Enrollment

"Let's go, let's head inside first." Dugu Yan patted her shoulder, and the two stepped onto the mountain-climbing stairs. She thought to herself that since her master wanted to live by the lake, she might as well stay there too; that way, she wouldn't attract anyone's attention while cultivating.

The stone steps were carved from white marble, with each one even featuring a different spirit beast pattern. After walking for who knows how long, the full view of Heaven Dou Royal Academy finally came into sight.

The architecture was primarily blue and white, with countless suspended corridors and courtyards. It looked incredibly magnificent, and the crystal-clear glazed tiles refracted brilliant colors under the sunlight.

The tallest building was a five or six-story clock tower halfway up the mountain. Its front featured a white archway, and embedded upon it were the golden characters for "Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

Upon reaching the main gate, they gradually began to see students. Most wore goose-yellow uniforms—short skirts for the girls and long trousers for the boys—with the standard Heaven Dou Royal Academy badge on their chests, though a few wore clothes of their own choosing.

Overall, the management here was not very strict.

Along the way, Qingxi had already witnessed several instances of bullying. Students were being trampled underfoot and beaten at will, their dignity completely stripped away. She began to understand what Dugu Yan meant.

"Those are the special admissions students." Dugu Yan gestured for Qingxi to look at a student being surrounded and beaten by a group.

"Are we not going to do anything?" A trace of annoyance flashed in Qingxi's eyes, her hands clenching into fists as if she were about to strike at any moment.

"We can't manage it all. Things like this happen every day. If they won't even resist themselves, how can they ask others for help? It isn't others who trap them, but the servility deep within their own hearts."

Qingxi did not answer. She raised her hand, and the Universe Staff, no larger than a silver needle, appeared in her palm.

With a shout of "Suppress!", the group of aggressors not far away was instantly pinned to the ground by a massive force, unable to move. They looked at each other in confusion, unable to fathom what was happening.

"When you see injustice, just follow your conscience. As you said, what traps them is the servility in their hearts, but that servility is not innate. People are born free."

Just as Dugu Yan had said, those commoners were indeed like that, and Qingxi knew this was the current state of the continent.

During her six years of traveling, she had seen too many such commoners—people who fawned over the nobility, acting like beasts of burden, and who would only beg for mercy rather than resist even when being killed.

The nobles wished for nothing more than for commoners to be unable to awaken their spirits and to have no way out.

This way, the nobility could remain prosperous and powerful forever, while the commoners would remain forever beneath their feet, never to see the light of day.

To put it bluntly, it was a massive web of vested interests.

But to let her see it and sit idly by? That was not her path.

Dugu Yan sighed, looking sorrowfully at the skinny boy who, despite being beaten black and blue, was now trying his best to help the nobles up.

"Even if you help them, it's useless; this is their own choice. Besides, if you intervene, they will only face even more terrifying retaliation in private."

After all, as proud as Dugu Yan was, she had once intervened in such foolish matters, only for the victims to not only fail to thank her but to consider her a meddler.

Thinking of this, Dugu Yan felt a surge of irritation.

"If such a thing really happens, I will make them suffer far worse than the victims, until they never dare to bully others with their status again." Qingxi watched the boy, who had been pinned to the ground and was now fawning over his attackers, and frowned slightly. Her dark eyes were calm and indifferent, yet tinged with disgust.

For the kind of people Dugu Yan described, she would only use more violent methods; after all, if the pain wasn't felt on one's own body, one would never understand how severe the harm caused to others truly was.

However, the boy before her clearly did not need anyone's salvation.

"Let's go, we're heading to the Dean's Office." Dugu Yan took Qingxi's arm and half-pushed, half-pulled her away.

Along the way, they encountered groups of students from time to time, who would jump far away the moment they saw Dugu Yan.

"It's Senior Sister Yan who's back..."

"I heard Senior Sister Yan is almost a Spirit King."

"She's the undisputed number one of the Heaven Dou grade."

Qingxi heard such remarks several times and couldn't help but smile. "It seems you're quite famous at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"Of course. Among the younger generation, I am the strongest in the Heaven Dou grade and the youngest Spirit King in the Heaven Dou Empire. The student ranked second in strength in the Heaven Dou grade is about ten levels of spirit power behind me; his name is... Yu Tianheng." A complex expression appeared on Dugu Yan's face.

Sometimes, she didn't know how to face Yu Tianheng.

They were childhood sweethearts, innocent and close, until the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, when he confessed his feelings to her.

But, just as her grandfather said, the gap between them was growing ever wider...

"What's wrong?" Qingxi looked at Dugu Yan's expression and wore a gossipy smile. Her intuition told her that the boy named Yu Tianheng and "Little Yan" had a story.

"Nothing!" Dugu Yan hurriedly ended the topic and stopped in her tracks. "We're here."

Qingxi followed her gaze and realized they had arrived at the Dean's Office.

The two entered the hall. The empty room was furnished with a few bookshelves, and a middle-aged man in a white robe was sitting behind a long desk, transcribing something.

"Teacher He." Dugu Yan called out politely.

The middle-aged man looked up slightly. His name was He Shuwen, and he was a teacher for the Heaven-tier students at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Seeing that the visitor was Dugu Yan, a friendly smile immediately appeared on his face as he stood up to greet her. "Ah, it's Student Dugu. What brings you to the Dean's Office?"

"Teacher, let me introduce you. This is my younger sister, Dugu Qingxi. I would like to handle her enrollment procedures so she can study here at Heaven Dou Royal Academy with me; it will also be easier for me to look after her. Do you think that's possible? She is only eleven years old this year, but she is already a Great Spirit Master of over level twenty." Dugu Yan didn't know the specific spirit power level, as she had never seen her master cultivate her spirit.

"Oh?" He Shuwen's gaze fell on the girl behind Dugu Yan, but there was no great surprise in his eyes.

In truth, an eleven-year-old Great Spirit Master was extremely rare, even in the Heaven Dou Empire.

But in terms of aptitude, she was far inferior to Dugu Yan.

One had to know that when Dugu Yan was twelve, she was already a level thirty-five Spirit Grandmaster—the youngest Spirit Grandmaster in Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and indeed the entire Heaven Dou Empire.

She should have participated in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament four years ago, but for some reason, she had rarely appeared at school in recent years, let alone participated in the tournament.

"Little sister, don't be afraid. Uncle is just going to test your soul power." He Shuwen bent down slightly, looking at the adorable little girl before him. Her black-and-white eyes were clear as crystal, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of affection. He reached out to pat her head, but she dodged him with a swift movement.

Such incredible speed!

He paused, watching the expressionless little girl who had already retreated behind Dugu Yan.

He hadn't even managed to track her movement just now.

"Pfft." Dugu Yan chuckled softly. "Let's just use the crystal ball. My little sister doesn't like being touched by others."

"Very well." He gave an awkward smile, retrieved a white crystal ball from his soul storage device, and said gently, "Come, little sister, place your hand on the crystal ball and release your martial soul."

Qingxi glanced at Dugu Yan, and only after receiving a nod did she step forward to place her hand over the crystal ball.

The young girl's pale green dress fluttered without a breeze as the golden Universe Staff appeared in her palm, followed by two black soul rings that radiated a terrifying sense of oppression.

"This..." He Shuwen stared at those two ten-thousand-year soul rings, completely stunned.

What kind of monster was this? Two ten-thousand-year soul rings! Ten-thousand-year soul rings!!

One had to know that the optimal soul ring configuration across the entire continent was two yellow, two purple, and five black. Especially for the first and second soul rings, if they exceeded a thousand years, the body would be unable to withstand the pressure and would explode.

He was, of course, aware that Dugu Yan's soul ring configuration was purple, purple, black, black, but her first and second rings had originally been hundred-year rings; they had only mutated into thousand-year rings later due to her martial soul evolution, an acquired trait.

But the little girl before him was clearly different.