The first ray of morning light spilled over Mingdu.
This colossal city gradually stirred into motion.
Xu Cheng and Tang Ya stepped through the city gates.
They walked along the street.
Tang Ya curiously surveyed everything around her.
Unlike Heaven Dou City, steeped in history, Mingdu resembled a modern metropolis. Towering buildings lined both sides, while clean streets, mechanical streetlights, and cars with soul-tool braking systems all showcased the power of technology.
"Is everything arranged?"
As they walked down the street, a black-robed man suddenly appeared before them.
Tang Ya jumped in fright, while Xu Cheng spoke calmly.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, everything is in order. You have been registered with the Sun Moon Imperial Academy's Soul Tool Department, and this young lady with the Martial Soul Department. However, you must go there in person and pass the examination before you can receive your room keys, enrollment handbook, and so on..."
"Understood." Xu Cheng waved a hand.
The Sun Moon Imperial Academy also had a Martial Soul Department.
But its standing was much like that of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department. Both had been established relatively late, and its dean and deputy dean had originally been Level 9 Soul Engineers. With so little time spent on research, it had little presence. Even when it found a genius, the Soul Tool Department often snatched them away halfway through...
As for Tang Ya, she could go make up the numbers.
If he had her study soul tools, her lingering pride in those so-called hidden weapons would only turn a clever plan into a blunder.
The Sun Moon Imperial Academy.
After a simple identity check and soul power test, Xu Cheng and Tang Ya stepped onto campus.
The Soul Tool Department's admission requirements were simple.
Applicants only needed to be under twelve and have one soul ring.
Xu Cheng's three soul rings made the teacher administering the soul power test take several extra looks, his eyes filled with admiration.
Of course, he had only displayed his first martial soul, the Sun, unique to the Sun Moon Imperial Family.
Greenery surrounded them.
Towering trees lined both sides, and clusters of flower beds blazed with vivid colors in the distance. Together with the tidy, tree-shaded paths, they made the surroundings all the more pleasant.
"You're going to the Martial Soul Department. Like that teacher just said, follow that road to the end, then turn right..."
Xu Cheng pointed out the direction.
"Hmph, I know!"
Tang Ya snorted and strode away on her long legs without looking back.
Xu Cheng smiled and headed toward the Soul Tool Department.
The new Class One.
When Xu Cheng pushed open the door and walked inside,
he found the room already packed.
But the teacher had yet to arrive, and the classroom was a noisy jumble.
The term had just begun, and everyone was new, having advanced from junior academies across the country. Naturally, they chattered nonstop.
Still, the instant they saw Xu Cheng, the whole classroom fell silent for a moment.
Then came a wave of whispers.
"Wow, he's so handsome! Just my type!"
"His eyes are red, and they shine like jewels."
"Does anyone know his name?"
"..."
"Here! Over here!"
Xu Cheng looked toward the voice.
A delicate-featured boy at the back kept waving excitedly.
A smile appeared on Xu Cheng's face as well.
The boy was none other than Xiao Hongchen.
He would also be Xu Cheng's roommate for the next several years.
Before coming to class, Xu Cheng had stopped by the dormitory to arrange his bedding. He had not let his Holy Spirit Cult subordinates handle it. They were all rough brutes, good enough at murder and arson...
There in the dormitory, he had met Xiao Hongchen, the Sun Moon Empire's once-in-a-millennium genius.
After their first meeting and a few awkward exchanges, the boy had headed to the classroom ahead of him.
"This is my buddy, Xu Cheng, the current Sun Moon Imperial Family's eleventh prince." Xiao Hongchen threw an arm around Xu Cheng, pressed him into the seat beside him, and introduced him to everyone nearby.
"My name is Xu Cheng. I hope you'll all look out for me."
Xu Cheng did not mind Xiao Hongchen's instant familiarity.
His identity as a prince was no secret. It was his public identity.
Of course, if someone addressed him as the Holy Son, he would be dumbfounded.
"A prince..."
"What a distinguished background. But I heard the Imperial Family all have fairly dark skin."
"It's over. I've already fallen for him."
"..."
Quite a few girls nearby shot angry glares at Xiao Hongchen while casting flirtatious glances at Xu Cheng.
In many girls' eyes, the words "Imperial Family" carried immense weight, even outweighing Xiao Hongchen's status as the grandson of Mingde Hall's hall master.
Besides, Xu Cheng was exceptionally handsome, with fair skin and distinctive crimson blood eyes that lent him an uncanny beauty. He was the sort who could slay girls' hearts.
Xiao Hongchen was utterly bewildered.
Who the hell did I offend?
"Quiet, everyone!"
A voice came from outside the door.
Lin Jiayi entered the classroom, stood at the lectern, and swept his imposing gaze around the room.
The classroom instantly fell silent.
He nodded in satisfaction.
"My name is Lin Jiayi. I am the Sun Moon Imperial Academy's director of studies, as well as the homeroom teacher for the new Class One. It is a pleasure to meet you all..."
A long, tedious speech followed.
The students below grew drowsy listening to it.
Xu Cheng, however, looked thoughtful.
The director of studies for the entire academy had served directly under Jing Hongchen in the original story and held a very high position. Yet he had "lowered himself" to become a first-year homeroom teacher...
Was it for Xiao Hongchen, or...
"All right, let's begin our first lesson."
Lin Jiayi wrote a line on the blackboard: "On Soul Tools."
"Those admitted to the new Class One are the elite among the elite of this entire year. I'm sure you all know the Sun Moon Empire's historical origins and the collision of the continents, so I'll skip those and get straight to the point. Let me ask you: what is a soul tool?"
"A tool that serves soul masters!"
"It consists of a core array, circuits, and a metal casing..."
"A weapon powered by soul power to launch attacks."
At this, quite a few students immediately shook off their drowsiness.
Another round of questions testing their knowledge followed.
Almost everyone knew the answers and had them memorized by heart.
"Good. Now, those who can reproduce a Level 1 core array, please raise your hands."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Well over half the class raised their hands.
Xu Cheng was quite surprised by the sight.
The core array was the most important part of a soul tool.
Being able to reproduce one meant possessing the abilities of a Level 1 Soul Engineer.
In the original story, Huo Gua had only become a Level 1 Soul Engineer after studying for several months following his admission to Shrek Academy. That alone showed how enormous the gap between the Sun Moon Empire and Shrek Academy was.
"What a shame. You started too late."
Seeing that Xu Cheng had not raised his hand, Xiao Hongchen frowned.
He knew Xu Cheng was a three-ring Soul Elder whose talent was beyond question. Even he fell slightly short.
But he soon winked and smiled. "Don't worry. Stick with me, and I guarantee I'll teach you to reproduce a Level 1 core array within five months!"
"Sure." Xu Cheng smiled, unbothered.
With the [Soul Tool Analysis] talent, they're all just toys!
"All right, head to the laboratory building now!"
Lin Jiayi acted with lightning speed. As soon as he finished speaking, he pushed open the door and left.
"Straight into experiments..."
Xu Cheng could not help feeling a little reflective.
Honestly, at any other school, the homeroom teacher would probably have been fired the next day. Yet at the Sun Moon Imperial Academy, this seemed perfectly routine.
It felt rather like an Olympiad training class from his previous life.
Still, that was only natural.
After all, everyone admitted to the new Class One had passed through round after round of selection across the entire Sun Moon Empire. Calling them one in ten thousand was no exaggeration. (The Sun Moon Empire imposed no such restrictions. Commoners could enroll too, without a recommendation letter from a city lord.)
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