Chapter 31: Soul Tool Department
The next morning, boys' dormitory.
Click.
The door to Dorm 108 was gently pushed open.
Dugu Qing, who was brushing his teeth at the sink, turned around at the sound and was momentarily stunned when he saw who it was.
"Lin Xuan? You... what happened to you?"
Lin Xuan's face was slightly pale. He leaned one hand against the doorframe and shuffled in with unsteady steps, looking as if his strength had been completely drained, barely able to stand straight.
Dugu Qing's expression gradually became strange.
A boy staying out all night and dragging back a "hollowed-out" body in the morning... there was only one likely explanation.
Besides, he had heard about Lin Xuan's battle with Xu Sanshi yesterday; it had spread throughout the Outer Academy in just one night.
Now that his roommate was famous, it wouldn't be strange if a girl had invited him out... "Lin Xuan," Dugu Qing put down his rinsing cup and spoke with a tone of earnest advice.
"As your roommate, I have to remind you that at our age, we should focus on cultivation. Some things... shouldn't be done in excess."
"Where is your mind going?"
Lin Xuan rolled his eyes speechlessly, walked straight to his bed, and collapsed heavily onto the bedding.
"I was cultivating all night; my Soul Power is just exhausted."
Feeling the nearly dried-up Soul Power in his body and the soreness in his muscles, Lin Xuan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
He thought the sparring session with Xuan Zi would last a few hours at most, but who knew the old man would get addicted.
He finally managed to catch the feeling and land a Black Flash, but Xuan Zi just squinted and shook his head, saying, "Just luck. Do it three more times if you've got the skill."
As a result, the training lasted the entire night.
Not until the horizon turned pale and his Soul Power was completely drained—to the point he could barely stand—did Xuan Zi smack his lips, still wanting more, and waved him away.
"Sigh..."
Lin Xuan let out a long breath.
He was truly exhausted, but the gains were real.
Not to mention that box of precious Golden Ancient Tree young leaf tea; this night of tempering alone had made his control over Soul Power more refined and his cultivation foundation much more solid.
More importantly, it greatly increased the probability of landing a "Black Flash."
Although he was still far from Yuji Itadori's level, at least it wasn't entirely dependent on luck anymore.
"So it was cultivation."
Dugu Qing realized, "And here I thought it was 'cultivation'."
"Are you just talking in circles?"
Lin Xuan shot him a sidelong glance, too lazy to respond, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing... After a short rest, Lin Xuan changed into a clean school uniform and headed to the teaching building with Dugu Qing.
As soon as he stepped out of the dormitory area, he noticed a difference.
Along the way, the number of gazes directed at him had clearly increased. Occasionally, bold students would approach him to say hello, ask for details about yesterday's fight, or simply try to get on his good side.
Some girls even approached with blushing faces, trying to invite him to walk together after class.
Lin Xuan had to maintain a polite smile and decline them one by one, his pace unconsciously quickening.
Dugu Qing followed beside him, feeling both envious and amused by his roommate's treatment.
"You're completely famous now."
"Troublesome."
Lin Xuan took a sip of hot water from his thermos, which was steeped with Golden Tree young leaf tea, and remarked,
"Tsk, so young and yet I'm already living like an old man..."
...Time reached noon, during the lunch break.
After declining another group of classmates inviting him to lunch, Lin Xuan walked alone through the corridor of the teaching building and headed straight to the faculty office area.
He stopped in front of an office door labeled "Teacher Mu Jin" and knocked lightly.
"Come in."
A gentle female voice came from inside.
Lin Xuan pushed the door and entered.
Behind the desk, Teacher Mu Jin was about to get up to leave. Seeing it was Lin Xuan, a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"Lin Xuan? Is there something you need?"
Lin Xuan took a few steps closer and got straight to the point. "Teacher Mu, I want to apply for elective courses in the Soul Tool Department."
"Electives in the Soul Tool Department?" Teacher Mu Jin was startled, her brows furrowing slightly. "You want to study spirit tools?"
"Yes." Lin Xuan nodded.
Teacher Mu Jin was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing her words.
She stood up and walked to the window, then turned to look at Lin Xuan, speaking solemnly,
"Lin Xuan, with your Martial Soul talent and Soul Ring configuration, your future achievements on the path of a Soul Master are limitless. The development of spirit tools is fast, but in the Douluo Continent, Martial Soul cultivation is the foundation after all. Even the Sun Moon Empire has never given up on training Soul Masters."
She paused and advised, "Spending time on spirit tools might be a waste for you. The academy hopes you can focus on Martial Soul cultivation and maximize your talent."
Lin Xuan's expression remained unchanged as he replied calmly, "Teacher Mu, times are progressing. If we remain complacent just because of current talent, we might eventually be crushed by the wheels of history."
He softened his tone slightly and added, "Besides, I'm just interested in spirit tools and want to learn a bit. It won't take up too much cultivation time. At the very least, I should know more detailed information about spirit tools."
"After all, knowing yourself and your enemy is the only way to be victorious in every battle."
Teacher Mu Jin stared at him for a long time, and her tense expression finally softened.
"If it's just to understand them... then I suppose it's fine."
She sighed softly, walked back to her desk, took out a blank application form from a drawer, and handed it over.
"Academy regulations state that students from the Martial Soul Department who want to take electives in the Soul Tool Department usually have to wait until after the freshman assessment and become official students."
She looked at Lin Xuan, her lips curling into a helpless smile.
"However, in your case, the assessment is just a formality. Go ahead and fill out this form first."
"Thank you, Teacher Mu."
Lin Xuan took the form with both hands, scanned it quickly, borrowed a pen, and filled it out on the spot.
"The Soul Tool Department is in the northwest of the academy; the signs are very clear."
Teacher Mu Jin reminded him, "Teacher Fan Yu should still be in the laboratory right now. You can go straight to him. Oh, and remember to find Teacher Fan Yu's student, Coarse Vegetable Head, to explain the situation first, otherwise you might disturb his research."
"Also, when you see him, you can say you're a student of Freshman Class Nine..."
Watching Teacher Mu Jin talk incessantly as soon as Fan Yu was mentioned, Lin Xuan couldn't help but be speechless. He almost forgot that Teacher Mu Jin and Zhou Yi seemed to be love rivals.
"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Teacher Mu."
Lin Xuan tucked away the form, cut off the conversation at the right moment, and took his leave politely. "I'll head over there now."
With that, he turned and left the office, gently closing the door... Leaving the Martial Soul Department's teaching area, Lin Xuan walked straight toward the northwest of the academy.
The closer he got to the Soul Tool Department area, the more different the atmosphere became.
If the Martial Soul Department was always bustling and full of vitality, the Soul Tool Department was exceptionally quiet.
Hardly any students could be seen along the way. The occasional one or two people passing by were mostly in a hurry, carrying heavy metal parts or blueprints, looking focused and with no time for anything else.
The architectural style was even more distinct.
The overall tone was silver-gray, with clean, sharp lines and distinct edges, reflecting a cold metallic luster under the sunlight.
Some buildings even had large areas of transparent glass windows, where one could vaguely see complex spirit tool devices and busy figures inside.
This sight actually gave Lin Xuan a fleeting sense of familiarity, as if he were seeing an industrial park from his past life on Earth.
Following the signs, Lin Xuan arrived in front of a silver-gray building labeled "Soul Tool Experimental Zone."
Just as he stepped onto the stairs, a gentle voice came from behind him.
"Excuse me, student. This is the Soul Tool Department Experimental Zone. The Martial Soul Department's teaching buildings are to the east. Have you come to the wrong place?"
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