Spirit Academy

Bibi Dong looked at Xuan Hao, who was holding the gifts and seemed somewhat unaccustomed to them. She did not rush to speak, instead turning to Hu Liena beside her. "Nana, go check how dinner preparations are coming along in the back."

"Tomorrow, the two of you will officially move into the academy and begin closed training. At most, you'll only be able to come back once a month. Have a proper meal here tonight and get some rest."

Hu Liena was a smart girl. At a glance, she could tell that her teacher was trying to send her away, clearly having something private to tell Xuan Hao alone.

"Yes, Teacher. I'll go hurry them along." Hu Liena nodded obediently, winked at Xuan Hao, then turned and quickly left the hall.

As the heavy doors closed once more, only master and disciple remained in the spacious hall.

Bibi Dong looked at Xuan Hao. She did not say any sentimental nonsense like "Don't overthink it" or "I treat you like family." Such things only needed to be said once. Right now, she was instructing her disciple as a strict teacher.

"Listen. What I'm about to tell you concerns your life."

Bibi Dong's voice lowered, her expression solemn. "Your Twin Martial Souls, especially that Silver Dragon Spirit—unless it is a matter of life and death, never use it in front of anyone. And do not tell anyone about it."

"Most of the teachers at the academy are merely Spirit Emperors or Soul Sages, and they will not be able to see through you. But the academy's five members of the Education Committee are all Spirit Douluos, and occasionally Elders at the Titled Douluo level may come to inspect the place."

"If they notice anything unusual within you, ask why your power is so strange, or sense elemental fluctuations, insist that it is a special physique caused by a Martial Soul mutation."

"If they still insist on looking into it... say that it is my conclusion. If anyone has questions, have him come directly to the Papal Palace and ask me."

Xuan Hao's heart tightened. Seeing Bibi Dong's imposing, fiercely protective expression, he nodded solemnly. "I understand, Teacher."

Bibi Dong nodded slightly and pointed to the booklet in Xuan Hao's hands. "Also, the reason I gave you this specially tailored Meditation Method is because you have Twin Martial Souls."

"The latter half of this Meditation Method will be extremely dull and painful to cultivate. Its demands on Spiritual Power are also harsh to the extreme. But I require you to persist no matter how tired you are. You cannot slack off for even a single day."

"You may not feel it now, but this foundation will be crucial to your future achievements."

Bibi Dong paused. "I also possess Twin Martial Souls. I know very well how difficult this path is. Two Martial Souls may be powerful, but they reside within the same body, and conflict between their Soul Power is unavoidable."

"We cannot completely eliminate that conflict, but through powerful Spiritual Power and precise control of Soul Power, we can suppress it to the minimum."

"Only when your control over Soul Power and Spiritual Power reaches its peak will you be able to switch between your two Martial Souls at will in battle and fully bring out the advantages of Twin Martial Souls."

"Otherwise, if your control is insufficient and a Soul Power conflict occurs while switching Martial Souls at the height of battle, that would be suicide on the battlefield."

"At best, you will be seriously injured. At worst, your body will explode."

A chill ran down Xuan Hao's back. Although he had read the original novel and knew that cultivating Twin Martial Souls was difficult, he had not expected the risks to be so direct.

"I understand. I'll cultivate it," Xuan Hao promised.

Seeing that she had frightened him enough, Bibi Dong softened her stern expression.

"You needn't be overly anxious. You have only just begun cultivating, and these problems are still far away. As long as you proceed step by step, nothing will go wrong."

She rose to her feet, her long skirt trailing an elegant arc across the floor as she headed toward the side door.

"Come on. Let's go to the back courtyard."

"Nana should be getting impatient. Tonight's dinner is a welcome banquet prepared especially for you."

Next morning, the sky had only just begun to brighten.

Hu Liena knocked on Xuan Hao's door early. Acting as a responsible "Senior Martial Sister," she briskly led the still-sleepy Xuan Hao through washing up and breakfast, then swiftly left the Papal Palace and headed straight for Spirit Academy behind Spirit City.

Inside the Papal Palace, Bibi Dong watched the two little ones disappear into the morning mist. The gentleness on her face gradually faded, replaced once more by that imposing, indifferent mask.

"Yue Guan."

"Your subordinate is here."

A soft, feminine voice sounded. Then Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, dressed in golden armor with skin as pale as jade, silently emerged from the shadows behind a pillar.

"Go keep an eye on Spirit Academy."

Bibi Dong lightly tapped her scepter with her fingers, her tone calm. "Xuan Hao's circumstances are special. Although I have already warned him, there is no guarantee those old fellows at the academy will not notice something."

"If anyone pays excessive attention to his Martial Soul or physique, or tries to investigate his background..."

A cold glint flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. "Go remind them. Do not ask what they should not ask, and do not meddle in what they should not meddle in. If anyone has questions, have him come directly to me."

Yue Guan immediately understood. He naturally knew how much importance His Holiness the Pope placed on that silver-haired boy she had brought back, and he promptly lowered his head in response.

"Yes, Your Excellency. Rest assured, I will handle it at once."

With that, Yue Guan's figure flickered and vanished from the hall in an instant.

Meanwhile, at Spirit Academy.

Standing before the academy's grand gates, Hu Liena stopped and helped Xuan Hao straighten his collar.

"All right, I'll leave you here."

Hu Liena pointed at a teaching building on the left. "You're a first-year newcomer. Register over there. I'm a third-year student now, and my classroom is on the other side. I won't take you in. Come find me at lunchtime."

Though she was only a little over two years older than Xuan Hao, Hu Liena had awakened her Martial Soul early and cultivated Soul Power quickly. She was already a prominent figure among the third-year students.

After bidding farewell to his Senior Martial Sister, Xuan Hao followed the directions and found his Elite Class.

As the core cradle for Spirit Hall to cultivate its direct-line talents, Spirit Academy's selection of students was exceptionally strict.

Those who could study here generally fell into two categories.

The first category consisted of orphans or commoner geniuses like Xuan Hao and Hu Liena, discovered by Spirit Hall throughout the continent.

The standards for selection were extremely high. Their Innate Soul Power had to be at least rank five, and their Martial Souls had to be of superior quality, with the potential to reach at least the Soul Sage level in the future.

The second category consisted of the descendants of Spirit Hall's upper ranks. Relatives of Bishops, Elders, and even Imperial Supporters possessed exceptional inherited advantages and resources, so they naturally frequented this place as well.

Of course, there was a third path: advancing from Spirit Hall branch halls in various regions.

If one's talent was not quite so outstanding but one had joined a Spirit Hall branch and worked hard enough, then upon reaching rank twenty Soul Power before the age of fifteen, one could come to Spirit City to take the examination.

Those who passed could also enter Spirit Academy for further study.

But those were matters for upper-year students.

For the current first-year newcomers, everyone was still just a bunch of little kids who had only recently awakened their Martial Souls.

Xuan Hao pushed open the classroom door and was greeted by dozens of curious eyes.

The course arrangements here did not include the intense and exciting combat training Xuan Hao had imagined.

After all, they were all six- or seven-year-old children. Their minds were not yet mature, and their bodies were still developing.

The lower-year curriculum focused mainly on academic subjects: literacy, arithmetic, basic etiquette, continental geography, and, most importantly, foundational knowledge for Soul Masters.

For genuine six-year-old children, such things required rote memorization and were terribly dull.

But for Xuan Hao, who possessed an adult soul, it was as easy as playing house with children.

After a morning of classes, Xuan Hao quickly became the center of attention in the class, thanks to his rare silver hair, his delicate porcelain-doll-like features, and those beautiful blue eyes that seemed capable of speaking.

Combined with intelligence and composure far beyond his age, the teacher in charge's favorable impression of him shot straight up to the maximum.

Even a few boys who had originally wanted to teach the new "transfer student" a lesson lost their nerve for no reason after trying to provoke him during recess and receiving a glance from Xuan Hao's cold Vertical Pupils.

After this initial experience, life at Spirit Academy seemed rather relaxed.