Entering the dormitory building

The dormitory building.

Zhang Lan followed the path through the dormitory grounds and arrived before a grayish-white building.

There was nothing particularly distinctive about its design. It was plain and square.

It had six floors in all and looked as though it could house every student.

A battered recliner stood in the open space beside the entrance.

An elderly man lay in the chair, watching the new students passing around him.

The afternoon sunlight fell directly over him, and he looked perfectly comfortable.

Zhang Lan's steps faltered slightly, his gaze lingering on the man.

The Dragon God Douluo, Mu En.

The towering pillar that held up Shrek Academy.

Unfortunately, Shrek Academy had now reached a point where the old guard was fading and the new generation had yet to rise.

He had little time left to live, and most of the current Sea God Pavilion members were hardly dependable.

Especially Xuan Zi.

And Zhang Lexuan, the only relatively reliable one, had yet to come into her own.

There was no need to go into the rest.

Shrek now resembled a house on the verge of falling apart.

One light kick would bring it crashing down.

With those thoughts in mind, Zhang Lan withdrew his gaze.

He smiled and nodded to Mu En in greeting.

Then he entered the dormitory building.

The instant Zhang Lan stepped inside, Mu En's languid expression vanished.

That boy... actually had the aura of a soul core!

A faint attractive force also surrounded him, drawing in the free-floating soul power nearby.

Since Zhang Lan had not deliberately suppressed his cultivation, Mu En could discern his level at a glance.

He had condensed a soul core as a Soul King...

Just how vast were the reserves of soul power in his dantian for him to condense a soul core at the Soul King stage?

He was certain that once the boy first became a Titled Douluo,

and successfully condensed a second soul core,

he could take on every other member of the Sea God Pavilion at the academy, apart from Mu En and Xuan Zi.

Shrek Academy had welcomed a truly monstrous genius.

Mu En closed his eyes to rest, turning things over in his mind.

His position... finally had a successor.

He arrived at his dorm room.

The instant Zhang Lan opened the door, a strong musty odor hit him in the face, almost making him sneeze.

"At least the beds aren't iron slabs."

That was Zhang Lan's verdict.

After all, during his school days in his previous life, even the least crowded dorm he had stayed in housed six people.

They had not even had loft beds with desks underneath.

"The surroundings could be better, though."

The room was small, barely over ten square meters.

Two single beds took up a good portion of the space.

Their bare bed boards were covered in dust.

Apart from those, there was only a desk and two sheet-metal wardrobes.

"These wardrobes remind me of my high school dorm."

Zhang Lan opened the window, letting fresh air sweep out the stale air inside.

Once the smell had mostly dispersed, Zhang Lan summoned the Star of Eden.

With a light tap of its tip, the dust in the room began gathering at the spot Zhang Lan had selected.

Before long, all the dust in the room had condensed into a ball half the size of a fist.

"Now that looks a little more comfortable."

Zhang Lan chose a bed, set a mattress on it, and laid out his bedding.

Soon, he had his bed neatly made.

"I wonder who my roommate is."

Meanwhile.

In the inner court, in the dean's office.

"Come in."

Du Weilun knocked, only pushing the door open after hearing the reply.

The office was simply furnished, with a broad desk, a few chairs, and several paintings and pieces of calligraphy hanging on the walls.

Behind the desk sat a man dressed in white, with a refined bearing and a lean face.

He was Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the inner court.

"Dean, I have good news!"

"Two extraordinary geniuses have joined our academy this year."

Yan Shaozhe set down the documents in his hands, looked up at Du Weilun, and said with a smile:

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Du Weilun approached and placed two sets of records on the desk:

"Among the new students who registered today, one is Level 43, and the other is Level 50."

"?"

Yan Shaozhe's smile disappeared. His expression turned serious as he leafed through the records.

"Are you certain their ages are correct?"

"Absolutely!"

"They're definitely twelve. I swear it on my martial soul."

Yan Shaozhe leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of wonder:

"Geniuses. Absolute geniuses!"

"And two of them at once."

After a pause, Yan Shaozhe continued:

"What are their names? What are their martial souls? Where are they from?"

Du Weilun answered each question:

"Nan Qiuqiu, Level 43 soul power. Her martial soul is the rouge dragon. She's from Dragon City in the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Zhang Lan, Level 50 soul power. His martial soul is the Star of Eden. He's from Shrek City."

"Oh? He's even from Shrek City?"

Yan Shaozhe exclaimed in surprise.

"I know the rouge dragon. That's the Earth Dragon Sect's martial soul."

"But what sort of martial soul is the Star of Eden?"

Du Weilun shook his head:

"I'm not sure either."

"According to the registration teacher's description, the Star of Eden takes the form of a cane."

"When he released his martial soul, the teacher conducting the test felt a powerful force pulling at him."

"It should be an extremely powerful tool martial soul with an attractive force."

A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor and Soul King?

It seems heaven favors me.

It sent me two peerless geniuses to take as disciples, all at once?

Hehehe...

Just then, Du Weilun interrupted Yan Shaozhe's thoughts:

"Dean Yan, Nan Qiuqiu and Zhang Lan's cultivation has already reached the level of the upper-year students."

"Zhang Lan could even enter the inner court directly."

"Should we make appropriate adjustments based on their cultivation?"

He paused, then continued:

"They've been assigned to Class One, Zhou Yi's class."

At this news, Yan Shaozhe's smile froze.

His brows immediately knitted together.

A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor and a twelve-year-old Soul King.

With such extraordinary talent, some pride was inevitable.

If they were a little more wild and unyielding, once they fell into Zhou Yi's hands...

If a conflict really did break out, with Zhou Yi's temper,

she genuinely could anger those two prodigies enough to drive them away.

The more Yan Shaozhe thought about it, the more uneasy he became.

No...

Yan Shaozhe shook his head.

We still know very little about Nan Qiuqiu and Zhang Lan. We haven't properly investigated their temperaments yet.

We can't jump to conclusions.

"Where are they now?"

Yan Shaozhe asked.

"They should be in their dorms."

Du Weilun said,

"Shall I have them brought here?"

Yan Shaozhe considered for a moment, then said:

"No."

"Observe them discreetly for a few days first. There's no need to disturb them."

Better to observe them for a few days and get a clear sense of their temperaments first.

Only then can I prescribe the right medicine for the ailment.

If I could take them both under my wing,

I'd even be willing to become a Level 99 Limit Douluo.

Yan Shaozhe tapped his fingers against the desk, already making plans.

"All right."

Du Weilun nodded in acknowledgment, then turned and left the office.

Two days passed.

At dusk.

Zhang Lan sat cross-legged at the head of his bed, meditating with his eyes closed.

His soul power swirled like a vortex, ravenously drawing in the free-floating soul power nearby.

The attractive force was so powerful that even the clouds in the sky were affected.

"What a powerful martial soul."

Even Mu En, lying in his chair outside, could not help remarking on it.