Chapter 46: Heaven Dou Academy and Hidden Networks
The Shrek Academy students were amazed by the luxury of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
When they entered the mountain path, everyone saw that the stone steps were carved from pure white marble. Each step had beautiful spirit beast patterns. The craftsmanship was incredible.
The surroundings were beautiful. Old trees lined the pathways, colorful flowers bloomed in gardens, and the air smelled fresh and clean. Everyone could feel the difference from outside—the spirit power in the air was much stronger here.
As they walked, Teacher Sun explained about the academy.
"Up ahead is our Main Campus, where we have classrooms and dormitories," he said, pointing forward. "Beyond that mountain is our famous Mimicry Zone. It has special areas that copy different environments—forests, deserts, ice fields and volcanoes. Students train in them to get better at fighting in different places."
Flender looked interested. "How many students study here?"
"About eight hundred students in total," Teacher Sun replied. "We only accept the best."
"And how many teachers?"
"Fifty-two teachers. Eight Senior teachers, twenty-three Grand teachers, and twenty-one Minor teachers."
They walked quickly—spirit masters moved faster than normal people—and soon reached the middle of the mountain where the main campus stood.
The campus had mostly one-story buildings that looked like a fortress. High stone walls, five meters tall, surrounded everything.
When they entered, they didn't see many students. Teacher Sun explained that most were training in the Mimicry Zone right now.
"This way, please," Teacher Sun led them down clean paths to a nice reception room.
The room had soft cushioned chairs, a polished wooden table, and beautiful paintings of spirit beasts on the walls.
"Wait here. I'll get Teacher Qin Ming," Teacher Sun said with a bow before leaving.
After he left, the Shrek group looked around.
"This is... very different from our academy," Oscar said carefully.
Ma Hongjun was more direct. "This is amazing! These chairs are so soft! And these paintings must be really expensive!"
Ning Rongrong smiled. "This is normal for a big imperial academy. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan has similar stuff."
"Show-off," Xiao Wu teased.
Soon, they heard fast footsteps. Qin Ming entered the room, looking warm but also concerned.
"Dean Flender, Grandmaster, everyone—I'm so sorry about what happened at the entrance!" Qin Ming said. "Those students were completely wrong. I already told the academy leaders."
Flender waved his hand. "Don't worry. It's already over."
"Still, it makes our academy look bad," Qin Ming insisted. Then he smiled. "But I have good news! I talked to the academy leaders about you coming here, and they're very happy to welcome all the Shrek Academy teachers. Everything should be fine."
He looked outside at the darkening sky. "It's getting late, so I already prepared rooms for everyone. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to meet the Education Committee to make everything official."
Qin Ming was successful at Heaven Dou Royal Academy not just because he was strong, but also because he was good at dealing with people and handling problems in the complicated political environment of the imperial academy.
"You thought of everything," Yu Xiaogang said, approving.
"Follow me," Qin Ming led them through the campus to a well-kept dormitory building.
The rooms were single occupancy, in a good location for cultivation, and had everything new—beds, desks, wardrobes, washbasins, even meditation cushions.
Flender and the others liked these arrangements.
After everyone saw their rooms, Qin Ming hosted dinner for them at the academy's dining hall. They talked about many details of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The most important topic was how students and teachers were ranked.
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy has three levels of students," Qin Ming explained while they ate. "Students below Level 25 are Minor Students. Students between Level 25 and Level 30 are Grand Students. Students above Level 30 are Senior Students."
He continued, "Teachers have similar ranks, but different level requirements. Minor Teachers must be above Level 40, Grand Teachers above Level 50, and Senior Teachers above Level 60."
When he mentioned Senior teachers, Qin Ming spoke with obvious pride. "I'm a Senior Teacher myself. I reached Level 63 Soul Emperor this year."
He paused, clearly expecting everyone to be impressed.
However, Chen Sheng and the others didn't look surprised at all. They just nodded politely and kept eating.
Qin Ming felt awkward. Don't they realize how special that is? I'm only thirty-four years old!
[DETECTED! Qin Ming Emotion (Embarrassed) toward the host Congratulations to Host! Treasure Chest acquired!]
Clearing his throat, Qin Ming quickly continued. "Heaven Dou Academy doesn't have a principal. Instead, we have an Education Committee with three Spirit Douluo. They manage everything, except major decisions that need the royal family's approval."
"Three Spirit Douluo," Yu Xiaogang said thoughtfully. "That's a lot of oversight."
"Yes," Qin Ming nodded. "Right now, we have eight Senior teachers. If all of you from Shrek join—Dean Flender, Grandmaster, Vice-Dean Zhao, Teacher Liu, and Teacher Shao—that would add four more Senior teachers. It would make our teaching staff much stronger."
He leaned forward, lowering his voice like he was sharing a secret. "And here's something important: Senior teachers get free room and food, plus a monthly salary of three thousand gold coins!"
Qin Ming sat back with a satisfied smile. He was sure such a high salary would impress them. Three thousand gold coins every month was a huge amount of money.
He knew Flender's reputation for being cheap, so he was certain Flender's eyes would light up at hearing about so much money.
But to his surprise, Flender only looked slightly interested. "Three thousand monthly? That's... okay."
The other teachers didn't look excited either.
Qin Ming was confused. This is three thousand gold coins! Even for me, that's a lot! Why aren't they more impressed?
What Qin Ming didn't know was that Chen Sheng had already given the Shrek teachers a lot of money before they left. Also, Flender's recent gambling wins at the Silvis Great Spirit Arena were huge. Money wasn't their main concern anymore—they cared more about resources and facilities for the students.
After dinner ended, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. They'd been traveling all day and were tired.
Tomorrow, Qin Ming would take the Shrek Academy group to meet the Education Committee and finalize everything. Once approved, they would officially become part of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
---
At the same time, inside Heaven Dou Imperial City, Xue Qinghe—actually Qian Renxue in disguise—sat in her private study reading reports.
Two pieces of information lay on her desk.
The first was about the Shrek Academy group: they had already settled into Heaven Dou Royal Academy tonight and would meet the Education Committee tomorrow morning.
The second report was about Fourth Prince Xue Beng, who had visited Prince Xue Xing's mansion earlier today.
Though she didn't know the exact details, Qian Renxue could easily guess what happened.
The arrogant Fourth Prince was probably complaining about getting beaten and asking Prince Xue Xing to help him get revenge.
Prince Xue Xing controls Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Qian Renxue thought. All major Education Committee decisions need his approval. Of course Xue Beng would run to him.
It was late evening now. Even if the prince wanted to cause trouble, he would have to wait until tomorrow.
I should visit the academy tomorrow too, Qian Renxue decided. I need a good reason though...
She tapped her fingers on the desk thoughtfully. Maybe I could say I'm inspecting the academy's facilities? Or checking on the exchange program personally as Crown Prince? Yes, that would work. It shows I care about education.
Her lips curved into a slight smile. Tomorrow should be interesting.
---
In his private room at Heaven Dou Academy, Chen Sheng sat cross-legged on his bed, ready to open his remaining treasure chests.
[Opening Treasure Chest...]
[Congratulations to Host! Obtained: Starlight Fruit]
A glowing fruit appeared before him, shining with soft silver-white light. Information about it filled his mind.
Starlight Fruit: A rare treasure that makes spiritual power stronger. Eating it will raise the user's spiritual power to Divine Origin level.
Chen Sheng's eyes widened. Spiritual power...
In Douluo Continent, spiritual power was different from spirit power. Spirit power fueled martial souls and abilities. Spiritual power was mental strength—the power of the mind.
Most spirit masters ignored spiritual power. They only focused on spirit power levels and soul rings. But spiritual power was equally important. It controlled:
Mental attacks and defense, How far you can sense things, Control over martial souls and abilities, Resistance to illusions and mind control, How strong your domain is,
Spiritual power had its own ranking:
- Spiritual Sea : Basic level, most spirit masters
- Spiritual Abyss : Advanced level, rare
- Spiritual Origin : Peak mortal level, very rare
- Divine Origin : God-level spiritual power
...
Chen Sheng checked his current state. My spiritual power is already at peak Spiritual Origin level—just one step away from Divine Origin. With my Professor X mental abilities, I'm already very strong. But reaching Divine Origin would make me much more powerful.
Without waiting, he ate the Starlight Fruit.
The fruit melted on his tongue instantly, turning into cool energy that flowed into his mind. Unlike physical breakthroughs, this changed his mental power.
Chen Sheng's spiritual sea—the space in his mind—began expanding dramatically. What had been an ocean became a stary sphere making him stronger.
His perception exploded outward, spreading across Heaven Dou Academy, then beyond. He could sense every living being, every spirit power fluctuation, every emotion.
His control over his—Thunder Domain, Ice Intent, Sacred Angel Domain with ten elements—increased massively. He could now create them with just a thought, adjust them precisely, and maintain them for long battles without effort.
His Professor X mental abilities transformed completely. Before, he could control dozens of people at once. Now, he could mentally control hundreds, possibly thousands.
I can now control the minds of almost anyone on this continent, Chen Sheng realized with awe. Even weak gods—those who just became Level 100—would be affected by my mental powers.
But the biggest change was his perception range. His spiritual power spread naturally, and he could now scan the entire Heaven Dou Imperial City easily, seeing everything as clearly as if he stood right there.
As Chen Sheng's enhanced perception swept across the city, something caught his attention—an underground passage from the Imperial City directly into the mountain where Heaven Dou Academy stood.
What's this?
Following the passage with his mind, he found a hidden chamber carved into the mountain's base. Inside, several spirit masters were gathered, talking in low voices.
Chen Sheng focused on one young man—someone he'd noticed earlier when they arrived at the academy. With his Divine Origin spiritual power, reading thoughts was easy.
Let's see what you're hiding...
He went into the young man's mind, reading memories and information precisely.
This guy is a spy!
The young man's thoughts showed his true purpose: he was a secret agent planted in Heaven Dou Academy, gathering information on students, teachers, and academy operations. He reported regularly to handlers in the hidden underground base.
But who does he work for?
Chen Sheng looked deeper. The spy himself didn't know the top leadership—a smart security choice. He only reported to middle handlers, who passed information up.
But Chen Sheng didn't need the spy to know. The pattern was obvious: multiple secret bases, huge surveillance network, agents in key places across the empire...
This is Spirit Hall's spy network. It has to be. No other organization has this kind of reach and resources.
He watched as the spy finished reporting about Shrek Academy's arrival—mentioning their strength levels, the fight with Xue Beng, Teacher Sun's welcoming attitude.
Another piece of information caught Chen Sheng's attention: Xue Beng had visited Prince Xue Xing's mansion to complain about being beaten. The prince and Dugu Bo were probably planning to visit the academy tomorrow to cause trouble.
Chen Sheng pulled his perception from the spy's mind, having learned everything he needed.
So tomorrow, Poison Douluo and Prince Xue Xing will come to make trouble for us. Interesting.
He expanded his awareness, checking other underground bases near Heaven Dou City. There were at least five similar places, all watching different parts of the city—noble families, merchant groups, military places, other academies.
Spirit Hall is truly working hard in secret, Chen Sheng thought with respect. They not only sent Qian Renxue to pretend to be Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, but they're also secretly watching every major power in the empire.
If Heaven Dou City has this much surveillance, Star Luo City probably has the same. Spirit Hall has probably infiltrated deeply into both empires.
Chen Sheng remembered details from the original story. Spirit Hall's control of Star Luo Empire was actually even stronger than Heaven Dou. Several major sects there had been secretly defeated or destroyed.
Here in Heaven Dou, Spirit Hall was also slowly taking control of powers and academies, building a network that could take over everything whenever they wanted.
With such careful planning and huge preparation, Chen Sheng thought, Spirit Hall could easily overthrow both empires when the time is right. Their power, resources, and strategic position are overwhelming.
In the original story, without Tang San's protagonist halo and lucky encounters, I really don't see how he could have won. Spirit Hall had every advantage—military strength, spy networks, god inheritances, strategic planning...
Chen Sheng's thoughts became philosophical as he considered the situation.
Honestly, from one view, Spirit Hall unifying the continent might not be completely bad. The current system—two empires always fighting, noble families oppressing commoners, resources in the hands of privileged few—has many problems.
I was born as Star Luo imperial nobility, but I lived among common people. I've seen both sides. I know how nobles and powerful spirit masters have complete control over commoners' lives and deaths. A child born in a poor village has almost no chance to rise, no matter their talent, unless they get extremely lucky.
Spirit Hall, for all its flaws, at least provides free martial soul awakening and basic support to all children regardless of background. That's more than the empires do.
He shook his head slightly. But that doesn't excuse their methods—the murders, the manipulation, the willingness to sacrifice innocents for power. Bibi Dong in the original timeline became a monster because of her trauma. Qian Renxue is willing to deceive and kill for her mission.
This world's problems run deep. Changing leadership won't fix the basic issues. Real change would need transforming the entire social structure, how spirit masters view their power, the relationship between strong and weak.
But that's not my responsibility. I'm not this world's savior.
Chen Sheng's expression became firm. My goal is to grow strong enough to leave this world entirely. Once I reach that level—maybe when I can truly fight God Kings—I'll find a way to leave Douluo world and explore the bigger universe beyond.
There are higher worlds, stronger people, greater challenges waiting. Like BTTH, and maybe even beyond that. Before I leave, I'll make sure the people I care about are protected.
But I won't try to reshape this entire world. That's too big, too complicated, and honestly, not what I want to do. I'm a cultivator seeking the peak of power, not a revolutionary trying to rebuild society.
With his thoughts settled, Chen Sheng opened his eyes. Tomorrow would bring a fight with Dugu Bo and Prince Xue Xing, and probably also a meeting with Qian Renxue disguised as Crown Prince.
Things are about to get interesting. Time to see how the changed timeline plays out when multiple powerful forces meet.
He closed his eyes and began meditating, settling his Divine Origin spiritual power.
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