Nouding Academy

Biodata

Campus and Student Life

• Dorm Seven houses work-study students. Its residents traditionally challenge newcomers to a sparring match to determine the dormitory leader 5 6.
• Back Mountain is used for training and student confrontations. An explosion during Ling Han’s breakthrough devastates it, after which Li Shan seals off the area 10 12 21 27.
• Staff offices and residence: Ling Han receives an office beside the dean’s and a detached, multiroom residence on campus. The Snow Empress later occupies one of its empty rooms 4 20.
• Academic affairs office: Ling Han personally completes Tang San’s enrollment here. The staff recognize his authority, as Li Shan has publicly declared that his status exceeds the dean’s 5.
• Dormitory square: Tang San and Xiao Wu use the square in the dormitory area for sparring 13.
• Cafeteria: The academy has a cafeteria used by its residents, including Yu Xiaogang 11.
• School holidays: The academy closes for vacation at the end of Tang San’s first year, when Tang San and Xiao Wu leave together 15 16.
• Early graduation: Exceptional cultivation can qualify a student to graduate before the usual age. Ling Han cites Tang San’s attainment of Soul Elder at nine as grounds for his early graduation 27.

History

Ling Han comes to the academy intending to wait for Tang San’s enrollment. After demonstrating his Level 76 Soul Saint cultivation to Li Shan, he accepts the position of honored patron: the academy’s highest-status post, with generous compensation and no regular duties. In return, he promises to help if the academy faces serious trouble 3 4.

Shortly after his appointment, Ling Han clashes with Yu Xiaogang, slapping him and freezing Luo Sanpao before Li Shan intervenes. Yu Xiaogang’s poor reputation among the students makes his humiliation a source of satisfaction for many witnesses, who develop a favorable impression of Ling Han 4.

When Tang San arrives, Ling Han personally handles his enrollment as a work-study student and places him in Dorm Seven. Tang San subsequently becomes Ling Han’s disciple. Xiao Wu also enrolls at the academy, defeats Tang San in a dormitory bout, and becomes Dorm Seven’s leader; she is not Ling Han’s disciple during their time there 5 6 20 27.

A confrontation between the work-study students and upperclassmen at Back Mountain ends with Tang San defeating Xiao Chenyu, a sixth-grade student and the city lord’s son. News of the victory spreads throughout the academy, bringing Tang San admiration but also concern that Xiao Chenyu’s father will retaliate 10.

Tang San’s defeat of Xiao Chenyu brings the city lord, Xiao Gang, to confront Li Shan. Ling Han intervenes and publicly identifies Tang San as his disciple. He overwhelms Xiao Gang with his Soul Saint pressure and requires him to bring Xiao Chenyu to apologize and discipline him in front of Tang San. Over Ling Han’s three years at the academy, word of its Soul Saint patron attracts new students 10 11 27.

While based at the academy, Ling Han gives Tang San individual instruction in developing Blue Silver Enhancement beyond simple reinforcement. Their Back Mountain training leads Tang San to shape Blue Silver Grass into a spear and work toward forming a dragon. By the end of his first year, Tang San has reached the peak of rank fifteen and gained considerable control over his First Soul Skill 12 14 15.

After a journey to the Far North, Ling Han returns with the Snow Empress, who stays in his campus residence. Tang San and Xiao Wu visit them there, and Tang San demonstrates a Blue Silver Dragon powerful enough to shatter a testing post. During Tang San’s second year, his advancement to level twenty astonishes the residents of Dorm Seven; Ling Han and the Snow Empress then accompany him to obtain his Second Soul Ring 19 20 22 23.

Ling Han spends nearly two years in seclusion researching Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores, mastering their formation during the holiday before Tang San’s fourth year. His subsequent breakthrough to Titled Douluo produces an explosion at Back Mountain that wakes the academy in the middle of the night. Li Shan witnesses his nine Soul Rings and congratulates him 26 27.

After reaching Titled Douluo, Ling Han leaves with Tang San, who qualifies for early graduation as a nine-year-old Soul Elder. Xiao Wu chooses to go with them. The three travel to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, where Ling Han applies to teach and arranges for the children to enroll 27 28.

Yu Xiaogang leaves after their departure. Believing that he is unlikely to find another prospective disciple as promising as Tang San at Nouding Academy, he heads to Shrek Academy to seek students through his old friend 29.

Associated People

• Li Shan — dean; appoints Ling Han honored patron and credits his presence with benefiting the academy. He is a Soul Ancestor 3 4 11 27.
• Ling Han — honored patron, also addressed as “Consecrated Ling”; mentors Tang San while based at the academy 4 5 6.
• Tang San — work-study student in Dorm Seven and Ling Han’s disciple; later graduates early at age nine with Level 34 cultivation 5 6 27.
• Xiao Wu — Dorm Seven student who succeeds Tang San as its leader; leaves the academy with him. She chooses the relatively remote Nuoding City because powerful Soul Masters rarely appear there, reducing the risk of her Soul Beast identity being exposed 6 27.
• Yu Xiaogang — academy resident who repeatedly clashes with Ling Han and tries to recruit Tang San; leaves for Shrek Academy after Ling Han and Tang San depart 4 22 29.
• Snow Empress — stays in Ling Han’s campus residence after accompanying him from the Far North; helps guide his research into Dual Soul Cores 19 20 26.
• Wang Sheng — work-study student in Dorm Seven who challenges Tang San upon his arrival; later helps spread news of Tang San’s victory over Xiao Chenyu 5 6 10.
• Xiao Chenyu — sixth-grade student and son of Nuoding City’s lord; his mistreatment of the work-study students leads to his defeat by Tang San and his father’s confrontation with the academy 10 11.
• Liu Long — one of Xiao Chenyu’s followers; defeats Wang Sheng during the confrontation at Back Mountain before Tang San challenges Xiao Chenyu 10.