Douluo: The Gate to Heaven

Shrek Academy, Inner Courtyard.

A tall, upright-looking elderly man wearily withdrew his hand from behind a young girl in red, rubbed his temples, and looked at a middle-aged man beside him, asking, "Old Du, how are the two young people who were implicated by Xiao Tao? Has everything been resolved?"

"Those two students were just too frightened and were not injured. I had someone compensate them with a Soul-Ascending Pill and ordered them to keep quiet, but..." A middle-aged man beside the old man answered after hearing his words, then paused and hesitated.

The middle-aged man was the Dean of Studies of the Outer Court of Shrek Academy, while the old man was Yan Shaozhe, the Dean of the Martial Soul Department of Shrek Academy.

"But what? Speak your mind," Yan Shaozhe said.

"Xiao Tao's martial soul is the phoenix, the king of birds. It's possible that her aura caused a riot among the soul beasts in the soul beast area. In addition, with Elder Gong absent, a special soul beast that the academy had just captured escaped in the chaos and injured an outer court student..." Du Weilun paused for a moment before telling the truth.

"How could a soul beast escape from the Soul Beast Zone? How is that outer court student?" Yan Shaozhe frowned and asked.

Du Weilun said, "That soul beast is special; it's a thousand-year-old space-type Purple Sky Sable that has been hiding its strength. The teachers at the academy misjudged it, thinking it was only a hundred years old, and it escaped in the chaos. The student's situation is a bit complicated now, and I don't know how to explain it..."

Yan Shaozhe nodded. There is a qualitative difference between a hundred-year-old Purple Sky Sable and a thousand-year-old Purple Sky Sable, especially for space-type soul beasts. However, the criteria for judging the two are very vague. In addition, it is normal to make a mistake in judgment when the Purple Sky Sable is deliberately hiding. The thousand-year-old Purple Sky Sable does have the possibility of escaping the soul beast area's seal during the chaos.

"Explain in detail!" Yan Shaozhe said.

Du Weilen considered his words for a moment before saying, "That student used a special soul tool to kill the Purple Sky Sable, but in the process, he was accidentally poisoned by the Purple Sky Sable. Then, he made a decisive decision and chose to absorb the Purple Sky Sable's soul ring..."

Yan Shaozhe nodded and said, "He actually just reached the level to absorb a spirit ring? That little guy is quite lucky. The Purple Sky Sable is a rare space-type spirit beast, priceless. However, he suffered an undeserved disaster, so let's consider this Purple Sky Sable as compensation for him. The little guy absorbed the Purple Sky Sable's spirit ring, which can be considered a blessing in disguise. The outer court can focus on cultivating him..."

A soul master who absorbs the Purple Sky Sable soul ring will inevitably obtain a good soul skill, regardless of their martial soul and talent. According to Shrek Academy's rules, they will also receive special training.

Du Weilen gave a wry smile and said, "If only it were that simple. The key is that the child's soul power is only level ten, and that's the first soul ring he absorbed."

"Impossible! How could Shrek Academy have a level 10 student!" Yan Shaozhe was stunned. Shrek Academy's admission standard was level 15 or above. Therefore, Yan Shaozhe hadn't thought much about what Du Weilun said earlier.

The fact that the Shrek Academy teachers could make a misjudgment means that the Purple Sky Sable's true cultivation level is only a little over a thousand years. It is somewhat dangerous for a level 20 Soul Master to absorb such a Soul Ring, but it is not impossible. However, Yan Shaozhe would not even dare to think of a level 10 Soul Master absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring.

Du Weilen sighed and said, "That child was brought back by Dean Qian himself. As a specially recruited talent of the Soul Guidance Department, he has excellent talent in Soul Guidance. Although his Soul Power is very low, he can improve it with the help of potions. He will have no problem becoming a senior researcher in the Soul Guidance Department."

Yan Shaozhe rubbed his forehead, sighed, and said, "Old Qian... it seems we're going to have to spend a lot this time. We need to find that child's family and compensate them to the highest standard. Joining Shrek Academy and embarking on the path of a Soul Master, how can you expect to avoid death? It's just that he was unlucky!"

As the top academy on the entire continent, the death of a few students is not a big deal for Shrek Academy. However, since it was Shrek Academy's mistake, Yan Shaozhe would not be stingy with the compensation that should be paid.

At this moment, in Yan Shaozhe's mind, Tuoba Wukong was already a dead man.

It's impossible for a level 10 Soul Master to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring and still survive.

……

Shrek Academy, Outer Division.

Poseidon Lakeside.

Several people surrounded a boy.

The tall, elderly man at the head of the group, his face contorted with rage, glared at a plain-looking female teacher and roared, "Zhou Yi, I entrusted this person to you, and this is how you train them? What's the outer academy's Soul Beast Zone for? Is Gong Changlong even capable of doing his job? If he's really getting old and his eyesight is failing, he should go to Seagod Island for secluded cultivation. Don't mislead students here and harm the academy's disciples..."

"Dean Qian, don't be angry. This Purple Sky Sable has only just broken through to the thousand-year mark. It's normal for the Soul Master who captured it to make a mistake. Moreover, at that time, Dean Yan's disciple had an accident, which caused a riot among the Soul Beasts in the Soul Beast Zone. The staff in the Soul Beast Zone were in a panic and accidentally let the Purple Sky Sable go."

"Besides, no one could have imagined that a Purple Sky Sable would appear inside Shrek Academy. Zhou Yi didn't do it on purpose," a handsome and tall middle-aged man pleaded beside Qian Duoduo.

"Not intentional? You think you can shirk responsibility with just 'not intentional'? Fan Yu, you're the successor of the Soul Guidance Department. You have no idea how terrifying his talent is in Soul Guidance Devices. You saw the Soul Guidance Device next to him, didn't you? A Soul Master without a single Soul Ring used a Soul Guidance Device he made himself to snipe a thousand-year-old Purple Sky Sable head-on. What that means is self-evident. If he grows up, he could even reverse the situation between us and the Sun Moon Empire in terms of Soul Guidance Devices. Do you understand?" Qian Duoduo was furious.

Fan Yu fell silent. He had also examined the soul tool next to Tuoba Wukong. In fact, it could hardly be considered a soul tool, as it did not require a soul master's soul power to be used. However, this soul tool was completely different from the hidden weapons of the Tang Sect. Although Fan Yu could not determine its principle in a short time, he saw a very broad future in it.

This young man is indeed a prodigy.

Even if one's martial soul talent is a bit low, Shrek Academy has no shortage of resources; they can still create a high-level soul master by using potions.

……

"It hurts, it hurts so much..."

Intense pain stimulated Tuoba Wukong's brain. He felt as if his body was about to burst, as if he was about to explode. A heat like magma coursed through his internal organs, and the burning sensation mixed with a knife-like sting made him feel even more miserable.

He felt like he was about to die.

Are you going to die again?

Tuoba Wukong recalled the time in his previous life when he cried out for help in agony at the bottom of a cliff, but no one paid any attention. Although it was very brief, the pain of his internal organs being shattered and his bones and tendons being broken had woken him up from his dreams countless times.

He really didn't want to experience that kind of pain and despair again.

Maybe, death would be better? Then the pain would be gone...

Having died once, death didn't actually hold much of a fear for Tuoba Wukong.

But I'm not resigned to this. I haven't become a powerful Soul Master yet. I don't want to fall into that helpless despair again. I want to live on, to live on and on.

A powerful will to survive surged within Tuoba Wukong. In his blurred consciousness, Tuoba Wukong seemed to see another version of himself, his past self. The pain from the scorching heat coursing through his internal organs and limbs seemed to diminish...

……

"I'm sorry, Dean. It was my decision to let Zhou Yi take care of this child. I'm willing to take the punishment in Zhou Yi's place. I will research all the theories of that soul tool and ensure that Shrek Academy's soul tool department doesn't fall behind others." After a moment of silence, Fan Yu said with a resolute expression.

Qian Duoduo sighed, "It's no use saying anything now. You'd better take care of yourself!"

"Wait a minute." At this moment, Zhou Yi, who had been silent all along, spoke up.

All eyes turned to him.

"Zhou Yi, is there anything else you want to say?" Qian Duoduo asked calmly.

Zhou Yi paused for a moment, then said, "Dean Qian, Fan Yu, if it's my fault, I'll take responsibility myself. No one needs to pay for my mistakes. But don't you think Tuoba Wukong has been absorbing this spirit ring for too long?"

"From the time he started absorbing the spirit ring until we arrived here, we've been guarding him for over an hour. If it were a normal person, they would explode and die shortly after the spirit ring enters their body. Although Tuoba Wukong's spirit power is increasing slowly, he is already thirteen years old. His stamina and physical qualities are stronger than most level ten spirit masters. Maybe he really can succeed."

Normally, even with extremely poor talent, a Soul Master's Soul Power reaching Level 10 will be below the age of ten. The later a Soul Master absorbs a Soul Ring, the greater their physical growth will be. Theoretically, a thirteen-year-old Level 10 Soul Master can absorb a Soul Ring at a higher age than a ten-year-old Soul Master, since their ages and physical development levels are different.

In order to improve their strength as quickly as possible, most Soul Masters choose to absorb Soul Rings immediately after reaching level 10. Tuoba Wukong's talent is average, but he has a certain advantage in absorbing his first Soul Ring.

Qian Duoduo and Fan Yu both fell into a cognitive trap. There had never been a precedent on the continent for a level 10 Soul Master to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring. In addition, Tuoba Wukong was too important, and their concern made them confused. So they never thought that Tuoba Wukong still had a chance of survival. But Zhou Yi's reminder made them realize that something was wrong with Tuoba Wukong.

Upon Zhou Yi's reminder, Qian Duoduo immediately looked at Tuoba Wukong, her sorrow turning to joy, and exclaimed in surprise, "His violent soul power is stabilizing. This kid's will to survive is frighteningly strong. It's actually possible that he will succeed. His martial soul is spatial, right? Perhaps this time he has truly turned misfortune into blessing and set a new record."

"Wait, none of you tell Yan Shaozhe about this. Watch me scam him out of a lot. Keep an eye on this kid's situation, but don't be too lenient. Who knows, this kid might actually have unlimited potential in the future." After the anger subsided, Qian Duoduo's eyes suddenly flashed with shrewdness and cunning.

Much later.

A purple spirit ring was placed on Tuoba Wukong's body, and the violent spirit power within him gradually calmed down...