Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy

This thought circled in his mind for a while; he didn't have an answer yet, but at least it was a direction worth trying.

The most important thing right now was to find a place to stay, then go and inquire about which intermediate academy in Heaven Dou City would be the most suitable.

Having fought in matches for so long in Notting City, he could now consider himself a man of means, so he found a hotel with decent decor to check into.

The lobby was covered in a dark red carpet, and directly facing the entrance was a spacious front desk.

Several landscape paintings hung on the walls; the overall layout wasn't exactly luxurious, but it was clean, bright, and pleasant to look at.

As soon as he stepped inside, a receptionist in a neat uniform trotted over, wearing a standard smile, and asked with a slight bow, "Sir, are you here for a meal or for a room?"

"A room," Wang Xian said.

"Right away, please follow me." The receptionist led him to the front desk, efficiently handled the check-in process, then took the key and led Wang Xian upstairs.

The room was on the third floor; it wasn't large, but the bed was clean and the window faced south, letting the sunlight stream in and brighten the entire room.

Wang Xian glanced around and was fairly satisfied.

The receptionist placed the key on the table and was just about to turn and leave when Wang Xian called out to him.

He reached into his robe, pulled out a gold coin, and casually handed it over.

The receptionist's eyes widened instantly; he took the coin with both hands, his smile shifting from polite to genuinely radiant, and his bow went much lower than before.

"Lord Soul Master, if you have any instructions, just say the word. I will certainly handle everything perfectly for you."

A single gold coin was worth two months of his wages.

Anyone who could casually pull out this much for a tip was, without a doubt, a Lord Soul Master.

Wang Xian looked at his demeanor, nodded slightly, and said, "Go and compile a list of the locations and basic information for all the intermediate academies in Heaven Dou City, and have it delivered to my room before the afternoon."

He paused, then added, "Once the items are delivered, there will be more payment."

The receptionist's eyes brightened even further, and he nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, my Lord, it will definitely be delivered before the afternoon, definitely."

He bowed deeply once more, backed out of the room, and gently pulled the door shut.

Wang Xian placed his bundle on the table and pushed open the window to look outside.

Below was a wide street with people coming and going and a constant stream of carriages, and in the distance, the silhouettes of several towering buildings were vaguely visible.

Heaven Dou City was much larger and far more complex than Notting City, but that didn't matter; he had plenty of time to figure it all out slowly.

"Let's cultivate first."

He sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and quickly entered a state of cultivation.

His soul power flowed slowly through his meridians, circle after circle, as time slipped away unnoticed.

He continued to cultivate until noon, when a knock on the door pulled him out of his meditative state.

Wang Xian opened his eyes, got off the bed, and walked to the door to pull it open.

Standing outside was the same receptionist from the morning, his face full of smiles and a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, looking as if he had run all the way up.

"Lord Soul Master, I've brought you what you asked for." The receptionist held a stack of papers in both hands and respectfully handed them over.

Wang Xian took them and lowered his head to scan a few pages. The paper was filled with writing in a neat hand, showing it had been prepared with care.

The name, location, enrollment requirements, assessment methods, and even some details he hadn't thought of for every academy were all clearly listed.

"Not bad." Wang Xian nodded, reached into his robe again, pulled out another gold coin, and handed it over.

The receptionist's eyes lit up instantly; he took the coin with both hands and bowed repeatedly, "Many thanks, Lord Soul Master, many thanks! If you have any instructions in the future, just call me anytime, I'll be at your beck and call!"

Wang Xian waved his hand, turned back into the room, and closed the door.

He sat at the table, spread out the stack of papers, and began to read through them carefully from start to finish.

There were nearly twenty intermediate academies of various sizes in Heaven Dou City, and the documents recorded the situation of each one in meticulous detail.

Some academies focused on theoretical teaching, some emphasized practical combat training, some were known for their abundant resources, and others were famous for having low entry barriers and being easy to get into.

Wang Xian flipped through page after page, going over the characteristics of each academy in his mind.

When he reached the end, he let his gaze rest on the top sheet of paper.

Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy.

This academy had a direct connection to the Heaven Dou Advanced Academy and could be considered a preparatory school for it.

Its faculty was the best among these intermediate academies, and the resources students could enjoy were naturally far superior to other schools.

Of course, the entry requirements were also the highest, and the assessment methods were the most rigorous.

Wang Xian pondered for a moment, having already made up his mind.

Among the nearly twenty intermediate academies, Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy was undoubtedly the best place to go.

Most of the students there came from families with a certain background, and the quality of their Martial Soul was generally not too low; the Cultivation Points he could obtain there would certainly be much higher than elsewhere.

Furthermore, if Dugu Yan was truly attending an intermediate academy in Heaven Dou City, this was the most likely one.

"Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy, this is the one."

Wang Xian put the documents away, having made his decision in his heart.

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Wang Xian left the hotel directly.

Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy is located in the center of Heaven Dou City, the most prosperous area of the entire city.

Passing through a bustling neighborhood and winding around several wide avenues, he finally caught sight of the academy's silhouette.

The academy's outer wall was built from solid, blue-gray stone bricks, standing about three zhang high and stretching as far as the eye could see.

At regular intervals along the top of the wall stood stone pillars carved with martial soul patterns, looking both imposing and solemn.

The main entrance was an arched gate, with the six large characters "Heaven Dou Intermediate Academy" carved above the lintel in a vigorous and powerful hand.

Below that was a dense row of smaller text, likely the year the academy was founded and the name of the person who inscribed the plaque.

Two guards stood at the entrance, wearing uniform attire with their backs held perfectly straight.

As soon as Wang Xian walked up to the gate, one of the guards reached out, his tone reasonably polite: "Little friend, this is not a place for playing. If you have no business here, please go elsewhere."

Wang Xian's current attire was quite decent; he had specifically bought a few nice outfits while in Notting City to avoid unnecessary trouble after arriving in Heaven Dou City.

The guard hadn't spoken harshly, likely because he could tell from his attire that he wasn't a child from an ordinary family.

"I am here for the entrance examination," Wang Xian said, pulling his graduation certificate from Notting Academy and his Soul Master badge from Martial Soul Hall out from his robes and handing them over.

The guard took them to look, then raised his head to size him up, his attitude changing immediately.

He handed the items back, stepped aside to make way, and pointed inside: "Go on in. Follow the main road straight, turn right at the fork, and the place for the freshman examination is over there."

Wang Xian offered a word of thanks and stepped inside.