Freshman Class 1
Wang Yan stood on the podium, turned around, and wrote five large words on the blackboard:
Soul Guidance Device, Soul Master.
He then faced the class with a gentle smile and began, "Today, I will talk about soul guidance devices. My teaching philosophy may differ significantly from that of many other teachers. Some of the concepts I introduce might be difficult for you to grasp now, and they may even challenge your existing beliefs."
"However, I believe that since you have passed the freshman assessment and secured your place at Shrek Academy, you are among the best of your peers. As your class teacher, I have high expectations for you."
The class erupted into warm applause. Who doesn't appreciate praise? These eleven or twelve-year-old soul masters were at an age where recognition meant everything.
Especially after witnessing Zhou Yi's harsh teaching methods the previous day, which could only be described as appalling, the students were relieved to see her gone.
Zhou Yi had been expelled by Dean Yan, thanks to Huo Yuhao's intervention. The students who had suffered under her rule were so grateful that they felt like kneeling and kowtowing to Huo Yuhao.
Happiness, after all, is often a matter of comparison.
Wang Yan's gentle demeanor and encouraging words were a breath of fresh air, making everyone feel at ease.
Without further ado, Wang Yan got straight to the point. "Students, as you can see on the blackboard, today's topic is the soul guidance device. I want to ask you: What does the soul guidance device mean to us, as soul masters? Can anyone share their thoughts?"
Soul guidance device?
At this question, many students looked uneasy.
In their eyes, soul guidance devices were external tools.
For soul masters, the abilities they cultivated themselves were the most reliable and trustworthy. This belief had been ingrained in them since childhood, and most of them held a dismissive attitude toward soul guidance devices.
Even those who were curious about soul guidance devices remained silent, unwilling to speak up.
Wang Yan, observing their reactions, understood the deep-rooted traditions of soul masters at Shrek Academy. The Soul Guidance Department had existed for many years but had always been overshadowed by the Martial Soul Department, never truly flourishing.
Wang Yan's gaze fell on Huo Yuhao. "In that case, let's hear from our class monitor, Huo Yuhao. Please share your thoughts."
Huo Yuhao's lips twitched. 'Is this really the duty of a class monitor?'
He stood up reluctantly and began, "Personally, I don't reject soul guidance devices. Their development is inevitable. Today, civilian soul guidance devices are widespread, found in every corner of society. Combat-type soul guidance devices, in particular, offer significant enhancements to soul masters."
He continued, "Take the classification of soul masters, for example. Since the collision of the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent, times have changed. With the help of specific soul guidance devices, even an auxiliary soul master—whose soul skills lack lethality—can transform into a control-type, agile attack-type, or even a strong attack-type soul master!"
"In essence, soul guidance devices can amplify the effects of soul ring skills, bridging the gap between martial souls of varying quality. They also allow soul masters to have more diverse choices when it comes to soul rings."
With that, Huo Yuhao sat down under Wang Yan's approving gaze.
The classroom buzzed with chatter.
'What? Are soul guidance devices really as powerful as the class monitor says? How come we didn't know this?'
For a moment, the students were thrown into doubt. After all, the person who had spoken was Huo Yuhao, their class monitor! The same Huo Yuhao who had punched a Soul Emperor! The freshmen, who had once been so proud of their talents, now looked up to him with admiration.
In their eyes, Huo Yuhao's words carried far more weight than Wang Yan's.
On Douluo Continent, strength commanded respect. Most of the students in Class 1 had already become Huo Yuhao's ardent fans, taking his words as gospel.
If Huo Yuhao said it, it must be true!
Huo Yuhao glanced at the confused and conflicted faces around him. He couldn't help but think, 'Why must we choose between soul masters and soul guidance devices? Why not embrace both?'
As the saying goes, a gentleman's nature is not inherently different; he simply excels at using tools.
It wasn't necessary to learn how to make soul guidance devices, but learning how to use them effectively wouldn't take much time. High-level soul guidance devices could often be more useful than soul skills.
Take the invincible shield, for example. Although it was a disposable item and expensive—requiring golden crystal stones, a specialty of the Sun Moon Empire—it could be a soul master's second life!
If everyone had possessed an invincible shield during the tragedy of the corpse explosion in the original story, would they have been nearly wiped out by the Soul King-level evil soul master, the Death Messenger (Death God Envoy)?
It was only because they had been blinded by the glory of Shrek Academy's traditional soul masters that they hadn't realized this sooner.
'You don't know what pain is until you've been beaten.'
Wang Yan smiled, clearly pleased with Huo Yuhao's answer. "I must say, Yuhao, your perspective on soul guidance devices is quite advanced and aligns closely with my own. It's no wonder you chose to study soul guidance devices on the first day of class division."
His words caused a stir.
'What? Someone actually chose to study soul guidance devices as an elective? How absurd!'
'Wait, that someone is Huo Yuhao? Well, that makes sense.'
At this moment, Xiao Xiao whispered to Wang Dong, "I never expected Yuhao, who's already so strong, to choose a soul guidance device course."
Wang Dong looked slightly embarrassed. "Actually, Xiao Xiao, I also signed up for the soul guidance device course with Yuhao."
Xiao Xiao felt betrayed. "Wang Dong, you too? Didn't you say you weren't interested in soul guidance devices last time?"
Wang Dong scratched her nose apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't tell you. The soul guidance device elective only takes one hour a day. If you're interested, you can join us."
Xiao Xiao shook her head. "No, I need to focus on practicing my soul power and martial arts. I don't have the time. And with only an hour a day, can you really learn anything?"
Wang Dong wasn't entirely confident either. "Maybe? At least we can learn how to identify and use some basic soul guidance devices. It shouldn't be as complicated as hidden weapon techniques, right?"
Their conversation was cut short as Wang Yan continued.
"It can be said that the soul guidance device is the soul ring of the new era!"
The students were stunned. Wang Yan's words were shocking, to say the least, and they were all eager to hear more.
"For us soul masters, there is a critical issue. It may not be a problem for your generation, but as time progresses, it will undoubtedly affect all soul masters. That issue is the soul beast."
Wang Yan added the words "soul beast" to the five words already on the blackboard.
Soul beast?
The students were puzzled by Wang Yan's sudden mention of soul beasts.
Wang Yan nodded solemnly. "I'm talking about the number of soul beasts. As you know, when a soul master reaches a bottleneck, they must hunt soul beasts to absorb soul rings in order to break through."
"Although soul beasts have existed for thousands of years, the number of soul masters among humans has always been small—about one in a thousand. However, to increase the number of soul rings, we have been encroaching on the living space of soul beasts."
"According to research, the growth of soul beasts isn't solely dependent on time. Like soul masters, soul beasts can also use external means to enhance their cultivation."
"The terms 'hundred-year soul beast,' 'thousand-year soul beast,' and so on, simply denote the level of their soul rings, not necessarily the time they've spent cultivating. However, the time required for soul beasts to grow is still considerable!"
"Geniuses like you are undoubtedly pursuing the best soul ring ratios—a purple thousand-year soul ring for the third ring and a black ten-thousand-year soul ring for the fifth."
"With your talent, you might reach the Soul King level by the age of eighteen or nineteen. But for a soul beast to reach the ten-thousand-year level, it takes nearly ten thousand years of cultivation. As more geniuses emerge, the number of ten-thousand-year soul beasts will continue to decline."
Wang Yan's voice grew more passionate.
"Ten thousand years ago, the overall strength of soul beasts on the continent surpassed that of humans. But today, ten thousand years later, I can confidently say that the overall strength of soul beasts no longer compares to ours."
"Too many high-level soul beasts have become soul rings for human soul masters. So, I ask you, what will the continent look like in another ten thousand years? Will we still be able to freely hunt soul beasts in the soul beast forests?"
His words struck a chord, and the students were deeply shaken. The room fell into a solemn silence.
Wang Yan's voice grew louder. "I can give you the answer: No. In ten thousand years, even a hundred-year soul ring will become a luxury. The ultimate fate of soul beasts will be to be raised in captivity by humans, becoming entirely subservient."
"By then, even a hundred-year soul ring will be unattainable. Without powerful soul rings, how will we soul masters improve our strength? The answer lies in soul guidance devices. This is an inevitable evolution of the times."
"I cannot change this process, nor can you. What you must do now is accept this reality. Of course, I'm not asking you to abandon your training as soul masters and switch to studying soul guidance devices."
"What I want to emphasize is that you are living in a time of great change. I hope you will not reject soul guidance devices but instead learn to accept them and integrate them seamlessly with your own strength."
Wang Yan's expression was grave as he concluded his speech.
The classroom was unusually quiet. Some of Wang Yan's words felt distant, while others carried a sense of urgency.
The students understood that Wang Yan was urging them to embrace soul guidance devices, but this idea disrupted their long-held beliefs and made them uncomfortable.
Wang Yan said nothing more. He simply looked at these young students, the future hope of Shrek Academy, and waited quietly for them to process his words. He knew they needed time.
Huo Yuhao observed his classmates silently, maintaining his idle cultivation state using the Yuan Stone.
'The more soul masters there are, the fewer soul beasts; the fewer soul beasts, the fewer soul masters who can absorb suitable soul rings and grow stronger. Thus, the more soul masters there are, the fewer soul masters there will be in the future.'
This paradoxical relationship between soul masters and soul beasts was troubling.
But it didn't matter.
The Son of Luck would take action!
Once they obtained Life Gold, Electrolux could begin researching the soul system. Although the soul system wasn't a perfect solution, it was a step forward.
…
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