Choosing Four out of Nine at the Start: Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus

Douluo Continent.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Education Committee building.

Whoosh!

Two figures were locked in a tussle—though calling it a tussle was something of an exaggeration.

It would have been more accurate to call it "an old man toying with a mischievous child."

One of them wore black ecclesiastical robes. Refined in bearing and composed in expression, he was Zhi Lin, one of the Three Education Committee Members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Opposite Zhi Lin stood a boy of about ten, slender in build but with determination written all over his face.

His name was Ye Han.

He was a transmigrator who had been reborn on Douluo Continent ten years ago.

At three years old, Ye Han had awakened the memories of his previous life.

At the same time, he had activated a "choose four out of nine" system.

1. Tang Sect Hidden Weapons (includes knowledge of all Tang Sect Hidden Weapons)

2. Heavenly Flames gift pack (contains the twenty-three heavenly flames of the Dou Qi Continent; advancing one rank unlocks one heavenly flame)

3. Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record (the sect-defining secret manual of the Bashu Tang Sect's inner sect)

4. Qilin Martial Soul (external martial soul, fire attribute)

5. Muscle-Tendon Transformation Scripture (one of Shaolin's three great secret manuals)

6. Youth-Preserving Pill (grants eternal youth and an ageless appearance upon consumption)

7. Body Martial Soul (qilin bloodline flows within the body)

8. Favor of a random person on Douluo Continent (randomly gain the favor of someone ranging from a God King to a roadside beggar)

9. Innate full soul power...

Without hesitation, Ye Han had chosen options 2, 4, 7, and 9.

With these rewards, Ye Han had made his way here from Nuoding City, step by step. Every step had been difficult.

But his gains had been considerable, too.

At just ten years old, he was already a rank twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster.

His enrollment at Heaven Dou Royal Academy had thoroughly shocked the Three Education Committee Members. In the end, Zhi Lin had used the entrance assessment as a pretext to test Ye Han's actual combat ability.

If I want to be treated like a genius, I have to show what a genius can do!

I'm an orphan, with no family to lift me up and no master to back me. I can only fight for the academy's resources. This isn't the time to hide my abilities!

A calculating gleam flashed in Ye Han's eyes.

"Fire Qilin! Come out!"

Ye Han issued the command directly.

Boom!

The next instant, a phantom radiating scorching heat slowly materialized.

It was a ferocious beast with a dragon's head, a deer's antlers, a tiger's back, and an elk's body, exuding a savage, murderous aura.

"Come on! Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus!"

Ye Han shouted inwardly.

"Roar!"

The Fire Qilin let out a long roar. Two soul rings lit up around it, each wreathed in a flame—one green, the other red.

They were none other than green lotus core flame and fallen heart flame.

As though sensing a summons, the two masses of heavenly flame trembled slightly, then slowly fused together.

Hum!

In an instant, a destructive force flickered into being.

"What terrifying power. This little fellow..."

"Stop him, quickly!"

Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin, the Three Education Committee Members, sensed that energy, and their expressions shifted slightly.

Whoosh!

Meng Shenji, the strongest of them, immediately released his martial soul, black demon. A field of spiritual power enveloped Ye Han.

Thud!

With his eyes bloodshot and seemingly lost in a frenzy, Ye Han went limp and fainted on the spot.

An unknown amount of time passed.

"Ugh..."

Ye Han slowly regained consciousness and heard several startled exclamations beside him.

"A miracle... it truly is a miracle!"

Meng Shenji gazed at Ye Han with burning enthusiasm. "A rank twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster who's only just turned ten... this child's future achievements will know no bounds!"

"Most importantly, Ye Han even created his own soul skill! That fluctuation just now made even me uneasy..."

The shock on Zhi Lin's face had yet to fade completely.

Bai Baoshan added, "He was far too reckless, though. That power was still unstable. Clearly, the boy hasn't fully mastered it yet."

The three exchanged glances and nodded in perfect understanding.

By then, Ye Han had also come fully awake.

Meng Shenji reined in his excitement and said solemnly to Ye Han:

"Ye Han, your strength and talent are both exceptional. We've decided to make an exception and admit you as a Heaven Dou Grade student. The academy will provide you with its finest resources, and you'll join the Heaven Dou Grade class under Teacher Qin Ming's instruction."

In high spirits, Meng Shenji then summoned a teacher.

His name was Qian Baichuan. Around forty, with a kindly face, he was a Heavenly Supreme Level teacher at the academy.

"Teacher Qian, this is Ye Han, our newly admitted Heaven Dou Grade student."

Pointing at Ye Han, Meng Shenji told Qian Baichuan, "Take him to register and collect his uniform, then bring him to report to Teacher Qin Ming."

"Yes, Chief."

Qian Baichuan respectfully agreed, then led Ye Han out of the Education Committee.

Once they left the Education Committee building, Qian Baichuan led the way and said to Ye Han:

"Ye Han, first come with me to the Logistics Office to collect your supplies, mainly your uniform. It's the mark of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Wearing it will make getting around Heaven Dou City much easier."

"Thank you, Teacher Qian."

Ye Han voiced his thanks.

The Logistics Office was not far away, and with Qian Baichuan guiding him, the necessary procedures were completed efficiently.

Ye Han looked down at the pale yellow uniform he had just received. The fabric felt soft and comfortable, the stitching was meticulous, and Heaven Dou Royal Academy's exclusive crest was embroidered on the upper front.

After collecting the uniform, Qian Baichuan led Ye Han toward the main campus halfway up the mountain.

As they walked, Qian Baichuan explained the academy's layout:

"Most of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's buildings are scattered among these mountains. Look over by the lake, and at those distinctly styled areas on the mountainside. They're all mimicry training grounds specially established by the academy."

"Students generally choose a mimicry area suited to their own martial soul for intensive cultivation, so the main campus is actually quite peaceful most days."

Ye Han nodded and lifted his gaze to survey the main campus before him.

The buildings here were nothing like what he had imagined.

The entire complex consisted of single-story buildings spread out in adjoining rows, enclosed by a wall five meters high. Lustrous glazed tiles covered the top of the wall.

The evening sunlight fell across the buildings, bathing the whole complex in a dazzling, sumptuous sheen. It looked more like a grand, luxurious fortress than an academy for study.

As they walked along the broad but sparsely traveled road, Qian Baichuan suddenly remembered something and spoke:

"Oh, right. Teacher Qin, whom we're about to meet, is fairly young, but his position is second only to the Three Education Committee Members. The class he leads is also the strongest Heaven Dou class in the entire academy."

He paused briefly and turned toward Ye Han, his expression growing more serious. "Although the Three Education Committee Members personally instructed me to bring you here, Teacher Qin has never liked students who squeeze into his class through connections. Whether you can stay will depend on whether you pass Teacher Qin Ming's assessment!"

"If you fail the assessment, Teacher Qin Ming won't accept you even if the Three Education Committee Members intervene personally. So make sure you're at your best when we get there."

After hearing this, Ye Han said little. He merely nodded lightly. "I understand, Teacher Qian."

Before long,

With Qian Baichuan leading the way, the two reached a spacious classroom on the main campus and saw Qin Ming guiding his students in cultivation.

Qin Ming was around thirty, with an upright figure. His looks were unremarkable, but a crisp, sharp presence showed in his features.

When he saw Qian Baichuan bringing an unfamiliar boy through the door, he instinctively frowned.

A trace of displeasure crossed his face.

Clearly, he had instinctively taken Ye Han for a "bad" student admitted through connections.