It took only a week for the three of them to travel from Shrek Academy to the Sunset Forest. Once they arrived, they immediately headed toward the location Oscar had researched beforehand.
Soul beasts like the Sharp-Tailed Swift rarely changed their habitat. Of course, if they had moved, Oscar would have no choice but to spend more time searching.
Although the Sunset Forest was not as vast as the Star Dou Great Forest, it was still expansive—roughly one-third its size, covering a huge portion of the Heaven Dou Empire's territory.
The terrain was filled with mountains and valleys, but about seventy percent of the soul beasts in Sunset Forest were plant-type, while beast-type soul beasts only accounted for thirty percent.
This was due to the unique climate of the region. As a result, Sunset Forest was often chosen by plant-type spirit masters or weaker soul masters, since it was less dangerous compared to the Star Dou Great Forest. After all, plant-type soul beasts were usually less aggressive than beast-type ones.
With Gai Yue, an Eighty-Fifth Rank Contra, protecting them, the danger was practically nonexistent. Unless they encountered a hundred-thousand-year beast, Oscar and Shao Xin were completely safe.
Not to mention, Shao Xin himself was already a seventieth-rank food-type Soul Sage candidate—his auxiliary power made Gai Yue's strength even more formidable. Thus, their journey through the forest was relatively relaxed.
Thanks to the soul beast hunt two years ago—where they had slain the whale-like sea beast—Shrek's teachers had also gained significant breakthroughs. At present, Flender and Zhao Wuji had reached Rank Seventy-Eight and Rank Seventy-Six, respectively.
For Oscar, this was a great benefit. The stronger his teachers were, the stronger the backing he had.
Shrek Academy had now become his foundation. He couldn't simply leave for another faction, especially since if he left now, he might never encounter Tang San.
After a week of searching within Sunset Forest, Oscar finally found his target—the Sharp-Tailed Swift clan.
From Gai Yue's observation, the flock contained at least three ten-thousand-year-level swifts, with over fifty individuals in total.
This discovery thrilled Oscar. His third soul ring was finally within reach.
Based on his current body's endurance, the ideal soul ring range for him was between six thousand and seventy-five thousand years. To be safe, six thousand five hundred to seven thousand years would be best, well within his ability to absorb without risking backlash or death.
After evaluating, Gai Yue locked onto a six-thousand-seven-hundred-year-old Sharp-Tailed Swift as the optimal choice.
Once the target was chosen, Gai Yue instructed Oscar and Shao Xin to wait in a safe location while he went alone to capture it.
Although Sharp-Tailed Swifts were renowned for their speed—perhaps the fastest among agility-type soul beasts of their level—how could they possibly escape from an Eighty-Fifth Rank Contra?
As expected, within just one hour, Gai Yue returned, carrying the six-thousand-seven-hundred-year-old Swift alive. Seeing the prize, Oscar could hardly contain his excitement.
Although he could already use his Sky Blue Spirit Jade Sword to fly with sword control, having a true flight soul skill would provide invaluable support.
He had considered picking an offensive soul ring, but after much thought, he decided that another auxiliary ability was more practical.
Even if he absorbed a millennium-level attack-type skill, its power wouldn't compare to a ten-thousand-year soul ring. His true offensive potential lay in his sword—not in compromising with a weaker ring.
After all, even in the original timeline, Oscar's most iconic skill—the Mirror Sausage (Copy Skill)—came from his sixth ring, which was a twenty-five-thousand-year soul ring.
Compared to that, a millennium attack skill now would be meaningless.
Besides, with his Sky Blue Spirit Jade Sword, his offensive capabilities were already more than sufficient. The sword wasn't a true martial soul, but up to Rank Seventy, it was more than enough to ensure he wouldn't fall behind in battle. Beyond that, it too would evolve alongside his growth.
Thus, prioritizing auxiliary soul skills was clearly the better strategy. With no restrictions on consuming his sausages, the buffs worked equally well on himself and his allies. Having more auxiliary skills would strengthen not only him but also his entire team.
Considering all this, Oscar chose the flight skill from this six-thousand-seven-hundred-year-old Sharp-Tailed Swift—the best option for speed.
"Little Ao, begin." Gai Yue nodded and released the frozen Swift, its body sealed in ice except for its head.
Oscar didn't hesitate. He summoned the Sky Blue Spirit Jade Sword and, with one clean strike, ended the beast's life.
As its body fell, a violet soul ring condensed and rose above its corpse. Oscar sat cross-legged, releasing his martial soul as his two yellow rings appeared. With his spirit power guiding it, the violet ring descended onto him, carrying a suffocating aura of ancient might.
Even under the crushing pressure of over six thousand years, Oscar's expression remained calm.
Seeing that he had begun absorption, Shao Xin dragged the carcass away, quickly butchering it and setting up a fire to roast the meat.
Normally, open fire and the smell of roasting meat in a soul beast forest were dangerous—it could attract powerful beasts. But with Gai Yue casually releasing his Contra-level aura, no beast dared to come near.
Meanwhile, Oscar was fully immersed in the absorption, channeling every drop of the soul ring's energy into tempering his body and washing his meridians.
Three hours passed.
When the absorption was finally completed, the violet soul ring stabilized around Oscar's body. His spirit power surged—he had reached Rank Thirty-Three.
Opening his eyes, his gaze flashed sharp as lightning. Around him glowed his three rings: two yellow, one violet.
"Teacher, I did it. My spirit power has reached Rank Thirty-Three—and my third soul skill is incredibly powerful!" Oscar said, eyes bright with excitement.
Gai Yue smiled with satisfaction. A six-thousand-year third soul ring—he had never heard of such a thing before. And yet, Oscar had achieved it.
Of course, all of this was thanks to Oscar himself. Without this discipline, even Gai Yue wouldn't have broken through so quickly to Rank Eighty-Five.
Good. Now, tell me—what is your third soul skill? Gai Yue asked with interest.