Solemn Shrek Academy's registration office.
Beibei helped Huo Yuhao complete his freshman registration. As a specially recruited student of the Tang Sect, Huo Yuhao had entered Shrek Academy, hailed as the number-one academy on Douluo Continent.
Watching the student in charge of freshman registration finish filling out Huo Yuhao's information, Beibei smiled and said, "Thanks. Come find me later, and I'll treat the brothers to a good meal."
The student was just as easygoing. He slapped Beibei's palm and said, "Haha, we won't pass up a chance to make a big spender pay."
"I definitely won't disappoint the brothers." With that, Beibei and Tang Ya led Huo Yuhao into the academy.
After the three of them left, several students from the registration office gathered around.
"That kid actually had Senior Beibei bring him here to register in person. He must have great talent," said one of them as he leaned over to look at the registration form.
"Huh? Level eleven?" Seeing the information on the form, he cried out in surprise.
Another student heard him and said, just as astonished, "Another freshman with Soul Power below level fifteen?"
At that, the others all turned to look at him.
Seeing their questioning gazes, he didn't hide anything. "Half an hour ago, a new student named Song Mu registered. His Soul Power Level is only ten, and he doesn't even have a Soul Ring."
"Then how did he get in? Was he specially recruited too?" someone asked.
"The person who brought him to register was the lord of Anyang City in the Heaven Dou Empire," he replied.
"The city lord?!"
Downstairs in Shrek Academy's freshman dormitory building, an elderly man with a gaunt face lay in a chair, eyes closed as if asleep.
"Sir, this is my freshman badge."
The old man cracked his eyes open. A blond boy of about eleven or twelve stood before his reclining chair.
The boy held out his right hand. A green badge rested in his palm.
The old man took the badge, held it up before his eyes, then handed it back.
"The fourth floor and above are the girls' dormitories. You're not allowed up there. If you're caught, you'll be expelled."
The blond boy slipped the badge into the Storage Soul Guidance Device on his left wrist and said, "Got it, sir." Then he headed toward the dormitory building.
The old man watched him go, sensing the fluctuations of his Soul Power.
A level-ten Soul Power fluctuation. The old man knew the boy was the one Chen Yunlin had adopted—the child named Song Mu.
Chen Yunlin's letter had mentioned that Song Mu's Martial Soul, the King Gulu Ball, was quite unusual.
Song Mu entered the dormitory building and found his room by its number.
He unlocked the door and surveyed the layout: a bed and a bathroom.
"Awesome! Brother Chen really did find me a single room, with a private bathroom!"
"As expected of one of the previous generation's Shrek Seven Devils. Now I won't have to squeeze into a public toilet with hundreds of people."
Song Mu channeled his Soul Power and took out cleaning supplies, ready to give the room a thorough cleaning.
Cleaning, making the bed, unpacking—he did it all in one go.
At last, the cleaning was done. Song Mu flopped onto the soft bedding, fed Soul Power into his Storage Soul Guidance Device, and counted the living expenses Chen Yunlin had given him.
As he counted, Song Mu's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"100,000 Gold Soul Coins!"
Chen Yunlin had actually given him that much money. Even if he spent a hundred Gold Soul Coins a day, it would take him a thousand days to use it all.
Chen Yunlin wasn't here anymore, but if he suddenly appeared in front of Song Mu, Song Mu would definitely drop to one knee and cry, "If Your Excellency doesn't spurn me, I'd gladly honor you as my adoptive father!"
But that was unlikely. Back when Song Mu had awakened with Innate Full Soul Power, Chen Yunlin, the lord of Anyang City, had already taken him in as a sworn younger brother.
Song Mu had awakened Innate Full Soul Power six years ago. Now his Soul Power Level was still ten—not because he only had ten levels of Soul Power, but because he hadn't obtained a Soul Ring, so he couldn't break through the level cap.
Once Song Mu obtained a Soul Ring, his Soul Power would surge.
As for why he hadn't obtained one, that was because of his special Martial Soul.
With a thought, Song Mu made a spherical object appear out of thin air in his right hand. Its surface was red, and a gold band an inch wide encircled the middle, set with a golden crown.
King Gulu Ball—that was the name of the ball. It came from the game he'd played in his previous life: the Kingdom of Locke.
In the Kingdom of Locke, the King Ball had a one-hundred-percent chance of capturing a Pokémon that had lost some of its HP.
On Douluo Continent, the King Ball had become even more overbearing: it could capture any Soul Beast unconditionally.
However, the King Ball in Song Mu's hand came with a major restriction. Its ability to capture unconditionally still existed, but only worked on Soul Beasts with a particular talent.
Over the past six years, Chen Yunlin had taken Song Mu to the Star Dou Forest to look for Soul Beasts countless times, but every trip had ended in failure.
Song Mu sat up and looked at the King Ball, remembering what Chen Yunlin had said when they parted.
"Xiao Mu, your big brother can't help you catch a suitable Soul Beast. But don't worry, I've contacted some senior members of Shrek Academy. They're willing to take you deep into the core area of the Star Dou Forest to find one. Then your Martial Soul will finally be able to awaken properly."
Returning to the present, Song Mu let out a long breath.
His Martial Soul hadn't awakened—or rather, this King Ball wasn't his Martial Soul.
Song Mu circulated his Soul Power, and a transparent screen slowly appeared before his eyes.
The screen was eighty centimeters long and forty-five centimeters wide. It displayed many options, but tapping them did nothing. Only a line of text appeared in the center: Capture a Soul Beast with a particular talent to unlock some functions.
This was Song Mu's true Martial Soul: a transparent control panel only he could see.
The phrase "Soul Beast with a particular talent" had puzzled Song Mu for six years. From Blue Silver Grass to the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, he'd tried them all, but none worked. Maybe the requirement was a Soul Beast capable of growing to a hundred thousand years old, or one with the potential to become a Ferocious Beast.
Soul Beasts like that basically only stayed deep in the core area. It seemed he could only wait for a Titled Douluo from Shrek to take him there to look.
If only he could capture Soul Masters. After all, this was Shrek Academy. Even Super Douluos and Limit Douluos could be found here, and their talents would definitely be top-notch.
Capture humans?
Right, he'd never tried capturing a human Soul Master before. What if it really worked? After all, there was a saying from his previous life: humans are higher animals.
By that logic, Soul Masters were higher Soul Beasts.
Song Mu slapped his hands together, feeling that the idea had a good chance of working.
But then he reconsidered. If he captured a human, wouldn't everyone think he was an Evil Soul Master? What if he succeeded and awakened his Martial Soul, only to be beaten to death as an Evil Soul Master?
Thinking it over, Song Mu walked to the window.
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