Heaven Dou Royal Academy

"Rest assured, Your Highness. Leave this child to us, and there will absolutely be no problem," Bai Baoshan promised, thumping his chest.

His rough, broad hand still rested on Zhao Ming's shoulder. The warmth of his palm seeped through the fabric, carrying a steady, reassuring weight.

Meng Shenji stroked his grizzled beard and nodded slightly, his tone carrying a trace of emotion. "This old man has taught at Heaven Dou Royal Academy for over forty years and has seen countless geniuses.

But those who could reach the peak of level twenty-two at seven and a half years old are few enough to count on one hand. Rest assured, Your Highness. For such an outstanding seedling, we three old fellows will certainly spare no effort in nurturing him."

Zhi Lin said nothing, merely smiling and nodding. His refined eyes lingered on Zhao Ming for a moment, holding a measured appraisal and a faint expectation.

As a plant-type control Soul Master, he possessed a uniquely keen sense for a student's talent. The calm, reserved aura Zhao Ming carried made him instinctively feel that this child was far from ordinary.

"Xue Qinghe" was greatly satisfied with the three Education Committee members' attitude. She nodded faintly, her tone gentle without losing its authority. "Then Xiao Ming will be in the care of the three Education Committee members. This child belongs to my household, so I hope the three of you will look after him in your daily dealings. I will be deeply grateful."

Her words were polite, but the three Education Committee members were all shrewd old hands. How could they fail to understand the Crown Prince's meaning? Zhao Ming belongs to this Crown Prince. Take good care of him, and the Crown Prince's Palace will remember this favor.

The three immediately nodded repeatedly and offered another round of assurances.

After speaking, "Xue Qinghe" turned around and let her gaze fall upon Zhao Ming.

She bent down slightly and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Cultivate diligently. If anything comes up, have someone send word back to the Crown Prince's Palace."

Then she straightened, nodded to Zhao Ming, and turned to leave the office.

After watching Qian Renxue depart, Bai Baoshan was the first to get moving. Though this burly defensive-system Soul Douluo appeared rough and forthright, he was surprisingly meticulous and considerate when handling matters.

He personally helped Zhao Ming complete his enrollment procedures. From filling out the registration form to collecting his academy uniform and student badge, he accompanied him through every step. Whenever there was a queue, he simply displayed his status as an Education Committee member and cut straight through it. The efficiency was astonishing.

Once the procedures were complete, Bai Baoshan enthusiastically led Zhao Ming on a tour of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Built along the mountainside, the academy covered an enormous area. From the foot of the mountain to its summit, teaching buildings, dormitory quarters, training grounds, and all kinds of mimetic cultivation zones were spread out in layered succession.

As they walked, Bai Baoshan introduced each place, his tone brimming with pride.

"Student Zhao Ming, look over there. That is the academy's central plaza. The opening and graduation ceremonies are held there every year."

"That is the Soul Fighting Arena. Sparring matches between students are held inside. There are three main Soul Fighting platforms and twelve secondary platforms, allowing thirty matches to take place at once.

"And over there is the dining hall. Outstanding students like you receive three free meals a day. The dishes are arranged by nutritionists specially hired by the academy, ensuring that every student gets enough nutrition to support high-intensity cultivation."

Zhao Ming followed behind Bai Baoshan, nodding as he listened while his gaze swept over the surroundings.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy's facilities truly were beyond reproach. It was worthy of being the empire's highest institution of learning; every building exuded royal grandeur and refinement.

However, what Bai Baoshan most wanted Zhao Ming to see was the academy's mimetic training grounds. In his view, Zhao Ming's martial soul was Steel Whip, a blunt metal weapon type, and the most suitable mimetic cultivation ground for him was Metal Mountain on the academy's western side.

"Student Zhao Ming, look. This is the mimetic training ground at our academy best suited to you. It is called Metal Mountain." Bai Baoshan pointed at a small mountain ahead that gleamed with metallic luster, his tone carrying a touch of pride.

"This mountain was piled up from over a thousand types of rare metal ores, and the metal energy contained within is exceptionally dense."

"Cultivating here produces twice the result with half the effort for students whose martial souls are metal weapon types, such as longswords, greatswords, spears, and shields. Your Steel Whip is also a blunt metal weapon, so there could be no more suitable place for you to cultivate."

Standing at the foot of Metal Mountain, Zhao Ming briefly sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the surroundings.

Sure enough, the metal-attributed spiritual energy radiating from Metal Mountain was considerably denser than outside. He could even sense a faint, elusive sharpness in the air.

If an ordinary Soul Master with a metal weapon martial soul cultivated here, their efficiency would indeed be noticeably higher than outside.

But to him, Metal Mountain's effect was negligible.

After he had gotten started with Nine-Breath Qi Absorption, his efficiency in absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had already reached the limit of Douluo Continent. The rate at which spiritual energy entered his body was not determined by the external density of spiritual energy, but by the capacity of his own meridians and the operating speed of Nine-Breath Qi Absorption.

In other words, it made no difference whether he cultivated in a mimetic training ground or not. Naturally, he would not say that aloud.

Zhao Ming put on a serious expression as if he were carefully sensing the surroundings, then nodded to Bai Baoshan. "I can indeed feel an extremely dense metal aura. Thank you, Education Committee Member Bai, for bringing me here."

Seeing that he was satisfied, Bai Baoshan's smile grew even wider. Just as he was about to take Zhao Ming to the next location, Zhao Ming suddenly asked, "Education Committee Member Bai, where is the academy library? I would like to take a look."

Bai Baoshan was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Zhao Ming to be interested in the library.

In his impression, children this age should have been most interested in training grounds and Soul Fighting platforms. A place like the library was usually only frequented daily by teachers of theoretical courses. Still, since Zhao Ming wanted to go, he naturally would not refuse.

"The library? It's in the northwest section of the academy, not far from here. I'll take you there."

Bai Baoshan led Zhao Ming through a grove of plane trees and along a small path paved with bluestone. After walking for roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy's library.

It was a six-story stone building, its outer walls covered in lush green ivy that shimmered in varying shades of green beneath the autumn sunlight.

Though the building was not especially tall, it occupied a vast area. The windows on every floor had been wiped spotless, and through the glass, rows upon rows of towering bookshelves could be seen.

As they pushed open the heavy oak doors, a faint scent of ink and the distinctive smell of paper rushed toward them. Zhao Ming stood at the entrance and swept his gaze across the library's interior, unable to stop a sigh of admiration from rising in his heart.

The first floor of the library was an exceptionally spacious hall. Its vaulted ceiling rose more than three zhang high, with dozens of crystal chandeliers hanging overhead, illuminating the entire hall as brightly as day.

More than a hundred bookshelves stood in neat rows throughout the hall. Every shelf was densely packed with books, stretching from the floor all the way to the ceiling.

A second-floor gallery was built into the walls surrounding the hall, and it too was lined with bookshelves. Spiral staircases connected the upper and lower levels, and this was only the first floor.