Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Stunning Debut

Half a month later, Tiandou City, Douluo Continent.

As the political and economic center of one of the two great empires on the continent, the prosperity and grandeur of Tiandou City were far beyond what the remote Farack City could compare to.

Yet, today, the south gate of Tiandou City was unusually quiet.

All merchants, commoners, and even some low-ranking nobles preparing to enter the city were forcibly driven to both sides of the main road by the city garrison.

"Rumble--"

Five hundred Heaven Dou Royal Knights clad in golden armor escorted an extremely luxurious purple-gold carriage as it drove straight through the bustling downtown area, heading toward the beautiful and towering mountain range outside the city.

That was the location of the highest institution of learning in the Heaven Dou Empire—Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy was not built within the city, but instead occupied an entire massive mountain range outside it. The sheer scale of the academy and the richness of its resources could be called the greatest in the Douluo Continent.

When the purple-gold carriage slowly came to a halt along the wide white jade steps in front of the twenty-meter-high magnificent archway of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, a shocking scene unfolded.

Outside the main gate of the academy, a red carpet stretched for a hundred meters. At the end of the red carpet stood three elderly men with white hair and beards, possessing extraordinary bearing.

The one in the center was of medium build with a refined face; the one on the left was shaped like a mountain of flesh with a kindly expression; the one on the right was thin and tall, his gaze sharp as lightning.

These three were none other than the three committee members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy: Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin!

All three were Soul Douluo-level powerhouses above level 80; within this Tiandou City, they were absolute bigwigs whose mere foot-stamps could cause an earthquake. Yet today, they stood respectfully outside the main gate with over a dozen high-level instructors of the academy, waiting for a six-year-old child!

This was because just yesterday, the secret decree of Emperor Xue Ye had reached the desks of the three committee members. The near-maniacal level of importance placed on Xue Yao in the secret decree had left these three well-informed Soul Douluos feeling deeply shaken.

"Click."

The carriage door opened, and an accompanying maid respectfully placed the footstool.

Under the astonished gazes of the three committee members and the hundreds of high-grade noble students watching from the sidelines, a boy dressed in fitting attire stepped off the carriage with a languid expression.

His skin was as fair as jade, his features as exquisite as if carved by a god, and in those deep, pitch-black eyes, there was not a trace of the awkwardness or tension a six-year-old child might feel upon arriving in a strange environment. Instead, they held a sense of composure and nobility that looked down upon all things in the world.

Most eye-catching of all was a strange divine bird circling above his shoulder.

The divine bird was the size of an adult eagle, its entire body a brilliant gold-white, while the edges of its wings shimmered with an extremely pure cyan wind element. Its sharp eagle eyes held a divine pressure that transcended all birds and beasts.

"Is... is this the Griffin with Innate Full Soul Power and a mutated martial soul mentioned in His Majesty's secret decree?!"

The control-type Soul Douluo Zhi Lin felt his pupils constrict violently.

Almost subconsciously, in order to test the depth of this legendary genius, he quietly released a sliver of pressure from his own level 83 Azure Vine martial soul.

However, the moment Zhi Lin's pressure approached within three feet of Xue Yao:

"Skree--!"

The Little Griffin circling above Xue Yao's head seemed to sense the provocation; it spread its wings violently and let out a cry that could pierce metal and shatter stone!

The surrounding airflow instantly became chaotic, tearing apart the pressure Zhi Lin had just increased to level eleven.

"Ugh!"

Zhi Lin's eyes widened instantly, filled with pleasant surprise as he looked at the Little Griffin.

"Committee Member Zhi Lin, it's our first meeting; this way of saying hello isn't very friendly, haha."

Xue Yao stopped in his tracks and looked at Zhi Lin with a helpless smile.

"Level 13! Innate Full Soul Power, and you've already absorbed your first soul ring?!"

Chief Committee Member Meng Shenji keenly sensed the soul power fluctuation Xue Yao had released for a split second, and his expression changed drastically. How could a six-year-old child who had awakened his martial soul less than half a month ago reach level 13 so quickly?!

"My apologies, my apologies!" Zhi Lin stepped forward to apologize with a flushed face, though his eyes flashed with fanatical light. "Student Xue Yao is gifted with extraordinary talent, and the strength of your martial soul is the greatest I have ever seen in my life! I was just excited by the sight of talent; I hope you don't mind!"

Xue Yao waved his hand languidly. "It's fine, Committee Member. I heard the Emperor has already arranged for me to enter Heaven Dou Elite Class One?"

Heaven Dou Elite Class One was usually reserved only for noble geniuses who had reached the level of Soul Elder and ranked at the top of the academy's assessments.

"That goes without saying!" Meng Shenji hurried forward, his attitude extremely warm. "The academy has already arranged the highest standard of treatment for Student Xue Yao, including your dormitory, simulated cultivation grounds, and even a dedicated instructor. The carriage is ready; we shall escort you to the core area where the Heaven Dou Elite Class is located."

"No need for the carriage."

Xue Yao waved away the accompanying servants and the carriage, his gaze sweeping across the picturesque campus that radiated youthful vitality.

"I've been sitting in a carriage for half a month; my body is almost rusting. Let's just walk there."

With that, Xue Yao began to walk forward at a leisurely pace, accompanied by the magnificent Little Griffin.

The three Soul Douluo-level committee members followed by his side like guides, as if they were afraid he might run away.

This scene completely shocked the self-important noble students on both sides of the academy's main road.

"My god... who is that kid? The three committee members are actually guiding him personally?!"

"Look at the dark patterns on his clothes—is he from our Heaven Dou Imperial Family? But when did such a monster emerge from the royal family?"

Listening to the shock and discussions from those around him, Xue Yao's expression remained completely calm.

Meanwhile.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy main teaching building, top floor.

Inside an office decorated with extreme elegance, the view was exceptionally expansive. Through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, one could overlook the entire plaza at the academy gate and the tree-lined avenue leading to it.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window was a slender figure.

It was a youth who appeared to be fifteen or sixteen years old. He wore a set of extremely luxurious pale gold crown prince attire, his soft, long golden hair draped over his shoulders, and his handsome face was so delicate it was almost androgynous, a gentle and approachable smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.

The current Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire—Xue Qinghe.

Or rather, the Young Master of the Martial Soul Hall, Qian Renxue!

She happened to be inspecting the academy today, but she had not expected to run into this "stunning entrance" that was enough to shake the upper echelons of the entire Heaven Dou Imperial City.

"Your Highness."

A guard hidden in the shadows reported in a low voice: "It has been verified. That is the heir to the Farack Kingdom, Xue Yao. According to the Emperor's secret decree, this child has awakened a mutated Little Griffin martial soul and has been conferred the title of Viscount Sky Wind, entering the Heaven Dou Elite Class directly as an exception."

"A mutated Little Griffin martial soul?"

Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) narrowed her long, beautiful eyes slightly, locking them firmly onto the six-year-old boy strolling along the tree-lined avenue, as well as the cyan and gold Little Griffin atop his head.

To outsiders, Xue Qinghe was scrutinizing a top-tier genius from a branch of the imperial family.

But only Qian Renxue knew that the moment the boy released his martial soul pressure to repel the committee member Zhi Lin, her Six-Winged Angel martial soul, hidden deep within her soul, had actually produced a trace of an extremely rare... palpitation!

As a top-tier flying martial soul, the Angel had always been able to suppress any other flying martial soul in the Douluo Continent, yet this time, she did not detect any sense of martial soul suppression from Xue Yao.

It was as if that Griffin was something foreign, not subject to the jurisdiction of the Angel.

"Interesting..."

Beneath Xue Qinghe's gentle disguise, a flash of extremely dangerous and excited dark light flickered.

Among that group of feeble "Swans" in the Heaven Dou imperial family, a true divine bird had actually flown out?

Six years old, level thirteen, a limit-mutated martial soul, and that lazy temperament as if he saw through everything and held no rules in his eyes... this little brat named Xue Yao was ten thousand times more interesting than those hypocritical noble wastes in the Heaven Dou Imperial City!

"Farack heir, Xue Yao, is it?"

Qian Renxue drained the red wine in her glass in one gulp, a meaningful and stunning arc curling at the corners of her mouth.

"It seems that this 'cousin' of mine who has suddenly appeared is not simple at all."

"Pass down the order: prepare a generous gift for me. Tonight, I will personally go to the Heaven Dou Dormitory Area to have a proper meeting with this... brilliantly talented brother of mine."

This boring game of infiltration in the Douluo Continent finally seemed to have a variable that could make her feel excited.