He had seen countless Spirit-type Soul Masters, but never one whose Mental Attribute Soul Skill was so astonishingly effective. Could a ten-year Soul Ring really grant such an ability?
And to think he could achieve such wide-ranging, high-precision detection at the Soul Grandmaster level. More terrifying still, his Spirit Detection Sharing could be transmitted to both of them without the slightest obstruction. The penetrative power and compatibility of his spiritual force were simply unheard of!
Before they could recover from their shock, Huo Yuhao had already released his second Soul Skill.
"Spirit Shock!"
Twelve nearly invisible waves of Spirit Shock shot from Huo Yuhao's brow like precisely aimed arrows, hurtling toward the twelve targets.
Pfft, pfft, pfft...
Twelve faint sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
All twelve waves of Spirit Shock struck the exact centers of their targets, without the slightest deviation.
The Soul Guidance Arrays on the targets lit up at once, and a string of numbers appeared on the screen, displaying the strength and accuracy of the Spirit Shock. Accuracy: one hundred percent!
The entire laboratory fell silent.
Fan Yu stood rooted to the spot, staring at the numbers on the screen, then at Huo Yuhao, who stood calmly in the center of the platform with his Martial Soul aura withdrawn. He was completely stunned.
He had taught Soul Tool Technology for more than twenty years, but he had never seen a ten-year-old Soul Grandmaster control his spiritual force to such a degree. Huo Yuhao was a genius among geniuses, and he even possessed such an incredible skill.
Even a Soul King or Soul Emperor-level Spirit-type Soul Master might not be able to execute twelve perfectly precise Spirit Shocks at once. Yet this ten-year-old boy had done it as smoothly as flowing water, and he hadn't even seemed to exert himself!
How was this merely a new student who had just enrolled? He was a heaven-gifted prodigy tailor-made for the Soul Guidance Department!
Fan Yu's heart pounded wildly. He looked at Huo Yuhao as if he were an unparalleled piece of uncarved jade, his gaze brimming with fervor and admiration for the boy's talent.
His greatest wish in life was to cultivate a top-tier Soul Engineer capable of surpassing Mingde Hall. And Huo Yuhao, right before his eyes, was the very seedling he had dreamed of finding!
"Good! Good! Good!" Fan Yu repeated, striding over to Huo Yuhao. He looked at him, his voice full of barely restrained excitement.
"Huo Yuhao, would you be willing to join the Soul Guidance Department, take me as your teacher, and learn Soul Tool Technology from me?"
His tone was utterly sincere. "If you're willing to join the Soul Guidance Department, I'll immediately apply to the academy to make you a core disciple! You'll receive the highest level of treatment in every way—cultivation resources, Soul Tool materials, and laboratory access. I'll teach you personally and pass on everything I've learned in my life!"
Those words would have sent any new student on the continent into a frenzy.
A core disciple of Shrek Academy's Soul Guidance Department, Fan Yu's personal student, with the academy's highest level of resources at his disposal—this was an opportunity countless people would kill to get.
But Huo Yuhao only paused in surprise before feeling troubled.
Before they had come, Gu Yuan had only told him to have a look around. He hadn't told him to accept an offer on the spot. Besides, Huo Yuhao knew perfectly well that he still didn't even understand what a Soul Tool was. To agree so casually to join the Soul Guidance Department and become Fan Yu's student would be far too rash.
More importantly, he didn't want to tie himself to someone he barely knew.
But when he saw the anticipation and fervor in Fan Yu's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to refuse outright. He was afraid of hurting the teacher's feelings.
Huo Yuhao's thoughts raced, and he soon came up with a plan.
He bowed deeply to Fan Yu, his tone respectful but clearly hesitant. "Teacher Fan Yu, thank you very much for thinking so highly of me, and for offering me this opportunity. It's just that I've only just enrolled, and I know nothing about the Soul Guidance Department or Soul Tools. I don't even understand the basics of Soul Tools. To rashly agree to join the department and become your student now would be irresponsible—not only to myself, but to you and the Soul Guidance Department as well."
"Could you give me some time to learn about Soul Tools and the Soul Guidance Department before I make a decision? I'm still young, too, and there are many things I need to discuss with my family before I can give you an answer."
His response was flawless. He expressed his respect and gratitude toward Fan Yu, gave a perfectly reasonable excuse, and neither refused outright nor accepted immediately. He had smoothly put off the decision.
At his words, some of the fervor in Fan Yu's eyes faded, but he wasn't angry.
Though the boy was young, he was steady and level-headed. He didn't lose his head over a little temptation. That sort of composure was rare indeed.
"Fine. I'll give you time to consider it." Fan Yu nodded and said to Huo Yuhao,
"The doors of the Soul Guidance Department will always be open to you. Once you've made up your mind, you can come find me anytime. You're always welcome to visit my laboratory and learn."
"Thank you, Teacher Fan Yu." Huo Yuhao bowed again in gratitude, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.
They stayed in the laboratory a little longer. Fan Yu briefly explained the basic principles of Soul Tools to Huo Yuhao and showed him around several of the core laboratories. Zhou Yi occasionally added a few words, and everything she said was meant to persuade him to join the Soul Guidance Department.
Huo Yuhao remained respectful, but he didn't give an inch. He simply smiled and went along with them, never offering a definite answer.
As evening fell, Huo Yuhao said he needed to return and cultivate, then bid farewell to Fan Yu and Zhou Yi. He left the Soul Guidance Department's laboratory and headed toward the core dormitory area.
As he walked back to his dorm, Huo Yuhao's thoughts were still in a muddle.
Fan Yu's enthusiasm, the prospects of the Soul Guidance Department, and all those intricate Soul Tool instruments had stirred his interest.
But he was also afraid of taking the wrong path, of neglecting one thing for another and hindering his Martial Soul cultivation. Even more than that, he feared disappointing Gu Yuan's expectations of him.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. His pace quickened, and he just wanted to get back to the dorm as soon as possible and ask Gu Yuan what he thought.
By the time he reached the dormitory courtyard, night had fully fallen.
The courtyard lights were on. Gu Yuan sat quietly at the stone table, a book in his hands.
Two cups of hot tea sat on the stone table, wisps of steam rising and spreading into a faint white mist in the night.
Hearing footsteps, Gu Yuan looked up. He saw Huo Yuhao walk in with a troubled expression, smiled, and set down his book. Then he pointed to the stone stool opposite him. "You're back? The tea's just been brewed."
Huo Yuhao hurried over and sat down. After taking a sip of the warm tea, he felt the turmoil in his heart settle at once.
He set down his cup, looked up at Gu Yuan, and told him everything that had happened in the Soul Guidance Department, from beginning to end.
When he finished, he looked at Gu Yuan, his eyes filled with confusion and a plea for help. "I'm really torn right now. The Soul Guidance Department is definitely appealing, but I'm afraid that learning about Soul Tools will interfere with my Martial Soul cultivation. I'm afraid I'll get things backward and end up learning nothing properly. Should I join the Soul Guidance Department or not?"
He looked at Gu Yuan expectantly, waiting for him to decide. In Huo Yuhao's heart, Gu Yuan could see through the heart of any matter at a glance and offer him the right guidance.
Looking at his confused expression, Gu Yuan didn't give him an answer. Instead, he asked, "Yuhao, let me ask you this first: what was the reason you started cultivating? Why are you doing everything you can to become stronger?"
Huo Yuhao froze, then answered without hesitation. "To avenge my mother, so those who bullied me would never dare look down on me again, and so I can protect the people I want to protect."
"Exactly." Gu Yuan nodded.
"Your original goal was to become stronger, to gain enough strength to do what you want. Cultivating your Martial Soul and learning Soul Tool Technology are both just ways for you to become stronger."
"Soul Tools are the great trend of the continent's future. The Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tool Technology is developing at a terrifying pace, and high-grade Fixed Soul Guidance Shells can threaten even Titled Douluo-level experts. If you learn Soul Tool Technology, you'll gain another trump card, another way to defeat your enemies. Your Ultimate Mental Attribute is a perfect match for Soul Tools. You have the talent for it, so it would be a shame not to learn."
Huo Yuhao listened intently. Much of the confusion in his eyes had faded, and he hurriedly asked, "Brother Yuan, do you mean I can join the Soul Guidance Department and learn Soul Tool Technology?"
"You can, but you have to keep things in proportion." Gu Yuan looked at him, his tone turning more solemn.
"Remember this: Soul Tools are tools, an aid. Your foundation will always be your Martial Soul, your Soul Power, and your own strength."
"No matter how powerful a Soul Tool is, it still takes sufficient Soul Power and spiritual force to activate it. Without enough strength to support it, even the finest Soul Tool is a tree without roots and water without a source."
The relationship between the two was like that of a fine sword. It took a strong person to wield it and bring out its power. In the hands of an ordinary person, it would not only fail to hurt anyone—it might injure its wielder instead.
"You can join the Soul Guidance Department and learn Soul Tool Technology from Fan Yu. He really is a good teacher and can teach you a lot of valuable things. But remember, you mustn't neglect your own cultivation because of Soul Tools. Don't put the cart before the horse or neglect one thing for another."
"Your path should be yours to choose. Neither I nor anyone else should let our expectations box you into a tiny corner of the world."
Gu Yuan's words were like a lamp, instantly illuminating all the confusion and indecision in Huo Yuhao's heart.
He had been agonizing over which path to choose, whether to pick A or B. But Gu Yuan had told him he could choose both, as long as he knew which mattered more and kept control of his own pace. There was no reason he couldn't.
Huo Yuhao's expression suddenly cleared, and his eyes lit up. All his confusion and anxiety vanished.
He stood and bowed deeply to Gu Yuan, his voice full of gratitude. "Brother Yuan, I understand! I know what I should do now!"
He could learn Soul Tool Technology and join the Soul Guidance Department, but he wouldn't give up cultivating his Martial Soul, nor would he tie himself completely to the Soul Guidance Department.
He would cultivate in both departments, with his Martial Soul as his foundation and Soul Tools as his wings. He would walk both paths and become stronger.
Seeing the light rekindled in his eyes, Gu Yuan smiled and nodded. "I'm glad you've figured it out. You're the one walking your path. As long as you keep things in proportion, whatever you choose, I'll support you."
The night deepened, and moonlight spilled across the courtyard, gently enveloping the two beside the stone table.
Huo Yuhao lifted his cup and drained the rest of the hot tea. Warmth spread through his entire body, and he felt completely at peace.
Before you continue