Finding a Path for You

Mu Chen's hand.

"Sit down." His voice was very soft, but Wang Dong's body followed that force and sat back down involuntarily. She turned to look at Mu Chen, her eye sockets slightly red: "But!"

"I know," Mu Chen said. "Leave it to me."

He stood up.

Zhou Yi's gaze shot over sharply, but Mu Chen did not look at her. He bowed slightly to Dean Yan on the podium, then spoke amidst the dead silence.

"Dean Yan, I have a question."

Dean Yan looked at him, his eyebrows slightly raised. He had an impression of Mu Chen: champion of the freshman assessment, a level 45 Soul Ancestor, a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring, and unanimously rated by multiple inner court teachers as a "genius seen once in a millennium."

Dean Yan was always willing to give a little more patience to geniuses.

"Speak."

"I would like to ask you, what are the selection criteria for core disciples?"

Dean Yan looked at him without answering his question directly: "Do you think your teammate should be selected?"

"Huo Yuhao is a member of the freshman assessment champion team. He took on the role of the tactical command hub in every match. Without his Spiritual Detection Sharing, the coordination between Wang Dong and me would not have been so smooth. If the selection criteria for core disciples is individual strength, then his Soul Power Level is indeed not high. But if the criteria are team contribution and combat value, I believe he is qualified to stand on that list."

These words were reasonable and well-founded, neither servile nor overbearing.

Dean Yan was silent for a moment.

"Your eloquence is good," he said, "but you have overlooked one problem. The selection of core disciples is not just about looking at the performance of a few matches. Huo Yuhao's martial soul is the Spirit Eye, a control type; the upper limit of this kind of martial soul is naturally lower than others. A level 14 One-Ring Soul Master, no matter how outstanding his auxiliary ability is, his individual strength makes it difficult for him to go further. Shrek Academy has a limited number of core disciple spots, and I must give them to those with more potential."

These words were not mean, but the meaning was clear: Huo Yuhao's talent was not enough.

Huo Yuhao lowered his head.

Then he raised it again, because Mu Chen was speaking.

"Dean Yan, I would like to ask a question." Mu Chen's voice remained calm, but those familiar with him could hear the undercurrents surging beneath that calm: "What is the school motto of Shrek Academy?"

Dean Yan's brows furrowed slightly. Everyone knew the answer to this question, but for Mu Chen to ask it at this moment clearly had deep meaning.

"We do not accept ordinary people; we only accept monsters," Dean Yan said.

"Only accept monsters." Mu Chen repeated these four words, then nodded: "Thank you, Dean Yan."

He did not say another word and sat back down.

Dean Yan looked at the blue-haired youth below the stage, his gaze carrying a hint of amusement. He was not angry at Mu Chen's public questioning; on the contrary, he felt some appreciation. In Shrek, it had been many years since a student dared to reason with the Dean of the Martial Soul Department in front of all the new students.

But he would not change his decision because of these few words. The list of core disciples was determined after careful consideration from many sides and could not be adjusted temporarily because of a student's questioning.

Dean Yan put away the list, said a few words of encouragement, and announced the end of the meeting.

The crowd began to walk out. Huo Yuhao stood up and walked out with his head lowered. Wang Dong wanted to follow, but was held back by Mu Chen.

"Let him be quiet for a while," Mu Chen said.

When walking out of the auditorium, Wang Dong followed by Mu Chen's side. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked: "Why didn't you keep arguing just now? Old Man Yan clearly looked down on Huo Yuhao."

"Arguing is useless," Mu Chen said. "He won't change his mind because of a few pretty words."

"Then what should we do?"

Mu Chen stopped, turned around, and looked into Wang Dong's eyes: "Who said the Martial Soul Department is the only way to become a core disciple?"

Wang Dong was stunned.

Then she suddenly realized: "You mean the Soul Guidance Department?"

Mu Chen nodded.

Although the Soul Guidance Department and the Martial Soul Department both belonged to Shrek Academy, the estrangement between the two systems had existed for a long time.

The Martial Soul Department looked down on the Soul Guidance Department for "relying on external objects," and the Soul Guidance Department looked down on the Martial Soul Department for "sticking to outdated practices."

This subtle competitive relationship led to an interesting result: those whom the Martial Soul Department would not accept, the Soul Guidance Department might not necessarily reject.

Especially for a soul master like Huo Yuhao who specialized in auxiliary detection, his tactical value in combat was underestimated by the Martial Soul Department, but in the eyes of the Soul Guidance Department, an ability like Spiritual Detection Sharing was practically tailor-made for operating a Soul Tool.

Mu Chen turned and walked toward another area deep in the academy.

The Soul Guidance Department.

The door of the Experimental Building was wide open, and the clanging of metal and the low hum of the Soul Power Furnace could be heard from inside.

Mu Chen stopped a student wearing a Soul Guidance Department uniform in the lobby on the first floor and asked if Teacher Fan Yu was in.

The other party looked him over, his gaze lingering for a moment on the dark green Martial Soul Department uniform, then he gestured toward the third floor: "Teacher Fan Yu's workshop is in the room at the very end."

Mu Chen thanked him and was about to go upstairs when Huo Yuhao's voice came from behind: "Brother Mu?"

Huo Yuhao stood at the entrance of the Experimental Building, his face showing obvious confusion. He had been walking in the Maple Forest alone for a long time and was just about to return to the dormitory when he was called over by Mu Chen's spiritual transmission. "What are we doing at the Soul Guidance Department?"

"Finding a path for you," Mu Chen said. "Follow me."

Fan Yu's workshop was at the end of the third-floor corridor. The door was ajar, and the rustling sound of metal polishing came from inside. Mu Chen knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Pushing the door open, a scent mixed with various metals rushed toward them.

The workshop was spacious, with three walls covered in various semi-finished Soul Tools and components, while the workbench was piled high with blueprints and tools. In the corner stood a Soul Power Furnace half a person's height, its opening still glowing with a dull red residual heat.

Fan Yu sat before the workbench, a carving knife in hand, performing the final fine-tuning on a thumb-sized Core Array.

"Something the matter?" Fan Yu glanced at the Martial Soul Department uniforms worn by Mu Chen and Wang Dong, his tone indifferent and devoid of warmth.

"Teacher Fan Yu." Mu Chen stepped aside to reveal the person behind him. "I would like to recommend someone to you."

Fan Yu set down the carving knife and leaned back in his chair, his gaze passing over Mu Chen to land on Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao stood at the doorway, his spine held straight, meeting Fan Yu's gaze with neither servility nor arrogance.

"Recommend what?" Fan Yu asked.

"Huo Yuhao, Spirit Eye martial soul, level 14 One-Ring Soul Master." Mu Chen stated Huo Yuhao's background, his tone frank and without the slightest concealment.

"He served as the tactical command core for our group during the freshman assessment. His Spiritual Detection Sharing can provide real-time coverage within a fifty-meter radius, performing precise positioning, trajectory prediction, and weakness marking for all targets that enter the range."

Fan Yu's expression remained unchanged, but his body turned a few degrees toward Huo Yuhao—an instinctive movement that signaled he was beginning to take interest.