"Ding~"
The metal door slowly opened, revealing an array of bizarre instruments inside. Xu Cheng stepped into the laboratory, glancing at the cylindrical containers filled with thick, viscous blood and some dissected corpses, clicking his tongue in mild surprise.
Among them were several aged ten-thousand-year soul beasts, recently delivered by Di Tian. Since they had little time left to live, Elder Cheng extracted their blood for observation over a period before administering anesthesia and dissecting them.
It could be considered a contribution to the future of the soul beast race.
After all, unlike Shrek Academy, the Sun-Moon Empire lacked abundant soul beast resources. Shrek was so wealthy in this regard that it could afford to maintain an entire Soul Beast Hall. Previously, the soul beasts Elder Cheng studied were only at the hundred- to thousand-year level.
It wasn't that ten-thousand-year soul beasts couldn't be captured, but rather that controlling them once captured was difficult. To research artificial soul rings, one needed to study not just the moment a soul ring forms after death but also the soul beast's living state…
With a single order from Di Tian, and given that these creatures were at the end of their lifespans, they obediently submitted to Elder Cheng's experiments.
"Teacher."
Seeing Elder Cheng pause to wipe the sweat from his forehead, Xu Cheng stepped forward.
"You're back?" Elder Cheng rotated his shoulders, smiling. "This young body sure is durable. In the past, pulling all-nighters for half a month straight like this would've been impossible—just injecting some energy solution wouldn't have been enough."
The energy solution was a mixture of medicinal herbs primarily used for refreshing the mind.
"You should still take care of yourself..." Though he knew his teacher wouldn't listen, Xu Cheng still advised him, "As the Empire's Imperial Tutor, one of its pillars, I suspect your previous illnesses worsened due to your younger years of relentless experimentation."
"Hehe, alright, come take a look at the research results," Elder Cheng said with a grin.
The two walked into a small partitioned area.
Elder Cheng pointed at some blood-soaked bone marrow and vials filled with fresh blood, saying, "We have been investigating the principles behind soul rings and soul bones. Let's talk about soul rings first."
"Inside a soul beast, there exists a substance that separates it from ordinary animals. Only when a normal animal has this substance in its blood can it begin cultivation and increase its strength over time. Elder Yi and I have temporarily named it 'Spiritual Energy.'"
"Spiritual Energy?" Xu Cheng stroked his chin, nodding thoughtfully.
"Yes, Spiritual Energy. A soul beast accumulates this energy throughout its life. The moment it dies, if the accumulated Spiritual Energy reaches a certain threshold, it instantly transforms into a corresponding state—this is what determines whether a soul ring appears as ten-year, hundred-year, or thousand-year. This process can be observed," Elder Cheng explained, rubbing his chin.
"I once extracted a portion of blood from a ten-thousand-year Blazing Monkey and set it aside. Then, I instantly killed the anesthetized monkey and observed the extracted blood. I discovered that the blood outside the body transformed in sync with the blood still inside—it was originally a light green color but turned gray in an instant, while a soul ring slowly began to condense."
"In other words... these soul rings are actually condensed Spiritual Energy?" Xu Cheng nodded before suddenly shaking his head. "No, it's a combination of Spiritual Energy and the soul beast's innate soul power!"
"Heh, smart," Elder Cheng said, pleased.
"Exactly. Only after Spiritual Energy transforms into a gray state—which I call 'Gray Energy'—can it merge with soul power to form a soul ring with a level corresponding to the soul beast's pre-existing Spiritual Energy. Otherwise, in its normal state, Spiritual Energy and soul power repel each other."
"I see." Xu Cheng felt enlightened.
"This means that soul power in this process is merely a catalyst, not the determining factor. In other words, as long as we can convert Spiritual Energy into Gray Energy, control its level, and then integrate it with soul power, we can create a true artificial soul ring?"
"Precisely," Elder Cheng nodded. "Through numerous controlled experiments, I found that even if a soul beast is nearly drained of soul power—down to less than one-thousandth of its original amount—it can still produce a soul ring. The quality of the ring remains unchanged. However, without Spiritual Energy, a soul beast will never generate a soul ring, even after death."
"As for soul bones, the process is similar, but with a bit of randomness. During the fusion of Gray Energy and soul power, the energy disperses throughout the body, and sometimes, it coalesces into a soul bone. But what exactly determines this probability… I'm still researching."
"Then…" Xu Cheng looked eager.
"Sigh, it's not as easy as you think," Elder Cheng sighed helplessly. "First, the creation of soul rings requires artificial Spiritual Energy. Extracting it from soul beasts would go against your principles, so Elder Yi and I have been trying to understand how to replicate it. That's the first hurdle. After that, even if we succeed in cloning Spiritual Energy, we need to control its transformation into Gray Energy. Otherwise, what are we going to do—extract it and then wait thousands of years for it to evolve naturally? I won't live that long…"
Xu Cheng chuckled.
He had indeed been a bit impatient.
Apart from mastering how to switch Spiritual Energy into Gray Energy, there were still many difficulties to overcome. Elder Cheng had only taken the first step. The road ahead was long.
But that was to be expected.
This technology had the potential to be era-defining, ushering in a new age. If it were easy to achieve, the original timeline wouldn't have remained stagnant for tens of thousands of years.
Even reaching this stage was thanks to the contributions of Elder Cheng and Elder Yi.
After all, one was a top-tier researcher, and the other could grasp the stars from the heavens…
"Can anyone tell me why Shrek Academy has remained glorious for ten thousand years?"
Shrek Academy.
Inside a first-year classroom.
Zhou Yi stood at the front, her aged face blank as she scanned the students.
Many of them trembled, lowering their heads, afraid she would call on them. In other classes—like Teacher Mu Jin's—students would eagerly raise their hands.
But this witch? If your answer didn't satisfy her, she'd punish you mercilessly—forcing you to run laps in heavy armor or stand under the scorching sun for hours until your soul nearly left your body. And all she would say was, Useless trash.
She was like a menopausal, temperamental old woman, inspiring deep resentment.
Even worse, if you showed dissatisfaction, she'd threaten you with expulsion. The weight of family expectations and pressure crushed you, forcing you to beg her not to kick you out.
And that only made her torment you more…
Wang Dong, unconcerned, gazed out the window. The semester was nearly over, and soon he'd escape this old witch's tyranny. He would study in the Sun-Moon Empire for three years, and by the time he returned, he'd be a fourth-year student.
"Wang Dong, answer the question." Zhou Yi frowned, locking her gaze on him.
"First page of the textbook. Can't you read it yourself?" Wang Dong yawned, eyes filled with impatience.
The entire class fell silent.
"Is he trying to get expelled?" Lan Ruoruo whispered in shock.
Lan Susu nodded in realization. "The exchange student list must be finalized. He's leaving next month. Even Zhou Yi doesn't have the authority to expel him now. He's a twin martial soul genius—too valuable. Expelling him would be pushing him straight into the Sun-Moon Empire's hands."
Zhou Sicheng smacked his lips, full of envy. "Why couldn't they pick me? I also want to go to the Sun-Moon Empire as an exchange student. As long as I can escape from that old witch Zhou Yi, anywhere would be fine."
Cao Jin Xuan scoffed. "You? Stop dreaming. The class monitor got selected for the reserve team before the competition and is in a league of his own among our new first-years. The only one who can compare is Dai Huabin from the other class. And you? You're nothing."
"Hey, you—" Zhou Sicheng widened his eyes in anger. The two friends nearly started arguing.
But Zhou Yi, who had sharp eyes, immediately noticed them and curled her lips into a cold smile.
"You two! Get out and run twenty laps with weights!"
At her harsh, glass-scraping voice, the two slumped in dejection and walked out of the classroom.
The room fell into instant silence.
Zhou Yi leisurely walked down from the podium, scrutinizing Wang Dong with a smirk. "What's wrong, Wang Dong? Now that you're about to leave, you think you don't have to respect your teachers anymore? Truly, you're just an uncultured brat that no one bothered to raise properly."
"..."
Wang Dong's small hands clenched tightly. In that instant, Zhou Yi had unknowingly struck directly at her sore spot. After all, she didn't even know who her parents were…
"Heh, this old witch really has nothing better to offer." Wang Dong quickly composed herself, sneering as she glanced at Zhou Yi. "If it weren't for your husband, Fan Yu, who would you even be? Do you really think you're worthy of teaching at Shrek's Outer Court?"
"Your nose is always up in the air, constantly looking down on others, saying this person has shamed Shrek's legacy and that person is a disgrace. And you? A nearly forty-year-old Soul Emperor? Tell me, which one of us students here doesn't have the talent to completely crush a so-called 'teacher' like you?"
"You're a failure yourself, yet you're here pretending to educate others. Honestly, I think Shrek… is just like this."
Wang Dong shrugged carelessly.
"You—"
Zhou Yi's face instantly turned red with rage. Ever since Fan Yu became the head of the Soul Tool Department, no one had ever dared to talk to her like this.
Wang Dong's words were like a sharp blade, cutting precisely into her weak spot.
Zhou Yi had always felt insecure about her marriage to Fan Yu. After all, there were many who admired him, and compared to them, she had nothing—no background, no outstanding talent. She was nothing except someone Fan Yu happened to love.
She knew that everything she had today was because of him. Her deep-rooted inferiority complex had gradually twisted her personality, making her a control freak. By lording over these so-called "geniuses" of Shrek, she established her authority and derived a sense of superiority from wielding power over them.
Until now, she had been lost in that illusion.
If Wang Dong hadn't torn through her facade, she might have never realized it.
"You what? Get your disgusting hands off me." Wang Dong swatted Zhou Yi's hand away in disgust.
"You're a teacher, right? Then what exactly have you taught us? Repeated physical training and weighted runs? As if I can't afford those rusty old training tools? Or do you think I can't hire a healing-type Soul Master? Most of the knowledge is already in the textbooks, and all you do is dryly recite from them. Have you ever provided a single bit of your own understanding?"
"You're just garbage…"
Wang Dong scoffed and walked straight out of the classroom.
(End of Chapter)