Oscar! The Sausage Uncle!
Xu Yunhan scrutinized the young boy standing before him—Oscar.
Though Xu Yunhan had heard tales of Oscar in the era ten thousand years hence, he had never seen him in person, let alone as a child.
As one of the Shrek Seven Devils and a close companion of Tang San, Oscar did not elicit any fondness from Xu Yunhan.
However, if he could win Oscar over, making him a loyal subordinate to aid in dealing with Tang San, Xu Yunhan would gladly pursue that path.
"Little Ao, from now on, I'm your boss. With me watching your back, no one will dare bully you..."
In the days that followed, Xu Yunhan persistently coaxed and cajoled
"Yes, boss."
Oscar, inexplicably intimidated by the slightly older Xu Yunhan, responded meekly.
Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the others held both Xu Yunhan and Oscar in high regard, dedicating themselves to their cultivation.
Xu Yunhan received guidance primarily from Zhao Wuji, while Oscar, possessing a food-type martial soul, was best taught by Shao Xin, who shared the same specialization.
Time flew by, and several months passed.
Within the Soul Beast Forest under the jurisdiction of Soto City, Zhao Wuji and Li Yusong led Xu Yunhan and Oscar through the dense woods.
Their mission: to obtain the boys' first soul rings by hunting soul beasts.
"You two, stay close and don't wander off. If a soul beast eats you, don't blame me."
Zhao Wuji took the lead, his voice stern.
Though the forest housed ten-thousand-year soul beasts, they remained on the outskirts, ensuring safety with Zhao Wuji, a Soul Saint-level master, present.
Soul beasts were unique entities in the Douluo Continent, providing soul rings, soul bones, and other resources to soul masters.
Classified by cultivation years, soul beasts ranged from ten-year, hundred-year, thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, to hundred-thousand-year levels.
These years referred to their cultivation, not necessarily their age.
A ten-year soul beast, with less than a hundred years of cultivation, would yield a white soul ring upon death.
Hundred-year beasts, with 100 to 999 years of cultivation, produced yellow rings.
Thousand-year beasts, from 1,000 to 9,999 years, gave purple rings.
Ten-thousand-year beasts, between 10,000 and 99,999 years, resulted in black rings.
Hundred-thousand-year beasts, with over 100,000 years of cultivation, produced red rings.
"Both Yunhan and Little Ao are acquiring their first soul rings. Given their talents, absorbing a hundred-year ring shouldn't be an issue, but it's best not to exceed four hundred years,"
Li Yusong advised from behind.
"Agreed. A beast with just over three hundred years should suffice, as long as it doesn't surpass four hundred,"
Zhao Wuji concurred.
Despite the long-standing presence of soul masters in the Douluo Continent, their understanding of soul rings, soul bones, and soul skills remained limited.
Otherwise, Yu Xiaogang's theories wouldn't have emerged.
Even Yu Xiaogang was still exploring and summarizing, so Zhao Wuji and the others had even less knowledge.
They only knew the general age ranges suitable for each soul ring stage, lacking precise data.
Given Xu Yunhan and Oscar's exceptional martial souls and physical aptitudes, Zhao Wuji estimated that soul beasts between three to four hundred years old would be ideal.
Higher-aged soul rings typically offered better soul skills and denser soul power.
Thus, at each stage, absorbing the highest age ring one could withstand was preferable.
However, determining one's limit was challenging, and the soul ring's attributes needed to align with the martial soul.
Therefore, selecting suitable soul beasts was crucial.
After several hours of searching:
"A Four-Winged Red Cicada with over three hundred years of cultivation. It possesses commendable recovery abilities, making it suitable for Oscar,"
Zhao Wuji noted.
"Indeed, a good match,"
Li Yusong agreed.
Their plan for Oscar's first soul skill was to focus on restoring physical strength, soul power, mental energy, or healing injuries.
Thus, a soul beast with such attributes would increase the likelihood of achieving the desired skill.
Oscar, unfamiliar with these intricacies, trusted their judgment.
Having identified the target, Zhao Wuji swiftly subdued the Four-Winged Red Cicada.
"Oscar, it's your turn. Kill it to obtain the soul ring,"
Zhao Wuji instructed, handing him a sharp dagger and indicating the vital point.
"I..."
Oscar hesitated, trembling. He had never killed a soul beast before and was understandably
Only the one who delivered the final blow could absorb the soul ring, necessitating Oscar to act.
"Don't be afraid. Hurry up!"
Zhao Wuji urged.
After a prolonged pause, Oscar mustered the courage to slay the Four-Winged Red Cicada.
"Such timidity needs to be addressed,"
Zhao Wuji remarked, casting a glance at Xu Yunhan, deciding to find a soul beast later to help him build courage.
Xu Yunhan remained composed; these matters were trivial to him. His primary concern was finding a suitable soul beast.
He was determined not to settle for a mediocre soul ring.
"So this is a soul ring!"
Oscar stared in awe at the yellow ring emerging from the Four-Winged Red Cicada's body.
"Little Ao, stay calm. Follow the method we've taught you to absorb the soul ring,"
Li Yusong reminded.
Soul rings needed to be absorbed within a specific timeframe, or they would dissipate.
"Little Ao, with me here, you have nothing to fear."
Boss Xu Yunhan spoke up to calm Oscar's nerves.
Strangely, his words seemed even more effective than Li Yusong's.
Oscar gradually settled down and began absorbing the soul ring.
Since this was his first time, and he lacked experience, Oscar was soon drenched in sweat—his struggle causing both Zhao Wuji and Li Yusong to watch on in worry.
Fortunately, everything turned out fine in the end.
"I have a big sausage..."
Afterward, Oscar demonstrated his newly acquired first soul skill. Chanting the incantation, he activated his ability and conjured a sausage.
"Let me try it,"
Zhao Wuji, completely unfazed, grabbed the sausage and ate it.
He was testing its effects.
"Not bad! It restores a decent amount of physical strength and even has some healing properties. This is a pretty good soul skill,"
Zhao Wuji remarked with satisfaction.
"Seems like it worked well, just as we hoped."
Li Yusong smiled. "Now it's Yunhan's turn to find a soul ring."
Xu Yunhan was a power-type spirit master—specializing in offense, yet possessing strong defense as well.
Zhao Wuji and the others planned to find him a soul beast with strong offensive capabilities, hoping his first soul skill would be similarly aggressive.
Ideally, it would be a feline-type soul beast, which would best align with Xu Yunhan's Three-Eyed White Tiger Martial Soul.
The group resumed their search.
Roughly twenty minutes later—
A gaunt, skeletal tiger-type soul beast emerged. It seemed somewhat dull-witted and fearlessly charged straight at them.
"Courting death!"
Zhao Wuji scowled. Having planned to let Xu Yunhan toughen up a bit, he finally made his move and beat the beast within an inch of its life.
"What a shame—almost six hundred years. It would've been perfect for Yunhan if it wasn't a bit too much," Li Yusong sighed.
"Let him use this for training," Zhao Wuji said indifferently.
He turned to Xu Yunhan. "Come here and finish it off. Don't be a coward like Oscar. Just remember—don't absorb the soul ring. It's beyond what you can safely handle."
Xu Yunhan shot Zhao Wuji a disdainful glance but still walked over with the dagger in hand.
Looking at the nearly dead, skin-and-bones tiger-type soul beast, Xu Yunhan felt confident he could handle a soul ring over five hundred years. He simply didn't think much of this particular beast.
One clean strike to a vital spot ended its life quickly.
A yellow soul ring emerged.
That's when the unexpected happened.
The soul ring suddenly flew toward Xu Yunhan, latching onto him and instantly syncing with his Martial Soul.
It was as if the soul ring was choosing him, forcing him to absorb it involuntarily.
"What's going on?"
Not only were Zhao Wuji and the others stunned—even Xu Yunhan was confused.
"I'm fine."
Xu Yunhan quickly regained his composure. "Don't come any closer."
"Let's wait and see," Li Yusong advised. The group stopped and observed the situation anxiously.
Despite being nearly six hundred years old, the soul ring didn't seem to be harming Xu Yunhan.
In fact, it appeared to be actively cooperating with him, as if it was desperate to be absorbed.
This was completely unheard of.
Time passed slowly under their tense watch.
Xu Yunhan finished absorbing the soul ring—in less time than Oscar had needed.
Inside, Xu Yunhan was overjoyed.
Not only did he acquire an excellent soul skill, but he also unexpectedly gained an external soul bone.
Even more surprising—it was in perfect sync with him, like it had always been a part of him.
The external soul bone appeared on the back of Xu Yunhan's hand. It was extremely unique.
Unless he actively summoned it, it remained hidden from view.