In the eyes of transmigrators, the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy in the Heaven Dou Empire isn't considered a truly top-tier power. However, for Chen Shijie and Chen Tianyun, it was the most prestigious and reliable institution they could access.
At this time, Title Douluo had not yet become as commonplace as in later series. Every Title Douluo was a mysterious, almost mythical figure, and even Soul Douluo were top-level powerhouses renowned across the continent.
In their view, the three Soul Douluo-level members of the academy's board, combined with the support of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family, were more than enough to deter anyone with ill intentions toward Chen Ming.
After some careful thought, Chen Ming realized that joining the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was indeed the best choice for him at this stage.
On the Douluo Continent, the only institutions surpassing the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy were the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire's Royal Academy.
While Chen Ming had the background to join the Spirit Hall, simply entering it wouldn't guarantee access to its upper echelons or the best training resources.
Even if it took him just five years to earn a place in the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation and receive equivalent training, those initial five years would essentially be wasted.
Moreover, Chen Ming wasn't inclined to quietly stay under the Spirit Hall's watchful eyes for five years waiting for approval. He had long coveted rare immortal herbs, and if he delayed any longer, even their roots would likely be dug up by Tang San.
That simply wasn't worth it.
While the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy might not rival the Spirit Hall's millennia-old legacy and divine connections in terms of knowledge, it still had everything one could expect from a conventional institution. Additionally, as a noble academy without any Title Douluo, it afforded a certain degree of personal privacy, making it easier to operate without drawing excessive scrutiny.
Another key point: the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had Dugu Yan, the granddaughter of Dugu Bo. Not only was Dugu Bo a top-tier poison master on the Douluo Continent, but he also possessed the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, a supreme treasure spanning all four Douluo series.
For Chen Ming, the Dugu family was a treasure trove, arguably more valuable than the academy itself.
Thinking this through, Chen Ming found the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy to be an excellent choice.
Thus, he agreed to Chen Shijie's proposal. After returning to the Chen family, the three of them packed their belongings and waited two months for the academy's enrollment day. Then they brought Chen Ming to Heaven Dou City, the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Concerned about Chen Ming's future, Chen Shijie handed over his own storage soul tool ring. Chen Tianyun, anticipating various scenarios Chen Ming might face, spent several days stuffing the seven-to-eight-cubic-meter storage soul tool full to the brim.
The enrollment process at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy went smoothly, without any issues.
The Chen family, a hereditary earl, had existed for centuries. Though their presence wasn't particularly prominent, their title was well-established and unquestionable.
For baron or viscount families, enrolling their children in the academy required talent tests, as students with insufficient aptitude would not be accepted. However, for an earl's family, enrollment merely required a simple registration of the student's age, name, martial soul, and soul power.
Though this system seemed riddled with loopholes, it reflected the academy's dual purpose as both an educational institution and a venue for the empire's nobles to network. This peculiarity stemmed from its unique role.
Finally, when most of the formalities were completed, the most crucial test—the verification of martial soul and soul power—was introduced.
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"Hello, I am Qin Ming, a teacher at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. I specialize in agility-focused battle souls and hold the rank of Soul King. Under the instructions of the three board members, I've come to verify the authenticity of your martial soul and soul power."
In a dim, enclosed room, a modestly dressed middle-aged man gazed at Chen Ming with a polite smile. His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, revealed a trace of weariness and resignation.
The Douluo Continent is known for producing people with love-brain tendencies and fools. While they may not be apparent in daily life, occasionally, some extraordinary characters pop up to stir things up in spectacular fashion.
Even during something as important as enrollment at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, every year, there are always a few individuals—perhaps the result of too much inbreeding—who manage to cause all sorts of bizarre incidents.
For instance, someone with a mudfish martial soul might register it as a black dragon; a soul master might insist they're a Grand Soul Master who hasn't absorbed a second ring yet; or a fifteen or sixteen-year-old might adamantly claim they're only eleven or twelve.
In short, there's no shortage of ridiculous cases, with all kinds of eccentric characters shining like stars. Unfortunately, because these individuals often come from wealthy or noble families, even the three board members can't deal with them directly. Instead, every year, they assign someone trustworthy to individually inspect the children sent by families of earl rank or higher during the final stage of enrollment.
Before meeting Chen Ming, Qin Ming had already examined over a dozen children. At least half of the claims he heard were outright lies—if not more.
There were cases like someone insisting their martial soul, an ordinary cat, was a tiger; a noble child inexplicably possessing two white soul rings; a strong attack-type martial soul claimed to be support-type; or even male soul masters insisting they were female so they could live in the girls' dormitory.
As for the ones who were either arrogant or overly self-confident, claiming that their innate soul power of rank seven would inevitably lead to them becoming a renowned Title Douluo in the future—well, such cases were a dime a dozen.
Qin Ming was a remarkably patient person, but after dealing with this parade of bizarre characters, even he felt drained, almost suffocated by frustration. He couldn't help but fantasize about activating his martial soul and using his fifth spirit skill to burn these pretentious fools into ash.
Chen Ming's registered information stated that he was 11 years old, male, a rank 23 Grand Soul Master, with an Emerald Scorpion martial soul, a control-type specialization, and soul rings of one yellow and one purple.
If this were true, it would make him an extraordinary prodigy. However, given the typical behavior of these nobles, Qin Ming had no intention of taking it seriously.
In Qin Ming's mind, Chen Ming was unlikely to even have a second soul ring, let alone be the rank 23 Grand Soul Master he claimed to be.
"Release your martial soul," Qin Ming said, waving his hand before Chen Ming could speak. His tone was polite yet perfunctory, clearly reflecting his lack of expectation.
"Alright..." Chen Ming looked at the character before him, who had appeared in the original story, somewhat puzzled by the man's attitude. Nonetheless, he released his martial soul and soul rings.
His body grew larger, and a scorpion tail extended behind him. As his rank 23 Grand Soul Master aura radiated outward, the previously disinterested Qin Ming suddenly raised his head, his expression filled with shock. When he saw the one yellow and one purple soul rings appear, Qin Ming jumped up, tossed aside his notebook, and quickly approached Chen Ming, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
"Chen Ming?" Qin Ming asked hesitantly.
"Yes."
"Eleven years old, rank 23 Grand Soul Master?" Qin Ming pressed.
"Yes."
"One yellow and one purple soul rings?!" Qin Ming's voice rose sharply, reaching a level that was almost uncomfortable to hear.
"Teacher, didn't you check my registration details?" Chen Ming took a step back, frowning at the seemingly possessed Qin Ming, his voice tinged with irritation.
"I… I…" Qin Ming stammered, trying to explain. But he found it difficult to articulate his thoughts after dealing with so many eccentric cases earlier. He didn't want to taint this prodigy's ears with those absurdities. After fumbling for words for a long moment, he finally managed to form a coherent sentence.
"I just can't believe I'm seeing such an outstanding genius."