"That's right."
Gu Yunxiao looked calm and composed.
"Well..."
Du Weilen hesitated for a moment, swallowed, and asked cautiously, "How about... you release your martial soul too?"
"Sure."
Gu Yunxiao nodded and stirred the Extreme Dust Ice Bow martial soul within him.
In an instant, a wave of freezing air swept outward.
Crack, crack...
A thick layer of frost spread across the floor with Gu Yunxiao at its center, and the temperature throughout the office plummeted.
Xiao Xiao's eyes widened, and she instinctively took several steps back.
"Could this be..."
At the sight, Du Weilen's eyes flew wide open. His breathing quickened, and shock rocked him to his core.
As Shrek Academy's dean of students and an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo, how could he fail to recognize what lay behind that freezing air?
The next moment, a sight that stunned both Xiao Xiao and Du Weilen appeared.
Hum...
An ink-black soul ring descended from above Gu Yunxiao's head.
Then two more ten thousand year soul rings of the same color descended, one after another, gleaming black around Gu Yunxiao's feet.
Xiao Xiao was dumbfounded.
Du Weilen stood frozen, at a complete loss.
It's real. It's actually real!
Du Weilen was utterly stunned. His heart pounded, his blood surged, and his face flushed with excitement.
A monster-no, Gu Yunxiao was a monster among monsters!
A monstrous genius whose like might not appear even once in ten thousand years had come to Shrek Academy!
Whoosh-
Gu Yunxiao withdrew his martial soul and soul rings, raised his right hand, and waved it before Xiao Xiao's eyes. With a faint smile, he asked, "Stared yourself silly?"
Still dazed, Xiao Xiao nodded.
A moment later.
She came to her senses and shook her head, blushing. "I'm not silly."
"It's fine. Fools have their own good fortune."
"Gu Yunxiao, you're the fool!"
Xiao Xiao puffed out her cheeks and glared at Gu Yunxiao indignantly.
She looked quite adorable.
Du Weilen also recovered just then. Forcing down his shock, he pressed, "Gu Yunxiao, you marked 'undecided' in the field for choosing between the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Tool Department... why?"
"With your talent, the Martial Soul Department is undoubtedly the best place for you to develop. The Soul Tool Department would only hold you back."
"Take my advice. Join the Martial Soul Department."
"I need to learn about the courses, schedules, resources, and other aspects of both departments before making an informed choice," Gu Yunxiao said evenly.
"Oh, I see."
Du Weilen nodded, then changed tack and volunteered an explanation. "To put it bluntly, the teaching quality in Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department is the best on the entire continent. No one can match it."
"Besides excellent teachers, we also have all sorts of cultivation resources."
"Given your talent, the academy will improve your benefits and prioritize you in allocating most resources to help you grow quickly."
"In the Martial Soul Department, you'll experience firsthand what it means to spend every second cultivating."
"As for the Soul Tool Department, although it's quite good, it ultimately isn't Shrek Academy's strong suit. In that regard, we can't compare with the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
"Its teachers, resources, and so on are also somewhat inferior to those of the Martial Soul Department."
"What's more, the Soul Tool Department recently spun off a Practical Soul Tool Department, causing its resources to shrink considerably."
"And this new department suits soul masters who dislike making soul tools and only enjoy using them."
"Most importantly, the Soul Tool Department's schedule is far too flexible, and the Practical Soul Tool Department's is even more so. Many soul masters are actually wasting their time."
"At your age, you're in the golden years of growth. You mustn't waste a single second."
"Wouldn't you agree, Gu Yunxiao?"
Du Weilen looked thoroughly confident.
He was certain that for monstrous geniuses like Gu Yunxiao, time was money. They would race against every minute and second to grow stronger.
The Martial Soul Department was unquestionably Gu Yunxiao's best choice.
"The Practical Soul Tool Department?"
Gu Yunxiao nodded and made his decision on the spot. "That sounds good. I can learn about soul tools, and the schedule is flexible too. I'll join that department."
As his words fell.
Du Weilen was dumbfounded once again, standing frozen in place for a long while.
Xiao Xiao was also a little surprised, but she said nothing. She merely felt some regret that she wouldn't be in the same department as Gu Yunxiao.
Still, as long as they attended the same academy, there was hope.
While Du Weilen stood dazed, Gu Yunxiao had already taken the form and written "Practical Soul Tool Department" on it in large letters.
After completing it, Gu Yunxiao helped himself to a key, casually choosing one for a Soul Tool Department dormitory from the large bunch beside them.
Room number: 108.
Then, seeing that Xiao Xiao was rather hesitant, Gu Yunxiao picked out a Martial Soul Department dormitory key for her as well.
Xiao Xiao accepted it and smiled at Gu Yunxiao.
"Sorry for the trouble, Director Du." Gu Yunxiao nodded, then turned to leave.
"Thank you, Director Du!"
Xiao Xiao thanked him politely and left with Gu Yunxiao.
"Hey! Wait..."
Du Weilen wanted to stop him, but Gu Yunxiao had already gone far.
Besides, this was Gu Yunxiao's choice. As a teacher, how could he forcibly override a student's wishes?
Moreover, Gu Yunxiao's talent was astonishing. He absolutely couldn't be too "strict" with him.
"No, I have to report this to the dean!"
Du Weilen knew this had become a serious matter. It was beyond his ability to resolve; the academy's higher-ups would have to intervene.
On a tree-lined path within the academy.
"Gu Yunxiao, thank you."
Walking ahead, Xiao Xiao looked back at Gu Yunxiao with a beaming smile.
She wasn't foolish. She knew that after this, she would gain a few little "privileges" at the academy without having done anything herself. As long as she didn't commit any serious offense, she would be fine.
Gu Yunxiao's talent was so astonishing that he was sure to attract the attention of the higher-ups.
And since Gu Yunxiao had taken the initiative to bring her along, she was bound to receive favorable treatment from the academy too.
"It was only a few words."
Gu Yunxiao smiled and shook his head, his expression turning meaningful. "Besides, with your talent, you deserve special treatment too."
He... he figured it out?
Xiao Xiao's eyes widened in disbelief, and she even grew a little suspicious. "Gu Yunxiao, don't tell me you know my parents?"
Only her family knew that she had twin martial souls.
Yet Gu Yunxiao's expression clearly showed that he knew, leaving her no choice but to wonder whether he knew her parents.
"I don't."
"Then... how did you..."
"I guessed."
Gu Yunxiao smiled and changed the subject. "We're at the dormitory building. The room numbers are on the keys. Let's go to our rooms and get settled first."
"Okay..." Xiao Xiao answered. After taking two steps, she turned back with another smile. "Gu Yunxiao, I'll treat you to a meal later!"
"Sure."
Gu Yunxiao smiled faintly and didn't refuse.
Then the two headed toward the white dormitory building for new students.
The first through third floors housed the boys.
The fourth floor and above housed the girls.
After parting with Xiao Xiao, Gu Yunxiao headed toward room 108. It was only twenty-odd meters from the entrance, just a short walk away.
Besides a few other new students checking in, an elderly man lay half-reclined in a wicker chair, gently rocking.
Sunlight fell squarely upon him, casting a halo around his body.
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