Amidst a flurry of falling maple leaves, Ice Empress stood silently beneath a thousand-year-old maple tree, her long, emerald-green hair dancing lightly in the wind. She gazed at Huo Yuhao's receding figure. "I'll wait for you to come back."
The whisper was as soft as the sound of a maple leaf falling to the ground, yet it caused Huo Yuhao, who was not far away, to pause slightly and respond with a firm promise in his Sea of Consciousness.
Fan Yu concealed the complex emotions in his eyes. He Caitou's honest face rarely showed a solemn expression, and his thick fingers unconsciously rubbed the Storage Soul Tool.
The other Shrek exchange students also silently watched that tall, upright figure. The autumn wind blew their robes, stirring up the blood-red leaves scattered on the ground.
Jing Hongchen's robes fluttered in the wind, and a surge of Soul Power rose as he turned. A perfect smile graced his face, but a calculating glint flashed in his eyes. "Distinguished talents, let us set off with this old man."
The Level 9 Flying Soul Tool unfolding behind him shone with golden light, and each metal wing was engraved with intricate patterns.
Huo Yuhao paid no attention to the Soul Tool on his body; he was thinking, "Looks like I'm going to cause a ruckus in the Sun Moon Empire."
Jing Hongchen led the students to the Sun Moon Empire.
The capital of the Sun Moon Empire is called Sun Moon City, also known as Mingdu. As the political and economic center of the Sun Moon Empire, the sheer size of this city astonishes everyone.
Jing Hongchen, pleased with the astonished expressions on everyone's faces, deliberately slowed his pace as he circled. "Welcome to Sun Moon Mingdu. This will be your home for the next two years." His gaze lingered on Huo Yuhao for a second longer. "I believe you will all find unexpected gains here."
The group arrived at the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Under the guidance of Lin Jiayi, the college's director of academic affairs, I underwent a physical examination and completed the enrollment procedures.
I received my student ID, school uniform, and dormitory key; that's how my life here began.
Jing Hongchen's fingertips tapped lightly on the mahogany tabletop, the light and shadow cast by the crystal chandelier dancing in his sharp eyes. Lin Jiayi stood with his hands at his sides, the detailed data from the recent test flashing on the holographic projection screen.
"Master, this He Caitou..." Lin Jiayi introduced the situation of He Caitou.
Jing Hongchen suddenly chuckled, picked up her teacup, and took a sip. "Continue."
"As for Huo Yuhao..." Lin Jiayi frowned, "His surface information is perfect, like a textbook example— Soul Power level 48, a single Soul Bone, and physical strength just reaching the standard of Control System Battle Soul King." He brought up a hidden chart, "But there are 13 unnatural flat sections in his body activity curve, like..."
"Like a meticulously pruned bonsai tree," Jing Hongchen replied, his fingertips tracing curves in the air. "This kid is playing a numbers game with us." He suddenly froze a frame of the image.
"Look here, during the flexibility test, there was a subtle pause in his lumbar curvature at 89 degrees—this was clearly a deliberate restraint."
Lin Jiayi's forehead was beaded with sweat. "Should we increase the surveillance on him?"
"No." Jing Hongchen suddenly stood up, his long robe rippling with Soul Power. "As long as everything proceeds normally..."
Jing Hongchen said, "That kid has a lot to hide, and he's definitely holding back some of his skills regarding Soul Tool, but he can't hide much, given Shrek Academy's expertise in Soul Tool."
"His ability to reach this level so quickly is already a testament to his talent, but he is, after all, the disciple of that old man Mu En, so we must be wary."
The young teacher who had drawn Huo Yuhao's name walked briskly, heading straight for the stairs after entering the second sixth-grade teaching building. This magnificent teaching building was six stories high, and they went up to the fifth floor before turning into the corridor.
The young teacher led Huo Yuhao through a brightly lit corridor for about several dozen steps before finally stopping in front of a door marked "Third Laboratory".
Huo Yuhao's gaze lingered on the sign for a moment. In fact, he had already memorized every detail of this place—even if he hadn't been brought here today, he would have found it himself sooner or later.
Because here is an outstanding mentor, Xuan Ziwen, who is almost obsessed with the research of Soul Tool.
At that moment, another thought was also swirling in Huo Yuhao's mind. Besides studying, he had another purpose in coming to the Sun Moon Empire —to find the woman who had once borne him a child.
Ju Zi, the woman with whom he had a semi-marital relationship despite not being officially husband and wife, was the first woman he truly loved in his past life.
Whenever he recalls the past, Huo Yuhao's heart is always filled with ripples. If he had been more accommodating back then, perhaps the ending would have been completely different from that of Ju Zi.
She lost her closest relatives, lost her father, and now she had caused her child to lose their father, and she had lost her love... This thought was like a heavy shackle, compelling him to find her no matter what, even if it was just to make amends.
"Come in."
The young teacher's concise voice pulled Huo Yuhao back to reality from his thoughts.
The other person took out a nameplate from their pocket and waved it lightly in front of the laboratory door—just like yesterday in the physical testing room, a flash of light appeared, and the metal door slid open to both sides. Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and followed the young teacher into the laboratory.
The laboratory was empty and silent, with only the cold gleam of the metal instruments. The young teacher, Xuan Ziwen, spoke with remarkable clarity in the empty space, "My name is Xuan Ziwen, and from today onwards I will be your mentor." His tone was flat, almost indifferent. "I don't care about your Soul Engineer level at the Shrek Academy. Here, everything will be re-evaluated by me."
Huo Yuhao's lips curled slightly, and he thought to himself, "As expected, it's still the familiar Xuan Ziwen."
"Okay, Teacher Xuan, then I'll make a fool of myself." Huo Yuhao replied calmly.
A hint of surprise flashed in Xuan Ziwen's cold eyes. His gaze lingered for a moment on the Level 3 Soul Engineer badge on Huo Yuhao's chest. "You have fifteen minutes. Choose any materials you like and create the most creative Level 3 Soul Tool Core Array you can think of." His voice remained calm, but carried a deeper meaning. "Level isn't important. What matters is your inspiration and creativity as a Soul Engineer. That's the only hint I can give you."
Surprisingly, just three minutes later, Huo Yuhao presented Xuan Ziwen with a Level 4 Soul Tool Core Array.
"Novel concept, astonishing speed, and steady technique..." Xuan Ziwen commented seriously, his eyes gleaming with admiration. "To complete such a perfect piece in three minutes is truly outstanding."
But Huo Yuhao did not stop there. His fingers danced nimbly among the metal parts, and he quickly completed another Level 5 Stationary Soul Tool. The whole process was smooth and effortless, as if these complex structures were already deeply engraved in his mind.
Silently walking towards the testing area, Huo Yuhao raised the long, rectangular metal device. Fifty meters away, a two-meter-thick alloy wall stood silently. With a light tap of his fingertips, a soft "hum" broke the silence.
The next moment, a deafening explosion resounded in the distance. Metal powder flew everywhere on the alloy walls, leaving deep marks. The entire laboratory seemed to tremble slightly from the impact.
Xuan Ziwen's eyes blazed with intense light, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "This speed is comparable to Soul Guidance Ray, but its power is even greater! Most astonishingly, its scalability..." His gaze suddenly froze, as if he had discovered something unbelievable, "Wait! You didn't inject any Soul Power when you fired it!"
He rushed to the experimental table, his hands trembling as he picked up the Soul Tool, his words growing increasingly rapid. "You used the Charging Array on the Core Array to pre-store Soul Power... This means that even an ordinary person could use this Soul Tool! But..."
His fingers gently traced the outer shell of the Soul Tool. "Such a small launching device, the material of this shell... it must have incorporated some new element!"
Suddenly, Xuan Ziwen grabbed Huo Yuhao's wrist, his eyes gleaming with an almost fanatical thirst for knowledge. "Tell me! How did you do that?"
Realizing his lapse in composure, he took a deep breath, but still couldn't hide his excitement. "Sorry, I got too excited... Genius, you're a true genius! Sell me your research results, name your price!"