The very next day, Qian Renxue arrived at the hotel where Ye Yu was staying. With a gentle smile on her face, she brought good news:
Her father, Emperor Xue Ye, had agreed to allow Ye Yu to enroll in Heaven Dou Imperial Academy!
Although the academy typically required a noble title for admission, such titles—especially those below the rank of Viscount—were ultimately not that difficult to obtain. While noble titles above Viscount, those tied to land and territory, needed more careful consideration, titles below that were easily granted by the emperor.
Given Ye Yu's contributions in presenting the Curved Shaft Plough, a Baron title was more than appropriate.
As a result, Emperor Xue Ye directly conferred upon Ye Yu the title of Baron, granting him eligibility to enter Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
"Ye Yu, you probably don't know where the academy is located yet, do you?" Qian Renxue asked with a warm smile. "This afternoon, I happen to be going there. Would you like to come along? If we go together, I can also help you handle your enrollment procedures."
"Thank you very much, Your Highness," Ye Yu replied respectfully.
Later, at Qian Renxue's warm invitation, Ye Yu was brought to a private room in a high-class restaurant for a meal.
During the banquet, Qian Renxue curiously asked how Ye Yu had come up with the idea for the Curved Shaft Plough.
Ye Yu smiled modestly and replied that he had developed it through observing the natural world. In fact, the plough wasn't the only invention he had come up with.
For instance, he had noticed that serrated grass blades could easily cut the skin. This inspired him to design a tool called a saw, which could be used to cut wood—more efficiently than an axe.
Additionally, he observed that grass grew lusher in areas rich in animal dung. This led him to research a method called composting, which could be used to enrich the soil and increase crop yield.
These insights left Qian Renxue genuinely impressed.
Although she was still unsure of Ye Yu's talent as a soul master, his observational skills and eloquence already marked him as a promising individual.
That afternoon, Qian Renxue brought Ye Yu by carriage to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
After entering the academy, Ye Yu followed her all the way to the Teaching Committee Office, located in the rear section of the teaching building. The most update n0vels are published on NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
There, he met the Three Teaching Committee Members: Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin.
All three were part of Qian Renxue's faction and fully supported her. Since Ye Yu had Emperor Xue Ye's approval and all his documents were in order, the three committee members promptly admitted him.
They brought out the enrollment form and asked Ye Yu to fill in his personal information.
After he finished, Meng Shenji paused in surprise as he read the form.
"Twelve years old, innate soul power rank 1, currently a rank 10 Soul Scholar, Martial Soul: Mutated Blue Silver Grass – Blue Silver Vine?"
"Mutated Blue Silver Grass?" Zhi Lin, whose Martial Soul was the plant-based Sky Green Vine, furrowed his brows and came over as well.
"Ye Yu, with only rank 1 innate soul power, your Martial Soul should be ordinary Blue Silver Grass," Zhi Lin said. "How could it be a mutated version?"
Meng Shenji asked curiously, "Did something happen to cause this change?"
Ye Yu had prepared for this moment and answered respectfully.
"Committee Member Meng, when I first awakened my Martial Soul, it was indeed ordinary Blue Silver Grass," he explained. "However, I frequently consumed century-old ginseng, lingzhi, and other such medicinal herbs. The potent life essence in those herbs gradually influenced my Martial Soul."
"As a result, my Blue Silver Grass began to change—it became thicker, longer, and eventually took on the appearance of a vine. That's why I call it the Blue Silver Vine."
"Century-old ginseng and lingzhi causing a Martial Soul mutation? That sounds implausible…" Meng Shenji frowned, clearly skeptical.
But Ye Yu continued earnestly.
"Committee Member Meng, perhaps that would be unreasonable for other Martial Souls, but mine is Blue Silver Grass, the weakest among plant-type Martial Souls."
"As a soul master, I've studied others with the same Martial Soul. Once they reach rank 10 and obtain their first soul ring, their Blue Silver Grass undergoes drastic transformation—often becoming vine-like in appearance."
"This indicates that Blue Silver Grass has an extremely malleable origin. Although I haven't obtained my first soul ring yet, the prolonged exposure to potent life-force herbs might have triggered the same evolutionary process."
After hearing his explanation, Meng Shenji, Zhi Lin, and Bai Baoshan felt that it actually made some sense.
As experienced Teaching Committee Members of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, they knew full well that the weaker the Martial Soul, the more dramatic its change would be after obtaining soul rings.
From that perspective, it was reasonable that Blue Silver Grass—the weakest plant-type Martial Soul—could be more susceptible to external influences.
Perhaps Ye Yu had even accidentally consumed a thousand-year ginseng, which accelerated the mutation process.
"Ye Yu, could you show us your Blue Silver Vine Martial Soul?" Meng Shenji asked after a moment of thought. "We've never seen a mutated version of Blue Silver Grass. The quality of your Martial Soul will determine which class you'll be assigned to."
"Of course, Committee Member Meng," Ye Yu said politely.
He extended his right hand. With a thought, he summoned his Martial Soul.
A vine roughly two inches thick materialized, shimmering with a translucent blue hue that resembled crystal. It clearly retained the traits of Blue Silver Grass but had taken on the shape of a vine—glowing with brilliance.
All three committee members—and even Qian Renxue—were visibly stunned.
From its aura alone, they could tell this was a beneficial mutation.
This was Martial Soul evolution.
"Old Third, what do you think of the quality of this mutated Martial Soul?" Meng Shenji asked Zhi Lin, who had the plant-based Sky Green Vine Martial Soul.
Zhi Lin thought for a moment and then replied, "This mutated Blue Silver Grass… I would classify it as a mid-to-high grade Martial Soul."
In the soul master world, Martial Souls were generally ranked as low, mid, high, and top-tier.
The Clear Sky Hammer, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda were examples of top-tier Martial Souls.
Zhi Lin's Sky Green Vine was a high-tier Martial Soul.
As for Ye Yu's Blue Silver Vine, Zhi Lin evaluated it as mid-to-high grade—with potential to reach the Soul King or even Soul Emperor level.
"Ye Yu, since your Martial Soul has undergone evolution, your innate aptitude has likely improved as well," Meng Shenji smiled, stroking his beard.
"According to Committee Member Zhi's assessment, your mutated Blue Silver Vine would place you in the mid-to-high grade tier."
"With such potential, it's likely you can reach the Soul King level, possibly even Soul Emperor."
"With your age and talent, you're eligible for placement in the first-year elite class of the Intermediate Soul Master Department."
"There are three elite first-year classes. Which one would you like to join?"
Ye Yu's heart filled with joy upon hearing this.
He had revealed the Blue Silver Vine intentionally, knowing it would eventually come to light. Better to prepare an explanation and guide others' assumptions than to let rumors spread unchecked.
Moreover, showing an evolved Martial Soul might grant him access to a better class—giving him the chance to get closer to Dugu Yan.
Now, it appeared his plan had worked perfectly.