God-Sealing Platform

Dormitory building.

The moment Lin Yaoyang pushed open the door, a strong stench of mildew hit him in the face, nearly making him sneeze.

He covered his nose and frowned as he surveyed the place he would be living in for at least a year.

The dormitory was tiny, barely over ten square meters. Two single beds took up most of the space. The bare wooden bedboards were covered in dust. Other than that, there was only one table and two metal wardrobes, all of them empty.

Lin Yaoyang shook his head, walked to the window, and shoved it open.

Fresh air poured in, carrying away the stale odor in the room. He waited until the smell had mostly dissipated before beginning to clean up.

He chose the bed by the window. Taking a rag from his storage Soul Tool, he wiped down the bedboard, tabletop, and the insides and outsides of the wardrobe twice, only stopping once no dust remained.

Then he spread out his bedding and cleaned up the table as well.

The whole process was swift and efficient, taking less than half an hour.

Lin Yaoyang glanced at the dusty bed across from his and had no intention of helping clean it.

That was the business of the roommate he had yet to meet.

He sat at the table and took something from his storage Soul Tool: the storage bracelet seized from that Level 9 Soul Engineer.

He had not had the chance to study it carefully since obtaining it.

Now, he finally had time.

Lin Yaoyang extended his spiritual power into the bracelet and began taking stock of its contents.

The first things that caught his eye were Soul Tools.

There were at least twenty or thirty of them, ranging from Level 9 to Level 1, in all kinds of varieties. Attack types, defensive types, support types, escape types—there was everything.

Lin Yaoyang did not know much about Soul Tools, but just from their intricate patterns and circulating energy fluctuations, he knew these items were extremely valuable.

Next came rare metal materials.

Ore of all sizes filled half the storage space. Some he had seen in books, while others he could not identify at all.

There was also a large stack of blueprints and documents. Lin Yaoyang flipped through them casually. Most were Soul Tool design blueprints, along with some research notes and theoretical materials.

Finally, in the deepest part of the storage space, he found something that made his eyes light up.

A palm-sized golden square platform.

It was probably the God-Sealing Platform.

Lin Yaoyang took it out and placed it on the table for a careful look. The platform was pale gold all over, its surface covered in densely packed mechanisms. At its center was a groove that seemed capable of holding something.

Was this the Level 9 Soul Tool that had sealed the Snow Empress embryo in the original story?

He turned it over and examined it for quite some time, but could not make sense of it. Its construction was far too complex. With his current knowledge of Soul Tools, he simply could not understand it.

"Later," Lin Yaoyang muttered. He put away the God-Sealing Platform and took out the Level 9 Soul Engineer's research notes.

This was what truly interested him.

Lin Yaoyang opened the notebook and began reading it seriously.

An hour later.

Lin Yaoyang closed the notebook and rubbed his slightly aching eyes.

The contents of the notes were far more profound than he had imagined. He could only half understand many of the theories, after all, he had never systematically studied Soul Tool knowledge. Still, he could comprehend some of the more fundamental parts.

"Looks like I'll have to make time to study Soul Tools properly," he said to himself, putting the notebook away.

He looked at the sky outside the window. The sun had already begun to set, staining the horizon with orange-red clouds.

Time to eat.

Lin Yaoyang stood, stretched lazily, and pushed open the door to leave the dormitory.

Every grade had its own cafeteria, located behind the dormitory area.

There were still quite a lot of people in the cafeteria at this hour.

The cafeteria was large, but there was not a single table or chair. It was completely open, with only sinks along one side for washing hands and utensils.

Lin Yaoyang looked at the sign by the entrance. It read: No food may be taken out of the cafeteria.

Lin Yaoyang scoffed and entered the first-floor hall, where quite a few people had already gathered.

Along the inner side, prices were marked outside each serving window. There were eight windows in total, each offering different dishes, with prices increasing from right to left.

He headed straight for the leftmost window.

When you were away from home, you had to treat yourself well. Eat the best!

He ordered three dishes and a serving of rice.

The middle-aged chef behind the window glanced at him, then quickly packed everything up for him.

Lin Yaoyang paid, put the food into his storage Soul Tool, and turned to leave.

"Hey, student!" the chef called after him. "You can't take food out of the cafeteria!"

Without turning back, Lin Yaoyang waved a hand and pushed open the door.

The chef froze for a moment, then shook his head without chasing after him.

Meanwhile.

Inner Court, dean's office.

Du Weilun knocked on the door. Only after hearing "Come in" from within did he push the door open and enter.

The office was simply furnished: a broad desk, several chairs, and a few paintings and calligraphy pieces hanging on the walls. Behind the desk sat a man in white, refined in temperament and lean-featured.

The dean of the Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe.

"Dean, good news!" Du Weilun spoke as soon as he entered, unable to hide the delight on his face. "Shrek Academy has received an unparalleled genius this year!"

Yan Shaozhe raised his head, set down his pen, and smiled. "Oh? Is that so? Let's hear it."

Du Weilun walked up to the desk and handed over the documents in his hand. "Today was freshman registration, and a Level 42 freshman appeared!"

"Level 42?" Yan Shaozhe's smile paused slightly as he accepted the documents and began reading them. "Are you sure there was no mistake about his age?"

"Absolutely! His bone age was tested twice. Both times, he was twelve."

After reading the documents, Yan Shaozhe leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. "A genius... an absolute genius!"

After a pause, he asked again, "What is his name? What is his martial soul? Where is he from?"

Du Weilun answered one by one. "Lin Yaoyang, from Lingxue City in the Heavenly Soul Empire. His martial soul is... Apollo."

"Apollo?" Yan Shaozhe was taken aback. "What kind of martial soul is that?"

Du Weilun shook his head. "I'm not sure either. But according to the registration teacher's description, when he released his martial soul, a huge golden humanoid phantom appeared behind him, radiating an intense scorching heat. It should be an exceptionally powerful beast martial soul, and one with a fire attribute."

"Fire attribute?" Yan Shaozhe's eyes brightened slightly.

A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor, and his martial soul was fire-attributed...

Could it be that heaven had favored him once again? That it had sent him another unparalleled genius to take as a disciple?

At the thought, Yan Shaozhe was delighted, and the smile on his face deepened.

Du Weilun interrupted his thoughts. "Dean Yan, the problem now is that Lin Yaoyang's cultivation has already reached the level of upper-year students. Should we transfer him to an upper-year class?"

After a pause, he added, "He has currently been assigned to Freshman Class One, Zhou Yi's class."

"Zhou Yi?"

Yan Shaozhe's smile froze on his face, and his brows immediately furrowed.