Three Years Minimum, Death Penalty Maximum

Since he had decided to enter the game himself, it was only necessary to properly display his "value."

Lin Nuo smiled faintly as the vast Soul Power within him surged.

Then, one yellow and one purple Soul Ring slowly rose beneath his feet, their dazzling light circling around him.

In an instant, the vast hall of the Academic Affairs Office became so silent that a needle could have been heard falling. The atmosphere seemed to have frozen completely.

In the eyes of the three Education Committee Members and Qian Renxue, the word "genius" finally took on its most direct and tangible form.

Seated at the head, Qian Renxue had already clenched her hands into fists beneath her wide sleeves. The shock in her heart was beyond measure.

She possessed a god-level Angel Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power at level twenty—she was an unparalleled existence!

If someone with her qualifications could barely be considered a "genius," then what was this monster before her, who possessed a thousand-year second Soul Ring before even reaching nine years old?

Had all her sleepless years of cultivation been wasted on a dog?!

"Little Friend Lin Nuo, you must stay and study at our Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"

After the brief dead silence, Meng Shenji, the foremost of the three Education Committee Members, abruptly rose to his feet, his breathing turning hurried.

He could not wait to extend an olive branch. "As long as you are willing to stay, the academy will spare no effort in arranging the finest mimicry environment and cultivation resources for you!"

"There is nothing our Heaven Dou Royal Academy will not permit!"

In those few short seconds, the thing called "World-Shocking Wisdom" in the minds of the three Education Committee Members had already helped them construct a flawless, self-consistent explanation.

Coincidence! This had to be a coincidence!

This boy named Lin Nuo merely looked a little like Pope Bibi Dong, and his Martial Soul just happened to be the same.

Even if they took ten thousand steps back and assumed he truly was the Pope's biological child, how could Spirit Hall possibly bear to send such a peerless prodigy all the way to the royal academy of their Heaven Dou Empire to study?

Wouldn't that be like throwing a meat bun to a dog—gone forever?

As for what secret and unspeakable agreement Bishop Salas and His Highness the Crown Prince had reached in private...

That was not something Education Committee Members like them, who dealt with education, needed to worry about.

As the highest-ranking officials of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, they had only one simple thought in their minds.

Since such a genius, destined to shake the continent, had delivered himself to their door, there was absolutely no reason to let him get away again!

No matter what they said, they had to bind him tightly to the academy's chariot!

As for Lin Nuo's potentially troublesome identity?

It did not matter. If the sky fell, the far-sighted crown prince seated at the head would naturally hold it up!

Qian Renxue, seated at the head, had now completely suppressed the turmoil in her heart.

Wearing the disguise of "Crown Prince Xue Qinghe," she swiftly made the response most fitting for her current persona.

Without holding anything back, she extended the empire's olive branch to Lin Nuo.

"Brother Lin Nuo possesses extraordinary talent. This is truly a great blessing for the empire.

As long as you are willing to remain at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the resources within the royal treasury may be allocated to you."

Xue Qinghe smiled warmly and even leaned forward slightly, speaking in an exceptionally familiar tone that carried a hint of heartfelt sincerity.

"Moreover, my younger sister Xue Ke is currently of marriageable age. She has always admired young talents such as yourself most of all. If Brother Lin Nuo is interested, I, as her elder brother, would be quite willing to give matters a little push."

Using a royal princess for a political marriage?

Lin Nuo looked flattered on the surface, but inwardly, he sneered without the slightest restraint.

Others might not know the true background of this "His Highness the Crown Prince," but how could he not?

He would not believe even half a punctuation mark of the empty promises painted by this Angel Lady!

And if he remembered correctly, Xue Ke was still just a little girl who had not yet grown up.

Three years minimum, death penalty maximum!

Way of Seeking Death warning!

At once, Lin Nuo clasped his hands together, his face full of humility as he gave a flawlessly diplomatic answer.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince honors this humble one with such favor. I am deeply grateful.

However, Her Highness the Princess is a noble branch of the royal family, while I am merely a commoner. I truly would not dare reach so high."

Lin Nuo paused, a faint and ambiguous emotion appearing in his eyes at just the right moment.

"Besides, my cultivation is still shallow. This is precisely the best time for me to devote all my energy to cultivation.

As for matters of romance... I truly have no such thoughts for now. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Upon hearing Lin Nuo's crisp and decisive rejection, even Qian Renxue herself failed to notice it.

For some inexplicable reason, she let out a long sigh of relief deep in her heart.

That was true. If this brat had really seized the opening and agreed to get acquainted with Xue Ke...

Just thinking of that possible "absurd blood relation" made Qian Renxue feel uncomfortable.

"Since Brother Lin Nuo is devoted to the path of cultivation, I naturally will not force you."

The weight in her heart lifted. Xue Qinghe laughed heartily and, following the calm magnanimity expected of the empire's crown prince, offered a few words of encouragement before naturally ending today's undercurrent-filled conversation.

After returning to the luxurious single dormitory the academy had specially arranged for top geniuses, Lin Nuo could not help sighing over the unpredictability of life the moment he closed the door.

Who would have thought that, just a few years ago, he had been hovering on the edge of death in Douluo, yet now, thanks to his World-Shocking Wisdom, everything had gotten better.

After casually arranging his belongings in the room, Lin Nuo cast aside his stray thoughts. Out of habit, he sat cross-legged on the broad bed and swiftly entered a meditative state.

No matter how turbulent the undercurrents outside became, his own hard strength would always be his true foundation.

As for approaching Dugu Yan and plotting for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, he was no longer in such a hurry.

The inner court of Heaven Dou Royal Academy covered an enormous area. As Dugu Bo's precious darling, Dugu Yan surely had a fixed circle of activity in her daily life.

He first had to determine her precise movements before making long-term plans. If he ran all over the academy like a headless fly, not only would he waste time, but if he alerted that Old Poison, the losses would truly outweigh the gains.

There were still several years before that God King arrived in Heaven Dou City.

The original Imperial Fighting Team, due to their ages, was likely still in the initial stages of exploration and formation.

However, even if the team had not fully taken shape, that small group of core, top-tier second-generation heirs would ultimately still gather together.

As long as he was in the same academy, he would eventually find an opportunity to make contact.

However, over the coming days, he would still need to find suitable opportunities to clean up those demons and monsters.

For example, Gangzi's dutiful grandnephew Yu Tianheng, as well as Shrek's first-generation celestial dragon, Qin Ming.