Conversation in Full Swing

Nezha turned his head, his gaze lingering in that direction for a moment.

He had noticed Qian Renxue the moment she arrived.

With his current spiritual power, nothing within a hundred zhang could escape his senses.

What was more, although Qian Renxue's disguise was flawless, she could not conceal the fluctuations of Soul Power around her.

Sure enough, running into Xue Beng had not been a coincidence.

From their meeting at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, to running into Xue Beng outside, to Qian Renxue appearing nearby, the entire chain of events had been arranged.

Her purpose was nothing more than to provoke a conflict, then step in as a savior to resolve it and use that opportunity to draw closer to them.

Unfortunately, she had underestimated their strength. The two Soul Ancestor guards had been too weak to give her a chance to make an entrance.

As expected of someone who had infiltrated the Heaven Dou Empire at such a young age. Her scheming ran so deep that ordinary people truly could not match her.

"What is it?" Xiao Wu followed his gaze in that direction, but saw nothing.

"Nothing." Nezha withdrew his gaze. "Come on, let's look around."

The next day, Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The academy lay outside Heaven Dou City and covered an immense area, occupying an entire mountain. From the foot of the mountain to its peak, teaching buildings, training grounds, a Soul Beast garden, and dormitory areas stretched out in succession, creating a magnificent sight. The main building was constructed entirely of white marble, its surface gleaming softly beneath the sunlight.

Nezha and Xiao Wu followed the jade steps up the mountain and soon arrived at the registration office.

A long line stood outside the registration office. Most were richly dressed young men and women, attended by servants and guards. When it was their turn, Nezha handed over Xue Qinghe's letter of recommendation.

The teacher took the letter and glanced at it. His expression immediately changed.

People recommended by His Highness the Crown Prince? That was a rare occurrence indeed.

Xue Qinghe enjoyed an excellent reputation at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Gentle and refined, he valued talent and treated worthy people with courtesy. He was almost certain to become the next Emperor of Heaven Dou. Yet he had never recommended a single student to the academy before. These two were the first.

"Please wait a moment." The teacher carefully put away the recommendation letter and hurried into the inner room.

About the time it took to burn an incense stick later, the teacher returned. His attitude was noticeably more respectful than before. "Please come with me. The three Education Committee members wish to see you."

The Education Committee of Heaven Dou Royal Academy was located at the center of the main campus, in its largest building.

Though it had only one floor, its highest point was a full ten meters tall. Its roof was covered in glazed tiles that gleamed with a dignified luster beneath the sun. Four stone pillars carved with coiling dragons stood before its entrance, each thick enough that it would take two people to encircle it with their arms.

Nezha and Xiao Wu followed the teacher through the campus, drawing quite a few sidelong glances along the way.

Students who could enter the Education Committee building and be received by the three committee members were either nobles with formidable backgrounds or geniuses with outstanding talent. Yet these two unfamiliar faces were being personally led by a teacher directly under the Education Committee. Their origins were clearly anything but ordinary.

Upon entering the Education Committee building, they found themselves in an exceptionally spacious hall. A long wooden table stood at its center, with three elderly men seated behind it.

The man in the middle had white hair and beard, a lean face, and eyes that shone with vigor. He was Meng Shenji, the chief of the Education Committee.

The man on the left was somewhat plump, with a ruddy complexion and a genial smile. He was Bai Baoshan. The man on the right was thin-faced, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's. He was Zhi Lin.

All three were senior figures of Heaven Dou Royal Academy and towering authorities in the Soul Master world of the Heaven Dou Empire.

"Student Nezha greets the three Education Committee members."

"Student Xiao Wu greets the three Education Committee members."

The three committee members were even more cordial than the teacher at the registration office.

After all, Xue Qinghe's position as Crown Prince was secure, and everyone knew he would be the next Emperor of Heaven Dou.

Since he had recommended talented individuals to the academy, they had to grant him that respect. Besides, this was the first time he had recommended students for admission. Its significance was extraordinary.

Meng Shenji, seated in the middle, gestured for them to sit down. His tone was gentle. "No need for such formality. I heard from those below that His Highness the Crown Prince personally wrote a letter recommending the two of you for admission. That is quite rare. Since taking charge of the Eastern Palace, this is the first time His Highness has recommended students to our academy."

His gaze swept over the two of them, carrying scrutiny, but even more curiosity.

Xue Qinghe had always been discerning in his judgment of people. Those who could make him break precedent and recommend them were certainly no ordinary individuals.

"I heard from His Highness's letter that you two are only twelve this year, yet your strength has already approached that of Soul Elders?" Meng Shenji asked.

They really were twelve years old, and they really were Soul Elders.

However, Nezha's true rank was far beyond that of a Soul Elder. His Soul Power had long since reached Soul King level, but he had been concealing it with the disguise skill granted by Ah Rou's soul bone.

A twelve-year-old Soul King was simply too terrifying. If exposed, the eyes of every major force would turn toward him. What he needed now was to develop quietly; there was no need to reveal all his trump cards merely to show off.

"Yes, Education Committee member. That is correct." Nezha nodded.

The three committee members exchanged glances, surprise flashing through all their eyes. Zhi Lin was the first to speak, his tone carrying disbelief. "Could you two display your soul rings?"

Xiao Wu stepped forward first and activated Martial Soul Possession. Yellow, purple, purple—three soul rings rose one after another from beneath her feet, slowly rotating as light flowed across them.

Immediately afterward, Nezha released his Martial Soul as well. Three soul rings rose around him too—one yellow and two purple.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The smile on Bai Baoshan's face froze for an instant, then widened even further. Zhi Lin's hand, which had been stroking his beard, stopped in midair, forgotten there. Meng Shenji was the most composed of the three, but the hand stroking his beard clearly sped up.

Twelve-year-old Soul Elders were already exceedingly rare. Rarer still was a thousand-year second soul ring. What kind of physical strength did that require to bear?

Across the entire Douluo Continent, fewer than three people in history had managed to absorb a thousand-year soul ring as their second ring.

The way the three committee members looked at Nezha and Xiao Wu immediately changed.

Although Heaven Dou Royal Academy bore the title of the Heaven Dou Empire's foremost academy, they understood its true situation better than anyone.

Most of its students were children of nobles. Those with high talent were few and far between, while even more were spoiled wastrels who had entered through family connections merely to idle their days away.

The three committee members had exhausted themselves trying to preserve the academy's reputation. Now, two genuinely formidable geniuses had appeared at once. How could they not be thrilled?

Furthermore, twelve-year-old Soul Elders with thousand-year second soul rings were the sort of seedlings any academy would nurture as core members.

The next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament would be held in three years, and the one after that in eight. With Nezha and Xiao Wu, Heaven Dou Royal Academy finally had trump cards worthy of display in the coming Soul Master tournaments.

Meng Shenji's attitude grew even gentler as he proactively asked about their cultivation and future plans.

Xiao Wu said that she wanted to continue raising her Soul Power and strive to break through to Soul Ancestor as soon as possible.

Nezha said that he wanted to learn more practical combat techniques, especially methods for dealing with different kinds of Martial Souls.

The three committee members nodded repeatedly. Neither arrogant nor impatient, with clear goals— the more they looked, the more satisfied they became.

Zhi Lin had already begun writing and sketching on paper, seemingly planning out their future cultivation path.

Just as the conversation was in full swing, the hall's doors were pushed open from outside.