Soul Power Control

The grade system of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Guide Academy's Soul Guide Department was quite interesting.

The final examination for graduating from the first-year second semester was the Level One Soul Engineer assessment. If one failed, they would be expelled immediately and would not even be allowed to claim outside that they were a student of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Guide Academy.

Starting from the second year, advancement through the grades was directly replaced by Soul Engineer assessments.

Upon becoming a Level Three Soul Engineer, one would advance to the third year. Upon becoming a Level Four Soul Engineer, one would advance to the fourth year, and so on, all the way through the sixth year.

The conditions for graduation were to have spent six years at the academy, or to become a Level Three Soul Engineer or above. Once either condition was met, one could graduate.

(The first year was similar to compulsory education, while the graduation exam was like the college entrance examination. Then the third year was undergraduate level, the fourth year master's level, and the fifth year doctoral level. More or less like that.)

In theory, Huo Yuhao was already qualified to attend second-year or even third-year classes. Unfortunately, after he attended classes for half a day yesterday, Jing Hongchen had arranged leave for him and directly assigned several people to teach him in a one-on-three setup.

The reason was perfectly reasonable as well: the knowledge taught in the first year was useless to him.

What? You were asking who the extra people were?

Naturally, they were Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen.

As geniuses, they had already passed the Level Two Soul Engineer assessment before entering the academy. The reason they had still gone to class together yesterday was merely to go through the motions.

After all, academy rules stipulated that new students had to attend class on their first day to listen to their homeroom teacher explain the academy's various precautions and rules.

Back to the point.

After being talked through by his grandfather, Jing Hongchen, yesterday, Xiao Hongchen had already changed his attitude. Brimming with fighting spirit, he dragged Huo Yuhao off to class with him.

He moved so quickly that Meng Hongchen, who had originally wanted to take Huo Yuhao's hand, did not even have time to react.

Brother, why are you stealing my Huo Yuhao?!

"Control over Soul Power is, in essence, also the application of one's own Martial Soul and soul skills.

"The more familiar you are with controlling your own power, the more you can gradually go from 'expending ten parts of effort for three parts of gain' to 'expending ten parts of effort for ten parts of gain.'"

Huo Yuhao used Soul Power to levitate a small piece of metal. At the same time, a tiny engraving blade moved under the control of his Soul Power, gradually carving into the metal.

As he explained, he engraved. Before long, a simple Level One Soul Guide Core had been carved.

Xiao Hongchen watched, then tentatively tried to replicate Huo Yuhao's movements with his Soul Power. However, Huo Yuhao suddenly raised a hand to stop him.

"My Martial Soul is of the spiritual type, so I have an innate advantage in controlling Soul Power. You don't need to imitate me. You should use your own strengths.

"Don't imitate. Learn the method."

"Don't imitate. Learn the method."

Xiao Hongchen murmured it unconsciously. The next moment, he activated Martial Soul Possession. The Three-legged Golden Toad's innate Metal Control ability was driven by his Soul Power, lifting a piece of metal into the air.

His heterochromatic eyes grew brighter and brighter. Contemplation turned into understanding, and in the next moment, Xiao Hongchen picked up an engraving blade and began practicing.

Huo Yuhao breathed a slight sigh of relief, then looked toward Meng Hongchen, who had been silently watching them for quite some time.

"Sister Meng—"

"Yuhao. What comes after that?" Meng Hongchen interrupted him and asked thoughtfully.

"What?" Huo Yuhao did not quite understand.

"After what you just said—'expending ten parts of effort for ten parts of gain'—what comes next?"

Miss Meng's eyes were filled with curiosity and inquiry. "In theory, making a Level Three Soul Guide Core requires at least all the Soul Power of an ordinary Level Fifteen Soul Master.

"Although you're Level Sixteen, Yuhao, after you engraved that Level Three Soul Guide Core yesterday, it seemed like you had only used a little more than half your Soul Power, right?"

Huo Yuhao was slightly stunned. He had not expected the disguise originally meant to guard against Jing Hongchen to be noticed by Meng Hongchen instead.

Huo Yuhao nodded, then naturally sat down beside Meng Hongchen.

Looking at Xiao Hongchen, who was not far ahead and completely absorbed in thought, Huo Yuhao spoke softly.

"Sister Meng, do you know what a lever is?"

Meng Hongchen nodded.

A lever was a mechanical principle widely used in Soul Tool construction, capable of saving effort or trading effort for distance, among other effects.

Meng Hongchen seemed to realize something.

"Could it be...?"

"Yes. You use Soul Power as a lever. In principle, you first use Soul Power to construct a force-saving structure, then use that Soul Power structure to drive the Soul Power that engraves the Soul Guide Array.

"I call this 'expending ten parts of effort for fifteen parts of gain.'"

"Is that really possible?"

Meng Hongchen was utterly astonished. Wasn't Huo Yuhao's method equivalent to using his own Soul Power to create a Soul Tool?!

Just how terrifying would one's control over Soul Power have to be to achieve that!

"Actually, I constructed it using both Soul Power and Spiritual Power. Roughly speaking, under certain conditions, this method can reduce my Soul Power consumption by fifty percent. It's a pretty useful little trick."

Meng Hongchen once again clearly felt Huo Yuhao's "talent," but she soon relaxed.

She was not like her brother. She did not have strange thoughts like I'm the best! or I have to surpass you!

But Yuhao had truly given her a surprise.

"Would Sister Meng like to learn?"

"Ah, me?"

Meng Hongchen shook her head and refused. "It's different. My brother's Martial Soul comes with Metal Control, but mine can't do that."

"But you can still learn Soul Power control."

He knew the flaws of Meng Hongchen's Martial Soul.

Meng Hongchen's Martial Soul was the Vermillion Ice Toad.

This Soul Beast was a rare Ice Attribute venomous Soul Beast, known in the Extreme North as the king of the cracks.

Its main habitat was where the outer regions of the Extreme North bordered the human world. Its population was extremely small, and its movements were elusive.

The uniqueness of this Martial Soul lay in the fact that its entire body was Ice Attribute, while its eyes were Fire Attribute. Its greatest ability was poison. By alternating its ice and fire abilities, it produced a special Cold Poison. Wherever it passed, it left behind deadly poison that lingered for a long time. Thus, even Soul Beasts stronger than it found it difficult to harm.

However, this Martial Soul also had a side effect. Its own Cold Poison could backlash against its owner, and the slightest carelessness could result in the Cold Poison attacking the heart and causing death.

Judging purely by talent as a Soul Master, Meng Hongchen's talent even surpassed Xiao Hongchen's.

However, every time Meng Hongchen cultivated, she had to devote part of her attention to controlling the Cold Poison within her body. Otherwise, one careless mistake could cause her body to explode and kill her.

For that reason, she had never cultivated with her full strength. Of course, perhaps it was precisely because of this that she had developed her somewhat detached, uncompetitive personality.

The reason Huo Yuhao wanted to teach Meng Hongchen the method of Soul Power control was to draw closer to her and gain her trust. As Jing Hongchen's granddaughter, if she favored him, she could also influence Jing Hongchen to favor him to some extent.