Soul Tool Department

Biodata

Background / History

Shrek Academy established the Soul Tool Department, but the academy remained primarily centered on the Martial Soul System. After freshman assessments, the Martial Soul System selected its strongest students first; many of those not selected were assigned to the Soul Tool Department instead. This left the department undervalued and with limited influence within the academy. 32 34

The department occupied a separate gray-colored campus area built with metal as well as brick and stone. Its facilities were organized around testing zones rather than ordinary classrooms; Testing Area Twelve was divided by thick metal partitions for Soul Tool trials. 34

The department initially lacked defined specializations: students who formally joined were expected to learn Soul Tool manufacture. Core disciples of the Martial Soul System could study there concurrently after school, but transferring fully required surrendering their Martial Soul System core-disciple badge and benefits. 34 35

Its position began to improve after Mu En warned that the Sun Moon Empire possessed a massive Soul Tool potentially capable of threatening his life and changing the balance of war. Fan Yu was subsequently nominated as vice dean responsible for Soul Tool research. 62

Five years later, Shrek began integrating the Martial Soul System and Soul Tool Department, though many inner-court disciples still resisted offensive Soul Tools as a rejection of traditional Soul Master pride. 146

Teaching and Research

Curriculum

The department teaches Soul Tool theory, construction, operation, and the foundational skills required to become a Soul Engineer. Its instruction is described as systematic and supported by theories originating from the Sun Moon Empire. 35 36

• Soul Tool categories
  • Close-Combat Soul Tools — generally favored by Battle Soul Masters; can function as ordinary weapons without Soul Power, though special effects require activation. 35
  • Ranged Soul Tools — require Soul Power; stronger models demand greater Soul Power expenditure. 35
  • Fixed Soul Tools — difficult to manufacture and materially demanding; cannot lock targets through Soul Power but offer greater destructive power than Ranged Soul Tools. 35
• Soul Engineer ranks correspond broadly to the highest-ranked Soul Tools an engineer can manufacture and use. Rank Nine Soul Tools are intended for Titled Douluo-level users. 35
• Core formation arrays are central to Soul Engineer assessment: an engineer must be able to inscribe an array of the relevant rank and possess sufficient personal cultivation. 36
• Manufacturing components
  • Outer shell — hard, heat-resistant protective exterior.
  • Inner shell — conductive metal, such as crystal silver, that conducts and amplifies Soul Power.
  • Core — the most specialized component, containing the core formation array. 35

Concurrent Study Program

Fan Yu permitted Wang Dong'er, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao to study at the department for one hour after school each day. Zou Mengyao issued them keys to Zone Twelve and supervised their instruction. 35

• Huo Yuhao studied Soul Tool manufacture and later obtained a Rank One Soul Engineer badge. His spirit attribute and Mental Detection were considered particularly suitable for controlling Fixed Soul Tools and for engineering work. 35 50 119
• Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao initially focused on operation and foundational knowledge rather than manufacture. Wang Dong'er later discovered some aptitude for Soul Tool crafting. 35 36 50
• The department’s instructors recognized that simultaneous Martial Soul cultivation and Soul Tool study required significant time and could slow progress in either discipline. 35 39

Research Initiatives

• Extreme Soldier Plan — a secret departmental project intended to cultivate individuals capable of altering a war’s outcome alone, conceived as a response to Sun Moon Empire Soul Engineers. 56
• Military and defensive applications — the department emphasized that defensive, flying, and other functional Soul Tools could reduce casualties and expand a Soul Master’s battlefield capabilities. 71
• Integration research — after Shrek’s institutional shift, the department was expected to support research into specialized applications, including healing Soul Tools for healing-type Soul Masters. 148

Personnel

• Fan Yu — the department’s sole special-grade teacher during Wang Dong’er’s first visit; later nominated as vice dean responsible for Soul Tool research. He advocated choosing either Martial Soul or Soul Tool cultivation as a primary focus, while still allowing concurrent study. 34 35 62
• Zou Mengyao — intermediate teacher responsible for teaching Martial Soul System students who concurrently studied Soul Tools. She provided detailed instruction on Soul Tool structures and foundation-building. 35 36
• He Caitou — student guide who demonstrated first- and second-tier Soul Tool manufacturing and use to visitors. He was an elite student of the department. 34 71
• Xian Lin’er — associated with the department’s leadership and its response to Sea God Pavilion support for Soul Tool development. 62
• Qian Duoduo — associated with the department and aware of the Extreme Soldier Plan. 62

Facilities

• Soul Tool Testing Area — a designated area outside the department’s buildings for testing. 34
• Testing Area Twelve / Zone Twelve — a metal-partitioned testing and teaching zone accessed by assigned keys. 34 35
• Manufacturing and demonstration spaces — areas where students observe construction, disassemble equipment, and practice with common Soul Tools such as Sleeve Cannons. 35

Relations

• Martial Soul System — institutional counterpart and historical rival; its traditionalist culture suppressed the department’s development and treated Soul Tools as inferior external objects. 34 62 71
• Sun Moon Empire — technological benchmark and strategic concern; the department’s teachings drew on Sun Moon theories, while its research sought to counter the empire’s Soul Engineers. 35 56
• Wang Yan — Martial Soul System teacher who supported Soul Tool study and brought Wang Dong’er’s group to the department. 34 35
• Wang Dong’er, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao — Martial Soul System students admitted to concurrent study; their participation was seen as a potential way to attract more high-performing students. 35

Trivia

• The department’s gray buildings are distinguished from Martial Soul System facilities by extensive metal construction. 34
• Its educational approach is presented as more meticulous and systematic than the stagnating methods Wang Dong’er attributes to the Martial Soul System. 35
• The department regarded a spirit-attribute Soul Master such as Huo Yuhao as especially promising for Fixed Soul Tool control. 35