Light of Truth

Huo Yuhao stood before the dormitory window, looking down over the entire academy.

"Special admissions student, genius class." He murmured to himself, his fingers lightly tapping the window frame. "It seems my plan is going more smoothly than expected."

After yesterday's entrance test ended, Mo Li had personally handled his enrollment procedures. As a genius who had set a new entrance test record, Huo Yuhao had been directly assigned to the academy's highest-level genius class. The class had only twenty students, all geniuses carefully selected by various powers.

[Thought Palace] activated automatically.

[Analysis Target: Academy power structure]

[Observation Points: Faction distribution, key figures, hidden relationships]

Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and visualized the information he had observed over the past two days. On the surface, the academy was managed by the dean and five vice deans, with ten departments beneath them. In reality, however, at least three factions existed, keeping one another in check.

"The royal faction, the military faction, and one organization of unknown identity." Huo Yuhao muttered. "The third organization is the strangest. They seem to have infiltrated every department."

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Huo, I'm Lin Mu from the student council. I'll show you around." A crisp female voice came from outside.

Huo Yuhao opened the door and saw a girl in an academy uniform standing outside, a student council badge pinned to her chest.

"Hello, Senior Lin." Huo Yuhao greeted her politely.

"You don't need to be so formal." Lin Mu smiled. "I heard you set a new record in the entrance test. The whole academy's talking about it."

"I just got lucky."

"Oh, stop being modest." Lin Mu waved a hand. "Come on, I'll show you around."

The two walked along the academy's main road while Lin Mu enthusiastically introduced the various buildings and facilities. Huo Yuhao appeared to listen attentively, but in truth, [Thought Palace] had been running at high speed, analyzing everything around him.

"That's the experimental building. Every department has its own dedicated laboratories." Lin Mu pointed at a massive building. "You've been assigned to the Comprehensive Department. Your lab is on the third floor."

Huo Yuhao noticed that security around the experimental building was exceptionally tight. Soul tool puppets stood guard at the entrance, and there was also an energy barrier.

"Why is security at the experimental building so strict?" he asked casually.

Lin Mu's expression shifted slightly. "Because there are a lot of valuable soul tools and materials inside."

[Thought Palace] detected this subtle change.

[Analysis: Answer was overly simple, and her tone changed]

[Inference: The experimental building contains an unknown secret]

"By the way, who is your mentor?" Lin Mu changed the subject.

"Vice Dean Mo Li personally assigned Professor Mo Fan to me."

"Mo Fan?" Lin Mu stopped in surprise. "He's famously strict and rarely takes students."

Huo Yuhao smiled. "Maybe he did it out of respect for Vice Dean Mo."

"No, Professor Mo never gives anyone face, not even the dean." Lin Mu lowered her voice mysteriously. "The fact that he accepted you means you really are special."

They continued their tour and arrived at a vast plaza. At its center stood a statue of a middle-aged man holding a soul tool.

"Who is that?" Huo Yuhao asked.

"The academy's founder, Emperor Xu Tianran's teacher, Xu Qingshan—the man known as the 'Father of Soul Tools.'" Lin Mu explained. "It's said that he established the foundational theories of modern soul tools."

Huo Yuhao studied the statue closely. A line of small words was carved into its pedestal: "The Light of Truth shines eternally."

[Thought Palace] detected a detail: the statue's right index finger was slightly bent, pointing in a certain direction on the ground.

[Analysis: Unnatural posture, possibly of special significance]

[Inference: There may be a secret space underground]

"Are there any facilities beneath the academy?" Huo Yuhao asked casually.

A subtle change appeared in Lin Mu's expression again. "Just some warehouses and pipe systems. Nothing special."

[Alert: Second evasion detected. Hidden information confirmed.]

After the tour ended, Lin Mu brought Huo Yuhao to the teaching building.

"Tomorrow at nine in the morning, report to Classroom 304 on the third floor." Lin Mu reminded him. "Professor Mo hates students who are late."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Lin."

"You're welcome." Lin Mu smiled. "Oh, right—there's a student organization called Light of Truth. It specializes in recruiting gifted students. Are you interested?"

Huo Yuhao's heart stirred. "Light of Truth? Like the words carved on the statue's pedestal?"

"That's right. It's the academy's most influential student organization, and its members are all elites among elites." A trace of anticipation flashed through Lin Mu's eyes. "With your talent, you'll definitely be able to join."

"I'll think about it." Huo Yuhao did not agree immediately.

"Don't think for too long." Lin Mu said meaningfully. "You only get one chance."

After seeing Lin Mu off, Huo Yuhao returned to his dormitory and began sorting through the information he had gathered that day.

[Thought Palace] fully expanded.

[Analysis Result: The academy appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath it.]

[Key Point 1: The Light of Truth organization matches the inscription on the statue's pedestal, suggesting a possible third-party force.]

[Key Point 2: The laboratory building and underground facilities hold secrets; Lin Mu avoided the subject twice.]

[Key Point 3: Professor Mo Fan specifically chose me, possibly with another motive.]

The next morning, Huo Yuhao arrived at the classroom half an hour early. Several students were already seated inside, and when they saw him enter, they immediately looked at him with curiosity.

"Are you the freshman who set the enrollment record?" A short-haired boy walked over and held out his hand. "I'm Li Tian. Welcome to the genius class."

"Huo Yuhao. Please take care of me." Huo Yuhao shook his hand.

"I heard you proposed the theory of networked soul tools?" Li Tian asked excitedly. "Can you explain it in detail?"

Before Huo Yuhao could answer, the classroom door was pushed open and a tall middle-aged man walked in. Everyone immediately fell silent and returned to their seats.

"Newcomer, stand up." The middle-aged man spoke coldly.

Huo Yuhao rose to his feet. "Huo Yuhao, freshman."

"I'm Mo Fan. Starting today, I'll be your mentor." Mo Fan looked Huo Yuhao up and down. "Mo Li thinks highly of you, but under me, it makes no difference whether you're a genius or not. I only look at results."

"Yes, Teacher."

"Come to my office after class." Mo Fan finished succinctly and began the lesson.

The course covered advanced soul tool theory, and the difficulty was extremely high. Yet to Huo Yuhao, it was all basic knowledge. He even spotted several mistakes in the textbook.

After class, Huo Yuhao went to Mo Fan's office as agreed.

"Come in." Mo Fan's voice came from inside.

Huo Yuhao pushed open the door and found that aside from Mo Fan, there were two other people in the office. One was Vice Dean Mo Li, while the other was a white-haired elder wearing the badge of a seventh-level soul engineer on his chest.

"This is the academy's dean, Xu Qingsong," Mo Li introduced.

Huo Yuhao was startled inwardly. He hadn't expected to meet the academy's highest-ranking leader right away.

"Huo Yuhao, I heard you proposed the theory of networked soul tools?" Xu Qingsong got straight to the point. "Can you explain it in detail?"

Huo Yuhao could feel all three sets of eyes focused on him, carrying different expectations and scrutiny.

[Thought Palace] rapidly analyzed.

[Alert: Three high-ranking officials appearing together—their purpose is not simple.]

[Inference: They place immense importance on the network theory, possibly related to secret research.]

[Strategy: Reveal part of the technology while withholding the core.]

"The core of networked soul tools lies in information transmission and coordinated combat." Huo Yuhao began explaining, but deliberately avoided the crucial technical details.

The three listened with intense focus, nodding from time to time.

"Where did this theory come from?" Xu Qingsong suddenly asked. "Was there some source of inspiration?"

Huo Yuhao immediately became wary. He's probing my background.

"The inspiration came from ant colonies," he made up casually. "Ants may be small, but they can form networks through pheromones and fight in coordination."

"Interesting." Xu Qingsong seemed thoughtful. "Would you be willing to join our special research project?"

"What project?"

"The Light of Truth." Xu Qingsong spoke meaningfully. "A project exploring the ultimate mysteries of soul tools."

Huo Yuhao's heart shook. As expected, the Light of Truth is that mysterious organization—and the dean is personally involved!

"It would be a tremendous honor." Huo Yuhao remained respectful on the surface, but inwardly, he had already raised his guard.

"Very good." Xu Qingsong nodded in satisfaction. "Mo Fan will arrange for you to visit our laboratory. There, you'll find equipment and resources beyond anything you can imagine."

After leaving the office, Huo Yuhao appeared calm, but his thoughts were churning like a storm.

[Thought Palace] operated at high speed.

[Analysis: The Light of Truth is the academy's core internal organization. The dean, vice dean, and professor are all members.]

[Alert: They are extremely interested in my technology and background. I must respond carefully.]

Back in the dormitory, just as Huo Yuhao was preparing to sort through his thoughts, he suddenly noticed a note lying on his bed:

"Be careful of the Light of Truth. They are not as simple as they appear. Three geniuses from the previous class who refused to join all met with 'accidents.' —Someone who cares about you"