Two-Legged Approach

It was not long before footsteps sounded outside the door.

One set came first, brisk and crisp; the other followed, steady and measured.

Chen Xuan remained seated, merely lifting his eyelids.

The door opened.

A tall woman entered first, her features cold and striking. A blue-gray robe wrapped around her slender figure, making her narrow waist and long legs all the more conspicuous.

After entering, she first bowed respectfully to Mu En, then turned to Chen Xuan and gave him a deep bow. "Elder Xuan."

She was Xian Lin'er, dean of the Soul Tool Department.

A middle-aged man of average build followed behind her. He had a fair, refined face, and his brows carried the air of someone accustomed to privilege.

He was dressed far more elaborately than Xian Lin'er, in fine fabric with subtle embroidered patterns at his cuffs.

Upon entering, he first bowed to Mu En and said respectfully, "Teacher." Then he turned to Chen Xuan and bowed with equal deference. "Elder Xuan."

Yan Shaozhe.

Dean of the Martial Soul Department, a level ninety-five Super Douluo, and Mu En's direct disciple.

Chen Xuan looked him over from head to toe and clicked his tongue inwardly.

Sure enough, he was someone used to being the "main wife." Just looking at his bearing, Chen Xuan could tell he had pocketed no small amount of benefits over the years.

Mu En reclined against a soft couch and raised a hand. "Sit."

The two took their seats.

Mu En did not speak immediately. Chen Xuan was the first to open his mouth instead.

He sprawled against the back of his chair, still holding a chicken leg in his right hand, looking nothing like an elder of Sea God Pavilion.

"I called you here today for two matters." He raised two fingers.

"First, the Inquisitorial Legion will undergo a thorough investigation.

"Mu En has already agreed to this. Later, I will personally lead the elders down to audit the accounts.

"You two deans both have ties to the Inquisitorial Legion, more or less. Keep that in mind."

Xian Lin'er nodded. Yan Shaozhe smiled as well, but said nothing.

Chen Xuan lowered his first finger and held up the second.

"Second, the funding allocation between the Soul Tool Department and the Martial Soul Department will be renegotiated today."

The instant he said this, the air in the room visibly froze.

The smile on Yan Shaozhe's face faded somewhat.

He glanced at Mu En. Only after seeing that Mu En did not object did he slowly say, "Elder Xuan, this funding allocation is an old rule established by Sea God Pavilion long ago. Why renegotiate it so suddenly?"

"Because the old rule is no longer suitable," Chen Xuan said. "Do you not know what kind of life the Soul Tool Department has been living these past years, Yan Shaozhe?"

He spoke bluntly, giving no face whatsoever.

Yan Shaozhe frowned. "Elder Xuan, that is not a fair way to put it.

"The Martial Soul Department is Shrek's foundation. Allocating it more resources is also for the academy's overall strength.

"As for the Soul Tool Department, I would say I have not treated it unfairly."

"Not treated it unfairly?" Chen Xuan laughed.

"Throughout the year, the Martial Soul Department takes seventy percent of the funding, while the Soul Tool Department gets thirty.

"Ninety percent of the best seedlings in the outer academy are picked by you.

"The ones left for the Soul Tool Department either do not have strong enough martial souls or are clearly inferior in talent. You call that fair treatment?"

Yan Shaozhe's expression changed slightly. "Naturally, promising talents should prioritize martial soul cultivation. That is Shrek's tradition. No matter how good Soul Tools are, they are ultimately external objects."

"External objects?" Chen Xuan set the chicken leg on the table, leaned forward, and stared at Yan Shaozhe.

"You are calling them external objects? Fine.

"Yan Shaozhe, you are level ninety-five. You have the capital to say that.

"But what about the students of your Martial Soul Department? Are they all Super Douluo?

"When they go to war in the future, what will they use to withstand the Sun Moon Empire's soul cannon fire? Their lives?"

Pressed silent by this barrage, Yan Shaozhe paused before saying, "Though the Sun Moon Empire is strong, it is tens of thousands of miles away. They may not truly come to our doorstep."

"May not?" Chen Xuan sneered. "By the time they do come, it will be too late for you to start making up for your lack of Soul Tools."

His tone grew heavier.

"Everyone here knows how terrifying top-tier Soul Tools are.

"What has the Sun Moon Empire been doing all these years? Pushing Soul Tools toward warfare and mass production.

"Over here, we are still fighting until our heads bleed over a bit of funding. Over there, they can already equip Soul Tool legions in batches.

"If this continues, in another ten or twenty years, we will not even be qualified to look up at them."

Xian Lin'er's eyes brightened slightly, as if she had not expected Chen Xuan to say such things.

She had assumed Elder Xuan would be as dismissive of Soul Tools as he had been in the past.

Yan Shaozhe was also surprised. After a pause, he tried to steer the conversation back. "Then what you mean is to directly redraw the funding structure for the two departments?"

"Redraw it," Chen Xuan said. "But not to suppress the Martial Soul Department.

"The Martial Soul Department remains the foundation. That does not change. What I want is to expand the Soul Tool Department's share, especially for foundational education and equipment development.

"You can pinch pennies yourself if you like. But the academy cannot be stingy along with you."

He turned to Xian Lin'er. "Lin'er, prepare a list of the Soul Tool Department's needs for the next five years, including foundational courses, equipment research and development, and student training. Submit it to Sea God Pavilion within three days."

Xian Lin'er answered without hesitation. "All right."

Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something else.

Chen Xuan gave him no chance and continued.

"There are also several matters I need to make clear right now. I am not discussing them with you. I am informing you."

"First, Soul Tool courses must be offered to all first through third-year outer academy students.

"Whether they can make them is not the issue yet. They must learn how to use them. If students have never even come into contact with Soul Tools, how will they judge the battlefield situation in the future?"

"Second, all registered inner academy students, regardless of what missions they are currently carrying out, are to be recalled.

"Once they return to the academy, all of them will be sent to the Soul Tool Department for special training.

"Each person must become proficient with three Soul Tools suited to their level, and their functions cannot overlap. Anyone who fails will not be allowed to participate in any missions."

"Third, starting with this class, add two requirements to the graduation assessment.

"First, students must be proficient with at least one Soul Tool.

"Second, at minimum, they must make a Soul Tool within three major ranks of their own level.

"If they cannot make one, they can forget about graduating. Let me make this clear: no one's pleas will work. Whoever pleads for them, I will beat them."

After speaking, he picked up the teacup beside him and moistened his throat before adding one more sentence.

"Also, go back and tell those little brats not to put on any emotional displays in front of me.

"Anyone who thinks learning Soul Tools is embarrassing, beneath them, or a waste of cultivation time can get lost early.

"Shrek has never lacked geniuses. What it lacks are geniuses who can walk off the battlefield alive. Do not use yourselves to test my patience."

The room was so quiet that a pin dropping would have been audible.

Xian Lin'er's eyes were already frighteningly bright, as though someone had finally released the pent-up resentment she had been holding in for years.

Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth, and for the first time, he could barely maintain the gentle smile on his face.

"Elder Xuan, is this not a bit too forceful? Especially that graduation requirement—making Martial Soul Department students build Soul Tools..."

"I know it is difficult. Does that mean we should not do it? They are geniuses. They are little monsters." Chen Xuan cut him off. "Oh, and tell those poor little fellows not to worry."