Enrolling in the Soul Tool Department

After the election for class monitor and vice monitor ended, Freshman Class Nine officially began their everyday life at Shrek Academy. That afternoon, their homeroom teacher, Mu Jin, began teaching them about the continent's history over the past few years and the reforms that had taken place.

Physical training followed the theory lesson. Although the requirements were not as demanding as those of Class One next door, where everyone had to wear twenty-jin iron vests, they had to run a few more laps than their neighbors.

Anyone who slacked off while running received a thorough scolding from Teacher Mu Jin and was then made to run a few extra laps. After the physical training session ended, however, Mu Jin told them a despair-inducing fact: from then on, they would have to wear the iron vests issued by the school during physical training, so they needed to prepare themselves for the next day's session.

At those words, the vast majority of the students let out anguished roars. Running a hundred or two hundred laps was one thing, but adding iron vests was going to kill them, wasn't it?! A day or two would be manageable, but if they did it every day, could their bodies take it?

Fortunately, Mu Jin reassured them that physical training was only held three times a week, not every day. The physically weaker students present breathed sighs of relief.

After that, Mu Jin announced that classes were over for the day and told them to return to their dorms, wash up, and get a good night's sleep to prepare for the next day's lessons.

When classes ended that day, Xu Xingyu and Xu Yanxue did not leave the classroom immediately. Instead, they went looking for Mu Jin as soon as class was dismissed. After asking for directions, the two soon found her in her private office.

After they knocked, the person inside said, "Come in," and the two entered Mu Jin's office. Mu Jin was organizing a chart at his desk.

Relying on his excellent eyesight, Xu Xingyu took a quick look at the chart and discovered that it recorded each classmate's individual performance during the physical training session.

Mu Jin was a very meticulous person. On the chart, he had noted in detail roughly how much physical exertion each person could withstand. He had also combined that information with their entrance results to divide every student into a different physical fitness group.

Finally, judging by the contents of the chart, Mu Jin seemed to be using the data to find a suitable physical fitness group for each person, then issue members of each group iron vests of a suitable weight.

This made Xu Xingyu, who had just become class monitor, sigh inwardly. In the original story, Mu Jin's overall portrayal had been that of old woman Zhou's arch-enemy next door, a completely unreasonable person.

But that was ultimately just a one-sided portrayal in the original story. In reality, Mu Jin and Zhou Yi might still be at odds, but she did an excellent job as a teacher.

In reality, Teacher Mu Jin was a good teacher who cared about his students. Although he could be somewhat strict at times, he was generally quite reasonable. That was probably also why these freshmen had grown fond of him after just one lesson.

Xu Xingyu had reason to suspect that the only reason Zhou Yi's advancement rate was higher than his was that she had kicked out everyone who might hold her back, rather than responsibly doing everything she could to teach her students like Mu Jin.

It was only because a cheat like Huo Yuhao appeared in Zhou Yi's class in the original story that she had been written as a jealous teacher who liked to make unreasonable trouble. It was most likely a classic novel tactic, merely a way to show how outstanding the protagonist's side was.

At that moment, Mu Jin looked up from his desk and saw that the two who had entered were Xu Xingyu and Xu Yanxue. Puzzled, he asked, "Xu Xingyu, Xu Yanxue, is there something you need from me?"

"Yes. When my sister and I applied to Shrek Academy, we found out that without a teacher's recommendation, we could only take elective courses in the Soul Tool Department in our third year. We wanted to ask whether we could take them this year, Teacher Mu."

Teacher Mu looked at the two in surprise and asked, "You want to take elective courses in the Soul Tool Department? I don't mean to lecture you, but everyone has limited time and effort. Unless you're truly gifted with Soul Tools, I wouldn't recommend taking Soul Tool Department courses at your age."

Although Mu Jin, like the vast majority of Martial Soul Department teachers, completely looked down on the existence of Soul Tools-after all, the person he liked was himself a member of the Soul Tool Department-in his view, cultivation should still be the priority at their age.

Whether one became a Soul Master or a Soul Engineer, without sufficient cultivation, one could never achieve great things in one's chosen field. Moreover, it would be a terrible waste of their talent not to place such promising prospects as Xu Xingyu and Xu Yanxue in the Martial Soul Department.

In Mu Jin's view, as long as Xu Xingyu and Xu Yanxue worked hard at cultivation over the next few years, they could consider advancing to the inner court around their third or fourth year and joining the core of Shrek Academy. That had been his greatest regret back then!

Xu Xingyu was not too surprised by Mu Jin's reaction. After all, what he said made a great deal of sense, but that reasoning was ultimately only suited to ordinary people. Were Xu Xingyu and Xu Yanxue ordinary people?

Clearly, they were not ordinary people, but monsters who stood above their peers. One could even say they had the potential to become kings of monsters.

After Mu Jin finished expressing his thoughts, Xu Xingyu and Xu Yanxue each took a badge from their pockets. They were Soul Engineer badges that represented their status as Soul Engineers.

What shocked Mu Jin was that these were actually Soul Engineer badges recognized by the Star Luo Empire Soul Engineer Association!

The badge in Xu Xingyu's hand was a Level 3 Soul Engineer badge, while the one in Xu Yanxue's hand was a Level 2 Soul Engineer badge!

This meant that the brother and sister were geniuses in Soul Tools as well as cultivation. In that case, refusing their request would instead be something of a waste of their talent with Soul Tools.

What troubled Mu Jin, however, was that it would be fine if they merely took it as a secondary subject, but if the Soul Tool Department poached these two children in the future, he would surely be reprimanded by the Martial Soul Department's leadership.

Although the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Tool Department were both departments of Shrek Academy, there were still many disputes between the two factions.

The Martial Soul Department looked down on the Soul Tool Department from the bottom of its heart, while the Soul Tool Department, lacking a genius who could change the situation, was constantly trying to dig into the Martial Soul Department's corner and poach its people.

Unless an incident concerned the academy's survival, the two factions rarely cooperated.

Thus, if he recommended these two genius-level students to the Soul Tool Department, they might be poached, and whether he could keep his job afterward would be in question.

Xu Xingyu seemed to see his homeroom teacher's predicament. He stepped forward and said, "Teacher Mu, although I want to study Soul Tools as well, my main focus will still be the Martial Soul Department. So in the future, I'll choose Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department as my main path. Only if I can't catch the Martial Soul Department's eye will I consider focusing on the Soul Tool Department's courses."

Hearing this, Mu Jin's expression improved considerably. He then looked at Xu Yanxue and asked, "What about you, Xu Yanxue? What do you think?"

Xu Yanxue replied, "My thoughts are a little different from Brother Xingyu's. I've been very interested in the Soul Tool Department's courses ever since I was little. So for my future, I'd personally like to go to the Soul Tool Department."

It would have been a lie to say Mu Jin was not disappointed by Xu Yanxue's answer, but every student had aspirations of their own, and as their teacher, he could only offer them appropriate guidance.

The final choice about their futures was ultimately in their own hands, not for him as their teacher to make for them.

At that thought, Mu Jin let out a long sigh and said, "I understand what you want. I can give you a chance to apply to the Soul Tool Department. I've just finished my work anyway, so I'll take you to the Soul Tool Department's teaching building."

"Thank you, Teacher Mu!"

Looking at the boy and girl before him, Mu Jin could not help thinking of his own youth. He too had enjoyed such wonderful times, but unfortunately, he had not managed to win in the end.

I wonder if I'll see him again when I go to the Soul Tool Department this time? Although he has no eyes for me, that was still the youth I lost!

With that thought, Mu Jin picked Xu Xingyu and Xu Yanxue up, then released his Soul Rings and quickly headed for the Soul Tool Department's teaching building.

What Mu Jin did not know, however, was that after arriving at the Soul Tool Department, he would meet not only the man he could never have, but also the woman he hated most.