Enrollment

Knock, knock, knock!

"Come in."

The two entered the office and saw a slightly plump middle-aged man bent over a stack of files. He held a pen in his hand, his brows faintly furrowed, looking extremely busy.

The guard bowed slightly and spoke respectfully.

"Director Lin, this student wishes to enroll, so I brought him here."

Lin Jiayi looked up, swept his gaze over Zhi An, and nodded. "I understand."

The guard tactfully withdrew and pulled the door shut behind him, leaving only the two of them in the office.

Zhi An stepped forward a few paces and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Hello, my name is Zhi An."

Lin Jiayi set down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and clasped his hands atop the desk, adopting a businesslike manner.

"I am Lin Jiayi, Dean of Instruction at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Guidance Academy. Tell me about yourself so I can make an assessment."

Zhi An stood straight and spoke calmly.

"Twelve years old, Rank 51, Martial Soul: Soul-Calming Sword."

Lin Jiayi's brows lifted, though his face did not show much surprise. After all, he had seen plenty of geniuses at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Guidance Academy. "Would it be convenient for you to demonstrate?"

Without wasting words, Zhi An directly released his Soul Rings.

Two purple and three black—five Soul Rings slowly emerged beneath his feet, rotating leisurely as they radiated a suffocating pressure. Even the air in the office seemed to grow heavier.

Looking at those five Soul Rings, Lin Jiayi swallowed with difficulty, a fine layer of sweat beading across his forehead.

Two purple and three black? Twelve years old? Rank 51?

After serving as Dean of Instruction for so many years, this was the first time he had seen a genius of this caliber.

No, this was no longer a genius. This was a monster!

Lin Jiayi sprang to his feet, shoving his chair half a meter backward. There was a note of urgency in his voice.

"Wait here. I'll go find the Headmaster immediately!"

With that, he rushed from the office like a gust of wind, even forgetting to close the door.

Less than a minute later, the office door was violently shoved open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang.

Lin Jiayi walked behind a richly built old man. The elder wore a luxurious brocade robe, had a protruding belly, and carried a kindly smile on his round face, looking much like a wealthy merchant.

Yet his eyes glinted with shrewdness and sharpness. He was clearly no ordinary man.

This was the Headmaster of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Guidance Academy, master of Illustrious Virtue Hall, Jing Hongchen.

The moment Jing Hongchen entered, his gaze settled on Zhi An. He looked him up and down as though trying to see through him.

Zhi An merely drew his sword slightly, revealing only three fingers' width of the blade. A flash of silvery-white light cut off Jing Hongchen's scrutiny at once.

Jing Hongchen's pupils contracted slightly, and the smile on his face deepened. He asked with great interest, "That sword is your Martial Soul? A Martial Soul with a scabbard?"

Throughout the history of the Douluo Continent, there had been countless Soul Masters who wielded swords, but never had anyone possessed a Martial Soul with a scabbard.

That was certainly novel.

Zhi An sheathed his sword again with a crisp click, his movements clean and decisive. He said lightly,

"This is one of my Martial Soul's traits. The scabbard can nurture the blade, and it can also conceal my true strength."

Jing Hongchen nodded and walked behind the desk to sit down. Bracing his hands against the desktop, he stared directly at Zhi An and asked a crucial question.

"Why did you not go to Shrek Academy? Why did you come to our Sun Moon Empire instead?"

Zhi An's expression remained unchanged as he replied calmly.

"I believe you misunderstand. My family has remained hidden from the world for tens of thousands of years. The last recorded instance of our activities dates back ten thousand years."

"Shrek Academy? Compared to my family, it is merely a ripple in the river of history."

Jing Hongchen's brow furrowed slightly as he pressed, "Then why have you come out now?"

Zhi An looked at him and slowly spoke several words.

"Because of Soul Tools."

Jing Hongchen's eyes lit up. He leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying a trace of interest.

"Could you explain in greater detail?"

Zhi An walked over to a chair and sat down, crossing one leg over the other as he spoke unhurriedly.

"The path of Soul Masters has reached its end. The future lies in high-level Soul Masters equipped with high-level Soul Tools."

That was not entirely a lie. With Tang Buddha watching from above, hadn't the path reached its end?

If you wanted to become a god, you could only become his dog. Otherwise, don't even think about it.

Jing Hongchen lightly tapped his fingers against the desk and asked thoughtfully,

"You mean the path of pure Soul Masters can no longer continue? That one must combine it with Soul Tools in order to break through the current bottleneck?"

Zhi An nodded, his tone certain.

"Correct. The cultivation system of Soul Masters has developed for over ten thousand years. Every path that could be taken has already been taken, and every realm worth exploring has already been explored."

"To go any further, one can only rely on external forces. And Soul Tools are the best external force."

Jing Hongchen's eyes brightened. It was as if he saw a brand-new world, a future brimming with limitless possibilities.

Having served as Headmaster for so many years and researched Soul Tools his entire life, he naturally understood their enormous potential.

Yet the Soul Master world had always been prejudiced against Soul Tools, believing them to be a crooked path, something only Soul Masters lacking in talent would study.

Now, a top-tier genius had finally come to him of his own accord and declared that he wanted to study Soul Tools. How could Jing Hongchen not be excited?

Jing Hongchen drew a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart before asking another question.

"Have you studied Soul Tools before?"

Zhi An answered casually, "A fifth-level Soul Engineer."

"What?!"

Jing Hongchen and Lin Jiayi cried out at the same time. Their voices overlapped in the office, making even the windows hum.

Zhi An repeated himself, as calmly as though he were commenting on the pleasant weather.

"I can already independently produce fifth-level Soul Tools, with a success rate above eighty percent. By your standards, I should indeed be a fifth-level Soul Engineer."

Sweat had begun to form on Jing Hongchen's forehead. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped it away, while a storm raged within his heart.

What did this mean?

It meant that the family behind him was no less advanced than the Sun Moon Empire in its research into Soul Tools!

A family that had hidden itself away for tens of thousands of years actually possessed such profound expertise in the field of Soul Tools. It was simply inconceivable!

Jing Hongchen fell silent for a moment before asking his final question.

"Since your family already teaches Soul Tools, why did you still come out into the world?"

Zhi An smiled, and there was something meaningful in that smile.

"You are researching tenth-level Soul Tools. Naturally, my family is researching them as well. But a family and an empire are fundamentally different."

Jing Hongchen understood.

The old monsters in that family had all gone into seclusion in search of breakthroughs, leaving them with no energy to manage their juniors. That was why they had allowed the younger generation to go out into the world.

Put plainly, it was a group of wealthy young heirs coming out to see the world.

A brilliant smile spread across Jing Hongchen's face. He stood, walked over to Zhi An, and extended his plump hand.

"Welcome to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Guidance Academy, Student Zhi An. I believe you will certainly gain much here."

Zhi An rose and shook his hand, smiling faintly. "Then thank you, Headmaster."

Their hands clasped together, symbolizing the beginning of a new partnership.