Every afternoon at exactly four o'clock, all grades of the Martial Soul Department's outer court finished class, leaving plenty of time before nightfall.
The students of Freshman Class One filed out of the classroom. Not all of them hurried to the cafeteria.
Xu Zihuang walked from his seat to the doorway, most students greeting him kindly along the way.
He responded politely to each one.
Just then, Huo Yuhao suddenly rushed out of the classroom, even bumping into several classmates.
This drew complaints, and some sharper tongues sneered:
"So it's this guy. I heard he only has rank eleven soul power."
"Rank eleven soul power? Then how did he pass the freshman assessment?"
"Who knows? Maybe he just got lucky and clung to someone's thigh."
They were only eleven or twelve years old—not everyone's temperament was calm. And since Huo Yuhao's talent was so poor, they didn't mind offending him.
Such a fellow couldn't possibly pass the second-year promotion assessment, so why bother?
Xu Zihuang watched Huo Yuhao's vanishing figure thoughtfully. With his Spirit Attribute Golden Eye martial soul, even without activating it, his dynamic vision was several times that of ordinary people.
He clearly saw the bloodshot eyes full of hatred.
He knew why Huo Yuhao looked like that, but it had nothing to do with him.
Still wearing a gentle smile, he withdrew his gaze and looked toward a spot near the classroom entrance.
A girl with short golden hair was standing quietly there. Wearing the same white freshman uniform, her tall figure gave it a different charm. A delicate nose, skin like snow, and a graceful smile—it was Ning Tian from Class Three.
Wu Feng, walking with her head down in a bad mood, caught sight of Ning Tian. She instantly seemed revived, excitedly speeding up to greet her.
"Ning—"
But before she could even call out, her smile froze.
Ning Tian hadn't noticed her at all. Instead, she walked straight to Yu Tianhuang.
The arrival of Ning Tian made the girls clustered around Xu Zihuang uneasy.
Among the freshman girls, few could rival Ning Tian's looks. What's more, she exuded a noble air, clearly from a major clan.
Many of them knew her background—the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the continent's ancient legacies—which left them feeling somewhat inferior.
Xu Zihuang narrowed his eyes slightly. Ning Tian's high-profile approach had a clear purpose.
He didn't mind such little schemes. She thought aligning with him would serve her interests, but wasn't he also planning to use her?
Or rather, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect behind her.
Either way, he wouldn't be the one to suffer losses.
Expression unchanged, he asked warmly, "Ning Tian, what is it?"
"I heard you're also interested in soul tools. I happened to get two elective application forms from my teacher in Class Three. If you want one, we can fill them out and submit them to the Soul Tool Department together." Ning Tian gracefully took out two forms from a golden storage ring.
Once she'd made her decision, she didn't hesitate.
After becoming formal students of the Martial Soul Department, they were allowed to take elective courses in soul tools. It was voluntary, taking up free time, without interfering with their martial soul classes.
However, Class One and Class Two mainly trained traditional soul masters, and their teachers rarely encouraged them to take soul tool electives.
Meanwhile, Class Three, full of support-type battle soul masters, and Class Four, with food- and healing-type soul masters, lacked combat strength—so most of those who chose soul tools came from these two classes.
Xu Zihuang's thoughts stirred. Ning Tian's move had conveniently solved his problem.
He had long intended to see his elder brother He Caitou, but suddenly approaching him in the Soul Tool Department would have been too conspicuous.
He Caitou had been picked up by Fan Yu when he fled into the Heavenly Soul Empire, wounded all over.
No one suspected his true identity yet. But if someone like Xu Zihuang, who drew much attention, went to him openly, it might attract notice.
Now, with Ning Tian's invitation, everything seemed natural.
Perhaps he was overthinking, but after three years of imprisonment, he couldn't afford not to be cautious.
"Just what I planned. Let's go together." Smiling, Xu Zihuang waved to Tuoba Yu, signaling him to go ahead without him.
Ning Tian nodded cheerfully, and under many gazes, the two headed northwest toward the Soul Tool Department.
Shrek Academy covered a vast area. They walked west for fifteen minutes, then north for about ten before leaving the Martial Soul sector and arriving at the Soul Tool sector.
Finally, they stopped before a massive rectangular gray building.
Even the large freshman teaching blocks seemed small in comparison. Its scale rivaled the Martial Soul dormitories.
The building looked heavy and solid, built not only of stone but with metallic surfaces gleaming in places. Deep rumbles echoed from within, making the ground tremble faintly beneath their feet.
A signboard revealed its function: Soul Tool Testing Area.
"Did we go the wrong way?" Ning Tian hesitated.
They had never been here before, and all the buildings looked similar.
"Let's go ask." Xu Zihuang took out a hexagonal crystal token given by Dean Qian Many Many, pressing it against the gate.
A gap opened to fit the token. After a brief fluctuation of soul power, the token popped back out, and the massive metal gate slid open with a grinding sound.
Ning Tian looked at the token in surprise but said nothing, simply following Xu Zihuang.
They realized the all-metal door was three feet thick, with rails above and below allowing it to move.
Inside stretched a long corridor, like in the dormitories, but with doors every thirty meters labeled "Testing Room One," "Testing Room Two," and so on.
Before long, they encountered a senior student three or four years older.
He froze at their white uniforms, then noticed Xu Zihuang's crystal token, his voice rising:
"You're Yu Tianhuang?"
"You know me, senior?"
"The dean instructed us to bring you straight to Teacher Fan Yu if you came to the Soul Tool Department."
He chuckled. "And this junior sister is?"
"Hello, senior. We're here to submit elective forms." Ning Tian smiled politely, though her surprise had grown.
The more attention Yu Tianhuang received from the academy's top levels, the more it confirmed her choice was right.
Her sect had no prejudice against soul tools—in fact, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had long encouraged disciples to study them after nearly facing extermination millennia ago.
The senior student thought a moment, then decided to lead them deeper.
"This way."
They stopped at Testing Room Twelve.
Inside was vast, two thousand square meters, partitioned by heavy metal plates like giant boxes.
"Teacher Fan Yu."
A tall middle-aged man with a stern brow looked over—it was the very man Xu Zihuang had seen on the viewing platform earlier.
"Teacher Fan." Both Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian bowed.
Fan Yu walked over, eyes blazing as he glanced at Xu Zihuang's form.
"You wish to study soul tools?"
Xu Zihuang nodded, then introduced Ning Tian.
"She's also a core disciple of our freshman class. We both want to take the elective."
"Good. Follow me." Fan Yu turned and strode deeper.
"Caitou, come here."
At that name, Xu Zihuang's body trembled, his calm finally rippling. He watched as a huge youth ran over, his deep purple eyes briefly dazed.
After six years, he was finally meeting his elder brother again.
The boy, about Beibei's age, was over two meters tall, broader than Fan Yu, shirtless and dark-skinned, with thick muscles and a simple, honest look. Spotting Ning Tian, he quickly donned a loose shirt in embarrassment.
"Teacher." He Caitou saluted Fan Yu respectfully.
Fan Yu pointed at Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian. "Show them the stationary soul cannon."
"Yes." He Caitou grinned sheepishly at them. "Junior brother, junior sister, hello. I'm He Caitou, but everyone just calls me Caitou. You can too. Come with me."
"Hello, senior brother He." Ning Tian smiled elegantly.
Her words eased his awkwardness.
Xu Zihuang, silent all along, sighed inwardly.
He really doesn't recognize me. Perhaps he never thought I'd survive.
In their generation of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family, only He Caitou—Xu He—and Xu Tianzhen, daughter of his usurping uncle, were close to him in age.
Xu Tianzhen, younger sister of Xu Tiannan, was now a princess of the empire.
His own father, King Zihuang, had governed southern lands bordering Star Luo, leaving him raised in the imperial palace—mostly alongside He Caitou.
Their bond in childhood had been very close.
Though six years had passed, those memories stirred him deeply.
Taking a breath, he suppressed his feelings and followed. Now isn't the time to reveal myself. That moment must come when we are alone.
He Caitou led them to the testing grounds, producing a black metal cannon barrel from his belt's soul guide. It was 1.5 meters long, 15 cm wide, inscribed with strange patterns.
He loaded a spindle-shaped metal core into its rear, hefting it onto his massive shoulder.
His aura changed instantly, from simple to dangerous.
"Since you want to study soul tools, start with this stationary soul cannon," Fan Yu's voice sounded.
"Caitou, begin."
Soul power flared as two yellow and one purple ring rose around He Caitou. Black light coursed over the cannon as it hummed.
Boom!
A black beam blasted forth, slamming into a distant metal wall with explosive force. The recoil gust whipped Xu Zihuang's and Ning Tian's hair until Xu Zihuang shielded them with golden soul power.
Fan Yu approached. "Soul tool development is inevitable. This stationary soul cannon was designed to amplify a soul master's long-range power without draining much of their own. In theory, it can multiply a soul master's attack tenfold. The deeper you study, the more you'll see their value."
Ning Tian's blue eyes reflected deep thought.
Xu Zihuang's face was serious, though inwardly dismissive. Compared to the Sun Moon Empire's technology, this is laughably crude.
Still, he had to show value.
"Teacher Fan, may I try?"
"Caitou, show him how to use it."
He Caitou explained the simple operation and handed over the cannon.
"Be careful, junior brother. Its power is immense."
Xu Zihuang smiled faintly at him, then turned to Fan Yu.
"Teacher, I'd like to shoot moving targets. Ten of them."
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