Under the somewhat gloomy lead of Zhou Yi, the first-year freshmen soon arrived in front of a building with a starkly different style.
Unlike the buildings of the Martial Soul Department, which were either primitive or grand, emphasizing aesthetics and Aura, the rectangular building before them was a cold, stern gray throughout.
Its construction Materials clearly went beyond common brick and stone; traces of metal inlays and rivets were faintly visible on the wall surfaces. At certain angles, it even reflected a cold, hard glimmer, exuding a unique industrial feel and an air of rigor.
Beside the building's entrance stood a striking metal sign with six large, forcefully carved characters: "Soul Tool Testing Area," clearly marking the site's ownership.
Needless to say, this was the core area of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department.
Stepping inside the gray building, the change in the environment's texture became even more pronounced. The warm touch of brick and stone vanished completely, replaced by omnipresent metal: metal walls, metal floors, and metal ceilings. Even the air seemed to carry a hint of metal's characteristic coolness and a faint scent of machine oil.
The light came from soul lamps embedded in the ceiling, emitting a steady, bright glow that illuminated the entire interior like daylight, though it lacked the softness of natural light. The layout here was also vastly different from the Martial Soul Department's teaching building; instead of being divided into neat classrooms, it was partitioned by heavy metal plates into several independent areas of varying sizes, each marked with a number, resembling giant metal boxes.
Zhou Yi seemed quite familiar with this place. She walked ahead in silence, leading the curious students through a somewhat empty central corridor straight to its end.
A heavy metal door blocked their path, clearly labeled "Testing Area No. 12."
Zhou Yi flicked her wrist, and a hexagonal silver token appeared in her palm, its surface rippling with faint fluctuations of Soul Power. She pressed the token precisely into an inconspicuous indentation on the door. It fit perfectly.
After a soft "click," the token popped out slightly. Then, accompanied by a low, steady grinding sound, the heavy metal door slid sideways, revealing the scene inside.
Entering Testing Area No. 12, one truly realized what it meant to find "a whole new world within." The internal space was far more vast and complex than it appeared from the outside, with even heavier alloy plates subdividing the area into many small cubicles with various functions. The cold gleam of metal reflected from every corner.
Led by Zhou Yi, the group passed through several short corridors and arrived at the most open area.
This was a massive open space of about two thousand square meters with a ceiling height of over ten meters, making it feel exceptionally vast. Scattered along the edges were personnel dressed in Soul Tool Department uniforms. Some were tinkering with oddly shaped metal parts, while others recorded data from glowing soul screens. Occasional faint Soul Power fluctuations and the sound of clashing metal created a focused and slightly mysterious atmosphere.
Zhou Yi's gaze searched the area for a moment before landing on an exceptionally tall middle-aged man. She called out, "Fan Yu."
The middle-aged man turned at the sound. He was about 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back, wearing the simplest coarse cloth clothes. His two bulging, muscular arms, looking as if carved from granite, were exposed, brimming with a sense of power.
His facial features were sharp and distinct, and his eyes were calm and focused. Just by standing there, he naturally exuded a steady, mountain-like, and trustworthy temperament. This person was Zhou Yi's husband, one of the current core teachers of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department, Fan Yu.
"Zhou Yi?" Fan Yu was slightly surprised to see his wife appearing with a large group of students and strode over. "Why are you here? And with so many students?"
His gaze quickly swept over Zhou Yi, keenly sensing a dejected Aura about her that was starkly different from her usual self. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Zhou Yi avoided his gaze and explained in a somewhat flat tone, "I brought the students for a visit to give them a direct understanding of spirit tools... This is the scheduled course content for today. Perhaps... some among them who are interested in spirit tools and have good talent could consider joining your Soul Tool Department directly. It might also... slightly alleviate your current manpower shortage."
She paused and added, "Of course, that's provided they are willing. It can't be forced."
Fan Yu nodded in understanding. As her husband, he understood Zhou Yi's current state far better than anyone else.
He had already heard the details of the turmoil that occurred in class yesterday. To be fair, the cause indeed lay in some of Zhou Yi's overly extreme teaching methods and her failure to maintain the proper stance of an educator. Seeing his wife's current disheartened state, as if she had lost all her spirit, Fan Yu sighed inwardly, feeling both heartache and a bit of helplessness.
Knowing now was not the time to discuss this, he temporarily suppressed his complex emotions.
He turned his attention to the group of young students before him, who were filled with curious and inquisitive looks. He spoke in a deep voice, his tone carrying a warning from someone who had been there before: "Among you, who wants to minor in spirit tools? I must remind you that Martial Soul Cultivate and spirit tool research are two completely different paths that can even drain each other's energy in some respects."
"In the history of Shrek Academy, no one has ever reached the peak in both. Biting off more than one can chew is ill-advised. If you want to achieve something in the future, it's best to choose a direction as early as possible and go all out. Trying to have both often means neither can reach a higher Realm."
His words were quite practical given the current context of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department.
At this time, the Soul Tool Department was still in the exploratory and preliminary development stages. The system was far from perfect and had not yet been subdivided into different directions like research, manufacturing, and combat application, as seen in the Soul Engineer academies of the Sun Moon Empire.
Entering the Shrek Soul Tool Department basically meant needing to learn the manufacturing principles and techniques of spirit tools from scratch, which placed extremely high demands on energy and time.
"Teacher Fan Yu, thank you for your concern. We will carefully consider how to choose."
Furina's crisp voice rang out. She took half a step forward and responded calmly, "We came this time primarily to broaden our horizons and increase our understanding. Learning how to use spirit tools is, in itself, a practical skill."
"In the future, whether it's going deep into dangerous lands to hunt Soul Beasts, participating in intense Soul Master Tournaments, dealing with evil Spirit Masters, or shouldering the responsibility of defending the nation, being proficient in using spirit tools will be of great benefit. With more understanding comes more choices for the future."
Furina's words were clear and logical, highlighting the importance of spirit tools as tools rather than necessarily needing to delve deep into their manufacturing. After hearing this, Fan Yu nodded slightly in approval.
As an effective supplement and expansion of a Spirit Master's combat power, the importance of spirit tools is unquestionable; Furina's statement was indeed reasonable.
Having given the necessary warnings, Fan Yu said no more.
He turned around and called out in a loud voice toward the area he had just come from, "Caitou! He Caitou!"
"Coming, Teacher!" a booming voice responded. Soon, a young man ran out from the crowd. He was extremely tall, appearing to be over two meters, with dark, shiny skin and a shiny bald head, looking honest and sturdy. He ran up to Fan Yu and bowed respectfully, "Teacher, you called for me."
"Yes." Fan Yu pointed to Furina and the other students. "These are first-year freshmen from the Martial Soul Department here to visit and learn about the Soul Tool Department. Take them around and explain the basics."
"Yes, Teacher!" The bald youth nodded hurriedly, turned to Furina and the others, revealed a simple smile, and introduced himself: "Hello everyone, my name is He Caitou, and I am Teacher Fan Yu's student."
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"