Study in Peace

"No matter."

Facing Elder Ma's question, Jing Hongchen waved his hand.

"I'll have people from Mingde Hall make up for his Soul Tool knowledge. It won't be a problem."

"I arranged for him to join Xiao and Meng so the two of them can properly learn what it means that there is always someone better."

Upon hearing Jing Hongchen's words, one teacher smiled and said,

"You flatter him, Hall Master. Ye Luochen's circumstances may be astonishing enough, but he still isn't capable of surpassing Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen."

Yet these words failed to earn Jing Hongchen's approval. Instead, a trace of displeasure appeared on his face.

"Xiao and Meng have become so arrogant precisely because people like you praise them too much."

"Especially Xiao Hongchen. Relying on his talent, he's practically floating into the sky these days. His Soul Tool training is completely inconsistent."

"I used to worry that there was no one in the academy who could keep Xiao and Meng in check. Now that Ye Luochen has arrived, there's a way."

"Let the two of them see what it means when someone better than you works even harder than you."

Meanwhile, after leaving Mingde Hall, Lin Yuan quickly helped Ye Luochen complete his enrollment registration.

After arranging accommodations for him and leaving behind a detailed map, Lin Yuan went off to handle his own affairs.

Upon returning to the dormitory, Ye Luochen placed all his belongings on the table.

Looking at everything around him and recalling all that had happened today, he felt an overwhelming sense of unreality.

Just a few days ago, he had failed to make it into the Seven Monsters because his martial soul was ordinary. He had left Shrek in regret, a pitiful nobody whom no one cared about.

But now, he had become a prized talent of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, an unprecedented genius specially approved to enter Mingde Hall the moment he enrolled!

The contrast was simply too dreamlike.

"I truly never expected this..."

Ye Luochen sat on the bed and sighed.

In the past, the information Shrek had given him about the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy had all been along the lines of:

Weak martial souls, unstable foundations, taking shortcuts...

Therefore, before coming here, he had been deeply uneasy.

But based on what he had personally experienced, things did not seem to be that way at all.

At the very least, when he applied for enrollment, no one demanded that he have a recommendation letter from a main city.

At the very least, during the entrance assessment, no one mocked him for having a weak martial soul and overestimating himself.

At the very least, when he spoke of his past, no one told him that no matter how hard he worked, an ordinary martial soul was still an ordinary martial soul.

On the contrary, every teacher he met told him:

Your efforts were not wasted. They had value, and they deserved respect and praise.

"It seems I really didn't come to the wrong place this time..."

"I just wonder what Soul Tools are really like. I hope I haven't chosen the wrong path..."

After resting for a while, Ye Luochen got to his feet again.

He had been busy for most of the day, and his stomach was empty. He could head to the cafeteria for something to eat and familiarize himself with the campus along the way.

Not long after leaving the dormitory, he saw a Soul Tool vehicle parked by the roadside.

After swiping the identity card he had just received, the door automatically opened.

Once Ye Luochen got in, the Soul Tool vehicle began following its fixed route. It stopped for several minutes at designated stations before setting off again.

"This operates much like a bus, except it uses an unmanned mode and drives automatically."

Ye Luochen remarked with interest.

The Soul Tool vehicle was very fast. By his estimation, it had at least reached the speed of a Soul Emperor.

And that was presumably still limited for use within the academy, in order to prevent accidents.

"So this is Soul Tool technology. It really is convenient to use and can save a great deal of travel time."

After getting off at his stop, Ye Luochen watched the speeding Soul Tool vehicle depart and sighed.

Back when he was at Shrek, simply traveling back and forth between the dormitory, classroom, and cafeteria every day consumed several hours.

For Ye Luochen, who wished he could devote every moment to cultivation, it was undoubtedly an enormous waste.

When he entered the cafeteria, he found three floors in total and hundreds of serving windows. The variety of dishes was dazzling.

And this was merely one cafeteria.

The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy covered an enormous area and had six cafeterias alone.

Besides ordinary food, the cafeterias also sold high-grade supplements, including soul beast meat, medicinal cuisine, and much more.

Ye Luochen was not short on money at the moment.

Before leaving, Lin Yuan had pressed a card into his hand, and it had been too difficult to refuse such generosity.

With sufficient funds, Ye Luochen naturally chose the high-grade medicinal cuisine that would benefit him the most.

After finishing two large bowls of medicinal cuisine, Ye Luochen felt warmth spread through his stomach. The exhaustion from days of travel seemed to vanish completely.

Even his Soul Power, which had been dormant for a long time, faintly stirred.

"So this is what resources are..."

"With additional resources, cultivation is far faster than burying your head in bitter training alone."

After sensing the changes in himself, Ye Luochen could not help but sigh.

Of course, this kind of medicinal cuisine was not unique to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy. Shrek's cafeteria had also sold it when he was there.

And its quality had been even higher.

But he could not afford it.

Having always been an ordinary student without receiving any special status, Ye Luochen simply could not bear the exorbitant cost.

He could only indulge once in a while to improve his condition.

That was precisely why he had cultivated so desperately.

He had thought that if he became a core disciple, if he became one of the Seven Monsters, he would receive sufficient resources and things would get better.

But reality dealt him heavy blows again and again.

"Forget it. It's all in the past now. There's no need to dwell on what has passed."

"Yesterday, which abandoned me, cannot be kept."

"Since I chose to come here, and since I have received such kindness, I should devote myself fully to this place and study hard."

"Boss, bring me another bowl. I'll pack it up for a late-night snack."

The next day, before dawn had fully broken, Ye Luochen had already washed up, gotten ready, and entered a cultivation state.

Today was the day he would officially begin attending classes.

He had to get up early, regulate his breathing, and face it in his best condition.

When he judged that the time was about right, Ye Luochen exited his cultivation state, left his room, and took a Soul Tool vehicle toward the classroom.

Since he had arrived very early, there were not many people in the classroom yet.

Ye Luochen casually chose a seat and sat down.

Soon, students began entering the classroom one after another.

Some also noticed Ye Luochen's unfamiliar face, but none paid him much attention. They simply found their own seats and sat quietly.

It was not until two more people entered that the classroom immediately became lively.

One was a slender young man with delicate features. His large blue eyes were exceptionally bright, and his skin was as fair as jade.

Behind him followed an equally slender girl, her long wine-red hair cascading down like mellow grape wine and gleaming with a faint luster.