Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring

Qingxi ignored his reaction, retracted her martial soul, and said calmly, "Well?"

Dugu Yan was stifling a laugh on the side. Well? No one would believe such a spirit ring configuration if they heard it.

"You—how did you do it!" He Shuwen rushed forward, intending to grab Qingxi's hand, his face flushed with excitement, but Qingxi nimbly dodged him.

Qingxi retreated behind Dugu Yan again, clutching her shoulder, her brows slightly furrowed as she stared at the middle-aged man opposite her with a wary, distant gaze.

She did not like the way this man was looking at her.

"Teacher He, please don't frighten my sister. She doesn't like being touched by others," Dugu Yan said, blocking Qingxi.

"I... I am simply too excited. In the entire history of spirit masters on the Douluo Continent, there has never been such a spirit ring configuration. How did she manage it?"

He even believed that, given time, this girl's achievements would far surpass Dugu Yan's, perhaps even reaching that legendary status.

"Who knows? When my sister was absorbing her spirit rings, she discovered that hundred-year and thousand-year rings had no effect on her, so she absorbed a ten-thousand-year ring beyond her level. It actually worked," Dugu Yan said dismissively. Naturally, she was making it up.

"She is a genius among geniuses! I must arrange the best teachers, the best education, and the best cultivation environment for her. She will surely be the glory of the Empire!" He Shuwen was flushed with excitement, already mapping out a series of cultivation plans for the girl.

"Teacher He, she is a child of the Dugu Family. You don't need to worry about these things!" A cold light flashed in Dugu Yan's eyes, and her voice turned icy.

Her grandfather was already a 95th-level Title Douluo, not some bottom-tier one. If anyone dared to scheme against her master, her grandfather wouldn't mind poisoning the members of the Heaven Dou royal family one by one.

"I... I didn't mean it like that. I was just too excited." Hearing the implication in Dugu Yan's words, He Shuwen was instantly doused in cold water.

That's right, this child was a member of the Dugu Family; how could they possibly control her? He had been foolish for a moment.

The Dugu Family, with their two rising stars, was destined to ascend—the youngest Spirit Elder, the youngest Spirit Ancestor, and perhaps even the youngest Spirit King, Dugu Yan.

Now, add this little monster to the mix: a girl with only 28th-level spirit power who possessed two ten-thousand-year spirit rings.

He Shuwen could hardly believe it.

Dugu Yan snorted coldly. "Process the enrollment. My sister's cultivation is already planned; the academy doesn't need to interfere. Just follow the standard procedure."

"This..." He Shuwen wanted to say more, but seeing Dugu Yan's cold expression, he didn't dare open his mouth. Deep down, however, he resolved to report this matter to the Education Committee.

With such talent, she had to be brought over to the side of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Ideally... ideally, they could have this little girl marry into the royal family. An Empress with the potential to become a god would surely restore the Heaven Dou Empire to its former glory.

Perhaps, they might even unify the Douluo Continent.

As for why he didn't target Dugu Yan? Don't joke—she was the preordained daughter-in-law of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, even if she was still in the pursuit phase.

Returning behind the long table, He Shuwen began drafting the enrollment papers for Qingxi. "Spirit power 28th level, martial soul... Coiling Dragon Staff?"

Writing this, the man paused. He had read every manual on martial souls in the Douluo Continent and knew he couldn't be mistaken, but if he remembered correctly, the Coiling Dragon Staff martial soul belonged to Spirit Hall...

"What is it?" Dugu Yan frowned slightly, finding him tedious and far too slow.

"Hurry up, please. I need to make it in time for lunch," Qingxi poked her head out and said seriously.

Nothing is more important than eating!

"One moment." He Shuwen pushed his thoughts aside. Since the child was the Poison Douluo's granddaughter, she couldn't possibly be from Spirit Hall.

Everyone knew the Poison Douluo loathed Spirit Hall; he would never adopt the offspring of a Spirit Hall official.

"Here, this is your school badge, little sister. As for the dormitory, I recall there is an empty room in your courtyard, Dugu. Let's arrange for her to stay there so you sisters can look after each other. Someone will deliver your uniform shortly."

Dugu Yan took the badge, her brows knitting together. "Heaven Dou Grade?"

Still, the dormitory was quite close to hers, which satisfied Dugu Yan.

"Given your sister's talent, she will break through to the 30th level sooner or later. Consider it an early issuance. After all, the educational and cultivation resources for the Heaven Dou Grade are far superior to the Heaven Supreme Grade," He Shuwen explained patiently, his burning gaze drifting past Dugu Yan to the person behind her.

With such talent, her spirit power shouldn't be only 28th level; she had clearly been held back. He Shuwen only wanted to provide her with the best resources.

"Fine." Dugu Yan nodded. This way, her master could cultivate alongside her.

After all, in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, most students were there due to connections or noble status; very few had real ability. There were only a few dozen students in the Heaven Dou Grade.

Consequently, the academy held the title of the top academy in the Heaven Dou Empire, but lacked the strength to match it.

The academy was so thirsty for talent that they spent vast sums of money to select gifted students from among the commoners to cultivate at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Unfortunately, once those commoner students entered, they only faced bullying and oppression from the noble students.

"Sister, let's go." Dugu Yan took Qingxi's hand and walked out, the word "sister" rolling off her tongue with ease.

Qingxi let herself be led away, glancing back over her shoulder. That burning gaze remained fixed on her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Once the two figures disappeared, He Shuwen tidied the files on his desk, stood up, locked the office door, and headed toward the Education Committee.

On the other side, Dugu Yan led Qingxi to the second floor of the academy cafeteria. There were professional chefs here; one could simply order whatever they wanted to eat.

"This sweet and sour pork is good, and this crispy duck, boiled fish with pickled greens, braised rabbit meat..." Dugu Yan ordered five or six dishes in a row before handing the menu to Qingxi. "See if there's anything else you want."

"No need, that's enough." Qingxi took the menu, flipped through it casually, and returned it to the waiter.

She looked down at the floor below, bored. It was past one in the afternoon, and the restaurant was mostly empty, save for a few people having afternoon tea.

"Are you getting used to it?" Dugu Yan rested her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed on the girl opposite her.

Qingxi tilted her head, staring at the ceiling with an expressionless face. "It's alright..."

To be honest, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy was indeed nice—the scenery was charming and far from the hustle and bustle, like a paradise. But that teacher seemed a bit too enthusiastic; she couldn't shake the feeling that something was waiting for her.

Qingxi frowned, looking quite troubled.

Dugu Yan chuckled, "With your talent, you'd cause a sensation anywhere you went, you know. But... don't worry too much. You're the granddaughter of Poison Douluo, after all. If anyone dares to have designs on you, I'll just ask Grandfather to poison their entire family."

"I hope so..." Qingxi slumped over the table, staring at the spread of delicacies before her, though for once, she had no appetite.

Dugu Yan stood up to serve two bowls of rice, placing one in front of Qingxi with a smile, "Eat up. I'll take you to get familiar with the dormitory later, and this afternoon we can go play by the lake."

Qingxi caught the scent of the rice before her, and finally, she straightened up, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat.

"Yanyan?" A crisp, girlish voice rang out behind Dugu Yan. Qingxi paused in her movements and looked up slightly.