"Salutations to the three Education Committee elders."
Qin Ming stepped forward and bowed slightly, his attitude extremely respectful.
The three Education Committee members were all quite amiable. They smiled cheerfully at Qin Ming and waved their hands.
"Qin Ming, no need for such formalities."
"Why have you come to find us three old fellows in such a hurry? Has something happened?"
The one speaking was the third seat, Zhi Lin.
Qin Ming did not beat around the bush. He directly pushed Lin Yang forward two steps.
"Three Education Committee elders, I am here for this child."
The gazes of the three elders instantly locked onto Lin Yang.
Facing the pressure from three Soul Douluo, Lin Yang could clearly feel a wave of oppressive force washing over him, but he maintained a calm mindset.
A glint of interest flashed in Meng Shenji's eyes.
"Little Qin, what's the story with this child?"
"Chief, his name is Lin Yang. His cultivation is at the thirty-second rank Soul Elder level, and he wishes to enroll in our academy."
The moment Qin Ming finished speaking, the three Education Committee members revealed expressions of shock in unison.
Thirty-second rank?
This kid named Lin Yang looked to be only eleven or twelve years old at most—younger than even the boy from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
"Lin Yang." Qin Ming turned to look at him with curiosity. "Release your Martial Soul."
Lin Yang nodded. With a thought, a flash of black light appeared, and a long blade with a sheath materialized in his hand.
At the same time, three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—emerged beneath his feet.
He was undoubtedly a Soul Elder!
Lin Yang observed that the three elders' expressions remained unchanged and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As expected, merely concealing the soul ring colors with the "Eye Concealment" effect of a ten-thousand-year soul ring, combined with his Spirit Sea realm spiritual power, was more than enough to deceive everyone.
At the same moment, the three Education Committee members exchanged glances, their eyes unanimously falling on the sheath of Lin Yang's Nichirin Blade Martial Soul.
Although the sheath appeared ordinary, in their eyes, they instantly recognized its true nature.
An External Attached Soul Bone!
And one that had already been perfectly fused!
They had found a treasure!
The same thought surfaced in all three of their minds.
Meng Shenji immediately made the decision and approved Lin Yang's enrollment application.
However, Qin Ming's next words caused their expressions to change drastically.
"Three Education Committee elders, his cultivation isn't the main point. The key is that Lin Yang… is not even ten years old this year!"
Bang!
The nanmu wood chairs beneath the three elders shattered simultaneously. In the blink of an eye, all three had already surrounded Lin Yang, shoving Qin Ming aside.
So fast!
Lin Yang's heart jolted. He hadn't even clearly seen how they had moved.
At that moment, Meng Shenji's aged face was smiling like a blooming flower. He grinned and said,
"Lin Yang, right? Could you give me your hand?"
Lin Yang nodded. The moment he raised his hand, Meng Shenji eagerly grabbed it and began feeling it up and down.
The sight made Lin Yang's back tighten involuntarily.
Could this old man have some other peculiar hobby?
Meng Shenji's gaze toward Lin Yang had completely changed. It was the look one gave to a rare treasure—filled with fervor, excitement, and shock!
Eight years old, not even nine.
That was the boy's true age.
Moreover, in his view, the boy's physical body was terrifyingly strong.
"Old Dream, what did you find after feeling him up for so long?" Bai Baoshan couldn't help asking from the side.
Meng Shenji completely ignored the fatty beside him. His eyes burned as he stared at Lin Yang.
"Lin Yang, would you be willing to become my personal disciple?"
The moment these words were spoken, the entire room fell silent.
Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin couldn't help glancing at their old friend. It had been nearly twenty years since he last took a disciple.
Immediately after, the two of them grabbed Lin Yang's arms from either side and began carefully examining him.
"This…"
"How is this possible…"
Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin exchanged a look, then shouted in unison toward Lin Yang,
"Lin Yang, would you be willing to take me as your master?"
Meng Shenji, who had spoken first, glared. "What's this? I spoke first. Shouldn't there be a proper order of precedence?"
"Order of precedence?"
Bai Baoshan sneered. "You think this is child's play?"
A rare seedling like this naturally required striking first.
Zhi Lin chimed in as well. "I recall the two of you already have closed-door disciples. Why don't you let me have this one?"
"Get lost."
Meng Shenji and Bai Baoshan immediately formed a united front against the outsider.
"Slander! This is slander!" Bai Baoshan said with feigned anger. "I never said mine was a closed-door disciple."
Meng Shenji was even more shameless. "Hmph, closed-door disciple? From now on, Lin Yang will be my locked-door disciple."
You motherf…
Zhi Lin finally witnessed the shameless and flexible bottom lines of his two old friends and nearly cursed out loud.
"What? Usually teachers pick students. Today I want to take a disciple and I still have to compete with you two?"
"Come on then. Who's afraid of you!"
"Hmph, you two are just asking for humiliation." Meng Shenji looked arrogant.
"Heh, with my fiery temper, I can't stand this. Old Bai, let's eliminate him first!"
The three of them bickered noisily like children fighting over candy, surrounding Lin Yang and arguing until their faces turned red.
Years of friendship were instantly reduced to ashes.
Meanwhile, Qin Ming standing to the side had completely frozen. When had he ever seen such a scene?
Three Soul Douluo were nearly about to come to blows over a single student.
Seeing that things were about to escalate into a fight, Qin Ming quietly reminded them from the side,
"Three Education Committee elders, perhaps you should ask Lin Yang for his opinion first?"
The three men stiffened. Their hands stopped moving in unison as they turned to look at Lin Yang.
Lin Yang couldn't help retreating a few steps. Facing three pairs of burning gazes, his head began to ache.
He truly hadn't expected to catch the eye of all three Education Committee members, each wanting to take him as a disciple.
Although Soul Douluo were renowned powerhouses on the continent, they probably couldn't handle the secrets he carried.
More importantly, as the core of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the three elders were naturally tied to the Heaven Dou imperial family.
If possible, he did not want to entangle himself too deeply with the imperial family—especially under the watchful eyes of that "Crown Prince."
Yet he couldn't refuse outright either.
"Three seniors, I…"
Just as Lin Yang was thinking of how to respond, a low, hoarse voice came from outside the door, carrying a hint of mockery.
"Heh, you three old geezers are really enjoying yourselves fighting over him."
The expressions of the three Education Committee members changed simultaneously.
Meng Shenji reacted the fastest. He pulled Lin Yang behind him and turned toward the entrance.
The door to the reception room was pushed open, and a green-haired elder walked in.
He wore a dark green robe, his complexion slightly pale. A pair of narrow, elongated eyes emitted a faint green glow, like a venomous snake, sending chills down one's spine.
Most alarming was the faint but oppressive aura emanating from him. Even the slight leakage made the entire room feel stifling and sluggish.
Lin Yang's pupils contracted sharply. Why was Dugu Bo here?
The figure of Dugu Yan instantly appeared in his mind.
Was it because of her?
The previously noisy three Education Committee members simultaneously stepped forward, gathering their auras to confront Dugu Bo's pressure.
"Title Douluo Dugu's honorable presence—forgive us for not welcoming you from afar…"
Meng Shenji had barely spoken when Dugu Bo forcefully interrupted.
"Enough with the pleasantries."
His gaze bypassed the three men and landed directly on Lin Yang.
Those eerie green eyes scrutinized Lin Yang up and down for a long while before he spoke slowly.
"Kid, my granddaughter just told me there's a Soul Elder under ten years old. I didn't believe it, so I came specially to take a look."
The corner of Dugu Bo's mouth curled into a meaningful smile.
"Now it seems it's true."
Meng Shenji's heart tightened. He quickly said, "Title Douluo, this child is a student of our academy…"
"Hmph, I didn't say he couldn't attend school."
Dugu Bo snorted coldly, then looked at Lin Yang.
"Kid, seeing that you have some talent and my granddaughter speaks highly of you—would you consider taking me as your master?"