Special Student Entrance Test, Networked Soul Tool Theory

The carriage slowly came to a stop before a towering building.

Huo Yuhao lifted the curtain and was instantly stunned.

The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy before him was practically a palace of Soul Tools.

Atop the soaring towers floated enormous energy spheres that gave off a gentle glow. On either side of the academy gates stood two ten-meter-tall Soul Tool puppets, their bodies flickering with runic light.

"Damn, this is the legendary highest institution?" Huo Yuhao could not help but marvel.

The driver laughed. "Kid, this is only the outer perimeter. It gets even more impressive inside."

[Thought Palace] activated instantly.

[Analysis Target: Overall academy structure]

[Observation Results: The buildings incorporate a large amount of advanced Soul Tool technology. The defensive systems are at least Class 8 or above.]

[Technical Assessment: Beyond expectations. This place is a holy land for Soul Tool technology.]

Huo Yuhao carried his luggage toward the gates.

The moment he reached the entrance, the two Soul Tool puppets suddenly turned their heads, and red light swept over him.

"Identity verification in progress... Visitor detected... Please present the relevant documents."

A mechanical voice came from the puppet's mouth.

Huo Yuhao took out his letters of recommendation. The puppet accepted them, and the crystal on its chest lit up.

"Verification complete... Recommended by the Lei Ming Merchant Caravan... Recommended by Zhao Tieshan's border defense unit... Recommended by Master Mo Li... Three letters of recommendation?"

Even the puppet's voice changed. "Please wait. Contacting the Admissions Office."

Less than a minute later, a middle-aged man in an ornate robe hurried over.

"You must be Student Huo Yuhao. I am Wang Chuan, Director of the Admissions Office."

Wang Chuan warmly shook Huo Yuhao's hand. "Three letters of recommendation—this is the first time in the academy's history!"

"Just lucky, that's all," Huo Yuhao said modestly.

"Luck?" Wang Chuan shook his head. "Receiving recommendations from a merchant caravan, the border defense army, and Master Mo Li at the same time cannot be explained by luck alone."

He led Huo Yuhao inside. "According to the rules, students with letters of recommendation may take a special route."

Once inside the academy, Huo Yuhao was even more astonished.

In the corridors, Soul Tool lamps automatically adjusted their brightness. Teleportation Soul Tool formations on the floor flickered with runes. Flying platforms even carried students back and forth beneath the ceiling.

"These are all standard academy facilities," Wang Chuan explained. "Our philosophy is to let students grow up in a Soul Tool environment."

The two arrived before a tall tower, and Wang Chuan stopped.

"Student Huo, I have some good news for you."

"What good news?"

"The examiner handling your interview happens to be someone you know."

With a mysterious smile, Wang Chuan pushed open the office door.

Huo Yuhao walked in and froze.

The person seated behind the desk was none other than Mo Li!

Only now, he wore the academy's formal robes, with the badge of vice president pinned to his chest.

"Elder Mo? You're... the vice president?" Huo Yuhao asked in shock.

Mo Li burst into laughter. "Surprised? I was always the academy's vice president. I simply had some personal matters to handle recently."

"So back then, you..."

"Back then, I really was hiding from some trouble in the merchant caravan." Mo Li waved a hand. "But it's all been resolved now."

He stood and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "My young friend, welcome to the Royal Academy."

"Thank you, Vice President."

"No need to stand on ceremony." Mo Li returned to his chair. "Since you're here, we'll test you by the highest standards."

Wang Chuan explained from the side, "The vice president means that you will take the special student entrance test."

"Special student?"

"The academy's highest rank of student," Mo Li said. "The test is divided into three parts: theoretical assessment, practical operation, and innovative design."

"Every part is highly challenging," Wang Chuan added. "If you pass, you'll be able to enjoy the academy's best resources."

Huo Yuhao nodded. "I'm ready."

Mo Li smiled. "Then let's begin."

The first part was the theoretical assessment.

The examination venue was a laboratory filled with all kinds of Soul Tools.

The chief examiner was a white-haired old man, wearing a Level 6 Soul Engineer badge on his chest.

"I am Lin Hai, director of the Theory Department," the old man said sternly. "We will begin the questioning now."

"First question: explain the mechanism behind soul power conduction in metal."

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, and [Thought Palace] activated instantly.

[Analysis: Principles of Soul Power Conduction]

[Knowledge Recall: Electron Conduction Theory, Quantum Tunneling Effect]

[Conceptual Armament: Integrating Modern Physics into Soul Tool Theory]

"Soul power conduction is essentially the directional flow of energy." Huo Yuhao spoke with confidence. "The free electrons within metal provide a medium for soul power, but that is merely the surface of it."

"On a deeper level, soul power conduction follows wave-particle duality. On the microscopic level, it manifests as the propagation of energy waves; on the macroscopic level, it takes the form of directed particle flow."

Lin Hai froze.

He had never heard of such a theory!

"Can you explain wave-particle duality in detail?"

Huo Yuhao continued, "Soul power possesses both wave-like and particle-like properties. When it conducts through metal, it automatically chooses the most optimal means of transmission according to its environment."

"This explains why certain special metals possess exceptionally high conduction efficiency—their internal structures happen to match the resonant frequency of soul power waves."

The room fell silent.

All the examiners stared at Huo Yuhao in shock.

This level of theory had already surpassed the bounds of their understanding!

"Second question." Lin Hai's voice trembled slightly. "Please analyze the issue of energy loss in soul tools."

[Thought Palace] continued operating.

[Analysis: Law of Conservation of Energy, Principles of Thermodynamics]

"Energy loss mainly comes from three sources." Huo Yuhao was completely composed. "Conduction loss, conversion loss, and heat dissipation loss."

"Conduction loss is caused by material resistance and can be reduced by optimizing metal purity and internal structure."

"Conversion loss occurs when soul power changes form. This requires the efficiency of energy conversion to be considered during the design stage."

"Heat dissipation loss is the easiest to overlook, but it is often the greatest source of wasted energy."

He pointed at a soul tool in the laboratory. "For example, that Level 4 attack tool has a problem with its heat dissipation design. Its energy utilization rate is no more than sixty percent."

Lin Hai hurried over to inspect it, and his expression changed instantly.

"You... how could you tell?"

"Experience," Huo Yuhao said indifferently. "And I can tell you how to improve it as well."

"What solution?"

"Add heat-dissipation fins to the third energy circuit layer, while also optimizing the direction of soul power flow. The efficiency can be increased by at least twenty percent."

Lin Hai was utterly stunned.

This kid not only had solid theoretical knowledge, but such extensive practical experience as well?

The theoretical assessment ended, and Huo Yuhao received full marks.

The second test was practical operation.

The task was to produce a Level 3 soul tool on the spot.

The materials were provided at random, and the time limit was two hours.

Huo Yuhao looked at the materials on the table as [Thought Palace] rapidly analyzed them.

[Materials List: Mithril Wire, Soul Power Crystal, Refined Gold Plates, Conductive Adhesive...]

[Optimal Plan: Create a Level 3 Defensive Wristguard]

[Estimated Time Required: One Hour and Thirty Minutes]

"Begin!"

At the examiner's command, Huo Yuhao immediately got to work.

His movements were exceptionally practiced, every step precise and flawless.

Cutting, welding, engraving, assembly...

The entire process flowed as smoothly as clouds and water, without a single unnecessary movement.

An hour later, an exquisite wristguard appeared on the table.

"You're finished?" The examiner could hardly believe it.

Huo Yuhao nodded. "Please inspect it."

The examiner picked up the wristguard and carefully examined every detail.

The rune engravings were flawless, the energy circuit design ingenious, and the material utilization rate had reached ninety-five percent!

"This... this level of craftsmanship..." The examiner's voice trembled. "It's at least up to the standard of a fourth-tier soul engineer!"

The people around them all gathered closer, clicking their tongues in amazement.

Once again, he received full marks for the practical operation.

The final test was innovative design.

This was the most challenging segment, requiring the proposal of an entirely new Soul Tool concept.

After pondering for a moment, Huo Yuhao said, "I'd like to propose a concept—Networked Soul Tools."

"Networked?" The examiners looked at one another.

"Current Soul Tools all operate independently," Huo Yuhao explained. "But what if they were connected to one another, forming a network?"

"For example, once a detector discovers an enemy, it could immediately transmit the information to an attack device, which would automatically aim and fire."

"Or, once multiple defensive devices are networked together, they could share energy and form a stronger protective shield."

The entire venue fell silent.

Everyone was stunned by the concept.

If it could truly be realized, it would completely change the way Soul Tools were used!

"Is it theoretically feasible?" one examiner asked.

"Completely feasible," Huo Yuhao said confidently. "The key is to establish a unified communication protocol so that different Soul Tools can 'communicate' with one another."

He drew a complex diagram on the blackboard. "This is the network architecture I designed. Every Soul Tool is a node, transmitting information through soul power waves."

Mo Li stared from the side, dumbfounded.

This theory had already surpassed the limits of this era's understanding!

"Student Huo." Lin Hai rose to his feet excitedly. "If your theory can be realized, it will spark a revolution in the field of Soul Tools!"

"I believe it can definitely be realized," Huo Yuhao said firmly.

The test ended, and all the examiners gathered to discuss the results.

Ten minutes later, Mo Li came out.

"Student Huo Yuhao." His voice was somewhat excited. "Congratulations. You received outstanding marks across the board, and your overall level has reached the standard of a fourth-tier soul engineer!"

"You've set a new record for the academy's entrance examination!"