"Although Oscar can evade in midair, we know how draining his third soul skill is," Dugu Yan watched the duel intently. "If his opponent regains composure, Oscar may not outlast him."
"Don't worry—Oscar isn't who he used to be. Just wait and see!"
In the arena, Oscar's enraged opponent had finally calmed down after failing to land a hit. The challenger—an agile, fast-attacking soul master—had wasted a massive amount of spirit energy in his desperate assaults. As a swift attacker, he relied on quick kills, and being outmaneuvered by a seemingly fragile food-attribute support soul master crushed both his pride and reputation.
"He thinks my aerial tactics drain my energy faster than his spirit skills," Oscar thought, observing his opponent's narrowing gaze.
Below, Oscar's rival paused—calculating.
Oscar, from above, saw the momentary stillness and thought, He's getting smarter…and getting tired. Calmly, he retrieved tofu and garlic from his soul instrument to recover his energy, then consumed three Azure Winged Fury Mushrooms. Immediately, his cyan spirit wings grew denser.
At high speed, Oscar swept across the sky; ninety-nine percent of spectators didn't even notice a small cyan spirit orb forming in his right hand.
"Showmanship!" scoffed his opponent, disdainful. "Food souls are as useless as ever—never had real combat value."
But then...
Oscar's voice boomed: "Spiral Sphere!"
"Boom!"
Before his opponent even reacted, a powerful wind-infused blast struck him. The Spiral Sphere cleaved through the air with razor wind pressure, leaving the challenger reeling, utterly unprepared.
Oscar didn't stop—he fired two more Spiral Spheres, powered by three more fresh mushrooms.
He won decisively.
Result: Oscar's last-second strategies shocked the entire arena. He shattered stereotypes—food-attribute soul masters weren't merely buffers; they could fight too. He became a sudden sensation.
Back with Yun Yibai and Dugu Yan:
"That's why you trusted Oscar!" Dugu Yan said, leaning in close to Yun Yibai, her breath warm and thrilling at his ear.
"Sometimes trying something new is fun," Yun Yibai smiled. "I inspired the concept, but he executed it brilliantly."
"What a freak—" Dugu Yan smirked.
"But thank goodness this freak is mine!" she declared possessively, pulling Yun Yibai down for a kiss.
Oscar soon returned, walking in on them in a familiar scene. Unfazed, Yun Yibai praised him:
"Your hard work shows. You didn't disappoint me."
Oscar blushed and replied:
"It's thanks to you, big bro. Without your ideas, I couldn't've done it."
Yun Yibai responded modestly:
"You played your part—but only you could make it work."
"By the way," Yun Yibai continued, "how long before you break through? I drafted a few plans for your fourth soul ring—feel free to review them."
Oscar, ecstatic:
"Big bro, you're too good to me—I-I don't know how to repay you! I'm yours for life!"
"Shut up," Yun Yibai chided with a smile. Drafting a soul ring progression plan was easy for him—his wealth of knowledge made it second nature. And he loved it.