Chapter 22: Early Graduation! Contra—Meng Shenji! An Invitation from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family!

Two days later, at the entrance of Notting Junior Soul Master Academy.

By now, Lu Yu’s soul power had reached the level of Soul Venerable, and he had even broken through to level thirty-four in one leap, naturally increasing his travel speed significantly.

If it weren’t for the fact that the movement of his Wind and Thunder Wings would attract too much attention, he could have returned to Notting City in half a day.

Gazing at the Notting Junior Soul Master Academy before him, Lu Yu murmured, “It’s time to go…”

He had trained here for five years. With the acquisition of his third soul ring, the Golden Light Curse had entered its full maturity, meaning he no longer needed to deliberately suppress his cultivation.

The first stage of the Triple Reversal technique was to strengthen the body, and before the Golden Light Curse reached full maturity, it also tempered the body.

Every time Lu Yu trained these two techniques to their bottlenecks before obtaining a soul ring, it was to push the maximum age limit of soul rings his body could endure to the extreme.

Now that the Triple Reversal had reached its second stage and the Golden Light Curse was fully matured, from now on, whenever he hit a bottleneck in cultivation, he could directly seek out a soul ring.

Had he not deliberately suppressed himself, with Lu Yu’s cultivation speed, he would have reached the rank of four-ring Soul Sect Master, or even five-ring Soul King, within these five years!

If Yu Xiaogang found out about all this, who knows what he would think?

Yu Xiaogang had once said that Lu Yu’s temperament was poor and that he was impatient for success.

He probably never imagined that the cultivation speed Lu Yu displayed was actually the result of deliberate self-restraint to build the most perfect foundation…

...

The Guidance Office.

“You want to apply for early graduation?”

Director Su was momentarily stunned as he looked at Lu Yu.

But soon, thinking that Lu Yu was leaving the academy to obtain his third soul ring, he relaxed.

An eleven-year-old three-ring Soul Venerable could no longer be called a genius; he was a prodigy!

Such a child of heaven and earth could not possibly waste time in a junior soul master academy.

Now, Lu Yu could even skip the intermediate soul master academy and directly join an advanced soul master academy, where he would likely be sought after by all the top institutions!

“Director Su, please help me with the formalities,” Lu Yu said politely with a nod.

Director Su smiled warmly, “Wait here for me. I’ll go find the dean—this matter needs his approval!”

...

Less than ten minutes after Director Su left the Guidance Office, the dean of Notting Junior Soul Master Academy and several senior academy officials arrived together.

They had long heard about Lu Yu—at only eleven years old, he had already reached the Soul Venerable realm. Such talent was rare across the entire Tiandou Empire, and indeed the whole continent.

Seeing this impressive assembly, Lu Yu was not surprised.

When he first applied to the academy to go out and hunt for his third soul ring, he had already anticipated the great sensation he would cause.

While quietly making a fortune was the norm, in the soul master world governed by survival of the fittest, only those with the greatest strength and talent could gain enough attention to hold an extraordinary status.

The dean entered and approached Lu Yu with a friendly smile, “Lu Yu, I heard from Director Su that you want to apply for early graduation?”

Lu Yu nodded calmly, neither arrogant nor humble. “Yes, I ask the academy’s approval.”

The dean smiled, “Of course, I’ll approve it. Even in an advanced soul master academy, reaching the level of three-ring Soul Venerable with excellent grades qualifies you for graduation—let alone here at the junior academy.”

Then he stepped aside and pointed to an elderly man behind him. “Lu Yu, this is Senior Dream Machine, Chief of the Academic Affairs Committee at the Tiandou Royal Academy. He wishes to have a word with you.”

The dean’s expression was respectful as he spoke.

Lu Yu’s eyes sharpened slightly as he looked at Dream Machine.

Dream Machine appeared to be in his eighties, slender with a ruddy complexion and vigorous spirit.

After the introduction, the dean gave a glance to the senior officials behind him, who then quietly left the office and closed the door.

Dream Machine sized up Lu Yu from head to toe, then smiled, “Little one, there’s no need to be nervous.”

“I’m here today on behalf of the Tiandou Royal Academy and the Tiandou Empire’s royal family to extend an invitation to you!”

Lu Yu naturally recognized the elder before him. The Tiandou Royal Academy was affiliated with the imperial family of the Tiandou Empire, with the emperor himself serving as its dean, although he rarely intervened in the academy’s affairs.

Dream Machine was the highest-ranking figure in the academy aside from the dean himself!

Most notably…

Dream Machine was an eight-ring Soul Douluo!

Lu Yu bowed slightly, his expression respectful but not servile. “May I ask what you wish to convey, senior?”

Dream Machine waved his hand with a smile, “Not a demand! The empire has always valued talent. You’ve reached the third ring at only eleven years old—a truly exceptional gift!”

“I am here to invite you, on behalf of the royal family and the academy, to join the Tiandou Royal Academy and represent it in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition in three years’ time!”

...

“If you choose to join the Tiandou Royal Academy, the academy will provide a monthly stipend of ten thousand gold soul coins and supply all resources necessary for your cultivation. All simulation training facilities within the academy will be freely available to you!”

“Moreover, neither the academy nor the royal family will restrict your freedom. After the elite competition, you may graduate early at any time.”

“In addition, during your time at the academy, if you need to obtain soul rings, the Academic Affairs Committee will hunt soul beasts under thirty thousand years old for you free of charge!”

“Furthermore, the royal family will grant you noble status. Once you reach the Soul Saint realm, should you wish, the royal family will confer upon you the title of a prince of a different surname!”

Though Lu Yu had anticipated much of this, hearing Dream Machine’s generous terms still impressed him deeply.

The Tiandou Empire’s royal family was truly magnanimous!

Yet, upon closer reflection, Lu Yu guessed the royal family’s true intent in offering such conditions.

Though Dream Machine spoke elegantly about freedom and choice, this freedom applied only after Lu Yu represented the Tiandou Royal Academy in the soul master competition!

During the three years before that, Lu Yu’s status would remain that of a student of the Tiandou Royal Academy, unable to join other factions.

As for after three years?

For ordinary soul masters, the optimal age for fifth and sixth soul rings are fifteen thousand and twenty thousand years respectively.

Yet, soul masters just reaching level fifty rarely defeat soul beasts aged fifteen thousand years.

Similarly, those at level sixty who have not obtained a sixth soul ring struggle to contend with twenty thousand-year-old soul beasts.

If it were anyone else, the mere promise of these conditions would be enough to willingly remain at the Tiandou Royal Academy.

And upon breaking through to level seventy, they would even be granted princely status by the Tiandou Empire, gaining extraordinary status and immense power.

How many could resist such temptation?

But for Lu Yu, none of this was of any concern!