Faced with Dai Mubai's question, Oscar only smiled faintly and replied:
"You can understand it that way, but I'm not a Twin Martial Soul."
Hearing this, Dai Mubai was instantly puzzled. What do you mean? I can think of it that way, but it's not? If it isn't a Twin Martial Soul, then how do you cultivate with a sword?
Oscar had no intention of hiding the truth from Dai Mubai—there was no need. After all, he often used the Skyjade Spirit Sword, and unless he stopped using it entirely, concealing it would be impossible.
Besides, now that Dai Mubai had joined Shrek, he wouldn't be leaving. To Oscar, there was no danger in revealing his secret.
And even in the worst case, he still had his teacher, Ge Yue, a powerful expert. Unless a Titled Douluo appeared, who could harm him? And even then, no Titled Douluo would bother coveting his External Soul Bone, since external bones couldn't be removed and passed down like the six primary soul bones after fusing. Oscar simply had no such concerns.
Outside the academy, Oscar also disguised himself as a sword-type Soul Master, so there was no risk of others coveting his external soul bone.
Seeing Dai Mubai's confused look, Oscar raised his left hand. A jade-like azure sword instantly appeared. At the same time, in his right hand, a glowing orange sausage slowly formed.
Seeing the "martial souls" in Oscar's hands, Dai Mubai gasped in shock.
"Twin Martial Souls!"
"But this is clearly Twin Martial Souls, Oscar—why do you say it isn't?"
Oscar smiled and explained:
"My Martial Soul is the Supreme Sausage. This—" he raised the jade sword—"is my External Soul Bone."
He put away the sausage, keeping only the Skyjade Spirit Sword in hand, showing it to Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai was even more bewildered. External soul bone? Is there really such a type?
And external soul bones can be cultivated like a Martial Soul? How is that even possible?
As they walked, Oscar patiently explained everything about his external soul bone. After listening, Dai Mubai only felt a sense of disbelief.
It wasn't just Oscar's luck—his talent and perseverance were things Dai Mubai could never reach.
To think that a Food-type Soul Master could rely on an external soul bone to cultivate into an existence comparable to an Assault-type Soul Master… this was undeniably something unheard of in the Soul Master world.
Dai Mubai didn't doubt Oscar's words. Whether from Ma Hongjun's earlier descriptions or from Vice-Dean Zhao Wuji's attitude toward Oscar, it was obvious that Oscar had an unparalleled status in Shrek Academy.
At this moment, Dai Mubai felt more and more that coming to Shrek might indeed have been the right choice. After all, if the academy had such geniuses as Oscar, then maybe he, too, could grow stronger here.
As the saying goes: Those who stay near vermilion turn red, those near ink turn black. And clearly, Oscar and Ma Hongjun were both as bright-red as they came.
What's more important—if he could befriend them, even become brothers, then in the future, when facing his elder brother's pursuit, with their help—or rather, with the backing of the forces behind them—he might survive after all.
Of course, this was only Dai Mubai's thought for now. Whether it would happen would depend on how he handled his relationship with these two.
By the time Oscar had finished showing Dai Mubai around the academy, it was already afternoon. Since he hadn't even eaten lunch, Oscar directly took Dai Mubai to the dining hall afterward for a hearty meal.
But when Dai Mubai saw the food, he was stunned once again.
This… this is Soul Beast meat?!
And from the energy he sensed in the food, this was definitely from beasts of at least the thousand-year level.
This particular meal came from the sea soul beasts Flander and the others had hunted earlier. Since sea beasts were enormous, just their group at Shrek would need half a year to finish eating them.
The rest had been frozen by Ge Yue to be thawed and eaten when needed.
After Oscar and Dai Mubai finished their meal, the day's student recruitment also ended. Just like in the original story, only Dai Mubai was admitted.
The recruitment lasted three full days, with two more to go. But aside from Oscar, nobody else knew that this year there would only be Dai Mubai.
Oscar, however, wasn't planning to stay at the academy waiting for more students. After all, he had just broken through to Rank 30, and obtaining his third soul ring was his top priority.
That night, after settling Dai Mubai into the dormitory, Oscar went to find his teacher, Ge Yue. He intended to set out the very next day to hunt for his soul ring.
There was also Shao Xin, who had just broken through to Rank 70 and only needed one more soul ring to advance to Soul Sage.
Since it was still recruitment season, the rest of the academy staff stayed behind to oversee matters. Thus, only Ge Yue would accompany Oscar and Shao Xin to hunt soul beasts.
Because Shao Xin was a Food-type Soul Master, they chose the closer Sunset Forest as their destination. Located just over a hundred li south of Heaven Dou City, it was within Heaven Dou Empire's borders.
The main reason, however, wasn't Shao Xin, but Oscar himself.
For his third soul ring, Oscar wanted a flying-type ability, the same as in the original, but he was far clearer in his choice.
Instead of the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Serpent, he was aiming for the Needle-Tailed Swift, famed as the purest agility-type soul beast, known for its unmatched speed.
A colony of Needle-Tailed Swifts resided in Sunset Forest, making it the perfect target.
Since he wanted a flying skill, speed was naturally the most important trait. Oscar was determined to obtain the best soul ring—not just whatever he happened to encounter, like in the original timeline.
Otherwise, all these years of effort would have been wasted.
With the goal and destination decided, the next morning, Ge Yue set out with Oscar and Shao Xin.
Flanders and the others did not go. They remained at the academy to handle admissions, hoping to recruit a few more talents.
After all, with Dai Mubai included, the academy only had three students. It wasn't even enough to form a standard team.
Oscar, however, wasn't concerned. He knew there would only be Dai Mubai this year, and for the next two years, no new students would arrive. Only in the third year would new members appear.
By then, if nothing went wrong, the full lineup of the Shrek Seven Monsters would finally be assembled.
This was something Oscar very much looked forward to. If Tang San came, then, as in the original, he might obtain an immortal herb to rapidly increase his strength.
It wasn't that Oscar didn't want to seize the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well himself, but currently, he had no chance. If an opportunity arose, though, he was confident that he could deal with Dugu Bo and claim the site.
Over the past five years, Oscar had never been idle. He had constantly experimented with pharmacology and alchemy. Coupled with the knowledge he retained from the original timeline, he had already done preliminary tests on ways to detoxify Dugu Bo.
Though he couldn't yet be sure of success, if given the chance to test on Dugu Bo or Dugu Yan, Oscar was certain he could quickly find the right solution.
And the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well held many rare herbs. Over the years, Oscar had collected many books on medicinal theory, some of which recorded immortal herbs. Even if not complete, they were enough for his purposes.