Chrysanthemum Douluo had not waited long before he saw a young man walk in from outside the reception hall.
"Are you the Dean of Great Wall Academy?"
Su Han nodded, and Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression became more restrained.
He was a high-ranking member of Spirit Hall, an identity that had accompanied him for half his life. Now that he was suddenly expected to chat as someone seeking friendship, he did not know what to do.
"Dean, I wish to meet Love Douluo, who ranks twenty-seventh on the Golden Ranking."
Chrysanthemum Douluo seemed afraid that Su Han would mistake him for someone who had come to gather intelligence, so he hurriedly added,
"You should know my martial soul, Dean—the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. The Golden Ranking said I had failed the Immortal Herbs, but I truly love my martial soul and every flower and plant. Love Douluo's Lovesick Heartbreak Red is the king of Immortal Herbs. If I could befriend her, I would have no regrets in this life."
"Love Douluo is only sixteen this year. You probably would not have much to talk about, though she does tend an entire garden of flowers."
"Sixteen?!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo cried out in shock. The Golden Ranking had described Shao Siyuan as young, and he had assumed she was an unparalleled genius like Tang Hao, who had become a Titled Douluo in his forties.
But now he was being told that there was a sixteen-year-old Titled Douluo!
Yue Guan was somewhat dazed when rolling thunder suddenly sounded from outside the academy.
"Has the Golden Ranking begun another announcement?"
"No. A student has returned."
"Dean!"
Sikong Zhen carried Dugu Bo in one hand, lightning surging behind him. To quickly complete the task Su Han had assigned him, he had used the power of lightning to accelerate the entire way, creating an imposing spectacle.
"Old Poison?!"
"Chrysanthemum Yue?!"
"Why are you here?"
"You're joining the academy too?"
Dugu Bo's words left Yue Guan bewildered. How had Old Poison, who was always opposing him and challenging him to fights, ended up joining Great Wall Academy?
"Welcome, Mister Dugu."
"I, Dugu Bo, have long admired the Dean's great name. Thank you for thinking highly of me, Dean. I offer you my gratitude!"
Dugu Bo was no fool. Since he had decided to join Great Wall Academy, he naturally would not put on the airs of an elder.
Besides, he had not even been able to defeat Sikong Zhen, who had not made the rankings. How could he possibly be a match for the other members of Great Wall Academy?
"Dean, what is going on? Why has Poison Douluo come here?"
"Chrysanthemum Yue, that's what I should be asking you. Why did you come running to our Great Wall Academy?"
Dugu Bo was quick-witted. Having decided to cling to Su Han's thigh, he immediately started calling it "our Great Wall Academy." Anyone unaware of the situation would have thought he was one of the academy's founding elders.
Just as the two were about to start arguing, the Golden Ranking announced another entry.
[Golden Ranking Combat Power, Twelfth Place: Great Wall Academy, Broken Thought Douluo—Yang Yuhuan!] [Martial Soul: Lovesick Pipa. Rank 97 Control System Super Douluo!]
Great Wall Academy again?!
How could a single academy possibly have so many Super Douluo?
Even the Clear Sky Sect, once publicly acknowledged as the number one sect on the continent and possessing the strongest Tool Martial Soul in the world, did not have that many Super Douluo. It did not even have that many Titled Douluo, much less so many Soul Douluo.
Spirit Hall, Worship Hall.
Golden Crocodile Douluo sighed. He could no longer fool himself into believing that rank ninety-seven was Great Wall Academy's highest level.
"This time, it is twelfth place. If it stops here, we can still accept it. But if another person from Great Wall Academy appears on the ranking, then they may be an immensely powerful force as well—a force with top experts like the Great Enshrined and me."
"How is that possible?!"
Mighty Lion Douluo loudly objected. He had always respected Golden Crocodile Douluo, but he had devoted his entire life to the faith of the Angel God and to fighting for Spirit Hall. How could he allow a force capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with Spirit Hall to exist on Douluo Continent?
"At first, I believed that with my experience, there was no way I could fail to notice Super Douluo above rank ninety-seven still existing on the continent. But this academy's successive appearances on the ranking have shaken that belief."
Golden Crocodile Douluo's words made Qian Daoliu nod as well. Once one of the two great mountains of the Spirit Master World, a powerful existence known as Invincible in the Sky, he now looked like nothing more than an ordinary, kindly old man.
He stared at the Golden Ranking in the sky, no longer able to regard it with his usual calm.
"Great Angel God, please offer some guidance to your incapable descendants. Spirit Hall's legacy must not be severed."
Within Shrek Academy,
Yu Xiaogang, who had been shaken by Ying's Three Lives Martial Soul and the exceptional quality of each martial soul, found it hard to accept reality.
His previous assertions could still be dismissed as casual talk. After all, the words came from Yu Xiaogang's own mouth, and no one could stop him.
But this time, it was clearly a blow to Yu Xiaogang's professional expertise. His theory of the ten core competitive strengths of soul rings had been shattered by undeniable reality.
Tang San also stood frozen, remembering six years ago.
"Blue Silver Grass cannot support level ten soul power on its own, so you must have another martial soul."
Back then, Yu Xiaogang's seemingly genius conclusion had thoroughly convinced him. But now, looking at the expert named Ying on the Golden Ranking, he saw that all three of her martial souls were top-tier, yet they had appeared within a single person.
This completely overturned Yu Xiaogang's words from back then.
As the Golden Ranking's announcement about Yang Yuhuan rang out, the people of Shrek Academy and the enshrined elders of Spirit Hall had all become somewhat numb.
Their strength was even lower, and they could not see the situation as clearly. Yet now, it was not just Tang San—every student harbored different thoughts.
They all believed their talent to be extremely high. If they went to Great Wall Academy, would they not also be treasured like precious gems?
Seeing so many powerful experts appear on the Golden Ranking, they thought that if those experts became their teachers, how could there possibly be even the slightest obstacle on their path of cultivation?
Tang San's thoughts grew increasingly active. He began recalling when Yu Xiaogang had taken him to hunt for his first soul ring. If he had not relied on the Tang Sect's secret arts to kill the Mandala Snake in return, he would likely have already reincarnated by now.
If the teacher he had acknowledged had been one of the Golden Ranking's experts, would his future not have been far smoother?
I'll leave tonight.
Tang San made up his mind and quietly took Xiao Wu's hand.
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan,
The improvement in Yu Yuanzhen's own strength and Yu Luomian's breakthrough had stirred the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan into action.
"The Clear Sky Sect has two people on the ranking, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has two as well. We only have one. If we seek cooperation, would we not become mere supporting players?"
Yu Luomian's concern was naturally reasonable. Yu Yuanzhen's ranking was not high, he himself had only just broken through, and the Upper Three Sects being united in spirit was nothing more than an empty joke.
"The Upper Three Sects must unite. Now that Great Wall Academy on the ranking stands opposed to Spirit Hall, not to mention Sea God Island, Spirit Hall will certainly not tolerate Great Wall Academy's existence. Once they begin fighting, that will be our time to enter the fray. But their forces are too powerful. Only by joining together will we be qualified to take part."
This old dragon, Yu Yuanzhen, displayed an unprecedented shrewdness. He and Yu Luomian gazed at the Golden Ranking in the sky, their minds filled with countless thoughts.
A great transformation unseen in millions of years on Douluo Continent had arrived today!
Before you continue