After leaving Du Weilun's office, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao walked together while discussing who should receive the soul bone they had just obtained. At first, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao agreed to give it to Huo Yuhao. However, Yuhao firmly refused and instead suggested that Xiao Xiao should use it.
He calmly explained his reasoning, and Xiao Xiao accepted without objection. In the end, they decided that the soul bone would go to Xiao Xiao.
Not long after, they encountered Zhou Yi, who had been looking for them. It turned out Zhou Yi had another soul bone with her—one she had won from a personal bet with someone. She handed the soul bone to the three of them and said:
"Wang Dong, you and Xiao Xiao can head back first. I have something I'd like to say to Huo Yuhao."
Wang Dong waved, then left with Xiao Xiao. Zhou Yi then took Huo Yuhao by the arm with her right hand. In an instant, Yuhao once again felt as if he were flying through the clouds.
Before long, they arrived at the Soul Tool Testing Area. This place wasn't unfamiliar to Yuhao—it was here that his initial interest in soul tools had first taken root.
"Teacher Zhou, is the offer from the dean that you mentioned earlier related to you?" Yuhao asked quietly.
Zhou Yi smiled. "Well, you could say that. Fan Yu reported your mental detection ability to the Vice Dean of the Soul Tool Department, Qian Duoduo. Coincidentally, the finals were taking place at the time, and you were one of the participants. The Vice Dean wanted to witness your ability firsthand."
She continued,
"He was very impressed, and he made a bet with Dean Yan. The terms were that if he won, he would have the right to select one student to enter the Soul Tool Department without opposition. Normally, new students can only choose their specialization starting in the third year, but with the Vice Dean's backing, you could be accepted immediately. That's what Fan Yu told me."
"I see…" Yuhao murmured.
Zhou Yi looked at him seriously. "So, what do you think?"
"To be honest, I'm quite interested and would like to study soul tools in more depth."
"I'll let Fan Yu know," said Zhou Yi.
As they spoke, they arrived at the testing area. At Zhou Yi's call, Fan Yu soon appeared. This time, his expression was much warmer than during their last encounter. He patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder and said:
"I watched your final assessment. Very impressive. You did extremely well."
Zhou Yi was briefly surprised. She knew Fan Yu as someone who rarely gave praise—especially not to first-year students. This was certainly unusual.
"Hello, Teacher Fan Yu," Huo Yuhao greeted respectfully with a bow.
Fan Yu nodded. "I heard your mental detection has improved significantly. Go on, show me."
"All right."
Huo Yuhao raised his hand. A white soul ring appeared, and his eyes turned a pale gold. Few noticed that within the white light of his soul ring, faint golden glimmers were subtly hidden.
He immediately released his distributed mental detection, covering an area with a diameter of a hundred meters. A three-dimensional image instantly formed in Fan Yu and Zhou Yi's minds.
Fan Yu nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent. No wonder you won. With detection this precise, reading an opponent's movements becomes much easier."
However, his expression suddenly changed. He sensed that the detection was narrowing and concentrating in a single direction. The detection range was slowly increasing, as if their minds were being pulled far ahead.
Zhou Yi, who was also experiencing the detection, was shocked. Her eyes widened.
"How are you doing this?" she asked softly.
Yuhao didn't answer. He was fully focused on maintaining the directional focus of his detection. Once it reached its limit, he stopped releasing the technique.
Fan Yu looked at him, his eyes shining brightly.
"One hundred eighty meters. Incredible! Far beyond my expectations. Yuhao, will your mental detection continue to improve as your cultivation increases?"
Yuhao hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Excellent!" Fan Yu exclaimed loudly, startling both Zhou Yi and Yuhao slightly.
Fan Yu patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder again. "Follow me." As he spoke, he turned and walked deeper into the testing area.
Meanwhile, Wang Dong returned to the dormitory alone. As he opened the door, he saw Wang Feng sitting on the bed, lost in thought.
"Wang Feng? Why are you here?" Wang Dong asked.
"Am I not allowed to be in my own room?" Wang Feng replied flatly.
Wang Dong spoke with a hint of sarcasm. "Why aren't you off chasing Senior Ma Xiaotao, the one you like so much?"
Wang Feng frowned. "I already went, but for some reason, she drove me away."
"Could it be she's getting tired of you?" Wang Dong teased. If one listened carefully, there was a faint hint of satisfaction in his tone—especially when he emphasized the word "tired."
Wang Feng sighed, remembering yesterday's embarrassing incident. "I don't think that's the issue…"
"By the way, has the reward distribution finished? Since you came in first place, what did you get?"
Wang Dong casually jumped onto his bed. "Of course it's done. We got two soul bones—one from the dean, and one from Teacher Zhou Yi."
Wang Feng immediately sat up straight, his eyes lighting up. "Two soul bones? That's an incredible reward! But there are three of you, how did you divide them?"
"The one from the dean went to Xiao Xiao," Wang Dong replied with a shrug. "As for the other one… it looks like Yuhao will get it."
Wang Feng frowned. "What about you? Doesn't that mean you got nothing?"
Wang Dong gave a small smile. "Don't worry. My family already prepared a soul bone that suits me better."
"I see…" Wang Feng nodded, then suddenly grinned. "By the way, I've decided I'll be staying in the same class as you two."
Wang Dong was surprised. "Really? But as a core disciple, don't you have the option to join the best class?"
Wang Feng winked. "I'm someone who values friendship. Even though you two…" He paused, giving Wang Dong a strange look, "…aren't 'men' like me, you're still my friends."
Wang Dong's cheeks immediately flushed red. His heart began pounding for no apparent reason. "Wa-Wang Feng…" he stammered.
"But remember," Wang Feng suddenly said seriously, "you two need to catch up fast. Don't fall too far behind me."
Wang Dong's embarrassment quickly turned to irritation. "Hmph! You jerk!"
"Actually," Wang Feng laughed, "the real reason is that training with you two using our Martial Soul Fusion helps me cultivate faster and more efficiently."
"I knew it!" Wang Dong folded his arms in frustration. "There's always some hidden motive behind your sweet words!"
Wang Feng burst out laughing. "At least I'm honest about it, right?"
Wang Dong huffed and turned away, hiding a small smile behind his annoyed expression. He tossed a pillow at Wang Feng, but Wang Feng caught it effortlessly.
"You're so annoying," Wang Dong muttered half-playfully.
Wang Feng just shrugged, still smiling.