Chapter 53.2
Chapter 53.2: Irrefutable Benefits?
Yan Shaozhe said, “Soul Tools have been rapidly developing during these past few years. However, the power of soul masters still lies deep within ourselves. If you like soul tools, it’d be fine for you to try them out when you reach the rank of a Titled Douluo in the future. I hope that you’ll think about this carefully and won’t let this chance slip by. If you’re willing to join our Martial Soul Department you’ll receive a large amount of resources from the inner courtyard. At the same time, I can pledge three things to you, to compensate for our past misjudgement.”
“The first is regarding Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao. Wang Dong can fully utilise your fusion skill, and has worked together with you this entire time. Xiao Xiao has also worked together with you, and is also a soul master who possesses twin martial souls. I can guarantee that they’ll definitely become inner courtyard disciples of the Martial Soul Department like you in the future. You need to realize that core disciples and inner courtyard disciples are entirely different. Not all core disciples can definitely enter the inner courtyard. Furthermore, you’d get more resources from the academy if you become an inner courtyard disciple ahead of time.”
“Secondly, with my position as Dean of the Martial Soul Department, I can assure you that the academy will do everything in its power to give you a complete set of soul bones. I’ll do my best to give you soul bones of the highest quality to ensure that you have the highest possible fusion rate with the soul bones. I can also guarantee that there will be at least one soul bone from a hundred thousand year old soul beast included within this set.
Thirdly, I can guarantee that you’ll be given a hundred thousand year old soul ring, at the very least.”
Wang Yan became dumbfounded when he heard everything that Yan Shaozhe had to say. His first reaction to the Dean’s proposal was that the Dean had gone crazy…
Even though Shrek Academy was extraordinarily wealthy, the three things that Yan Shaozhe had promised Huo Yuhao were all similarly extraordinary things! A hundred thousand year soul ring and a hundred thousand year soul bone meant that the powerhouses from Shrek Academy would have to set out to kill a hundred thousand year soul beast just for Huo Yuhao! These rewards were unprecedented in the history of the academy. Not to mention the fact that Yan Shaozhe had added a complete set of soul bones to the deal!
Yan Shaozhe was especially cunning however, as he’d also proposed letting Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao enter the inner courtyard together with Huo Yuhao. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao were both Huo Yuhao’s best friends. With this condition present, Yan Shozhe was certain that Huo Yuhao wouldn’t reject him without a good reason.
If it wasn’t for the competition with the Soul Tool Department, or if the Martial Soul Department had discovered the talent known as Huo Yuhao earlier on, Yan Shaozhe wouldn’t have had to promise such things so early on, even if he’d wanted to go all out and snatch him over. However, things were different now; Huo Yuhao had already become a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department, and one of Fan Yu’s personal disciple. Yan Shaozhe thus understood that he needed to present real benefits if he truly wanted Huo Yuhao to change his mind. More importantly, he needed to carry out his overt plot to steal Huo Yuhao over to their side in a just and honorable manner so the Soul Tool Department wouldn’t be able to say anything.
The Soul Tool Department might be wealthy, but could they find a top-ranked soul bone? Could the Soul Tool Department help Huo Yuhao hunt down a hundred thousand year soul beast? It was evident that both of these things would be impossible to them!
Yan Shaozhe had returned to the inner courtyard before he’d come over and had had a discussion with a few of the teachers in charge of the core disciples. In the end, they’d decided that they definitely had to keep Huo Yuhao in the Martial Soul Department, no matter the cost.
If someone were to ask him if Huo Yuhao was worth this incredible cost, Yan Shaozhe’s answer would be that he definitely was.
That’s right, the Martial Soul Department was going to huge lengths just for the sake of obtaining Huo Yuhao. However, when Huo Yuhao became an adult, Shrek Academy’s position as number one on the continent would definitely be solidified for at least the next three hundred years with him around.
It was normal for a person who’d cultivated to the rank of a Titled Douluo to live for three, or even five hundred years. Furthermore, there was already considerable veiled criticism towards Shrek Academy circulating due to their influence. These criticisms had reached both the Sun Moon Empire, and even the three original empires of the Douluo Continent. This was evident due to the fact that the three empires no longer sent children from the royal family to Shrek Academy to study.
Yan Shaozhe saw the potential in Huo Yuhao. There was a possibility that he would become a powerful leader in Shrek Academy in the future. Huo Yuhao wouldn’t necessarily remain in Shrek Academy, but so long as he was able to nurture him into a formidable powerhouse, Shrek Academy would definitely be able to stand tall in the face of any adversity it faced.
What could their investment now amount to, when faced with a few hundred years of honor for Shrek Academy? Besides, an academy was an institution where students were taught; a place that sought out talented individuals. Was it truly that easy to come across an Ultimate martial soul? This encounter was a first for both Wang Yan and Yan Shaozhe!
That didn’t mean that his Ultimate martial soul was definitely the strongest martial soul currently, but it did mean that it had the possibility to at least become one of the strongest. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao possessed twin martial souls.
These elements combined were enough for Yan Shaozhe to come to his current decision. Hence, he’d gone to look for Huo Yuhao at the first possible moment.
When he heard what Yan Shaozhe had to say, Huo Yuhao didn’t know how to reply—the weight of his words were just too much to bear. No matter how smart or calm he was, Huo Yuhao was still a twelve-year-old child. As the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Yan Shaozhe’s aura was just too powerful. For a moment, Huo Yuhao actually felt a little bit speechless.
At that moment, a hurried shout suddenly rang out. It was so sudden that both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong trembled in shock.
“Yan Shaozhe, have you no shame?”
“Bang——” Someone forcibly pushed the office door open. Qian Duoduo immediately took large strides into the room with a furious look on his face, Fan Yu trailing closely behind him.
Yan Shaozhe had been observing the advancement test, but had left once he’d given Huo Yuhao a perfect score on his test. Zhou Yi had felt that something was amiss when Wang Yan pulled Huo Yuhao away afterwards. Thus, while the test was still going on, she’d written a note for Wang Dong to give to Fan Yu.
When Fan Yu saw the note, he immediately knew what was going on. For what reason had Yan Shaozhe personally observed the advancement test? It was undoubtedly for Huo Yuhao’s sake! When his thought process had reached this point, he hadn’t dared waste another second; he immediately began searching for Qian Duoduo.
Actually, they had already arrived a few minutes ago. Yan Shaozhe had also realized this when was standing inside of the room. As such, it was only natural that they’d heard what Yan Shaozhe had said a moment ago. A flurry of verbal abuse rapidly left Qian Duoduo’s mouth as both anger and shock intermingled inside of him.
Yan Shaozhe smiled and replied, “Old Qian, how’d you manage to get enough free time to come over to the Martial Soul Department’s office building?”
Qian Duoduo exasperatedly said, “Yan Shaozhe, do you still want your face? Ah? What did we agree on? You promised to give Huo Yuhao to the Soul Tool Department—for him to be a core disciple. This is what was agreed upon when I won the bet at that time!”
Yan Shaozhe replied, “Indeed, I did promise that. However, even I am human, and humans will always have times where they make mistakes, right? There’s an old saying: ‘One can only reform oneself after recognising one’s mistakes.’. Am I not correcting my mistakes right now?”
Qian Duoduo became furious. “Rubbish! Are you saying that you can shove shit back inside after you’ve excreted it?! If you dare to steal him from me, I’ll have to fight you.”
Yan Shaozhe expression remained beaming as he replied, “You wanna fight?! Sure! We fought a lot when we were younger. Now that we’re old… it really has been a long time since we’ve learned fighting techniques from each other! Sure, let’s go and find a place to fight at. If I win, Huo Yuhao stays inside of my Martial Soul Department, and you can’t fight me over him anymore.”
Qian Duoduo almost fainted from anger. “Yan Shaozhe, I’ve met shameless people. However, I’ve never seen you behave so shamelessly before. You don’t keep your word. You’re shameless!”
Yan Shaozhe felt like he’d been wrongly accused, and it showed on his face. “I didn’t keep my word? How so? How am I shameless too? I did what I promised you! Huo Yuhao is already a core disciple of your Soul Tool Department. I didn’t stop that from happening, right? I’m only proposing something to him now. If he chooses to abandon the Soul Tool Department and return to the Martial Soul Department, then I‘ll naturally need to welcome him back wholeheartedly. This isn’t about me not keeping my word. Yuhao, you should make your decision soon. I can tell you with utmost certainty that the Soul Tool Department can’t achieve all of these promises that I’ve made to you. One can’t just kill a hundred thousand year soul beast just because they say they can. If you’re not a Titled Douluo ranked 95 and above, it’s definitely impossible for you to kill a hundred thousand year soul beast. However, it just so happens that I’ve cultivated to rank 95. You’ll understand what I mean by this when I give you an example. If I were to swap pointers with the vice-dean of the Soul Tool Department, this Qian Duoduo standing before you wouldn’t stand a chance against me, even if I were to let him make the first move in a one-on-one battle. He’s also a Titled Douluo like me. You can ask him whether or not he has the ability to kill a hundred thousand year soul beast yourself.”
Qian Duoduo felt like his lungs were going to explode. Yan Shaozhe had always overpowered, ever since they were young. This fact had remained true this time around too. However, he truly wouldn’t be Yan Shaozhe’s opponent if they ended up fighting. Even though Yan Shaozhe’s words were harsh, he’d only spoken the truth. However, Qian Duoduo became even angrier than before because of this. It had never occurred to him that Yan Shaozhe would personally look for Huo Yuhao, nor that he would pledge so many conditions in order to steal Huo Yuhao away from him.
However, he couldn’t argue with Yan Shaozhe, thus he turned towards Huo Yuhao. “Huo Yuhao, you’re already a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department, as well as Fan Yu’s direct disciple. Fan Yu will be the Dean of the Soul Tool Department in the future. You’re also extremely talented at making soul tools. You’re well aware of how the Soul Tool Department treats you. As such, I hope that you’ll consider this matter carefully.”
Consider? Consider what? Huo Yuhao’s mind had become a sticky mess; he’d lost all of his ability to think.
The honorable Dean of the Martial Soul Department stood on one side, while the vice-dean of the Soul Tool Department stood on the other. Both of them were Titled Douluo powerhouses, with Dean Yan Shaozhe being a Transcendent Titled Douluo who’s soul power was rank 95. Huo Yuhao was only a student! What could he even say in such a situation? He wouldn’t dare to offend either party!
Fan Yu looked towards Huo Yuhao and saw that he had become completely flushed and couldn’t say a word. He immediately rushed to Huo Yuhao’s side and patted him on the shoulder in a comforting manner. He then said, “Deans, you shouldn’t bother Yuhao anymore. Dean Yan, you’re truly the one in the wrong regarding this matter; Yuhao has already become a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department. In order to maintain the unity of both departments, please let sleeping dogs lie.”