"Greetings to the Crown Prince. I assume this young man is the Crown Prince of the Gulei Kingdom, little Nan Feihuang?" The normal-sized man stepped forward with a smile. As a Soul Douluo, he didn't have to bow even to the Crown Prince, but did so out of courtesy and decorum.
"Indeed, Mister Meng Shenji. His Excellency Xuan Bing has entrusted this child to us, and we will certainly take good care of him," Xue Qinghe nodded, then turned to Nan Feihuang. "Feihuang, let me introduce you to the three Deans of the Heavenly Dou Imperial Academy. This is Meng Shenji, the head Dean, with a Black Demon Martial Spirit, an eighty-fifth level Control-Type Soul Douluo."
"You've already met Vice-Dean Bai Baoshan. The last one here is Vice-Dean Zhilin, with a Sky Blue Vine Martial Spirit, an eighty-second level Control-Type Soul Douluo."
Xue Qinghe introduced the trio in turn.
An academy with three Soul Douluos was quite remarkable, and notably, of the three, two were rare Control-Types, which was far from common. In this era, Control-Type soul masters were immensely powerful. While Attack-Type soul masters boasted explosive strength, in a one-on-one battle, it was often the Control-Types that reigned supreme. Unless there was a severe mismatch in martial spirit quality or type, Control-Types could usually suppress Attack-Types with ease.
Control-Type soul masters were rare to begin with, and even fewer could achieve the rank of Title Douluo. The seven Titled Douluo of the Spirit Hall, for example, were all Attack-Types.
If Meng Shenji could one day break through to become a Title Douluo, he would be a force to be reckoned with. While he might not stand a chance against the mighty Golden Crocodile Douluo, he could likely hold his own against someone like Snake Spear Douluo or Dolphin Douluo.
With these thoughts in mind, Nan Feihuang took a step forward and introduced himself, "Greetings to the three esteemed Deans. My name is Nan Feihuang, I am nine years old and will soon turn ten. My Martial Spirit is the unparalleled Fangtian Halberd, and I am a twenty-eighth level Attack-Type Battle Soul Grandmaster with one yellow and one purple soul ring."
Although the Deans had already heard of this prodigious child, hearing his abilities recited so clearly still filled them with disbelief.
Yet their surprise quickly turned to joy. Even if Nan Feihuang was only an exchange student, having such a talented individual under their tutelage was a rare honor. A soul master with the potential to reach Title Douluo could add a brilliant chapter to their teaching careers.
"Good, good! Child, rest assured, the academy will certainly guide you well." Meng Shenji smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Dean."
"Feihuang, by the way, your friend has already been assigned a student dormitory," Bai Baoshan reminded him. "You can rest with him today, and tomorrow I will assign you both to your respective classes."
"Grandfather Deans, allow me to take Brother Feihuang to the dorms. I can also show him around the campus," Xueke offered enthusiastically. The three Deans, knowing about her engagement to Nan Feihuang, wouldn't be so unkind as to refuse the young couple some time together.
After all, this world had no rules against young love.
Nan Feihuang had already seen many pairs of lovebirds walking hand in hand when he first arrived at the academy.
As they left the Dean's office, Xue Qinghe said, "Well then, little sister, I'll leave Feihuang in your care. I have many matters to attend to back at the Eastern Palace."
Being the Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe naturally didn't have the time to accompany Nan Feihuang all day.
"Don't worry, big brother," Xueke smiled sweetly.
Satisfied, Xue Qinghe left, but not before reminding Nan Feihuang that if he ever encountered trouble at the academy, he could always seek him out at the palace.
"Come on, Brother Feihuang, let me show you around our Heavenly Dou Imperial Academy." Now that they were alone, Xueke felt a bit shy, averting her eyes as she walked ahead.
"Brother Feihuang, our academy spans about 20,000 acres. Besides the main buildings like the classrooms, library, cafeteria, and dormitories, most of the space is dedicated to our simulated cultivation areas."
"Twenty thousand acres? That's nearly five times the size of the university from my previous life," Nan Feihuang thought to himself. He realized the simulated cultivation areas must take up a huge portion of the land.
During the era of Douluo Dalu, soul masters were not particularly abundant. The entire continent had only a little over 100,000 soul masters in total, and with Heavenly Dou Imperial Academy's strict policy of only accepting nobles, the student body here was even smaller.
"Princess, I'm guessing the academy has about 500 students?" Nan Feihuang estimated.
Xueke nodded, "Yes, currently, Heavenly Dou Imperial Academy has 557 students, divided into three levels. Those with a soul power level between fifteen and twenty-five are in the lowest class, Tianwei Class. Those between twenty-five and thirty are in the Tianzhi Class, and those above thirty are placed in the highest, Tiandou Class."
"The instructors are divided similarly. Those with soul power levels between forty and fifty are Tianwei level, fifty to sixty are Tianzhi, and above sixty are Tiandou."
"Right now, the academy has fourteen classes in total, each with about forty students. There is only one Tiandou Class, three Tianzhi Classes, and the rest are Tianwei Classes."
Nan Feihuang chuckled, "So, it seems I'll be placed in a Tianzhi Class?" His laugh wasn't out of joy but rather thinly veiled disappointment. From what Xueke was saying, there weren't many outstanding students at the academy. Seventy percent of them were in the lowest Tianwei Class—disheartening, to say the least.
"Yes, Brother Feihuang, you're truly exceptional. You'll likely be the youngest student in the Tianzhi Class. I, on the other hand, am the same age as you, but I've barely reached a soul power of ten. I only obtained my first soul ring six months ago, so I'll probably graduate from the Tianzhi level at best." Xueke's voice lowered, her frustration evident. This was the one thing she couldn't change.
She could improve her intelligence through study, enhance her elegance with music and dance, and refine her mannerisms, but the one thing she couldn't do was make herself a stronger soul master.
Her innate soul power was too low, around three or four levels at birth. With enough effort and the empire's resources, she might one day reach Soul King, but Soul Emperor would require some luck. As for Soul Sage, it was an unattainable dream.
"Brother Feihuang, you're bound to become a Title Douluo in the future, one of the most prestigious figures on the continent. When that happens... will you think I'm unworthy of you?" Xueke asked, her voice full of worry.
She knew her marriage to Nan Feihuang was already set in stone. Even as a princess of the empire, what would that mean in front of a Title Douluo?
Nan Feihuang smiled, "Why would you think that, Princess? True nobility isn't determined by strength, nor even by status. Nobility isn't carved into your skin or running in your blood. It's the honor you earn with your actions. As long as you are kind-hearted, there's no one in this world you could ever be unworthy of."
"My brother said the same thing!" Xueke's eyes lit up, her fondness for Nan Feihuang growing as she realized he was as honorable as her elder brother.
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