Gai Yue had initially approached this journey filled with grief. But the moment he saw Oscar, all of that dissipated as if it had never existed.
After Oscar clearly explained what had happened, Dugu Bo and Gai Yue both understood the full story. Upon confirming that Oscar truly had a reliable detoxification method, Dugu Bo immediately left Sunset Forest with a bold claim: within half a month, he would obtain a soul bone for Dugu Yan.
Oscar had no idea where Dugu Bo would find a ten thousand year soul bone in such a short spanbut judging by Dugu Bo's confidence, he likely already had a target in mind. Who the unfortunate "donor" was, however, remained a mystery.
Once Dugu Bo departed, Oscar advised Gai Yue not to return to Shrek Academy just yet. He was planning to refine a batch of pills and wanted Gai Yue to deliver them, while Oscar himself would remain in Sunset Forest to cultivate for a period six months at minimum, a full year at most.
His goal: to fully absorb the medicinal essence of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Fiery Apricot, completing the Ice Fire Alchemic Body. Only then could he safely leave the Yin Yang Ice Fire Well.
Oscar didn't intend to waste this valuable window. He would use the time to refine the necessary pills and entrust them to Gai Yue for distribution to Shrek's faculty and Ma Hongjun.
Only Ma Hongjun's pill was a true Immortal grade pill. The rest weren't. Not because Oscar was stingy but because he was genuinely uncertain whether the other instructors were worthy of consuming such rare, irreplaceable resources.
There were only a dozen or so immortal herbs. Oscar had to allocate them wisely.
Eventually, although he didn't craft immortal pills specifically for Flander and the others, he did create potent pills rivaling them in effect. These weren't quite on par with immortal grade herbs, but far surpassed ordinary ten thousand year level spirit herbs in power.
Oscar had not made any arrangements for Dai Mubai.
Why? Because he barely knew him. They had only interacted for one afternoon. Although Dai Mubai made a decent impression, Oscar wasn't about to hand over precious resources without due diligence especially to a royal family member with a morally ambiguous portrayal in the original canon.
Oscar understood that novel narratives were biased through the protagonist's lens but a character portrayed that poorly likely had real flaws.
He applied the same philosophy that Shrek used when distributing Whale Jelly a valuable cultivation resource to new students. Only after the teachers had evaluated their character and talent would students be eligible.
And Immortal grade herbs were far more precious than Whale Jelly.
Interpersonal Development: Oscar & Dugu Yan
Over the two week period, Oscar's interactions with Dugu Yan grew increasingly natural even open. They no longer tried to hide anything, even in front of Gai Yue.
Their mutual affection was evident. Gai Yue noticed and decided to intervene with a word of caution: Oscar was only 11 years old. Cultivation had to remain his focus. Emotions were acceptable but obsession was not. He must not ruin himself over it.
Oscar agreed. He understood that beauty, if uncontrolled, could be fatal.
He had a vision and ambition far beyond fleeting romance. Although Dugu Yan was attractive, Oscar was determined to remain focused. As long as he anchored himself to his original intent, he believed no temptation could derail him.
Dugu Bo Returns
The day after Gai Yue left exactly 16 days since Dugu Bo's departure he returned.
He brought with him a 24,500 year old Right Arm Soul Bone, sourced from a Bone Eating Venomous Python. This soul bone was:
Highly explosive in nature
Possessed potent poison affinity
And, crucially, came from a serpent type soul beast making it extremely compatible with Dugu Yan.
When Oscar and Dugu Yan asked where it came from, Dugu Bo's eyes flickered with an unusual emotion. He didn't answer only said, "You don't have the right to know yet. I'll tell you in the future."
Dugu Bo's Frustration
What annoyed him more than anything, however, was the change in his granddaughter's behavior.
He realized after mentally reviewing everything that Dugu Yan had spent nearly a month alone with Oscar. From the day she chased the Purple Venom Serpent into Oscar's group to now, they had been effectively isolated.
Even when others were around, like Gai Yue, his cold personality made him a nonfactor.
Two people, already fond of each other, left to interact in seclusion for a month?
Of course they developed feelings. Dugu Bo understood it… but didn't like it.
This was his granddaughter, damn it!
But there was nothing he could do. He had to run all over the place during this time, and he couldn't afford to delay Dugu Yan's detoxification for emotional supervision.
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