Level Thirty-Five at Six Years Old, Graduating as Soon as He Enrolls?

"Do I really still need to go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

Standing before the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Gan Lin tilted his head back to look at the towering white jade gatehouse and the dark plaque engraved with the empire's emblem. Unable to give up just yet, he turned to Dugu Bo beside him and voiced one last quiet objection.

He truly felt from the bottom of his heart that there was no need.

He now possessed three Soul Rings and a cultivation level of thirty-five. What was more, all three were one-of-a-kind growth-type Soul Rings. Among the entire younger generation of the Heaven Dou Empire, there was no second person who could match his foundation and potential.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy's courses in Soul Power cultivation and the fundamentals of being a Soul Master were like charcoal delivered in a snowstorm to ordinary Soul Master students, but to him as he was now, they were really no different from a waste of time. Attending classes and studying the basics by the book every day was far less worthwhile than devoting himself to tempering himself, refining his origin, and consolidating his strength at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Unfortunately, an arm could not twist a thigh.

This time, Dugu Bo had truly taken Aunt Ye's advice to heart.

She had said that he was too young, that too smooth a cultivation path could easily lead to an extreme temperament, and that he needed systematic cultural and Soul Master theory classes to solidify his foundation. She had said that no part of the basics could be neglected, and that advanced cultivation ultimately depended on accumulating the fundamentals. She had also said that cultivating alone for long periods could make him withdrawn and taciturn, so he had to spend time with students his own age, temper his character, and learn to get along with others, lest problems arise with his Dao heart in the future.

Aunt Ye had said all this gently and patiently, again and again, every word spoken with his well-being in mind.

If anyone else had dared to meddle so long-windedly in his cultivation, someone as free-spirited and aloof as Dugu Bo would have swept his sleeves and left long ago. But Aunt Ye was upright and considerate, and their friendship ran deep. She was genuinely thinking of Gan Lin's future, so Dugu Bo had naturally taken her words to heart.

Thus, early the next morning, before Gan Lin could linger in bed, Dugu Bo had picked him up and brought him straight to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Gan Lin grumbled inwardly that only Aunt Ye could do this because her friendship with Grandpa was strong enough. If anyone else had dared arrange things for him this way, he would have argued with them no matter what, and they might even have ended up getting dealt with by Dugu Bo as well.

He looked down at his small, delicate palms, feeling utterly helpless.

To be fair, he was only six this year.

Across the entire Douluo Continent, most six-year-olds had only just undergone Martial Soul Awakening. They had little Soul Power and were still unfamiliar with even its basic circulation. Under normal circumstances, they simply could not meet Heaven Dou Royal Academy's admission standards. Judging by age, he had come far too early; this was skipping grades on top of skipping grades.

But judged by Soul Power Level, the situation was absurd in the opposite direction.

At the mere age of six, he had already firmly entered the ranks of level thirty-five Soul Elders. All three of his Soul Rings exceeded the standard configuration, and his foundation was incomparably solid. He even had the vast amounts of energy from the Juvenile Jade, Basalt Pillar, and Ice and Fire Dragon Pearl. Whenever he wished, he could consolidate and absorb it, raise the ages of his Soul Rings, and break through to a higher realm.

If he truly cultivated at full speed, it probably would not take long for his cultivation to catch up to and surpass the academy's senior students, perhaps even reaching the point where he could graduate early.

It was precisely because his cultivation had risen too quickly that he had deliberately suppressed his realm. Rushing for results was taboo in cultivation; advancing too quickly could leave one's Dao heart adrift and one's foundation shaky. That was also the only reason he was willing to come obediently and spend some time at the academy.

Just as Gan Lin was grumbling and wrestling with the matter inwardly, three figures strode out through the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The academy had already received word that Dugu Bo was bringing a junior to enroll. Knowing that the Poison Douluo was coming in person, the academy did not dare show the slightest neglect. The three committee members in charge of the academy's academic affairs had set aside everything they were doing and come out to receive him personally.

In the middle walked Meng Shenji, chief of the Education Committee. He wore an ink-dark academic robe embroidered with golden patterns, and his lean frame carried the composed bearing of someone who had long held a high position. To his left was the second seat, Bai Baoshan, short, stout, and solidly built. His hair and beard were white, but his complexion was rosy, and the weighty presence bestowed by his Heavenly Star Furnace Martial Soul was particularly apparent. To the right, the third seat, Zhi Lin, had an ordinary appearance and a gentle expression. His eyes were clear and bright, as if they could see through people's hearts.

All three were Soul Douluo-level powerhouses and the true decision-makers of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

When they drew near, the three first bowed slightly to Dugu Bo, showing him the utmost respect. Meng Shenji spoke first, his voice gentle yet naturally authoritative. "Greetings, Your Majesty Poison Douluo! When we learned that Your Majesty was bringing a junior to enroll at our academy, the three of us came to wait here for you some time ago."

Dugu Bo nodded faintly, his expression calm, without his usual aloofness or cold severity. "There's no need for such formality. I've brought Xiaolin here to complete his enrollment today. Sorry for the trouble, all three of you."

The three committee members hurriedly waved their hands, their gazes immediately falling on Gan Lin, who stood to one side with his small, youthful frame and handsome features.

At first, the three assumed he was a junior from Dugu Bo's family, a child with decent talent who was being admitted to the imperial academy as an exception because of his young age. They took him for an ordinary gifted child. But when they instinctively released their Soul Power senses to probe Gan Lin's cultivation, all three abruptly froze. The smiles on their faces stiffened, and utter shock exploded in their eyes.

Fine strands of Soul Power perception swept over Gan Lin, conveying the steady, robust, concentrated, and pure fluctuations of his Soul Power to the three men with perfect clarity.

Level thirty-five!

A genuine level thirty-five Soul Elder!

What was more, his presence was steady and concentrated, without the slightest trace of instability or haste. His foundation was absurdly solid. This was by no means cultivation achieved through a shortcut, forcibly pushing up his realm by draining his potential!

Meng Shenji's pupils contracted slightly, and even his previously steady voice took on a note of disbelief. "This... how is this possible? This child looks no more than five or six, yet he's already a level thirty-five Soul Elder?"

Beside him, Bai Baoshan's eyes went wide, and his voice rose several notches before he knew it. "Six years old! In all my many years, I've seen hundreds upon hundreds of geniuses, but never talent so defiant of the heavens! Ordinary children have only just awakened their Martial Souls at six, and having two or three levels of Soul Power is already considered outstanding. Yet this boy is already a three-ring Soul Grandmaster at six. He's an unparalleled prodigy who outshines the ages!"

Zhi Lin studied Gan Lin closely, his gaze passing over the boy's calm features, and marveled all the more. Others could only see his cultivation, but he could tell that the child was steady of temperament. Faced with the probing of three Soul Douluos, he showed not the slightest sign of panic or unease. Many adult Soul Masters could not match such composure. Zhi Lin could not help nodding in praise. "His talent, foundation, and temperament are all excellent! To possess such bearing at so young an age, with a Dao heart far beyond that of children his age—he truly is a top talent encountered only once in ten thousand years!"

The three were utterly shaken by Gan Lin's talent. Abandoning all restraint, they lavished praise on him in front of Dugu Bo, every word coming from the heart.

As the foremost institution of learning in the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou Royal Academy admitted, apart from a number of noble children, only the empire's top geniuses. Those who reached the rank of level thirty Soul Elder at twelve or thirteen were already core prodigies singled out for cultivation by the academy. Gan Lin, however, was level thirty-five at six. His talent was enough to crush that of every student currently enrolled, and even among the younger generation of the entire continent, he stood at the very top.