Qin Ming

The bedroom was empty and bare. Ling Yun rolled up his sleeves, found some tools in the living room, and began to clean, leaving not a single corner untouched.

With every sweep of the broom, a subtle force seemed to draw the dust toward it, gathering it into a single area.

The pile of dust grew larger and larger until it was finally swept into a dustpan and tossed into the trash heap outside.

Once the floor was swept, it was naturally time to mop. Just as Ling Yun picked up the mop, the door to Dorm 206 opened, and the brothers Yu Tianheng, Shi Mo, and Shi Mo walked in together.

"Xiao Yun! Little Brother Ling Yun!" The three looked surprised, then delighted, and greeted him warmly.

"Yanyan said there were still empty spots in 206, so I came over. I hope you don't mind!"

"Of course we don't mind! Why would we?"

"Drinking makes one lose track of things. We should have tidied up early and prepared a proper welcome ceremony for you."

"Exactly, exactly! Looks like we'll have to cut back on the drinking from now on," Shi Mo added.

"Cleaning up?" Yu Tianheng asked, despite already knowing the answer, as he steered the conversation elsewhere.

Ling Yun nodded. "I've already swept, and I was just about to mop when you arrived."

Yu Tianheng replied, "We should sweep our areas too. Let's all get to work; we can talk more once we're finished."

Ling Yun acknowledged him and continued to pick up the mop, heading toward the faucet, while Yu Tianheng and the brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo picked up their brooms; having been away for the entire vacation, their rooms needed cleaning as well.

An incense stick's worth of time later, Ling Yun had made the bedroom spotless, wiping the shelves, cabinets, and windows until they were gleaming.

Next, he took his bedding and toiletries out of his storage Soul Tool; he had received these along with his school uniform.

Once everything was set up, the room immediately felt cozy.

Yu Tianheng, Shi Mo, and Shi Mo had also finished cleaning their bedrooms, and the four of them worked together to tidy up the living room.

After finishing, Yu Tianheng stretched his back. "Finally clean. It looks much more comfortable now."

Ling Yun and the brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo didn't respond, their eyes scanning the living room with a sense of satisfaction.

Even small tasks could bring a deep sense of fulfillment.

"It's still early, and there's no rush to cultivate. How about we head to the academy's Soul Fighting Zone for a bit?" Yu Tianheng suggested.

"Sure!"

"Sounds good!"

After Shi Mo and Shi Mo spoke, they turned their gaze toward Ling Yun.

With three pairs of eyes fixed on him, he nodded.

The Soul Fighting Zone was located on the west side of the academy and was managed by specialized teachers; it could be considered a smaller version of the Great Soul Arena.

Its purpose was to improve the practical combat abilities of the students.

The difference was that after every soul fight, students could request guidance from the referee teacher regarding their shortcomings.

Just like the student ranks, the teachers at Heaven Dou Royal Academy were divided into Heaven Micro Grade, Heaven Supreme Grade, and Heaven Dou Grade.

Each grade of teacher had a minimum soul power requirement: level 41–50 for Heaven Micro Grade teachers, level 51–60 for Heaven Supreme Grade teachers, and level 61 and above for Heaven Dou Grade.

Of course, beyond the hard requirements for cultivation, one also needed to pass the assessment and appointment by the three Education Committee members.

Currently, the teacher in charge of the Soul Fighting Zone was named Qin Ming, whose martial soul was the Blazing Azure Wolf. He was a level 52 assault-type Battle Soul King and a Heaven Supreme Grade teacher.

Yu Tianheng, Shi Mo, and Shi Mo frequented the Soul Fighting Zone and had learned a great deal from him.

Most importantly, Qin Ming's talent was exceptional; a Soul King at twenty-five years old—this level of talent was the reason why geniuses like Yu Tianheng were willing to listen to his guidance.

Regrettably, before Qin Ming applied to be a teacher, he had gone alone to obtain his fifth soul ring, and the ring's age had not reached the optimal ten-thousand-year threshold.

The colors of his five soul rings were yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple.

According to the generally accepted soul ring configuration in the soul master world, if every soul ring were near the limit of what could be absorbed, a soul master's ring colors should be yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.

However, the continent's default "optimal" configuration was yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.

The ninth soul ring was theoretically best as a red Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast ring, but such beasts were rare and elusive. When one first reached level 90 as a quasi-Title Douluo, even if they encountered a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, they would generally be unable to defeat it.

This was why the soul master world's optimal configuration didn't end in red.

Regarding Qin Ming, Yu Tianheng and the others felt it was a pity! He had the talent but lacked the connections and background.

Qin Ming had realized this himself, which was why he had come to be assessed and joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy as a teacher.

The three Education Committee members had high expectations for him, which was why they had assigned him to the Soul Fighting Zone.

"Teacher Qin Ming!" As soon as Yu Tianheng walked into the Soul Fighting Zone, he saw Qin Ming and greeted him warmly.

"Yu Tianheng, Shi Mo, Shi Mo, how was your vacation? You haven't slacked off on your cultivation, have you?"

"At your age, this is the golden period for cultivation; you must not be lax!"

"..."

Qin Ming thought highly of them. In the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, where aristocratic airs were rampant, he didn't want to see students like Yu Tianheng be corrupted by the academy's atmosphere.

"Don't worry, Teacher Qin Ming. I wouldn't dare slack off. It would be quite embarrassing if I were surpassed by them."

"Same here. We don't dare to slack off. To slack off means to fall behind, and if we fall too far behind, we won't be in the same world anymore, making it hard to remain friends."

Qin Ming nodded in satisfaction; regardless of the reason, as long as they weren't slacking off, there was still hope.

The three committee members had entrusted him with a heavy responsibility, which could be considered a debt of gratitude, and he also wanted to contribute his part to the academy.

If Yu Tianheng and the others were merely indulging in pleasure, he truly wouldn't know what to do.

"Oh, right, Teacher Qin, let me introduce you. This little brother here is also a Soul Grand Master, and his soul power is no weaker than mine," Shi Mo spoke up.

Qin Ming's eyes widened. After the initial shock, he scanned Ling Yun up and down, his eyes gleaming with intense light.

"Greetings, Teacher Qin!" Ling Yun placed his hand over his chest, performing the standard etiquette of the soul world as he offered his salutations.

"How old are you?"

Qin Ming asked this question, and Ling Yun felt a bit helpless; too many people had been asking him this lately.

"Replying to Teacher, I only awakened my martial soul this year."

"Incredible. Did you consume some heaven-sent treasure?" Although Qin Ming asked this, his expression was entirely certain.

Legends of heaven-sent treasures had always circulated, but like hundred-thousand-year soul rings, they were things one could only encounter by luck, not seek out.

"Yes!"

"I wonder if you could release your martial soul and let me take a look?"

Ling Yun did not refuse. He released his martial soul, and the one yellow and one purple soul ring caused a sensation.

"Heavens! Look, a thousand-year second soul ring."

"He's still so young, my god!"

"What terrifying talent. He's with Yu Tianheng and the others; I wonder what his status is."

"I saw him arrive with His Excellency Dugu. Regardless of his status, he is not someone we can afford to provoke."

"..."

Ling Yun quickly retracted his martial soul. After a moment of recovery, Qin Ming stared at Ling Yun and said, "Good fortune, truly good fortune."

"With such an opportunity and such a solid foundation, as long as you grow smoothly, you will surely become a Title Douluo."

"I hope you do not squander this opportunity."

"Thank you for the reminder, Teacher Qin. I will cultivate diligently."