Encountering Qin Ming

After bidding farewell to the three members of the Education Committee, Zhou Yan took Tianlin and left the Dean's Office.

"Teacher Zhou, where are we going now?" Tianlin asked.

"I'll take you to the dormitory first. You'll be living here from now on. Today, take some time to familiarize yourself with Heaven Dou Royal Academy. You'll officially start classes tomorrow." Zhou Yan was exceptionally kind to Tianlin. She couldn't help it—he was a prized talent.

Along the way, they ran into many other male teachers, all of whom warmly greeted Zhou Yan. It seemed she was quite popular at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

That was only natural. She was not yet twenty-eight, yet her Soul Power was already on the verge of reaching the Soul King level. Coupled with her beauty and the fact that she was at the age when mature women were most alluring, it would have been strange if she were not popular.

Yet she appeared rather aloof, mostly offering only polite greetings. But when she saw one young man, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she actually went up to him of her own accord.

"Teacher Qin Ming, you're back from hunting Soul Beasts!"

The young man was even younger than Zhou Yan. He was strikingly handsome, stood tall and straight, and radiated intense confidence from between his brows. A single glance was enough to tell how outstanding he was.

So this is Qin Ming, the Shrek Academy graduate from the original story? Tianlin studied him. At this point, Qin Ming was much younger than when he had appeared in the original story and likely had not yet reached the Soul Emperor level.

From what Zhou Yan had just said, he had apparently gone hunting Soul Beasts not long ago. Most likely, he had only recently broken through to Soul King.

"Yes, Teacher Zhou Yan. I was rather fortunate this time. As soon as I entered the Star Dou Great Forest, I encountered a Fire Wolf that was over nine thousand years old. I am now a Soul King, and I was just about to register as a Heaven Tier Teacher," Qin Ming said gently.

A fifth Soul Ring of over nine thousand years was not the optimal configuration. Generally speaking, the limit for an ordinary person's fifth Soul Ring was twelve thousand years. A ten-thousand-year Soul Ring was entirely different from a thousand-year Soul Ring. Tianlin found it somewhat regrettable. Qin Ming's talent was so exceptional, yet his Soul Ring had held him back.

Still, for an ordinary person, a nine-thousand-year Soul Ring was already extremely impressive. At the very least, Zhou Yan was thrilled. "Nine thousand years? Heavens, Teacher Qin Ming, you're truly outstanding! You've reached Soul King at only twenty-six. The three members of the Education Committee all said that, with your talent, you may very well break through to Soul Emperor before the age of thirty-two. At that time, you'll be the second-youngest Soul Emperor on the entire continent."

Anyone could tell that Zhou Yan liked Qin Ming. After all, Qin Ming clearly possessed the potential to become a Titled Douluo, and he was very likely to reach that level around the age of sixty. He was truly a hero of his generation.

Qin Ming humbly replied, "The Education Committee praises me too highly. By the way, who is this child?"

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is my new student, Jun Tianlin. He's seven years old and an eighteenth-level Battle Soul Master. What do you think? He's a genius too, isn't he?" Zhou Yan pushed Tianlin forward as she introduced him. She had a feeling that this child would become the red thread bringing her and Qin Ming closer together.

She had always felt somewhat inferior before Qin Ming, but if she could teach an unparalleled genius, the distance between them would close in an instant.

"Seven years old, eighteenth level!" Qin Ming was somewhat astonished. This was far more than mere genius. Even during his days at Shrek Academy, he had never seen such a monster.

"Congratulations, Teacher Zhou, on taking in such an outstanding student. I have some experience in teaching students. Perhaps we can exchange insights in the future." Qin Ming's interest was piqued. Influenced by Flender and Zhao Wuji, he loved being a teacher, which was why he had come to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

"Of course, of course!" Zhou Yan said, her face flushing red. Tianlin truly was her lucky star. He had only just arrived, yet he had already brought her closer to the prince charming in her heart. This was the first time Qin Ming had taken the initiative to invite her to interact.

"Then I still need to pay my respects to the three members of the Education Committee. Farewell for now." Qin Ming cupped his hands and left.

As Zhou Yan watched the back of the man she loved depart, she had yet to come back to her senses when Tianlin teased her from beside her, "Teacher Zhou, you like Teacher Qin, don't you?"

Children spoke without restraint. Rather than becoming angry, Zhou Yan openly admitted, "Yes. You saw it just now—Teacher Qin is very interested in you. You'll have to help Teacher Zhou from now on. As long as I successfully win over Teacher Qin, I'll buy you candy every day."

The hell with buying me candy. Does Zhou Yan really think I'm a child? And having a seven-year-old help you chase a man—are you a teacher or a lovesick fool? Tianlin grumbled inwardly. Like teacher, like students. If even the teachers were like this, no wonder the atmosphere throughout Heaven Dou Royal Academy was so terrible.

His master was really at ease, sending him to this kind of place to temper his heart. Was he not afraid Tianlin would be led astray?

Before long, Zhou Yan brought Tianlin to the dormitory area. His room was on the third floor. Everyone actually had their own room, and its luxury was comparable to the accommodations at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Thinking of Tang San now, he was probably still living in one of those dormitories shared by more than a dozen people. A regular junior academy simply could not compare to an aristocratic academy like Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Still, Tang San had a little rabbit sleeping in the same bed with him every day. Thinking of that made Tianlin somewhat envious again.

At that moment, Zhou Yan took two books from the bookshelf. "Xiao Tian, Teacher has to go now. Someone will bring you your student card later. As for these two books, one contains the school rules, while the other is an introduction to the academy. Remember to read them carefully today so you can learn more about our academy."

"Okay, Teacher." Tianlin accepted the two books and obediently agreed. But after Zhou Yan left, he casually tossed the book of school rules aside without even knowing where it landed.

He could not be bothered to read something like school rules. They were nothing more than rules against fighting whenever one pleased. But everyone here was a Soul Master—when problems arose, naturally they had to be settled with fists. Those rules existed to be broken, so there was no point in reading them.

The academy introduction, however, was worth reading carefully. It detailed the academy's current student situation, as well as the locations of the cafeteria and various Simulated Cultivation Grounds.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy currently had a total of 557 students, divided into three types of classes. Those with Soul Power between levels fifteen and twenty-five were Heavenly Subtle Grade; those between levels twenty-five and thirty were Heaven Tier; and those above level thirty were in the highest Heaven Dou Tier.

The teachers were graded similarly. Levels forty to fifty were Heavenly Subtle Grade, fifty to sixty were Heaven Tier, and above sixty were Heaven Dou Tier.

The academy currently had fourteen classes in total, with roughly forty students in each. There was only one Heaven Dou class, three Heaven Tier classes, and the remaining ten were all Heavenly Subtle Grade.

In other words, the entire royal academy had only around forty students above level thirty. The remaining seventy percent were all Heavenly Subtle Grade. It was pitifully poor.

"Sigh, it would be a miracle if Heaven Dou Royal Academy ever produced anyone worthwhile!" Tianlin said disdainfully.

He casually tossed aside the academy introduction as well, then sat on the bed and began meditating. He had to work hard. He did not want to become one of that pile of trash in the future.