Disclaimer!
Besides my original characters, the other characters do not belong to me (I'll name them when they appear). I am not making any money off this story, and am merely writing Fan Fiction.
I hope you enjoy Soul Land: Generation Talents Journey :)
Cao Li Yang gave another nod, this time directed at all of them. "Very good. Each of you really do learn quickly, all the spirit beasts you've considered for your future rings are some of the best possible."
"Does that mean it wasn't the best?" Zu Que asked.
"No. The list of possibilities I had doesn't have a best at the top on most of them, however if it does then you choose the best. Others usually have equal usefulness."
They continued on for another day before encountering the Ghostly Tiger spirit beast that Gu Yan Ling wanted to kill. During this time, Bai Shu also managed to get his second spirit ring. He was in the middle of absorbing when the appearance of the Ghostly Tiger came. Just like how several spirit beasts would have large grudges between each other, there would also be spirit beast alliances. Unbeknownst to this group of 8, the Ghostly Tiger had formed an alliance with the spirit beast that Bai Shu had just killed. However, whether this was a fortunate thing they knew all too well.
Testing the boundaries of her previous abilities and their cooperation overall, that Ghostly Tiger of over a thousand years was killed soon, this time Lan Jing Hua also was able to assist more. Although the first ability was versatile, there were still a few setbacks that she hadn't mentioned earlier. One was that the durability of whatever item it made wasn't even as strong as to break through rock. After absorbing her second ability, she was determined to level up as quickly as possible to get her third spirit ring sooner so that previous aspects would be strengthened and she herself would be stronger as a whole.
When they got back the first thing they did was divide a chore schedule. They decided that rather than everyone having separate chores, on a separate day, each of them would be responsible for all the chores. Starting from Monday to Sunday, each of the day's chores would rotate from the eldest of the 7 to the youngest. But for now, they first cooperated together in fixing much of the academy. Giving them some money, Cao Li Yang assigned them to pick up some food and water and if they wanted to, they could fix up some of the houses. Cao Li Yang didn't require much of them saying that the simpler parts of the Academy such as some furniture, while he would take care of the buildings and the more difficult construction. Cao Li Yang himself also had to run a couple of errands, and still reminded them that he would return after a short while.
At the Academy, there were only 4 people now. Gu Yan Ling, Zu Que, and Ning Tian Cheng had gone out to buy the food for the week, leaving Dan Guo, Qi Long, Bai Shu, and Lan Jing Hua to remain at the academy and try fixing what they knew they could try to fix. Now, Dan Guo and Lan Jing Hua were in the bathroom of their house, getting the accumulated over who-knew-how-long moss off of the tiles. Dan Guo had always been a taciturn person so it was mostly silence in the bathroom as they continued to work.
At last, she spoke, finally starting a conversation. "What did you do before Teacher Cao found you?" Although they all knew that Lan Jing Hua was the first person Cao Li Yang found, the specifics were still unknown. Lan Jing Hua added some extra effort into her work before answering truthfully. "I'm not sure, Teacher Cao said he found me in a spirit beast forest as a baby and chose to take me in." She looked up to Dan Guo who was at the side taking off the moss of the walls. "What about you?"
Dan Guo who would have probably been bothered to answer this question before, didn't do so with any hesitation that day. They had all been together for a long time, and asking Lan Jing Hua she was already expected her to question back. "In the spirit master world, strength is more or less everything. If one has what others call a "trash" spirit, then unless you can gain strength, you'll be labeled as such for the rest of your lives. I was born in an aristocratic family with background and wealth, my parents both had the labeled trash spirits, and I was already labeled to have a trash spirit as well. Mother and Father were often busy with the crummiest of the work, and never could spend time with me either. One day, they brought me along on a trip, however the boat capsized and they both perished trying to bring me to shore. There I was found by Teacher Cao."
"Oh...I'm sorry," Lan Jing Hua said. "did I bring up the bad memories?"
Dan Guo shook her head. "No, I was the one who started this conversation. Don't go blaming yourself. Besides, you are part of my family now." In the beginning, none of them dared to ask, but even now, they still didn't. However, all secrets would most likely be spilled at one point, them as family weren't desperate to know. Overall, Lan Jing Hua only knew what happened to some of them, and didn't know about the slightest details for the others. She knew most of them must have experienced some difficulty in the past or else they wouldn't have wanted to come along with Cao Li Yang and start this family of theirs. Perhaps she felt sorry as no one should have to undergo these sorts of situations, but at the same time she felt pleased that all of them have found a home within each other.
In the expansive Ping Ling Kingdom, the central part was a large building that had much splendor. The decorated windows and doors were always shining with people coming to clean them every day. This building was known as Ping Ling Central. It was where the owners of the Ping Ling Kingdom managed most of their business. If a normal person were to go to it, it would take around over a week to get there. With how large it was and how many gardens or regulations, some might have already given up. After all, what was there to talk about? However, there was a person who now only took less than a few hours to get there. They had always said that the higher one progressed the better physical attributes would be for a spirit master. At the moment, the person rushing to Ping Ling Central was exactly the new head of the renamed Little Village Academy, Cao Li Yang.
Stopping at the large front doors that seemed to tower before him, two guards pointed their weapons towards them. "Who are you?" They asked. "Not just anyone can enter Ping Ling Central. State your name and business."
"Zhuang Xi Yuan sent me." He held up a small badge in his hand. This was a spirit master's badge. After earning their first spirit ring, a spirit master would normally sign up at a Spirit hall. There they would be given this badge that had their name, and level engraved on it along with being able to receive money from spirit hall monthly depending on one's rank. Cao Li Yang managed to find Zhuang Xi Yuan's inside his current residence. The guards naturally let him in after seeing this proof, also sending someone inside to lead him to Rong Xi Chong, the eldest son of the kingdom's current duke. Zhuang Xi Yuan coming to Ping Ling Central wasn't something that happened only once or twice. By now, they were quite familiar with this badge along with the man himself.
Soon, Cao Li Yang arrived at one of the rooms on the top floor of the building. It was a large circular shape with floor to ceiling windows at one part. There waiting for him behind a polished mahogany desk was a young man, probably only near 16 years of age. "Oh?" His voice was filled with surprise as he saw this envoy. He had known Zhuang Xi Yuan's own situations quite clearly after so many years. This man he sent looked even younger than the academy head he was so familiar with, but also retained an appearance that didn't seem to resemble someone who would befriend a wild man like Zhuang Xi Yuan. Although, Rong Xi Chong always considered himself exempt from this. He, naturally, wouldn't befriend a wild man under normal circumstances and still was as elegant and sophisticated as ever. "Who are you?"
"I am Cao Li Yang."
"Cao Li Yang?" Rong Xi Chong pondered for a small moment. He felt that he had heard Zhuang Xi Yuan speak of this name before, but then again, Zhuang Xi Yuan spoke of many things many times. In the end, he just nodded and gestured to one of the chairs in his office. Politely, they both sat down around a round table near his desk. A servant quickly poured them tea before exiting. "How is Xi Yuan? I hope he's doing well."
Cao Li Yang took a pause before responding. Although this duke gave him a good impression, being courteous as well as seeming to be truly friends to Zhuang Xi Yuan, he still had to think a few times before answering. "He's dead."
Shiranai Atsune - Yeah, Soul Land is a great Donghua, honestly one of my favourites as well!
ManofLead - Thank you, I'll keep that in mind!