Chapter 102: Heaven Dou City, Heaven Dou Royal Academy

Five years later.

Heaven Dou Empire's capital—Heaven Dou City.

As the political, economic, and cultural center of the empire, Heaven Dou City was incredibly magnificent, far surpassing Nuoding City.

It was not only grand but also luxuriously elegant. All the major transportation routes passed through Heaven Dou City, and it was surrounded by fertile farmland and rich natural resources.

In times of war, it would certainly be a strategic location fought over by all military powers.

Fortunately, Xiao Lin and the others weren't here to conquer the city—they came to study.

Now 12 years old, Xiao Lin, Tang San, and Xiao Wu had just passed through the towering gates of Heaven Dou City.

Thanks to their identities as soul masters, the trio had physical builds comparable to teenagers of 15 or 16 years old.

Among them, Xiao Lin had the highest spirit power level, currently at level 39, just one step away from becoming a Soul Sect.

Xiao Lin was also the most physically developed, already standing at 1.8 meters tall. He now sported neat and tidy black hair. Though not exactly handsome, the slight, confident curl of his lips gave off a wild, aggressive aura—like that of a black panther.

Next was Tang San, whose spirit power had also caught up—now at level 37. Thanks to better nutrition, he had also grown to about 1.8 meters tall and had shed the lanky look he'd had after obtaining his second spirit ring.

Tang San's physique didn't appear as powerful as Xiao Lin's; instead, he looked delicate, with smooth, fair skin almost like a girl's. But anyone who underestimated him would be shocked by his explosive strength.

Tang San's hair had started transitioning to a black-blue gradient, with only the ends remaining black—the rest had turned the color of the Blue Silver Grass.

This was a qualitative change brought by his third life-force spirit ring. He was only a hair's breadth away from fully transforming into the Blue Silver King.

Finally, there was the girl with silky smooth black hair tied in a scorpion-tail braid that hung down to her calves. At the tip of her braid was a small kunai-like dagger.

Xiao Wu wore a pink dress with protective shorts underneath, sheer white tights, and her long, slender, fair legs. Her tiny waist was enough to make countless women envious.

But anyone who dared lust after Xiao Wu's long legs would have their balls kicked to bits.

Even Xiao Lin was amazed by her explosive strength—one kick and it was like "no bird left in a thousand-mile forest."

And don't forget: there were two hidden weapons in her shoes.

Xiao Wu's cultivation was now closest to Xiao Lin's at level 38, just slightly below him.

"Brother Lin, are we really going to Heaven Dou Royal Academy?" Xiao Wu asked, clearly reluctant.

She wouldn't have come if Xiao Lin hadn't told her that the academy's headmaster was only a Soul Douluo.

Luckily, since it was only a Soul Douluo, she could barely conceal her aura. If it were a Titled Douluo, she'd have been totally exposed.

"Where else would we go? A mid-tier soul master academy? With our spirit power levels, we'd just be wasting time. I'm aiming to become the captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Emperor Team."

Xiao Lin raised an eyebrow and chuckled confidently, as if becoming the team leader were a piece of cake.

"But I heard the academy is full of nobles. Can we really join them?" Tang San asked, more concerned about their social status.

"Nobles? Who isn't one?"

Xiao Lin shook his head, surprised Tang San was still this sensitive about his identity.

"Emperor Xue Ye of Heaven Dou Empire is a visionary. He grants nobility titles—and even land—to young soul masters who reach the Soul Sect level before graduating from top academies."

"So, do you really think we'd fail to join? Or not qualify for nobility?"

If they did fail, Xiao Lin wouldn't mind. He never cared about noble titles anyway.

After all, how could nobility compare to godhood?

Still, Xiao Lin never fought battles unprepared.

Before graduating from Nuoding Academy, he had already forged a fake certificate using a token left behind by Tang Hao from the Spirit Hall, stating that three 12-year-old Soul Elders were applying to enroll in Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

More importantly, the Dean of the Academic Committee, Dream God Machine, personally wrote in the letter guaranteeing their admission.

The letter also explicitly stated that if the trio could defeat the Emperor Team members, they could immediately become starting members.

Furthermore, Dream God Machine arranged for their identities to be kept confidential, to prevent assassination attempts.

Even Emperor Xue Ye knew little of this. Only when Dream God Machine fought to secure them noble status did the Emperor learn bits and pieces.

Dream God Machine was originally from Spirit Hall but defected to the Royal Academy after becoming disillusioned with their actions.

This proved that Xiao Lin's earlier doubts about the high-ranking members of Spirit Hall were valid.

It also confirmed that Dream God Machine and the two other academic chairs were trustworthy, insightful people.

Heaven Dou City was enormous, and officially, civilians weren't allowed to ride carriages.

Thankfully, with their physical endurance, Xiao Lin and the others could still reach the Royal Academy before noon.

Of course, that wasn't because they ran fast—Heaven Dou City didn't allow people to dash through the streets, and they weren't about to act like clowns either.

They arrived on time mostly because Heaven Dou Royal Academy wasn't in the city proper, but outside the walls.

The trio passed through the city and exited from another gate before arriving at the academy.

The Royal Academy provided simulated environments for all types of martial spirits—so it couldn't be small.

It was even larger than Heaven Dou City itself. Before long, they arrived at the foot of a mountain.

Seeing this, Xiao Wu was dumbfounded. "Brother Lin, this is Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

To her, it looked even worse than Nuoding Academy.

"Don't be silly. This is part of the academy's grounds—a simulated training environment for students. Just follow me."

Xiao Lin scoffed at the clueless rabbit. Skipping her studies had clearly made her as delinquent as Tang San.

In recent years, Tang San had ignored academics to focus on soul tool engineering, while Xiao Wu trained in hidden weaponry.

Her braid and the weapons in her shoes were fruits of this practice.

Because Xiao Wu wasn't good with swords, she focused on leg-based martial arts and whip-like attacks using her braid.

"Brother Lin is right. The air quality here is amazing. My Blue Silver Grass feels like it's breathing fresh air," Tang San added, smiling with genuine appreciation for the academy.

(End of Chapter)