Three Years Minimum, Death Penalty Maximum

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

Lin Nuo smiled faintly as immense Soul Power surged within him.

Immediately afterward, one yellow and one purple Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath his feet, circling around his body in dazzling light.

In an instant, the vast administrative hall fell silent enough to hear a pin drop. 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 of the room, Qian Renxue had already clenched her hands into tight fists beneath her broad sleeves. The shock in her heart was beyond measure.

She possessed a god-tier Angel Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power at rank twenty—an unparalleled existence!

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

Had all her years of tireless cultivation gone to the dogs?!

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

After the brief deathly silence, Meng Shenji, the head of the three Education Committee Members, abruptly rose to his feet. Even his breathing had become hurried.

Unable to wait any longer, he extended an olive branch. "As long as you are willing to remain, the academy will spare no effort in arranging the finest simulated environment and cultivation resources for you!"

"There is nothing Heaven Dou Royal Academy will not grant!"

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

A coincidence! This had to be a coincidence!

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

Even taking ten thousand steps back, if he truly were Pope Bibi Dong's biological child, how could Spirit Hall possibly bear to send such an unparalleled prodigy all the way to a royal academy in the Heaven Dou Empire to study?

Wouldn't that be like feeding a meat bun to a dog—once gone, never returned?

As for what sort of unspeakable secret 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, should concern themselves with.

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

Since a genius destined to shake the continent had delivered himself right to their doorstep, there was no way they could let him slip away!

No matter what they said, they had to tie him firmly to the academy's war chariot!

As for Lin Nuo's perhaps troublesome identity?

It did not matter. If the sky fell, the far-sighted His Highness the Crown Prince seated at the head of the room would naturally hold it up!

Qian Renxue, seated at the head of the room, had completely suppressed the turmoil in her heart by then.

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

Without hesitation, she extended the empire's olive branch to Lin Nuo.

"Brother Lin Nuo is extraordinarily gifted, truly a great fortune for the empire.

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

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

"Besides, my younger sister Xue Ke is now of marriageable age. She has always admired outstanding young talents such as yourself. If Brother Lin Nuo is interested, I, as her elder brother, would be more than happy to give things a little push."

A marriage alliance with a royal princess?

Hearing this, Lin Nuo appeared flattered on the surface, but inwardly he scoffed without the slightest courtesy.

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

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

And if he remembered correctly, Xue Ke was still just an underage little girl.

Three years minimum, death penalty maximum!

Way of Seeking Death warning!

At once, Lin Nuo cupped his hands together and gave an impeccably watertight reply with a humble expression.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince honors this one greatly. I am immensely grateful.

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

Lin Nuo paused, allowing a trace of inexplicable emotion to show in his eyes at just the right moment.

"Moreover, my cultivation is still shallow. This is precisely the prime of my life, when I should devote all my energy to cultivation.

As for romance between a man and a woman... 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 inside.

That was right. If this brat had actually tried to climb the ladder and agreed to get acquainted with Xue Ke...

At the thought of that possible "absurd blood relationship," Qian Renxue felt a wave of discomfort.

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

With the weight in her heart finally lifted, Xue Qinghe laughed openly. Following that, with the composure and magnanimity expected of the empire's crown prince, she offered a few words of encouragement and naturally brought today's undercurrent-filled conversation to an end.

After returning to the luxurious single dormitory specially arranged by the academy for top geniuses, Lin Nuo could not help sighing at life's unpredictability the moment he closed the door.

Who could have imagined that just a few years ago, he had been hovering on the brink of death in Douluo, while now, relying on his World-Shocking Wisdom, everything had turned out for the better?

After briefly arranging his belongings, Lin Nuo cast aside his distracting thoughts. Out of habit, he sat cross-legged on the spacious 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 a hurry.

The inner academy 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 understand her exact movements before making further plans. If he ran all over the academy like a headless fly, he would not only waste time, but might also alert that Old Poison. That would truly be more loss than gain.

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

Because of their ages, the original Imperial Fighting Team was probably still in the early stages of exploration and formation.

However, even if the team had not yet 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, in the time ahead, he still needed to find suitable opportunities to clean up some of those demons and monsters.

For example, Gangzi's filial grandnephew Yu Tianheng, as well as the first-generation Shrek celestial aristocrat, Qin Ming.