Master Shi was extremely puzzled and asked timidly, "I wonder why Chief Meng came in person?" He knew he wasn't important enough to warrant the chief's personal visit.
Meng Shenji said, "One of my students recommended a promising young talent, so I came to take a look. I wonder which one of you is Luo Chen?"
Hearing his name, Luo Chen stepped forward. "Greetings, Chief Meng Shenji. I'm Luo Chen."
Meng Shenji looked Luo Chen over. Though his clothes were simple, they were neat and tidy. His bearing was extraordinary, and he didn't seem like a child of six or seven.
"I heard you're a spirit-type Soul Master, and that your Martial Soul is summon-type?" Meng Shenji asked.
"Yes. My Martial Soul is called the Gulu Ball. I can form contracts with Soul Beasts, and after obtaining a Soul Ring, I can also use that Soul Beast's Soul Skill."
Meng Shenji was stunned. Fule's letter had only said that the child could contract Soul Beasts. It hadn't mentioned that he could use their Soul Skills, too.
"Child, you've already obtained your First Soul Ring by chance, haven't you? I wonder what your first Soul Skill..."
Before Meng Shenji could finish, Luo Chen held out his right hand. A golden-yellow King Ball appeared in his palm, and he tossed it forward.
"Come out, Xiao Xiezi."
A flash of purple light, and a miniature Evil Emperor emerged. It wasn't the real body, though, so it seemed rather stiff.
"What is that...?" The others had never seen a Soul Beast like this before—just one enormous eye.
Meng Shenji pondered for a moment. "The legendary Evil Eye Clan, a spirit-type Soul Beast! They're incredibly rare. You're truly lucky to have encountered an injured Evil Eye!"
At that time, most of the Evil Eye Clan had gathered in the Evil Demon Forest on the Sun Moon Continent. There were a few scattered throughout the Star Dou Great Forest, but the other Soul Beasts would join forces to attack them, since this clan was extremely wicked and unwelcome even in the Soul Beast Realm.
"I wonder what your first Soul Skill is?" Meng Shenji asked.
"My first Soul Skill is called Evil Eye Gaze. It's a natural ability of the Evil Eye Clan. It unleashes a mental shock that leaves the opponent paralyzed."
Meng Shenji said, "Try using your first Soul Skill. Attack me with all your strength."
Luo Chen didn't waste words. First, he knew Meng Shenji was someone who cherished talent. Second, the man's standards were surely high. This was his chance to make an impression!
"Okay!" Luo Chen said. A bright yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet. "First Soul Skill! Evil Eye Gaze!"
Luo Chen's eyes turned purple, and the little Evil Eye's eye glowed with purple light as well. Three beams of purple light shot out at once, straight toward the space between Meng Shenji's brows!
Meng Shenji didn't use Soul Power to defend himself. He didn't think a One-Ring Soul Master could hurt him. But the moment the beams of Evil Eye Gaze touched him, his mind went blank for an instant!
It lasted only 0.1 seconds, but Meng Shenji cried out as if he'd struck gold! A One-Ring Soul Master had managed to paralyze an eight-ring Soul Douluo for 0.1 seconds. This was practically a divine skill!
Against an opponent of the same level, this Soul Skill would amount to absolute control. He was a natural-born control-type talent!
"Little friend Luo Chen! I wonder if you already have a teacher? If not, would this old man be honored if you became my disciple?"
Luo Dashan no longer knew which way was up. Was his son really this amazing?
Luo Chen was also quite surprised. He considered it for a moment. Becoming Meng Shenji's disciple could only bring benefits. He felt that Meng Shenji possessed genuine knowledge and ability. Unlike that paper-pushing Yu Xiaogang, this learned and powerful Soul Douluo was truly worthy of being called a good teacher.
"Luo Chen greets Teacher." Luo Chen nodded slightly. At his words, Meng Shenji was delighted all over again.
"Good child, come on. Let's get your enrollment sorted out. After that, I'll take you to your lodgings."
Luo Chen looked at Luo Dashan. "Teacher, please allow me to say goodbye to my father first."
"Of course. Later, I'll send someone to escort your father safely home!" Meng Shenji had immediately seen that Luo Dashan was an ordinary person, so he planned to assign someone to protect him on the way home. He could also investigate the Luo family's circumstances and learn whether his new disciple needed any help.
Luo Dashan and his son stood facing each other. Luo Dashan rubbed Luo Chen's head. "Xiao Chen, now that you've taken this senior as your teacher, you must study hard. Treat your teacher like a father."
"I understand, Dad. I'll write to you and Mom often."
After father and son said their farewells, Meng Shenji led Luo Chen and the Shi Brothers into the academy.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy had an advanced division and a junior division. The three of them would be entering the junior division. The Shi Brothers were also specially recruited talents, though they normally wouldn't have been personally escorted by the chief. They were getting to bask in Luo Chen's reflected glory.
Shi Mo had already been won over by Luo Chen and stayed by his side.
"Brother Luo Chen, your Soul Beast is so cool! How did you manage to contract it?"
"Brother Luo Chen, will you contract more Soul Beasts in the future?"
Compared to his brother, Shi Mo seemed steadier, but he too was clearly curious about Luo Chen.
Meng Shenji led the three of them to the door of a dorm room. "Xiao Chen, you and the Shi Brothers will be staying here. Once you've unpacked, come find me at the dining hall up ahead. I'll be waiting for you on the second floor."
"Yes, Teacher."
The three entered the dorm one after another. As soon as they walked in, they saw a plainly dressed boy unpacking his belongings.
He greeted the three of them first. "Hello! You must be my new roommates. I'm Su Heng."
"Hello, I'm Luo Chen."
"I'm Shi Mo, and he's Shi Mo. We're twin brothers."
Su Heng looked them over with curiosity, then suddenly laughed. "You two look exactly alike!"
Shi Mo thought this kid was a little too friendly with strangers. "You're one to talk. Why is your hair purple?"
Su Heng paused for a moment, then laughed. "Hehe, I'm afraid I'm not much to brag about—my Martial Soul has a thunder attribute! That's why my hair's a little purple. Oh, let me introduce myself properly. I'm Su Heng, my Martial Soul is the Thunder Roc, and I'm an 11th-level Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master. Pleased to meet you."
Shi Mo said, "What! You're a Soul Master too? How did I run into two monsters in a single day?"
The Shi Brothers had Innate Soul Power of level eight, so they were both only level nine now. The older brother, Shi Mo, was a little higher and was about to reach level ten, while his younger brother had only just reached level nine. But today, they'd run into two One-Ring Soul Masters in one go.
"What do you mean, 'too'? Wait, could it be...?" Following the Shi Brothers' gazes, Su Heng looked toward Luo Chen.
Luo Chen was speechless, but still introduced himself. "I'm Luo Chen, a level 15 control-type tool Soul Master. My Martial Soul is the Gulu Ball!"
Su Heng didn't ask what a Martial Soul called the Gulu Ball was. Instead, he exclaimed, "Level fifteen! How old are you?"
"Six and a half."
"You reached level fifteen in less than a year! What's your Innate Soul Power? Don't tell me it's full Innate Soul Power!" Su Heng was deeply shaken.
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