Douluo: From Internal Martial Arts to the Law of Heaven and Earth

"This is the main building. The top floor is the working area of ​​the three Soul Warriors who make up the Education Committee. You were granted an admission spot by His Majesty, so let's just go and register with those three senior Soul Warriors."

Xue Qinghe introduced the place to Tang Shan and went into the building first, followed closely by Tang Shan. Meanwhile, the Serpent Spear Douluo stopped downstairs. Clearly, he was afraid of attracting the attention of the three Soul Douluos by going up. After all, he had only just broken through to the Title Douluo level, and he couldn't easily hide himself when facing an opponent of similar level.

The main building has six floors. The first floor is the library. Looking down the stairs, rows of bookshelves are neatly arranged, reaching the ceiling. The bookshelves are filled with yellowed ancient books and brand-new books on Soul Master theory. The rich scent of ink mixed with the unique aroma of ancient paper wafts over you. Combined with the soft morning light coming in from the windows, it calms the mind and makes you want to immerse yourself in the ocean of knowledge.

"The first floor is the library, the second to fourth floors are the theoretical teaching areas, the second floor is for students at the Tianwei level, the third floor is for students at the Tianzhi level, the fourth floor is for students at the Tiandou level, the fifth floor is the office space for all the teachers, and the sixth floor is exclusively for the three members of the Education Committee. You may not enter without permission."

Xue Qinghe led Tangshan up the winding staircase, which was made of ancient wood and felt warm and smooth to the touch. Each step was polished smooth and fine, with small anti-slip patterns carved on the edges. As you climbed the stairs, you could faintly hear the sound of your footsteps echoing in the empty corridor, making you unconsciously quiet down.

As they went upstairs, Xue Qinghe introduced the college to Tang Shan.

"Your father has ordered you to join the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. With your strength, Tang Shan, becoming a Heaven Dou-level student directly is no problem. However, there are still soul power requirements. Before you demonstrate your strength, you will have to remain a Heaven Supreme-level student for a while."

Tangshan also had some understanding of this. Apart from the three Soul Douluos, all teachers and students at the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy only had three levels: Heavenly Micro Level, Heavenly Supreme Level, and finally Heavenly Dou Level.

As far as the teachers are concerned, the Heavenly Dou Teacher's cultivation level is at least Soul Emperor, the Heavenly Supreme Teacher's cultivation level is at least Soul King, and the Heavenly Micro Teacher's cultivation level is at least Soul Sect Master.

For students, those at the Heavenly Dou level are at least Soul Venerables, those at the Heavenly Zhi level are at least Great Soul Masters, and those at the Heavenly Wei level are at least Soul Masters.

Although Tang Shan's combat power is incredibly exaggerated, his soul power level is not up to standard. Before he can demonstrate his strength, he is still a Heavenly-level student.

As for the top-tier treatment promised by Emperor Xueye, that is a preferential treatment in terms of teaching and training resources, and has nothing to do with the student's level.

P.S.: I'll add at least one extra chapter today, maybe even two.

Chapter 133 Enrollment, Dream God's Reminder

The stairs wind upwards, the paths meandering and ascending in circles, with wooden steps flowing with each step, subtly connecting the spaces of the upper and lower levels.

Before long, Tang Shan, led by Xue Qinghe, reached the top floor and gently knocked on the door. After a moment, an aged voice came from inside: "Please come in."

Xue Qinghe pushed open the door and entered, followed closely by Tang Shan.

This is a spacious and solemn hall, about a thousand square meters in size. Warm yellow light shines on the Soul Master reliefs on the walls, outlining their simple and dignified outlines.

The air was filled with a faint sandalwood scent, calm and dignified.

At the far end of the hall, three enormous sandalwood tables were arranged in a triangular pattern. Behind each table sat an old man, dressed in a black formal suit specially made by the Spirit Hall for Soul Douluo. Gold and silver threads intertwined on the suit, and a huge humanoid pattern with three pairs of wings was faintly visible.

Seated behind the table at the very front was a tall, thin old man with a ruddy complexion and vigorous spirit, exuding a gentle aura. However, if one looked into his eyes, it was as if staring into an abyss, drawing one in. A faint fluctuation of soul power emanated from him, carrying a subtle chill that sent shivers down one's spine if one remained near him for too long.

Sitting to his left and behind him was a plump old man. The black suit he wore did not look luxurious on him; instead, it gave him a somewhat naive appearance. When seated, he was clearly a head shorter than the old man in front of him. His whole body was round like a ball, and his body measurements were probably not much different in terms of length and width. His face was full of fat, and when he smiled, his eyes turned into small slits, making people unconsciously lower their guard.

The last education commissioner next to the fat old man had an ordinary appearance and a very average build. He was not as unusual as the first two. He had a refined and scholarly air about him, and his bright eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.

The leader should be Meng Shenji, the chief instructor of the Black Demon Martial Soul. If this Martial Soul had been in the second stage of the game, it would probably have been labeled as an evil soul master long ago. However, since he is called Meng Shenji, I wonder if practicing internal martial arts in front of him will have any mysterious bonus.

This should be Bai Baoshan, the second-ranked one. His height and waist circumference are roughly the same, somewhat similar to the Porcupine Douluo. However, the Porcupine Douluo's influence is due to his martial soul. Could this Heavenly Star Furnace also affect his body?

Lastly, this should be the third seat, Zhi Lin, whose martial soul is the Azure Vine. His appearance is similar to his personality, quite ordinary.

Tang Shan secretly observed the three of them, and the three of them subconsciously focused their gaze on Tang Shan and Xue Qinghe.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

The one who had let them in was none other than Meng Shenji. When he saw Xue Qinghe and Tang Shan enter, he bowed slightly and gave them a salute.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Bai Baoshan and Zhilin followed closely behind Meng Shenji, bowing slightly as well.

"Please rise, my three seniors."

Xue Qinghe quickly took a few steps to help Meng Shenji up, while gesturing to the other two Soul Warriors that they didn't need to be so polite.

He is humble and polite, thoughtful in his work, and approachable.

This was the first time Meng Shenji had come into close contact with Xue Qinghe, and in a short time, he discovered several very rare qualities in Xue Qinghe. These qualities might be quite common, but they were very rare in a prince who had been raised in wealth and privilege since childhood.

Moreover, he discovered that all of Xue Qinghe's emotions were genuine and not just superficial. This made him like Xue Qinghe even more, as he was indeed a good candidate to be the crown prince or even the emperor.

With this thought in mind, Meng Shenji couldn't help but recall what Prince Xuexin had said to the three education committee members that morning: "Three education committee members, His Majesty's specially recruited genius, Tang Shan, should be enrolling today. I hope you can give him a good test. After all, since he is a genius, he should undergo more trials, right? The First Prince may also accompany him. I hope you three education committee members will give me face and not be too close to the First Prince. After all, the position of heir apparent has not yet been decided, and hastily taking sides is not good for you three. Although you three are noble Soul Douluo, it would still be troublesome if you chose the wrong side."

At that time, Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhilin all had gloomy expressions. If it weren't for their excellent relationship with Emperor Xueye, and the fact that their current cultivation level was largely due to the help of Emperor Xueye's father, Xue Tianming, and their fear of Dugu Bo behind Prince Xuexin, Prince Xuexin might have entered standing up and left lying down.

Although they couldn't do anything to the other side, the three of them remembered two names: one was Tang Shan, and the other was naturally the eldest prince, Xue Qinghe.

They dispatched their subordinates to gather a lot of information, among which Tang Shan's achievements shocked them the most: his innate martial spirit, his innate full soul power, and his first and second ring in a thousand years. Such talent could not be described as genius, but as true prodigy.

As for Xue Qinghe, all the information gathered was praise for him, saying that he was humble and thoughtful in his work. Meng Shenji met him today and found that he truly lived up to his reputation.

Xue Qinghe was naturally unaware of the events that had transpired that morning, and how her nominal uncle had so much trouble with the three school officials. After paying her respects to the three Soul Douluos, she introduced them to Tang Shan: "Tang Shan, these are three members of the teaching committee of our Heaven Dou Royal Academy: Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Senior Zhilin. They are all Soul Douluo-level experts, not far from reaching the final title of Soul Master, Title Douluo. If the three of them joined forces, they would be able to rival a Title Douluo."

"I have met three seniors."

Tang Shan stepped forward and bowed in greeting.

"Your Highness flatters us. We are still a long way from becoming Title Douluos, and the idea of ​​joining forces to rival one is utter nonsense." Meng Shenji did not accept Xue Qinghe's praise. After all, no one understood the gap between Soul Douluos and Title Douluos better than them. Even against the weakest Poison Douluo, they would inevitably be at a disadvantage; rivalry was impossible.

Turning to Tangshan, Meng Shenji's eyes shimmered with spiritual power: "No need for formalities. You must be the genius His Majesty spoke of. Indeed, you possess an imposing presence and exceptional talent."

His senses were incredibly sharp. As Tang Shan approached, he sensed the terrifying power of his blood and qi within his body. He was secretly horrified. With such power, he would believe that Tang Shan was a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast.

"What a healthy and robust young man. He must eat a lot of good food regularly."

Bai Baoshan, with a litheness that belies his size, darted to Tang Shan's side. He patted Tang Shan's body up and down for a moment with his large hands, then stroked his white beard with satisfaction.

"His soul power is refined and not superficial, which shows that he has cultivated it steadily."

The Zhilin Education Committee ultimately reached the same conclusion.

“I understand your intentions very well. Since His Majesty has already spoken, there is definitely no problem with you joining the academy. In addition, we are aware of your talent, Tang Shan. Even if His Majesty had not spoken, we would have made an exception and accepted you.”

Meng Shenji was decisive and efficient. After confirming Tang Shan's talent, he got straight to the point without any hesitation. As for what Xue Ye Dadi had said about giving Tang Shan some tests, that was a joke. Such a genius, tests? Were they trying to push him away?

As for the claim that they are estranged from Xue Qinghe, they are merely engaging in necessary exchanges and have no intention of becoming close to Xue Qinghe. Don't overthink it.

"Then I'll have to trouble you three seniors."

Xue Qinghe and Tangshan expressed their gratitude once again.

"It's alright, it's alright, there's no need to thank me, we're all family. The eldest prince is a member of the royal family, so you can treat coming to the academy as coming home from now on."

Bai Baoshan said with a smile, looking at Tangshan's talent with satisfaction.

In fact, their personalities can be seen from the actions of the three education committee members in the original work. They genuinely love teaching and sincerely hope that the Heaven Dou Royal Academy can have more geniuses. They are even willing to clash with the Title Douluo because of geniuses.

This is extremely rare. After all, those who can cultivate to the level of Soul Douluo, unless they are evil Soul Masters, will never have weak innate talent, no matter how much they enhance it through other means. They will inevitably want to challenge the final realm of Soul Masters. Given limited time, the willingness to dedicate so much energy to training students suggests genuine passion; otherwise, there is no other possibility.

Forget about the Heaven Dou Emperor's orders. Even setting aside the fact that the Heaven Dou Emperor wouldn't be so short-sighted, he certainly knows the difference between the importance of some low-level Soul Masters and the three potential Title Douluos. Moreover, unless a Title Douluo-level expert intervenes, virtually no one can stop the three Soul Douluos from leaving or joining other major forces.

It can only be said that if they weren't passionate about it, they wouldn't have become members of the teaching committee of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy. Instead, they would have become Heavenly Dou worshippers, like the future elders of the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy, only intervening in crucial moments and spending the rest of their time cultivating.

"Cough cough."

Zhilin coughed to remind Bai Baoshan that he shouldn't say things too clearly, otherwise some unreasonable people would come and cause trouble every day. Although nothing serious would happen, it would still be annoying.

"Come on, Tangshan, fill in these basic information, and the enrollment procedures will be completed quickly."

Meng Shenji pulled a form from his desk and handed it to Tang Shan.

Tang Shan took it and quickly began filling it out. There wasn't much important information; it mainly consisted of his martial soul, soul power level, and what type of soul master he wanted to become, such as a control type or a power attack type.

There was nothing to hide in Tangshan, so they filled everything out truthfully and handed it back to Mengshenji.

Meng Shenji took it back and fiddled with it for a moment before handing a gold token to Tang Shan: "This is the mark of a Heavenly Supreme level student. Remember to keep it safe. If you lose it, you will need to pay one hundred gold soul coins to replace it."

Tang Shan took it and examined it closely, his lips twitching slightly. It was truly made of pure gold. Giving away gold upon enrollment—wasn't that a bit too generous a perk? But upon closer reflection, he realized he was a genius personally selected by Emperor Xue Ye, and his tuition was free. If those noble children wanted to enroll, their tuition for one semester would probably be enough to forge dozens of such tokens.

"Thank you very much, three members of the Education Commission."

Xue Qinghe expressed his gratitude again.

"It's alright. It's our responsibility not to let any genius of the empire slip through our fingers. As members of the teaching committee of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, even if we encounter some obstacles, we must do our best to keep the Soul Master geniuses here."

"Dream God Ji Rao said meaningfully."

Xue Qinghe said thoughtfully, "Thank you for the reminder."

Tangshan blinked, feeling as if they had said something, but he didn't quite understand.

Forget it, I should focus on getting into school as soon as possible.

Looking at the gold token in his hand, Tang Shan revealed a satisfied smile.

The sunlight outside the window shone on the golden token, making the character "至" on it shine brightly.

P.S.: There's at least one more chapter.

Chapter 134 The Serpent Spear Douluo's Special Protection, Prince Xuexin of the Dugu Manor (Bonus Chapter for 700 Monthly Tickets)

After saying goodbye to the three education commissioners, Tang Shan picked up his school uniform and found his dormitory.

In terms of accommodation, the Royal Academy of Heavenly Dou is quite generous: two students at the Tianwei level share a room of about 100 square meters, while students at the Tianzhi level also have a room of about 100 square meters, but each student lives alone; as for the Tiandou level, students can choose a place within the academy's designated area to build a two-story pavilion.

It can only be said that even compared to Shrek Academy ten thousand or even twenty thousand years later, the accommodation conditions of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy are absolutely superior.

"Alright, Your Highness, I should be fine here. You can go and attend to your business."

Tang Shan felt rather helpless looking at Xue Qinghe, who had arranged everything for him from beginning to end.

After inspecting Tang Shan's dormitory and confirming that everything was in order, Xue Qinghe nodded and said, "Alright, if you need anything, just tell Senior She. I'll let him stay at the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy. I'll go and say hello to the noble children; I won't be coming over later."

Wow, a Title Douluo providing close protection! Tang Shan was deeply moved. Miss Angel is amazing! Such strong thighs, I really made the right choice back then.

Seeing Tang Shan's burning gaze fixed on her, Xue Qinghe shifted uncomfortably: "Your gaze feels strange. Are you thinking about something impolite?"

Tang Shan coughed lightly: "Your Highness, you're overthinking it. Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

As he spoke, his face was full of surprise, and he blinked his eyes.

Seeing Tang Shan meet his gaze so calmly, Xue Qinghe's suspicions began to dissipate.

In the end, I still suffered from my lack of education. Who says that looking someone directly into the eyes isn't lying? A person who truly tells the truth will neither look away nor stare directly at you, but will maintain a dynamic gaze.

"I'm leaving now. Be sure to let me know if anything happens."

Xue Qinghe glanced at Tang Shan with some reluctance, but finally turned and left. After all, everyone has to have their own life, and she couldn't always keep Tang Shan by her side. There were also some things that were not suitable for him to know for the time being.

"I'll drive Your Highness back and then come over."

The Serpent Spear Douluo spoke to Tang Shan.

Snake Spear Douluo had no worries about being able to provide close protection for Tangshan.

After all, even though he left, Xue Qinghe still had two titled Douluo, Golden Crocodile Douluo and Porcupine Douluo, by his side; if even Golden Crocodile Douluo couldn't defeat the opponent, having one more or losing him wouldn't make a difference.

After watching the two leave, Tang Shan lay back on the bed, lost in thought.

……

Dugu Mansion

The Dugu family mansion was not large, and the decoration was very simple. There were basically no other residents around the mansion.

At this moment, a carriage with a frame made of thousand-year-old sandalwood stopped in front of the mansion. Dozens of pigeon-blood red gemstones were tied along the edge of the carriage curtain, swaying gently in the breeze and reflecting dazzling halos.

The wheels were wrapped in thick soul beast tendons, making them roll silently.

Around the carriage, soldiers in heavy armor stood solemnly, their armor bearing the insignia of a prince. Their hands rested on their swords at their waists as they vigilantly scanned the passersby.

"Your Majesty Dugu, Tang Shan is exceptionally talented and has a deep mind. If he is allowed to grow up, he will surely become the Crown Prince's right-hand man."

Even so, what if the First Prince really does rise to the top and ascends the throne? What if Tang Shan were to use the Emperor to command the other princes? I hope Your Majesty can consider the overall situation of the Heavenly Dou Clan and expel Tang Shan from the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy.”

The speaker's tone was impassioned and passionate, filled with excitement and indignation. The intensity of his emotions made one believe that he was truly dedicated to public service.

This was a middle-aged man, who looked to be around forty or fifty years old. His face was flushed with an unnatural hue, and his noble appearance was tinged with a hint of ruthlessness. He was spouting his opinions with great enthusiasm, while also making sure to slander someone behind their back.

"Your Majesty has lost your mind. Doesn't he know that the most important thing for an emperor is to maintain balance? If you let the eldest prince become too powerful, and then make him the crown prince in the future, aren't you afraid that the crown prince will stage a coup and force him to abdicate?"

If it were me, I certainly wouldn't do that. I would carefully consider the status of each of my sons and wait until my deathbed to issue an edict confirming the next emperor.

This person was none other than Prince Xuexin, the younger brother of Emperor Xueye.

How could he not be aware of the undercurrents that have been brewing in the Heavenly Dou Empire recently? If he didn't understand the situation, how could he have taken advantage of the changing landscape to make a fortune and maintain his extravagant lifestyle?

Recently, Xue Qinghe's prestige has greatly increased, both in the heart of Emperor Xue Ye and in the court. In addition, he already has a good reputation among the people, and many people have been spreading rumors in private that Xue Qinghe is the only candidate for crown prince and the only successor to the throne.

Especially after the other side not only snatched the Soul Master genius Tang Shan from the Spirit Hall, but also became Ning Fengzhi's disciple, it can truly be called a formidable force.

How could this be allowed? If the heir apparent and even the throne were decided early on, the situation in the empire would not be subject to much change; if the situation did not change, how could he possibly take a risk?

"Your Majesty, please act for the sake of the nation!"

Princess Xuexin bowed deeply, but a hint of resentment flashed across her face: Why am I not a Soul Master? Why must I compromise? Why, even though I saved this old man's life, will he refuse to be my lackey?

Dugu Bo's long, dark green hair fell loose like withered grass. His gray robe was made of coarse hemp mixed with silk spun by poisonous silkworms. He was surrounded by a chilling aura that seemed to have a tangible presence, as if even the air itself had been saturated by the poison emanating from him.