Afterward, Qian Duoduo turned his gaze to Fan Yu and spoke meaningfully:
"Fan Yu, as long as you can successfully complete our Ultimate Individual Soldier Plan, I can guarantee that you will become the next dean of the Soul Guidance Department."
"Dean Qian, you should know that the reason I proposed the Ultimate Individual Soldier Plan wasn't just for the position."
A trace of fanaticism flashed in Fan Yu's eyes. Regarding the future of soul guides, he had finally found the last perfect piece of the puzzle!
Qian Duoduo smiled slightly. "Of course, I understand your thoughts. This is our shared ideal. If we can achieve our goal, even the Sun and Moon Empire will be within our grasp!"
Never had such a great opportunity presented itself!
"Alright, let's go meet Yuhao. At the very least, we should have him study part-time in the Soul Guidance Department first. I believe that even as a part-time student, Huo Yuhao will undoubtedly showcase his talent in soul guidance!"
Qian Duoduo patted Fan Yu on the shoulder and then headed toward Test Area No. 12.
…
On the Other Side
After He Caitou's diligent introduction, Huo Yuhao and his companions spent nearly half an hour in the Soul Guidance Test Area.
Unexpectedly, this triggered a surprising turn of events.
Looking at the enthusiastic He Caitou, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but see him as a useful tool. He knew that He Caitou's real name was Xu He, and as someone familiar with the original story, he was aware that He Caitou was the nephew of the current emperor of the Sun and Moon Empire. His father had been the previous emperor.
However, the imperial family is often ruthless.
When He Caitou was nine years old, his uncle, in his bid for the throne, colluded with an evil soul master to stage a palace coup.
He Caitou was the sole survivor, fleeing alone into the Heavenly Soul Empire, where Fan Yu rescued him. He was then accepted as Fan Yu's direct disciple and became a core disciple of the Soul Guidance Department.
As the former crown prince of the Sun and Moon Empire, He Caitou's martial soul did not inherit the Sun Martial Soul from his father but instead the Cigar Martial Soul from his mother.
While this cigar spirit was slightly inferior to the Sun and Moon Empire's inherited spirits, it was still of remarkable quality.
He Caitou could be considered a talented food-type soul master! If he had been placed in the Martial Soul Department, he would have undoubtedly been heavily cultivated.
However, due to the peculiar nature of his soul skills, He Caitou rarely used them. Additionally, when Fan Yu discovered that his martial soul was of the food system after taking him as a disciple, he didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, He Caitou was trained as a soul engineer.
As a result, He Caitou always believed that his martial soul was no different from a useless one, except that it could be cultivated.
Though he never forgot the bloody feud in his heart, with the Cigar Martial Soul being a food-type auxiliary spirit, it was difficult to achieve combat effectiveness relying solely on the martial soul itself.
He Caitou could only place his hopes on soul tools and the Ultimate Individual Soldier Plan.
Over the years, he had been diligently learning how to create soul tools under Fan Yu's guidance, hoping to one day gain the power to exact revenge and make those responsible pay in blood.
To conceal his identity, He Caitou always presented himself as simple and unassuming.
Aside from his unique name, people usually called him "Caitou" or gave him nicknames like "Big Black Guy" or "Muscular Man."
In the original story, due to their senior-junior relationship, Huo Yuhao easily bonded with He Caitou. Their fate began with the clear understanding in their eyes when they first met.
Huo Yuhao felt that he had left a good impression on He Caitou.
[He Caitou]
[Relationship: Acquaintance]
[Locked]
[Achievement Triggered!]
[Achieved He Caitou's 'Very Good Junior' Achievement. Reward: Hidden Stone Gu.]
[Hidden Stone Gu: A first-turn Gu insect with the ability to turn the user invisible. However, it can only hide the body, not clothing.]
[Evaluation: For now, patience is the only option!]
…
Not long after, the trio saw Qian Duoduo and Fan Yu approaching hurriedly.
"Yuhao, we meet again," Qian Duoduo said affectionately, patting Huo Yuhao's shoulder. Then, he turned to Wang Dong and Ning Tian with eager eyes: "Are you also interested in soul guidance equipment? You're more than welcome to join us!"
At that moment, Qian Duoduo almost felt like crying.
This was a blessing from the heavens!
The Soul Guidance Department had always been overshadowed by the Martial Soul Department, picking up the leftovers. How could they ever have expected to encounter such prodigious talent?
Fan Yu had also brought in He Caitou from outside.
Now, not only had they encountered a once-in-a-century genius like Huo Yuhao, but they were also getting two additional talents for free!
Qian Duoduo recalled that Ning Tian and Wang Dong were both core disciples of the Martial Soul Department.
'Thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi!'
'The time had come for the rise of the Soul Guidance Department!'
"Don't be shy, sit down, sit down," Qian Duoduo said with a smile. "Caitou must have shown you the soul tools earlier. Have you made up your minds?"
Ning Tian nodded solemnly, handing over the elective form with determined eyes. "Hello, Dean Qian. I've decided to choose soul guidance equipment!"
"Good child, excellent judgment!" Qian Duoduo praised, taking the elective form.
This was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda! At the soul elder level, with her ability to control distractions, she was indeed well-suited for learning soul guidance tools.
"Yuhao, Wang Dong, what about you?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "I also plan to choose soul guidance equipment."
This was like Jiang Taigong fishing—those willing would take the bait.
Huo Yuhao believed that as long as he showed even a hint of his potential, the higher-ups of the Soul Guidance Department would never let go of a peerless genius like him.
It was better to plan ahead. Huo Yuhao intended to acquire the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife in advance through the Soul Guidance Department.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao and Ning Tian had agreed, Wang Dong followed suit. "Like Yuhao, I'll choose soul guidance equipment. However, neither of us has an elective form."
Since Ning Tian had only brought two forms, Huo Yuhao hadn't left Wang Dong out and hadn't filled out the forms either.
"Excellent! The elective forms are trivial matters. Caitou, go to Fan Yu's office and get them for Yuhao and the others," Qian Duoduo instructed, then added:
"Let me make this clear. As first-year students and core disciples of the Martial Soul Department, you must not neglect your martial studies while pursuing soul guidance. Your primary focus should remain on martial souls. Aside from rest days, you only need to spend one hour here daily after your martial soul classes."
"Fan Yu, you'll be responsible for teaching the three of them from now on," Qian Duoduo declared with a wave of his hand.
"As the deputy dean of the Soul Guidance Department, I'll teach you your first lesson today. The development of soul tools aligns with the times, and there's no inherent conflict between soul masters and soul engineers. If a soul master's martial soul and soul skills are powerful, combining them with soul tools will make them even stronger!"
"However, among the three empires of Douluo Continent, many still cling to the pride of soul masters' past glory and fail to understand this truth. Even Shrek Academy is no exception..."
"...I believe that those of you who have chosen soul guidance equipment will undoubtedly gain something valuable!"
[Achievement Triggered!]
[Achieved Fan Yu's 'This One is Not to Be Missed!' Achievement. Reward: Four-Flavored Wine Bug.]
[Four-Flavored Wine Gu: A second-turn Gu that helps refine and purify soul power.]
[Evaluation: An alternative ultimate martial soul.]
And so, the trio began their elective studies in soul guidance tools.
Xiao Xiao: What about me?
…
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