Entering Heaven Dou Royal Academy

"My young friend, is everything you said true?"

Bai Baoshan still found it hard to believe and could not help asking Huo Linfei.

"Yes."

Huo Linfei nodded without hesitation.

Then he circulated his Soul Power. Two purple rings slowly rose from beneath his feet, dazzling even in the spacious room.

The moment the two purple Soul Rings lit up, the air seemed to freeze for an instant.

The three committee members nearly sprang from their seats. Their eyes locked on the purple Soul Rings beneath Huo Linfei's feet, and for a moment, they forgot to breathe.

"Heavens! Thousand... Thousand-Year Soul Rings—and... and two of them!"

"Old Bai, am I seeing this right?"

"It's real."

"How is this merely a genius? He's a monster!"

After two sharp intakes of breath, Bai Baoshan looked at Zhi Lin and nodded.

Meng Shenji said nothing, yet his silence seemed to say it all.

In just a few minutes, Huo Linfei had stunned the three of them twice.

Xue Qinghe and Suo Luo watched quietly, their expressions undisturbed.

They had seen it all before.

"Child, have a seat. With your talent, you more than meet the admission requirements. Your lack of noble status doesn't matter; the academy can make an exception for you. And as His Highness proposed, your tuition will be waived in full. The academy will also give you a monthly stipend of one hundred Gold Soul Coins."

Once the shock had passed, the three men exchanged a few quiet words. Then Meng Shenji addressed Huo Linfei.

Meng Shenji would never turn away someone with such extraordinary talent.

His talent was unprecedented. By accepting him, Heaven Dou Royal Academy would surely rise to greater heights.

"In that case, my thanks to Chief Meng and the two committee members."

Huo Linfei cupped his hands to Meng Shenji, Zhi Lin, and Bai Baoshan.

By now, Huo Linfei had figured it out. Mr. Suo Luo must have asked Xue Qinghe for help, which was why everything had gone so smoothly.

That left him feeling awkward. Just the day before, he had said there was no need to trouble Xue Qinghe. Now he had done exactly that. He might not have asked for help himself, but he was the one who owed the favor.

"There's no need for such formality. Just call me Elder Meng. You can call the other two Elder Lin and Elder Bai. While you study here, if there's anything you don't understand about cultivation, or if you run into trouble and need help, you can come to us."

Meng Shenji nodded and gave Huo Linfei a warm smile. Zhi Lin and Bai Baoshan nodded to him as well.

"Thank you in advance, esteemed elders. If the need arises, I'll be sure to seek your guidance."

Huo Linfei bowed to the three of them again.

"Linfei, don't forget about me. I may not have much to teach you about cultivation, but when it comes to other matters, I can still be of plenty of help."

Xue Qinghe stepped forward and spoke to Huo Linfei with a smile.

"Brother Xue, of course I won't forget you. I could forget anyone else, but never you."

Huo Linfei hurried to answer.

The group chatted a while longer before Xue Qinghe and Suo Luo departed, leaving Huo Linfei alone with the three committee members.

"Wait a moment. The teacher who'll be leading your class will be here soon."

"All right, Elder Meng."

As Huo Linfei spoke with Meng Shenji, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Bai Baoshan answered. The door opened, and a tall, striking man in a black robe over a white suit walked in.

As soon as he entered, he bowed to the three committee members.

"Qin Ming greets Chief Meng, Committee Member Zhi Lin, and Committee Member Bai Baoshan."

"Qin Ming, I'm placing Huo Linfei in your care for now. That is my decision, the committee's decision, and His Highness Xue Qinghe's wish as well. You must give him your full attention. I trust you already know his circumstances. Take him and get him settled."

Bai Baoshan gestured to Qin Ming as he spoke.

"Yes, Committee Member Bai Baoshan."

Qin Ming answered respectfully.

With so many important people behind this decision, he felt a mountain of pressure.

Innate Full Soul Power, a twenty-ninth-level Soul Grandmaster at nine years old, and Thousand-Year Soul Rings for both his first and second rings—even without being told, Qin Ming would have given it his all.

The chance to teach such a peerless genius was something one could only stumble upon, never seek out.

With that settled, Huo Linfei followed Qin Ming out of the office.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Qin Ming. My Martial Soul is the Blazing Fire Wolf, and I'm a level-sixty Battle Soul Emperor of the Power Attack System. I teach the Heaven Ultimate Class in the first teaching building."

"The academy divides its students among three classes: Heaven Micro, Heaven Ultimate, and Heaven Dou. The Heaven Micro Class is for students below level twenty-five. The Heaven Ultimate Class is for students from level twenty-five upward. As for the Heaven Dou Class, only Soul Elders above level thirty can enter."

"The 'Heaven Dou' in Heaven Dou Class is the same as in Heaven Dou Empire. Every student who enters that class has the makings of a future pillar of the empire."

"To reach the Heaven Dou Grade, you must become a Soul Elder before turning eighteen. And you cannot graduate without becoming a Soul Ancestor."

"Of course, none of that will trouble you. You're already level twenty-nine at just nine years old. Without exaggeration, you're the greatest genius I've ever met. I doubt there's a second person like you on the entire continent."

As they walked, Qin Ming kept talking. Before he knew it, he had told Huo Linfei quite a lot.

After listening to Qin Ming, Huo Linfei gradually gained a clearer understanding of the academy.

"Thank you for the explanation and the praise, Teacher Qin Ming."

Huo Linfei cupped his hands to Qin Ming.

"Hahaha! It's nothing. It's my job, and you've earned the praise. I expect great things from you."

Qin Ming laughed heartily and gave Huo Linfei a light pat on the shoulder.

Over the next while, Qin Ming personally showed Huo Linfei around the academy and its teaching facilities.

He clearly placed great importance on Huo Linfei. Normally, an older student would have shown a newcomer around.

Afterward, Qin Ming took Huo Linfei to collect his uniform, then brought him to the dormitory assigned to him.

"All right, this is your dormitory. Every student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy gets a room of their own. Rest up today; classes begin tomorrow."

Looking at the rather elegant building before him, Huo Linfei could not help marveling. An academy with "empire" in its name and "royal" at its heart truly spared no expense.

That reminded Huo Linfei of his school days at Noding Academy.

There was no comparison. They were as far apart as heaven and earth.

The uniforms were, too.

Then again, comparing a school out in the sticks to one in the imperial capital was hardly fair.

He came back to himself and saw Qin Ming addressing him solemnly.

"Finally, welcome to Heaven Dou Royal Academy."