Yan Shaozhe said, "Soul Tools have been rapidly developing during these past few years. However, the power of soul masters still lies deep within ourselves. If you like soul tools, it'd be fine for you to try them out when you reach the rank of a Titled Douluo in the future. I hope that you'll think about this carefully and won't let this chance slip by. If you're willing to join our Martial Soul Department you'll receive a large amount of resources from the inner courtyard. At the same time, I can pledge three things to you, to compensate for our past misjudgment."
"The first is regarding Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. Wang Dong can fully utilize your fusion skill, and has worked together with you this entire time. Xiao Xiao has also worked together with you, and is also a soul master who possesses twin martial souls. I can guarantee that they'll definitely become inner courtyard disciples of the Martial Soul Department like you in the future. You need to realize that core disciples and inner courtyard disciples are entirely different. Not all core disciples can definitely enter the inner courtyard. Furthermore, you'd get more resources from the academy if you become an inner courtyard disciple ahead of time."
"Secondly, with my position as Dean of the Martial Soul Department, I can assure you that the academy will do everything in its power to give you a complete set of soul bones. I'll do my best to give you soul bones of the highest quality to ensure that you have the highest possible fusion rate with the soul bones. I can also guarantee that there will be at least one soul bone from a hundred thousand year old soul beast included within this set.
Thirdly, I can guarantee that you'll be given a hundred thousand year old soul ring, at the very least."
Even though Shrek Academy was extraordinarily wealthy, the three things that Yan Shaozhe had promised Huo Yuhao were all similarly extraordinary things! A hundred thousand year soul ring and a hundred thousand year soul bone meant that the powerhouses from Shrek Academy would have to set out to kill a hundred thousand year soul beast just for Huo Yuhao! These rewards were unprecedented in the history of the academy. Not to mention the fact that Yan Shaozhe had added a complete set of soul bones to the deal!
Yan Shaozhe was especially cunning however, as he'd also proposed letting Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao enter the inner courtyard together with Huo Yuhao. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were both Huo Yuhao's best friends. With this condition present, Yan Shozhe was certain that Huo Yuhao wouldn't reject him without a good reason.
If it wasn't for the competition with the Soul Tool Department, or if the Martial Soul Department had discovered the talent known as Huo Yuhao earlier on, Yan Shaozhe wouldn't have had to promise such things so early on, even if he'd wanted to go all out and snatch him over. However, things were different now; Huo Yuhao had already become a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department, and one of Fan Yu's personal disciple. Yan Shaozhe thus understood that he needed to present real benefits if he truly wanted Huo Yuhao to change his mind. More importantly, he needed to carry out his overt plot to steal Huo Yuhao over to their side in a just and honorable manner so the Soul Tool Department wouldn't be able to say anything.
The Soul Tool Department might be wealthy, but could they find a top-ranked soul bone? Could the Soul Tool Department help Huo Yuhao hunt down a hundred thousand year soul beast? It was evident that both of these things would be impossible to them!
Yan Shaozhe had returned to the inner courtyard before he'd come over and had had a discussion with a few of the teachers in charge of the core disciples. In the end, they'd decided that they definitely had to keep Huo Yuhao in the Martial Soul Department, no matter the cost.
If someone were to ask him if Huo Yuhao was worth this incredible cost, Yan Shaozhe's answer would be that he definitely was.
That's right, the Martial Soul Department was going to huge lengths just for the sake of obtaining Huo Yuhao. However, when Huo Yuhao became an adult, Shrek Academy's position as number one on the continent would definitely be solidified for at least the next three hundred years with him around.
It was normal for a person who'd cultivated to the rank of a Titled Douluo to live for three, or even five hundred years. Furthermore, there was already considerable veiled criticism towards Shrek Academy circulating due to their influence. These criticisms had reached both the Sun Moon Empire, and even the three original empires of the Douluo Continent. This was evident due to the fact that the three empires no longer sent children from the royal family to Shrek Academy to study.
Yan Shaozhe saw the potential in Huo Yuhao. There was a possibility that he would become a powerful leader in Shrek Academy in the future. Huo Yuhao wouldn't necessarily remain in Shrek Academy, but so long as he was able to nurture him into a formidable powerhouse, Shrek Academy would definitely be able to stand tall in the face of any adversity it faced.
What could their investment now amount to, when faced with a few hundred years of honor for Shrek Academy? Besides, an academy was an institution where students were taught; a place that sought out talented individuals. Was it truly that easy to come across an Ultimate martial soul? This encounter was a first for both Yan Shaozhe and Academy! In past years ,even he was sure the the academy main support the Ultimate Douluo also never seen Ultimate martial soul up to now.
That didn't mean that his Ultimate martial soul was definitely the strongest martial soul currently, but it did mean that it had the possibility to at least become one of the strongest. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao possessed twin martial souls.
These elements combined were enough for Yan Shaozhe to come to his current decision. Hence, he'd tell to Du Weliun to look for Huo Yuhao at the first possible moment.
When he heard what Yan Shaozhe had to say, Huo Yuhao didn't know how to reply—the weight of his words were just too much to bear. No matter how smart or calm he was, Huo Yuhao was still a twelve-year-old child. As the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe's aura was just too powerful. For a moment, Huo Yuhao actually felt a little bit speechless.
At that moment, a hurried shout suddenly rang out. It was so sudden that both Huo Yuhao trembled in shock.
"Yan Shaozhe, have you no shame?"
"Bang——" Someone forcibly pushed the office door open. Qian Duoduo immediately took large strides into the room with a furious look on his face, Fan Yu trailing closely behind him.
Yan Shaozhe had been observing the advancement test, but had left once he'd given Huo Yuhao a perfect score on his test. Zhou Yi had felt that something was amiss when Du Weliun pulled Huo Yuhao away afterwards. Thus, while the test was process and have to carrying the result was still going on, she'd written a note for Wang Dong to give to Fan Yu.
When Fan Yu saw the note, he immediately knew what was going on. For what reason had Yan Shaozhe personally observed the advancement test? It was undoubtedly for Huo Yuhao's sake! When his thought process had reached this point, he hadn't dared waste another second; he immediately began searching for Qian Duoduo.
Actually, they had already arrived a few minutes ago. Yan Shaozhe had also realized this when was standing inside of the room. As such, it was only natural that they'd heard what Yan Shaozhe had said a moment ago. A flurry of verbal abuse rapidly left Qian Duoduo's mouth as both anger and shock intermingled inside of him.
Yan Shaozhe smiled and replied, "Old Qian, how'd you manage to get enough free time to come over to the Martial Soul Department's office building?"
Qian Duoduo exasperatedly said, "Yan Shaozhe, do you still want your face? Ah? What did we agree on? You promised to give Huo Yuhao to the Soul Tool Department—for him to be a core disciple. This is what was agreed upon when I won the bet at that time!"
Yan Shaozhe replied, "Indeed, I did promise that. However, even I am human, and humans will always have times where they make mistakes, right? There's an old saying: 'One can only reform oneself after recognising one's mistakes.'. Am I not correcting my mistakes right now?"
Qian Duoduo became furious. "Rubbish! Are you saying that you can shove shit back inside after you've excreted it?! If you dare to steal him from me, I'll have to fight you."
Yan Shaozhe expression remained beaming as he replied, "You wanna fight?! Sure! We fought a lot when we were younger. Now that we're old… it really has been a long time since we've learned fighting techniques from each other! Sure, let's go and find a place to fight at. If I win, Huo Yuhao stays inside of my Martial Soul Department, and you can't fight me over him anymore."
Qian Duoduo almost fainted from anger. "Yan Shaozhe, I've met shameless people. However, I've never seen you behave so shamelessly before. You don't keep your word. You're shameless!"
Yan Shaozhe felt like he'd been wrongly accused, and it showed on his face. "I didn't keep my word? How so? How am I shameless too? I did what I promised you! Huo Yuhao is already a core disciple of your Soul Tool Department. I didn't stop that from happening, right? I'm only proposing something to him now. If he chooses to abandon the Soul Tool Department and return to the Martial Soul Department, then I'll naturally need to welcome him back wholeheartedly. This isn't about me not keeping my word. Yuhao, you should make your decision soon. I can tell you with utmost certainty that the Soul Tool Department can't achieve all of these promises that I've made to you. One can't just kill a hundred thousand year soul beast just because they say they can. If you're not a Titled Douluo ranked 95 and above, it's definitely impossible for you to kill a hundred thousand year soul beast. However, it just so happens that I've cultivated to rank 95. You'll understand what I mean by this when I give you an example. If I were to swap pointers with the vice-dean of the Soul Tool Department, this Qian Duoduo standing before you wouldn't stand a chance against me, even if I were to let him make the first move in a one-on-one battle. He's also a Titled Douluo like me. You can ask him whether or not he has the ability to kill a hundred thousand year soul beast yourself."
Qian Duoduo felt like his lungs were going to explode. Yan Shaozhe had always overpowered, ever since they were young. This fact had remained true this time around too. However, he truly wouldn't be Yan Shaozhe's opponent if they ended up fighting. Even though Yan Shaozhe's words were harsh, he'd only spoken the truth. However, Qian Duoduo became even angrier than before because of this. It had never occurred to him that Yan Shaozhe would personally look for Huo Yuhao, nor that he would pledge so many conditions in order to steal Huo Yuhao away from him.
However, he couldn't argue with Yan Shaozhe, thus he turned towards Huo Yuhao. "Huo Yuhao, you're already a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department, as well as Fan Yu's direct disciple. Fan Yu will be the Dean of the Soul Tool Department in the future. You're also extremely talented at making soul tools. You're well aware of how the Soul Tool Department treats you. As such, I hope that you'll consider this matter carefully."
Consider? Consider what? Huo Yuhao's mind had become a sticky mess; he'd lost all of his ability to think.
The honorable Dean of the Martial Soul Department stood on one side, while the vice-dean of the Soul Tool Department stood on the other. Both of them were Titled Douluo powerhouses, with Dean Yan Shaozhe being a Transcendent Titled Douluo who's soul power was rank 95. Huo Yuhao was only a student! What could he even say in such a situation? He wouldn't dare to offend either party!
Fan Yu looked towards Huo Yuhao and saw that he had become completely flushed and couldn't say a word. He immediately rushed to Huo Yuhao's side and patted him on the shoulder in a comforting manner. He then said, "Deans, you shouldn't bother Yuhao anymore. Dean Yan, you're truly the one in the wrong regarding this matter; Yuhao has already become a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department. In order to maintain the unity of both departments, please let sleeping dogs lie."
Yan Shaozhe's attitude changed as he faced Fan Yu. He said indifferently, "Fan Yu, you should already know that Huo Yuhao has an Ultimate element. Do you think your Soul Tool Department can nurture an Ultimate element better than our Martial Soul Department? Do you know what an Ultimate soul master means to our academy? During the past ten thousand years, our Shrek Academy has become the continent's number one academy by taking one step at a time. Other than the extreme leap we experienced under the leadership of Ancestor Tang San and the original Shrek's Seven Monsters, our academy has had three glorious batches. Those three batches were all created through the leadership of an Ultimate Douluo. This was how we solidified our status. Thus, Huo Yuhao's Ultimate element has great significance to us. Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn't have used a method like this to request that he return to the Martial Soul Department. However, this matter is no longer negotiable. I'd rather not be so thick-skinned but we have to make him stay in the Martial Soul Department for the sake of the academy's glory."
Fan Yu tightly furrowed his brows. He didn't think that Yan Shaozhe would be this stubborn and troublesome.
"Yan Shaozhe, shouldn't you ask me first before stealing one of my students?" A clear and melodious voice rang out as another person walked into the room, making Yan Shaozhe's office much more congested.
The rage on Qian Duoduo's face immediately dissipated the moment he saw this person. "Lin'er, I'm glad you finally came. Otherwise, I'd die from anger due to this old bastard."
The newcomer was a woman, about 1.7m tall. She looked like she was in her early fifties. Her skin was white, her black hair was neatly bundled up, and her gilded clothes made her look extremely experienced. Though she was aged, one could still tell that she was definitely an absolute beauty in her youth.
Fan Yu bent down to Huo Yuhao's ear and whispered, "This is our Dean, Xian Lin'er."
Huo Yuhao had calmed down much more with Fan Yu by his side. He knew that remaining silent at this moment was for the best. When the gods were fighting, it was better for a lowly student like him to stay out of the way.
Yan Shaozhe furrowed his brows upon seeing Xian Lin'er, "Lin'er, you're…"
Xian Lin'er said icily, "When we were young, you never kept your word. Now that we're over eighty years old, you're still the same. You're bullying my men to their breaking point. Didn't you say that you were very good at fighting? Come on, I'll duel you right now. Let's go to the Soul Dueling Arena."
Yan Shaozhe, who previously had a clear advantage over Qian Duoduo and Fan Yu, had an embarrassed look on his face now. "Lin'er," he said, "why are you doing this? I truly regret what I've done regarding this matter. However, you should understand what an Ultimate soul master means for the future of our academy. This isn't something that a simple bet can change. I've already talked it over with the teachers from the inner courtyard; Huo Yuhao must stay in my Martial Soul Department."
Xian Lin'er said icily, "And what are you relying on in order to pull this off? Is it just because your Martial Soul Department is the top-ranked one in the continent? Does that mean that our Soul Tool Department has to give you our core disciples? How do you know that this child won't become someone outstanding by staying in our Soul Tool Department? I admit that what you've said isn't wrong; if your Martial Soul Department nurtures him well, it's very likely that he'll become your department's future pillar, and in turn will allow you to maintain your position as the number one martial soul department on the continent. However, you haven't thought about what happens if our Soul Tool Department manages to nurture him well, he might be able to bring our Soul Tool Department to the number one spot in the entire continent, allowing us to be free from the suppression of the Sun Moon Empire? I've explicitly stated that you won't be able to snatch any student from my department. You don't need to force this child either; he belongs to my Soul Tool Department. You were talking about a hundred thousand year soul beast? When the time comes, I'll help him hunt one. If worst comes to worst, I'll just hand my life over to the Great Star Dou Forest. Then, I'll have been forced to death by you."
Qian Duoduo's expression became somewhat strange. He was slightly embarrassed and yet not. However, the anger on his face had completely vanished.
This time around, Yan Shaozhe's face alternated betweens shades green and white. He had a myriad of forms of sophistry, yet he couldn't use any of them in front of Xian Lin'er. He had a guilty conscience regarding her, due to certain things he'd done during his youth. However, an Ultimate twin-souled soul master was something that might not even occur once in a millennium for the Martial Soul Department. Thus, as the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, he couldn't simply give up because of his personal feelings.
Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath. "Lin'er, here's how I see it. This matter has already reached the point where we can't settle it through a simple conversation. Why don't we decide it with a meeting in the Sea God's Pavilion? What do you think?"
Xian Lin'er didn't hesitate to reply, "Fine. A meeting at the Sea God's Pavilion it is. I'm just afraid that you won't show up. No matter what way you word it, our side's more logical. Come, we'll go and gather the elders from the Hall of Consecration and start the meeting. I want to see how why you think you can steal my student."
Yan Shaozhe furrowed his brows tightly, then turned to Huo Yuhao and revealed a warm smile. "Huo Yuhao, this matter is also related to your own interests. You should consider it carefully. As for us, we'll have to discuss the matter first." With that, he turned around and left.
Xian Lin'er's expression turned grave as she turned to face Huo Yuhao. "Child, ignore him. You don't need to pay this matter too much attention. Continue to cultivate diligently; the academy will make everything clear soon." With that, she left as well. Qian Duoduo hurriedly chased after her, leaving Fan Yu in the office.
Fan Yu was somewhat speechless. "It seems that this matter's gotten noisy. Ah…"
Fan Yu patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "Yuhao, head back and rest first. Dean Xian's right; you don't need to worry too much about this matter, nor should you feel any mental burdens over it. No matter what the Academy decides, in the end, it won't be a bad thing for you. Work hard and continue cultivating. Increasing your cultivation is the most important thing for you right now." After decision was made either soul tool department or martial soul department send the Elder for you to hunt your third soul ring for your main martial soul.
Once the Deans had left, the pressure that Huo Yuhao felt in his heart lessened by a large amount. He hurriedly nodded and replied, "Yes, teacher." The smartest thing he'd done throughout the situation was to not show where he stood on the matter. Though his heart was naturally inclined towards the Soul Tool Department, it would be a lie if he said that Dean Yan Shaozhe's words hadn't moved him.
The thing that had moved him most hadn't been Yan Shaozhe's promises, as he already had five extremely powerful and intelligent soul rings. He wasn't worried about his chances of obtaining powerful soul rings and soul bones in the future either. What Dean Yan had said about the Martial Soul Department being best qualified to teach a student with an Ultimate martial soul, however, had moved him. Furthermore, Yan Shaozhe had apologised to him with his status as a Dean, and had even promised to allow Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao to directly enter the inner courtyard. Even if he didn't think about himself, it wasn't as if he could simply not care for his companions. For him to make such a decision right now was simply too difficult for him. As such, he'd simply decided to remain silent and allow the academy to make the decision for him. He'd already thought it through; no matter what the academy's final decision was, he'd fully comply with it. In the deepest recesses of his heart however, he didn't truly wish to give up on either side, nor was he able to.
When left the faculty building, he saw Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao waiting for him. They immediately rushed over to him the instant they saw him.
Wang Dong spoke in a low voice, "What's the situation? What did Vice dean Du Weliun call you over for?"
Huo Yuhao didn't conceal anything in front of them. He recounted the events that had occurred in Dean Yan's office. Both Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao's eyes went wide when they heard that the three Deans had fought over him.
Wang Dong was astonished as he said, "Truly capable! You've become so popular so quickly. Dean Yan seems really sincere, too! However, the Soul Tool Department's treated you well. What do you think?"
Huo Yuhao smiled bitterly. "What's there to think about? There's nothing I can change; I'm merely a student. Do you really think that I get to decide anything? I'll just comply with the academy's arrangements. Dean Yan, Dean Xian, and Dean Qian have all left to have a meeting. I reckon that they'll have a result shortly. However… I'd prefer to not give up on either side."
Xiao Xiao was somewhat worried. "Wouldn't you not get anything good from both parties then? Yuhao, you don't have to worry about us. I'm confident that I'll be able to enter the inner courtyard with my own hard work. It's fine if you make your own choice."
Huo Yuhao was greatly moved when he heard her words. He looked at her small, pretty face and sincerely said, "Thanks, Xiao Xiao."
Wang Dong's expression tensed up, but then quickly relaxed. "Let's head back first. You're right, it'd be best for the academy to make the decision."
Wang Dong truly wasn't in the mood to deal with Dai Huabin for his continue bother him and Yuhao. Furthermore, he felt somewhat regretful. If it hadn't been for their bet, he wouldn't have had to reveal his abilities during their advancement test. If not for that, he naturally wouldn't have to deal with the predicament he was currently in.
"We'll ignore him for now," Huo Yuhao replied, "let's just head back to our dorm rooms and wait for the academy's decision. It'd be best to simply be a bit more obedient for the time being."
Wang Dong nodded. "That's that then. Let's head back and cultivate."
"It's rare for you to be this diligent!" Huo Yuhao replied jokingly.
Wang Dong snorted. "How could I not feel endangered now that you've become so popular? Speaking of which, that Ultimate martial soul of yours is really magical. Even I want to make distance from it." You know he has able to do martial soul fusion with Yuhao ,then also he feel in that way.
Huo Yuhao replied, "I was simply relying on my spiritual advantage I test and my element is ice so you definately want to away from me because your martial soul represent fire and light. If it were a true 1v1, you and Dai Huabin are much stronger than I am. I'm definitely not a match for you guys. Right, Xiao Xiao, what soul rank are you at now?"
Xiao Xiao said, "I'm at Rank 28 now! I reckon that I'll be able to reach Rank 30 by the end of the year." When she'd first entered the academy, her soul rank had been at around Wang Dong's level. However, she didn't have the Haodong Power that Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao had. As such, the difference in their cultivation speed was apparent now.
"Let's head back," Huo Yuhao said "the most important thing we have to do right now is to work hard and increase our strength. We'll be considered to have established ourselves in the academy once we become disciples of the inner courtyard."
————
Sea God's Island.
Sea God's Island had several buildings on it, but one among them was unquestionably the tallest and grandest. This building was the Sea God's Pavilion, situated in the heart of the island.
Sea God's Pavilion was six floors tall, and every floor was more than ten meters high, which resulted in an extremely grand structure. In turn, the mist that pervaded the island year-round made it so that Shrek Academy's outer courtyard was unable to see it clearly.
Sea God's Pavilion was the most important place within Shrek Academy, as the Hall of Consecration was located within it. The secret library that Wang Yan wanted to entre was also located here. There were also a few secrets not known to anyone located here as well. Thus, there was no lack of extremely valuable treasures here.