The Royal Academy's Threshold

After watching the match, Zhang Bufan was thoroughly satisfied—mainly because he had seen Huo Wu—and his short-term goal became even clearer: enter Heaven Dou Royal Academy. It was close to Blazing Fire Academy, making it easier for him to launch his "offensive." The academy also had abundant resources, allowing him to gain a deeper understanding of this world's Soul Master system—though he thought the system was garbage—and perhaps find a suitable "stepping stone," such as Feng Xiaotian.

The next day, he collected himself and returned to the imposing gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Compared to viewing it from afar yesterday, seeing it up close made the academy's luxury and majesty even more palpable. Golden Soul Guide Patterns wound around gate pillars carved from white marble, while the gates themselves appeared to be made from some costly Soul Guide Metal, gleaming with a restrained luster beneath the sun. The plaza before the gates was broad, with quite a few ornately decorated carriages parked there. Those entering and leaving the academy, young and old alike, were all exceptionally dressed, and most possessed no weak aura.

Two guards in bright silver armor stood like javelins on either side of the gate, Soul Guide Spears in hand as their sharp eyes swept over the passersby.

Zhang Bufan's "strange attire"—casual clothes—and unfamiliar face immediately drew the guards' attention.

"Stop! This is the Royal Academy, an important place. Unauthorized people are not allowed near!" The guard on the left stepped forward, holding his spear across Zhang Bufan's path. His tone carried an impersonal coldness.

Zhang Bufan stopped and said calmly, "I'm not unauthorized. I'm here to enroll."

"Enroll?" The guard looked him over, a trace of barely perceptible contempt flashing through his eyes. Zhang Bufan's clothing was far too ordinary, and he bore no noble house crest or symbol of any powerful Soul Master organization. He looked like a Civilian Soul Master, or some country bumpkin from a backwater town.

"Is this enrollment season? Do you have a letter of recommendation? Or are you the descendant of some family?" The guard's tone remained cold. As the empire's highest institution of learning, Heaven Dou Royal Academy had an extremely high threshold. One either had extraordinary talent and was specially recruited, or had a powerful background and was guaranteed admission. People like Zhang Bufan, who came on their own claiming they wanted to enroll, were seen only a few times a year, and they were basically always overestimating themselves.

"I don't have a recommendation letter, and I'm not from any family." Zhang Bufan told the truth. "I just heard that the Royal Academy is the empire's best academy, so I wanted to come here and learn."

The contempt on the guard's face deepened, now almost undisguised. The guard on the right even let out a quiet snort.

"Kid, what do you think Heaven Dou Royal Academy is? A marketplace? You think you can come just because you want to?" The left guard's tone was mocking. "No recommendation letter, no background—just because you say you 'want to study,' we're supposed to let you in? Get lost already. Stop making trouble here!"

Zhang Bufan frowned. He hated this kind of attitude, where people judged others by appearances. It seemed that no matter what world he was in, the gatekeeper—whether old man or young fellow—was always the hardest first hurdle to overcome.

"Then, may I ask what I need to do to get in?" he asked patiently.

"Simple!" The guard raised his chin and pointed to a dark, waist-high stone beside the gate. "That's a Soul Testing Stone. It can roughly reflect your Soul Power Level and potential. Put your hand on it. As long as you can make it emit at least a moderate glow, proving that you're qualified to take the academy's entrance assessment, I can let you in and report your arrival. Otherwise... heh, go back where you came from!"

The Soul Testing Stone looked entirely unremarkable. Its surface was smooth, and it emitted no Soul Power fluctuations.

Zhang Bufan glanced at the stone, then at the expressions on the two guards' faces that said, You definitely can't do it, and found it rather amusing.

A Soul Testing Stone? Could this thing detect his "???"-level Soul Power? What a joke. He was genuinely afraid that if he released even a little Soul Power, the stone would explode on the spot.

Still, he had no intention of wasting time tangling with two minor guards here.

He sighed and said in a tone that implied, "You really leave me no choice," "There's no need for the Soul Testing Stone. It's too troublesome. How about this..."

Before he could finish, his gaze suddenly sharpened!

It was not directed at the two guards. Rather... he released the faintest trace of Soul Power pressure, so slight it could almost be ignored! That trace of pressure precisely enveloped the two guards, avoiding everyone else nearby. It did not even disturb the fallen leaves behind them.

Yet that tiny trace of pressure was like Mount Tai bearing down on the two guards, whose cultivation was at most at the Soul Grandmaster level!

"Urgh!"

The mockery and contempt on the guards' faces instantly froze, replaced by boundless terror and horror! They felt as though some primordial Fierce Beast had opened its eyes before them. Its terrifying aura seemed almost tangible, clutching their throats, freezing their blood, and crushing their souls!

Every bone in their bodies creaked under unbearable strain. Their legs shook wildly, and they were on the verge of dropping to their knees! Their faces turned paper-white in an instant, while cold sweat poured from their foreheads and temples like a waterfall, soaking through their inner garments at once!

Their mouths hung open as they tried to scream, but not a sound came out. Their eyeballs bulged from extreme terror, bloodshot and wide. As they stared at the youth before them, who still wore a "kind" smile, it was as if they were looking upon an ancient demon god wearing human skin!

What... what level of pressure was this?! A Titled Douluo?! No! It was probably even more terrifying than an ordinary Titled Douluo! They had once felt the aura inadvertently released by a Soul Douluo Committee Member within the academy, but compared with the youth before them, it was like fireflies before the full moon!

And just now... we actually mocked someone like this?! At that thought, boundless regret and terror nearly swallowed them whole!

Zhang Bufan saw that the two were on the verge of collapse and decided the heat was sufficient. Silently, he withdrew that trace of pressure.

It was as if a mountain had been lifted away. The guards immediately felt their bodies lighten, and they nearly collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. They gulped down air, their eyes filled with endless reverence and... fawning?

"So... can I go in now?" Zhang Bufan asked with a smile, his tone as mild as ever.

"Y-yes! Of course! Please enter, sir! Please, right this way!" The guard on the left practically scrambled aside, bending at a ninety-degree angle. His voice trembled with a sobbing note. "This lowly one failed to recognize your greatness! I offended you, sir! Please forgive me! Please forgive me!"

The guard on the right directly dropped to one knee and performed a grand salute reserved for nobles, not daring to raise his head.

Their attitudes had made a complete one-eighty!

Zhang Bufan nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that in any world, "strength" was the most useful pass.

He patted the guard on the shoulder—the man flinched violently—and said kindly, "It's fine. Those who don't know can't be blamed. Keep your eyes open in the future. Don't always judge people by their appearance."

"Yes, yes, yes! This lowly one will remember! I will remember your instruction, sir!" The guard nodded frantically.

"Then can you take me to meet the person in charge of the academy now? For example... one of the Committee Members?" Zhang Bufan asked.

"No problem! This lowly one will lead the way at once! The three Committee Members should all be in the committee chambers right now!" The guard hurriedly answered, as respectful as if he were facing an emperor.

Thus, led by the two guards, whose attitude had shifted from arrogance to almost fawning servility, Zhang Bufan walked leisurely through the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy with his hands behind his back, as though inspecting his own territory.

He thought to himself, Dealing with the gatekeepers counts as clearing the first hurdle. Next, I'll meet these so-called Committee Members. Hopefully... they'll be somewhat interesting.

His legendary academy life was about to officially begin here. And his foremost target—Huo Wu—seemed to have drawn another step closer.