Huo Yuhao from The Peerless Tang Sect is incredibly talented.

Xian Lin'er nodded and replied, "Good idea. I'll go to the Sea God Pavilion with you later and get the Martial Soul Department to put in some effort. I've had enough of them constantly cutting off our budget; now it's our turn to cut off theirs. The second question is, how do we solve the problem of soul power consumption in the outer cabins?"

This topic caused everyone present to frown again. The first problem had the Spirit Department as a fallback, so at least there was a possible solution. But the second problem involved the daily sustenance of forty-eight Spirit Masters; they couldn't very well ask the Spirit Department to provide personnel for that too, could they?

It's already a favor that a Title Douluo is here to stand guard; if we were to ask them to be the power banks for the outer cabins, the Soul Guidance Department would really lose face.

The group discussed the matter animatedly for a while, and one proposal after another was rejected. Some suggested a shift system—but even a shift system wouldn't change the fundamental problem that Soul Masters need to continuously expend their Soul Power, leaving them no time to improve their cultivation or research Soul Tools.

Some have suggested using a soul power storage device to replace manual output—but the capacity and output stability of the storage device do not meet the requirements.

"Huo Buxiao," Qian Duoduo called him directly, "you little brat, are you getting ideas?"

Huo Yuhao stopped tapping his knee. He looked up, glanced around the studio, nodded, and then spoke slowly.

"I'm starting to get an idea."

"The fire element doesn't arise from nothing. It's transformed from soul power, which is output by soul masters, and the soul power of soul masters—ultimately—comes from the primordial energy of heaven and earth."

"The essence of Soul Master cultivation is to transform the primordial energy of heaven and earth into one's own soul power. Since the primordial energy of heaven and earth can be directly transformed into soul power, why can't it be directly transformed into fire element?"

"Our current model works like this: the primordial energy of heaven and earth is absorbed by the Soul Master and transformed into Soul Power; the Soul Master enters the chamber and inputs the Soul Power into the Elemental Conversion Array; the Elemental Conversion Array transforms the Soul Power into Fire Element, which is then channeled into the core chamber through conduits. There are two conversion nodes in this chain—from primordial energy of heaven and earth to Soul Power, and then from Soul Power to Fire Element. Each conversion node has an efficiency loss."

He stood up, walked to a blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and drew a simple diagram on it.

"What if we could skip the intermediate steps? Directly convert the primordial energy of heaven and earth into fire element, without needing Soul Masters as intermediaries." After finishing the drawing, he turned around and looked calmly at everyone present: "Then the forty-eight Soul Masters could be freed up."

The studio was quiet. Fan Yu's brows furrowed into a tight knot. After a moment, she spoke, her tone carrying a cautious skepticism: "Your idea is brilliant, but there's a fundamental problem—where does the spiritual energy of heaven and earth come from? This spiritual energy permeates nature, but its concentration is very low. When Soul Masters cultivate, they absorb this energy through the combined effects of their Martial Soul and meditation techniques, and even that requires accumulation over time. To directly gather this spiritual energy to fuel the Ultimate Flame, the amount needed is astronomical. Where will you get so much spiritual energy?"

"From Shrek City," Huo Yuhao answered without hesitation.

"What do you mean?"

Huo Yuhao turned around and drew another diagram on the whiteboard. He drew a small box on the left side of the whiteboard and labeled it "Shrek City"; he drew a large box on the right side and labeled it "A Zone Rich in Heaven and Earth Qi"; then he drew a thick line between the two boxes and wrote two words on the line - "Gather".

"Shrek City isn't built on a barren wasteland of spiritual energy." Huo Yuhao tapped the whiteboard with his pen, his tone still calm, but his speaking speed noticeably increased, as if describing a blueprint he had already envisioned countless times in his mind. "The entire city is situated at the intersection of the Soul Beast Forest, Sea God Lake, and several Soul Beast Mountain Ranges, where the concentration of spiritual energy is already much higher than in ordinary cities. Not to mention, tens of thousands of Soul Masters cultivate simultaneously within the city year-round, and the soul power they exhale and exhale is decomposed back into the world, making Shrek City essentially a giant man-made spiritual energy spring."

"You mean... to build a data collection device in the city?" Fan Yu's voice no longer held any doubt, but instead contained a cautious excitement.

"Yes." Huo Yuhao drew a row of vertical lines on the whiteboard, with a small circle at the top of each line. Then he connected all the small circles with a horizontal line and finally led the horizontal line to a box labeled "Core Module".

He pointed to the small vertical lines: "Throughout Shrek City, a Yuan-Gathering Pillar will be erected at regular intervals. At the top of the pillar will be a Yuan-Gathering device that collects Yuan-Gathering Energy from Heaven and Earth, and the inside of the pillar will be inscribed with an elemental conversion array. Each Yuan-Gathering Pillar is a small elemental conversion station that collects the surrounding Yuan-Gathering Energy from Heaven and Earth, directly converts it into fire element, and then transmits it to the Soul Guidance System's experimental area through underground energy-conducting pipelines."

He paused, then traced the horizontal line with his finger, finally stopping at the "Melting Heart" box: "In this way, the forty-eight outer chambers will no longer need Soul Masters. The Gathering Pillar Network replaces human labor, and the primordial energy of heaven and earth replaces the conversion of soul power. The fuel supply chain for the Ultimate Fire will change from being driven by human power to being driven by nature."

Qian Duoduo's mouth opened, closed, and then opened again.

When faced with a lack of soul power, Soul Masters' first reaction is always to increase manpower or optimize efficiency, remaining within the existing framework. But Huo Yuhao's thinking is completely different—he elevates the problem to a higher level.

What is the essence of lacking soul power? It's a lack of energy. And what other energy source is there besides soul masters? The primordial energy of heaven and earth. How do we gather the primordial energy of heaven and earth? By setting up poles and building a network.

The Douluo Continent has its own power grid infrastructure to build.

Qian Duoduo leaned back in her chair, looking at the increasingly complex network diagram of element pillars on the whiteboard, and suddenly laughed out of the blue.

Xian Lin'er glanced at him sideways: "What are you laughing at?"

"We've had incredible luck this year, aren't we?" Qian Duoduo's gaze swept past the whiteboard and landed on Huo Yuhao. "We've found a treasure."

Huo Yuhao was squatting in the corner collecting metal scraps, and didn't even look up when he heard this.

"Teacher Qian, it's not too late to say that after the Jiyuanzhu network is running smoothly."

He picked up a heavy, dark gold nut from the ground, casually put it in his pocket, then clapped his hands and stood up.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao still need my guidance on their cultivation, so I need to keep an eye on them."

As soon as he finished speaking, he ran away in a flash.

"That kid."

Watching Huo Yuhao run away, Qian Duoduo couldn't help but laugh and scold him, but her words were full of doting affection.

With a genius of this caliber, Qian Duoduo would never let go.

Then Qian Duoduo looked at everyone and said, "Everyone has worked hard these past few days. Let's all take a break next week and come back next week."

After that, the meeting ended.

Sea God Pavilion.

"Ancestor Xuanzu".

Mu En's gaze swept across Bei Bei's face; as a Limit Douluo, he sensed it very clearly.

The emotions emanating from Beibei were extremely intense—anger, anxiety, and an irrepressible youthful spirit.

Standing before him was Beibei, her eyes slightly red, her lips tightly pressed together, her fists clenched so tightly at her sides that her knuckles turned white. She looked like a young dragon that had been provoked, with suppressed anger emanating from every pore of her body.

"What is it? Speak."

Bebe handed a sealed file folder to Moon with both hands.

Moon took the file folder but didn't open it immediately. He glanced at Beibei first, then slowly unsealed it and pulled out the documents one by one, examining them carefully.

After reading through all the documents, Moon put down the last sheet of paper, folded his hands on his knees, and closed his eyes without saying a word.

The air in the quiet room seemed to freeze instantly. Beibei stood still, even her breathing became lighter.

After a long while, Moon opened his eyes.

The old eyes were no longer cloudy; instead, they held a sharp, cold light that made people afraid to look directly at them—the kind of light that belonged to a Limit Douluo.

"How many years has it been?" Moon's voice still sounded calm, but those who knew him well could hear a fury beneath that calm that could crush everything.

"Shrek Academy's funding for Martial Soul Awakening has increased year after year without ever being delayed. I thought that money was being used for the right purposes. Shrek City has been expanding continuously, and I thought that ordinary people could awaken their Martial Souls simply by receiving the funding."

When he finished speaking, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, as if in a silent self-mockery.

"And the result?" Moon pulled out the paper with the list written on it and laid it flat in the center of the low table. "They're not even as good as the evil Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago."

Since breaking through his limits and being injured by the dragon's malevolent energy, Mu En has not only been working as a dormitory supervisor, but has also been reading history books frequently.

Beibei clenched her fists, her voice hoarse: "Ancestor, these people aren't just greedy for money. They sell children's martial soul awakening data to the powerful and wealthy, treating awakening aptitude as a commodity, categorizing it into different grades. Some even force girls with good aptitude to buy them. This hasn't been going on for just a day or two; it's been tacitly approved from top to bottom."

"I know," Moon said.

Of course he knew. He had lived for hundreds of years and traveled the continent for a long time; he had eaten more salt than Beibei had eaten rice.

You can guess about 70-80% of things without even seeing the confession. But guessing and actually seeing the bloody details in the confession are two different things.

Moon folded all the files in the file folder back up and put them back on the low table, then looked up at Bebe.

"Did you have this confession obtained through interrogation?"

"Yes." Bei Bei didn't hide anything. "After Huo Buxiao subdued the three fake city management officers on the spot, I had Elder Li find that mental-type soul master from Tiandou City. All the testimonies are absolutely correct. Xuanzu, rest assured, there was no forced confession. I also had people investigate every testimonies, and there are multiple cross-verifications of witnesses and physical evidence."

Moon nodded slightly, a faint hint of approval flashing in the cold light in his eyes.

Although this great-grandson was young and impetuous, after visiting Tiandou City, he began to act with more method and order.

Knowing that he had informed his elders, if it were when he was younger, he would have rushed to the city lord's mansion and killed people long ago.

"What are you planning to do?" Moon asked.

Beibei raised her head, her gaze meeting Mu En's eyes directly. Those dragon eyes, now transformed into vertical pupils, burned with undisguised fighting spirit, and her voice was clear and resolute, each word distinct and forceful.

"Investigate. Investigate from the urban management bureau to the inner city finance bureau, and from the finance bureau to every department and individual who handled the allocation of funds for awakened martial spirits. Not a single one can be missed."

After saying this, he paused, then slowly knelt down.

"My lord, I, Bei Bei, request permission to lead a team to thoroughly investigate the corruption case surrounding the awakening of martial spirits within Shrek Academy. This case involves the vital interests of ordinary people and Shrek Academy's millennia-long reputation; I dare not entrust it to anyone else."

Moon looked at him.

The smile that bloomed on that wrinkled, aged face was not warm; instead, it carried a fierce, claw-like quality, like an old dragon brandishing its claws.

"Alright." Mu En stood up, took a palm-sized golden token from the bookshelf next to the futon, and casually tossed it to Bei Bei. "Take this. It's the Pavilion Master's token. Seeing this token is like seeing the Pavilion Master himself. Go do it."

"Thank you, Xuanzu!"

"Get up." Moon's smile faded as he sat back down on the futon, his voice returning to its usual unhurried rhythm. "Let me make this clear. When you investigate a case with this token, you represent my will. Every person and every matter you uncover must be supported by irrefutable evidence. My refusal to accept anything is—you either give me solid evidence, or don't do anything."

Mu En is an old and shrewd man who understands the principle that "too much clarity will leave no fish." Now, Bei Bei is young and vigorous, and is no match for that old fox. At most, she can only play a few insignificant roles.

However, if Beibei really investigates thoroughly and finds irrefutable evidence, Moon will also help out, since those who do this kind of thing aren't very powerful.

Even if you can't find the information, you can still make an example of someone.

Since they're not strong, Moon doesn't need to worry about them.

Beibei bowed and left the quiet room.

After the footsteps faded away on the stairs, Moon put down his teacup and turned his gaze back to the list filled with names.

The old man tapped a name twice with his index finger, then flipped the entire list over and placed it face down on the low table, pressing the back of the paper with his palm.

Moon closed his eyes and muttered something to himself.

"It's time for a blood transfusion."

Meanwhile, Mr. Li, the butler outside the door, also heard a sentence.

"Tell Yuexuan about what happened today."

……

Huo Yuhao stood by the Sea God Lake in the outer courtyard of Shrek Academy, watching Bei Bei walk out of the Sea God Pavilion from afar, and mentally gave him a thumbs up.

"This level of action is truly worthy of being the great-grandson of the Limit Douluo." Huo Yuhao stuffed the last bite of bread into his mouth, chewed it twice, swallowed it, and muttered to himself, "I just wonder how deep they can investigate."

He crumpled the wrapper into a ball, tossed it into a roadside trash can, dusted off the crumbs, and turned to walk back.

A night breeze blew in from the direction of Poseidon Lake, carrying a slightly cool and damp feel. The starry sky overhead was somewhat disordered by the Soul Guidance Department's afternoon test.

The fireball left a mark on the clouds that hadn't completely faded, like an old scar branded onto the night sky.

Huo Yuhao looked up at the sky, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"It's all part of the plan. I won't hold back on the straw-nailing and grassroots autonomy."