First Encounter with Huangdou, Shocking the World

"This is the area for the Tiandou Elite Class; our classroom is the one right ahead."

Qin Ming pointed toward a spacious classroom at the end of the corridor, then looked at the two of them.

"It's currently the break between classes, so the students are all inside. I'll take you in and formally introduce you to everyone."

Chen Jieqi did not speak, merely nodding slightly.

Dugu Yan, however, was like an impatient child, her tone excited and tinged with a hint of showing off.

"Teacher Qin Ming, hurry up!

With little brother Xiao Qi joining, I won't ever feel like an outsider in the Huangdou Team again!"

Qin Ming shook his head helplessly, responded with a smile, and then stepped forward, reaching out to gently push open the door.

At this moment, the students in the classroom were gathered in small groups, chatting in low voices; some were discussing bottlenecks encountered during cultivation, others were exchanging practical combat experience, and some were closing their eyes to stabilize their soul power, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

Hearing the door open, the students looked over one after another, their gazes landing in unison on Qin Ming, Dugu Yan, and Chen Jieqi.

The chatter ceased instantly, and the large classroom fell deathly silent.

"Hello, Teacher Qin Ming! Hello, Big Sister!"

The group spoke in unison, their tones filled with awe.

Qin Ming was the academy's youngest Soul Emperor instructor, while Dugu Yan was the captain of the Huangdou Team, and was also the universally acknowledged "Big Sister."

At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Chen Jieqi, filled with inquiry, curiosity, and a hint of imperceptible scrutiny.

They were all very curious about who this youth in plain white clothes, brought personally by Teacher Qin Ming and kept close by the Big Sister, actually was.

Qin Ming walked to the center of the classroom, clapped his hands, and said loudly with a smile, "Students, quiet down for a moment. I'd like to introduce a new classmate to everyone."

He stepped aside to make room, pushing Chen Jieqi into everyone's view.

"This is classmate Chen Jieqi. He just finished his enrollment procedures today and is officially joining our Tiandou Elite Class.

At the same time, he will also be joining the Huangdou Team; from now on, he is a member of our family.

Classmate Chen Jieqi is exceptionally gifted and is a rare soul master with Innate Full Soul Power. Everyone should learn from each other and progress together in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of curious gasps erupted in the classroom, and the gazes directed at Chen Jieqi changed instantly.

Someone lowered their voice, "Could this be the genius little brother that 'Big Sister' often mentions?"

"No wonder he was brought here personally by Teacher Qin Ming and can join the Huangdou Team directly; so he's this kind of 'monster'!"

"Looking at his age, he should be quite a bit younger than us. To enter the Tiandou Elite Class, he must be a Soul Elder, and to join the Huangdou Team directly, he must be at least a high-level Soul Elder!"

The discussion was filled with surprise, inquiry, and envy.

Chen Jieqi stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"Hello everyone, my name is Chen Jieqi. I am very happy to join the Tiandou Elite Class and become your classmate. I am also very honored to join the Huangdou Team.

In the future, I hope for your guidance during our cultivation and studies, and let us reach the peak of soul masters together."

Dugu Yan immediately walked to Chen Jieqi's side, affectionately pulling his arm, and tilted her chin at the crowd, her tone carrying a hint of showing off and protectiveness.

"Listen up, everyone! Xiao Qi is the genius little brother I mentioned before!

It's just that he has been cultivating alone since he was young, so he is a bit lonely and not very good at dealing with people. I hope you will all interact with him more in the future and don't bully him!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and someone joked, "Big Sister, don't you worry!

We wouldn't dare bully such a powerful genius classmate; we'd be scrambling to get on his good side, so we will definitely interact with him plenty!"

"Exactly, exactly! In the future, we'll have to ask classmate Chen for advice on soul power cultivation techniques!

I heard he is a soul master with Innate Full Soul Power; it's so intriguing!"

All sorts of complimentary and friendly remarks followed one after another. The previously quiet classroom became lively once again, and the gazes looking at Chen Jieqi shifted from inquiry to curiosity, and from scrutiny to friendliness.

Chen Jieqi looked at the lively scene before him, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight smile. He didn't answer, thinking to himself, Nothing else matters; talent and strength are the foundation. The strong take all!

Seeing the discussion becoming increasingly intense, Qin Ming interjected, "Alright, everyone, stop messing around. The break is almost over. The members of the Huangdou Team, come out with me for a moment!"

"Understood, Teacher Qin Ming!"

Yu Tianheng, Yu Feng, Osler, the Shi Brothers, and others in the classroom stood up in response, their gazes falling on Chen Jieqi in unison, filled with a hint of anticipation.

Chen Jieqi watched the group stand up, lost in thought.

Dugu Yan didn't originally have such a large gap between her and the rest of the Huangdou Team, but my intervention allowed her to obtain an 'Immortal Herb opportunity',

widening that gap and turning her into a true big sister in every sense of the word!

He looked again at Dugu Yan's slender back.

With no time to dwell on it further, he followed Qin Ming and the members of the Huangdou Team out of the classroom and toward the exclusive training room next door.

Pushing open the heavy doors of the training room, a rich aura of Soul Power rushed to meet them.

Qin Ming looked at the vibrant group before him, a flash of envy crossing his eyes, followed by a look of deep anticipation.

"With all of you here, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy will surely stun everyone at the Soul Master Tournament in a few years!

This can also be considered as making up for the regret I felt when I couldn't participate in the tournament back in my day."

Immediately, Qin Ming gestured for them to gather.

"To welcome Chen Jieqi to our Huangdou Team, let's all introduce ourselves so we can have a preliminary understanding!"

"I'll go first!"

The words had barely left his lips when Dugu Yan stepped forward, a confident smile on her face.

In an instant, her short dark orange hair whipped about, and dark golden dragon scale patterns rapidly covered her arms as she activated her Martial Soul Avatar: Single-Horned Golden Flood Dragon.

"Dugu Yan—Captain of the Huangdou Team, 18 and a half years old, Beast Martial Soul: Single-Horned Golden Flood Dragon, Level 46 Control System Battle Soul Ancestor, two yellow and two purple soul rings."

Earth elements swirled around her, and her Soul Power fluctuations were steady and powerful; she was no longer the snake-type girl who only knew how to use poison, but the undisputed captain of the Huangdou Team.

"Yu Tianheng—Vice-Captain of the Huangdou Team, 19 and a half years old, Beast Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Level 39 Assault System Battle Soul Elder, two yellow and one purple soul ring."

"Shi Mo—member of the Huangdou Team, 19 and a half years old, Beast Martial Soul: Black Tortoise, Level 38 Defense System Battle Soul Elder, two yellow and one purple soul ring."

"Shi Mo—member of the Huangdou Team, 19 and a half years old, Beast Martial Soul: Black Tortoise, Level 38 Defense System Battle Soul Elder, two yellow and one purple soul ring."

"Yu Feng—member of the Huangdou Team, 19 years old, Beast Martial Soul: Wind Bell Bird, Level 37 Agility System Battle Soul Elder, two yellow and one purple soul ring."

"Osler—member of the Huangdou Team, 19 years old, Beast Martial Soul: Ghost Leopard, Level 37 Agility System Battle Soul Elder, two yellow and one purple soul ring."

"Ye Lingling—member of the Huangdou Team, 18 and a half years old, Tool Martial Soul: Nine-Heart Begonia, Level 36 Support System Soul Elder, two yellow and one purple soul ring."

After everyone finished their introductions, all eyes—save for Dugu Yan, who already knew—turned toward Chen Jieqi.

Just how "monstrous" was this "genius little brother" that Dugu Yan mentioned every single day?

Chen Jieqi didn't keep them waiting long; the golden mark on his forehead suddenly lit up.

The next second, a crystalline golden aggregate hovered in front of his head, overflowing with Holy Light as a warm and majestic wave of Soul Power instantly swept through the entire training room.

"Chen Jieqi—member of the Huangdou Team, 11 and a half years old, Elemental Martial Soul: Heart of the Naaru, Level 43 Assault System Battle Soul Ancestor, one yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring."

As he finished speaking, four soul rings rose slowly from beneath his feet, the final pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul ring standing out with such prominence that the entire training room was bathed in holy golden light.

"Level 43?!"

The group gasped, and the training room fell into instant silence; even their breathing became cautious.

Yu Tianheng's usually booming voice carried a hint of a tremor as he stared fixedly at the soul rings circulating around Chen Jieqi's waist.

His tone was filled with shock and disbelief.

"You, your soul rings... one yellow, two purple, and one black?!"

PS:

The author has checked quite a bit of information. According to the original work's timeline, Dugu Yan was 19 years old and Level 38 when she first appeared, seven years older than Tang San.

In this setting, Yu Tianheng is slightly older than Dugu Yan and was Level 39 upon his debut.

The defense-type soul masters, the Shi brothers, have unknown ages, with Soul Power levels of 38 and 37 respectively.

The agility-type soul master Yu Feng has an unknown age and a Soul Power level of 36.

The agility-type soul master Osler has an unknown age and a Soul Power level of 36.

The support-type soul master Ye Lingling has an unknown age and a Soul Power level of 35.

Given that the ages of the others are unknown, the author has set them to be around the same age as Dugu Yan, or slightly younger.

I've also slightly boosted the combat power of the Huangdou members; after all, with Dugu Yan constantly pushing them, it's only reasonable that the others would strive for improvement, right?