The Older, the Bolder

Ye Xunhuan reached out and caught the sheet of paper drifting down, then lowered his head and gave it a glance.

It was a standard Spirit Hall enrollment certificate, stamped with the bright red seal of the Pope's Palace. The basic information had been filled in with Soul Power ink in neat handwriting, and Gui Mei's signature sat at the bottom.

He folded the certificate and tucked it into his clothes. Looking up in the direction Gui Mei had vanished, he let out a quiet sigh.

Sure enough, the old guard still had style.

When he became a Titled Douluo someday, he would have to put on a show like that too.

But on second thought, Ye Xunhuan wilted again.

Gui Mei's Teleportation was an innate trait of his Martial Soul. He came and went without a trace, looking effortlessly cool.

But how was his Behemoth supposed to show off?

He could not exactly activate his Martial Soul Avatar, turn into a giant bear three to five meters tall, and then sprint away on all fours, could he?

Don't make Brother Huan laugh. He did not even dare imagine that scene.

For a moment, he felt a little depressed.

They were both Martial Souls, so why was everyone else's so much cooler?

Ignoring the Behemoth's protests in his sea of consciousness, Ye Xunhuan collected himself and stepped through the arched gate.

The academy's layout was more or less what he had expected.

The main road was paved with bluestone slabs, with neatly trimmed low shrubs on both sides. Wooden signboards stood at intervals, engraved with directions and area names.

Following the signs deeper inside, Ye Xunhuan passed the plaza and the training grounds before stopping outside a low building with a wooden plaque reading "Academic Affairs Office."

After straightening his collar, Ye Xunhuan raised a hand and lightly knocked on the door three times.

"Come in!" A vigorous voice sounded from within.

Ye Xunhuan pushed the door open and walked inside.

The Academic Affairs Office was not large and was furnished simply. A broad desk stood in the middle, piled with stacks of files and booklets nearly a foot high.

A middle-aged man was bent over the desk, writing something. The joints of the hand holding the pen were thick, and his fingertips were covered in calluses. At a glance, he clearly did not look like a proper civil official.

Ye Xunhuan came to a stop and spoke respectfully. "Hello, Teacher. Ghost Douluo sent me here to enroll."

The moment the words "Ghost Douluo" left his mouth, the effect was immediate.

The middle-aged man's pen paused over the file he was reviewing.

He raised his head and swept his gaze over Ye Xunhuan, examining him from head to toe. Then he set down his pen and accepted the enrollment certificate Ye Xunhuan handed over with both hands.

After glancing down at it, he began reading its contents aloud.

"Ye Xunhuan, from Golden Bear Village, Sky Star City, Heaven Dou Empire. Six years old. Innate Full Soul Power. Level thirteen assault-type Battle Soul Master."

His tone remained calm at this point. It was standard enrollment information. Although Innate Full Soul Power was notable, it was nothing unusual compared to the new student files he handled every day.

"Martial Soul: Behemoth."

His voice paused.

He had never heard of a Behemoth Martial Soul, but that was not important. Martial Souls came in countless varieties, and an unfamiliar Martial Soul did not necessarily mean it was powerful.

"First Spirit Ring, eight hundred years?! Bloodcrazed War Bear!"

His voice abruptly cut off. He brought the enrollment certificate closer and read it over again carefully.

That was right. The first Spirit Ring was eight hundred years old.

A six-year-old child with an eight-hundred-year first Spirit Ring.

When he looked up again, the way he regarded Ye Xunhuan had completely changed.

He muttered, "Elder Ghost has sent me a monster."

The theoretical limit for a normal person's first Spirit Ring was four hundred and twenty-three years.

Anyone who exceeded that limit was already considered a genius among geniuses.

Eight hundred years? What kind of concept was that? Nearly twice the Spirit Ring age limit.

How had this child's body endured it?

He coughed twice, placed the enrollment certificate back on the desk, and looked at Ye Xunhuan with a much gentler tone. "Ye Xunhuan, right? I understand your basic situation now. My name is Cao Feng, a level sixty-five Battle Soul Emperor. You can call me Teacher Cao."

"Okay, Teacher Cao." Ye Xunhuan answered obediently.

Cao Feng stood up, and his chair scraped across the floor.

After adjusting his clothes, his voice turned firm and forceful as he switched into official business mode.

"Although Elder Ghost brought you here, once you enter the academy, you follow the academy's rules. The academy will not grant you special privileges just because Elder Ghost is backing you. You cannot miss a single required class, and you cannot skip any required training. Do you understand? I will show you around the academy and take you to your dormitory now. Classes officially begin tomorrow."

Ye Xunhuan straightened up and answered solemnly, "Understood!"

Cao Feng nodded, satisfied with Ye Xunhuan's attitude.

He pushed open the door and walked ahead, with Ye Xunhuan following behind. The two left the Academic Affairs Office one after the other.

The afternoon sun was no longer so scorching. It shone slantwise across the academy's stone paths, stretching the shadows of the low shrubs on both sides into long strips.

Cao Feng walked ahead at an unhurried pace as he explained, "That is the teaching building. All theory classes are held there. Beyond it are the training grounds, divided into indoor and outdoor sections. The indoor grounds have protective formations and are used for practical combat classes. The walled area to the east houses some soul beasts. It is not normally open, but the soul beast combat event of the Champion Selection is held there."

Ye Xunhuan listened and memorized everything, while his eyes remained busy as well.

Along the way, the two inevitably encountered some older students.

Some walked alone, while others moved in groups of two or three. They wore uniform academy attire, with gray, blue, and gold badges pinned to their chests.

A few girls even frivolously whistled at Ye Xunhuan, making him break out in a cold sweat. Spirit Hall students really were open-minded.

As they passed by, Ye Xunhuan instinctively sensed the fluctuations of their Soul Power.

Then he had a clear idea of their strength.

Several youths who looked only a little over ten had steady, powerful Soul Power fluctuations. They had clearly already entered the realm of two-ringed Soul Grandmasters.

The students taught by Spirit Hall were no joke.

Their talent was no less impressive than Shrek's monsters before they consumed immortal herbs.

Ye Xunhuan quietly calculated that, as a level thirteen one-ring Soul Master, he would probably be at the bottom of the Genius Class.

Although his attack and defense were comparable to those of a Soul Elder, his insufficient Soul Power was ultimately a major problem.

In individual battles, he might be able to defeat a few students foolish enough to confront him head-on, but in later rounds, they would probably just kite him around.

The Champion Selection three months from now would not be an easy road!

Five minutes later, the two stopped in front of a dormitory building.

Cao Feng took out a key from the Soul Tool at his waist and handed it to Ye Xunhuan. "You have Innate Full Soul Power, so you will automatically join the Genius Class midway through the term. The dormitory is shared by two people and has better conditions than the Ordinary Class and Elite Class. Each person gets a bed and a cabinet. The academy provides bedding, and it should be delivered shortly. Go in yourself. I still have official duties to handle."

Ye Xunhuan accepted the key and bowed respectfully. "Take care, Teacher Cao."

Cao Feng waved a hand and left with crisp, decisive steps.

Ye Xunhuan stood before the dormitory building, pinching the key between his fingers as he looked the building over.

It was a three-story brick-and-stone structure, with gray walls covered in vines. The entrance to the corridor stood open, and lively voices occasionally drifted out.

Ye Xunhuan withdrew his gaze and weighed the key in his hand.

Genius Class, double dormitory.

He had a roommate, but thankfully only one.

Having spent four years in an eight-person university dormitory in his previous life, he was instinctively wary of the word "roommate."

If you met someone compatible, you could become brothers close enough to share a pair of pants.

If you met the wrong one, you would rehearse the entire process of murder and disposing of the body in your head every night before bed.

He smacked his lips.

This time there were only two people. No matter what, it had to be better than an eight-person dorm.

Ye Xunhuan stepped into the corridor.