In the eyes of someone who had crossed over from another world, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, located in the Heaven Dou Empire, wasn't truly considered a top-tier force. But for Chen Shijie and Chen Tianyun, this was already the most elite and reliable institution they could ever hope to reach.
At this point in time, Title Douluos were not yet as common or "cheap" as they would be in later installments of the Douluo series. Every single Title Douluo was a legendary figure, rarely seen and awe-inspiring. Even Soul Douluos were renowned as top-level experts wherever they went on the continent.
To the Chen family, the fact that the academy had three Soul Douluo-level deans, combined with the backing of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family, was more than enough to deter anyone with ill intentions toward Chen Ming.
Chen Ming himself gave it careful thought and realized that, under the current circumstances, joining the Heaven Dou Royal Academy was indeed his best possible option.
In all of Douluo Continent, the only force that could rival or surpass Heaven Dou Royal Academy was Spirit Hall. The equivalent to that, on the political spectrum, would be the Star Luo Empire's Royal Academy.
Given his own background, it wouldn't be a problem for Chen Ming to join Spirit Hall. But joining Spirit Hall didn't automatically mean catching the attention of its top brass, nor did it guarantee he'd receive the best training available.
Even if it only took five years for him to become part of the so-called "Golden Generation" and receive elite training, those five years prior would still be completely wasted.
What's more, Chen Ming had been eyeing those immortal herbs for a long time. If he waited even a few more years, even the roots would probably be dug up by Tang San. That would be a real loss.
Sure, in terms of ancient knowledge, Heaven Dou Royal Academy couldn't compete with Spirit Hall, an organization that had existed for millennia and was even blessed by a god. But in terms of the general resources and facilities a student should expect, Heaven Dou had everything one might need.
Additionally, because the academy had no Title Douluos and was primarily a noble institution, Chen Ming could still maintain a degree of privacy. He could stir up trouble or explore his own goals without being constantly monitored.
Another key advantage: the academy was also home to Dugu Yan, the granddaughter of Dugu Bo. Dugu Bo himself was not only one of the top poison masters in all of Douluo but also the guardian of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—one of the most important mystical locations across all four installments of the Douluo series.
To Chen Ming, Dugu Bo's entire household was a treasure trove—perhaps even more valuable than the academy itself.
Thinking all of this through, Chen Ming concluded that Heaven Dou Royal Academy was actually a pretty great place.
So, he agreed to Chen Shijie's proposal. The three of them returned to the Chen family estate, packed their bags, and after waiting two months for the academy's official enrollment day, they headed off to Heaven Dou City—the imperial capital.
Worried about Chen Ming's safety, Chen Shijie handed over his own storage-type soul tool ring. Chen Tianyun spent several days thinking through every possible scenario Chen Ming might encounter, and packed the ring—which had a storage capacity of seven or eight cubic meters—completely full.
The admission process to Heaven Dou Royal Academy went quite smoothly. No one raised any objections.
The Chen family held an inherited Earl title. Though not a particularly prominent one, the nobility was legitimate and had existed for hundreds of years—there was nothing suspicious to find, no matter how deep you looked.
Barons and Viscounts had to send their children through additional tests before being admitted. If the child's talent was simply too poor, the academy wouldn't accept them. But for the child of an Earl? As long as they filled out a form with basic information like age, name, martial spirit, and spirit power level, they were accepted right away.
Yes, it sounded corrupt—and it was—but this was Heaven Dou Royal Academy: the highest institution in the Heaven Dou Empire, intended primarily for nobles. It served both as a school and as a social networking hub for the aristocracy. That's why things seemed so bizarre on the surface.
It wasn't until everything was nearly completed that the part that should have come first finally appeared: the martial spirit and spirit power verification.
"Hello, I'm Qin Ming, an instructor at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I'm a Battle Spirit King from the Agility Attack Department. I've been assigned by the three deans to verify whether incoming students' martial spirit and spirit power levels are authentic."
In a dim and enclosed room, a plainly dressed middle-aged man looked at Chen Ming kindly, wearing the sort of polite, formulaic smile reserved for formal occasions. Behind his glasses, his eyes showed a hint of weariness and resignation.
Douluo Continent had a surprising number of love-struck fools and outright idiots. You might not notice it on the surface, but every now and then, someone would come along and truly test your belief in humanity.
Even at a prestigious moment like entrance to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, each year brought its own share of walking disasters—possibly even the result of cousin-marriages—who would try all sorts of nonsense at this stage.
Some would register their mudfish martial spirit as a black dragon. Others, clearly lacking a second spirit ring, would claim to be Grandmasters who just "hadn't absorbed it yet." Some fifteen- or sixteen-year-olds would insist they were only eleven or twelve.
In short, all kinds of absurd cases existed—like a galaxy of bizarre human species. And because most of them came from noble families, not even the three deans could confront them directly. Every year, the last step of the admission process was delegated to trustworthy faculty who'd verify students from the rank of Earl and up.
Before checking on Chen Ming, Qin Ming had already examined over a dozen students. Honestly, if even half of them were telling the truth, that would've been a miracle.
There were students with orange-tabby-cat martial spirits claiming they were little tigers. Others, from noble houses, somehow still had two white soul rings. Some had offense-type spirits but claimed to be support-types. One male student insisted he was female and demanded to live in the girls' dormitory.
Then there were those with slightly above-average talent—say, innate spirit power level seven—who claimed they were destined to become legendary Title Douluos one day. They were everywhere.
Qin Ming was a man of immense patience, but after dealing with this "human star zoo" long enough, even he felt spiritually exhausted. He sometimes fantasized about activating his fifth soul skill and burning these people into ash.
Chen Ming's registered info stated: age eleven, male, Spirit Grandmaster level 23, martial spirit: Emerald Scorpion, a control-type, with one yellow and one purple spirit ring.
If true, that would make him a phenomenal genius. But after so many disappointments, Qin Ming didn't believe it at all. In his mind, Chen Ming probably didn't even have a second ring.
"Alright, release your martial spirit," Qin Ming said, not even bothering with small talk. He waved a hand in a polite but tired gesture.
"Okay…" Chen Ming looked at the instructor in front of him—someone he recognized from the original story—and wasn't quite sure what was going through the man's head. Still, he summoned his martial spirit and soul rings.
His body surged in size, a scorpion tail extended behind him, and his spirit energy—true Spirit Grandmaster level 23—flooded the room. Qin Ming, who had been zoning out, immediately looked up, astonished.
When he saw the one yellow and one purple ring, Qin Ming jumped out of his seat, tossed his little notebook aside, and hurried over, inspecting Chen Ming from head to toe.
"Chen Ming?" Qin Ming asked, hesitating slightly.
"Yes."
"Eleven years old, level 23 Spirit Grandmaster?"
"Yes."
"Spirit rings—yellow and purple?!" Qin Ming's voice suddenly rose, sharp enough to make people uncomfortable.
"Wait, teacher, didn't you read my registration info?" Chen Ming took a step back from the now clearly shaken instructor, eyebrows furrowed.
"No—I mean—I just…" Qin Ming trailed off. He wanted to explain but found it hard to describe the kind of trauma caused by dealing with that parade of genetic mysteries. He didn't want to sully the ears of a genuine prodigy.
After a few awkward seconds of stammering, he finally squeezed out a complete sentence:
"I just… I never imagined… that I'd get to meet such an outstanding talent."
A new month, a new Monday. If you're enjoying the story, please consider leaving a recommendation and adding it to your collection!
(End of Chapter)