Heartstrings Stirred, the Empire's Rewards

"Tang Shan, I'm a little sleepy, can I lean against you for a bit?"

Gu Yue yawned, said something to Tang Shan, then tilted her head to the side, and under Dugu Yan's wide-eyed gaze, leaned her head against Tang Shan's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Judging from the other person's even breathing, they are most likely asleep.

How can a person be so shameless?

Dugu Yan gritted her teeth again. She had an urge to refuse Qin Ming's invitation to participate in the competition again. With his feigned innocence, who knew how far Gu Yue would progress during the competition? He was truly her greatest enemy, even more detestable than that Crown Prince who often prevented her from meeting Tang Shan.

That Crown Prince, too, is a man. Why does he keep interfering with my meetings with Tang Shan? Wouldn't it be more advantageous for you if I became one of Tang Shan's men?

At the Crown Prince's Residence, Xue Qinghe suddenly felt a tickle in her nose, but fortunately she managed to suppress the urge to sneeze.

She rubbed her nose in confusion, wondering who was talking about her.

Xue Qinghe's first thought was not of his grandfather, nor of the aloof and arrogant figure sitting on the Pope throne, but of his right-hand man Tang Shan, who should be at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy at this moment.

Thinking of this, Xue Qinghe smiled slightly, and her brows softened a little.

Under the banyan tree, Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head helplessly: Xiao Xue has really fallen for him this time, but Tang Shan and Xiao Xue are quite a good match.

If Golden Crocodile Douluo had any complaints, it would be that he felt Xue Qinghe was too stubborn. If he had been more proactive, he would have already won over Tang Shan completely.

As for the issue of their identities being exposed, it was actually the old guys from the Worship Hall who accompanied Xiao Xue in carrying out the plan; the Papal Hall at most played a supporting role.

Even if we fail, there's nothing to regret. Besides, how much manpower and resources can we lose if the plan fails? Discovering Tang Shan, this genius, and perhaps even the Grandmaster who follow, is an extremely huge gain.

Ask Ning Fengzhi if he would trade 1% of the resources of their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for a genius like Tang Shan. See what that old fox will choose.

Glancing at Xue Qinghe, who was somewhat lost in thought, Golden Crocodile Douluo smacked his lips. "Xiao Xue, your grandfathers don't object, but don't dawdle too much and get yourself into trouble. If that little girl Dugu Yan beats you to it, you'll have nowhere to cry."

"Have all the qualified Heaven Dou students arrived?"

Seeing that many students had already arrived on the sixth floor, the Education Committee office floor, Qin Ming's Soul Power surged, and his voice echoed throughout the entire floor.

The bright voice, carrying the Soul Power fluctuations of a top-tier Soul King, suppressed the whispering students.

Several Heaven Micro Grade instructors dressed in white stepped forward and reported, "Except for a few Heaven Dou students who asked for leave to go home, all the students who met the requirements are here."

"Good!"

Qin Ming nodded. Just then, the door opened again, and the three education committee members Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin, dressed in noble black robes, walked in from outside. Their faces were serious, and they exuded an imposing aura.

They walked up to the group of trainees, their gaze lingering briefly on Tang Shan and his group, especially on Gu Yue, who was still breathing evenly. They then decisively chose to ignore them.

Putting aside the Titled Douluo behind Gu Yue, her exceptional talent alone is enough to make them disregard the fact that Gu Yue is still sleeping.

It can only be said that, compared to the previous world of Douluo, Tang Shan's previous life, although they seem quite different, there are still some similarities.

If a talented Soul Master falls asleep in class, it means they must have been training diligently the night before.

If Soul Master with poor talent is sleeping in class, they must have been up to no good last night.

As for the claim that meditation can replace sleep, and that a talented Soul Master diligently cultivates at night shouldn't feel sleepy during the day, don't worry about that. In any case, a Soul Master genius must have their own reasons.

Feeling the three education committee members' gazes lingering on him and Gu Yue the longest, Tang Shan's expression became somewhat strange. He glanced at Gu Yue, who remained motionless, but Tang Shan had no choice but to let it be. After all, she was the Silver Dragon King, and for the safety of the academy and its students, it was best not to disturb her.

In the end, I chose to bear it all alone. I'm so great!

"Students, the new All-Continent Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies is about to begin. Our Heaven Dou Royal Academy certainly cannot miss such a grand event. We have summoned you here today to select participating students and choose the most outstanding team to represent our school and the Empire in the fight for the highest honor."

Chief Education Officer Meng Shenji spoke first, cutting straight to the point and stating the purpose of summoning them.

Even though the trainees already had a general idea in mind, they still couldn't help but make a commotion again.

The Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies is more than just a competition; it's a stage to showcase one's abilities. The vast majority of them haven't even graduated yet, all for this tournament. Otherwise, with their Soul Elder strength already achieved, why would they continue to stay at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?

It's important to know that the graduation requirement for the Heaven Dou Royal Academy is to achieve the Soul Elder before the age of thirty.

However, everyone quickly regained their composure. It wasn't because the three education committee members had done anything, but because everyone had noticed the few prodigies in the first row. If they wanted to participate, they could basically skip the selection process. After all, with their abilities, especially Tang Shan and Gu Yue, the others would have no chance.

When Tang Shan saw the three education commissioners turn their attention back to him, he shook his head gently without hesitation.

The three education commissioners communicated with Qin Ming telepathically for a moment, then their gazes swept over the students below the stage. Their aged yet clear voices reached everyone present. "Tang Shan and Gu Yue will not participate in this competition. Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling will be substitutes. In addition, we will recruit four more substitute students, who must be able to participate in the next competition. The remaining seven official team members will be selected through a selection process. Any objections?"

Xie Fei: What about me?

No objections!

No objections!

The voices of the trainees present rose and fell, but they all spoke in unison, and none of them had any objections.

What a joke! The three education committee members have already gone to great lengths. Putting everything else aside, from the perspective of strength and influence alone, no one would object if Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan occupied a formal spot, let alone the fact that Meng Shenji put them in the reserve team. How could these Heaven Dou students, who are about to graduate after the competition, possibly have any complaints?

Ignoring the noise in the room, Tang Shan was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the three education commissioners to say directly that neither he nor Gu Yue would participate, even though he had just stated that he wouldn't participate.

Thinking of this, he looked at Gu Yue on his shoulder, but he didn't know when she had woken up. She was raising her hand to rub her sleepy eyes, letting out a soft little yawn, and her nose wrinkled slightly.

Seemingly sensing the gaze beside her, Ping slowly turned her head to look at Tang Shan, still sleepy, her dark eyes veiled.

A light mist hung in the air, her eyes were hazy, and she seemed still groggy from just waking up.

"What's wrong?"

The voice was clear and gentle, with a hint of languor from just waking up, like a clear, sweet spring flowing through the heart, quietly nourishing it.

A moment of distraction flashed in Tang Shan's eyes, and his heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something soft.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at the three education committee members in front of him, but his voice reached Gu Yue's ears. "The three education committee members said that neither you nor I will participate in this competition for the time being."

Gu Yue blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering as she shook off some of her languor, barely managing to shake off the drowsiness of her afternoon nap. She casually replied, "I know that. When I registered, I told the three education committee members that I would participate in whichever year you were participating in."

Tang Shan was already quite amazed by the way the other person looked when she woke up, and this casual remark only stirred up ripples in his heart: She's so good at this!

Tang Shan took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and forced himself to calm his turbulent thoughts, repeatedly chanting in his mind, "She is the Silver Dragon King, she is the Silver Dragon King, she is the Silver Dragon King-- "

Only after repeatedly reminding myself could I barely suppress the uncontrollable distracting thoughts in my mind.

Why did you choose to be in the same cohort as me?

Tang Shan asked.

"It's nothing. I don't know anyone else. After all, you have to do something after joining the academy, but participating too many times seems like a waste of time. You were the only person I knew in the academy, so I just decided to join the same year as you."

On the stage, the three education committee members were giving a pep talk to the group of Heaven Dou students participating in the selection, and generously promising a lot of cultivation resources to ensure that the selected team members could further improve their strength during this period of time. It would be even better if they could break through to the Soul Ancestor.

Down below the stage, Tang Shan and Gu Yue communicated telepathically, chatting about random things without attracting anyone's attention.

"Now, students, please move to the playground; the selection process will begin immediately."

Meng Shenji acted swiftly and decisively. After giving the pep talk and presenting tangible benefits for the participants, he didn't delay any longer and instead called the group of trainees to the training ground for the selection process.

Dugu Yan, who had been listening attentively since the three education commissioners arrived, tugged at Tang Shan's sleeve. "Your Majesty is so generous! You have all kinds of cultivation resources, and you even said that if we can make it to the finals, there will be Soul Bone reward."

Tang Shan, having snapped out of his culinary debate with Gu Yue about which dish in the school Cafeteria was tastier and more nutritious, heard Dugu Yan's words and pursed his lips. "His Majesty didn't specify the age of the Soul Bone; it's probably only Thousand-Year Soul Bone at most."

As for Hundred-Year Soul Bone, Tang Shan estimates it might be even rarer than Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone. After all, it's equivalent to Soul Beast having a hundred years of cultivation while condensing a rudimentary Soul Core, which is extremely difficult, not to mention encountering and killing such a Soul Beast.

While Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones may be more precious in terms of rarity, the number of Hundred-Year Soul Bones is likely less than that of Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones.

As for the Ten-Year Soul Bone, to be honest, Tang Shan seriously doubted whether such a thing even had the conditions to be born. What's the difference between Ten-Year Soul Beast condensing a Soul Core prototype and an ordinary Soul Master or even Soul Scholar condensing a Soul Core prototype?