After resting and recuperating, Luo Chen had nearly recovered, and the master and disciple headed toward Heaven Dou City.
When they returned to the academy, the master and disciple parted ways at once. Luo Chen had been physically and mentally exhausted these past few days, but he had reached level twenty-one, which was some consolation. He went back to the dormitory, but his roommates weren't there; they were probably still in class. He couldn't be bothered to worry about it. After washing up, he crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, after parting from Luo Chen, Meng Shenji immediately summoned the second-ranking member of the academic committee, Bai Baoshan, and the third-ranking member, Zhilin, and made a decision.
"I've decided to establish an elite class. We'll look for promising students in the junior division and train them from the ground up."
"An elite class?" Bai Baoshan spoke up. He didn't mind either way, but he was curious why Meng Shenji had suddenly made such a proposal.
Beside him, Zhilin stroked his beard. "I heard you've taken on a new disciple, old friend! You're not setting up this elite class just for your little disciple, are you?"
Meng Shenji didn't deny it. Instead, he said, "If you'd reached level twenty-one at six years old, I'd have set up an elite class just for you, too."
"What? Level twenty-one? At six years old?" Zhilin's hand stopped mid-stroke. "You're not joking, are you? I'd only just awakened my Martial Soul at six, and my Soul Power was only level seven. Level twenty-one at six? Are you pulling my leg?"
Bai Baoshan, on the other side, also looked unconvinced. "This isn't something to joke about."
"I saw it with my own eyes. How could it be fake? He obtained his Second Soul Ring right in front of me. Would I lie about that?" Meng Shenji said.
At that, Bai Baoshan and Zhilin were both stunned. Bai Baoshan asked, "Even with Innate Full Soul Power, could someone reach level twenty so quickly?"
"Exactly. But perhaps my little disciple's Martial Soul is special. Maybe that has something to do with it," Meng Shenji agreed.
"What kind of Martial Soul?" The other two were both curious.
Meng Shenji smiled mysteriously. "Since you both want to see for yourselves, why don't we hold a selection competition? I'll select fifteen students from the six grades in the junior division to form an elite class. They'll receive separate training in preparation for the Continental Soul Master Elite Tournament!"
Bai Baoshan looked troubled. "But shouldn't we discuss this with Prince Xue Xing?"
"I'll speak to the prince. I'll take responsibility for any consequences," Meng Shenji said. "We haven't been members of the academic committee for long. We should also be thinking about bringing some new energy to the academy."
Not long afterward, news spread through the junior division of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. After deliberation by the Academic Affairs Office, the academy planned to recruit fifteen students into an elite class. Students of any grade or specialization could sign up for the assessment. But the final line put many younger students off: only One-Ring Soul Masters and above could compete!
"Luo Chen! Have you heard? The academy's holding a selection for an elite class. I heard students who get in will have better teachers and more cultivation resources!"
Luo Chen perked up at that. He was making rapid progress, but who would ever complain about having more cultivation resources?
"Of course I'm going! Why wouldn't I?" With his current strength at level twenty-one, he reckoned he could hold his own not just in the junior division, but even in the intermediate division. And he had several powerful fighters at his disposal, to boot.
There were only two eligible students in the first grade, so the two of them went to sign up together.
When the final list of competitors came out, there were two students from the first grade, one from the second, and everyone from the third through sixth grades!
Well, there were only three students in the entire grade. Fortunately, the competition had no team events; instead, the matches would be held as free-for-all arena battles. There were 243 competitors in total, and the academy had ten arenas, with eight students assigned to each. Opponents would be decided by drawing lots. The first round consisted of three matches, and three students would draw byes and advance automatically.
The draw was random. The three students who picked blank lots got byes. Su Heng was lucky enough to draw a blank in the first round, but Luo Chen wasn't so fortunate. Not only did he draw an opponent, he was assigned to the very first match on Arena One.
"Good luck, Luo Chen! You can totally crush them!" Su Heng said with a grin. He'd already seen Luo Chen's strength. A six-year-old Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster—who would believe it?
Luo Chen headed to Arena One. The other seven students were already on the platform. Judging by the numbers on their uniforms, two were from the sixth grade, three from the fifth, one from the third, and one from the fourth. Add Luo Chen, a first-grader, and the group of eight was complete.
The tallest boy spoke up. "Little guy, you've got guts, coming to compete at such a young age. But your older brothers and sisters aren't going to hold back. You'd better just surrender."
Another girl chimed in, "That's right, little guy. Hurry up and admit defeat. Come back and compete again in a few years."
Luo Chen put on an "innocent" smile, though in truth he was a little devil. "I don't think I'm the one who's going to lose!"
"Hahahaha! If the little fellow won't get off on his own, let him taste the cruelty of the Soul Master world!" a muscular boy called out.
At the referee's signal, the match began.
The first to attack was a slender boy. He activated his Martial Soul and revealed a cultivation level of eighteen. His Martial Soul was a Variegated Cat, making him look like an Agility Attack System Soul Master.
Agility Attack System Soul Masters naturally struck first. His target was a pretty, delicate-looking girl, but she didn't seem afraid at all. She activated her Martial Soul and charged straight at him.
It turned out to be a White Bear. Who would have thought a girl who looked so gentle and frail could be so different once she transformed?
Almost all the students from the third, fourth, and fifth grades were One-Ring Soul Masters. Only the two sixth-grade seniors and one fifth-grade senior had reached the Two-Ring level.
The sixth-grade senior's Martial Soul was a Flame Lion. After possessing him, it made his whole body grow a full size larger. The other senior girl had a tool-type Martial Soul: a pair of Twin Blades that she wielded with fierce, whirling force, balancing strength and speed. The remaining fifth-grade senior had a Long Sword for a Martial Soul, and his swordsmanship was sharp and ruthless.
Luo Chen thought, So the junior division has plenty of geniuses, too. The thought made his hands itch to join in.
He casually pulled out four Gulu Balls and tossed them toward an empty patch of ground. "Come on out! Little Xiezi, Xiao Yingzi, Little Wolf Cub, Little Turtle!"
The next moment, four Soul Beasts appeared beside Luo Chen: two hundred-year, one thousand-year, and one eight-hundred-thousand-year-old—albeit in a weakened form. Everyone on the platform stopped fighting.
Seeing the yellow and purple Soul Rings revolving around Luo Chen, they were dumbfounded. They could accept a yellow First Soul Ring. Apart from two people on the platform whose First Soul Rings were white, everyone else had a hundred-year yellow Soul Ring. But what did a purple thousand-year Soul Ring mean?
And whose six-year-old first-grader became a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster?
Was this some kind of joke?
Luo Chen grinned. "Hehe, I'm taking on all seven!"
(Luo Chen: One yellow and one purple? Sorry, your bro Chen's got one purple Soul Ring—and the other one's purple, too. If it's red enough to turn purple, that still counts as purple~)
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