Chapter 10: Offering Loyalty to the Sun Moon Empire!
The next morning.
"Wake up, Tian Meng. A brand new day full of energy and opportunity awaits—don't waste your youth sleeping it away."
In the spiritual sea, Tian Meng groggily turned over and went right back to her "important task" (sleeping).
Huo Yuhao didn't mind. After washing up and changing into his fresh white academy uniform, he headed straight for the academy cafeteria.
On the way, he ran into Lin Jiayi again. Upon seeing this refreshed and radiant version of Huo Yuhao, Director Lin couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
This kid already looked handsome when he was all dusty and worn out yesterday. Now that he's cleaned up and dressed neatly, he's practically leveled up in charm. He's almost as handsome as him—fresh out of the shower... No doubt he's going to break a lot of hearts in the future.
But Lin Jiayi was here on official business today. Without delay, he handed over the items that Jing Hongchen had instructed him to deliver.
Looking at the soul guidance card in his hand — which granted unlimited access to the cafeteria's standard food area — Huo Yuhao gave a warm smile and waited for Lin Jiayi to continue.
As expected, Director Lin began relaying Jing Hongchen's words, then added his comment:
"Yuhao, the Dean already knows about your exceptional talent and thinks very highly of you. For certain reasons, he can't meet you in person just yet. But if you perform well in the coming days, the academy will allocate more resources to support your development."
He then handed over a basic storage-type soul guidance device.
"Inside, you'll find several sets of academy uniforms and the study plan I compiled for you last night. It covers all the foundational knowledge you'll need to learn before becoming a Level 3 Soul Engineer. Once you're ready, just head to the library and check out the relevant materials."
Recalling the Dean's question from the night before, Lin Jiayi then asked, "Yuhao, could you tell me what your first soul skill is?"
At this moment, Huo Yuhao, whose 'head' was bombarded with a series of surprises, just wanted to shout—Loyalty!
After tucking away the soul guidance device and cafeteria card, Huo Yuhao replied:
"Director Lin, my first soul skill is called Spiritual Detection Sharing. It lets me observe the environment within a set range from an omniscient point of view. As my spiritual power increases, the detection range expands as well. I can also share all sensory data—sights, sounds, and thoughts—with allies within range."
As he finished explaining, he even let Lin Jiayi experience it briefly. The expression on Lin Jiayi's face was priceless.
A Divine skill!
That was the only way to describe it. Whether for soul engineers or soul masters, this ability far exceeded expectations. The real-time, scalable detection and information sharing had enormous tactical value.
Lin Jiayi couldn't help but think: discovering this kid might just be the luckiest thing that's ever happened to him. He's an absolute genius!
"This soul skill is practically divine, Yuhao. It'll be incredibly valuable for your development as a soul engineer. Be sure to use it well, especially in soul guidance device research."
"I understand, Director Lin." Huo Yuhao was well aware of the skill's potential.
"Alright, go eat something first. I'll take you to the Academic Department afterward to register. Since you're a transfer student, today's about getting familiar with the environment. You'll start your soul engineering studies soon."
Huo Yuhao nodded eagerly—he was starving. After enjoying a solid meal in the standard food section of the cafeteria, he followed Lin Jiayi to the first-year Academic Department.
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Unlike Shrek Academy, which had separate inner and outer courts, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was divided into just two departments: the Academic Department and the Research Department.
Students in the Academic Department received six years of specialized training in soul engineering. After that, if they reached Level 5 as soul engineers, they had the chance to advance to the Research Department. Geniuses with strong innovation and research capabilities might even be specially recruited into the elite Illustrious Virtue Hall.
On the other hand, if a student failed to reach Level 3 Soul Engineer after six years, they would be dismissed and reassigned to another branch within the Sun Moon Empire.
Students who managed to reach Level 3 Soul Engineer but not Level 5 Soul Engineer could stay in the academy for another five years. However, if they still didn't reach Level 5 Soul Engineer after that period, they'd be transferred out and would not qualify for the Research Department.
Naturally, the academy had its standards for student selection. Those who showed little aptitude for soul engineering would be shifted to a soul master training track. Each year, the Academic Department conducted rigorous advancement assessments. Anyone who failed to meet the required benchmarks would be eliminated and lose their right to continue studying.
For example, first- and second-year students had to become Level 1 soul engineers before moving on to the third year. Similarly, third- and fourth-year students had to reach Level 2 Soul Engineer before advancing to the fifth year, and so on.
Why such strict standards? Because students at the academy received a monthly supply of rare metals corresponding to their soul engineer level, free of charge, to support their soul guidance device crafting.
And those resources didn't fall from the sky. If you didn't have the skills, you didn't deserve the metals. Simple as that.
More importantly, theory and practice were treated separately. Unlike Shrek Academy—where crafting a single Level 1 soul guidance device could earn you the title of Level 1 soul engineer—the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy required students to pass both theory and practical assessments.
The grading system followed a 3:7 split between theory and practical application.
In other words, even if a student scored full marks in theoretical knowledge but failed to craft a soul guidance device, they wouldn't qualify as a soul engineer. Conversely, excelling in soul guidance device crafting but flunking the theory portion would also result in a poor final score.
This dual-assessment model ensured that students developed a well-rounded foundation in soul engineering and better prepared them for advancement. Honestly, it was a robust and reasonable system.
After all, being able to assemble a lightbulb doesn't mean you understand why it lights up—and those are two very different things.
Soon, Huo Yuhao was brought by Lin Jiayi to Class 3 of the First Year. The class's homeroom teacher, an elderly man and Level 5 soul engineer named Shi Xuan, had already been informed of Huo Yuhao's arrival, so he wasn't surprised at all to see them.
After delivering Huo Yuhao to his class, Lin Jiayi gave a few final reminders before hurrying off—he needed to report the details of Huo Yuhao's first soul skill to the Dean. There was no time to waste.
Back in the classroom, Teacher Shi Xuan looked at the curious expressions of his students and smiled warmly as he gestured for Huo Yuhao to step up to the podium.
"This student is a new transfer—his name is Huo Yuhao. From today on, he'll be studying with all of you. Yuhao, why don't you introduce yourself so your classmates can get to know you?"
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End of Chapter