Three Committee Members Want Disciples

Although Emperor Xue Ye did not visit often, he still placed great importance on the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, arranging for people of status and standing to inspect it on his behalf every year.

He hoped that one day, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy would become the premier academy of the empire.

Currently, with the prevailing aristocratic culture, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy possessed the reputation of being the top academy, but lacked the strength to match it.

"Greetings, members of the Education Committee, I trust you have been well!"

After Dugu Bo led Ling Yun and Dugu Yan into the Education Committee Hall, he was the first to speak.

In truth, the committee members had never actually met Dugu Bo, but they guessed his identity, and they were certainly familiar with Dugu Yan.

They kept a close watch on those with superior talent within the academy, hoping to live up to the trust of Emperor Xue Ye and cultivate talent for the empire.

"You are too polite, Your Excellency Dugu!"

"May we ask what brings you here today?"

"Oh! It is nothing major. I have mainly brought these two to enroll. I need you to handle the admission procedures for this lad and arrange for him to be in the same class as my Yanyan."

"Your Excellency Dugu, I fear that may be inappropriate. This child is still quite young. I can arrange for him to be in the best class of the Heaven Micro Grade; the Heaven Supreme Grade would be akin to pulling up seedlings to help them grow, which would not be a good thing for him."

The one speaking was a middle-aged man with a square face, his hair completely white and groomed meticulously. His spirit was exceptionally vigorous, and his face was glowing with health.

Dugu Bo knew what he meant; he rolled his eyes and pushed Ling Yun forward.

"Xiaoyun, Committee Member Meng Shenji looks down on you. Why don't you show the committee your actual Soul Power Level?"

Ling Yun understood Dugu Bo's intention in the blink of an eye. This was a chance to show off before others and make a good impression on the committee members.

He released his Martial Soul, and the Yin-Yang Mirror appeared. Two soul rings—one yellow and one purple—swirled around his waist, and his 28th-level soul power fluctuations were exceptionally distinct.

The three committee members stood up in unison, their bodies trembling slightly, their faces flushed, and their eyes shining. They looked at Ling Yun as if they were beholding a peerless treasure. "Level 28, a thousand-year second ring, at such an age... Heaven truly blesses our Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Heaven blesses the empire."

"Child, what is your name? How old are you this year? Do you have a master?"

"In reply to the three committee members, this humble one is named Ling Yun—Ling from Lingxiao, Yun from white clouds. I just awakened my Martial Soul this year and have no master as of yet."

"You just awakened your Martial Soul this year? Then how did you attain this level 28 soul power? Could you enlighten us?"

"Through a stroke of luck, I consumed a heavenly treasure, which caused my soul power to increase significantly, resulting in my current level."

"What kind of heavenly treasure, and where did you encounter it?" the old man to the right of Meng Shenji asked excitedly.

He looked quite ordinary, save for his eyes, which made one feel he was anything but; as they opened and closed, they gave off a peculiar sensation.

Dugu Bo shot him a look, and a terrifying mental pressure descended upon the three of them, with the brunt of the force landing on the one who had spoken.

"Zhi Lin, if you wish to know, ask this old man directly."

The Soul Douluo Zhi Lin felt a palpitation in his heart. He realized his question had been a bit over the line; if he answered poorly, it could mean his total destruction.

"I beg your forgiveness, Your Excellency Dugu! I was overcome with excitement and lost my sense of propriety. I hope you will be magnanimous."

Meng Shenji and the fat old man to his left also hurriedly spoke up to help, taking the opportunity to express their stance while keeping their posture extremely low.

There was no helping it; Dugu Bo's fists were simply larger!

"The heavenly treasure came from my own herb garden. I don't mind telling you, I still have more."

"But those heavenly treasures are my private property."

"Understood! Understood!"

The three nodded in unison, fearing that if they were a second too slow, they would be targeted by Dugu Bo. A Title Douluo was truly too terrifying.

Meng Shenji focused his gaze on Ling Yun and said, "With your level 28 soul power, there is no problem with you being in the same class as student Dugu Yan. I am Meng Shenji, Chief of the Education Committee, Martial Soul Black Demon, level 84 Control System Battle Soul Douluo."

"You said earlier that you have no master; would you be willing to join my tutelage?"

The two beside Meng Shenji realized what was happening and introduced themselves as well; clearly, they also had the intention of taking him as a disciple.

Since Dugu Bo had not taken him as a disciple, they would not stand on ceremony. Such matters relied on mutual consent; as long as Ling Yun agreed, it would be fine.

"This old man is Zhi Lin, Third Seat of the Education Committee, Martial Soul Azure Vine, level 81 Control System Battle Soul Douluo."

"This old man is Bai Baoshan, Second Seat of the Education Committee, Martial Soul Star Furnace, level 83 Defense System Battle Soul Douluo."

Bai Baoshan looked like a ball; he was the living embodiment of the phrase "four feet tall and four feet around the waist."

As he spoke, he released his Martial Soul. Its appearance was no different from a round alchemical furnace, the only difference being the patterns on it; the dark gold Star Furnace was engraved with celestial designs.

"You and I both possess Tool Martial Souls. If you are to take a master, this old man is more suitable than those two."

"Many thanks to the three committee members for your kindness, but I have no intention of taking a master."

Dugu Bo interjected, "You can forget about that. I wanted to take him as my disciple, and even I was rejected. Until your soul power is higher than mine, you had best extinguish that thought! I am currently level 95."

Meng Shenji and the others looked at Dugu Bo in astonishment; they had not expected his level to be so high.

No wonder they couldn't withstand even a single glance from him.

At the same time, they looked at Ling Yun with bewilderment. He had even rejected a Title Douluo's offer of tutelage—they truly could not fathom what was going on in Ling Yun's head.

It was simply incomprehensible.

The inability to take him as a disciple did not dampen the enthusiasm of Meng Shenji and the others; their primary goal was to cultivate talent for the empire.

If he wouldn't be a disciple, being a genius of the academy was just as good!

Even if it were not for the sake of cultivating talent for the empire, encountering such a genius soul master and doing one's best to nurture them would be a fine way to earn a favor.

"It seems that we are not fated to be master and disciple! What a pity!"

"Student Ling Yun, although there is no master-disciple relationship between you and this old man, you are welcome to come and ask if you have any questions regarding your studies or cultivation. This old man will tell you everything he knows without reservation."

"The same goes for us; you are welcome to ask us anytime."

"Many thanks to all the committee members."

Meng Shenji nodded and personally handled the enrollment procedures for Ling Yun. "This is your student certificate. Keep it with you and go collect your academy uniform. I believe student Dugu Yan knows exactly where to go."

"Thank you, committee member!"

Ling Yun took the certificate, which was a student identity token.

The three of them left the committee building. After Dugu Bo gave the two of them a few words of advice and patted Dugu Yan on the head, he vanished from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy in a flash.

He still had to ponder how to develop the Falling Cloud Sect, catch up with Prince Xue Xing, and deal with the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well; he needed to transplant some medicinal herbs there, as he could not let such an excellent environment go to waste.

After Dugu Yan took Ling Yun to collect his academy uniform, she showed him around the campus. Starting from the cafeteria, they moved on to the classrooms, the library, the Soul Fighting Zone, the mimicry training grounds... and finally, they arrived at the dormitory area.

The female dormitory area and the male dormitory area were separated by a row of ornamental trees.

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to enter the male dormitory. Tian Heng lives in Room 206, and he mentioned there is still a vacancy. You can choose Room 206 when you register your information."

Ling Yun nodded. He registered his information alone, received his key, and unlocked Room 206. Upon entering, he found a living room with four doors on either side. He tried the key on each one until he opened the second door on the right, revealing a private bedroom inside.

There was no need to guess; the other three doors undoubtedly led to private bedrooms as well.