CHAPTER 480: CHAPTER 314 CAPITAL JOURNEY

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Xu Biao noticed the part of their tale that omitted another key detail: the Dragon Army. In these tunnels and caves, the Dragon Army was the ultimate force. They held real power in every cave, and their presence was everywhere. Typically, the most respected position in each cave, the Capital City Lord, was held by a member of the Dragon Cave. Only two caves were different.

One of these caves was Cave’s End. A cave so fragile and insignificant that the Dragon Army had long decided to do nothing there except for collecting its annual tax.

The other cave was Golden Lion Cave. As for how they managed to turn the cave into a kingdom, Yan Xiaobao didn’t know. His theory was that it had something to do with the original law.

"We’re finally here." A sigh escaped the servant’s lips. Unlike the others in the group, the servants and the butler had finally entered the academy, feeling relieved. They hadn’t enjoyed having to live out of the carriage during the journey. Now, in a proper environment, they could take care of their master.

Hearing the sound, Yan Xiaobao was pulled out of his thoughts, a sorrowful smile appearing on his face. They stood in front of the academy gates. The gates were closed, and the guards were King-level experts.

Entering the academy was impossible, but the guards alerted a professor, who quickly came to meet them. When the professor hurried down the slope, his robes billowed against his frame.

"Young Master Yang Bai?" he asked curiously. With a nod from the young master, a smile spread across his face. "Greetings, I am Professor Lin. I’ll lead you to the dormitory. Did you bring guards and servants? Oh, these people? Good, very well. Please follow me. Say goodbye to your friends for now. We’ll get you settled and ready to begin at the academy tomorrow morning."

Everything happened so quickly. Once Professor Lin arrived at the gate, it opened, and the guards, servants, and butler were brought inside with Yang Bai. Soon after, the gate shut again, leaving behind four guards, friends, hired mercenaries, and Yan Xiaobao.

Looking at the gate, Xu Yue chuckled and flashed a smile before turning around. "Come on, let’s find a place to rest for a while." He said, heading out of the academy city, walking down the path to the capital. The beautiful Thousand River Cave.

These capitals were typically well-known, as their names mirrored those of the caves themselves, with signs along the road leading toward Thousand River City. The city was famous for its beauty and its small canals that spanned the entire place.

This journey to the capital took twelve days, and everything went smoothly. All was calm within the cave, and every traveler they encountered along the way was friendly, greeting them with smiles.

The dense air was infused with the essence of heaven and earth, allowing Yan Xiaobao’s cultivation techniques to operate faster than usual. However, no matter how focused his spirit was, his body showed no sign of breaking through to Master Level. Instead, the size of his Spiritual Energy Ocean continued to grow. It was reaching its limit, but the boundary didn’t expand. Instead, the ocean kept clashing against an unknown barrier. A barrier preventing him from advancing his cultivation base.

The closer they got to the city, the more rivers they saw along the way.

"Why don’t we rent a boat?" Yan Xiaobao finally said as they walked along a road beside a river. Boats passed by one after another, and docked along the riverbank were vessels, all offering a ride to the city in exchange for a few Demon Coins.

After half a year of relentless migration, the group was utterly exhausted. Their clothes were saturated with dirt, their bodies aching and worn. While the journey had been simple with little incident along the way, it had been long and continuous, with only brief stops here and there that never allowed them enough time for proper rest.

There had been no time to relax, as the young master needed to hurry to the academy. Now that they finally had the chance, Yan Xiaobao felt they ought to indulge themselves.

"Let’s take a boat and relax a bit in the capital." Yan Xiaobao sighed, his words prompting a chorus of agreement from his friends, who all loudly expressed their relief.

Seeing the next boat, Yan Xiaobao headed straight for it, his friends following closely behind. When they boarded and sat down inside, joy was evident on their faces. Finally, they could take a moment to observe their surroundings rather than focusing solely on moving forward.

The boat was quite large, oval-shaped, with an upper deck and a lower deck. It permitted passengers to either enjoy the views from the upper deck or settle into underwater rooms below for cultivation. Some passengers chose the latter.

Their boat journey lasted three days, during which they traveled in a relaxed manner, giving them a chance to glimpse the beautiful city long before their arrival.

Upon reaching the city, the canals ran through the entirety of the stunning metropolis, offering another means of travel.

The group disembarked from the boat, one of the larger vessels entering the city. Once they reached the Inner Circle, boats were no longer permitted to proceed further. Only smaller vessels were allowed into the city’s internal areas.

The rivers winding through the city were dotted with docking points, and their boat stopped at one of them. The group stepped off and began walking along the dusty roads.