Spirit Hall Academy!

About five minutes later, the warm current faded, and Su Yu hurried over to sit in front of the mirror.

Looking at himself in the mirror-ah, he had grown quite a bit more handsome again!

But that was not the point. The point was that a pair of One-Tomoe Sharingan now stood out clearly in his eyes.

"Not bad at all, One-Tomoe Sharingan!"

After admiring his eyes in the mirror a little longer, Su Yu finally went back to bed!

The next morning-

Hu Liena's voice came through the door like the clear chirping of a little bird, carrying a hint of urgency:

"Brother Su Yu! You're sleeping in again! Teacher said we had to go see her today!"

"If you don't get up, we'll be late! Get up! Get up!"

A rustling came from inside, followed by Su Yu's sleepy mumble:

"I know, I know... it's only just gotten light..."

A moment later, the door opened, and Su Yu stood in the doorway, rubbing his bleary eyes.

His hair was still a little messy, and his robes were not fully straightened, giving him the languid air of someone who had just woken up.

"What's the rush?" He yawned. "Teacher's so busy, she might still be dealing with work."

"That doesn't mean we can be late!" Hu Liena wrinkled her little nose and reached out to straighten his crooked collar.

"Teacher is the Pope. How bad would it look if we were late on our first day as her disciples?"

"Hurry back in and wash up. I'll wait outside. Just a quarter of an hour!"

As she spoke, she held up one finger, her big eyes round and wide with a seriousness that brooked no argument.

Seeing her act like a little grown-up, Su Yu could not help laughing:

"All right, my little housekeeper. I'll be right there."

He turned and went back into his room, and soon the sound of splashing water came from inside.

Hu Liena stood outside the door with her hands behind her back, tapping her toes lightly against the ground, her eyes full of anticipation.

We can finally start learning from Teacher today. I wonder what we'll learn?

Before long, Su Yu finished washing up and came out, his robes properly arranged and looking much more refreshed.

"Let's go." He tipped his chin toward Hu Liena. "Let's go see Teacher."

Inside Pope Hall-

Bibi Dong sat at her desk, thick files piled high on the red sandalwood surface before her.

She raised a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, a barely perceptible trace of weariness lingering between her brows.

Every day when she got up, she was greeted by this deskful of files. These people had so many things to report to her!

Before Bibi Dong could even touch her pen, a clear, childish voice came from outside the hall:

"Teacher! We're here!"

Bibi Dong lowered her hand, her voice softening a little. "It's you, Nana. The door isn't closed. Come in."

The hall doors were gently pushed open, and two small figures walked in side by side.

Hu Liena wore a pale pink training outfit, her hair arranged in two neat buns, looking lively and spirited;

Su Yu stood beside her in a short blue-green outfit, his gaze clear and bright.

The two bowed in unison:

"Teacher!"

Bibi Dong nodded, sweeping her gaze over them:

"Starting today, you will go to Spirit Hall Academy every morning to study theory, then return to Pope Hall in the afternoon."

"I will assign someone to guide your cultivation, and every month, I will make time to assess your progress personally."

She paused, then added, "If you have questions, you may consult the texts in the library hall, or come ask me at any time."

"Yes, thank you, Teacher!"

The two little ones answered in unison.

Bibi Dong's gaze settled on Hu Liena first, and she called:

"Nana."

"Here, Teacher!" Hu Liena immediately stepped forward, her back perfectly straight.

"Your innate soul power has already reached level nine. You are only one step away from absorbing your first soul ring," Bibi Dong said slowly.

"For this month, focus on stabilizing your soul power and tempering your physique. Do not rush for quick results."

"I'll remember that!"

Then she turned to Su Yu:

"Su Yu."

"Here, Teacher!"

"You have innate full soul power and could absorb your first soul ring immediately."

"But with your current physical condition, you cannot possibly bear a soul ring at the maximum age limit."

"This month, you must work hard to temper your body and strive to have your first soul ring reach the maximum age limit."

She turned back to Hu Liena. "The same goes for you, Nana. Once you break through to level ten, I will personally take you both to hunt for soul rings."

Hu Liena's eyes lit up, and she nodded firmly. "Thank you, Teacher!"

Su Yu also bowed and answered, "I will not disappoint you, Teacher."

Seeing the drive shining in their eyes, Bibi Dong's lips curved almost imperceptibly, and she picked up her pen again:

"Go on. Chrysanthemum Douluo is waiting outside. Go familiarize yourselves with the academy first."

"Yes! Goodbye, Teacher!"

"Mm!"

Their footsteps faded outside the hall, and Bibi Dong returned her gaze to the files on her desk.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch the top file, her brows knitted tightly again.

She raised a hand to press her swollen, aching temple, the skin beneath her fingertips twitching faintly.

On the topmost letter, sealed with wax, the words "Dragon Martial City" were prominently printed at the top.

That old man again.

Bibi Dong gave a helpless little click of her tongue, picked up the letter, and opened it.

She hardly needed to read it to guess that most of its contents would be trivial rambling:

Today, a paving stone at the city gate had cracked; yesterday, some family's child had stolen fruit from the city lord's residence!

The old man always tucked important matters in among all this useless stuff, too!

What gave her an even worse headache was that the old man seemed to have made a habit of sending a letter every single day.

It always began with the same perfectly proper yet utterly meaningless greeting: "Good day, Your Holiness."

"What's so good about it?"

Muttering under her breath, Bibi Dong crumpled the letter into a ball and tossed it away.

Looking at the deskful of files laced with nonsense, Bibi Dong felt her temples throb.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to pick up the next file.

But as her gaze passed over the densely packed writing, her eyelids only grew heavy.

"Ah!"

Meanwhile, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan led Su Yu and Hu Liena toward Spirit Hall Academy.

Spirit Hall Academy stood in the central district of Martial Soul Holy City, and along the way, they saw quite a few boys and girls wearing matching school uniforms.

They all greeted Yue Guan respectfully when they saw him, their gazes carrying a hint of curiosity as they fell on Su Yu and Hu Liena.

"Spirit Hall Academy is divided into an outer and an inner academy. The outer academy accepts ordinary soul masters of the appropriate age, while the inner academy only accepts exceptionally talented disciples."

"Both of you possess outstanding talent and are personal disciples of Her Holiness the Pope, so you may enter the inner academy directly."

As he spoke, they arrived at the academy entrance. Its main gate was an archway, with the words "Spirit Hall Academy" carved across the lintel in bold, forceful strokes.

Entering the academy, they found leafy trees casting shade over the grounds and a bluestone path winding ahead.

On a nearby training ground, quite a few children were practicing the use of soul power under their teachers' guidance.

Yue Guan did not linger, taking the two straight to the office of Spirit Hall Academy's headmaster.