Soul Tool Genius Huo Yuhao

Soul Tool Genius Huo Yuhao

"Today, we have three transfer students joining Class One. Let's give them a warm welcome."

Amidst the brief applause from his classmates, Huo Yuhao's eyes were immediately drawn to the Level 7 Soul Engineer badge on the teacher's collar.

This was his first time seeing a Level 7 Soul Engineer in person. At Shrek Academy, the most famous figure in the Soul Tool Department was Fan Yu, a Level 8 Soul Engineer, but Huo Yuhao hadn't managed to meet him during his tour.

"Alright." The teacher's tone was calm, and he seemed to be a steady, composed type. "Due to time constraints, we'll hold self-introductions during the break. Let's begin the lesson now. Do the three of you have any prior knowledge of soul tools?"

Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment before speaking: "A little."

He wasn't sure if the superficial books he had read and the elective courses he had attended at Shrek counted as having a foundation.

Chi Qiu and Wang Dong both shook their heads.

"Oh, that's fine." The teacher smiled slightly. "My teaching pace is quite fast, so try your best to keep up. You can ask your classmates for notes from the previous sessions after class. My surname is Yu; just call me Teacher Yu. Let's start the lesson."

Huo Yuhao went to his seat and sat down. Wang Dong and Chi Qiu sat in front of him, while a male student he didn't recognize sat beside him. As soon as he sat down, the boy nudged his arm:

"Classmate, you picked a bad time to arrive."

"What do you mean?" Huo Yuhao asked in a low voice.

"Teacher Yu gives a pop quiz every three lessons. This lesson just happens to be the one."

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao gave a wry smile: "Surely he wouldn't make it too hard for us three newcomers?"

Despite this, he immediately focused his full attention on the lecture. Although basic courses were dry, the intense pace of Teacher Yu's instruction meant he didn't dare let his mind wander for even a second.

This lesson covered the calculation formulas for the maximum soul power impact that a soul tool's metal casing could withstand; it was the kind of class where you would be completely lost if you just looked down to pick up a pen.

Fortunately, at Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao was often required to attend classes while copying multiple sets of notes, which made it easier for him to keep up with the fast-paced teaching.

The first period passed quickly. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy used a ninety-minute block schedule with a ten-minute break in between. When the break bell rang, Teacher Yu scribbled the core array data for several Level 1 soul tools and the material parameters for their casings on the blackboard, saying:

"This is the content for today's quiz. After the three new students finish their self-introductions, calculate these values and hand them in before the next class starts. Alright, you may begin your self-introductions."

Huo Yuhao glanced at the problems on the blackboard, did some quick mental math, and then stood up:

"Hello everyone, I am Huo Yuhao, a Level 25 Control System Battle Soul Master. This is my first time studying soul tools, so please guide me."

Afterward, he walked down from his seat and placed his draft paper on the podium: "Teacher Yu, I have finished the test content."

Teacher Yu looked surprised as he picked up the draft paper and glanced at it; the data and answers were all correct.

"Good, good. Student Huo, your foundation is quite solid."

"I've read a few relevant books," Huo Yuhao said modestly with a bow to the teacher before returning to his seat.

By now, the gazes of the surrounding students had changed significantly. These problems weren't exactly difficult for them, but since they were new concepts, they certainly couldn't have calculated them nearly as fast.

And he just said he was Level 25, right? Several familiar students looked at each other, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Because the academy's enrollment requirements for soul power weren't high, there were plenty of students in this class who were only at the first ring. In the Sun Moon Empire, a land where the foundation of soul masters wasn't as deep, being at the first ring at eleven or twelve years old was already considered quite talented.

As for the legendary Hongchen siblings, who were rumored to be nearing the fifth ring at just over thirteen and had already been pre-selected for Mingde Hall, they were existences far beyond their reach.

Level 25 was already a huge number to them.

The next person to stand up was a blonde girl, who stated an even more shocking number in a cold voice:

"Chi Qiu, Level 38 Assault System Battle Soul Elder."

At the same time, Huo Yuhao activated Spiritual Detection Sharing and glanced at the answers on Chi Qiu and Wang Dong's draft papers.

Chi Qiu had calculated a bit more slowly, but the process was mostly correct. After all, she was a soul beast by origin, and Huo Yuhao felt she had done quite well for her first time encountering human machinery.

As for Wang Dong...

Huo Yuhao quickly wrote a small note, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it onto Wang Dong's desk. Wang Dong opened it, and her brows immediately furrowed:

"You got everything wrong starting from the third line!"

By this time, Chi Qiu had already sat down. When it was Wang Dong's turn to introduce herself, she stood up in a rush, her leg slamming into the corner of the desk and making a painful sound.

She gasped, then said: "Wang Dong, Level 32 Agility System Battle Soul Elder. This is my first time encountering soul tools, Teacher Yu, please be patient with me."

Chi Qiu curiously leaned over to look at the note on Wang Dong's desk, wanting to know what was written that made her so flustered, while Huo Yuhao lay on his desk, stifling a laugh.

When Wang Dong sat down, she angrily tapped Huo Yuhao's arm: "Still laughing? Hurry up and hand over the correct answers."

"Alright, alright." Huo Yuhao covered his face to control his laughter. "Don't just copy them; think about it before you write. Look at Qiu'er's; her process is basically all correct."

Before long, the classroom quieted down as everyone buried their heads in their calculations, while those who finished read their books.

Teacher Yu walked over to the three of them. By this time, Wang Dong had finally finished the problems, and Chi Qiu, who was closer to the teacher's position, brought her draft paper over to hand in as well.

"Very good." Teacher Yu glanced over them. "To be able to write this without a foundation is already quite impressive."

"Let me introduce myself to you as well. My name is Yu Rufeng, a Level 7 Soul Engineer serving in Mingde Hall."

Only then did Huo Yuhao get a good look at the teacher's appearance. Yu Rufeng looked to be in his thirties, sporting a sharp, short gray haircut. His face carried the weariness of an older man, likely from his research. He wore a dark plaid shirt under a leather jacket, which made him look quite approachable.

In Huo Yuhao's eyes, the most eye-catching thing about this teacher was, of course, the gleaming Level 7 Soul Engineer badge on his collar.

"Huo Yuhao." Yu Rufeng called his name.

"Yes, Teacher?"

"Calculate these as well." Without any wasted words, the other party ticked off a few sample data points from the book in his hand and pushed them toward Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao took them, and with just a single glance, he realized these figures were different from the previous ones. The earlier problems were merely tests of theoretical knowledge, whereas these were actual measured data.

He didn't say much either, lowering his head to begin the calculations. After a while, he handed over the answers: "Teacher Yu, there is a slight margin of error in the results. Please see if it falls within the acceptable range."

Yu Rufeng took a look, a flash of realization appearing in his eyes. This child's comprehension is truly remarkable!

Generally speaking, even for the children in Class One, it takes half a lesson of guidance to help them transition from theoretical values to practical situations. Yet, this kid had actually discovered the issue during the calculation process itself and found an appropriate way to handle it; he could be described as having the ability to draw inferences about other cases from one instance.

He had received quite a few pleasant surprises today. The testing department had only told him that "these few transfer students are worth focusing on," but they hadn't mentioned that these children were all genius soul masters, and that one of them was such a prodigy in the field of Soul Tools.

"Good lad." Yu Rufeng patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "Once you secure your Level 1 Soul Master badge, I will recommend a teacher for you. It would be a pity not to have him mentor you."

"Then when can I take the Level 1 Soul Master exam?" Huo Yuhao asked eagerly.

"The Soul Master level assessments organized by the school are held once every two months. Of course, if your grades are excellent, you can also have the opportunity for an early assessment, though that format is much stricter."

"I understand, I will work hard." Huo Yuhao nodded.

Today's experience had greatly boosted his confidence, and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was also excited in his mind; seeing Huo Yuhao being recognized made him very happy. Ice Empress didn't quite understand Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's excitement, as she hadn't experienced the period when Huo Yuhao was met with cold shoulders everywhere at Shrek. If Ice Empress had been watching back then, she would have been furious long ago.

However, if Ice Empress had been there at that time, Huo Yuhao wouldn't have suffered such treatment. Shrek was stubborn in this regard; compared to actual combat performance, they were more willing to believe in the potential of martial souls and bloodline factors based on their own experience.

Even categories of soul masters like agility-attack and defense types could not receive the same educational resources as power-attack and control types at Shrek. This was something Wang Dong realized after switching to agility-attack, and she had told Huo Yuhao a bit about it on the way here.

Wang Dong seemed to have said something back then about how restoring the glory of agility-attack was her duty, or something to that effect.

Huo Yuhao shook his head. Anyway, he had already left Shrek, so why care! He felt that perhaps in this place, he would receive the attention he deserved. This unprecedented feeling made his heart, which had been battered since he could first remember, beat with even more vigor.

He was very grateful to Chi Qiu, who was willing to support him in coming to this place so far from the Star Dou Great Forest to realize his self-worth. He was also grateful to Wang Dong for providing him with help along the way.

Now, it was time to start proving himself.

The bell for class rang, and Yu Rufeng walked back to the podium to begin the lesson.

He withdrew his appreciative gaze from Huo Yuhao and swept his eyes over the other students. Although Chi Qiu's performance wasn't as stunning as Huo Yuhao's, it was still at a level where she could continue to study in Class One, and he was very satisfied. The performance of the other students was also quite good.

But when his gaze swept over Wang Dong, it carried a trace of imperceptible worry.