When he heard Yan Shaozhe’s words, Jing Hongchen’s expression turned gloomy, but he smiled and said, “Alright.”
“I didn’t know Dean Yan was such a reliable person. I hope you can take good care of my students.”
Yan Shaozhe laughed and said, “At least I can guarantee that the things they learn learn while they’re at Shrek will be useful. Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard will be open to them; I hope that Hallmaster Hongchen can reciprocate this sincerity during the exchange.”
Jing Hongchen laughed and replied, “Of course. Your elite students will receive the best possible guidance in the Illustrious Virtue Hall.”
Yan Shaozhe laughed slightly and said, “Since that’s the case, let’s make this a promise.” He then lifted his right hand.
Jing Hongchen also lifted his palm and give Yan Shaozhe a high-five. The two of them laughed, but only they themselves knew what they were thinking.
The students from both academies switched positions under the guidance of the teachers. When Xiao Hongchen and Huo Yuhao brushed past each other, Huo Yuhao clearly heard Xiao Hongchen say, “In the next tournament, I’ll personally be the one to crush your balls.”
Huo Yuhao smirked. “I’m so scared.”
They exchanged heated gazes, neither backing down from the challenge. However, unlike Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen was in a good mood, which was quite a surprise to Huo Yuhao. She even had a smile on her face, and only nodded her head slightly when she saw him. Huo Yuhao didn’t feel any contempt in her gaze, which left him a bit perplexed.
In fact, even Xiao Hongchen didn’t know what his sister was currently thinking.
Meng Hongchen smiled and her face even turned a little red. She looked into the distance and thought to herself, He isn’t a part of this exchange. Does that mean that he’s in Shrek Academy? I wonder what he looks like now; I bet he’s even more handsome. I’m going to see him soon! His pinkish-blue eyes are really beautiful.
Apart from Yan Shaozhe and Jing Hongchen, everyone from both academies had switched positions.
Yan Shaozhe smiled gently and said, “Hallmaster Hongchen, I shall bid you farewell for now.”
Jing Hongchen said, “Dean Yan, take care.”
Their gazes met again, then Yan Shaoze flew up into the air. He didn’t even need to use a flying-type soul tool. Rather, tan invisible staircase seemed to be present in the sky and lead all the way up.
Under Teacher Ma’s guidance, everyone from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy took out their flying-type soul tools and started to activate them. However, they were shocked when they saw Yan Shaozhe glide into the air. Was this the power of a Transcendent Douluo?
Jing Hongchen didn’t rush to leave. He watched as Yan Shaozhe left with the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy’s students, somewhat pensive.
He could also fly on his own, since he was also a Titled Douluo. However, he couldn’t do what Yan Shaozhe was doing. After all, Yan Shaozhe hadn’t even used any soul power! Even though Elder Mu had passed on, Shrek Academy was still a powerhouse!
Jing Hongchen grinned and then turned around. He looked at Fan Yu and the Shrek Academy students before saying, “Guys, let’s go. I’m the Hallmaster of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, Jing Hongchen. On behalf of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, I welcome you all.”
Jing Hongchen also leapt up into the air once he’d finished speaking. Two thin streaks of golden light slowly rose behind his body.
Huo Yuhao observed the flying-type soul tool that he used carefully. It seemed like a pair of wings that was both very thin and very soft. The wings didn’t appear to be made of metal at all. Even though the golden lights on the wings surged, no soul power could be felt from it. Jing Hongchen flapped his wings lightly and rose into the sky with ease.
Soul tools were usually made from metal, but what kind of metal could be described as soft? At most, metals were generally considered malleable, yet Jing Hongchen’s flying-type soul tool actually gave off a feeling of softness.
Fan Yu was a Class 8 soul engineer himself, but his shock was even greater than Huo Yuhao’s. He muttered to himself as he flew into the air, “The Illustrious Virtue Hall’s research into soul tool bionics has reached such a level?”
Shrek Academy’s Soul Tool Department had developed rapidly over the past two years. However, Fan Yu could clearly sense the difference in quality between the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy and Shrek Academy. As far as soul tools go, the gap was exceedingly large!
Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but ask, “Teacher, what do you mean by ‘soul tool bionics’?”
Fan Yu said, “It refers to imitating the form of a living being with a soul tool. The soul tool will then adopt some of the common characteristics found in the being it’s imitating.”
Jing Hongchen’s voice could be heard as soon as Fan Yu finished speaking, “Little fellows, we need to be quicker. Else we won’t reach our destination before dark.”
As he spoke, the flying-type soul tool behind him started to shine with golden light. It was like a golden screen of light had descended from the heavens, and they were all engulfed in it.
Some of the students attempted to resist out of surprise, but Fan Yu stopped them.
Afterwards, everyone started to move upwards. They realized that Jing Hongchen had expanded his flying-type soul tool a thousand times over, and engulfed them in the aforementioned film of light. They ended up behind Jing Hongchen’s back, his more than ten meter-wide wings flapping lightly.
Jing Hongchen turned around and smiled at them. The golden light became even more intense soon afterwards, and the surrounding scenery began to blur.
Huo Yuhao groaned, only managing to stabilize himself with He Caitou’s help, and then unleashed his Spiritual Detection to analyze the light film. However, attempting to do so ended with his spiritual power simply being shredded by the air current outside of the film. Luckily, he stopped his Spiritual Detection fast enough that he wasn’t hurt.
Everything outside had become blurred, but even so, the students from Shrek Academy felt nothing; it was almost like they were in a quiet room. They couldn’t even hear the sound of the wind outside. In fact, they might not have even realized that they were moving if it wasn’t for the fact that they could see the scenery zooming by.
Fan Yu’s expression hardened. He was well aware that Jing Hongchen was showing off, but he also understood that his flying-type soul tool was the highest calibre on the entire continent. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy’s understanding of bionics must’ve reached a considerably high level, considering the fact that they were able to use it on flying-type soul tools. Conversely, Shrek Academy was still in the dark on soul tool bionics.
Elder Xuan had once carried everyone as he flew, but Jing Hongchen was on an entirely different level.
Huo Yuhao began to ponder as well. He’d discovered early on that streaks of golden light would shine near Jing Hongchen’s back; they were most likely the soul tool’s origin. But what about the film of light surrounding them? Had it also been formed through the soul tool with soul power?
No, definitely not.
Huo Yuhao reached out to touch it, and felt a smooth texture. He couldn’t tell what it was made of, but he was certain that he’d never seen anything like it before.
Originally Huo Yuhao had been feeling down from his separation with Wang Dong, but now he was fascinated with this magical soul tool. For the next two and a half years, he would be learning in the same place that this soul tool had been made.
“Guys, are you alright?” Jing Hongchen’s voice resonated through the light film.
Fan Yu nodded and said in awe, “Hallmaster Hongchen, your flying-type soul tool is quite impressive. I didn’t expect your academy’s research in this aspect to have reached such a level.”
Jing Hongchen replied, “It’s never enough. I won’t consider it a major breakthrough until I can be within the light film at the same time as I pilot it. To be honest, even though this soul tool expended quite a lot of valuable resources, it was primarily made for research purposes. One goal of the Illustrious Virtue Hall is to create a flying-type soul tool that can carry many people without using too much soul power. Of course, we’re hard at work in achieving this goal, but it’s not something we can achieve in the short-term.”
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Fan Yu sighed and said, “At least your academy has a lofty goal like that. When that day comes, the masses will be able to fly across the continent with ease; everything will change.”
Jing Hongchen laughed and said, “That might be possible many years from now, but I doubt I’ll live to see it.”
Fan Yu didn’t know how much he was leaving out, but he was certain that the gap in technology between their academies was smaller than the gap in training their soul masters had.
Elder Mu decision to develop soul tools before he passed on was undoubtedly the correct decision, and the opportunity to pursue that goal was right in front of them.
The Sun Moon Empire’s capital was called Sun Moon City or The Radiant City. It was the hub of the Sun Moon Empire’s administration and economy. The city was very large, completely beyond what the Shrek Academy students had imagined.
Jing Hongchen only slowed down once they entered the Radiant City. When he did so, everyone could clearly see what was beneath them.
“We’ve already arrived in The Radiant City. All of you will live in this place for the next two and a half years. I hope that you all find it to your liking.”
“The Radiant City is the pride of the Sun Moon Empire. I’m certain that even if one were to place Star Luo City, Heaven Dou City, and Dou Ling City together, they’d still be outclassed in size by The Radiant City.”
It was already nightfall when they arrived, but the time only served to make the city appear more shocking. As Huo Yuhao looked down on the city, he could only see buildings in every direction; there didn’t seem to be end to the city. The majority of the buildings were five stories tall, but some were more than ten. This was extremely rare in Shrek City and Star Luo City. However, this wasn’t what caused the city to look shocking; many buildings were lit up, and shone brightly, like the stars in the sky.
Many large streets and avenues snaked between the buildings, some of which were as large as thirty meters in width. Huo Yuhao seemed to sense a soul power fluctuation amidst the bright lights.
Fan Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Hallmaster Hongchen, why are there no city walls?”
Jing Hongchen replied, “The Radiant City doesn’t need walls.” His voice sounded very calm, yet was also full of assurance. His words were thought-provoking, but they didn’t divulge any of the Sun Moon Empire’s secrets.
Jing Hongchen led everyone as they flew towards the south. As they flew, Huo Yuhao noticed some star-shaped golden lights emerging from Jing Hongchen’s flying-type soul tool and spreading outwards that seemed to maintain a special frequency.
Even though Huo Yuhao didn’t know what the point of it was, but he knew it had to have a point. He quickly found the rhythm with his spiritual power, then recorded it.
Jing Hongchen’s words weren’t an exaggeration. While they weren’t flying very fast, it still took them fifteen minutes to reach the Radiant City’s southern edge. Huo Yuhao could tell that even if they really did combine all of the capitals, it would still be less than half the size of the city beneath them. While he might not have seen the Heavenly Dou Empire and Dou Ling Empire’s capitals in person, he still knew that this was the case. This city’s sheer scale left them in shock.
Not too far in front of them, a hexagonal region outlined by lights appeared. This region alone was comparable to a medium-sized city. There were several buildings inside of it, but the region mostly contained empty plots of land. Jing Hongchen informed everyone that this region was property of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
The golden light scattered, and Jing Hongchen landed with everyone in an enormous plaza. The light film dispersed, and the magical flying-type soul tool disappeared before any of them realized.
Some people were awaiting their arrival in the plaza and had come to welcome them. Among them, a short and plump middle-aged man walked towards Jing Hongchen and said respectfully, “Hallmaster, everything’s been arranged.”
Jing Hongchen smiled and said, “Let me introduce this man to you all. He’s the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy’s teaching director, Lin Jiayi. All of you will be learning from him over the next two and a half years. Jiayi, please make the proper arrangements for these students. Teacher Fan Yu, please follow me.”
Once he’d finished speaking, Jing Hongchen led Fan Yu somewhere else. Fan Yu didn’t even look at Huo Yuhao or He Caitou as he left. As of this moment, the exchange had officially begun.
Lin Jiayi’s face was as chubby as Jing Hongchen’s, it was just younger looking. He waved his right hand, and the people behind him stepped forward. They each held a tray and stood in front of a different Shrek student.
“Welcome everyone, to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. For the next two and a half years, each and every one of you will be considered students of our Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. To ensure the success of this exchange, we’ll be providing you all with the best learning environments. As such, the Illustrious Virtue Hall will be open to you two days week. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to take part in the Illustrious Virtue Hall’s tests. If you manage to pass, you’ll become members of the Illustrious Virtue Hall until the exchange is over.
Within these trays you’ll find a map of the academy and the academy’s handbook, as well as the keys to your room. As it’s a bit late right now, the academy’s teachers will conduct a few simple tests so that you can receive your proper uniforms tomorrow. Once your physical conditions have been recorded, you can find me if you need help with anything.”
Everyone received their things, while Ye Xiaosheng cemented his role as their leader by stepping forward first. He Caitou and Huo Yuhao, along with the rest of the students, followed him. He Caitou and Huo Yuhao stayed near the back of the pack as they were led by the teachers to a nearby area.
As they walked, Huo Yuhao took out the map that he’d just received. The darkness didn’t affect his vision much. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was much larger than Shrek Academy, even if one included Sea God’s Island.
The map simply showed that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was divided into three regions—the teaching area, dormitories, and the testing area.
The testing area covered two-thirds of the academy, and many regions within the testing area were circled. Huo Yuhao could vaguely recall that there were many buildings within these regions, but their purposes weren’t written on the map.
There was a particular region in the center of the testing area that was circled in red called the Illustrious Virtue Hall. While the Illustrious Virtue Hall was a part of the testing area, everyone present knew just what it meant to the Sun Moon Empire and their academy.
The teaching area and dormitory area had more details on the map. There were a total of twelve teaching blocks divided into six grades of students—two blocks for each grade. It was clear that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy accepted far more students than Shrek Academy.
Elder Xuan had given them a brief overview of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy before they’d come, which included its students.
The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy’s six grades weren’t classified by age. Instead, the requirements to join the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy were to be a Rank 10 soul master with at least one soul ring, and to not be over twelve years in age. However, age wasn’t an important divider once one joined the academy.
In the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, one could enter the second grade when their abilities reached the standard of a Class 1 soul engineer. Following this rule, they would enter the third grade at Class 2. The learning atmosphere at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy seemed to be much more relaxed than Shrek Academy’s, as there were only tests to determine the grade of a soul engineer. Of course, the soul engineer tests given at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy were much different than the tests given out at Shrek Academy, but Huo Yuhao was unsure how this difference would manifest.
There was still a cut-off point in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. If one was unable to become a Class 3 soul engineer by the time they turned eighteen, they’d have to leave the academy and fend for themselves. But if one could live up to their standards and become a Class 5 soul engineer by twenty-five, then they’d qualify to enter the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Similarly, if they didn’t reach Class 5 by twenty-five, then they’d have to leave.
At this point, the teachers brought Huo Yuhao and the others to a school building for first-grade students.
The building was massive, and the vast corridors extended far into the distance. Lin Jiayi informed everyone that the quantity of students in each grade varied a lot because of the promotional criteria in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. There were thirty-two classes of forty students each in the first grade, which fell by a third once one entered the second grade. The sixth grade students, on the other hand—all of whom Class 5 soul engineers—were no longer separated into classes, and all cultivated together in order to prepare for the Illustrious Virtue Hall’s tests.
Huo Yuhao noticed that there were many soul tools all throughout the school building, all of which looked exquisite. While he could tell what some of them were used for, most of them he couldn’t.
Lin Jiayi brought them all the way to the end of the first level and stopped in front of a room. There was a sign on the door that read ‘Measurement Room.’
Lin Jiayi retrieved a badge from his neck and placed it in front of a circular, disc-like object embedded in the door.
A beep sounded, and the metal door silently opened to both sides. Lin Jiayi then led everyone inside .
The room wasn’t very big, only around a hundred square meters in size. Inside, there were several large-scale soul tools.
There were some large-scale soul tools inside Shrek Academy’s Soul Tool Department’s testing area, but they were mainly used for handling metal, sculpting, and punching holes during the process of creating other soul tools. However, the large-scale soul tools here were much more compact, and soul power undulations they emitted were much stronger.
Lin Jiayi clapped his hands, attracting everyone’s attention to him. “This is the academy’s measurement room. All students must complete their physical measurements here. Don’t worry, the soul physique measuring scale won’t do any harm to your body. Now then, I’ll need all of you to temporarily put your soul tools away to prevent any interference. Pass your storage-type soul tools to your friends first, then ensure that there’s no other metals on your bodies.”