Douluo Continent: Ink Bamboo as a Cauldron to Break Through Ten Thousand Heavens

"Brother Chen Cheng, your praise makes me a little embarrassed," Huo Yuhao said. As someone who got into Shrek Academy through a special admission spot from the Tang Sect, he actually felt a bit inferior. Even though he absorbed the Xuan Shui Pill and improved his aptitude to level 12, he still had the lowest soul power in his class. The gap was too large to be bridged overnight, especially with a roommate who was a prodigy in the dormitory for comparison. He had almost never heard such praise before.

Chen Cheng patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Let's leave this to the future and let time tell us the answer."

Then, Chen Cheng gestured for Huo Yuhao to follow him. They arrived at Chen Cheng's own area within the Spirit Guidance Department. Chen Cheng locked the door to the experimental area, then took out a card and a small spirit tool, gesturing for Huo Yuhao to take them. As he helped Huo Yuhao attach the spirit tool to his right arm, he said, "Keep this card safe. This area was rented from the Spirit Guidance Department with great difficulty. Remember to close the door like this when you come in. Spirit Guidance Masters, like Spirit Masters, need an undisturbed environment. Sometimes when you see other Spirit Guidance Masters deep in thought, try to remain quiet. This is not only a sign of respect but also a way to help them. Often, a clever idea is better than a long period of hard training."

After assembly, Chen Cheng looked at Huo Yuhao, who nodded in understanding. He felt that Chen Cheng, now in a teaching mode, was meticulous and completely different from his usual self!

"See those three targets over there? Don't activate your Martial Soul or Soul Skill yet, but try to concentrate on aiming and getting a feel for them. Once you're fully focused, pull the trigger. Don't worry too much about depleting your Soul Power. This Soul Tool has some unique designs of mine; it's not limited to level two and is just a small teaching aid. At your current level, you can use it about five times in a row. But listen carefully: you'll only fire one shot, then focus on the trajectory of the Soul Tool, feel the deviation when aiming, and start when you're ready."

Huo Yuhao nodded. Chen Cheng's description was very detailed, and he could tell that Chen Cheng was usually very hardworking; normally, he wouldn't have so much time to give him extra tutoring. A surge of excitement welled up inside him.

"Bang bang bang!" The shells missed the target, bounced a few times, and then went silent.

The instant Huo Yuhao pulled the trigger, he felt a suction effect emanating from the location of his right arm's soul tool. All his soul power then frantically converged towards his right arm, only to be absorbed by the soul tool. The moment this sensation subsided, he saw a beam of light propel an object forward, hitting a point slightly off target. The entire process was incredibly brief, perhaps only a blink of an eye. Yet, it still gave Huo Yuhao, using a soul tool for the first time, a tremendous sense of novelty.

Before he could process any other emotions, Chen Cheng's stern voice rang out again: "Activate your Martial Soul, use your mental detection, and based on your aiming and firing experience, adjust the deviation and fire again!"

Huo Yuhao focused his mind and completed the action as required, even faster than before. This time, he accurately hit the target, emitting a loud but strange feedback: "Ah, I got hit! Ah, I'm going to die!"

  

Chen Cheng blushed slightly. This was his masterpiece when he first took over this area. He felt that his trip hadn't been in vain and he wanted to leave his mark, so he added this sound effect to the target hit. He originally planned to change it back later, but since no one came anymore, he got used to it.

"Okay, aim and fire three more times. That should be your limit. Try to really feel what it's like to use a soul tool. Also, think about what a soul tool is. Give me your answer later." Chen Cheng's tone was noticeably softer than before. Well, he couldn't help it. His goofy side had been exposed. He probably felt like digging a hole and burying himself in it.

After Huo Yuhao diligently completed the requirements, Chen Cheng handed him a handful of bamboo shoots. The two then returned to the lab table and sat down.

Chen Cheng didn't rush Huo Yuhao to answer the question from earlier. Instead, he had Huo Yuhao sit down and enter a meditative state, clearing his mind and thinking carefully. Chen Cheng then helped Huo Yuhao circulate his internal energy, assisting him in absorbing the remaining medicinal power of the previous Xuan Shui Pill. At the same time, he activated his fourth soul skill to calm Huo Yuhao's mind and nourish his meridians.

After some time, Huo Yuhao's soul power recovered rapidly with the help of Zhu Dan and Chen Cheng. In addition, he absorbed most of the medicinal power of the Xuan Shui Pill, which increased his soul power significantly.

Huo Yuhao looked at the calm Chen Cheng in front of him and quickly stood up to bow and express his gratitude.

Chen Cheng waved his hand, gesturing for people to sit down, and then asked again, "Alright, you've thought about it for so long, can you tell me what a soul tool is?"

Huo Yuhao sat up straight and said, "It should be a tool that has a certain carrier and uses soul power as its power source to function, right?"

Chen Cheng nodded: "I knew you were a promising talent for the Soul Guidance Department. You grasped the essence of Soul Guidance Devices so easily on your first try. Your answer is close to the theoretical answer of Shrek Academy's Soul Guidance Department. However, personally, I don't want Soul Guidance Devices to stop here."

Huo Yuhao's expression was somewhat surprised. In his eyes, Shrek Academy, as the number one academy in the world, should be the most authoritative, that is, the most "correct." He had never heard anyone else say that there was anything surpassing Shrek, nor had he heard anyone question Shrek. However, shock and doubt are often accompanied by thought, and Huo Yuhao also began to ponder the meaning behind Chen Cheng's words.

"Because you haven't had systematic learning yet, I can't discuss this with you from a theoretical perspective, but I still want to share my thoughts first. Which countries, academies, and even martial spirits will emerge in the future is uncertain. But one thing is certain—the future world will definitely belong to soul tools!" Chen Cheng didn't seem to care about Huo Yuhao's questioning gaze; instead, he seemed lost in some kind of memory, speaking to himself:

"You might think that soul tools are tools that only soul masters can use. After all, even the one I just gave you needs to absorb soul power to activate. Or perhaps you've observed that in many formal occasions, noble homes, or academies, soul lamps are regularly infused with soul power by soul masters, so you think soul tools are inseparable from soul masters. Then I would say that you are still too ignorant, too unfamiliar with this world, and also lack the vision and ambition to see the future."

"Shrek Academy is amazing, isn't it? It has so many legends, so many myths, so many powerful figures. Everyone has heard about its deeds since childhood, and no one would deny Shrek's abilities. But when you approach Shrek City, the first thing you see is the high and thick city wall, especially the south wall, which is fifteen zhang high and twenty zhang thick! You don't know what it's used to defend, but once you enter the wall, you feel a sense of security. This is partly due to the psychological effect of the Shrek name, but the greater comfort comes from that wall itself."

"But if I told you that there is a place with tall buildings, a very high population density but not crowded, straight and well-connected roads, and all kinds of soul tools and equipment, and that this place is not much smaller than Shrek City, or even the most important city on the Sun Moon Continent, and that it has no walls, would you believe it?"

"If you ever have the opportunity to become an exchange student in the Sun Moon Empire as a Soul Master, you should have the chance to visit the city I mentioned, which is the imperial capital of the Sun Moon Empire—Mingdu. It doesn't have city walls, not because it's hospitable, but simply because it doesn't need visible, physical defenses like city walls. It relies on a combination of various Soul Tools and various solutions to create an 'invisible' and 'indestructible' 'invisible city wall'! You could say that it's the power of Soul Tools that allows the people in such a large city as Mingdu to live and work in peace and contentment without the shelter of towering city walls."

"I'm not saying that Mingdu is necessarily better than Shrek City. Shrek's ancient grandeur and profound cultural heritage are unique. But history and the times will be the two chariots that are pulled forward by the great horse of time..." Chen Cheng watched Huo Yuhao listen intently, like a sponge desperately absorbing knowledge. He was like a piece of fine timber! With careful carving, he would surely become a great talent!

A thought flashed through Chen Cheng's mind. He seemed to recall Huo Yuhao, the protagonist of a book he admired in his childhood. Huo Yuhao's unwavering perseverance and never-give-up spirit had repeatedly inspired him. The numerous posts he had seen before had shattered his childhood illusions, and his first reaction was to turn love into hate, making him somewhat dislike Huo Yuhao. But now, Huo Yuhao at his strongest and most genuine had appeared before him. What reason could there be for him to follow the path he had taken?

Perhaps the sky is too murky! Perhaps the earth is too silent! In the future, Huo Yuhao will surely become someone who can create something of great significance and revolutionize the world!

Thinking of this, Chen Cheng looked around, then carefully locked the door, making sure no one was there before returning. He said seriously, "Well, since we've come up with history and the times, let's talk about something behind closed doors."

"Given your humble origins, you should be able to imagine how much effort and how many connections an ordinary person needs to cultivate to awaken their martial soul. It's like an invisible, unbreakable wall that divides people into different classes. Nobles and upper-class individuals monopolize the opportunity to awaken their martial soul, while commoners and those at the bottom don't even have that chance. Many people have the talent to become martial soul masters, but because they awaken too late, they miss the crucial age for cultivation and are unable to change their fate."

"Even if commoners can awaken normally and have the talent to cultivate, so what? They don't have families to help them hunt souls, they don't have medicine to help them cultivate and improve their aptitude, and they don't even have a proper way to learn and enter the world of soul masters! You can go to Shrek Academy to study, and then you'll see that no one worries about money. Everyone only needs to think about how much their strength will improve. Even people from big families, who already have aptitude and whose families are willing to spend resources, come to Shrek just to get a status and a layer of gold, so that they can have a higher status after graduation, and then turn around and bully commoners again."

Chen Cheng spoke calmly, but he saw that Huo Yuhao's eyes were red, unfocused, his fists clenched, and even a trickle of blood was flowing from them! He was clearly thinking of the tragic experience in the White Tiger Duke's mansion! He was thinking of the injustice he and his mother had faced! He was thinking of the two White Tiger brothers and the Duchess who, relying on their noble status and Soul Master status, had bullied them from every angle!

"People need to have goals. Becoming stronger is easy, and achieving one's goals is also possible after becoming stronger. However, when you become strong enough to easily achieve your goals, can you remember how you got here? Can you think about what you will do after achieving your goals? You must also guard against going down the wrong path on the road to becoming stronger, losing your true self, and in the end, looking back, becoming the person you hate the most..." Chen Cheng became more and more agitated as he spoke, and finally simply summoned his martial spirit to seal off the room for soundproofing his impassioned speech.

"Brother Chen Cheng, I... I won't!" Huo Yuhao suddenly stood up, then knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, but his eyes were firm and bright: "I swear! I will become stronger, but I will not go astray in pursuit of my goal! I will also never forget how I became stronger step by step. I will become stronger to protect those who need me! In the future, I will make sure that ordinary people also have the opportunity to change their lives, and that everyone's life can become better!"

Chen Cheng shouted, "You've got guts! No wonder I chose you! Little Yuhao, I knew I wasn't wrong about you! Remember what you said today. If you ever betray morality again, I'll fight you to the death!" Then he laughed and pulled Huo Yuhao up. "A real man kneels to heaven, earth, and his parents. What kind of behavior is this, crying and kneeling all the time!"

They say that, but who doesn't secretly turn away and wipe away a handful of tears!