Heaven Dou Royal Soul Master Academy
After leaving the forest, the group rested and recovered for a while. Only then did Qin Ming breathe a sigh of relief and explain to everyone, "That presence just now belonged to someone at least at the Soul Douluo level, possibly even a Titled Douluo."
"A Titled Douluo?" Yu Feng smacked his lips. "What would someone like that be doing in the Star Dou Great Forest? They shouldn't need to go Soul Hunting anymore, right?"
"Yu Feng, don't gossip about Their Eminences behind their backs. Watch out, or your mouth will bring trouble down on you." Qin Ming glared at him, then waved a hand. "Let's head back to the academy first. Qingchen, do you have anything else to do?"
"I don't have anything to do, so I'll go to the academy with you."
"All right, let's go."
The group then rented several carriages and headed for Heaven Dou City.
The carriage ride from the Star Dou Great Forest would take several days, but they couldn't do without carriages.
In the carriage, Lin Qingchen closed his eyes, turning things over in his mind.
He had finally obtained his Third Soul Skill, Five Elements Life Generation, and its effect was better than he had expected.
The ability to regenerate severed limbs was quite rare on the Douluo Continent. Ordinary healing-type Soul Masters did well enough just to close wounds; regenerating severed limbs was only possible for a healing-type Soul Master at the Titled Douluo level or above.
With this Soul Skill, plus the Five Elements Divine Body and the Great Five Elements Escape, his ability to survive was maxed out.
The Wonder Seed from the Tranquil Spirit Heart-Concentrating Orchid was also in his bracelet. When he had time, he would pour some Power of Fortune into it and see what wonder it produced.
All 3/3 slots in the Book of Talents were still full. Although he had obtained [Five Elements Law: Water], he would have to solve the slot problem before he could obtain a second law.
But even now, he had no idea what the conditions for upgrading the Book of Talents were.
When he asked the Book of Partial Understanding, most of the answers he got were like something from artificial stupidity. Come to think of it, he still didn't even know the Rift Ruins Earth Dragon's abilities.
Tsk, trash Yu Xiaogang!
In another carriage, Qin Ming said something to Yu Tianheng. Yu Tianheng lifted the curtain and came over to Lin Qingchen. "Qingchen, once we get to Heaven Dou City, you can share my dorm room for the time being. We'll see about it once the academy has made arrangements. Of course, you can also find a hotel outside to stay in."
"Sure." Lin Qingchen nodded.
Yu Tianheng hesitated, then asked, "That Third Soul Skill of yours-can it really make severed limbs grow back?"
"Theoretically, yes."
"Then say an arm gets chopped off. Would the arm that grows back be a new one, or the original?"
Lin Qingchen glanced at him. "A new one, naturally. The original's been chopped off, so how could it grow back? But if you still had the original arm, I imagine it could be reattached. Why do you ask?"
"Ahem, no reason..."
Yu Tianheng's eyes wandered. He lowered the curtain and said no more.
Lin Qingchen leaned against the carriage wall, listening to the wheels rumble over the stone road as he closed his eyes and began comprehending the Law of Water.
He couldn't waste the days spent on the road.
As the saying went, the highest good was like water. After comprehending the Law of Water, he could swiftly enter a state of enlightenment even in the noisiest surroundings.
Three days later, the carriages passed smoothly through the gates of Heaven Dou City.
As the capital of a nation, Heaven Dou City was countless times larger than Nuoding City. Its gates alone were more imposing than the city lord's residence in Nuoding City.
The streets were wide and lined with shops on both sides. Countless people came and went, making for a lively scene.
Qin Ming led the way as the carriages passed through the main street and headed toward Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Lin Qingchen lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at the streets outside before lowering it again. Heaven Dou City: a new map, new resources, new trouble.
"We're here," Qin Ming called from the front.
The carriage came to a stop. Lin Qingchen stepped down and looked up to see the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy before him. A gilded plaque hung above the entrance, and two uniformed guards stood at the gate.
Qin Ming went over and exchanged a few words with the guards. They glanced at the Imperial Fighting Team behind him and let them through.
"Come on, let's go in first," Qin Ming called. "Get settled in today. Tomorrow, I'll take you to meet the three education committee members."
Lin Qingchen followed the group through the academy gates. Yu Feng and Osler started bickering again. Dugu Yan leaned close to Ye Lingling's ear and whispered something, and Ye Lingling gave her a gentle shove. Yu Tianheng walked at the front, occasionally looking back to see whether the group was keeping up.
Lin Qingchen walked at the back with his hands in his pockets, his fingertips brushing the unused Wonder Seed in his storage bracelet.
He had arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Chapter 43: The Three Education Committee Members
Early the next morning, Qin Ming took Lin Qingchen to the education committee building.
The education committee building stood at the very back of the academy. It was a three-story stone building, with two rows of old pines at its entrance shading most of the path. Qin Ming walked ahead, briefing him as they went. "All three committee members are Soul Douluo. Chief Meng Shenji is rather serious, Bai Baoshan is straightforward, and Zhi Lin doesn't talk much but observes closely. You don't need to be nervous; just act as you normally would."
"I'm not nervous," Lin Qingchen said.
Qin Ming glanced at him but didn't respond.
On the third floor, Qin Ming stopped in front of a wooden door and knocked three times.
"Come in."
The hall was spacious, with three chairs arranged side by side near the window. Meng Shenji sat in the middle. His hair was streaked with gray, and he was rather thin. He wore a gray robe washed pale with age and held a bamboo cane. Bai Baoshan, on the left, was bigger, with a full beard. He leaned back in his chair, looking somewhat languid. On the right, Zhi Lin wore round-framed glasses and was leafing through a book. When he reached a certain page, he looked up toward the door.
"Qin Ming is here," Meng Shenji said, his voice quiet but steady. "Is this the student you told us about?"
"Yes." Qin Ming stepped aside to let Lin Qingchen come forward. "Lin Qingchen, ten years old, level thirty. His Martial Soul is the Five Elements Qilin."
Bai Baoshan sat up straight. Zhi Lin closed his book.
"Level thirty?" Bai Baoshan looked Lin Qingchen up and down. "Level thirty at ten years old? Qin Ming, you're not joking with us, are you?"
"I'm not," Qin Ming said.
Meng Shenji glanced at Lin Qingchen. "Release your Soul Rings."
Lin Qingchen raised his right hand and let the Five Elements Qilin possess him. Three Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet. Yellow, purple, dark purple.
Bai Baoshan slapped the armrest. Zhi Lin pushed up his glasses and leaned forward. Meng Shenji tapped his bamboo cane lightly on the floor twice. He said nothing, but his gaze changed.
"The Second Soul Ring is a thousand-year ring, and the Third Soul Ring is close to ten thousand years old." Zhi Lin spoke in an even voice. "Qin Ming, are you certain these are his own Soul Rings?"
"I'm certain," Qin Ming said. "I was there the whole time, from the Soul Hunt through the absorption."
Bai Baoshan rose from his chair, walked over to Lin Qingchen, and crouched down, staring at the three Soul Rings for quite a while. He stood and turned back to Meng Shenji. "Old Meng, few of the twenty-year-old lads in the academy can match that Soul Ring configuration."
Meng Shenji nodded and walked over to Lin Qingchen, leaning on his bamboo cane. "How did you get your Third Soul Ring?"
"I hunted a five-thousand-year-old Azure Wood Spirit Bear. There was a bit of an accident during the absorption, and the Soul Ring's age rose by a considerable amount," Lin Qingchen answered with the explanation he had prepared.
"An accident?" Zhi Lin picked up. "What kind of accident?"
"My Martial Soul needs the Power of the Five Elements to be present at the same time to absorb a Soul Ring. So when I absorbed the wood-attribute Soul Ring, I fused Soul Rings of the other attributes into it as well. Five souls became one, and its age went up."
The three committee members fell silent for a few seconds.
Bai Baoshan spoke first. "Five souls became one? Your Martial Soul has to absorb five Soul Rings to produce one Soul Skill?"
"Yes."
"Then you have three Soul Rings now. How many Soul Skills do you have?"
"Three."
Bai Baoshan froze for a moment and looked back at Meng Shenji. Meng Shenji's face showed little expression, but his grip on the bamboo cane tightened slightly.