After listening to Ma Hongjun's account, Oscar finally understood the whole story. What he hadn't expected, however, was that the one who had beaten Ma Hongjun was none other than Bu Le—the same Bu Le who, in the original story, had also given Fatty a thrashing.
The only difference was that this Bu Le wasn't yet a Soul Sect. He was only a Soul Elder, though Ma Hongjun wasn't sure of his exact rank.
Fortunately, Bu Le had only stolen Ma Hongjun's money. He hadn't dared take his soul tool, most likely because he noticed Fatty's century-old spirit ring and grew wary of the power backing him.
After all, Bu Le might be a scoundrel, but he wasn't brainless. He only bullied the weak and never provoked true enemies; he couldn't afford to.
The real reason he had attacked Ma Hongjun was simple: the two of them had their eyes on the same item. With the shopkeeper fanning the flames, Ma Hongjun ended up spending more money to buy it. Furious at being upstaged, Bu Le had followed him to a quiet spot, roughed him up, and snatched his gold.
Before leaving, he even sneered that if Fatty wanted revenge, he could come find him in the western slums of the city.
Although that area was called a "slum," it was more a name than a true reflection. Most of the residents were ordinary folk who worked in the city. Still, the environment there was far more complicated—once someone slipped into that maze, it was nearly impossible to track them down unless they willingly showed themselves.
Oscar thought carefully after hearing the full story.
Based on Ma Hongjun's description, Bu Le's rings were one white and two yellow. That meant he was indeed a Soul Elder.
But Oscar knew Bu Le wasn't alone. He had two companions—both of whom, talent-wise, surpassed him. If Bu Le had already reached the Soul Elder level, those two might have been Soul Sects by now.
Oscar was confident that with his current twenty-second rank, he could defeat any Soul Master below the thirtieth level. But against a Soul Elder? He wasn't sure at all.
Even though absorbing his second spirit ring had raised his physical strength to Soul Elder levels, his actual spirit power was still only rank twenty-two. His external spirit bone gave him the strength of a Soul Master's tool, but no higher.
If he had to face a true Soul Elder head-on, even one without the ideal ring configuration, victory was far from guaranteed.
Unless his spirit power was much closer to Soul Elder level, Oscar simply wasn't strong enough to fight across such a gap.
That was one of the first harsh truths Oscar had learned since coming to this world: cross-level battles were only possible for true geniuses. Most people could barely fight one or two levels above themselves. The gap between a Soul Master and a Soul Elder wasn't something that could be bridged with cleverness alone.
Thinking it through, Oscar decided to let this matter rest for now. He could stand up for Fatty later, but he wasn't foolish enough to throw himself into danger just to make a point.
After all, even if Bu Le wouldn't dare kill him, nothing was stopping him from robbing him blind like he had with Fatty. Oscar had just gotten his hands on the seven-hundred-year-old whale glue. If that treasure were stolen, he'd have nowhere to cry.
After comforting Fatty for a while, he handed him a Super Recovery Sausage. The bruises on his face quickly faded, and the two of them mounted their horses to ride back to Shrek Academy.
Once back, Oscar wasted no time and went straight to find Zhao Wuji. Since Fatty had been beaten up, Oscar wasn't about to just let it go.
When Oscar explained everything, Zhao Wuji was instantly enraged. Who in Shrek didn't know that Old Zhao was the hottest-tempered, the most protective of his students?
The thought of a Soul Elder bullying a mere fourteenth-ranked Soul Master was utterly infuriating. And worse—his student was from Shrek!
Zhao Wuji immediately wanted to take Fatty to settle the score. But by now it was already dark, and besides, Bu Le wasn't an idiot. There was no way he would just be waiting around to be caught. Oscar quickly persuaded Zhao Wuji to hold off.
"Teacher Zhao, let's leave it for today. The reason I told you about this is that I don't intend to let Bu Le off so easily. But I didn't come here to ask you to take revenge on Hongjun's behalf."
Zhao Wuji frowned, confused. "Little Ao, what do you mean? You're my students. If you're bullied, isn't it my duty as your teacher to stand up for you?"
Oscar nodded. "Of course it is. But tell me, wouldn't it feel a thousand times better if we took revenge ourselves?"
Zhao Wuji stared at him, surprised. "Little Ao, I know your strength has grown since you got your external spirit bone, but the gap between a Soul Elder and a Soul Master isn't something a single bone can bridge. Even if Bu Le doesn't have the perfect ring setup."
Oscar grinned. "Teacher Zhao, you should know me better than that. I'm not reckless. In fact, I went to the Great Auction House today. Guess what I got?"
Zhao Wuji blinked. How had this suddenly turned into the auction? Still, he played along and shook his head.
Oscar leaned forward. "I bought a piece of whale glue. Over seven hundred years old. If I refine and absorb it, my strength will rise even further. Once that happens, with Hongjun and me working together, I'm confident we can deal with Bu Le."
Zhao Wuji was indeed surprised that Oscar had managed to obtain whale glue at last, but he wasn't in the mood to consider its uses. He frowned deeply.
"Little Ao, you and Hongjun—one Soul Master and one Great Soul Master—want to take on a Soul Elder? That's too risky. I should handle it myself."
But Oscar interrupted firmly. "Teacher Zhao! Don't forget who we are—we're monsters! Shrek Academy's monsters! How can you judge us with the same eyes you use for ordinary people?"
The seriousness in Oscar's tone gave Zhao Wuji pause. Slowly, his anger cooled, and he looked at Oscar with approval.
Yes. That was the spirit of Shrek. Their students weren't supposed to run crying to their teachers every time they were hit. A true Soul Master fought back with their own strength!
Oscar pressed on. "Besides, even if Hongjun and I can't defeat him, you'll be there to keep watch. No matter what, Bu Le has to be beaten!"
Zhao Wuji thought about it, and it made sense. As long as he followed along without acting unless necessary, the two boys would gain valuable experience and training. And if things went wrong, he could always intervene.
After all, it was just a small-time Soul Elder with no future. Against a Soul Sage like him, there was nothing to fear.
Zhao Wuji's eyes gleamed as he laughed heartily. "Fine! We'll do it your way. But when the time comes, don't forget to call me. Old Zhao will have your back!"
Oscar smiled faintly, a warmth filling his chest.
This was the benefit of having a true backer. Just as he had said, even if they failed against Bu Le, with Zhao Wuji—a Soul Sage—standing behind them, the man wouldn't dare stir up any real trouble.
After all, in Suotuo City, a Soul Sage was already top-tier combat strength.
Even the City Lord, despite his grudge against Flender, didn't dare move against Shrek Academy—because the academy had two Soul Sages and three Soul Douluos behind it!