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"Little friend Ye Lan, may I ask—do you know what's going on with my martial soul? Why does my Sky Azure Vine look different from before when I summon it?" Zhi Lin asked curiously, clearly puzzled as to why his martial soul had changed so suddenly.
"Senior Zhi Lin, this is most likely due to martial soul suppression. After my martial soul absorbed the 'Touch of the Ancient Beast,' it evolved again, inheriting a trace of the bloodline of a plant king," Ye Lan replied casually. Although he made it sound offhanded, the explanation about martial soul suppression wasn't just made up—Zhi Lin, a Soul Douluo, knew it was plausible.
The notion of a plant king was no empty flattery. In every category of soul beast, a king could emerge. These kings often possessed talents that broke racial limits, enabling them to overcome stronger foes despite weaker bloodlines.
"Martial soul suppression? I see… Ye Lan, you are truly fortunate. My Sky Azure Vine is already among the most powerful of plant-type martial souls—second only to Chrysanthemum Douluo of the Spirit Hall. I imagine your martial soul is now on par with his," Zhi Lin sighed with admiration.
Meng Shenji's eyes lit with golden brilliance. "A king's bloodline? Then your martial soul must have become the Blue Silver Emperor!" he exclaimed.
Ye Lan shook his head, smiling mysteriously. "Not the Blue Silver Emperor. But if the opportunity arises, Elder Meng, you may one day see the true Blue Silver Emperor with your own eyes."
"Oh? If even your Blue Silver Grass isn't a Blue Silver Emperor, I can hardly imagine how powerful the real thing must be," Meng Shenji said with a hint of skepticism.
Bai Baoshan spoke up, "Ye Lan, please hand me your martial soul certificate. I'll process your admission paperwork now."
Ye Lan nodded, handing his certificate to Bai Baoshan, the Soul Douluo. Meng Shenji and Zhi Lin leaned in to see Ye Lan's growth record for themselves.
At first glance, his growth seemed ordinary—five years to advance from innate level three to level eleven, with a hundred-year soul ring. But after that, his progress became explosive: in just over three years, he had risen from level eleven to level twenty-three, and his second soul ring was even a millennium ring!
The three elders all exchanged looks of disbelief.
"Such terrifying talent!" Meng Shenji exclaimed. The Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had truly received a monstrous student, a gift they owed to His Highness Qinghe.
Zhi Lin seemed to recall something. "Ye Lan, how did you defeat Xue Beng's group of ten without using a millennium soul skill?"
If Ye Lan had openly used a millennium soul skill, his identity as the 'Scholar' would have been instantly exposed. After all, ever since the Scholar became famous, news had spread that his second soul ring was a millennium ring—a fact that lent strong credibility to his theories.
The three elders quickly imagined the explanation: Ye Lan's ability to absorb a millennium ring was surely thanks to the 'Touch of the Ancient Beast.'
"Senior Zhi, you flatter me. Of course I used my millennium skill—more than once, in fact! But my millennium skill doesn't need to constantly draw soul power from the ring," Ye Lan explained.
"When I use my second ring, the moment the millennium ring appears at my feet, I instantly activate my second soul skill and then withdraw the ring just as quickly."
His ability to instantly trigger his second skill was thanks to a mysterious Soul Sage he had once faced. Back then, Ye Lan had repeatedly used the 'Blue God's Foresight' and combined it with self-termination loops, pushing his mastery of the skill to extreme heights—until he achieved the level of instant activation.
If not for this instant-cast ability, the Blue Silver Priest would never have been able to block the Soul Sage's sudden assault.
"As expected of the continent's foremost current theory master—your combat skill is frightening. Instant-casting soul skills and retracting soul rings on the spot aren't things just anyone can do!" Meng Shenji said with genuine admiration.
Once Bai Baoshan finished registering Ye Lan's information, he returned the certificate. The four exchanged a few more words, and Ye Lan was just about to leave when footsteps approached from behind—one heavy and deliberate, the other light and frivolous.
Ye Lan turned to see three people enter the Academic Committee's office.
On the far left was a red-haired youth he recognized—Xue Beng, the troublemaker he had encountered just yesterday.
In the center walked a stately middle-aged man dressed in a grand golden robe, embroidered with many flood dragons. Unfortunately, the robe's elegance was somewhat spoiled by the man's slightly overweight figure, which stretched the fabric taut.
But it was the person on the far right who truly caught Ye Lan's attention: an old man in a gray robe, floating exactly one centimeter above the ground. As he drew closer, the temperature in the room dropped sharply.
Though it was broad daylight, Ye Lan felt a chill creep over him. The old man's hair and beard were both emerald green—surely this was the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.
"Is Chief Meng Shenji here?!" the middle-aged man in the center boomed, his voice deep and powerful.
The three elders of the Academic Committee glanced at the newcomers, and their hearts sank. Xue Beng, the little scoundrel, had actually brought this man here.
Meng Shenji reluctantly tore his gaze from Dugu Bo and quickly stepped forward to greet the man in the center.
"Prince Xue Xing, what brings you here?" Meng Shenji bowed slightly in greeting.
"This is the royal family's academy—why shouldn't I come?" Xue Xing replied coldly.
"Of course you're always welcome. What matter brings you here today, Your Highness?" Meng Shenji asked politely.
Xue Xing turned his head toward Xue Beng.
The red-haired prince immediately perked up under his uncle's gaze. "Uncle! It was him! He beat me up in front of so many people!" he cried, rubbing his swollen right cheek and sounding pitiful, as though he had suffered some great injustice.
Bai Baoshan looked at Xue Beng and felt his anger rise. "You little brat—you still have the face to come here and cause trouble for Ye Lan? Do you have any idea how many messes you've stirred up over the years?!"
"If Ye Lan hadn't shown you mercy, do you think you'd still be alive to run back and complain to the prince?"
Xue Beng didn't dare talk back to the furious Bai Baoshan, whose authority in the academy was well-known. He quickly hid behind Xue Xing, avoiding the elder's glare.
Xue Xing frowned. The three elders of the Academic Committee were veterans of the Heaven Dou Empire, having trained many distinguished students. In the imperial court, their voices carried weight. And since they were imperial-born Soul Douluos, not members of a sect, even General Ge Long—one of the empire's military pillars—was among their students. That made it unwise for him to openly offend them.
Still, he looked directly at Ye Lan and said, "I am a prince of the Heaven Dou royal family. When the chief of this academy sees me, he must bow. And you—an insignificant commoner—why do you not bow when you see me? Who do you think you are?"
"As a citizen of the Heaven Dou Empire, do you not know the rules of the empire?"
Annoyed by Xue Xing's barrage of questions, Ye Lan didn't bother replying. His soul power flared in his hand as he drew a token from his Nine-Star Linked Ring and tossed it directly onto Xue Xing's chest.
(End of Chapter)