Research-Oriented Soul Engineers

"All right, quiet down. Step forward when I call your name: Cheng Cheng, Qiu Jianrao, Tang Dao, Shangguan Chentian, Lin Zeyu, Zhuge Yun, Tai Long, Tang Ling, Yun Xiaopiao."

"You nine may pack your things and leave Shrek Academy. From this moment on, you are no longer students of Shrek Academy."

The announcement caused an uproar. Every student stared blankly at Zhou Yi. Clearly, none of them had expected that she had not merely been trying to scare them earlier—she truly intended to expel students.

Tai Long, who was on the expulsion list, immediately protested, "What right do you have to expel us?"

"Why am I expelling you? Tai Long, you ran ninety-eight laps. Cheng Cheng ran ninety-five. Qiu Jianrao ran ninety-nine. Do I need to go on?"

Hearing Zhou Yi's words, Tai Long's momentum immediately faltered. But with his studies on the line, he still forced himself to question her. "You're expelling us just because we ran two laps short?"

"I already told you: in Class One, my word is law. You will leave immediately. Of course, you are welcome to file a complaint against me with the Academic Affairs Office. But for now, stop wasting everyone's time."

How could Tai Long and the others accept such an explanation? Fuming with anger, they headed straight for the Academic Affairs Office, intending to lodge a fierce complaint against Zhou Yi.

Knowing the plot, Huo Yuhao knew that Tai Long and the others would most likely be wasting their effort. Still, in his estimation, the Academic Affairs Office would probably transfer them to another class.

After all, quite a few of the students Zhou Yi had expelled were noble-born. The Academic Affairs Office would have to be out of their minds to expel them outright.

Transferring them to another class would cost the academy nothing, while also allowing Zhou Yi to save face.

Handling one or two such cases would have been easy, but with so many students filing complaints together, even Shrek Academy would have to take it seriously. Hadn't Dai Huabin been transferred to another class in the original story?

Why did I think of him? What bad luck. Huo Yuhao immediately wiped his face, concealing his look of disgust.

Zhou Yi swept her gaze over the people still standing on the plaza. Seeing the shock and fear on their faces, she was quite satisfied with this display of pressure and discipline.

"The rest of you have fifteen minutes to return and change your clothes. Afterward, gather in the classroom and prepare for class. Anyone late will be expelled immediately."

Intimidated by Zhou Yi's example of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, the remaining students no longer dared to stand around in a daze. They hurried off to change, and with the threat of expulsion hanging over their heads, no one wanted to test the consequences of being late.

This really proved what had been said in his previous life: if a teacher held a gun to a student's head, anyone could become a good student. As for the psychological issues that might result afterward, Zhou Yi certainly would not care.

Huo Yuhao returned to the dormitory, took a quick rinse, and changed into clean clothes he had prepared in his storage soul tool.

Once he was dressed, Huo Yuhao quickly left the dormitory and headed for the classroom.

It was not because he feared being late. Huo Yuhao's speed ranked among the best in Class One. If even he could not make it in time, then the other students might as well give up struggling.

It was purely because Wang Dong was a girl, and sharing a dormitory with her really was inconvenient. In the original story, Huo Yuhao had accidentally seen Wang Dong bathing.

But as a modern young man, accidentally watching a twelve-year-old girl bathe was far too criminal.

Huo Yuhao had no desire to try it. That kind of behavior was at least somewhat perverted.

Before long, all the students had arrived in the first-year Class One classroom. No one was late.

Everyone sat more or less where they had in the morning. Huo Yuhao's desperate running that morning had made the study fanatics regard him even more as their center.

Standing behind the podium, Zhou Yi formally announced the start of class.

"Students, who can tell me which types of soul masters are considered attack-type soul masters, and which are defense-type soul masters?"

Hearing Zhou Yi's question, Huo Yuhao, who knew the answer, was the first to stand and reply, "The line between offense and defense among soul master types is now very blurred. The emergence of soul tools has given soul masters of every type a certain degree of offensive and defensive capability."

Hearing Huo Yuhao's answer, Zhou Yi nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right. Because of soul tools, soul masters below Rank 50 have developed blurred distinctions between offense and defense."

"But Shrek Academy does not train battle soul masters who use soul tools, because once they pass Rank 50, they become useless."

"For example, imagine two soul masters above Rank 50 fighting. If one uses soul tools while the other is a traditional soul master, then before the soul engineer can deploy their soul tools, they will be defeated by the traditional soul master."

Hearing Zhou Yi's explanation, Huo Yuhao did not agree and immediately asked:

"Teacher, suppose there are two soul masters. One spends the time needed to raise their soul power by one rank learning how to use soul tools, while the other continues as a traditional soul master."

"In other words, between a Rank 52 fifth-class soul engineer and a Rank 53 Soul King, who would be stronger?"

Huo Yuhao's question caught Zhou Yi off guard. She instinctively refuted him, "Researching soul tools wastes a great deal of time that soul masters could spend cultivating their soul power. The losses outweigh the gains."

"Why must a soul master who uses soul tools research soul tools? Soul tools are not restricted to being used only by their creators, are they?"

After speaking, Huo Yuhao paused slightly. Seeing that Zhou Yi had no intention of interrupting him, he continued.

"With only the time needed for one rank of soul power, a soul master's strength can increase by thirty to fifty percent. For auxiliary-type soul masters, their combat strength could even increase by one hundred percent. In my view, that is extremely worthwhile."

"High-level soul tools are nearly equal to soul skills in attack power. Wasting time to learn how to use soul tools merely creates attacks equivalent to soul skills, which is not worthwhile," Zhou Yi explained.

Although Huo Yuhao had questioned her repeatedly, Fan Yu was an eighth-class soul engineer, and as his wife, Zhou Yi was actually one of the teachers who held soul tools in fairly high regard.

That was why Zhou Yi had not interrupted Huo Yuhao earlier. She wanted to hear his views.

"But as far as I know, there are many functional soul tools. For example, some soul tools can confine a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse within a certain area. I believe that in a battle between two Soul Douluos, that would already be a decisive factor."

"Moreover, many soul tools do not even require training to use. For instance, the Invincible Barrier, a triggered soul tool equivalent to giving a soul master a second life, or the Milk Bottle, which can speed up a soul master's recovery of soul power. Even a soul ray gun only requires pulling the trigger."

Listening to Huo Yuhao's explanation, Zhou Yi found herself somewhat convinced by his viewpoint.

Because of traditional soul masters' aversion to soul engineers, they had forcibly tied soul tools and soul engineers together.

This was also what Huo Yuhao found strange. In a Douluo world where strength reigned supreme, it was not normal.

When he first read Douluo II, Huo Yuhao had initially believed that soul tools could only be used by their creators.

But when he reached the Continental Soul Master Tournament, he saw that the Sun Moon Empire could even let other soul masters freely use high-level soul tools like the Judgment Sword.

Only then did Huo Yuhao realize that there was no such restriction in the setting.

That made the Sun Moon Empire and the Douluo Three Kingdoms seem extremely radical and bizarre.

The Douluo Three Kingdoms were extremely resistant to soul tools. Even when their soul power could advance no further, they would not study soul tools, causing soul tool development to remain close to stagnant.

The Sun Moon Empire, on the other hand, focused exclusively on researching soul tools. Even if they discovered a soul master with exceptionally high talent, they would either rapidly raise that person's soul power or have them devote themselves to soul tool research, becoming the ideal tenth-class soul engineer.

It was as though soul masters and soul tools were fundamentally incompatible.

Thousands of years had already passed since the Sun Moon Empire and the Douluo Three Kingdoms collided, yet their philosophies had not blended in the slightest.

It was one thing that they had not entered modern society after thousands of years, but did even such a simple concept need thousands of years? In the end, it was only through war that the era in Douluo III, where soul masters combined with soul tools, came about.

"Then, Huo Yuhao, how do you think soul masters and soul engineers should develop?" Zhou Yi's question interrupted Huo Yuhao's thoughts.

"First, I think soul engineers and soul tools should be separated. All soul masters who are able should be equipped with triggered soul tools or use simple soul tools."

"Next, a new category should be added among soul master types: the soul tool type, meaning soul masters who use soul tools as their primary means of combat."

"As for the current soul tool type, I think it would be more appropriate to call it a soul tool research institute. Most of the soul engineers in it are research-oriented soul engineers who create and study soul tools."

"It's like the relationship between restaurant diners and chefs. Diners merely come to a restaurant to eat; you cannot classify all diners as chefs, can you? It would be better to categorize them separately."

Huo Yuhao briefly explained what he wanted to say in four points.

In Huo Yuhao's view, this was also the interpretation Shrek Academy was most likely to accept at present.