Soul Tool Core Disciple

"All right, Yuhao, no need for formalities. Take another look around the Soul Tool Department. I'll go register your information."

Huo Yuhao watched Fan Yu leave, then began browsing the soul tools again. He Caitou was also beaming and had grown much closer to Huo Yuhao. From now on, the two of them would be fellow disciples.

After accepting Huo Yuhao as his disciple, Fan Yu went to see Qian Duoduo, the vice dean of the Soul Tool Department.

"Dean Qian, this child is a new student enrolling this year. I want to directly recruit him into the Soul Tool Department as a special admission. His soul skill may be able to solve the firing issue of fixed-installation soul cannon shells. If it succeeds, it will be a leap forward in the development of soul tools." Fan Yu handed a document to Qian Duoduo.

Qian Duoduo looked over Huo Yuhao's information in the document. He had extensive experience competing with Yan Shaozhe for geniuses, so he immediately recognized the special nature of an eye martial soul.

"Fan Yu, how about we make this child a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department by special approval? That way, the Martial Soul Department won't get any ideas."

"You mean directly promoting him to a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department? Isn't that a little too soon? Would the Martial Soul Department compete for this child too?"

The status of a core disciple did not allow dual cultivation. In other words, once Huo Yuhao became a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department, the Martial Soul Department would no longer be able to recruit him.

However, Fan Yu had not seen anything special about Huo Yuhao's martial soul in the document.

"Your experience is still too shallow. If you want to become dean, you need to brush up on your theoretical knowledge. Researching soul tools alone won't do. Huo Yuhao has a body martial soul, and the strength of a body martial soul is related to how important that part is to the body. An eye martial soul, with soul power at rank 16—his future potential is immense. Especially since he may undergo a second awakening. The Martial Soul Department won't possibly let a genius disciple like this go."

"Then wouldn't giving Huo Yuhao core disciple status right away make the Martial Soul Department notice him instead?"

"It doesn't matter. By the time the Martial Soul Department discovers him, I'll already have made arrangements. You don't need to worry about this. Give Huo Yuhao this core disciple badge from the Soul Tool Department along with this invitation to the Treasure Appreciation Fair."

Qian Duoduo took out a badge and a splendid golden invitation card, handing them to Fan Yu.

When Fan Yu returned to the Soul Tool Department, he found that Huo Yuhao had not yet left and handed the items over to him.

"Yuhao, this badge represents your status as a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department. Keep it safe. The address of the Treasure Pavilion is on the back of this invitation. School is about to begin, so you can go take a look and see if there's anything you need."

After explaining that, Fan Yu went off to handle his own business. With the first-year students about to enroll, he was not exactly free either.

Meanwhile, He Caitou said in shock, "Junior Brother, this is core disciple status! It represents the Academy's intention to cultivate you with all its strength. Receiving core disciple status as soon as you enroll—you've made history, Junior Brother."

Hearing He Caitou's words, Huo Yuhao finally snapped out of his surprise.

He himself had never expected the Soul Tool Department to value him so highly that they would grant him core disciple status on his very first day of enrollment.

"Senior Brother He, I'll go check out this Treasure Pavilion first. You go ahead and get busy." Huo Yuhao pinned the Soul Tool Department core disciple badge to his chest, took the gold soul coins Fan Yu had given him, and left after saying goodbye, preparing to visit the Treasure Pavilion first.

The Treasure Pavilion had a piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue that had been mistaken for thousand-year whale glue. Huo Yuhao needed to buy it first.

After entering Shrek City, Huo Yuhao quickly found the address of the Treasure Pavilion listed on the invitation.

When Huo Yuhao arrived at the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion, a young girl came forward to greet him. "Soul Master sir, are you here to purchase items at the Treasure Pavilion?"

"Yes. Take me inside for a look." After entering the Treasure Pavilion and seeing its dazzling array of heavenly treasures, Huo Yuhao instantly felt the urge to buy everything for free. There were simply too many good things.

As he listened to the young girl's introduction of the various items, Huo Yuhao asked, "Do you have whale glue here? Poor-quality pieces are fine too."

"Yes. A piece of thousand-year whale glue costs fifty thousand gold soul coins. We also have one poor-quality piece, priced at six thousand gold soul coins." As she spoke, the young girl led Huo Yuhao over to look at the two pieces of whale glue.

The moment he saw the piece of whale glue that was black and dull on the outside, Huo Yuhao was delighted. "I'll take this one. I'll pay now."

Huo Yuhao recognized it at once as the ten-thousand-year whale glue from the original story. Without the slightest hesitation, he took out six thousand gold soul coins and bought it.

After placing it in his storage soul tool, he hurried back to Shrek Academy to find Senior Brother He Caitou.

Absorbing whale glue required melting it with high-temperature flames. At this stage, Huo Yuhao could only rely on He Caitou to find a solution.

"Senior Brother He, I have to trouble you again. Can you help me melt this whale glue? I really don't know any fire-attribute Soul Masters."

"No problem, leave it to me. Flames produced by some soul tools can melt it." After saying that, He Caitou took the whale glue into a soul tool laboratory.

After activating one of the instruments inside, flames immediately burst forth. Under their scorching heat, the whale glue gradually melted into a golden liquid.

He Caitou placed it into a specially made bowl-shaped soul tool, then brought it out and handed it to Huo Yuhao.

"Junior Brother Yuhao, it's melted. Why don't you absorb it here? We happen to have a soul tool here that can alleviate the side effects of whale glue."

Huo Yuhao naturally agreed without hesitation. Absorbing whale glue came with the side effect of excessive yang energy. It would naturally be best if it could be resolved.

Mouthful by mouthful, Huo Yuhao ate the whale glue. It felt somewhat like donkey-hide gelatin from his previous life—quite chewy, but not difficult to swallow.

Very soon, Huo Yuhao had eaten the entire piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue.

After finishing the whale glue, Huo Yuhao felt his physical condition and meridians slowly improving, putting him in an excellent mood.

Thousand-year whale glue could increase the maximum absorption age of the second soul ring by five hundred years, while ten-thousand-year whale glue could increase it by one thousand years.

This also meant that Huo Yuhao could directly absorb a thousand-year soul ring as his second soul ring. Coupled with the Mysterious Heaven Technique's effect of nourishing his meridians, perhaps he could even attempt a two-thousand-year soul ring.

Although whale glue itself did not increase soul power, as Huo Yuhao's body grew stronger, a portion of the soul power that had accumulated within his body due to childhood malnutrition emerged.

Already not far from rank 17, Huo Yuhao used this opportunity to smoothly break through to rank 17.

But at that moment, the whale glue's side effects appeared. Huo Yuhao felt scorching heat spread through his entire body, and he began to grow restless and unbearably agitated.

At this point, He Caitou took out a gun-shaped soul tool and pressed its firing button.

A freezing beam instantly shot onto Huo Yuhao's body, covering him in a layer of ice crystals.

This layer of ice crystals not only had a chilling effect, but also relaxed the mind.

"This is an ice crystal soul tool ray gun with mild anesthetic properties. It was originally meant to relieve pain for injured students, but it can also effectively alleviate the side effects of whale glue," He Caitou explained.

After recovering from the side effects, Huo Yuhao thanked He Caitou and left the Soul Tool Department, heading toward the dormitories.

Although he had no luggage to unpack, it would be where he lived for the next year, so he needed to clean it up no matter what.

Huo Yuhao soon arrived at the dormitory building. Shrek's freshman dormitory was a white building, much like the university dormitories from his previous life. At its entrance, an elderly hunchbacked man lay in a reclining chair, much like a dorm manager from his previous life.

But this old man was not to be underestimated. He was Shrek Academy's true authority, one of the continent's strongest fighters—the Rank 99 Ultimate Douluo, Dragon God Douluo Mu En.

"Hello, sir. I'm a new student this year. Please take a look. This is my freshman badge and dorm key." Huo Yuhao greeted him politely.

"Dorm 108 is the third room on the left on the first floor. The fourth floor and above are the girls' dormitories. Boys are not allowed upstairs. Anyone who goes up will be expelled."

The old man slightly opened his eyes. After glancing at the key and badge, he responded gently.

"Thank you, sir." After expressing his thanks, Huo Yuhao headed toward his dormitory.

"Quite a polite child. A core disciple of the Soul Tool Department as soon as he enrolled?" Mu En muttered as he watched Huo Yuhao leave.

Mu En had lived for over a hundred years, and almost no one could hide their inner thoughts before him.

Although Huo Yuhao knew something about him, the egalitarian outlook formed by the influence of his previous life lessened his fear of the strong.

Thus, in Mu En's eyes, it instead became respect for an ordinary old man.

As he entered the dormitory, the feeling of a university dorm from his previous life rushed over him. It was still the familiar two-person room, but since no one had cleaned it for a month, there was truly far too much dust.

Huo Yuhao touched the dust on the bed, took a look, and saw that it had reached the point where it absolutely needed a thorough wiping with a rag.

Huo Yuhao took out the cleaning tools he had prepared earlier and began cleaning carefully. Very soon, an hour passed, and the dormitory looked completely renewed.

Looking at the spotless dormitory, Huo Yuhao took out bedding from his storage soul tool and spread it on the

bed. Then he climbed onto it and began cultivating.

For dinner, he got a top-tier meal from the cafeteria for thirty gold soul coins, drawing envious looks from the other students.

Ignoring everyone else's shock, Huo Yuhao returned to his dormitory to continue cultivating after finishing his meal.

Meditation at night could replace sleep. Huo Yuhao had no intention of wasting his nighttime cultivation hours, and he meditated until the next morning.