The next day.
After Xiao Yan finished cultivating, he washed up briefly, left the dormitory, and headed for the academic building.
The academy was bustling that morning. Plenty of students were making their way to the academic buildings in groups of three or five along the roads.
Following the directions Teacher Wang Chengyuan had given him yesterday, Xiao Yan arrived at the academy's teaching area.
As soon as he entered the office building, he saw Teacher Wang Chengyuan standing with a young man dressed in an academy uniform.
"Xiao Yan, you came at just the right time."
Wang Chengyuan waved Xiao Yan over.
"Let me introduce you. This is Chen Hao, a senior student at the academy. He'll help you get familiar with the academy's basic arrangements over the next few days. As for your courses, you can choose them yourself in a little while, and then you can sit in on some classes today."
Chen Hao nodded to Xiao Yan, his manner perfectly proper.
"Hello, my name is Cheng Hao. I can show you the academy's academic buildings, training grounds, and dining hall. But access to the Soul Tool laboratories is more strictly controlled, so that will depend on your course schedule."
"Sorry for the trouble."
Xiao Yan gave a brief reply, then turned his gaze back to Teacher Wang Chengyuan.
"Teacher Wang, I'd like to learn about the Soul Tool courses first."
"No problem."
Wang Chengyuan smiled, took a course catalog from the folder in his hands, and handed it to Xiao Yan.
Wang Chengyuan smiled and gave Xiao Yan a Soul Tool panel that recorded the courses Xiao Yan had chosen.
"This catalog contains the basic courses exchange students can apply for. Since you came from an academy in the Star Luo Empire, your foundational knowledge needs to be reassessed before we can arrange more advanced courses for you."
Xiao Yan took the panel and looked down, flipping through it.
More than twenty courses were listed, divided into two main categories: Soul Tool theory and Soul Tool practice. They were also classified according to their content and difficulty.
The hardest had nine stars, while the easiest had one.
They included courses such as basic Soul Tool theory, metal materials science, fundamentals of Soul Power patterns, and Soul Tool construction and repair.
Besides those, there were also basic Soul Tool practical training, analysis of basic core arrays, and introductory courses on offensive and defensive Soul Tools.
Xiao Yan flipped through the pages, his gaze growing increasingly intent. These were precisely what he wanted to learn.
Soul Tools involved multiple fields, so to truly get started, he first had to master the basic theory before moving on to practical work.
"Teacher Wang, can I choose courses from both theory and practical work?"
"You can, but I suggest taking no more than four courses across the two categories."
Wang Chengyuan patiently explained, "Your exchange students' schedules are relatively flexible. After all, you haven't studied Soul Tools systematically. If you take too many courses at once, you could easily lose sight of one thing while attending to another. So start with the basics, then move on to advanced courses later."
At that, Wang Chengyuan pointed to several courses in the catalog.
"My suggestion is to start with basic Soul Tool theory, metal materials science, fundamentals of Soul Power circuits, and Soul Tool crafting. The first three will help you build a theoretical framework, while the last will give you practical experience and teach you the actual process of crafting Soul Tools."
Xiao Yan nodded and naturally followed his teacher's arrangement. Once he had built a solid theoretical foundation, he could choose a direction to study in depth.
"I'll follow your arrangement, Teacher Wang."
Wang Chengyuan was not surprised.
"All right, then I'll submit the application for you."
Wang Chengyuan took back the panel Xiao Yan handed him, checked off the four courses, and submitted them to the academy's system.
"Metal materials science and fundamentals of Soul Power circuits both have classes scheduled for this afternoon. The Soul Tool theory course starts tomorrow, and basic Soul Tool crafting is scheduled for the day after. Today, you can first get familiar with the academic buildings and collect your textbooks, then attend the two classes scheduled for today."
"Chen Hao, first take Xiao Yan to collect his study materials, then help him get familiar with the Soul Tool Department's teaching area."
"All right, Teacher."
Chen Hao nodded in agreement.
"Xiao Yan, follow Senior Chen Hao and get familiar with the academy grounds first."
"All right, Teacher Wang," Xiao Yan replied with a nod.
After saying goodbye, Wang Chengyuan turned and left.
"Let's go, junior. I'll show you around campus."
With that, Chen Hao led Xiao Yan out of the academic building.
As they walked, Chen Hao told him about the academy's basic teaching arrangements, as well as daily study and life involving Soul Tools.
"At the end of the day, Soul Tools are a study of tools. We have to use those tools flexibly to make ourselves stronger."
Chen Hao was eighteen this year and already a rank forty-three Soul Ancestor. Such talent was not bad, and he was also a Level 3 Soul Engineer.
Clearly, Chen Hao was also a genius who cultivated diligently. Besides their daily Soul Power cultivation, they had to spend a great deal of time studying Soul Tools, learning about all kinds of materials, and completing the crafting assignments their teachers gave them.
Some students would even stay in the laboratory for days on end, stubbornly working away to finish a single Soul Tool.
Listening to Chen Hao describe the various aspects of the academy, Xiao Yan felt that he had come to the right place.
He was not afraid of a difficult learning process; he was only afraid of learning nothing.
Moreover, to truly become a powerhouse, one had to learn to accept these new things. Had he not heard that even Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui, though both Limit Titled Douluo, likewise feared the power of a Level 9 Soul Tool?
Soon, Chen Hao had helped Xiao Yan collect the teaching materials for all four courses.
Then Xiao Yan was taken to the Soul Tool Academy's academic buildings.
Buildings stood in rows, some used for teaching theory and others dedicated to Soul Tool crafting and testing.
Here, buildings of strikingly different styles stood in rows, some for teaching theory and others dedicated to Soul Tool crafting and testing.
After entering an academic building, Xiao Yan could see metal worktables and neatly arranged rows of tools through the corridor windows.
"Is this the teaching area for the document department's crafting courses?"
"Yes."
Chen Hao nodded in reply.
"You'll have class here the day after tomorrow. The teacher will first teach you to identify basic materials, then guide you through drawing the simplest Soul Power circuits. They may look simple, but actually doing them isn't easy."
"Your practical Soul Tool course will be held here the day after tomorrow. The teacher will have you identify basic materials, then guide you through drawing the simplest Soul Power circuits."
"These things may look simple, but actually doing them really isn't easy. Back then, I took classes for a whole week before I learned to draw my first Soul Power circuit."
"I see." Xiao Yan nodded slightly and withdrew his gaze.
"All right, it's getting late. I'll take you to the dining hall for a meal, and afterward I'll take you to the classrooms where you'll have your classes this afternoon."
"All right. Sorry for the trouble, Senior Chen Hao."