Five Star Da Dou Shi

Now that Hu Qian looked at Xu Haoyu again, the more he looked, the more delighted he became. Jia Nan Academy had recruited a monstrous genius.

For this reason, he personally handled Xu Haoyu's enrollment, filled out his information, and filed it away. The procedures were completed quickly.

Soon afterward, Hu Qian personally took Xu Haoyu to arrange his dormitory. Although Xu Haoyu was not a student actively recruited by Jia Nan Academy, he was already a Four Star Da Dou Shi upon enrollment. With talent came privileges.

Hu Qian arranged a single dormitory for him. Inside, everything was provided—tables, chairs, benches, a bed, and bedding—so he could move in immediately.

Then Hu Qian said with a gentle smile:

"Haoyu, I'll call you that from now on. Settle in for today and familiarize yourself with the academy. Tomorrow, I'll take you to register with the Alchemy Department and instruct Fire Elder, who oversees the department, to give you every possible convenience regarding pill recipes and medicinal ingredients."

Xu Haoyu had no objections. Ever since learning of his talent, Hu Qian had practically granted his every request. He clasped his hands and expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you, Vice-Dean."

Hu Qian smiled and nodded, then turned and left.

Before long, only Xu Tao and Xu Haoyu remained.

The dissatisfaction on Xu Tao's face faded, and his brows relaxed as he said:

"That Vice-Dean is very strong. He should be on the same level as the clan leader, also a Nine Star Dou Huang. I didn't even have time to react to what happened earlier."

"Heh, probing someone else's body—wouldn't that mean every secret gets seen? But that Vice-Dean probably didn't do it deliberately. His attitude when he apologized afterward proves it."

"Young Master Haoyu, now that you've officially enrolled, I and the Flying Eagle Army under my command should return to report. Is there anything you need me to take back?"

Xu Haoyu did not care much about it. The only secret he could not reveal to outsiders was that he had transmigrated here. Everything else was hardly a top secret.

Hearing Xu Tao's words, Xu Haoyu pondered briefly before saying confidently:

"After you return, please tell my grandfather that by the time I go back, I will have at least broken through to Dou Wang."

Xu Tao clicked his tongue in amazement at those words. Such confidence was truly remarkable. He had cultivated all his life and was only a Dou Wang, yet from Xu Haoyu's tone, he intended to become a Dou Wang by the time he graduated from Jia Nan Academy. Sure enough, people were different from one another.

Afterward, Xu Tao took his leave. Xu Haoyu saw him back to Peace Town, where he and the Flying Eagle Army under his command decided to rest for the night before setting off again the next day.

Only after Xu Haoyu returned to Canaan City did he finally have time to wander around the academy and familiarize himself with the names and locations of its various buildings.

Though it was merely the Outer Courtyard, its grounds were truly vast. Including students, instructors, and elders, there were at least several thousand people.

The students were further divided into different levels according to their cultivation. Those in the Dou Qi stage entered Yellow Class; those in the Dou Zhe stage entered Black Class; those in the Dou Shi stage entered Earth Class; and those in the Da Dou Shi stage entered Heaven Class.

As for those above Da Dou Shi, they were all in the Inner Courtyard. In any case, the Inner Courtyard Selection Competition was held every year. The top fifty would go to the Inner Courtyard to study, while those below the top fifty would graduate directly from the Outer Courtyard. Instructors would then be sent to recruit students from the various empires. That was roughly how Jia Nan Academy operated.

If Xu Haoyu were assigned to a class, he would certainly enter Heaven Class. However, he had decided to join the Alchemy Department to improve his alchemy.

As evening approached, Xu Haoyu, having wandered all around the academy, followed his memory back to his residence. As someone whose soul perception far surpassed that of ordinary people, he possessed an eidetic memory and could infer much from little. Though he had only walked through the academy once, he was already quite familiar with its buildings and layout.

Xu Haoyu murmured:

"That'll do. It's enough to be basically familiar with the Outer Courtyard. After all, once I pass the Inner Courtyard Selection Competition half a year from now, I'll be heading into the Inner Courtyard to study."

He had already eaten at the cafeteria while wandering around the academy, so after returning to his residence and washing up, he sat cross-legged on the bed and began cultivating.

He calmed his mind, sank his consciousness into his body, and circulated his cultivation technique along its prescribed route, beginning to absorb the Heaven and Earth Energy from the outside world.

Huff! Huff! Huff!

Streams of Heaven and Earth Energy, filled with all manner of colors, manifested from the air and gathered toward Xu Haoyu, forming something like a vortex. The vortex connected to his body, allowing vast amounts of Heaven and Earth Energy to enter through his pores.

Relying on the power of his Earth-tier cultivation technique, he absorbed and refined it at an extremely fast pace. Heaven and Earth Energy of different attributes entered different meridians for circulation. After just one cycle, a large mass of mixed energy was refined into strands of pure Dou Qi. Only then did Xu Haoyu feel at ease pouring those strands of pure Dou Qi into the Seven-Colored Dou Crystal.

As this cycle repeated, Xu Haoyu's Seven-Colored Dou Crystal stored more and more Dou Qi at a visible rate, growing larger in size.

Before he knew it, he had become immersed in the process. Suddenly, a strange fluctuation spread from his body, and Heaven and Earth Energy immediately surged into him with even greater force.

Xu Haoyu accepted it all without hesitation, absorbing every bit of it, refining it all into Dou Qi, and pouring it into his Dou Crystal.

The growth of the Dou Crystal seemed to have reached its limit. Crack, crack, crack, crack... A series of breaking sounds rang out as cracks appeared across his Dou Crystal. Yet it had not truly shattered. Instead, it was breaking and rebuilding. After breaking past its limit, he successfully broke through to Five Star Da Dou Shi, and his Dou Crystal began growing once more.

This took an entire night. When Xu Haoyu woke up, the sky outside was already bright. Seven-colored light flashed through his eyes, but they soon returned to their clear black-and-white appearance.

Though he had not slept all night, he did not feel the slightest fatigue. Instead, he felt utterly refreshed and exclaimed in delight:

"Five Star Da Dou Shi. It seems that after days of traveling, I broke through another star after cultivating for just one night. This feeling really is wonderful..."

Xu Haoyu got out of bed and jumped to the floor, moving his limbs slightly. The muscles, tendons, and bones throughout his body seemed to awaken, every cell cheering with joy.

Having broken through another star, Xu Haoyu was in an excellent mood. After getting dressed, he cheerfully fetched water and washed up, then went to the cafeteria for a simple breakfast.

Only then did he slowly make his way to the administrative office and find the Vice-Dean. Standing at the door, he called out loudly:

"Vice-Dean, I'm Xu Haoyu. I've come to register with the Alchemy Department."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hu Qian's gentle voice came from inside the room:

"Haoyu, is that you? Come in quickly!"

Only then did Xu Haoyu push open the door and enter. Apart from Hu Qian, the Vice-Dean, he saw a delicate little girl, around eleven or twelve years old. Her rosy cheeks were adorable, and her budding figure was dressed in a green skirt.

A doubt arose in Xu Haoyu's heart...

Was this Hu Jia?!