Shui Xinrou rubbed her aching temples and let out a deep sigh.
"The Heaven Dou Royal Team will be coming to the academy soon for a friendly match."
"Bing'er and the others went to the Far North to hunt Soul Beasts. They should have been back long ago, so why haven't they shown up yet?"
If Shui Bing'er, the absolute core of the team, was absent, Skywater Academy's chances of winning the friendly match would take a severe hit.
Just as she was frantic with worry, someone gently knocked on the office door.
Accompanied by a crisp succession of footsteps, Shui Bing'er was the first to push open the door and enter.
"Dean, we're back."
Right behind her was the teacher leading the group, Shui Lanxin.
And flanking her were Xue Tianyu and the Ice Empress.
Shui Xinrou's gaze instantly swept past the others and locked onto Xue Tianyu, who was walking in the middle.
At the sight of this completely unfamiliar young man, she couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
What a handsome young man!
His nearly flawless features, paired with a moon-white robe, made him look like an unparalleled young lord straight out of a painting.
What startled her even more was the unique air emanating from him.
It was the aura of a powerful figure long accustomed to being in a position of authority, someone who looked down on everything in the world.
That profound presence had no place in a boy of just over ten.
As Shui Xinrou appraised Xue Tianyu,
Xue Tianyu's deep gaze was just as unabashedly sizing up the beautiful dean before him.
His eyes traveled from her refined, dignified face downward.
They skimmed over her slender waist, which looked like it could be encircled by one hand, then settled on her shapely legs in black stockings, which invited endless flights of fancy.
Being looked over so unreservedly by a young man,
Shui Xinrou's fair cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and irritation at this affront welled up inside her.
She gave a light cough, forcing down her displeasure, then turned a stern gaze toward Shui Lanxin.
"Lanxin, what exactly is going on?"
Shui Lanxin's expression stiffened. She opened her mouth but didn't dare contradict her.
Seeing this, Shui Bing'er hurried forward and took responsibility herself.
"Dean, don't blame Teacher. I was the one who insisted on bringing him back."
"We faced a life-or-death crisis in the Far North, and he saved us all."
"Besides, his talent is absolutely extraordinary. If he could join our academy..."
Before Shui Bing'er could finish, Shui Xinrou cut her off with a cold expression.
She let out a soft sigh, her tone utterly resolute.
"Bing'er, you're usually so sensible. Why are you joining in this nonsense today?"
"Skywater Academy has never accepted male students. That's been an ironclad rule since the academy was founded."
"All these years, countless exceptionally gifted young men from across the continent have practically broken down the doors trying to study here."
"But the academy has never made an exception to admit a male student for anyone."
"Rules are rules. Whether someone is a genius or an ordinary person, no one can break them."
Hearing this, the Ice Empress, who had been standing nearby in a sulk, immediately took offense.
She folded her arms across her chest and gave a scornful laugh.
"What kind of damned geniuses are you talking about?"
"Those rotten turnips and stinking eggs outside—how could they possibly compare to Tian Yu?"
"They're not even worthy of carrying Tian Yu's shoes!"
As soon as those arrogantly outrageous words were spoken, the air in the entire office froze solid.
A tall female guard captain who had been standing quietly behind Shui Xinrou flew into a rage.
"How dare you!"
"How dare you show such disrespect to the dean? You insolent brat!"
Boom!
An extremely powerful surge of Soul Power erupted from the female guard captain.
The terrifying aura of a sixtieth-level Soul King bore down on the Ice Empress and Xue Tianyu like a great mountain.
Without a moment's hesitation, the female guard captain flashed forward, leaving behind a streaking afterimage.
She swung her palm straight at the Ice Empress.
Clearly, she meant to attack on the spot and teach this impudent brat a harsh lesson.
Feeling the ferocious attack, Shui Bing'er and Shui Lanxin turned pale with alarm.
"Stop!"
They shouted and tried to rush forward to stop her, but a sixtieth-level Soul King was simply too fast. They couldn't reach them in time.
A dangerous glint flashed in the Ice Empress's eyes.
She was about to draw on the Soul Power sealed within her and blast the insignificant creature who dared attack her into dust.
But a tall figure moved even faster.
Xue Tianyu pushed off lightly with his feet and instantly stepped in front of the Ice Empress.
He didn't even spare the furious female guard captain a proper glance. He merely raised his right hand with casual ease.
Bang!
A muffled impact exploded through the office.
The female guard captain's attack, packed with the full force of her sixtieth-level Soul Power, had been caught single-handedly by Xue Tianyu as if it were nothing.
The tremendous rebound sent the female guard captain stumbling back several steps.
Immediately afterward, an even more terrifying and violent pressure of Soul Power than the captain's burst skyward from Xue Tianyu.
Hmm—
Five pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings rose slowly from beneath his feet, like five black suns.
Black! Black! Black! Black! Black!
The vast aura of fifty-eight levels of Soul Power swept through the spacious room in an instant.
Everyone present was stunned. Their minds went utterly blank.
The female guard captain's eyes widened like copper bells, and her mouth gaped wide enough to fit an egg.
How was this possible?
Her full-strength attack as a dignified sixtieth-level Soul King had been effortlessly stopped by a little brat who looked only eleven or twelve?
When she finally noticed the Soul Rings circling beneath his feet, her heart nearly stopped.
This little brat actually had fifty-eight levels of Soul Power!
And the worst part was those five gleaming black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, radiating such terrifying pressure—how could that be?!
Shui Lanxin and the girls from Skywater Academy had known Xue Tianyu was powerful for a while.
But seeing him withstand a sixtieth-level Soul King's attack without the slightest strain still left them stunned to the bone.
Shui Bing'er's beautiful eyes rested on the tall, straight-backed figure standing in front of her.
An unprecedented sense of security welled up inside her, making her heart race uncontrollably.
The sound of thump, thump, thump echoed in her ears, and her fair cheeks turned a delicate shade of red once more.
Behind her desk, Shui Xinrou was so shocked that she stood straight up from her leather chair.
Her long, black-stockinged legs trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with unconcealed astonishment.
Then came a wave of uncontrollable fervor and excitement.
Good heavens!
A Soul King at eleven or twelve!
And every single Soul Ring was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring—an utterly heaven-defying configuration!
With talent this terrifying, forget the current continent.
Even if you searched the entire history of the Soul Master World, you wouldn't find a second existence this heaven-defying.
Even Tang Hao, once hailed as the youngest Titled Douluo, or that Bibi Dong, the pope of Spirit Hall—
neither could have compared to this dazzling young man when they were his age!
Before you continue