"This way, please."
The young gatekeeper nodded and led the two of them briskly down the corridor and into a spacious reception room.
"Please wait here. I'll go inform them." He served them tea and several plates of snacks, then bowed and withdrew.
Half an hour flew by.
"Big brother, I want that one." Tang Shan's cheeks were puffed round as she pointed at the snacks in front of Lan Yu, her voice soft and sweet.
Lan Yu smiled helplessly, picked up a piece, and held it out to her.
"Ah—" The girl tilted her face up and opened her mouth, waiting to be fed.
Just then, the wooden door of the reception room was flung open from the outside with a bang.
Lan Yu looked up at the sound and saw a woman with fiery red hair walk in. She wore a teacher's uniform from Heaven Dou Academy, and was tall and strikingly beautiful, with a cool, aloof air.
"This is our academy's youngest Heaven-Supreme Grade—" The young gatekeeper who had followed her in was about to introduce her when the woman raised a hand and cut him off. "That's enough. You can leave."
The young man withdrew at her command.
Once the wooden door had closed again, the woman's gaze fell first on Lan Yu, who had risen to his feet. Then she turned her head slightly and glanced at the girl hiding behind him before extending a hand and speaking in an even tone.
"Hello. I'm Qin Yue, a Heaven-Supreme Grade teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. My Martial Soul is the Blazing Gray Wolf. I'm a fifty-seventh-level Power Attack System Battle Soul King."
What the hell, Qin Yue?
Lan Yu's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He shook her hand lightly, then stepped aside to reveal the girl behind him. "My name is Lan Yu. This is my younger sister, Tang Shan."
The instant Qin Yue saw the girl behind Lan Yu, her eyes lit up. She bent down to look at the girl with puffed cheeks, and couldn't help smiling. In a gentle voice, she said, "Hello, Tang Shan. I heard your second Soul Ring is a thousand-year one. Could you show it to me?"
Tang Shan quickly finished chewing the snack in her mouth and wiped the corner of her lips. When Lan Yu nodded to give her permission, she stepped forward.
A yellow and a purple Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath her feet. "Tang Shan, nine years old. My Martial Soul is the Haotian Flood Dragon, and I'm a twenty-fifth-level Power Attack System Soul Grandmaster."
"A nine-year-old Soul Grandmaster, with a thousand-year second Soul Ring!" The trace of doubt in Qin Yue's eyes vanished completely, replaced by shock and excitement. She rushed forward and grabbed Tang Shan by the wrist. "Come on, I'll take you to meet the academy director right now!"
Ordinary students could enroll with the help of any regular teacher. But a genius who possessed a thousand-year second Soul Ring at the age of nine was another matter. Never mind a Heaven-Supreme Grade teacher like her—even a Heaven Dou Grade director would have to personally receive such a student.
Tang Shan suddenly pulled her little hand back and clutched Lan Yu's clothes with the other. Looking up at Qin Yue, she asked, "What about my big brother?"
"Your big brother?"
Qin Yue paused, then realized that the boy was here to enroll too. Seeing the hopeful look on Tang Shan's face, she nodded helplessly and turned to Lan Yu. "Lan Yu, what's your Soul Power Level?"
She had already worked out what to do. As long as he was above level ten, she could use her position to place him in a Heaven-Minor Grade class. That was the confidence of the academy's youngest Heaven-Supreme Grade teacher.
"Lan Yu, nine years old. My Martial Soul is the Primordial Dragonman, and I'm a thirty-third-level Battle Soul Elder."
The moment he finished speaking, three dazzling purple Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet.
The smug look on Qin Yue's face stiffened in an instant. She froze where she stood, barely able to get the words out. "Y-you... how..."
"Is there a problem, Teacher Qin? I should be qualified to join the academy, right?" Lan Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled calmly.
Qin Yue's face flushed hot. She had just been thinking of pulling strings to get him in, and then his three thousand-year Soul Rings had slapped her right in the face. Embarrassed and annoyed, she shot Lan Yu a glare.
Well, that settled it. The academy's Education Committee would have to receive them personally to show how much the academy valued them.
"Let's go."
She spoke in a low voice, then turned and strode out first, her fiery red hair swaying as her high heels clicked against the floor. A lingering blush still colored her face.
"Big brother, what's wrong with the teacher?"
Lan Yu shook his head, took the girl's hand, and followed her. Lowering his voice, he laughed. "She must be going through menopause."
They walked in silence. The only sound in the corridor was the clicking of high heels against the floor.
Halfway along, Qin Yue seemed to realize how awkward the atmosphere was. She slowed her pace and casually asked, "Are you two from Heaven Dou City?"
"No, we came from Nuoding City," Lan Yu replied.
"That's quite a distance." Qin Yue nodded, then found herself at a loss for what to say next.
"It's super far! My big brother and I took a whole bunch of detours." Tang Shan swung Lan Yu's hand as she spoke.
"We went through Suotuo City and Xilu City, then came here by way of Jialing Pass." Tang Shan counted on her fingers. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "We even spent a whole day having fun in Suotuo City!"
"What? You've been to Suotuo City?"
Qin Yue stopped in her tracks and turned around. Her voice suddenly rose, and her willow-shaped brows furrowed.
Tang Shan was startled by her sudden reaction. Lan Yu immediately moved to shield her, his brows knitting together as his voice turned cold. "Is there a problem?"
What was with the shouting?
Qin Yue realized she'd lost her composure and hurried to explain. "It's nothing. I just wanted to ask... have you been to Shrek Academy?"
Could Qin Yue be just like Qin Ming in the original story, a diehard Shrek fan?
"Shrek Academy? Is that the academy that grants you a noble title when you graduate?"
"Utter nonsense! Don't listen to their lies!" Qin Yue instantly bristled, her voice full of indignation. "Shrek is a cancer of an academy!"
Seeing the bewildered look on Lan Yu's face, she assumed he didn't believe her. She steadied her breathing and said, "It was never officially registered anywhere in the empire. It doesn't even have a proper license to operate.
"And its entrance requirements are that students must be no older than twelve and have reached the Soul Grandmaster rank.
"But when they graduate, they force their students to enter the Soul Beast forest alone to hunt for their fourth Soul Ring. Who knows how many promising youngsters have been lost in there over the years?"
As she spoke, the anger on her face softened, replaced by a trace of bitterness. "If a teacher from Heaven Dou Academy hadn't found me on the outskirts, barely clinging to life, I might have... Never mind. Why am I telling you all this?"
She paid no attention to Lan Yu's thoughtful expression, turned around, and waved them on. "Come along."
They hadn't gone far before the three of them reached the third floor. As soon as they arrived at the teaching staff office, an academy official stepped in their way and said politely, "Teacher Qin, the three members of the Education Committee are inside discussing matters with the Crown Prince and several nobles. They've instructed us not to disturb them unless it's urgent."
At that, Qin Yue furrowed her brows slightly. She glanced back at Lan Yu, then seemed to make up her mind. "I do have something urgent to report."
"This... all right." The academy official hesitated for a moment, then nodded helplessly. He opened the door and walked over to Zhilin, the member of the Education Committee, before lowering his voice to report.
Zhilin's brows furrowed at first, then he gave a soft sigh and said to Meng Shenji, "Qin Yue has something important to report."
"Something important?" Meng Shenji was taken aback.
He knew Qin Yue well. At just twenty-eight, she had reached level fifty-seven and had a good chance of becoming a Soul Emperor before turning thirty.
She wasn't someone who'd make a fuss over nothing.
"Let her in."