Chapter 48: Spirit Ring

"Ah, Yuhao~"

Qian Duoduo could not help rubbing his face, his eyes filled with heartache. "I know you are not satisfied with the result we discussed in private, but there is no need to say such deeply hurtful words, is there?"

"Although our academy is indeed not favored in Shrek, constrained by others at every turn, having to humble ourselves and beg everyone for help just to set up a few research projects, and even struggling to recruit many teachers or students..."

The old fellow on the opposite side spoke sentence by sentence as if deliberately acting goofy. The more he spoke, the colder Huo Yuhao's initial grievance became, eventually turning into a sense of shared, pathetic sorrow.

Is this ghost place really a part of Shrek?

How could they be living such a miserable existence?

He did not even dare to imagine the dire straits in which the teachers and students of the Soul Guidance Department lived.

"However!"

Having finished his preamble, Qian Duoduo suddenly added a twist with a hint of a wretched smile.

Slap!

"Take a look—"

Qian Duoduo flipped his hand to reveal a slender bone shimmering with blue water ripples, slapping it onto the desk. Then, with another sweep of his hand, he produced several more bones of varying colors and shapes.

A ten-thousand-year soul bone originating from a plant-type soul beast, alongside six various soul bones ranging from several thousand years in age.

Slap! Clatter...

"Take a look at this too!"

Several porcelain jars of various sizes were thumped onto the desk. Even with their lids sealed, Huo Yuhao could sense a refreshing, invigorating energy emanating from their faint wisps of aura.

All sorts of rare medicinal pills seldom seen in the world.

"Not done yet~"

Slap! Flutter—

A stack of black gold cards of unknown material was fanned out before Huo Yuhao, each engraved with slightly different golden imprints, radiating faint soul power fluctuations.

Although he did not recognize them, Huo Yuhao had seen similar items in Wang Dong's possession.

Even with his toes, he could guess that these were all soul coin savings cards.

"Heh! Thought it was over?"

Slap!

Qian Duoduo narrowed his eyes and finally pushed forward a belt-like soul guidance device whose surface was covered in various inscriptions. "This is this Dean's recent experimental piece. Although it's probably only at the level of a Tier 4 soul guidance device, it can still be considered priceless."

"Not only can it provide thirty cubic meters of storage space, but it can also trigger a Tier 4 soul guidance barrier! How about that? Knowledge of this kind was explained to you in class, right? No need for me to reiterate."

After a gratifying and unrestrained display of wealth, this old child, over a hundred years old and of bulky stature, leisurely leaned back.

"My Soul Guidance Department lacks everything except money—at least not by the current headcount!"

"How about it?"

Qian Duoduo raised an eyebrow. "Heh! By the way~ what was it you were about to say to the old man just now?"

"..."

Huo Yuhao, who had lived a life accustomed to hardship since childhood, raised his hand and then slowly lowered it. "I..."

As if noticing where his gaze was fixed, Qian Duoduo pulled out a black gold card and pushed it in front of Huo Yuhao.

"You seem to care more about this? But it doesn't matter if I give you one now. Don't worry, even if you eventually go back, I won't take it back~ Besides, it's only two hundred thousand soul coins anyway, consider it a small prize for successfully clearing the freshmen tournament."

Hiss~

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath.

Two hundred thousand!

A small prize?

"I'm sorry, Dean Qian. I was just thinking of focusing on cultivation first to raise my soul power rank, and only studying soul guidance devices once my martial soul's potential is exhausted."

Truly feeling what sincerity meant, Huo Yuhao took a step back, his expression struggling for a moment before he gritted his teeth hard. "As for those soul coins, I am undeserving of them! Please take them back."

Two hundred thousand...

Two hundred thousand.

"Would you stop dwelling on it?"

Tianmeng felt that this pitiful groan was echoing everywhere throughout the entire spiritual sea. "If you really can't stand it, just accept it."

"I don't want to owe too many favors."

Huo Yuhao looked lifelessly at the ball of light hovering above the spiritual sea, then glanced at Tianmeng. "I already owe enough..."

If he owed any more, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to bear it one day and would be crushed on the spot.

Outside.

Just when Huo Yuhao thought the old man in front of him was about to fly into a rage, Qian Duoduo suddenly sighed with a complex expression. "Yuhao... You don't think that entering the Soul Guidance Department means burying yourself in piles of paper to draw blueprints all day, and getting your hands dirty in piles of materials, do you?"

Huo Yuhao:......

Sorry, that was indeed what he thought.

"We are teachers after all; we can tell what is important, and we naturally know how to tailor our training according to circumstances."

Qian Duoduo paused, thinking of the messy pot of stew next door at the Martial Soul Academy, and immediately waved his hand dismissively. "Let's ignore Old Yan's side for now and talk only about our Soul Guidance Academy!"

"We have those who prioritize raising soul power, those who specialize in material refining and forging, those who study blueprint design, and even more who immerse themselves in manufacturing~ Whatever training path you want, we can design it based on your actual situation~"

Realizing perhaps that he had spoken too absolutely, he hurriedly added, "Of course, because the Ultimate Soldier Plan proposed by Teacher Fan Yu has consumed most of our resources, the training plan we can currently produce might not be quite so comprehensive."

Is that so?

"Then thank you, Dean, for clearing my doubts."

Huo Yuhao nodded with flickering eyes. "It's just that I have just reached rank twenty, and I hope the academy can help me attach a soul ring."

"No~ problem!"

Qian Duoduo waved his hand grandly, his face beaming with joy. "As long as you are willing to join, everything is negotiable. I'll arrange a soul-hunting teacher right away—speaking of which, do you have any preconceived plans for your upcoming soul ring ability?"

Getting down to business.

Huo Yuhao recited the draft he had long since prepared. "Since I am going to practice soul guidance, and I belong to the spiritual attribute, I would prefer a soul skill that allows me to conceal myself and launch various surprise attacks."

"Hmm, that is indeed a good direction."

Qian Duoduo stroked his chin in thought. "The Illusion Moon Trees of the Star Dou Great Forest or the Light Mirror Beetles near Heaven Dou City both seem viable~"

"Oh right, there are also the Ice Silkworms of the Extreme North! The simulation soul skill carried by this race is quite suitable for you, though the journey might be a bit distant..."

Hit the target.

Huo Yuhao immediately nodded. "It doesn't matter. It's best to strive for perfection with the earliest soul rings, lest they come in handy later and merely occupy ring slots in vain."

"Heh!"

The look of satisfaction in Qian Duoduo's eyes deepened. "I didn't expect this kid to have such a steady temperament and consider things so thoroughly~ Then it shall be as you wish: the Extreme North, the Ice Silkworm."

Seeing that Huo Yuhao was about to turn and leave, he reached out and heavily tapped the desk.

"Wait a moment... Since this old man said he would give you this card, naturally I won't easily break my promise like someone else! Take it along with the soul guidance device."

Ha~

Qian Duoduo looked at Huo Yuhao's retreating figure with a smiling face. "What an interesting kid."

No matter what, he could be considered to have stumbled upon a treasure this time.

If he also won the gamble on the awakening and advancement of the body martial soul, he couldn't even imagine what kind of expression Old Yan's face would turn into!

"Heh~ Heheh..."

In the solitary office, a series of eerie laughter suddenly broke out.