Overwhelming Entrance Test

The two guards led the way ahead, their waists bent so low they were nearly touching the ground. Their steps were hurried and short, as though they feared that being even a moment too slow would displease the mysterious youth behind them. They passed through the academy's grand gates and proceeded along the main road paved with white jade, lined on both sides with exotic flowers and rare plants.

The interior of Heaven Dou Royal Academy was even more luxurious and expansive than it appeared from outside. Buildings of various styles stood in orderly rows. The Training Ground rang with the booms of colliding Soul Skills and shouted cries, while groups of students in exquisite uniforms occasionally passed by, casting curious looks at Zhang Bufan, who was being led along so respectfully by the guards.

"Who's that? Why are the guards being so polite to him?"

"Never seen him before. He's dressed so strangely. He's not from our academy, is he?"

"Could he be the heir of some great clan visiting incognito?"

The whispers reached Zhang Bufan's ears, but he paid them no mind. His gaze swept over the surroundings with interest as he inwardly mocked, Tsk, tsk. This academy is decorated like a five-star tourist resort. Soul Master cultivation is being made this flashy—no wonder Spirit Hall Academy crushed them in the original story. Comrades, formalism is unacceptable.

Before long, the three arrived before the most magnificent structure of all, a colossal crown-shaped building covered entirely in dark blue glazed tiles. This was the academy's center of power—the Committee Meeting Hall.

"My lord, the three Committee Members are inside." The guard stopped before the tightly shut gilded doors, his voice still trembling as he spoke respectfully to Zhang Bufan.

"Mm, you've worked hard." Zhang Bufan waved casually. The two guards looked as though they had been granted amnesty and practically ran away.

Zhang Bufan adjusted the hem of his wrinkle-free clothes and put on a harmless smile. Then... he pushed the door open and walked in.

Bang!

The heavy wooden doors echoed through the spacious hall as they opened. The interior was immensely wide, with a lofty vaulted ceiling. Light streamed through multicolored glazed windows, scattering mottled shadows across the floor. At the far end of the hall, three elderly men sat around a huge round table, seemingly discussing something.

These three were the highest authorities of Heaven Dou Royal Academy: the Soul Douluo-level Committee Members—Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin.

The sudden sound of the door opening interrupted their meeting. All three Committee Members frowned and looked toward the entrance with sharp gazes. When they saw that the intruder was an unfamiliar youth dressed oddly, their brows furrowed even deeper.

Meng Shenji, the leader of the three Committee Members, spoke with displeasure and authority. "Who are you? Why have you barged into the Committee Meeting Hall? Where are the guards at the entrance?" He was already irritated. This was an important place within the academy—how could a mere youth be allowed to wander in? It seemed the guards outside needed replacing.

As though he had not felt the invisible pressure at all, Zhang Bufan strolled to a spot not far from the round table and stopped, his smile unchanged. "You three are the academy's Committee Members, right? Hello, my name is Zhang Bufan. I'm here to enroll."

"Enroll?" Bai Baoshan was fat and always wore a smiling expression, but even that smile had turned cold now. "Young man, enrollment has its own rules and procedures. Barging in like this shows a serious lack of manners."

Zhi Lin, meanwhile, studied Zhang Bufan closely. He vaguely sensed that this youth was extraordinary. That calm and unruffled bearing was not something an ordinary teenager could possess.

Zhang Bufan shrugged, looking innocent. "Rules? The two guards outside said that as long as I could prove my strength, I could meet the Committee Members directly. So here I am." He directly shifted the blame onto the guards who had already fled far away.

Meng Shenji snorted coldly. "Prove your strength? With you? Young man, confidence is a good thing, but excessive confidence is arrogance. Heaven Dou Royal Academy does not accept arrogant people."

"Oh?" Zhang Bufan raised an eyebrow, his tone as relaxed as ever. "Then what would count as not being overly confident?"

Meng Shenji replied in a deep voice, "Simple. Show us your Martial Soul and Soul Power Level. If you truly have talent, the academy naturally will not bury it. But if you are merely seeking attention..." He did not finish, but his meaning was obvious.

"Martial Soul and Soul Power..." Zhang Bufan rubbed his chin as though considering it. "Fine, then... I'll let you have a look."

After speaking, he did not act immediately. Instead, he asked leisurely, "But three Committee Members, this hall of yours... it's sturdy enough, right? I'm afraid the commotion might get too big later. If I damage the place, I can't afford to compensate you."

The three Committee Members' expressions darkened at once. This brat really knew how to brag! How much of a commotion could a youth cause by releasing his Martial Soul? He was even worried about damaging the Committee Meeting Hall? What an absurd joke!

Bai Baoshan gave a false smile. "Little fellow, rest assured. This hall is built from special materials and reinforced with formations. Even if the three of us old men attacked with all our strength, we might not be able to damage it easily. Go ahead and show us what you can do."

"That's good, then." Zhang Bufan nodded, seemingly relieved.

The next moment, his gaze sharpened slightly.

There was no earth-shaking eruption of Soul Power, nor any dazzling burst of light. Before him, a phantom of an ancient bronze cauldron appeared soundlessly—heavy and weathered, as though it bore the vicissitudes of countless ages.

The cauldron was only about a foot tall, and its phantom was still somewhat blurred, its Patterns impossible to make out. Yet it simply floated there in silence.

However, at the instant the phantom of that little cauldron appeared—

Bzzzz—!

An indescribable pressure spread soundlessly from Zhang Bufan, like the faint breath released by an ancient divine mountain awakening from slumber!

The expressions of the three Committee Members by the round table froze instantly!

Meng Shenji felt as though the air around him had turned into thick liquid. His Soul Power, already above level eighty, became sluggish at that moment, as though it had sunk into a swamp! He tried to mobilize his Soul Power to resist, only to discover that before that pressure, it had become incomparably docile—and even... afraid?!

The fat on Bai Baoshan's face trembled. He felt as though an invisible prehistoric beast had fixed its gaze upon him, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back. His massive body actually felt unsteady on its feet.

Zhi Lin's Pupils contracted sharply. His spiritual power was the strongest, so his perception was also the clearest. Before the phantom of that little cauldron, the spiritual power he had always taken pride in felt like a dying candle in the wind—pitifully small. This was absolute suppression at the level of existence! What exactly was this Martial Soul?!

Three Soul Douluo, peak experts of the continent, found it difficult even to breathe before the seemingly inconspicuous phantom of that little cauldron. Their Soul Power stagnated, and their hearts pounded with fear!

The hall was so quiet that a needle could have been heard dropping. Only the heavy breathing of the three Committee Members and Zhang Bufan's steady breaths remained.

Seeing the three Committee Members looking as though they had seen a ghost, Zhang Bufan remained utterly unmoved. He even felt like laughing. What's this supposed to be? This is only the most basic Martial Soul pressure. I haven't even used one percent of its power. And they already can't take it?

With a thought, he withdrew the phantom of the Nine Cauldrons.

The suffocating pressure receded like the tide.

The three Committee Members swayed at the same time, as though a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from them. They gasped for air and exchanged glances, each seeing endless shock and horror in the others' eyes.

Meng Shenji forcefully suppressed the storm raging in his heart. His voice carried a tremor that even he had not noticed. "Y-you... what is this Martial Soul of yours?"

Zhang Bufan tilted his head, thought for a moment, and decided to phrase it in a way they could understand—though it would only shock them more. "I call it the Nine Cauldrons. As for what it is exactly... you could consider it a Divine Artifact Martial Soul."

A Divine Artifact Martial Soul?!

Those four words exploded like thunder in the minds of the three Committee Members! Never in the history of Douluo Continent had anyone heard of a Divine Artifact Martial Soul! Even the legendary Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was merely a top-tier Martial Soul, not a divine artifact!

"Y-you... what is your Soul Power Level?" Bai Baoshan asked impatiently, his voice changing pitch. What kind of terrifying Soul Power would be needed to support a Divine Artifact Martial Soul?

Zhang Bufan spread his hands. "I don't know either. When I tested at Spirit Hall before, the Crystal Ball exploded. It showed '???' level."

"'???' level?!" Zhi Lin cried out in disbelief. This had already surpassed the limits of their understanding!

Meng Shenji made an immediate decision. He took out an even more exquisite pillar from his Soul Tool, transparent as crystal. This was a Soul Power testing device far more advanced than an ordinary Crystal Ball, capable of withstanding the Soul Power impact of a Titled Douluo.

"Y-you... test it again!" Meng Shenji's tone was more solemn than ever, even carrying a trace of pleading.

Zhang Bufan walked forward indifferently and casually pressed his hand against the crystal pillar.

He carefully controlled himself and fed in an amount of Soul Power roughly equivalent to that of a Soul King.

The crystal pillar instantly lit up with dazzling radiance, its scale soaring wildly! Soul Ancestor! Soul King! Soul Emperor! Soul Sage! Soul Douluo! Titled Douluo!

The light did not pause in the slightest and directly broke through the upper limit of the Titled Douluo scale!

Then, under the dazed gazes of the three Committee Members, the value representing the Soul Power Level began flashing frantically. At last, with a soft pop, the entire crystal pillar seemed to overload, flickering with chaotic light. Finally, a clear row of symbols appeared at its top: ???

Silence! Deathly silence!

The three Soul Douluo-level Committee Members stood like three statues, mouths hanging open and eyes wide as bronze bells, staring fixedly at that row of question marks with utterly blank minds.

The crystal pillar... had exploded again! And this was high-end equipment! Just how vast was the Soul Power within this youth?! This was no longer a genius. He was a monster! A freak! A god reborn!

After a long while, Meng Shenji was the first to recover. He took several deep breaths before barely suppressing the shock in his heart. The way he looked at Zhang Bufan had completely changed, filled with fervor, reverence, and the wild delight of having found an unparalleled treasure!

He hurried over to Zhang Bufan. The authority on his face had long since vanished, replaced by overwhelming enthusiasm and... a trace of fawning?

"Z-Zhang Bufan, young friend! No! Lord Bufan!" Meng Shenji's voice was sharp with excitement. "Welcome! On behalf of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, I warmly welcome you to join us! From today onward, you will be the academy's most honored specially appointed student! You will receive the highest level of treatment! All academy resources will be at your disposal!"

Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin also snapped out of it and hurriedly gathered around him, their faces piled with smiles. There was not the slightest trace left of their earlier coldness or displeasure.

"Yes, yes, yes! Lord Bufan, whatever you require, just say the word!"

"Accommodation? We'll arrange the finest standalone villa for you, complete with servants!"

"Cultivation resources? We can't promise Soul Bones, but high-grade Soul Tools, rare metals, and medicinal herbs—we'll provide as much as you need!"

The three Committee Members were even more respectful and fawning than the guards outside.

The sudden enthusiasm gave Zhang Bufan goosebumps, and he inwardly mocked, Tsk. Even Sichuan opera masters would weep at how quickly they changed faces. Sure enough, strength is the only hard truth.

He waved a hand, interrupting the three Committee Members' enthusiastic sales pitch. "All right, all right. You can decide the treatment yourselves. I only have one request..."

The three Committee Members immediately pricked up their ears as though awaiting an imperial decree.

A playful smile curled Zhang Bufan's lips. "I heard that the Promotion Match for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is about to begin? Give me a spot. I want to participate."

Naturally, he was not joining the competition for any honor. Mainly... he could beat people up openly and legitimately—Feng Xiaotian, for example—and put on a proper "performance" before a certain someone.

Meng Shenji was stunned for a moment, then overwhelmed with joy! With such a great figure joining the Imperial Fighting Team, was there still any suspense over this year's championship?! This was not just a pie falling from the sky—it was a mountain of gold!

"No problem! Absolutely no problem!" Meng Shenji patted his chest in guarantee. "You will be the Imperial Fighting Team's secret weapon, the core among cores! I'll take you to meet the other team members right away!"

And so, Zhang Bufan completed his "entrance test" in an absolutely crushing fashion and successfully secured a ticket to the Promotion Match. His arrival was destined to stir unprecedented waves in this year's Soul Master tournament.