"Whose Shrek Grace Token is this?"
After a moment, a burly man in his fifties emerged from Shrek City. There wasn't a single wrinkle on his face, but he had a head of white hair like steel needles, giving him a somewhat weathered appearance.
His towering figure seemed carved from granite, standing at least two meters and two centimeters tall. Broad-shouldered and solidly built, his muscles showed no signs of slackening due to age.
His bronzed skin gleamed with a metallic sheen under the sunlight, and he exuded a strong metallic scent, characteristic of soul masters.
"Dean Qian, hello!" the students of Shrek Academy exclaimed as they saw him.
Qian Duoduo, the vice dean of Shrek Academy, held a prestigious position in the Soul Department, second only to his wife, the dean herself.
In the vast Shrek Academy, there were only four top figures, including the dean and vice dean, who could be considered the pillars of the institution.
The students of Shrek Academy were not lacking in discernment; they wouldn't foolishly address Qian Duoduo as "Vice Dean Qian."
"Dean Qian, my name is Huo Yuhao, and this Shrek Grace Token is mine," Huo Yuhao said, nodding to Qian Duoduo as their eyes met.
He had expected the guard at the city gate to perhaps fetch a teacher to verify the token, but he hadn't anticipated encountering such a formidable figure.
"Well, I can confirm that this Shrek Grace Token is indeed genuine," Qian Duoduo nodded. "Shrek Academy issued a hundred of these tokens back then, and over the millennia, we've reclaimed more than ninety. For nearly a century, no one has come forward with a Shrek Grace Token for registration. The academy assumed the remaining tokens were lost, but today, I'm fortunate to see one."
"By the way, Huo Yuhao, where did you get this token?" Qian Duoduo suddenly asked, his gaze fixed on Huo Yuhao. Not a single expression or movement could escape his scrutiny.
"I obtained it from a deep pit while hunting a Wind Baboon in the Star Dou Forest," Huo Yuhao replied, his words partly true and partly false. After all, no one could verify his story, and he showed no signs of panic or hesitation, maintaining the demeanor of an honest child.
In fabricating lies, he was well-trained from his previous life and wouldn't easily reveal any flaws unless he wanted the other party to see them.
"Dean Qian, I heard that the Shrek Grace Token isn't bound to its user, meaning anyone who holds one can enter Shrek Academy without examination, is that correct?"
Qian Duoduo paused for a moment at the question before nodding. "That's correct. Anyone holding a Shrek Grace Token can directly enroll in Shrek Academy. However, personally, I have another question for you."
"What's the question?" Huo Yuhao scratched his head.
"What's your martial soul?" Qian Duoduo asked with a smile. "Although these little guys might not sense it, I can tell that your spiritual power is extraordinary. Let me see your martial soul."
Since he wanted to study at Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao naturally had no need to conceal his martial soul. And his martial soul, evolved twice, would be his asset at Shrek Academy.
The translucent white soul rings once again encircled his body, and Huo Yuhao's eyes abruptly changed from pitch black to fiery red.
The originally intangible spiritual fluctuations now carried a hint of heat and burning sensation, causing those around him to show surprise.
"Your martial soul is... eyes?!" Qian Duoduo's sturdy body trembled, and he quickly walked to Huo Yuhao's side. "Your original martial soul? And it seems to have the fire attribute?"
"Correct, my martial soul is called the Fire God's Eyes, a dual-attribute martial soul of spiritual and fire attributes," Huo Yuhao nodded. "Dean Qian, do you think I qualify to enroll in Shrek Academy?"
Qian Duoduo's eyes flashed with sharpness as he stared intently at Huo Yuhao.
Fortunate that he had been alert and approached the lower-level student responsible for guarding the city gate with questions. Otherwise, he might have missed this precious opportunity presented before him.
Even if Huo Yuhao's soul power was only at the eleventh rank, and even if he only had a ten-year soul ring, as a soul master, this was not an issue. It could be remedied with medicine after the fact!
Of course, what he didn't know was that within the black ring on Huo Yuhao's palm, there was an ancestor in terms of medication.
"Yuhao," Qian Duoduo's originally stern face now smiled like a chrysanthemum. "Are you interested in soul tools?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Of course, my dream is to become an outstanding soul engineer."
This could be considered a truthful statement. As a reader who had thoroughly read the original work in his past life, Huo Yuhao naturally understood the significance of soul tools for a soul master's future development.
And precisely because of the powerful soul tools, soul masters of the Douluo Continent could break free from their own planet and freely explore the universe in the future.
The era of traditional soul masters had long since passed. If it weren't for that shameless adult personally intervening in the mortal realm, the Sun Moon Empire, as the pinnacle of soul engineering, would have eventually completely swallowed the Douluo Federation.
Knowing that the combination of soul tools and a soul master's own abilities was the most correct path, Huo Yuhao certainly wouldn't stick to outdated conventions like those stubborn martial soul users. After entering Shrek Academy, he would definitely join the soul engineering department.
"Your dream is to become a soul engineer?" Qian Duoduo suddenly showed a look of astonishment. "Don't you think soul tools are just tricks? Don't you think that studying soul tools is a waste of time for soul masters?"
"Soul tools are just tools in our hands that need to be controlled by us. It's precisely because we can use tools that humans no longer live like animals, feeding on fur and blood," Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly.
"Back then, the ancestors who first discovered that soul masters could absorb soul rings were also experimenting and exploring while doing so, right? And aren't the soul skills attached to soul rings tools for soul masters? Shouldn't the correct way for us soul masters to fight be not to use soul skills and instead rely solely on close combat?"
"Yes, you're absolutely right! But those old stubborn folks, they just won't listen to our advice!" Qian Duoduo exclaimed excitedly, patting Huo Yuhao's shoulder. It was clear he resonated deeply with what Huo Yuhao had said.
"Yuhao, you're very good," Qian Duoduo laughed heartily. "Just for what you said, the doors of the soul engineering department will surely be wide open to you in the future! Come, let's go into Shrek Academy together. I'll personally help you with the enrollment procedures!"
The two entered Shrek City together, walking forward for two hundred meters until several towering statues blocked their view. There were a total of ten statues, each ten meters tall, meticulously carved from the hardest granite.
On the side, Qian Duoduo had already begun to actively introduce the origins of these statues to Huo Yuhao. However, there was not a hint of surprise in Huo Yuhao's eyes. After all, he was already familiar with these people to the point of knowing them inside out.
In the middle stood the Four-Eyed Owl, Flander, well, a real old schemer. Packing up his beloved woman and sending her into the tent of his rival is the kind of thing he could do, making him quite an explosive figure in the whole realm of licking dogs.
On the left was Yu Xiaogang, also known as Big Wet Jade, who would say, "There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters."
But when it came to himself, he had both a useless martial soul and was a useless soul master, a perfect contradiction.
As for the one on the right, Liu Erlong, she was a hopeless romantic, the kind of romantic who disregarded ethical and moral considerations.
However, the precursor to the Shrek Academy that she founded, the Blue Tyrant Academy, was one of the few advanced soul master academies that admitted civilian students. One can only wonder what she would think if she saw that students entering Shrek Academy now needed to prove their backgrounds.
And in the back row were the statues of the Shrek Seven Devils. However, Huo Yuhao deliberately avoided looking at those statues. After all, he wasn't sure if Tang San's statue contained a trace of his divine consciousness. If it caught Tang San's attention, he would surely be in trouble.
The white New Student Teaching Building was located at the southernmost part of Shrek Academy. Huo Yuhao and Qian Duoduo walked from the south side of Shrek Square and arrived at the building.
As it was the time for admitting new students, the New Student Teaching Building was particularly lively, with some newly admitted students already registering here.
With the guidance of the esteemed Vice Dean of the Soul Engineering Department, Qian Duoduo, Huo Yuhao's registration went smoothly. However, the tuition fee for one academic year at Shrek Academy actually amounted to as much as ten Gold Soul Coins, and that didn't even include the meal expenses.
Moreover, if a student couldn't pass the assessment and dropped out midway, the tuition fee wouldn't be refunded.
Originally, Qian Duoduo had wanted to pay the tuition fee for Huo Yuhao. After all, judging from Huo Yuhao's attire, he didn't seem like a child from a wealthy family. But Huo Yuhao simply took out ten Gold Soul Coins and handed them to the teacher in charge of collecting fees. He didn't want to owe Qian Duoduo any favors, as repaying money was easy, but repaying favors was difficult.
The teacher at the registration desk respectfully nodded to Qian Duoduo and then handed Huo Yuhao two sets of uniforms, a white New Student Badge, and a dormitory key.
Exiting the registration area, Qian Duoduo patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder and said, "Yuhao, the dormitory is behind the teaching building. It's the largest building in the whole academy. You can go there by yourself later. The new academic year officially starts in three days, so you can take these days to familiarize yourself with the environment. Remember, if you encounter any difficulties within the academy, you can always come to the Soul Engineering Department to find me."
"Okay, thank you, Vice Dean Qian. In the future, I also hope to learn more about soul tools from you," Huo Yuhao said tactfully.
Satisfied with the answer he received, Qian Duoduo nodded with a smile and then left directly.
Huo Yuhao weighed the dormitory key in his hand, and the number on the key was "108."
"Interesting, then let's go meet this little arrogant princess. It should be quite an interesting experience."