Douluo Continent: My childhood sweetheart Xiao Wu, I feel very guilty towards Tang San

Chapter 63 Give Up, Oscar

The morning sun pierced through the thin mist at the edge of the Starry Sky Forest, casting dappled light and shadows on the marching team. After the hotel incident last night, the atmosphere within the group was noticeably more somber.

Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun walked in the middle of the group, their eyes constantly scanning their surroundings warily, a far cry from their arrogance of yesterday. Zhao Wuji's warning and Shi Nian's shadow acted like invisible shackles, causing them to restrain their arrogance.

Yan Zu walked at the front of the group, his Insightful Eyes operating silently, a faint golden light flickering in his eyes, alert to any potential dangers.

Xiao Wu followed him. Although they had returned to their familiar forest home, there was a hint of worry in her expression. She longed to see Da Ming and Er Ming, but she was also worried that their appearance would cause unpredictable conflicts, and she was even more concerned about her identity as a soul beast being exposed.

However, he had the Auspicious Beast Heart-to-Heart Talisman on him, so as long as he didn't actively release his aura, Da Ming and Er Ming wouldn't know that he had entered the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Everyone, stay alert! We've entered the edge of the mixed zone, and thousand-year-old soul beasts are starting to appear more frequently." Zhao Wuji waved his hand, his deep voice echoing through the forest. "Oscar, keep your eyes peeled and watch out for soul beasts that suit you. The rest of you, stay on guard!"

"Yes, Teacher Zhao!" everyone responded in unison, each becoming more alert.

About an hour after they ventured deep into the forest, Yan Zu suddenly raised his hand to signal them to stop, his sharp gaze fixed on the right front. "Something is approaching rapidly, at an extremely fast speed."

Not long after they finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the dense forest ahead. Then, a pale red shadow darted out of the bushes like an arrow and flashed past everyone's eyes! It was a strange snake that was six or seven meters long, covered with peach-colored scales, with a bright red crest on its head and a fan-shaped tail.

It seemed frightened; it had a deep wound on its abdomen that was bleeding, and although it was moving fast, its flight path was somewhat skewed.

"It's a Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent!" Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Good heavens, and it's injured! Oscar, this beast is fast and can fly briefly; it's a top-grade agility-type soul beast, perfect for you!"

Oscar was overjoyed upon hearing this; his third spirit ring was within reach! The group immediately launched a pincer movement. Zhao Wuji took the lead, unleashing his Soul Saint aura to lock onto the snake shadow; Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing flanked from both sides; Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shone brightly, amplifying the group's power.

However, just as everyone was about to surround the snake, an old man's angry shout came from another direction: "Stop! I injured this Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent first!"

An old woman carrying a snake-headed cane rushed out of the forest, her six spirit rings pulsating. It was none other than Snake Granny Chaotianxiang from the Beast Academy! Behind her followed Meng Yiran, panting heavily and looking unwilling.

Seeing that there were people fighting over it, Zhao Wuji immediately blocked the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent's escape route. With a swipe of his fist, a burst of soul power struck the Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent's head, stunning it.

The Snake Granny's gaze swept over the Shrek Seven Devils, lingering especially on Zhao Wuji, whose soul power fluctuations were the strongest. She said coldly, "I was the one who first discovered and injured this Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent. According to the rules of the Soul Master world, it should be absorbed by my granddaughter. Who are you, sir? Please do me a favor."

Seeing this, Zhao Wuji stopped, and seven spirit rings slowly rose from beneath his feet—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—the optimal combination of spirit saint's aura subtly emanating. He said in a deep voice, "I am Zhao Wuji, a teacher at Shrek Academy, leading a team to acquire spirit rings for my students. Madam, the spirit beasts in this Star Dou Great Forest are always ownerless; whoever hunts them first gains their opportunity. Although you injured it, now that it is before us, it is our prey."

Upon hearing the name "Zhao Wuji" and seeing the seven spirit rings on his body, especially the three deep black ten-thousand-year spirit rings, Snake Granny Chaotianxiang's eyes narrowed slightly, her anger subsided a little, but her tone remained firm: "So it is the Immovable King in person. I am Chaotianxiang, and I am honored by the kindness of my friends in the spirit master world, who call me 'Snake Granny'."

"This Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent is of great importance to my granddaughter. I beg Brother Zhao to do me a favor for the sake of my wife and my husband, 'Dragon Lord' Meng Shu." She invoked the names of herself and her husband, "Dragon Lord." The peerless dragon and serpent couple were quite famous in the Soul Master world, and ordinary Soul Masters would give them some face.

Upon hearing the names "Dragon Duke and Snake Lady," Zhao Wuji frowned slightly, not expecting to encounter this troublesome couple. However, with the Dragon Duke absent, it was impossible for him to simply give up the top-grade soul beast he had acquired.

He chuckled and said, "So it's Senior Chaotianxiang. I've heard so much about you. However, I, your student, am also in dire need of this third soul ring. Senior, are you trying to intimidate me by bringing up the name of 'Dragon Duke'? Although I, Zhao Wuji, am not very talented, I must fight for it for my student's sake."

As the two powerful figures clashed, their soul energies surging, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Meng Yiran's gaze swept across the faces of the Shrek Academy students. When she saw Yan Zu, whose demeanor was calm and different from others, she bit her lip, suddenly stepped forward, and said in a clear but stubborn voice, "Teacher Zhao, Grandma, since both sides have their own opinions, and the Soul Master world values ​​strength above all else, why don't we let the younger generation have a competition to decide the ownership of this Soul Beast?"

Upon hearing this, Snake Granny looked at Meng Yiran and saw the fighting spirit in her eyes. She then looked at the Shrek Academy group opposite her and thought the method was feasible, so she nodded.

Zhao Wuji was happy to agree, as a direct confrontation with the Snake Woman would inevitably be troublesome. Considering the difference in their ranks, he said, "Alright. Little Third, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Meng Yiran raised her hand and pointed directly at Yan Zu, her beautiful eyes blazing: "I want to compete with him!"

Everyone was stunned. Tang San had just taken half a step when he heard this, his expression froze, his outstretched foot slowly retracted, and his fist, hanging at his side, quietly clenched. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, on the other hand, wore expressions of anticipation, as if they were watching a good show.

Yan Zu was slightly taken aback and looked at Meng Yiran. He saw that the girl's pretty face was slightly raised and her eyes held an undisguised challenge.

Xiao Wu and Rong Rong glared at each other angrily. Xiao Wu, in particular, was about to speak when Yan Zu gently pulled her back. Seeing that Yan Zu had his own ideas, Xiao Wu had no choice but to suppress her anger and wait and see.

Snake Granny frowned. She could tell that Yan Zu seemed to be the youngest, but his aura was the most composed, and he looked like he was not easy to deal with.

However, since her granddaughter had specifically requested it, she couldn't object.

Zhao Wuji looked at Yan Zu: "Yan Zu, what do you say?"

Before Yan Zu could answer, Oscar grew anxious, ran to Yan Zu's side, and whispered, "Yan Zu, this Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent is perfect for me, with its flying ability! You have to win!"

Yan Zu patted Oscar on the shoulder, giving him a reassuring look, then stepped out of the group and cupped his hands in greeting to Meng Yiran and Snake Granny: "Miss Meng, Senior Chaotianxiang. There's nothing wrong with sparring and exchanging ideas. But before that, I have a few words I'd like to say to Oscar, so please be patient."

He turned to Oscar, his voice clear and steady: "Oscar, this Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent does indeed provide a brief period of flight ability, which is a divine skill for support-type Soul Masters who currently lack life-saving means."

Oscar nodded repeatedly, his face filled with even greater anticipation.

"However," Yan Zu changed the subject, "have you considered the limitations of this soul skill?"

Oscar paused, then asked, "Limitations?"

Everyone looked puzzled.

"While flight is impressive, have you considered the time factor?" Yan Zu continued. "This soul skill is only the third one, and I estimate that the flight time it grants will not exceed one minute at most. In the early stages, it might be enough to get you out of danger, or it might be surprisingly effective in certain tactics. However, Oscar, you are a food-type soul master with innate full soul power. Your goal is to become a Title Douluo, or even a higher realm."

His gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Oscar's face. His tone carried a convincing certainty: "Upon reaching the Soul Saint level, some Soul Masters can fly using their Martial Soul True Body. Although it consumes a lot of energy, it offers freedom and flexibility. At the Title Douluo level, everyone can fly. At that point, how much value will this one-minute flying sausage have for you and the team? Won't it seem somewhat... useless?"

"A spirit ring and a spirit skill mean limitless possibilities for someone like you with innate full spirit power. Are you really willing to use a skill like 'One Minute Flight,' whose value may greatly diminish in the future, to lock in your third spirit ring?"

Yan Zu's words struck Oscar like a thunderclap. The excitement on his face gradually faded, replaced by deep thought. Yes, the ability to fly seems impressive now, but if it only lasts for a minute, it will be extremely useless.

Title Douluo... that was the realm he dreamed of. If his third soul skill was useless at the Title Douluo level, wouldn't that be a waste of his innate full soul power?

Ning Rongrong nodded thoughtfully: "Ancestor Yan is right. Our elders in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School have also said that the selection of soul skills requires foresight and cannot be based solely on immediate needs, especially for those with exceptional talent."

Zhao Wuji stroked his chin, remaining silent, but a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. He had to admit that Yan Zu had indeed thought far ahead.

Snake Granny and Meng Yiran were also stunned. They hadn't expected Yan Zu to analyze things from this angle, and it sounded...quite reasonable. Snake Granny looked at Yan Zu with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"But..." Oscar hesitated, "If we give up this, can we find something better? There aren't many soul beasts suitable for food-type soul masters to begin with..."

"Trust me." Yan Zu looked at Oscar with unwavering eyes.

His confidence stemmed from the reward he received when he saved Zhu Zhuqing, "The Map of Mountains and Rivers (Soul Beast Distribution Chapter)," which contained a soul beast that was very suitable for Oscar. If he could obtain that soul skill, it would be of great value both now and in the future, far more practical than flying for one minute.

"Since I've asked you to give up, I will definitely help you find a more suitable, more promising, and more capable third spirit ring that can accompany you to the peak. I, Yan Zu, swear this promise with my martial spirit."

(Thanks to readers Shiina Gray and yi梦凡尘 for their monthly ticket support)