At Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department building, Qian Duoduo shook his head at Fan Yu.
"Fan Yu, it's not that I don't want to help you. I'd really like to bring that talented student you mentioned into our Soul Tool Department."
"But you know what that old man Yan Shaozhe is like. When it comes to things like this, he'll never back down, nor will he ever allow it."
"Besides, that boy you have your eye on,ever since he came back, he's been holed up in the dormitory all day. None of us from the Soul Tool Department can even approach him in private."
Fan Yu's expression darkened, but he still tried to argue. "Dean Qian, please believe me. This really is our best opportunity."
"Huo Yuhao's martial soul is an innate one,and it's even of the spiritual attribute. He's absolutely the ideal candidate for the Ultimate Soldier Project. I doubt Shrek Academy will see another like him in decades."
"With him as our example, our Soul Tool Department could finally make a beautiful comeback! You know the state our students are in now."
"They're basically the leftovers that the Martial Soul Department didn't want. Even those who are somewhat suited for the Soul Tool path are merely the better picks among the rejects."
"With Huo Yuhao as a symbol, in ten years,no, in five years,I can make the Martial Soul Department look at us differently."
Qian Duoduo sighed. Of course, he understood exactly what Fan Yu meant.
Although it seemed like the Soul Tool Department made up one-third of Shrek Academy's staff, everyone knew the truth.
The department existed mostly as a response to the times. Compared to the three nations of the original Douluo Continent, Shrek's Soul Tool Department was indeed decent, but only because it was nourished by the meager resources split from the Martial Soul Department.
Forget comparing it to the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy,even ordinary soul engineer schools within the Sun and Moon Empire were far ahead of Shrek's in both research and application of soul tools.
"There's nothing we can do. That's just how things are. Neither you nor I can influence the academy's overall academic direction," Qian Duoduo said helplessly.
"Besides, that boy doesn't seem interested in our department anyway. Forcing someone never ends well. Fan Yu, you should go back and focus on training your disciple."
"In my opinion, your disciple He Caitou is quite a promising soul engineer. He may not have a spiritual-type innate martial soul, but he's still a good seedling."
Fan Yu sighed in disappointment but could only leave Qian Duoduo's office.
The rivalry between soul masters and soul engineers had existed for a long time in the former three nations of the Douluo Continent. The older and more established the sect or force, the more it favored soul masters.
As for Shrek Academy, that bias was even more pronounced. The Martial Soul Department held absolute authority. Neither Qian Duoduo nor Dean Xian Lin'er of the Soul Tool Department could compare to the influence of the Sea God Pavilion's elders.
Ironically, most of the Soul Tool Department's inner court students had spent their outer court years in the Martial Soul Department. Only those who lacked potential when advancing to the inner court switched over to soul tools.
"The road ahead is long and difficult," Qian Duoduo murmured, watching Fan Yu's departing figure.
It was now the twenty-eighth day of vacation. As the holidays neared their end, it was time for Shrek Academy's new round of admissions.
Freshman entrance exams usually began a week early, and returning students often came back around this time as well.
As a result, both Shrek Academy and Shrek City were unusually crowded,something that greatly benefited the city's trade. Businesses flourished under the influx of travelers, filling Shrek City's tax coffers.
At the student dormitories, before even stepping inside, Wang Dong shouted, "I'm back!"
When he opened the door, sunlight streamed in through the window. Huo Yuhao was lying lazily on his bed. Opening his eyes slightly, he said, "Oh, the old witch told you to find her when you got back."
Then he turned over and closed his eyes again, clearly ready to keep sleeping.
Wang Dong: "???"
He threw his luggage onto the bed and tried to pull Huo Yuhao up.
"Come on, it's been nearly a month! That's all you have to say when you see me? Shouldn't you be more excited? Don't tell me you've spent this entire break sleeping here after your soul hunt!"
"What else was I supposed to do? And why are you back so late? You're twelve already,don't be so childish."
"Also, that old witch has been coming to our dorm every day, asking why you didn't come back ten days early like she said. She's been driving me crazy. You'd better go see her and prepare for her wrath."
At that, Wang Dong panicked. "It's not like I wanted to! Something came up at home."
Without another word, he dashed off toward Zhou Yi's office.
When he finally returned later, looking miserable, the chaotic holiday was almost over. Huo Yuhao, meanwhile, spent the last days of vacation preparing new experimental methods for the upcoming promotion assessment.
The second-year promotion test for Class One and Class Two was held in the academy's Beast Dueling Area.
Huo Yuhao never really understood the point of that facility. If they wanted realistic combat, wouldn't it make more sense to have advanced soul masters capture wild soul beasts for them?
Why go through the trouble of taming and keeping them penned up just to ensure safety? Wouldn't using upperclassmen as examiners be simpler?
To him, the Beast Dueling Area served no real purpose beyond showing off Shrek Academy's wealth and manpower,it consumed nearly a third of Shrek City's tax revenue to maintain.
And the beasts within were at most mid-level ones, usually under ten thousand years old. Truly powerful or ancient beasts couldn't endure captivity because their wild instincts made them reject confinement.
So even as sources of soul rings, these beasts were only of average quality and rarely the top choice for soul masters.
Soon, the second-year students from both classes gathered in the arena. The test for all four branches,Assault, Control, Agility, and Defense,was the same: each student had to defeat a soul beast over a hundred years old alone.
Those who challenged stronger, thousand-year beasts could earn higher base credits if successful.
Huo Yuhao, apart from the entrance assessment, had little to do with Dai Huabin since then. He already had a plan for revenge and wouldn't waste energy provoking unnecessary conflicts.
His grudge with Dai Huabin and the White Tiger Duke's household would be settled after he reached the Soul Sage level. So, unlike in the original story, there was no flashy bet or public rivalry between them.
Dai Huabin, though still resentful over his past defeat, could only glare at Huo Yuhao from afar. Huo Yuhao ignored him, took his assessment form, and prepared for the test.
Dai Huabin's real target was Wang Dong, the Assault Branch class monitor. The two had clashed repeatedly last semester, but academy rules,and Zhou Yi's temper,kept them from fighting.
This time, during the assessment, Dai Huabin clearly planned to challenge Wang Dong's position.
Seeing his look, Huo Yuhao patted Wang Dong's shoulder. "Didn't you say you don't even want to be monitor? You could just give him the title and enjoy some peace."
"I won't! Whether I want it or not is my decision. Who does Dai Huabin think he is?" Wang Dong huffed angrily.
Huo Yuhao shrugged and dropped the matter, focusing instead on examining his internal soul power circulation.
'Everything's adjusted. I'll test the new system in real combat against a beast. For human opponents, I might need to tweak the process further.'
Under their instructors' lead, both classes entered the Beast Dueling Area, where twenty teachers stood by to supervise and protect the students. On the high platform, Director Du Weilun and four examiners monitored everything in real time.
When all preparations were complete, Class One began the first round.
"Wang Dong, you'll go first," Zhou Yi said. "Start strong. If you're confident, choose a thousand-year beast. Even if you lose, as long as you hold your ground long enough, your score will still be good."
She exchanged a sharp look with Mu Jin, another instructor,sparks seemed to fly in the air.
Clearly, this assessment had become yet another competition between the two teachers, each trying to prove their students superior.
'Crazy,' Huo Yuhao thought, watching them silently.
"Understood," Wang Dong replied confidently and strode into the arena.
"I choose a thousand-year soul beast," he told the referee.
The referee confirmed his choice, then opened the gate. A thousand-year Bloodthirsty Demon Bear charged out, radiating ferocity.
To Huo Yuhao, however, it looked more pitiful than terrifying. After so long in captivity, beaten and tested by countless soul masters but never fatally harmed, its fighting spirit must have been nearly gone.
His real interest was in Wang Dong. When Wang Dong activated his martial soul, his yellow and two purple rings gleamed under the fluttering butterfly wings.
Through his "Eye of Truth," Huo Yuhao saw that beneath Wang Dong's skin, beyond his torso bones, there was a dense layer of dark energy similar to a soul bone,resembling the one Huo Yuhao himself had obtained.
'A soul bone? No wonder she reached level thirty so fast, even without a fusion skill. Soul bones are among the most valuable resources on the continent.'
'This one looks even higher grade than that Clear Bright Demon Leopard's bone I saw before,but the structure's… different.'
Looking closer, he noticed it wasn't fully integrated into Wang Dong's skeleton. It seemed to be strengthening her body independently, yet her soul power didn't merge with it.
'Strange. It doesn't seem like a normal soul bone. Could this be something made by the Clear Sky Sect or Tang San himself? I'll have to record it for later study.'
Back in the arena, Wang Dong's battle ended quickly. Her third soul skill wasn't for show,combined with her physical strength, she easily defeated the Bloodthirsty Demon Bear without even relying on the soul bone.
"How about that? I'm amazing, aren't I?" Wang Dong called to Huo Yuhao, waving proudly,and throwing a smug glance toward Dai Huabin.
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