Fan Yu saw the confidence in Xu Zihuang's eyes and signaled to He Caitou.
"Caitou, prepare ten stationary soul cannon shells for him."
"Yes, Teacher." He Caitou quickly replied, taking out ten stationary cannon shells from the soul tool at his waist.
But Xu Zihuang only took one shell from He Caitou's hand, loading it into the metal barrel's slot. Then, as if it weighed nothing, he casually tucked the barrel—easily over fifty catties—under one arm.
"Teacher Fan, you misunderstood me. What I mean is, I'll use one shell to hit ten moving targets." Xu Zihuang smiled calmly, walking to the edge of the testing ground.
He Caitou's eyes were full of confusion.
The greatest advantage of a stationary soul cannon lay in its immense power, with very little soul power consumption, and it didn't even require high cultivation to use. But its flaw was poor accuracy, especially against moving targets—it was extremely difficult to hit them.
He had studied the crafting and usage of soul tools under Fan Yu for years and was quite skilled in handling the stationary soul cannon, yet he had never once hit a moving target.
And now Xu Zihuang claimed he would hit ten moving targets with a single shot.
In his view, this was absolutely impossible.
Fan Yu, however, gave Xu Zihuang a deep look, then after a moment of thought suddenly shouted:
"Good. Ten moving targets, launch!"
Moving targets required manual control. On the far side of the field, the operator clearly hesitated at Fan Yu's order.
After a short delay, ten disc-shaped objects shot up from a distant corner one after another, flying rapidly toward Xu Zihuang.
At the same time, Xu Zihuang moved.
Brilliant golden light shone in his eyes as his noble deep-purple pupils instantly transformed into dazzling gold. Complex, obscure patterns swirled around his pupils. As his martial soul was released, his entire aura changed, becoming ethereal and dreamlike.
Purple, purple, purple—three thousand-year rings rose beneath his feet. With astonishing finger strength, he held the metal barrel single-handedly in his right hand, running swiftly in the direction of the flying discs.
The ten moving targets weren't launched simultaneously but at slight intervals.
Though those intervals were nearly imperceptible to normal soul masters, Xu Zihuang was different. His Golden Eyes martial soul possessed extraordinary dynamic vision. What he saw could be slowed down dozens of times at will, letting him easily track the ten discs' trajectories.
Now!
Xu Zihuang's gaze focused. Raising the cannon barrel in his right hand, he released a dazzling burst of black light.
Bang, bang, bang—! A crisp string of metallic impacts rang out. The ten discs, made of some metal, overlapped under the push of the black light, slamming heavily against the distant metal plate.
A violent boom erupted with a surging wave of air, leaving everyone present stunned.
He Caitou looked utterly dumbfounded, while Fan Yu's gaze on Xu Zihuang burned even hotter.
The other teachers and students of the Soul Tool Department also stared in disbelief. For them, this sight was far more shocking than Xu Zihuang's three purple thousand-year rings.
Perhaps the only one who had believed all along that he could do it was Ning Tian.
Watching him at the center of the gusts, his long black hair flying wildly, her heartstrings trembled again. Her long lashes quivered, and her clear blue eyes shimmered with light.
When calm finally returned to the testing ground, the burly Fan Yu strode over and clapped Xu Zihuang on the shoulder.
"Excellent. You are very good. You are the most perfect stationary soul cannon user I have ever seen."
Fan Yu rarely praised others, but with Xu Zihuang he could find no flaw at all.
"Can you tell me how you did it?"
"This is my Golden Eyes martial soul's innate ability. I call it dynamic vision." Xu Zihuang explained briefly, then handed the metal barrel back to the still-dazed He Caitou.
He Caitou accepted it reflexively, scratching his bald head in confusion.
"Martial soul innate ability? Dynamic vision?" Fan Yu murmured, then turned and left Testing Room Twelve without looking back.
"Caitou, first show them the other types of soul tools."
Respectfully watching Fan Yu leave, He Caitou then stored away the stationary cannon and looked at Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian.
"Junior brother, junior sister, come with me."
—
Outside Testing Room Twelve, a tall figure was waiting—it was Qian Duoduo, Vice Dean of the Martial Soul Department.
Seeing him, Fan Yu started to speak eagerly, but Qian Duoduo waved him silent.
"I saw everything. Fan Yu, if we carry out our Ultimate Soldier Project with him, how confident are you?"
Fan Yu answered seriously: "With Caitou, I only had about forty percent confidence. With Yu Tianhuang, at least ninety. If the two work together, give me ten to fifteen years, and I'm one hundred percent confident we can nurture the prototype of an ultimate soldier. If they both reach the Titled Douluo realm, they will achieve our goal. We can negotiate with the Martial Soul Department—Yu Tianhuang doesn't need to learn how to craft soul tools, only to master their use. Caitou can make up for that, serving as his arsenal."
"That is feasible. If so, even the Sea God Pavilion Elders will have no reason to object." Qian Duoduo patted his chest.
"It is just a little unfair to Caitou. The child is resilient and hardworking, but still, it's a pity."
"Sometimes one must admit—no matter how hard you work, before absolute talent, it's insignificant." Fan Yu smiled bitterly.
"Yu Tianhuang's martial soul ability destined soul tools to exist for him."
Qian Duoduo sighed in sympathy. From his youth, he had always chased after Yan Shaozhe, but no matter how hard he worked, Yan Shaozhe always stayed a step ahead.
"I understand that well."
"As long as we succeed in creating the Ultimate Soldier, I can guarantee—you will be the next dean of our Soul Tool Department."
Fan Yu's eyes grew fervent. "Dean Qian, you know, my goal in cultivating the Ultimate Soldier has nothing to do with power."
"Of course I know. It's our shared ideal. If we achieve it, the entire Douluo Continent will enter a new era."
Qian Duoduo smiled faintly. "By the way, I heard your Zhou Yi resigned because of a bet with Mu Jin, when her class lost to Yu Tianhuang's team."
Fan Yu's face showed helplessness. "Her temper needed tempering. Facing Yu Tianhuang's team was simply bad luck, but she had to bet so big with Mu Jin. Now she's left herself with no way out."
—
Unknowingly, Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian had stayed in the Soul Tool testing area for nearly an hour. For some reason, Fan Yu hadn't returned.
He Caitou, however, dutifully followed his instructions, introducing various soul tools to them.
"Senior brother He, why don't we stop here for today?" Xu Zihuang gently suggested, seeing how He Caitou grew more enthusiastic by the minute.
There was no need to rush. From the look of him, He Caitou could easily lecture through the whole night.
"Oh." He Caitou smiled simply. "Then next time you come, I'll continue."
Afterward, Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian left the Soul Tool Department together, strolling down the wide campus paths of the Martial Soul sector.
It was early summer, stars sprinkled across the sky, peaceful and tranquil.
The sky was completely dark now. Soul tool lamps along the road cast a soft glow, stretching their shadows long.
Gazing at Xu Zihuang's perfect profile, Ning Tian brushed a few golden strands behind her ear and asked softly:
"I heard you're also from the Heavenly Soul Empire. Don't you feel any rejection toward soul tools?"
"Doesn't your Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect also accept them?" Xu Zihuang countered with a smile.
"The development of soul tools follows the tide of the times. There is no conflict between soul masters and soul engineers. Think of it this way: if a soul master's martial soul and skills are already strong, and they can also wield soul tools proficiently, their combat power will rise greatly. Soul tools only benefit soul masters—there's no need to oppose the two."
Ning Tian nodded in agreement, a graceful smile blooming on her face.
"But in the three former empires of the Douluo Continent, many people still don't understand this. They're stuck in the old pride of soul masters."
"Such views can't change overnight."
…
The two chatted along the way, their rapport natural. After sharing dinner in the cafeteria, they parted at the freshman dorms.
Xu Zihuang gave Ning Tian a gentle nod as she entered the girls' dorm, though in his heart he felt no ripple.
It was Ning Tian who was destined to sink deeper and deeper.
Back at his room, Tuoba Yu was, as usual, seated at the desk between their beds, flipping through books for the next day's classes.
Just as he looked up, ready to speak, a jade bottle containing a deep-blue pill flew toward him.
Catching it in surprise, he saw it was the Xuan Shui Dan that Xu Sanshi had once given Xu Zihuang.
Smiling, Xu Zihuang spoke first: "Yun'er and I both got a soul bone. You can have this Xuan Shui Dan. Can't have you left out. It's useless to me anyway."
Tuoba Yu held his gaze for a long while, then grinned freely.
"Then I won't be polite. I'll take this first, refine its effects, and later take a soul ascension pill. My soul power should rise two levels straight."
"By the way, are you going to fuse that thirty-thousand-year Fear Demon Dragon head soul bone? Want me to stand guard for you tonight?"
"No need for now. I'll take the soul ascension pill first. You just cultivate yourself tonight." Xu Zihuang set his uniform in the wardrobe, then sat cross-legged on his bed, taking out a walnut-sized pill and swallowing it.
A burst of green liquid exploded in his mouth, a strong fragrance pouring out.
The dorm instantly filled with the natural scent of countless blossoms. Xu Zihuang felt his mind clear, every pore opening as a strange sensation spread through him.
His body began glowing faintly blue-green, fresh energy circulating constantly in the room. On the balcony, the Ink Snow Princess plant unfurled its leaves, shining with soft white light.
Born with full innate soul power, Xu Zihuang's meridians were perfectly clear. The pill's power wasted almost nothing, rapidly boosting his cultivation.
Seeing him enter meditation, Tuoba Yu understood. He hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, then also took the Xuan Shui Dan, slowly refining it with his own soul power.
After the freshman assessment, Xu Zihuang's days at Shrek Academy grew calm once again.
The next morning in Class One, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu returned.
Zhu Lu was specially admitted because of her martial soul fusion with Dai Huabin.
Yet Dai Huabin no longer showed hostility toward Xu Zihuang like during the assessment. Instead, he buried himself in cultivation, unusually low-key.
After Martial Soul Department lessons ended, Xu Zihuang went with Ning Tian to the Soul Tool Department for an hour each day to study the making and use of soul tools.
Still, his focus remained on martial cultivation.
Having already mastered a foundation in soul tools, he didn't truly come to learn, but rather to pave the way—to discreetly display his talent in core array inscription so that, later, he could craft soul tools openly.
Even so, he shocked Fan Yu again and again.
Xu Zihuang credited it all to his Golden Eyes martial soul's special spiritual nature. Indeed, this gave him innate advantages when inscribing core arrays.
Yet he still gained much in the Soul Tool Department. Though Shrek's soul tool technology lagged far behind, its collection of soul tools was vast. Within a single school year, he grew proficient in nearly every type.
Time flew—autumn to winter, winter to spring. Eight months passed.
Xu Zihuang's first year at Shrek Academy was drawing to a close. Next came vacation.
Every year, Shrek's break lasted one month. But it wasn't for leisure or travel. Students had to consolidate the past eleven months' learning and cultivate intensively. After the one-month rest came the promotion exam. Those who failed would be expelled immediately.
Thus, for most students, the "rest period" was actually the busiest and most grueling time.
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