After walking through the gates of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, Huo Yuhao couldn't help exclaiming, "Just in terms of its buildings... it doesn't seem any worse than Shrek!"
The first building that caught their eye after they entered was the freshman physical examination hall. This was the first thing they had to do after registering, and it was scheduled for that afternoon.
The test wouldn't make students who failed drop out outright; it would only affect how they were assigned to classes.
After all, the academy had said that students with ten levels could enroll. It wouldn't be right to make them drop out shortly after arriving for one reason or another.
The examination hall was just a small building beside the school's south gate. Directly opposite the gate was a broad student activity plaza. A strip of grass bordered the plaza, and the only thing in its center was a metal sculpture. The sun and moon hung side by side above a towering stone peak. When Huo Yuhao swept the area with Spiritual Detection, he discovered a huge array at the base of the sculpture.
Behind the plaza stood the main teaching building. The sun was rising in that direction, making the words "Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy" gleam brightly. As Huo Yuhao and the others passed by the building, they saw several students hurrying inside with metal cases in their hands.
"Level 5 Soul Engineer."
Huo Yuhao had excellent eyesight, and he immediately spotted the badge pinned to one student's chest. It was his first time seeing a Level 5 Soul Engineer badge. When he'd visited Shrek's Soul Tool Department, the highest level he'd seen was Level 3.
"The dormitory building's just ahead," Chi Qiu reminded him. Huo Yuhao had been so engrossed in looking around that he hadn't even noticed they'd reached the dormitory.
The regular students at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy each had a single room. As a result, the entire dormitory building looked no less impressive than the teaching building. The boys' and girls' dormitories were in separate buildings, painted blue and orange respectively, making them stand out.
In Wang Dong's enrollment file, she'd listed her gender as female. Both Huo Yuhao and Chi Qiu had strongly advised her to do so. She'd still wanted to list herself as male, arguing that having a single room meant she didn't need to worry about the same things as Huo Yuhao and Chi Qiu, but they'd been adamant.
"Qiu'er, Wang Dong, look out for each other in the girls' dorm," Huo Yuhao said, still worried. "If anything comes up, tell me. We'll figure it out together."
"You're the one who should be careful. I'm more worried about you," Chi Qiu immediately replied. "You don't know anyone here. If you run into trouble, remember to tell us."
"Okay."
After they'd reminded one another about a few other odds and ends, Huo Yuhao clutched his dorm key and went upstairs. His room was on the second floor, where most of the students were sophomores. But he was a freshman who'd transferred in, and there weren't any vacant rooms left on the first floor.
The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy had a simple advancement system: once you became a Level 1 Soul Engineer, you could advance to the second year, and so on. Thus, there were the most students in the first year, while the number in the second year had already dropped by more than half.
As he walked down the dormitory hallway, he saw discarded metal parts everywhere, blueprints someone had apparently lost, and even a Soul Tool that had fallen into someone's water and was now drying on a balcony.
When Huo Yuhao put the key in the lock and turned it, he realized the delicate little silver key was already slick with sweat. Just what he'd seen that morning had left him incredibly excited.
The atmosphere here was so focused on Soul Tools that Shrek's Soul Tool Department couldn't compare at all!
That Soul Ray Gun he'd seen in the shop—the one that cost Gold Soul Coins—had caught his eye. After pinching pennies for a while, Huo Yuhao had secretly bought it. One night, while Wang Dong was fast asleep, he'd taken it apart to study its construction. It was the first time he'd learned about the basic functions of a Core Array.
Later, when he tried to put it back together, he discovered there were many parts he didn't know how to install. Rather than discouraging him, the experience had only ignited his interest in Soul Tools.
He pushed the door open with a creak. The room had already been tidied up, and a bedding set lay on the hard bed. The cost of these basic necessities had been included in the tuition.
A few books sat on the shelf: Introduction to Soul Tools, Study of Core Array Engraving, Introduction to Core Array Functions, and Taxonomy of Rare Metals. It seemed the academy gave a set to every new student.
Huo Yuhao pulled out Introduction to Soul Tools, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began reading with relish.
He read all the way until noon. Thanks to his extraordinary spiritual power, he'd practically memorized everything he'd read.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. He quickly put down the book and went to open it.
The person at the door was the silver-haired senior who'd asked to see his Soul Skill during registration that morning. Huo Yuhao still remembered him, since the other boy had introduced himself as "the academy's greatest genius." And considering he was so young yet already testing new students, Huo Yuhao still held a trace of admiration for him.
"Senior?" Huo Yuhao greeted him politely.
"You're Huo Yuhao, right?" The other boy leaned against the doorframe, looking every bit like a carefree young master. "Don't call me senior. It feels awkward. I'm Xiao Hongchen. Just call me big brother."
Why did everyone I meet like calling themselves big brother? Huo Yuhao grumbled inwardly, while Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sneezed.
"Big Brother Xiao," he said anyway. It did roll off the tongue more easily than "senior."
"Mm. I'm here on behalf of Mingde Hall to look after this year's new students." As he spoke, Xiao Hongchen carried a box inside Huo Yuhao's dorm room.
"You can open it now," he said, sounding rather pleased with himself.
Huo Yuhao didn't stand on ceremony. He pulled the box closer, lifted the lid with both hands, and opened it.
It was full of rare metals. Huo Yuhao had just finished reading Introduction to Soul Tools, and he still remembered some of the metal names it mentioned. He picked up a black, unremarkable-looking piece of metal shaped like a stone and said, "Ink Steel. Used to engrave Level 1 to Level 3 Core Arrays. It's mined in some parts of the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire..."
"You know your stuff." Xiao Hongchen seemed a little surprised, then nodded. "Not bad. Looks like you've got some background in Soul Tools."
"Not at all. I just read the book the academy gave me, so I know a little." Huo Yuhao smiled modestly.
"Most people don't remember it all just from reading the book. Take the compliment. Do you think I praise people for no reason?"
With that, Xiao Hongchen turned and waved a hand. "Anyway, there's enough here for you to practice with, and you'll be able to catch up with the other first-years who got the materials handed out in class. If you want to thank anyone, thank Mingde Hall."
"If you have any questions, come find me in Class One of the fifth year or at Mingde Hall. Just give them my name."
After saying all that, Xiao Hongchen quickly left the dormitory building. It looked like he didn't live there.
Huo Yuhao thought that Qiu'er had worried too much. It wasn't as if he knew nobody here. He had someone who seemed fairly reliable to turn to, after all.
Well... he only seemed reliable, probably.
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