During the time Huo Yuhao and Xuan Ziwen were getting to know each other, Yu Rufeng called Chi Qiu and Wang Dong out during class break.
"Teacher Yu, where are we going?"
Wang Dong yawned, and Chi Qiu glanced at her. Usually, at this time, Wang Dong would go back to the dormitory and sleep until lunch, while Chi Qiu would read or cultivate.
Yu Rufeng smiled mysteriously. "Have you never wondered what those rooms around the corner of the dormitory building are for?"
Chi Qiu thought for a moment. "The Auxiliary Cultivation Room?"
"Looks like you studied the map carefully." Yu Rufeng nodded in satisfaction.
"Teacher Yu, all my Gold Soul Coins are in the dormitory!" Those few words seemed to have jolted Wang Dong awake. She hurriedly added, "I didn't bring them!"
Yu Rufeng laughed and scolded her. "You really aren't afraid of thieves!"
"I trust the academy's security."
"Why us?" Wang Dong put the card in her pocket. She hadn't even brought her Storage Soul Tool when she left. That made her seem like an oddity at the academy, but no one said much about it. The gossip about her being allergic to Soul Tools had already spread quietly.
They were actually giving her, Chi Qiu, and Huo Yuhao free use of this place for a year.
"If everyone in your class got this, the academy might as well go into charity work." Yu Rufeng waved a hand. "Don't tell the other students about this for now. It's a special arrangement I made for you, and I won't benefit if too many people find out. Huo Yuhao has one too. He's with Teacher Xuan right now; I'll speak to him later."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Rufeng released his Martial Soul. A faint chill spread from him, though it was nowhere near as cold as the icy aura he had directed at Chi Qiu and Wang Dong during their nighttime conversation with Huo Yuhao. Its quality was lower, but his Soul Saint cultivation still made both girls shiver slightly.
"Don't worry about the money. These are access cards for the academy. They're valid for one year, and you can use the Auxiliary Cultivation Room for free. After that, depending on the circumstances, you'll be issued new ones." As he spoke, Yu Rufeng took two cards from his Storage Soul Tool and handed one to each girl.
"If your Martial Soul contains even a trace of a powerful bloodline, I can amplify it and strengthen the Martial Soul as a whole. Which of you wants to go first?"
She glanced at Wang Dong worriedly. The other girl seemed fine, so it appeared that her reaction was worse to offensive Soul Tools.
"I've heard a little about it." Chi Qiu nodded.
Chi Qiu said no more, simply nodding to thank Yu Rufeng.
Anyone who knew even a little about the matter would know that Soul Beasts with any connection to the other ancient dragon clans could almost always become overlords in their territory.
Even Soul Engineers wouldn't be eager to acquire this Martial Soul. Any useful Soul Skill meant another means of fighting. One could say that having this Martial Soul was tantamount to being sentenced to death in the world of Soul Masters.
Only then did she take a closer look at Teacher Yu's Martial Soul. A phantom of a white bird perched on his shoulder. Chi Qiu recognized it at once: a special Soul Beast called the Xuanbing Sparrow.
And someone with this kind of Martial Soul had been specially hired by the academy to train Soul Masters?
"So the plan you came up with is going to be used on us?" Wang Dong blinked, surprised. She hadn't expected to receive much attention at a Soul Engineer academy like this.
"Come in."
"Teacher Yu, does everyone in the class get one of these cards, or just us?" Though she already had a guess, she couldn't help asking.
The Xuanbing Sparrow was unquestionably one of the weaker Soul Beasts. They had almost no means of attack and very weak defenses; their only notable trait was their speed. Clearly, Teacher Yu had once been an agility-type Soul Master, but with no offensive Soul Skills, he had been forced to become a Soul Engineer.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Rufeng pressed the activation button on the Soul Tool beside him. The chill around him immediately intensified. Chi Qiu realized then that the Soul Tool was probably designed to amplify the power of Soul Skills.
"Heh, when I first joined the academy, I was part of the special group for training Soul Masters. Unfortunately, things didn't work out, so our group was disbanded and folded into the Soul Engineer teaching staff. Even though I teach first-year students, I also have a mission to find promising young Soul Masters."
Chi Qiu's thoughts stirred, and she quietly released her Golden Dragon Martial Soul. Fire elements swirled around her, keeping her and Wang Dong warm.
Yu Rufeng noticed the confusion on Chi Qiu's face. Smiling, he clapped his hands, and seven Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet: three yellow, two purple, and two black. His set was even a ring short of the optimal configuration.
"Why are you acting like this is all over?" Yu Rufeng tapped the Soul Tool in front of him, and a green light came on to show that it was active. "The special arrangement has only just begun. This cultivation room is just an added bonus."
"This ability is called Bloodline Activation."
Wang Dong scratched her head, seeming to understand. She tugged Chi Qiu by the arm and smiled. "All right, Miss Qiu. Thank you, Teacher Yu. We'll accept the academy's kindness and make good use of this place. We won't disappoint you. We'll tell Huo Yuhao, too."
"To that end, we drew up a series of training plans, but we had so few talented candidates that many of them simply couldn't be carried out with those children." He gave a wry smile. "We knew the Douluo Three Kingdoms and Shrek Academy must have better methods, but given the circumstances, we couldn't just go there and learn from them."
"Our name is the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, and we have close ties with the imperial family. Since our founding, we've supplied Soul Engineers to all walks of life in the country. But in truth, all those sectors have also been asking us for Soul Master talent."
Yu Rufeng spoke frankly. Hall Master Hongchen had specifically asked for them to be trained, so there was no harm in telling them certain things.
The moment Chi Qiu stepped onto the floor of the Auxiliary Cultivation Room, her eyebrows rose. Every corner of the place was filled with spiritual energy far richer than that outside. Though it was nowhere near as rich as the Star Dou Great Forest, the conditions here were already far better than the average cultivation environment anywhere else in the Sun Moon Empire. Given the empire's foundations in Soul Master cultivation, any Soul Master who came here would benefit tremendously, even if they simply stood around doing nothing.
"Chi Qiu, judging by your expression, you recognize my Martial Soul."
Chi Qiu accepted the card with some surprise. It looked plain, but seemed to be made of a rare metal. Two lines of grooves on the surface bore her name and a string of numbers. When she infused it with Soul Power, it lit up automatically. It looked as though it had been made specifically for her, and only she could use it.
"This really is a huge favor." Chi Qiu nodded. "Teacher Yu, can we use it without restriction for the whole year?"
She had seen on the map that using the room cost sixty Gold Soul Coins per hour. That was why Wang Dong had exclaimed that she hadn't brought any money as soon as she heard about it.
At that, Chi Qiu and Wang Dong both froze. A cultivation room that cost sixty Gold Soul Coins an hour was just an added bonus?
"How is it?" Yu Rufeng asked, seeming to activate another Soul Tool.
Wang Dong usually seemed carefree, but she was still the young mistress of the Clear Sky Sect. Combined with her knowledge of the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Master world, she had more or less figured out what the academy intended. By contrast, Chi Qiu wasn't as good at guessing how humans thought.
Yet this weak bird Soul Beast carried a trace of the ancient Ice Dragon King's legacy. In a way, they were an embarrassment to Soul Beasts: although they had inherited a trace of the bloodline, they had failed to evolve any of its abilities.
"This special arrangement is almost too generous."
"You don't need to be discouraged by that," Chi Qiu said. "Shrek Academy has an impressive record, but its entry requirements are extremely strict. The students it admits are already geniuses, so even its worst graduates aren't bad."
"Of course."
"If you don't give this privilege to the most talented Soul Masters, who else would you give it to? Just consider it a favor from the academy." Yu Rufeng walked up to the Auxiliary Cultivation Room and stopped in front of the door. He took out his card and swiped it against the access panel. The seemingly heavy door gave a metallic chime and slid slowly to one side.
"Then it's only natural for you to question me. My other Soul Skills really are useless abilities. It's just that I found some other ways to use my sixth Soul Skill."
She turned to look, and the card in Wang Dong's hand was the same.
"But you and Huo Yuhao," he continued, his tone changing, "have a chance to reach the Titled Douluo level without relying on drugs, through your own efforts alone."
"Unfortunately, even in our vast Sun Moon Empire, it's difficult to recruit geniuses like that." Yu Rufeng sighed. "Anyone with a chance of reaching Level 90 and becoming a Titled Douluo would be considered a genius here, even if they had to get there by taking drugs. Most people can barely make it to Soul Saint, even with drugs."
"I'll go first." Chi Qiu stepped forward.
If this really had that effect, then her Power of Destiny would surely benefit the most. That was extremely important to both her and Huo Yuhao.
A little side story for Qiu'er is about to begin, too.
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