Chapter 2: Royal Heaven Academy (Part One)

According to the original description, Dugu Bo was not familiar with the Ice and Fire Dual Yin Eye Spring Water, and he didn't even recognize the immortal grass and heavenly treasures growing at the edge of the spring, but the extreme spiritual energy emitted by the spring could suppress the backlash of the snake venom within Dugu Bo's body, making his cultivation easier.

Therefore, Dugu Bo had long designated the area near the Ice and Fire Dual Yin Eye as his territory and considered it a treasure land.

When something belonged to him, it naturally needed protection. For this reason, Dugu Bo had set up an array formed by the Azure Phosphorus Snake Poison in the vicinity of the Ice and Fire Dual Yin Eye. Even a powerhouse at the level of a Soul Duelist would instantly turn into pus if they accidentally intruded into the poisonous array.

Lü Buliang's soul power was only at level 35, and as a Soul Noble who knew nothing about poisons, he couldn't possibly dare to intrude into the poison array set up by Dugu Bo. Just arriving in a fantasy world without a powerful force as a backer, how could he dare to provoke Dugu Bo?

Since he didn't dare to provoke Dugu Bo, he decided to start with Dugu Yan, his granddaughter.

By joining the Royal Heaven Academy, becoming Dugu Yan's teammate, and building a good relationship with her, he could not only gather information about Dugu Bo but also gain a clearer understanding of knowledge related to the Azure Phosphorus Snake Poison.

Moreover, the Royal Heaven Academy was the most resource-rich soul master academy for cultivation. Joining the academy would provide better resources for rapid growth.

This was also why Lü Buliang, as a commoner, was determined to enter the academy for nobles.

Today happened to be the day when the academy was recruiting new students.

Along the way, Lü Buliang learned that there were two conditions for enrolling in the Royal Heaven Academy.

The first condition was noble lineage.

The second condition was holding a special honor student certificate issued by the academy's high-level staff.

Lü Buliang didn't meet either of these conditions, so he could only rely on luck and hope to encounter the three Chief Education Committee members mentioned in the original work.

Chief Education Committee Dream God Machine, Deputy Chief Education Committee Bai Baoshan, Third Chief Education Committee Zhi Lin.

If he could encounter any one of them, Lü Buliang firmly believed that with his unique Shadow Martial Soul, he could definitely gain their favor and obtain the title of honor student.

Lü Buliang came up with a plan—to create a commotion at the entrance of the academy, attracting the attention of the three Education Committee members. This way, he could bypass the troublesome registration process and directly meet and talk with the most authoritative figures.

Seeing the crowd passing by, Lü Buliang immediately dismissed the idea of causing a scene at the academy's entrance. Without money, power, or strength, most of the people here were from noble families. Even if his actions managed to catch the attention of the three Education Committee members, he would likely first attract the hostility of many nobles.

If he encountered a powerful noble, he would be in big trouble.

After weighing the pros and cons, Lü Buliang let go of the mindset of a superior transmigrant. Not all exceptional talents were equivalent to having a free pass.

At this moment, what he needed was a stable environment and time for development. He didn't yet have the strength to display an unruly attitude.

Joining a well-behaved line, after about an hour, it was finally Lü Buliang's turn to register.

Stepping forward, he approached the middle-aged teacher responsible for handling student registration, smiled slightly, and politely said, "Hello, I'm Lü Buliang, here to register."

After listening to Lü Buliang's introduction, the middle-aged teacher's gaze fell on his attire.

After a brief appraisal, the teacher's initially indifferent expression grew serious. "Judging from your appearance, it seems you're not a noble. You should have understood the academy's admission requirements before coming to register, right?"

"I have." Lü Buliang replied, "I'm a commoner."

"Commoner?" The middle-aged teacher looked puzzled, "So, do you have the honor student certificate? Which teacher from the academy gave it to you?"

"I don't have the certificate," Lü Buliang truthfully said, "But my martial soul is extremely rare on the continent. It's a highly unique existence, and I believe that such a special martial soul should qualify me as an honor student."

The middle-aged teacher furrowed his brow. "What is your martial soul?"

Lü Buliang smiled. "Shadow."

"Shadow? Your martial soul is your own shadow? This type of precedent is indeed rare on the continent." The middle-aged teacher rubbed his chin, contemplative. "Shadow isn't a natural element, it's a natural phenomenon. Elements can become martial souls, but can phenomena also become martial souls? Compared to other martial souls, what makes your shadow martial soul unique?"

Lü Buliang replied, "My shadow martial soul is an all-around type. It can develop both control over enemies' shadows, leaning towards the control specialization, and assistance to allies' shadows, leaning towards the assistance specialization. It can also follow the path of an agile attacker. My soul skills can control enemies and assist teammates. On the battlefield, I am both a control-type and an assistance-type soul master."

"Really?" The middle-aged teacher appeared intrigued. "How old are you, and what's your innate soul power level and your current soul power level?"

"I'm eighteen. Currently, I'm a Soul Noble at level thirty-five," Lü Buliang paused for a moment, then continued, "Innate soul power level seven."

"Innate level seven?" The middle-aged teacher's gaze changed. "Having innate level seven soul power is already quite impressive on the continent. With a starting level of level seven at six years old, and if you improve by two or three levels every year, you should be able to reach level thirty-five by eighteen. Your talent is indeed commendable."

Hearing this, Lü Buliang felt a surge of joy. He asked, "So, do I qualify as a candidate for the honor student?"

The middle-aged teacher hesitated, his face showing a bit of difficulty. He shook his head, "I can't make that decision. How about you write your personal information on the data card first, and then I'll apply to the academy's Education Committee for you?"

At that moment, a sudden voice interrupted, "No need, Teacher Sun. I'll take care of him."

Both Lü Buliang and the middle-aged teacher turned towards the source of the voice.

The speaker was a young teacher, appearing to be around thirty years old.

As the voice trailed off, the young teacher was still in the distance, but by the time Lü Buliang's gaze turned to him, his figure had already appeared before him. A series of soul power fluctuations accompanied his sudden movement.

After months of practice, Lü Buliang had gained a clear understanding of martial souls and soul skills, making him more sensitive to soul power perception. The overwhelming soul power he felt was enough to prove that the young teacher before him was quite powerful.

At the very least, he

was stronger than any teacher or noble present. He seemed to hold more authority than the middle-aged teacher as well.

"Qin Ming?" The middle-aged teacher's previously troubled expression immediately transformed into a respectful one as he bowed slightly. "Teacher Qin, why are you here?"

Qin Ming also showed the appropriate respect towards the middle-aged teacher before turning his attention to Lü Buliang. He said, "Teacher Sun, sorry for the interruption. I'd like to take charge of this one."

Lü Buliang and the middle-aged teacher both looked at Qin Ming.

Qin Ming continued, "Yes. Innate level seven soul power, reaching level thirty-five at eighteen years old. While there might be some gap between Lü Buliang and Tian Heng and the others in terms of talent, if his soul skills can aid the entire team effectively, the talent gap doesn't matter."

(End of this chapter)