
Granvill and Ryuga eventually gave up trying to convince her to stay, so they rented a small manor in the noble district of Heaven Dou City.
Eliza insisted she would wait for Ryuga every day.
Ryuga wasn't allowed to stay with her because the academy required all students to live in the dormitories.
He would visit her often, but privacy was a luxury he would have to earn later.
In that final month, his external soul bone finally revealed its skill.
Ryuga named it Starfall Shower, a fitting title for its destructive elegance.
The wings glowed like night skies filled with silver and purple stars whenever he activated the ability.
The feathers could launch like meteors, falling one by one or raining across an entire area.
Each feather carried a corrupting edge that attacked the enemy's mind or soul directly.
The wounds inflicted refused to close without healing-type spirit power.
The similarity to the Silent Reaper Crow's Shadow Harvest was unmistakable.
But Starfall Shower held a unique trait — each feather could transform into a shadow clone for a single attack.
If the strike missed, the clone faded instantly.
Ryuga didn't consider this a drawback.
With Transparent World, he memorized the soul power pathways of each clone movement with perfect clarity.
By combining that with Absolute Control, he learned to create his own independent clones.
These clones lasted only a few minutes because of his limited soul power and rank.
But as he grew stronger, he knew he could create more clones with longer duration.
Shadow Armour's potential seemed endless.
He had even copied several of his father's sword-type skills.
He understood now that soul skills were fixed patterns of soul power moving through the meridians.
If he could trace the pattern, he could replicate the effect.
However, he learned quickly that certain skills required specific tools or natural elements.
His father's shield skills were unusable without the actual shield.
Elemental skills like fire and ice were also beyond him without the proper attributes.
He learned that firsthand when he tried copying a fire sword slash.
The soul pathway was perfect, but the attack turned into a shadow swarm slash instead.
The moment the attack left the blade, it crumbled into nothing.
Ryuga practiced endlessly, but the failure persisted.
He still hadn't found the reason.
For now, he set it aside, knowing he would return to it eventually.
The final day arrived before he realized it.
Ryuga walked out of his room dressed and ready for the journey to Heaven Dou City.
His father was waiting with a proud yet reluctant smile.
"Is everything ready, son?" Granvill asked.
Ryuga nodded quietly, stepping into the carriage where Eliza was already seated.
Granvill climbed in after them, though his presence was a surprise.
"Father, we have city guards. You don't need to come," Ryuga said as the carriage began moving.
Even Eliza joined in, gently scolding him.
"Honey, you have so much work in the city. You can't leave for long."
Granvill crossed his arms, puffing out his chest with artificial seriousness.
"You don't understand. There are too many bandits lately. I must ensure your safety," he said.
His tone convinced no one.
Ryuga exchanged a glance with his mother.
Both understood the truth — Granvill simply couldn't bear to part with them yet.
He wanted to see his son's academy life begin with his own eyes.
The carriage rattled along the stone path, carrying the small family toward the capital.
As they teased him gently and laughed together, the journey began in warmth.
And for the first time, Ryuga felt the world opening in front of him, vast and full of possibilities.
Written by:- Ashborn_
Edited by:- Chat GPT