The Crystal Palace beneath the lake, Skywater Academy's secret

Shui Bing'er and Qiu Wanxi introduced Xiao Yao to the dean, emphasizing her talent and that miraculous Martial Soul.

"Eight years old? A Soul Grandmaster? Two Thousand-Year Soul Rings? Fire attribute? Water control?"

Sure enough, even the widely experienced dean was stunned into a brief daze, her red lips slightly parted.

Strangely enough, Xiao Yao had seen quite a few beauties wear this expression-Xiao Wu, Qian Renxue, Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and even Gu Yihan.

But this was the first time he had felt the urge to stick something between the dean's slightly parted red lips.

He hurriedly steadied his mind and cleared away those distracting thoughts.

Fortunately, he had transformed into Yan Lingji. Otherwise, getting a reaction would have been embarrassing.

Xiao Yao nodded. Sea Heart Flame emerged, and two purple Soul Rings lit up behind him.

Although they had witnessed this extraordinary sight only a short while ago, Shui Bing'er and Qiu Wanxi still could not help falling into a daze, let alone the dean.

Yet the dean actually recovered first, not because she had greater resistance, but because of what Xiao Yao said next:

"The flame is called Sea Heart Flame. It is the spirit of the ocean and can control all water sources under heaven. But compared to controlling water or fire, I'm better at illusions."

This was not entirely a spur-of-the-moment idea. As early as when he decided to enter Skywater Academy, he had decided to make fire illusions the primary means he used under his identity as "Shui Lingji."

The purpose was to distinguish it completely from the "Flame Spirit Transformation" technique used by Xiao Yao of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Although he would spend most of his time at Skywater Academy farming Shui Bing'er's intimacy, he would still have to go back occasionally.

As for why he brought it up here himself, it was because of his experience coming here. He felt saying this might bring an unexpected pleasant surprise.

"Illusions?" Skywater Academy's dean, Shui Wuyang, narrowed her eyes slightly as an idea formed in her mind.

In fact, their Skywater Academy had always harbored a secret unknown to outsiders.

Skywater Academy's rules were that they accepted no students without the water attribute, and no girls who were not beauties.

But what respectable academy had rules like that? Either the entire academy was some pervert's harem or even a collection of cultivation furnaces, or there were unavoidable difficulties behind it.

Their Skywater Academy belonged to the latter category.

The story had to begin with the founding of Skywater Academy.

Their first dean had discovered a water-source secret realm in Heaven Dou City: the Crystal Palace where they now stood.

The first dean had been wild with joy and immediately founded Skywater Academy here. With the abundant, pure water-attribute Soul Power here, it swiftly caught up with the other four elemental academies, which had already been developing for centuries.

At the time, Skywater Academy had been like the other academies, accepting only nobles and recruiting only water-attribute students.

The first dean had also been pleasantly surprised to discover that her appearance and skin were improving more and more.

She had clearly already been an old woman in her seventies or eighties, yet she increasingly resembled a mature woman in her thirties, even more beautiful than in her prime.

There had been a problem, however: her body was becoming increasingly enticing to men. She would often see those old brothers who had faced life and death alongside her looking at her like wolves and tigers. That was lust.

This had frightened her somewhat, but fortunately, she was powerful. Those men had the lust but not the courage, daring only to steal glances at her mature, full hips and slender waist behind her back.

The trouble came after the second dean took over.

Like the first dean, the second dean grew more beautiful and more seductive.

But she lacked the first dean's strength to cow all the mighty figures into submission.

And so, tragedy struck.

She became a prisoner, humiliated and toyed with by those who had once been her elders.

Only many years later, when her strength surpassed them all, did she kill them one by one beneath her palms. Yet even that could not erase the suffering she had endured.

Later still, after devoting herself to research, the second dean discovered that Skywater Academy's problem lay within this water-source secret realm.

This secret realm contained abundant, pure water-attribute Soul Power. The old dean had built several channels to draw the Soul Power out for the students to cultivate.

However, the place with the most abundant Soul Power remained this Crystal Palace, so it had been designated as the dean's exclusive cultivation site. Only the old dean and the second dean had cultivated here.

Who could have imagined that this water-source secret realm, which represented purity and clarity, was actually suppressing a beguiling presence?

As branching channels were drawn out, the balance of the water-source secret realm was broken, and the beguiling presence gradually gained dominance.

Cultivating here rapidly increased one's cultivation, but at the same time, that beguiling presence influenced and transformed the cultivator, making her capable of enchanting all living beings.

The second dean had tried redirecting the branching channels back, only to discover that it was already beyond her power. The beguiling presence gradually flowed through those channels toward the entire academy.

When that happened, every student in the academy would suffer the same fate she once had.

She had also considered relocating Skywater Academy and sealing this water-source secret realm, but that too had failed.

After repeated attempts, she finally found a solution.

Each successive dean of Skywater Academy would guard the water-source secret realm, accepting its transformation while cultivating until she developed an innate charm physique capable of enchanting all living beings.

Then all the teachers and students in the academy would be replaced with beautiful women. The dean would occasionally appear before the teachers and students, as beautiful women were less affected.

Opening admissions to commoners was also intended to fill out the student numbers. Otherwise, the three requirements of water attribute, beauty, and noble birth would leave Skywater Academy with scarcely any students.

Finally, a later dean discovered that practicing illusions could effectively control the charm emanating from her body, reducing the possibility of accidents.

It could not last, however. Once that charm erupted, people would lose themselves and become beasts consumed by desire and instinct.

This was the secret kept by successive deans of Skywater Academy, and the reason they rarely appeared in public, usually leaving the dean of studies to handle such matters.

Originally, Skywater Academy's dean, Shui Wuyang, had selected Shui Bing'er to become the next dean. After all, she possessed a top-tier beast Martial Soul, level-nine innate Soul Power, and exceptional talent.

Perhaps she could find a better solution and lead Skywater Academy out of its current predicament.

But now, she had a better candidate.

Her Martial Soul was a miraculous flame capable of controlling the water element!

She had cultivated to the Soul Grandmaster realm at eight years old!

Both her first Soul Ring and second Soul Ring were Thousand-Year Soul Rings!

She was also skilled in illusions!

Who could possibly be more suited to inheriting her position?

Shui Wuyang made her decision on the spot. "Accept her. Of course we'll accept her."

"That newly admitted genius at Heaven Dou Royal Academy is also eight years old, and her Soul Power has already reached level twenty-five. She's known as the 'Heaven Dou Goddess.'"

"If we don't have a genius of the same caliber, wouldn't that mean we're a cut below them?"

"I cannot accept being trampled underfoot by an academy that's gold and jade on the outside, but rotten stuffing within. Ask Li Qiuyun and the others whether they can accept it."

Qiu Wanxi nodded silently. This could indeed serve as a reason to persuade the teachers, as well as those board members who rarely showed themselves.

"Besides, her abilities are a natural counter to our Skywater Academy. If we send her to another academy, I shouldn't need to explain what the outcome will be."

"I've decided that from now on, Shui Lingji will be my personal disciple. Aside from her daily cultivation classes, she will come here with Shui Bing'er every day to receive my private instruction."