Eastsea City, an economic hub among the coastal cities of the Douluo Federation.
The busy harbor was in full operation. A branch of the Spirit Pagoda, one of the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars, stood as the city's landmark, bearing witness to the ebb and flow of the tides.
After getting out of the car, Gu Yue took the dazed Qian Jue to Eastsea Academy to register.
The registration period had already ended. In principle, the academy shouldn't have been accepting any more students.
But principles could be flexible.
The director of the academic affairs department, Long Hengxu, looked at the handsome young man and woman standing before him, one tall and one short.
He glanced at the recommendation letter handwritten by Leng Yaozhu, the Spirit Pagoda's deputy master. All the sternness and stiffness of a director vanished from his face.
"Miss Gu Yue, Young Master Qian Jue, it's truly an honor to have you study at our academy!"
One had an Elemental Master Martial Soul and was a Soul Master at Level 15.
The other had Twin Martial Souls—the Coiling Dragon Staff and the Dragon Rising Pillar—and a Soul Power Level as high as 21.
Long Hengxu had heard a little about the Coiling Dragon Staff, but he didn't yet know the quality of either of their other Martial Souls.
Still, their Soul Power Levels and a recommendation letter from the Spirit Pagoda's deputy master were already the best endorsements of their abilities.
"May I ask if the two of you have any requests?"
"I'd like to be in the same class as my junior fellow disciple. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Long Hengxu nodded, indicating it wasn't a problem.
They were only six years old—not old enough for the intermediate division?
Didn't they know that geniuses had the privilege of skipping grades?
As for the basic knowledge, a genius could pick that stuff up in no time.
At a Soul Master Academy, what mattered most was still one's Martial Soul and talent.
"There's one more requirement. The teacher must be the best available."
Gu Yue folded her arms over her chest and spoke from on high.
She didn't care about herself, but Qian Jue had to get the best they could offer.
They said that a famous teacher produced outstanding students. If she hadn't made that bet with Na'er, she probably wouldn't have given this little backwater a second glance.
At the second condition, however, Long Hengxu looked troubled.
"There is a teacher in the intermediate division who fits the bill, but his personality is a little unusual..."
Qian Jue knew at once who it had to be: the outstanding graduate from Shrek, Wu Zhangkong.
Although he'd developed a fear of Shrek because of Long Yeyue, he couldn't pass up the chance to benefit from the Golden Dragon King Bloodline.
"Take us to him. I understand the principles that teacher believes in."
Long Hengxu met Qian Jue's gaze. His clear eyes held nothing but confidence in his own abilities.
Indeed, how could a prodigy like him retreat over a little setback?
Perhaps these two were exactly the students the frosty-faced man wanted.
"Very well. They should be over by the intermediate division's field. I hope you two succeed."
On the intermediate division's field, the students of Class Five, Year One, were doing basic physical training.
Shrek's top training method: running laps.
The rules of the ancestors could not be changed. It was a classic passed down by the academy for ten thousand years, and Wu Zhangkong had mastered its essence.
A handsome, icy-faced man in white stood to one side, supervising the students as they ran.
Suddenly, he noticed Gu Yue and Qian Jue on the field.
Neither wore a uniform. One was plain-looking but had a distinctive air about her; the other excelled in both looks and bearing, like a sculpture carved by the gods. It was hard not to draw people's attention.
"Ow!"
Xie Xie, who was running laps, crashed into Tang Wulin when the latter suddenly stopped. He stumbled and dropped onto the ground.
Rubbing his backside, Xie Xie grumbled, "Why'd you stop?"
Tang Wulin shook his head, his gaze unconsciously fixed on Qian Jue and Gu Yue, who had suddenly appeared on the field.
"I—I don't know."
From this angle, he could only see the boy's profile.
Even so, Tang Wulin felt his heart skip a beat. What was this feeling?
The moment his eyes landed on that adorable little boy, he couldn't look away.
Tang Wulin didn't notice the flash of golden-red light in his pupils.
Then, as if some presence were whispering in his ear:
"Go hold him tight. Claim him. Make him belong to you alone."
By the end, Tang Wulin's consciousness had grown hazy. Thankfully, a blue-gold figure appeared in his Sea of Consciousness and suppressed that inexplicable urge.
"Have you never seen a girl before? Someone like her..." Xie Xie had first noticed Gu Yue and assumed Tang Wulin had stopped because he'd seen her.
Then he spotted the short boy standing beside Gu Yue.
Why did this child make him feel so close to him?
Xie Xie clutched his chest as the gentle, kind smile of his late mother suddenly flashed through his mind.
Looking at Qian Jue made Xie Xie think of his mother.
"M-Mom..."
Almost unconsciously, he said the word he hadn't spoken in a long time.
In the distance, Qian Jue seemed to notice the two of them staring at him, and gave them a gentle smile.
Xie Xie's little face flushed. He turned away, not daring to keep looking at Qian Jue.
"Wulin, that boy's cute, isn't he?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Do you think he might join our class?"
"I hope so."
While the two whispered to each other, Wu Zhangkong had already learned why Gu Yue and Qian Jue had come.
"I have no objection. At a Soul Master Academy, if you want to attend, you just have to prove yourself."
Wu Zhangkong turned to Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, who had stopped on the field to admire Qian Jue's beauty. "Why have you two stopped? Never mind. Come over here."
The two took off their iron clothes and scampered over.
"H-hello. My name's Tang Wulin. I live at 108 Xinjian Road in Aolai City. My family..."
"Enough, enough. Are you on a blind date or introducing yourself?" Xie Xie shoved Tang Wulin aside, rubbed his hands together, and stood in front of Qian Jue. After a long moment, he finally managed to get the words out.
"I-I-I'm Xie Xie! Please take good care of me!"
Faced with their sudden introductions, Qian Jue was a little dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Could it be because of his Dragon Rising Pillar Martial Soul?
It had to be.
That would explain why Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin all naturally felt well-disposed toward him.
After thinking it over, Qian Jue gave them a friendly smile and shook both their hands.
"My name's Qian Jue, and this is my senior sister, Gu Yue."
"Hehe, hello, Senior Sister!"
Gu Yue glanced at Xie Xie's outstretched hand and ignored it.
Hmph!
He'd been staring at Qian Jue from the start, and he was slick-tongued, too. He was obviously no good.
Having his friendly overture met with a cold shoulder, Xie Xie looked a little awkward and could only sheepishly withdraw his hand.
To Qian Jue's surprise, Gu Yue was just as cold toward Tang Wulin as she was toward Xie Xie—if anything, she was even worse.
What was going on with those two?
While Qian Jue wondered about it, Wu Zhangkong laid out the conditions for them to join the class.
"You two will fight them. If you win, you can join our class. If you lose, you leave."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie raised both hands.
"Teacher Wu, we surrender!"