"Perhaps." Huo Yuhao gave a slight nod, his calm gaze settling on the male student who had asked the question.
"But tell me, in the entire Spirit Master World, are there more powerful Soul Masters standing at the top of the pyramid, or more ordinary Soul Masters with lower cultivation?"
"Every Soul Master, whether strong or weak, had their own strengths and shortcomings.
If a group of Soul Masters with different specialties but less-than-top-tier individual strength were brought together as a team, then used suitable Soul Tools to make up for their weaknesses and amplify their strengths...
What kind of effect do you think they could achieve as a whole?"
This was precisely what the Sun Moon Empire was vigorously promoting.
The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Regiment was a typical example.
A well-coordinated, superbly equipped team of nine Soul Saints and one Soul Douluo could, through specific Soul Tool formations and tactical coordination, wield combat power no weaker than that of a solitary Title Douluo.
If Tang San had not personally intervened in his previous life, the final result would likely have been the Sun Moon Empire unifying the Douluo Continent. Though the Douluo Continent seven thousand years later had indeed achieved unification in another form.
"Then why has the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy never defeated our Shrek Academy in any of the previous Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournaments?"
The male student who had raised the question was clearly not entirely convinced by Huo Yuhao's words. Instead, he proudly puffed out his chest, his face displaying unmistakable arrogance.
"Who participated in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament? The most outstanding geniuses in our academy.
Setting aside first grade, which had the largest number of students, the remaining five grades combined had nearly two thousand students.
Yet in a tournament held once every five years, only fourteen people, including reserve members, could ultimately represent the academy."
"These fourteen people were indeed the most elite representatives of Shrek Academy. But if the many ordinary students in the academy were to compete against the ordinary students of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy in a similar contest, who do you think would win?"
"For ordinary Soul Masters, Soul Tools were like coal delivered in snowy weather, greatly improving their ability to survive and fight. For powerful Soul Masters, they were the icing on the cake, allowing them to stand out even more in certain aspects."
Huo Yuhao's gaze swept across the entire class, his tone calm yet unquestionable.
"So, for us Soul Masters, Soul Tools are merely tools that can make us stronger.
Most Soul Masters did not need to deeply study their manufacturing principles. We only needed to learn how to use them effectively, and we could unleash power in battle far beyond our original strength.
Was there anything more cost-effective or direct than that?"
"Good! Well said!"
The moment his words fell, a crisp voice of praise came from the classroom's back door.
Xian Lin'er could no longer hold herself back. Ignoring Qian Duoduo's hesitant attempts to stop her, she strode straight into the classroom.
Her eyes burned as she looked at Huo Yuhao, her face filled with undisguised admiration.
"Student Huo Yuhao, would you be interested in visiting our Soul Guidance Department after class?
Of course, if any other students present are interested, our Soul Guidance Department welcomes everyone to come visit and exchange ideas at any time."
To Xian Lin'er, Huo Yuhao's words had inadvertently illuminated a new path of thought for her.
One major reason the Martial Soul Department had always looked down on the Soul Guidance Department, even obstructing it at every turn in resource allocation, was that the Soul Guidance Department had yet to produce a true Level 9 Soul Master.
As for the so-called "Level Eight-and-a-Half Soul Master," Xian Lin'er felt it was more or less self-deception.
But Huo Yuhao's words gave Xian Lin'er a completely new line of thinking.
More precisely, they gave her a seemingly more practical way to "steal" Sea God Pavilion funding and strengthen the Soul Guidance Department.
Just like the teams currently responsible for daily patrols and security in Shrek City—weren't they still mainly relying on traditional Martial Soul Department Soul Masters?
Then why could the Soul Guidance Department not take the lead in establishing a new type of Soul Engineer team that was well-equipped and highly trained?
They could even develop standardized Soul Tools tailored specifically to the needs of team combat, capable of producing linked effects.
Thinking of it this way, Xian Lin'er suddenly felt that the so-called Ultimate Soldier Project, which Qian Duoduo and Fan Yu had long been obsessed with and had even begun secretly preparing, seemed somewhat rigid and laughable.
Standing beside Xian Lin'er with a helpless, awkward expression, Qian Duoduo clearly had not noticed.
In that brief moment, the Ultimate Soldier Project he had always fervently championed had already been completely branded "stupid" in Xian Lin'er's heart and ruthlessly abandoned.
Sea God Lake, on the shore of Lake Heart Island.
A gentle breeze brushed across the lake, carrying cool, moist air.
Wang Yan, who had spoken with Huo Yuhao the previous night, stood there now with bated breath.
Not far in front of him, a disheveled old man sat casually on a bluestone by the lake.
The old man's appearance was truly difficult to praise.
His robe, which should have been white, was now mottled grayish-brown, stained with unidentifiable grime and visibly torn at the edges.
He was barefoot, his feet soaking in the cool, clear waters of Sea God Lake.
In his right hand, the old man held an enormous purplish-red gourd with an ancient appearance, its material impossible to identify.
From time to time, he raised the gourd and tilted his head back for a deep gulp, causing a rich, mellow aroma of alcohol to spread through the air.
In his other hand, he held a roast chicken. Ignoring the grease, he drank a mouthful of wine and took a bite of meat, eating and drinking with great delight.
"Elder Xuan, that freshman is not yet twelve years old, but his first and second Soul Rings are already thousand-year level. His Martial Soul is also the Spirit Eye, a spiritual-attribute Martial Soul.
Previously, he defeated Xu Sanshi, one of the Twin Stars of the Outer Court, using only Soul Power and physical strength," Wang Yan said respectfully.
"Therefore, I suspect that he may have already completed the second awakening of his Body Martial Soul. Perhaps it was even an extremely rare innate second awakening of a Body Martial Soul."
"Mm..." After swallowing a mouthful of chicken, Xuan Zi turned to glance at Wang Yan.
Surprisingly, his eyes were an eerie crimson red. Yet his gaze was somewhat unfocused, carrying the dazed confusion of drunkenness, as though he had not taken Wang Yan's words to heart at all.
"A Body Martial Soul of the eyes, huh? Mm, that's somewhat interesting."
Xuan Zi mumbled indistinctly, swallowed another mouthful of chicken, took a drink of wine, smacked his lips, and only then spoke slowly.
"You kid got pretty lucky. In your lifetime, you actually ran into a top-tier Body Martial Soul."
"With Body Martial Souls, the more important the awakened body part was to the human body, the greater its potential and the higher its quality.
You said that little fellow's Martial Soul was his eyes, and it also had a spiritual attribute. That meant his Martial Soul actually involved the two most vital parts of the human body: the eyes and the brain."
Xuan Zi let out a wine-scented burp, and his gaze became slightly clearer.
"Perhaps, just as you said, his Body Martial Soul may very well have completed its second awakening."
He casually tossed the nearly stripped chicken bones into the lake, grabbed the wine gourd for another large gulp, then waved his hand and instructed.
"All right, go tell that fellow Xiao Du. I'll go watch the Freshman Assessment three months from now. Tell him to save me a good spot."
"Yes."
Before you continue