The Heavenly Ranking

Tianzheng Academy was located on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, in the northwestern part of Star Dou Forest.

One day in June, three transfer students arrived in Class One of the second year of the junior division.

A little boy, a little girl, and a white-dressed young woman with a mature, elegant air.

In just a few days, Xue Qingwu had become the focus of Class One.

All three had enrolled as commoners.

After spending a few days together, the three of them quickly earned the head of academics' attention with the talent they had displayed.

The head of academics' office was at the eastern end of the third floor of the teaching building. Every corner of the modest room bore the marks of time.

A dark bookcase stretched from floor to ceiling against one wall, packed with yellowed Soul Master texts and neatly stacked student files.

Five faded yet imposing portraits hung on the wall. They depicted the five founders of Tianzheng Academy. Beneath them hung a plaque of black sandalwood, carved with four bold characters: "Choose talent above all."

A middle-aged man nearing fifty sat behind the desk. He had a square face, thick ink-black eyebrows, and a touch of white at his temples. His white academy uniform was immaculate.

He was Zhao Yan, the head of academics at Tianzheng Academy, an eighty-seventh-level Power Attack System Soul Douluo, famous throughout the school for his impartiality and for always standing up for his own.

At that moment, he set down his fountain pen, leaned forward slightly, and looked at the three children standing before him. His tone softened, a rare occurrence. "Yuheng, Xiao Xiao, and Qingwu. Your talent has surprised me.

"For commoners like you, having such talent can also be a kind of suffering.

"Of course, as long as you're at Tianzheng Academy, I'll mobilize every resource at my disposal to cultivate you.

"Next, I'll introduce you to Tianzheng Academy's distinctive system for advancing between year levels.

"It's called the Heavenly Ranking."

"Our Tianzheng Academy was founded 2,137 years ago by five like-minded Titled Douluo," Zhao Yan said, his voice lowering with genuine pride.

"Those five seniors were all peerless talents in their day, and none would yield to the others. So they set up a stone stele on the hill behind the academy and carved their names into it to see who ranked highest. That was the original Heavenly Ranking."

"Later, their rivalry shaped the culture of the whole academy. Their disciples followed suit, and the Heavenly Ranking gradually changed from a ranking of Titled Douluo into a ranking of all our students. Eventually, it became the academy's system for advancing between year levels."

He pointed to a huge electronic screen on the wall, where countless names and numbers scrolled by. "In each year level, only the top one hundred students on the Heavenly Ranking are eligible to advance to the next year.

"The rest either repeat the year or leave the academy."

"There are three kinds of Heavenly Rankings: the singles ranking, the doubles ranking, and the seven-person team battle ranking."

Zhao Yan continued, counting on his fingers. "To support the ranking matches, the academy built thirty-six arenas with different environments, from plains, forests, and deserts to glaciers, volcanoes, and the deep sea. We also have over a hundred Mimicry Training Grounds. The Soul Power concentration in them is three to ten times higher than outside, and their environments can be freely simulated."

"The higher your rank, the more resources you can get."

His tone grew noticeably more serious. "Every place you climb earns you a corresponding number of academy contribution points. You can exchange those points for Soul Tools, Soul Bone fragments, rare medicinal herbs, and even exclusive access to Mimicry Training Grounds.

"The top three on the overall ranking can each receive a Soul Bone that's over ten thousand years old!

"And for the number one spot, the academy will assign a Soul Douluo-level teacher to personally hunt the most suitable Soul Ring for you."

These rewards were tempting even to noble Soul Masters, let alone the students at Tianzheng, most of whom came from commoner families.

That was why competition on the Heavenly Ranking was so fierce. Dozens of matches took place in the various arenas almost every day.

Zhao Yan picked up the enamel mug on his desk, took a sip of warm tea, and looked at the three of them. "Do you have any questions about the Heavenly Ranking?"

The office fell silent for a few seconds.

Xue Yuheng, Xiao Xiao, and Xue Qingwu said nothing. They simply exchanged a glance.

A wordless fighting spirit quietly rose in the air.

Even geniuses needed to be tempered.

Xue Yuheng planned to transplant this whole system to Shrek. That was why he had chosen Tianzheng Academy.

Soul Masters weren't ascetics. Meditating and cultivating by rote was far too boring.

Seeing the fighting spirit in their eyes, Zhao Yan nodded in satisfaction. A rare smile appeared on his face. "Good. That's the spirit. Let me tell you about the specific challenge rules."

"For the singles ranking, a student can challenge someone ranked up to ten places above them, but the two participants' Soul Power Levels can't differ by more than three. Otherwise, the challenge is invalid. This is to prevent people from deliberately harassing higher-level students while they cultivate.

"If the challenger wins, the two switch ranks.

"If the challenger loses, they can't challenge again for three days."

"The doubles ranking is for two-person teams competing in 2v2 matches. Ranks are assigned to the teams. You can pick teammates freely, and you can disband and form new teams whenever you like.

"As for the seven-person team battle ranking, that's specifically for selecting the team that will compete in the Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition. Only students in the fifth and sixth years of the senior division can participate, so it has nothing to do with you three for now."

Time flew by, and the last day of June arrived.

After school, Xue Yuheng took Xiao Xiao and Xue Qingwu to the cafeteria for a simple set meal with two meat dishes and one vegetable.

The setting sun streamed through the cafeteria windows, bathing the bustling dining hall in a warm golden glow.

The three finished quickly and headed for the senior division on the western side of the academy.

The Heavenly Ranking sign-up desk was in the senior division's arena hall.

A middle-aged female teacher wearing black-rimmed glasses was in charge of registration. She was looking down as she sorted through a thick stack of forms.

When she saw three children with small backpacks walk in, she froze, then looked up. "Kids, are you lost? The junior division is to the east."

"Hello, Teacher. We're here to sign up for the Heavenly Ranking," Xue Yuheng said calmly, stepping forward.

The female teacher nearly jabbed her fountain pen right through the paper.

She looked them over. They were wearing junior division uniforms and looked no more than seven or eight years old. She couldn't help laughing. "Don't joke around, kids. The Heavenly Ranking is for senior students. You're still too young. Hurry back to class."

"We're not joking. We really want to sign up," Xiao Xiao said earnestly, her little face tilted up.

Seeing how determined they were, the female teacher shook her head helplessly. "Fine. First, we'll test your bone ages. It's a registration requirement, and no one's exempt."

She led them to the bone-age tester in the corner of the hall. It was an entirely silver-white machine with a circular recess in the middle.

It could precisely determine a person's birth date based on the strength of their life force.

"Just put your hand inside."

Xue Yuheng stepped forward first and put his right hand in the recess.

A pale green light swept over his wrist, and a line of text immediately appeared on the machine's screen.

Bone age: 7 years, 5 months.

The female teacher nodded and then gestured for Xiao Xiao and Xue Qingwu to take their turns.

Xiao Xiao: bone age, 7 years, 4 months.

Xue Qingwu: bone age, 7 years.

"So you really are all seven." The female teacher frowned, but still pulled out three registration forms and handed them over. "Fill these out, then. Write down your Martial Soul, Soul Power Level, and system."

The three took the pens and quickly filled out the forms before handing them back.

The female teacher casually picked up the forms and glanced at them. Her expression instantly stiffened.

The forms clearly stated:

Xue Yuheng, Martial Soul: Ice Jade Scorpion, Level 15 Power Attack System Battle Soul Master.

Xiao Xiao, Martial Soul: Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, Level 26 Control-Type Battle Soul Master.

Xue Qingwu, Martial Soul: Ice and Snow, Level 28 Control-Type Battle Soul Master.

The female teacher looked at the forms, then jerked her head up, eyes wide. "Did you make this up?

"You're seven. Your Martial Soul Awakening was only a year ago. How could you have reached Level 20 or higher? That's impossible!"

"You can test our Soul Power and see if we made it up," Xue Yuheng said, pointing to the Soul Power Tester beside them.

The female teacher led the three to the Soul Power Tester, still doubtful. "Fine, let's test you. If you dare lie, I'll tell your homeroom teacher."

Xue Yuheng stepped forward first and placed his right hand on the crystal ball of the tester.

A pale blue light glowed, and a number appeared clearly on the crystal ball: 15.

The female teacher's brow furrowed even more.

Next was Xiao Xiao.

A brilliant green light burst forth. The number flickered a few times before settling on 26.

The female teacher's breathing grew ragged.

Finally, it was Xue Qingwu's turn.

She rested her slender fingers lightly on the crystal ball. In an instant, a bone-chilling cold spread through the room, and pale blue light nearly swallowed the entire crystal ball.

The number raced upward from 20, then finally stopped at 28.

The hall fell deathly silent.

The female teacher stared blankly at the numbers on the crystal ball, then at the three children standing before her without a trace of concern. Her glasses had slipped down to the tip of her nose, but she didn't even notice.

She rubbed her eyes hard, thinking she must have seen wrong, but the three numbers were still plainly there.

"Tea—Teacher Li! Come here! Something huge just happened!" She suddenly snapped out of it and shouted at the arena supervisor nearby.

Teacher Li had been inspecting the grounds. He hurried over at the call. "What is it, Teacher Zhang? Why are you shouting?"

"Y-you look!" Teacher Zhang pointed at the tester, then at the bone-age records on the desk. Her voice trembled.

Teacher Li followed her pointing finger. When he saw the three Soul Power numbers beside the recorded bone ages of seven, he froze on the spot, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

"S-seven years old? Level 28?" he murmured in disbelief. "How is that possible? Even with Innate Full Soul Power, no one could cultivate to this level in a year!"

The two looked at each other, both seeing the same shock in the other's eyes.

"Quick! Go get Director Zhao!" Teacher Li suddenly came to his senses. "Director Zhao needs to know about this!"

Less than ten minutes later, Zhao Yan hurried over.

After hearing their report, he personally watched the three of them retake the bone-age and Soul Power tests. His expression shifted from surprise to disbelief, then finally to barely contained excitement.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, then looked at the three of them, his voice trembling slightly. "Good! Very good! I've been teaching for thirty years, and this is the first time I've seen geniuses like you!

"Tianzheng Academy has struck gold this time!"

"Since you insist on joining the Heavenly Ranking, I'll personally arrange your first opponent." Zhao Yan paused, a crafty glint in his eyes.

Then he turned toward the doorway and called, "Mengdi, come in for a moment."

As soon as he finished speaking, a girl in a first-year senior division uniform walked in.

Xue Yuheng and the others were all taken aback.

This was a very unexpected opponent for the three of them.

Angel Senior, Yu Mengdi.