Taking Another Disciple, Conflicting Logic

"Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, hello. I'm Huang Jinxu, the new dean of the Martial Soul Department."

"What happened a while ago was unfair to you both."

"I asked you here today for one reason: to find out whether you think the academy fell short in how it handled the matter. Is there anything we failed to do?"

"Speak freely. If a suggestion is reasonable and within my power to act on, I'll do my best to make it happen..."

Huang Jinxu opened with a string of polite, official remarks that left both girls bewildered.

"Fell short? I don't think the academy fell short at all."

Wang Dong looked baffled. To her, what had happened was no more than a minor incident, and the academy had handled it well.

She saw nothing wrong with it.

Xiao Xiao, by contrast, was more reserved.

A new dean.

She did not know exactly how powerful the man before her was, but she was certain he had to be a Titled Douluo.

Had she not come to Shrek Academy precisely to catch the attention of its senior staff and receive their focused training?

In the original timeline, Xiao Xiao had added a Soul Ring to her Second Martial Soul early, hoping to earn the academy's recognition with a strong showing in the freshman assessment.

That decision had significantly limited how far she could go in the future.

Huang Jinxu could understand why she had done it.

From a god's-eye view, with full knowledge of the setting, many things were already known.

But the people of this world did not know everything.

The monopoly on advanced knowledge, the lack of access to information, and other factors meant that ninety-nine percent of Soul Masters could not chart a path that would bring out all their talents.

"Xiao Xiao, my title is Tiansha, and I am a level 98 Titled Douluo. Would you accept me as your master?"

With the pleasantries over, Huang Jinxu stated his purpose.

"What?"

"A level 98 Super Douluo!"

At Huang Jinxu's words, a ringing filled Xiao Xiao's head.

Happiness had struck her so hard it left her dizzy.

She could not gather her wits in so little time.

Seeing how excited Xiao Xiao was, Huang Jinxu did not press her for an answer. He gave her a moment to recover.

"Will you accept?"

Only when Xiao Xiao had regained a little of her composure did Huang Jinxu ask again.

"Yes! Yes, I will!"

"Your disciple Xiao Xiao greets you, Master."

Xiao Xiao accepted at once, unable to contain the excitement in her eyes.

"Good. From today onward, you are my second disciple. You also have a senior fellow disciple from your year. He's in the Soul Tool Department, and his name is Huo Yuhao."

"This is my welcoming gift to you."

With a sweep of his hand, Huang Jinxu took item after item from his Storage Soul Tool.

There were cultivation teachings, Mysterious Water Potions, and all sorts of other things.

He did not give her a level-nine Soul Tool, however. Instead, he gave Xiao Xiao a level-seven Invincible Shield.

An Invincible Shield produced by the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy of the Sun Moon Empire.

"Thank you, Master."

Xiao Xiao stared at the gifts laid out before her, shocked beyond words.

Her new master was astonishingly generous.

She had never seen many of the items and did not know what they were, but she was certain they were precious.

"Huo Yuhao!"

Wang Dong rarely took much interest in anything, but the familiar name made her look up at Huang Jinxu.

Because they were neither in the same class nor in the same department, Wang Dong had only spent time with Huo Yuhao in their Dormitory.

They had not known each other long, but whenever Huo Yuhao mentioned his master, his eyes shone with admiration.

That had made her curious about Huo Yuhao's master.

She had never imagined he was their new dean.

When Zhou Yi had expelled her from class, she had considered transferring to the Soul Tool Department and joining Huo Yuhao's class.

The possibility stirred an instinctive urge in her.

But whenever she thought of Soul Tools, something deep in her soul recoiled.

Her body instinctively yearned to go, while her soul resisted. Caught between two utterly different impulses, Wang Dong had no idea what to choose.

Even as slow as she was to react, she had begun to notice that something was wrong with her.

Yet a subconscious voice deep within her insisted that it was all normal, simply part of her nature, and nothing she needed to worry about.

Three different voices pulled at her decision. The conflict in her underlying logic remained constrained for now and had not fully erupted.

Even so, it caused Wang Dong no small amount of trouble. She had never been particularly quick-witted, and now she was even slower to respond to certain things.

Only when something mattered enough for her to cast aside every distracting thought and resolve to act did she become truly firm and decisive, showing the full force of her character.

Should I try it when I get back?

Wang Dong thought of the strange thrill she had felt with Huo Yuhao before. It suggested they possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, though they had never actually tried to use it.

She felt that if she took that step—if their Martial Soul Fusion Skill succeeded—all her inexplicable unease and stray thoughts would vanish.

While Wang Dong's thoughts ran wild, Huang Jinxu had already given Xiao Xiao a brief introduction to the teachings of his lineage and its various secret arts.

As he spoke, he directly pointed out the issue with Wang Dong's Second Martial Soul and explained to Xiao Xiao how to cultivate Twin Martial Souls.

Most importantly, he drew on his own Heavenly Lone Star restraint and began to merge it with Xiao Xiao's Fortune.

With Huo Yuhao there, he did not need Xiao Xiao to share the burden for now. Still, it was better to be prepared.

All the more so now that he had reunited with his daughter. He needed more than one precaution.

"I gave your senior fellow disciple a task before: to make a start on the cultivation technique within seven days. Now I have one for you. You have half a month, though it would be even better if you could keep pace with him."

Huang Jinxu smiled as he set Xiao Xiao a modest goal.

"Master, I won't disappoint you."

Xiao Xiao knew this was a test from her master, and she was determined to work hard.

"Well, I won't keep you from class. If there's anything you don't understand about your cultivation, come straight to the dean's office and ask me."

Huang Jinxu had no intention of staying long. Once he had confirmed that he could not take Wang Dong as a disciple, he saw no reason to spend more time on her.

Xiao Xiao tactfully took her leave.

Wang Dong, however, remained where she was, her face full of indecision.