Picking up Elucidator from the bed, Huo Yuhao drew it from its sheath and studied the matte-black blade.
"It really is a fine sword. It's just... is a sword suitable for my current fighting style? The key issue is I don't know any swordsmanship at all."
"And what exactly is this [Douluo World]? I've never heard of current soul tool technology being able to reach this level. Uncle Baili is truly incredible; I have no idea how he pulled this off..."
Slightly troubled, he returned the sword to its scabbard. Huo Yuhao didn't continue to slack off; instead, he sat cross-legged and prepared for meditation.
At Level 36, he was a Soul Elder—neither high nor low for his age—but he didn't plan on staying in this realm for long. Although it was somewhat unrealistic for an Ultimate martial soul to rise four levels in a single year, Huo Yuhao still wanted to strive for it, hoping to reach around Level 38 before the break.
...
Shrek Inner Court, Sea God Island.
At the heart of Sea God Island stood a massive wooden house built against the Golden Tree. This was the core of Sea God Island, the core of Shrek Academy, and the core of the entire Shrek City. It was said that resolutions passed within this Sea God Pavilion could even alter the geopolitical landscape of the continent's nations.
Currently, the grand conference hall of the Sea God Pavilion was silent.
Ten people sat around an oval long table. At the head of the table, in the shadows, was a recliner. The lighting was so dim that one could only faintly see a person lying back upon it.
Sitting near the front was Xuan Zi, who currently held a chicken leg in his left hand and a wine gourd in his right. He was eating and drinking quite leisurely.
"Now that everyone is here, let the meeting begin. Lin'er, you speak first."
Upon hearing this voice, Xuan Zi symbolically put down his chicken and wine, wiped his hands on his grimy clothes, and sat up a bit straighter.
"Yes, Teacher."
A woman sitting toward the back stood up. She was about 1.7 meters tall and looked to be in her fifties. Her skin was fair, her cyan hair was neatly pinned up, and her white-and-gold trimmed outfit looked crisp and efficient. Despite her age, it was clear she must have been a peerless beauty in her youth.
This was Xian Lin'er, the Dean of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department.
Even as an elder nearly a century old who had seen all kinds of geniuses, Xian Lin'er's voice trembled slightly with suppressed excitement.
"Just as you anticipated, the talent of that student you favored in terms of soul tools is simply unheard of."
Opposite her, the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, the Bright Phoenix Douluo Yan Shaozhe, listened with newfound seriousness, while the Vice Dean of the Soul Tool Department, Qian Duoduo, sat beside Xian Lin'er with a look of immense pride.
Xian Lin'er took a deep breath and said word by word: "One day. In just one day, he successively passed the Rank 1, 2, and 3 soul engineer assessments!"
"What?!"
"Even in the Sun Moon Empire, that would be unheard of!"
"The key point is," Xian Lin'er emphasized, "according to him, he hasn't systematically studied soul tool manufacturing before. He just flipped through some related books when he was interested. Since his mental power and soul power could keep up, he tried making the core formations himself."
"..."
Xian Lin'er stated without hesitation: "Teacher, and honored Elders, our Soul Tool Department cannot let such a genius go! Duoduo and I have already discussed it; we want to recruit him as an Inner Court disciple of the Soul Tool Department immediately. We will pour all our resources into nurturing this child, and the Ultimate Soldier Plan will be implemented through him."
A wave of quiet discussion broke out among the Elders; the world of geniuses truly defied understanding.
Mu En, sitting in the main seat, made a downward pressing gesture with his hand, and the noisy room instantly fell silent.
His voice drifted from the shadows: "Mhm, this child is also the one Lexuan reported and recommended for direct entry into the Inner Court previously—Huo Yuhao. You should all still have an impression of him."
At the mention of Lexuan, Xuan Zi's expression faltered slightly, and he awkwardly averted his gaze.
Yan Shaozhe raised his hand: "I've heard Xiao Tao mention him. This child helped her suppress her evil fire, and she thinks very highly of him, also recommending he be promoted directly to the Inner Court."
Mu En didn't comment but looked at Xuan Zi, who sat in the lead position: "Xuan Zi, give us your thoughts."
Xuan Zi coughed twice and stood up. "Everyone, I have my reasons for shelving the Inner Court recommendation for this child."
"First, the child's martial soul is Spirit Eye—his eyes. It's a Spiritual System, which makes obtaining soul rings extremely difficult in the future; it's hard for him to maintain high performance. Though he is currently a three-ring Soul Elder, in my view, he likely consumed some heavenly treasure that sacrificed his potential to achieve this cultivation."
"Second, I recall this brat getting into a conflict with his roommate right after entering the academy, reportedly beating the other quite badly... I hold the same stance as Elder Mu on this: if we grant him the glory of the Inner Court now, there's no telling what major issues might arise. I wish to temper his character first. Let him study in the Outer Court and wait until his cultivation meets Inner Court standards before we reconsider."
Xuan Zi's words sounded reasonable, but Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo frowned, subconsciously exchanging a look.
It's not polite to say, but it feels like Xuan Zi is intentionally tripping up Zhang Lexuan...
Since the major accident a year and a half ago, Zhang Lexuan had more than once demanded the Sea God Pavilion strictly punish Xuan Zi, the teacher in charge, but Mu En had suppressed those requests. Mu En knew his days were numbered and Shrek needed powerful guardians for the future, so he could only protect Xuan Zi at the expense of Zhang Lexuan.
Both Zhang Lexuan and Xuan Zi felt wronged. Consequently, Zhang Lexuan went to the Outer Court to teach to stay out of Xuan Zi's sight, while Xuan Zi seemed to resent her for her harsh criticism...
At this moment, Mu En's voice interrupted their silent exchange: "Let's leave it at this for now. Let him study in both the Martial Soul and Soul Tool departments simultaneously. Don't give him the title of Core Disciple yet, but ensure he receives the corresponding benefits."
Xian Lin'er couldn't help but interject: "But Teacher, as studies in both departments become more profound, they will inevitably demand more energy. Studying both at once might hinder the child. If he becomes a 'jack of all trades but master of none,' wouldn't that waste his talent?"
Mu En smiled slightly. "You said it yourself—he learned to make core formations just by casually reading books. That's proof enough of his talent. Geniuses must have genius-level training methods. How do you know he can't succeed in both paths?"
Thus, an important Sea God Pavilion meeting concluded, and Huo Yuhao's fate seemed to have been decided.