The next morning, Meng Chen got up early and knocked on Xiao Wu's door.
Before long, the door opened.
Xiao Wu's hair was tousled, and her eyes were bleary with sleep. She rubbed them while swaying unsteadily, trying to keep her balance. It was obvious that she had barely woken up and was still groggy.
She was dressed quite scantily as well, wearing only a lace undergarment. Her skin was as fair as snow with a faint flush, while her long, perfectly proportioned legs gleamed with a jade-like luster, white as ivory.
Seeing this, Meng Chen wore an exasperated expression. He entered the room and closed the door behind him.
He took the still-dazed Xiao Wu to the vanity. Then he took a sandalwood comb from his Bone Dragon Ring and gently combed her hair.
Soon, her black hair had been braided into a scorpion-tail braid, with a few strands falling softly beside her cheeks.
Next, Meng Chen helped Xiao Wu put on her white stockings and dress...
Only after everything was on did Xiao Wu fully wake up. Seeing herself dressed up in the mirror, she turned and kissed Meng Chen on the cheek, then gave him a playful smile.
"Hehehe~ With A-Chen around, I don't have to lift a finger myself!"
"All right, go wash up. After breakfast, we'll go report to Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Meng Chen raised a hand and lightly scratched Xiao Wu's nose. Xiao Wu obediently nodded and went to the bathroom to wash up.
After breakfast at the hotel, they did not take a carriage. Instead, they walked out of Heaven Dou City and headed for Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"A-Chen, why isn't Heaven Dou Royal Academy inside the city? Why was it built outside?"
On the tree-lined path outside the city, Xiao Wu followed behind Meng Chen, her pretty face showing a faint trace of confusion as she walked on her white-stockinged legs.
"It's for mimicry cultivation. Martial Souls don't accumulate Soul Power solely through meditation. When a Soul Master is in an environment compatible with their Martial Soul, their cultivation speeds up. That's why some advanced Soul Master Academies choose to build their campuses outside the city..."
Meng Chen patiently explained it to Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu understood only part of it; she did not rely on a mimicry environment for cultivation.
All she needed was to stay by Meng Chen's side, absorb his aura, and advance together with him. That was how a transformed Soul Beast cultivated.
They stopped and started along the way, and only after more than half an hour did they arrive at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The scenery here was indeed beautiful, especially in the early morning, when the dawn was just breaking.
Under the light of dawn, whether it was the lake at the foot of the mountain or the thousand-meter-tall mountain covered in all kinds of plants, everything gave off the feeling of a secluded paradise.
The academy was less than twenty kilometers from Heaven Dou City, and the surroundings were exceptionally beautiful. Thinking that this would become her home from now on, Xiao Wu felt even happier.
An admissions teacher had been waiting at the foot of the mountain for some time.
Meng Chen and Xiao Wu took out their special-admission invitation letters. After checking and confirming them, the admissions teacher led them into Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Only after entering the mountain could they truly appreciate the scale of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The stone steps up the mountain had been carved from white jade. Each step bore a different Soul Beast pattern, and the craftsmanship was exquisite.
The dawn's radiance cast shifting tree shadows across the stone steps, adding a touch of serenity and uniqueness.
Breathing in the fresh air, Meng Chen and Xiao Wu felt as if they had entered a world of plants.
Xiao Wu felt this most deeply. She had been born in the Star Dou Great Forest and loved natural environments above all else. As a plant-type Martial Soul, Meng Chen's Thunder Hell Vine was also extremely lively amid the mountain's abundant vegetation.
He had felt something similar when he first entered the Star Dou Great Forest, but it had not been nearly as obvious as it was now.
Meng Chen guessed that this was because he had already broken through level thirty.
Six years had passed, and he was now a thirty-ninth-level Battle Soul Elder.
On the way up the mountain, the admissions teacher briefly introduced Heaven Dou Royal Academy to Meng Chen and Xiao Wu.
"Student Meng, Student Xiao Wu, our academy's main campus is halfway up the mountain. The mimicry zones are scattered across the mountain, at its foot, and even by the lake."
Xiao Wu asked curiously, "Teacher Li, how many students does Heaven Dou Royal Academy have right now? Which student is the strongest?"
Teacher Li said, "Our academy has a little over five hundred students. Most of them are noble descendants from the empire and its affiliated kingdoms. We have more than fifty teachers as well, so our teaching staff is sufficient. It's just that..."
At this point, he helplessly shook his head.
It was precisely because the quality of the students had been declining that the Education Committee had chosen to specially recruit exceptionally talented commoners from non-noble backgrounds.
Soon, they arrived halfway up the mountain.
The main campus of Heaven Dou Royal Academy was built entirely from single-story buildings. It looked more like a fortress.
The surrounding walls were five meters high and bright yellow from top to bottom. They looked extremely striking, and even the tops of the walls were covered with glazed tiles, which appeared especially splendid beneath the dawn light.
After entering the academy, they did not see many students. Most of them were cultivating in the various mimicry zones, leaving the main campus unusually deserted.
Teacher Li brought Meng Chen and Xiao Wu to a reception room and continued introducing the rank divisions between students and teachers.
"The students of Heaven Dou Royal Academy are divided into three levels. Newly enrolled students and those below level twenty-five belong to the first level, known as the Heaven Minor Rank."
"Those between level twenty-five and level thirty belong to another level, known as the Heaven Supreme Rank. Those above level thirty enter the highest level, the Heaven Dou Rank."
"The teachers are divided in the same way as the students, but the requirements are higher. Reaching level forty in Soul Power is the admission threshold for teachers at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, as well as at most advanced Soul Master Academies."
"At Heaven Dou Academy, teachers above level forty but below level fifty are Heaven Minor Rank teachers. Those between level fifty and level sixty are Heaven Supreme Rank teachers, while those above level sixty are Heaven Dou Rank teachers."
"Our Heaven Dou Royal Academy belongs to the imperial family of the Heaven Dou Empire. The nominal principal is His Majesty, Emperor Xue Ye. Therefore, the academy does not have a principal."
"Under normal circumstances, academy affairs are handled by the Education Committee. The Education Committee consists of three veteran teachers, all of whom are Soul Douluos above level eighty..."
When she heard that there were three Soul Douluos at the academy, Xiao Wu tensed, and a trace of panic flashed through her beautiful eyes.
Noticing that something was wrong with Xiao Wu, Meng Chen reached out and held her delicate hand. Feeling the warmth from his palm, Xiao Wu's nervous heart gradually settled.
Meng Chen asked, "Teacher Li, does our academy have any Titled Douluos?"
"Titled Douluos are powerful beings who aren't bound by anyone. Although our academy has the imperial family behind it, we still can't persuade a Titled Douluo to join us."
Teacher Li shook his head. Hearing that there were no Titled Douluos, Xiao Wu secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"I've finished explaining the academy's situation. The Education Committee will come to test you shortly. I still have matters to attend to, so I'll be going."
Teacher Li told Meng Chen and Xiao Wu to wait for a moment, saying that the Education Committee would arrive soon. Meng Chen nodded and watched him leave.
"A-Chen, I'm a little nervous."
Xiao Wu leaned against Meng Chen's chest and spoke softly. Meng Chen gently stroked her back and comforted her in a tender voice.
"Don't be nervous. I'm here for you..."
Before you continue