The Unrivaled Tang Sect Chapter 33.3: Two Soul Bones

Du Weilun was extremely pleased with Huo Yuhao's att.i.tude. Nodding his head, the large red gem on his right hand flashed, causing a leather bag to appear in his hands.

The leather bag seemed to be a soul tool, as there were a few dark-colored patterns inscribed on the brown bag, and Huo Yuhao was able to sense minute undulations of soul power from it.

Du Weilun said, “Children, seeing as how you were able to defeat three Soul Elders, and have become the champions of the freshmen a.s.sessment, I've requested that the Academy make an exception and give you another prize. However, there's only a single prize—which means that you'll have to choose who to give it to. At the same time, this is the most valuable prize that the Academy has given out in the past three hundred years. Take a look.” After he'd finished speaking, he handed the leather bag to w.a.n.g Dong.

w.a.n.g Dong reached out his hand and received the leather bag. At that moment, he was still feeling somewhat downcast due to Huo Yuhao's inability to become a core disciple. As a result of this, his excitement towards the reward had dulled greatly. When he'd received the leather bag, he subconsciously untied the string holding it closed.

A ball of yellow light was instantly released from the leather bag without any warning. Under the astonished gazes of Huo Yuhao's trio, it slowly rose into the air.

It was a small yet exquisite bone that seemed to be about the size of one's palm. It radiated a pale yellow light, which caused the heartbeats of Huo Yuhao's trio to palpate the instant they saw it. The strong undulations of soul power it emanated caused the air within the office to seemingly become viscous. This was the first time that they'd experienced a strange feeling like this.

“This, this is… a soul bone?” w.a.n.g Dong asked, an astonished look on his face. Even though Du Weilun had hinted that their prize was extremely valuable, they'd never even thought that it'd be a soul bone. This was a soul bone! This was something that was a hundred times more valuable than a soul ring to a soul master!

A soul ring was an energy-based object that would always appear when a soul beast died, but the chances of a soul bone appearing were less than one in ten thousand. Even though higher ranked soul beasts had a higher chance to drop soul bones, only hundred thousand year soul beasts were guaranteed to drop soul bones.

If a soul master managed to obtain a soul bone, their strength would immediately go up a level, which would allow them to have an enormous advantage against other soul masters of the same rank. However, a soul master could only have six soul bones at most: The head bone, the torso bone, and the four limb bones. Of the six possible soul bones one could have, the most valuable one was the torso bone. However, it was also the rarest among the six. The head bone was the second most valuable, while the four limb bones were slightly less precious.

Even though that was the case, a soul bone would always be the most precious item at a country's auction when it was present, regardless of which country the auction was held in. Furthermore, there wasn't a market where one could simply buy a soul bone. One would need a hundred thousand gold soul coins, at the very minimum, in order to stand a chance at buying one in an auction. More often than not, one would need to barter to obtain a soul bone.

Regardless of how rich Shrek Academy was, they still didn't have that many soul bones stored away. Only the most outstanding students, or students who'd performed extraordinarily meritorious deeds, would have a chance at obtaining a soul bone as a reward. When the Academy handed out a reward such as this, it signified that they thought that the benefits and influence they'd gain in the future outweighed the cost of the soul bone.

Huo Yuhao still had some resentment buried deep in his heart from not being made a core disciple. However, the instant he saw the soul bone, both it and the threshold in his heart gradually disappeared. It wasn't because it was something that he desired, but rather because it allowed him to realise how fair the Academy was.

He hadn't been able to become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department, yet could the Academy be blamed for being unfair? After all, he only had a single soul ring! Freshmen with higher cultivations than him were commonplace, and even though he was a member of the champion team, he had only been a bystander in the eyes of those watching. His first soul ring was also only a white one. If he'd been placed in Du Weilun's position, would he have been willing to let himself become a core disciple?

The knot in his heart had already begun to undo itself, thus Huo Yuhao's expression began to relax more and more. Following that, his original stiffly respectful att.i.tude became much more natural.

Du Weilun smiled. “Didn't expect that, eh? Correct, your prize is a soul bone. However, you all should know just how valuable soul bones are. Because of this, there's only a single one despite there being three of you. As such, you'll have to decide who to give it to after you get back. However, don't let this soul bone affect your friends.h.i.+p. Even though soul bones are hard to find, good companions are even rarer than soul bones. Now then, I'll give you guys a quick rundown of this soul bone.”

“This soul bone is something that I chose especially for you guys, as both a.s.sault-type and control-type soul masters can use it. It's a left leg bone known as the 'Emptybright Devil Leopard's Left Leg Bone'. After fusing with it, a soul master will experience an increase in speed, as well as obtain an offensive skill that can be activated using their left leg. However, the greatest benefit of this soul bone lies in the fact that it will produce different skills when fused with different martial souls. However, it'll definitely be suitable for all three of you. I'll give it to you now, along with this leather bag. The leather bag can conceal the soul power undulations generated by the soul bone. You should fuse with it as quickly as possible as, even though the Academy grounds are extremely safe, a precious treasure can doom an innocent man. Also, you'll have to keep this a secret for the Academy. Now then, I trust that you'll know what to do.”

After putting the soul bone away, Du Weilun sent them off. The trio respectfully bid him farewell as they left the school building.

The instant they stepped out of the building, they all simultaneously stopped walking. Huo Yuhao, w.a.n.g Dong, and Xiao Xiao all glanced towards one other, afterwich Xiao Xiao said, “Let's give it to Yuhao.”

w.a.n.g Dong nodded. “I agree.”

After saying this, the two looked towards Huo Yuhao. w.a.n.g Dong had already placed the leather bag in front of him. In terms of individual strength, there was no doubt that Huo Yuhao was currently the weakest of the three. If he obtained this left leg soul bone, he'd finally possess an attacking skill. Combined with the increase in speed he'd receive from fusing with the soul bone, Huo Yuhao would immediately have the strength to contend against the other core disciples.

However, Huo Yuhao resolutely shook his head. “No, I can't have this soul bone. w.a.n.g Dong, have you forgotten the concept of 'ladies first'? We have to give this soul bone to Xiao Xiao. This is only our first a.s.sessment in the Academy. So long as we work even harder and obtain even better results, we'll definitely receive another soul bone as a reward. Of the three of us, Xiao Xiao is the only girl. You both recognise me as your team leader, so how could I take something as good as this away from the both of you?”

Although he was quite young, he could tell that Du Weilun hadn't planned to give this soul bone to him. Furthermore, it was as he'd said. As a leader, how could he reap all the benefits for himself?

Xiao Xiao was stunned. “Yuhao, you can't be like this. You played the most important role in our matches. At the same time, you're the person who needs this soul bone the most!”

Huo Yuhao simply smiled. “Xiao Xiao, you don't need to say anything else. I've already decided. No matter what, I don't want this soul bone. Haven't you at least thought about it? It's true that I might be able to obtain an attacking-type skill when I fuse with this soul bone, but I'm a mental-type soul master; having a skill like that might not be a good thing for me! I need to work even harder, and use my own ability to become even stronger. Giving me a soul bone right now might unwittingly make me overly reliant on the attack power it gives me, but you're a different story. Even though you have twin martial souls, an increase in speed is definitely the best benefit you could receive right now, as an increase in speed would make it much safer for you to activate your two Tool Souls on the battlefield. I've already thought it through; this soul bone is most suited for you, there's no doubt about it. Ladies first, you don't have to be polite.”

w.a.n.g Dong looked at Huo Yuhao, then glanced at Xiao Xiao. Helpless, he said, “Yuhao, you're valuing a lover over your friend!”

Xiao Xiao giggled. “Save it, you. To him, you're the lover and I'm the friend. It's fine if a girl and a guy hug each other during a fusion skill, but you two guys hug each other for yours, hehe.”

w.a.n.g Dong immediately flew into a rage and threw the leather bag that contained the soul bone towards Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao caught it and continued to laugh. “I won't be polite then. If we get another soul bone as a team, one of you two can have it.”

After she'd finished speaking, she put the soul bone away in her storage-type soul tool. An inconcealable smile of excitement had appeared on her face.

w.a.n.g Dong turned to Huo Yuhao. “Yuhao, you weren't able to become a core disciple. This….”

Huo Yuhao shook his head. “You don't have to say anything, I'm fine. I've already thought it through. Even though I might have the qualifications to be a core disciple when I'm together with you, what about when I'm alone? Would I still be able to defeat my enemies? If my opponent had an area of effect ability and was wary of my Spiritual Shock, I definitely wouldn't even have a chance at beating him without your help. The Academy not choosing me as a core disciple was a fair decision. Thus, I need to work even harder to prove myself.”

“Well said.” A voice that was familiar, yet made them shudder, suddenly rang out. They turned to see Zhou Yi slowly approaching them.

“Teacher Zhou.” Huo Yuhao's trio couldn't help but feel astonished. Wasn't Teacher Zhou supposed to have taken the students of Cla.s.s 1 back to the school buildings with Teacher w.a.n.g? Why had she suddenly appeared here?

Zhou Yi looked deeply towards Huo Yuhao, then revealed a rarely-seen look of gratification and satisfaction. “Yuhao, I came to see you. I didn't think that you'd be able to figure it out by yourself. However, I'm very happy; you're worthy to be called a disciple of mine. Oh, right. Since you guys were able to become the champions of the freshman tournament, I have a present for you as well.” After she finished speaking, the storage-type soul tool on her hand, which was in the form of a silver bracelet, flashed. A leather bag appeared in her hands, and she pa.s.sed it to Huo Yuhao.

The leather bag was virtually identical to the one that Director Du Weilun had given them, which instantly flabbergasted Huo Yuhao's trio.

“It can't be?” The three said in unison.

Zhou Yi was stunned as well. “What can't be?”

Xiao Xiao speechlessly took out the leather bag containing the Emptybright Devil Leopard's Left Leg Bone that she'd just put away. They needed to keep it a secret from other students, but why would they hide it from the teacher in charge of their cla.s.s?

Zhou Yi was instantly astonished. “This is…? Is this the prize the school gave you?”

Huo Yuhao's trio simultaneously nodded.

A trace of excitement appeared in Zhou Yi's eyes. “It's no wonder that Director Du was being so secretive. He'd actually planned to give you something as valuable as this. What soul bone is this?”

Huo Yuhao gave her a brief explanation of its abilities, and told her that they planned to give it to Xiao Xiao.

Zhou Yi nodded. “You're all good kids! You have to know, even Soul Emperor—or even Soul Douluo-ranked experts—would find it hard to remain calm when they were facing a soul bone! I'm only giving you another soul bone because you deserve it. Do you still remember that match you guys had with Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Nanmen Yun'er? During that match, I made a bet with their teacher; that's how I won this soul bone. It's a relatively poor quality soul bone, but it has the ability to fuse with other soul bones. If you can find two more soul bones that have similar attributes to this one, you can fuse them together with this one. It's a priceless treasure to someone who needs it, but the chances of you being able able to obtain two other soul bones with similar attributes to this one are simply too small. Thus, I'd suggest you fuse with it right away. It's a left arm bone, and it's known as the Secret Law Soul's Left Arm Bone. Actually… this can't really be considered a true soul bone, as it wasn't produced by a single soul beast.”

“This Secret Law Soul Bone was obtained through a special, yet brutal method. To obtain a single Secret Law Soul Bone, one has to kill a hundred soul beasts of the same type within an hour, then use a secret technique to activate all of their soul rings at the same time. Even then, there's only a 10% chance that it will produce this soul bone. It's a relatively simple method of obtaining a soul bone, but due to its low success rate and brutality, very few soul masters do it. If you directly fuse with it, it'll increase your soul power by 5%. It doesn't sound like much, but this increase will always be there, regardless of your cultivation rank. Once your cultivation rank has increased, its effects will become much more obvious.”

Huo Yuhao received the leather bag that Zhou Yi gave him, then turned to w.a.n.g Dong. However, w.a.n.g Dong immediately faced away from him. “Don't look at me, I don't want it. Don't you think that it's a little bit too ordinary for me?”

Huo Yuhao felt touched when he saw w.a.n.g Dong's seemingly arrogant expression. Naturally, he knew that w.a.n.g Dong was deliberately doing this to give the soul bone to him. It was just as he'd previously said to Xiao Xiao; it'd be no big deal to split it among themselves if they obtained one in the future. However, obtaining a soul bone was easier said than done! At the same time, who knew when they'd get another soul bone?

w.a.n.g Dong's cheek became rosy under the rays of the sun, which added a faint layer of light to his face. Although he'd turned away, Huo Yuhao could still see the determination in his eyes. He could sense that w.a.n.g Dong was trying to make up for the injustices he'd suffered, thus he didn't refuse the soul bone again. He carefully put the Secret Law Soul's soul bone away while burying the feelings of brotherly love deep in his heart. Sometimes, the love between brothers wasn't said out loud, but shown through actions.

“En, this soul bone will be quite useful. Let's hang onto it for now, I'll help you use it soon.” The Skydream Iceworm's voice rang out in Huo Yuhao's mind without any prior warning, jolting him.

“Brother Skydream.” Hearing its voice, Huo Yuhao immediately felt as if he'd seen a close relative of his. The grievances he'd suppressed for so long immediately exploded out, causing his eyes to turn somewhat red. However, Zhou Yi, w.a.n.g Dong, and Xiao Xiao naturally a.s.sumed that he'd been moved by w.a.n.g Dong's actions.

The Skydream Iceworm spoke unhappily, “Little Yuhao, don't feel so down. You naturally have this brother supporting you. Those humans are so short-sighted, thinking that this brother's soul ring is a ten year one. Humph, you don't have to worry. In a few years, I'll make them tremble when they see this ten year soul ring. I'm going to repeat this again—quickly raise your soul power to Rank 20. When that time comes, I'll make sure that no one dares to look down on you.”

“En, I'll definitely get to Rank 20 as quickly as possible. I'll definitely get there before I graduate from Year 1.” The tension in his heart had disappeared, but he still felt a sense of urgency from not being able to become a core disciple. With his current cultivation, it was definitely hard to say whether or not he could continue his studies within Shrek Academy.

Zhou Yi said, “w.a.n.g Dong, go back with Xiao Xiao first. I have some things I need to say to Huo Yuhao.”

w.a.n.g Dong looked towards Huo Yuhao, his large, beautiful eyes full of encouragement. He waved his fist towards Huo Yuhao, then walked away with Xiao Xiao.

Zhou Yi walked over to Huo Yuhao and grabbed his arm with her right hand. Immediately afterwards, Huo Yuhao once again experienced the feeling of flying through the clouds.

Not long afterwards, Zhou Yi stopped. To his astonishment, Huo Yuhao discovered that they'd arrived back at the Soul Tool Testing Area. This place had left a deep impression on him the last time he'd come here; it'd also solidified his wish to study the creation and utilisation of soul tools. At this moment, he naturally knew what returning here signified.

“Teacher Zhou, is Teacher Fan Yu willing to accept me as his disciple?” Huo Yuhao asked, a trace of surprise present in his voice.

Zhou Yi nodded slightly. “You're a smart child. However, I must warn you. Because you're a first year, your current cultivation puts you in a very dangerous position. The minimum requirement to become a second year student is to have two soul rings, thus you'll have to get your second one by the end of your first year. I don't have any objections towards you cultivating the art of soul tools along with you continuing your studies in the Martial Soul Department, but you still need to have a good foundation in the field of martial souls, even if you decide to specialise in soul tools in the future. As such, you'll have to manage your time rationally.”

Zhou Yi brought Huo Yuhao into the Soul Tool Testing Area as she spoke.

The st.u.r.dy-bodied Fan Yu quickly walked over to them when they walked in. Compared to the cold and stern face he'd had last time, the current Fan Yu had a much gentler expression on his face. He took the initiative to pat Huo Yuhao on the shoulder and said, “I watched the finals of your freshmen a.s.sessment. It was extremely brilliant, you did very well.”

Zhou Yi looked at Fan Yu with a somewhat stupefied look on her face. Although she seemed like a strict person on the outside, she was actually a warm-hearted person on the inside. On the other hand, she understood Fan Yu's personality very well; he was a person who rarely complimented other people, and was also incomparably arrogant on the inside. Huo Yuhao was only a first year student, therefore it was no small thing for him to be praised so highly by Fan Yu.

“Greetings, Teacher Fan Yu.” Huo Yuhao greeted Fan Yu respectfully.

Fan Yu nodded. “I've heard from Zhou Yi that your Spiritual Detection has improved a lot. Come, let's try it out.” A person like Fan Yu, who'd devoted his entire life to research, was always straightforward when dealing with things.

“Alright.” As his pure white million year soul ring rose from his feet, Huo Yuhao's pupils turned pale gold. An extremely minute amount of pale gold flashed through his white soul ring, but n.o.body managed to notice it.

Huo Yuhao instantly released his Spiritual Detection, encapsulating everything within a fifty meter diameter.

When he sensed the omni-directional three-dimensional image appear in his mind, Fan Yu nodded in satisfaction. “En, it's actually improved by quite a bit. It's no wonder you guys were able to become the champions of the freshmen a.s.sessment. With your Spiritual Detection, you guys would've definitely been able to predict all of your opponent's movements. Eh…?”

As he spoke, Fan Yu suddenly realised that the image of the Spiritual Detection in his mind was changing. The originally omni-directional image had begun to shrink towards a single direction, but its range was gradually increasing. This strange feeling of having one's senses extended was simply too magical.

Zhou Yi was also under the effects of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing, thus she felt it too. Her eyes immediately widened, and she cried out involuntarily, “How are you doing this?!”

Huo Yuhao saw the astonished gazes of the two teachers, but didn't reply; when he was focusing his Spiritual Detection towards a single direction, he had to concentrate intensely.

Finally, when the range of his Spiritual Detection had reached its limit, he stopped, then cancelled the activation of his soul skill.

Fan Yu looked at him, a fierce gaze in his eyes. “A hundred and twenty one meters. Very good, you've done what I asked you to do. Yuhao, let me ask you this: Will the range of your Spiritual Detection continue to increase along with your cultivation?”

After hesitating for a moment, Huo Yuhao nodded.

“Good!” Fan Yu shouted loudly, jolting both Huo Yuhao and Zhou Yi.

Fan Yu patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder again. “Follow me.” With that, he turned around and walked back towards the Testing Area with large strides.

“Caitou, come here.” Fan Yu waved his hand, causing He Caitou—who Huo Yuhao had previously seen—to quickly run over. The moment he saw Huo Yuhao, he immediately shouted in a surprised tone, “It's you! Huo Yuhao, long time no see!”

Huo Yuhao smiled when he saw He Caitou's simple face. “How are you, brother He? You look even st.u.r.dier today.”

It was true; the dark-skinned He Caitou basically had the physique of an adult at this point. His muscles were rugged, while his robust body wasn't far off from Fan Yu's.

Fan Yu continued, “Caitou, show Yuhao the power of soul masters from the Soul Tool Department. You don't need to hold back.”

“Sure!” He Caitou clearly became somewhat excited. He quickly shed his upper garments, revealing his st.u.r.dy body. After doing so, he did something that flabbergasted Huo Yuhao.

He Caitou's hands flew about his body as he slapped the belt on his waist unceasingly. This caused countless strange metal objects to fly out from his storage belt, which he then equipped.

It took less than ten seconds for him to finish equipping himself with the strange metal objects. The current him was completely covered in pieces of black metal, however Huo Yuhao naturally had no idea what the black metal was or what it was used for.

Afterwards, He Caitou's body glowed, and his three soul rings lit up. He had two yellow and one purple soul rings—the optimum combination of soul rings. Immediately afterwards, his first soul ring lit up, causing a two or so centimeter long thick yellow object that was as long as an adult's palm to appear in his mouth.

He casually raised his left hand, and a spark appeared on the black metal covering his hand. The thick, long object in his mouth lit up, in turn causing white smoke to rise into the air.

Huo Yuhao's facial muscles twitched violently, but he forcefully stopped himself from laughing. The thing in He Caitou's mouth was simply too similar to a freshly baked, piping hot… t.u.r.d….

Naturally, the object seemed to have a much harder texture….

At that moment, He Caitou's cheeks suddenly bulged, like he'd forcefully inhaled something. Afterwards, a cloud of smoke left his mouth. With the “t.u.r.d” still in his mouth, he walked into the Testing Area.

Even though Huo Yuhao was stunned by the strange effect of He Caitou's martial soul, he hurried to activate his Spiritual Detection to observe He Caitou's movements more carefully, as the omnidirectional three-dimensional image allowed him to sense things around him much more clearly.

The instant he activated his Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao immediately sensed that something was amiss. He discovered that the testing area seemed to have come alive, as large metallic b.a.l.l.s with diameters of at least half-meter had begun to appear from all directions.

“Brother He, be careful!” Huo Yuhao couldn't help but cry out.

He Caitou turned towards him, then smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Immediately afterwards, He Caitou's aura drastically changed.

The normally straightforward He Caitou's gaze suddenly became sharp as he moved the 't.u.r.d' in his mouth to the side and breathed in deeply. Afterwards, his movements instantly became as vigorous as a cheetah.

Two large metallic b.a.l.l.s had appeared beside him, and were rapidly flying towards him. He Caitou swiftly ran to the side, then rolled forward, allowing him to dive out of the way. He immediately turned around afterwards, and the two black metal pieces he'd put on his shoulders opened up, revealing minuscule holes.

At this point, Huo Yuhao sensed that the soul power in He Caitou's body had suddenly began to surge violently and was rapidly gathering in his shoulders. As soon as it had, he released two thin rays of white light from his shoulders, which accurately struck the golden b.a.l.l.s hurtling towards him.

Huo Yuhao noticed that He Caitou's shoulder muscles had slightly moved the instant he released the white ray of light; most likely for the sake of adjusting the white laser's direction.

The two metallic b.a.l.l.s paused slightly for a moment, before unexpectedly melting midair.

This, this is the power of a soul tool? Huo Yuhao was stunned. He knew, based on his Spiritual Detection, that the two metallic b.a.l.l.s were hollow on the inside. However, they were still relatively heavy! And yet, they'd instantly been blasted apart by the two thin lasers.

However, Huo Yuhao was even more astonished by what happened afterwards. The black pieces of metal on He Caitou's shoulds rapidly extended to cover He Caitou's arms, causing six foot-long metal tubes that were as thick as a child's arm to appear on both of his arms. After the metal pieces had finished extending, Huo Yuhao was able to see He Caitou s.h.i.+ft his soul power from his shoulders to his arms, which caused the six metal tubes to spit tongues of fire. In that instant, He Caitou's berserk soul power distorted even Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection.1

The six huge metallic b.a.l.l.s that were charging towards He Caitou were all struck violently, multiple depressions appearing on them. He Caitou had only been firing the six metal tubes for less than three seconds before the six metallic b.a.l.l.s had been entirely blasted apart.

As soon as they disappeared, six more metallic b.a.l.l.s appeared to both his left and right sides and shot towards him.

He Caitou angled the 't.u.r.d' in his mouth upwards, revealing a fearless smile. Then, the black pieces of metal all over his body started moving. Furthermore, it seemed like they'd all been activated by him moving his muscles. As soon as they finished moving, He Caitou's soul power erupted outwards like an explosion.

Huo Yuhao had the a.s.sistance of his Spiritual Detection, yet he still wasn't able to count the number of metal, tube-like objects that had appeared all over He Caitou's body. Soon afterwards, he saw that He Caitou had been fully covered in light. Countless barrages of rays of light shot out wildly from him towards the metal b.a.l.l.s. Beneath his terrifying undulations of soul power, the twelve enormous metal b.a.l.l.s instantly disintegrated in midair.

This was simply too mind-blowing!

After doing all of this, He Caitou's soul power had been almost entirely drained. The metal tubes on his body quickly disappeared and transformed back into the original shape of his black metal armor. At that moment, Huo Yuhao no longer thought that He Caitou looked strange; in his eyes, the gentle and straightforward He Caitou had become a monster!

He'd seen quite a few three-ringed Soul Elders in the past, such as Dai Huabin, Ning Tian, his own senior brother Bei Bei, and Teacher Xiao Ya. They'd all had three soul rings, but in terms of combat strength… they weren't even on the same level as the current He Caitou! The destructive power of those metallic tubes was simply too terrifying.

He Caitou walked over to the side and quickly removed the black pieces of metal from his body. The small object in his mouth had disappeared as well, but the faint scent of smoke still lingered around his body.

Fan Yu smiled and looked towards Huo Yuhao. “What do you think?”

Huo Yuhao subconsciously replied, “This, this is simply too powerful.”

Fan Yu replied, “Caitou's cultivation level is still limited, thus he's only able to release part of a soul tool's power. Currently, he still can't use any of the stronger soul tools. Other than the stationary soul tool you saw last time, all soul tools are activated via soul power. Because of that, cultivating soul power is also important to soul masters from the Soul Tool Department.”

“I know that you're definitely curious as to how soul masters from the Soul Tool Department fare against those from the Martial Soul Department in a battle. Let me tell you this: Under the Soul Sage rank, our Soul Tool Department holds an absolute advantage against the Martial Soul Department in battle. On the contrary, the Martial Soul Department holds an absolute advantage against us in fights between soul masters above the Soul Sage rank. Our Douluo Continent focuses primarily on martial souls, but the armies of the other various countries focus primarily on soul tools. From another standpoint, soul tools are more helpful for ordinary people, as they can easily grant them a large amount of combat power in a short period of time.”

After listening to Fan Yu's explanation, Huo Yuhao finally had a basic understanding of soul tools. He'd seen the power that He Caitou had shown, and could guarantee that, unless the abilities of his enemies martial soul were able to restrict him, not even four-ringed Soul Ancestors would be a match for him! This raised Huo Yuhao's interest towards soul tools to an unprecedented high.

Fan Yu knew that the crucial moment had arrived. He lowered his tone, “Currently, the Soul Tool Department is weaker than the Martial Soul Department after the seven-ringed stage… but that's not a certainty. Of the many research topics I have, the most important one of them all is to nurture a consummate soul master from the Soul Tool Department. I'm 46 years old this year, and the only disciple I've ever taken in is Caitou. If you're willing, I'm also willing to take in another disciple.”

Huo Yuhao was relatively intelligent, and Fan Yu had already explained things so clearly; how could he hesitate? With a 'Putong', Huo Yuhao kneeled on the ground. “Teacher Fan Yu, please take me as your disciple. I'll definitely work hard to study soul tools.” Afterwards, he kowtowed to Fan Yu three times.

Fan Yu nodded slightly as he allowed Huo Yuhao to pay his respects. After he'd kowtowed three times, Fan Yu helped him to his feet.

“I've heard of your diligence from Zhou Yi. From now on, you're the second, and also last, disciple of mine. I'll do my best to nurture you and Caitou. Someday, I'll show the Martial Soul Department just what level our Soul Tool Department can reach. Yuhao, you aren't just my disciple; from now on, you're also a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department. I heard how the Martial Soul Department evaluated you; it's their loss for not taking you in as a core disciple.”

I'm a core disciple now? This stroke of fortune was too sudden, to the extent that Huo Yuhao couldn't help but stare blankly. The difference in treatment between the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Tool Department immediately caused the scales within his heart to s.h.i.+ft.

Regardless of the facts, Huo Yuhao was still an eleven-year-old child. Because of his childhood, he was someone who held grudges. However at the same time, this made him cherish favors even more. The instant that Fan Yu said he would be a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department, Huo Yuhao felt warmth rise up from his heart. The grievances that he'd suppressed immediately turned into a warm stream that surged towards his eyes.

“Teacher.” He couldn't help but let his tears flow freely.

Fan Yu spread his arms and held Huo Yuhao's shoulders. “Good child, don't cry. I know how aggrieved you feel, but I have to tell you this: no matter who it is, if you don't want to feel aggrieved, and you want to be respected by other people, you can only rely on yourself. What you need to do is use your own strength to reject your grievances.”

“En.” Huo Yuhao nodded repeatedly as he wiped the tears from his face.

He Caitou walked over as well. Laughing, he hugged Huo Yuhao, then used his enormous strength to lift him up off the ground and spun him around in a circle.

“I have a junior brother now, hahaha! This is too good, I don't have to be alone anymore. Yuhao, we're brothers from now on.”

“Senior brother.” The feelings that came from He Caitou's heart made Huo Yuhao feel something similar to the feeling that his senior brother Bei Bei had given him. As such, his inner emotions couldn't help but surge up again.

Fan Yu said, “Yuhao, even though you've already become a core disciple of our Soul Tool Department, you still need to lay yourself a solid foundation as a soul master. Because of that, you'll have to continue increasing your knowledge in the Martial Soul Department; at least until you graduate from your third year. Furthermore, you need to focus most of your energy towards cultivating your martial soul. Soul power is the foundation for everything we do; this is the case for the Soul Tool Department as well. At the same time, you have a special martial soul, so you have to pay attention to your soul skills too. I hope that you won't just become an outstanding soul master of the Soul Tool Department in the future, but will also become an outstanding Control System Battle Soul Master as well.”

“I won't hide this from you: Our Soul Tool Department has a rivalry with the Martial Soul Department. As such, you'll have to keep the matter of you becoming one of our core disciples a secret for the time being, so that we won't provoke a reaction from the Martial Soul Department. Also, you can't become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department. When you enter the inner courtyard, you'll enter our Soul Tool Department's inner courtyard. Zhou Yi will help you fill in the form that allows you to join our Soul Tool Department. Your cla.s.ses at the Martial Soul Department normally end at around four in the afternoon, so after cla.s.s you'll have to come to me to study for two hours every day. The Martial Soul Department has a rest day every week, but you'll have to come here and study on that day as well. Are you scared of hard work?”

1. From the Manga.