The Essence of Soul Tools

The Soul Tool Department was not easy to find. The three of them spent a long time asking around before finding it; even many students at Shrek Academy did not know where it was.

"It seems Shrek Academy really doesn't value soul tools."

Huo Yuhao deduced that from this alone. If they valued them, they could not possibly have placed the department somewhere so out of the way.

"Yuhao, what do you think of soul tools?" Gu Yuena asked.

"I need to see them for myself first."

For some reason, Huo Yuhao suddenly thought of those "talents" in the Imperium's Adeptus Mechanicus. Even he could not figure out how science and religion had become connected.

"What are you doing here?"

It was Zhou Yi. He had not expected her to be here.

"They must be interested in soul tools," a burly man beside her hurriedly said. "This place isn't easy to find. If they found their way here without anyone guiding them, surely they weren't just wandering around."

"Are you three here to study, or to look around?" There was a trace of anticipation in the man's voice.

After all, the Soul Tool Department had been suppressed far too severely over the years. Zhou Yi had just brought him a promising student, but that student was also very strong in terms of his martial soul. His side probably would not be able to keep him.

"I'm telling you, Fan Yu," Zhou Yi cut in, "these three are all geniuses from the Martial Soul Department. They're probably just here to take a look."

Zhou Yi remembered these three very well. For one thing, they had slapped her in the face during the earlier match, but since they were Zhang Lexuan's students, she could only simmer in silence. For another, she felt that geniuses like these would certainly look down on soul tools, just like everyone else in the Martial Soul Department.

Ignoring Zhou Yi, Huo Yuhao addressed Fan Yu. "Teacher Fan Yu, we'd like to look around today. I know a little about machinery, and perhaps soul tools can spark some more inspiration."

Fan Yu's eyes immediately lit up at Huo Yuhao's words. It looked like this student could be won over!

Fan Yu then set off for the Soul Tool Institute with the three of them, speaking as they walked. "Although our Soul Tool Institute can't compare to the Martial Soul Institute, we're still the strongest on the Douluo Continent. If you want to study soul tools, you can't go wrong coming here."

In Fan Yu's view, Huo Yuhao would very likely join the Soul Tool Institute. Even if his two little girlfriends could not come, at least they would not reject soul tools. Those fellows in the Martial Soul Department nowadays looked down on soul tools completely. They did not even want to use them!

Soon, the group entered a hall inside the Soul Tool Institute. Several racks stood in the hall, with quite a few soul tools on them, and some people were testing soul tools.

"This is the testing area. You can use these samples," Fan Yu explained.

Huo Yuhao and the two girls each picked up a soul tool. He and Gu Yuena carefully examined their structure, while Gu Qiu'er fiddled with hers. Seeing the other two studying theirs seriously, Gu Qiu'er stopped playing around and copied them.

Seeing how the three were behaving, Fan Yu could not help feeling delighted. It seemed they had not merely been saying it!

"Caitou!"

"Ah, coming, Teacher."

A tall, burly, dark-skinned fellow quickly walked over from the other side of the hall. He looked quite honest and straightforward.

"These three are also your juniors who enrolled a few days ago. They're very interested in soul tools, so take them along to study with that student from earlier."

"Sure!" The big, dark-skinned fellow was visibly excited. It was clear that having geniuses take the initiative to study soul tools thrilled him.

Click. A crisp sound rang out. It was Huo Yuhao; he had dismantled the soul tool in his hands.

For a moment, silence fell, but before anyone could react, he quickly assembled it again.

"I already understand how this soul tool works. I'd like to know what materials I need to read to study soul tools."

The principle behind this soul tool was very similar to that of soul skills. It likewise involved etching specific energy pathways into a soul tool core component to form a kind of spell. But why did that soul tool core look less like it had been etched and more like it had been carved with a knife? Huo Yuhao quickly cast that thought aside.

"Are you saying you can already make this kind of soul tool?" The big, dark-skinned fellow beside him stared at Huo Yuhao in utter shock.

Huo Yuhao looked toward the voice, momentarily dazed.

Fan Yu was even more direct, moving to pull Huo Yuhao toward a workbench.

The sight of the workbench immediately gave Huo Yuhao a bad feeling, but at the same time, he felt that this was to be expected. Various metals, parts, and a very conspicuous carving knife lay on the bench.

Although he had also forged weapons himself, hammer blow by hammer blow, those had been masterwork weapons he painstakingly crafted, something entirely different from standard-issue weapons.

This world's technology tree really has grown crooked, Huo Yuhao thought. Has no one considered industrial production?

No, this is essentially an imitation of soul skills. Huo Yuhao immediately realized the true essence of soul tools. Soul Masters were a form of supernatural power, but they also shackled ordinary people's thinking. People focused only on Soul Masters and overlooked everything else.

Having thought this through, Huo Yuhao stopped dwelling on it, picked up a suitable piece of metal, and began carving.

His movements were swift yet elegant, as though he were creating a work of art. As everyone watched with rapt attention and held their breath, he finished carving the soul tool core in a little over ten minutes.

Once he finished carving, he placed the core on the bench and went no further. Fan Yu was the first to snatch it up and inject soul power into it. It was fully functional! A genius, a true genius!

"Um, Student Huo, is this really your first time making a soul tool?"

"I've made other things before."

"Would you like to join the Soul Tool Department?" Fan Yu asked eagerly and expectantly.

In his view, the other things Huo Yuhao mentioned making certainly could not have required as much technical expertise as soul tools. Yet with only that foundation, he had made a Class 2 soul tool after a single look. This simply shattered all precedent! No matter what, Fan Yu had to win him over to the Soul Tool Department.

"I want to study on my own for a while first. I need basic materials on soul tools."

"Good, good!"

Before long, Fan Yu found Huo Yuhao several introductory books on soul tools, as well as books on low- and intermediate-level ones.

"Come back in two weeks. You can ask me any questions you have."

"Then see you in two weeks."

With that, Huo Yuhao left with the two girls.

"Fan Yu, do you really believe what he said?" Zhou Yi asked once the three had gone completely. "Judging by his technique, he's no beginner."

"That doesn't matter." Fan Yu's expression grew serious. "Look at his age. He's only eleven. So what if he's studied before? That still doesn't change the fact that he's a genius."

"I'm going to tell Dean Qian about this. There are too many geniuses in this year's intake. The Martial Soul Department can't swallow them all."

"Oh, right, Caitou, where's that Xu Yang?"

"He said he had something to do and already left. He said he'd come again in a few days."

In truth, He Caitou did not like Xu Yang. He could tell that Xu Yang belonged to the Sun Moon Imperial Family. Although he did not know why Xu Yang had come here, He Caitou was unwilling to have much contact with him regardless.

Meanwhile, Zhang Lexuan was reporting the situation to Mu En.

"Interested in soul tools, is he?"

A sharp gleam seemed to flash through Mu En's eyes.