To test the power of Oscar's third soul skill, the three of them directly used it while searching for Shao Xin's seventh soul ring.
Oscar's third soul skill was named "Swift Gale Swallow Sausage". It appeared white in color, shaped like a cute little swift, and its flavor was very similar to the roasted Sharp-Tailed Swift they had eaten before—delicious.
However, chewing wasn't necessary. As with most Food-type soul skills, the moment the sausage entered the mouth, it would dissolve into pure soul power. The taste barely lingered—just a fleeting impression before vanishing.
The flight duration granted by Oscar's third soul skill was a full fifteen minutes, and within that time, they could cover an enormous distance.
This time, with Gai Yue present, the choice for Shao Xin's seventh soul ring had to be the best possible. After all, for Shao Xin to reach the seventieth rank at his current age was already remarkable. Even if he never attained the title of Titled Douluo, stepping into the higher ranks of Contra was still within reach.
Moreover, in all of Douluo Continent's history, no Food-type Soul Master had ever become a Titled Douluo. If Shao Xin could truly advance to the realm of high-level Contra, his support abilities would already be unmatched and unprecedented.
His seventh soul ring would naturally correspond to Martial Soul True Body. Yet for Food-type Soul Masters, very few seventh soul rings granted a true Martial Soul manifestation. More often, they provided strengthened versions of existing soul skills. Thus, Shao Xin had decided to target a plant-type soul beast dwelling within Sunset Forest.
This particular soul beast possessed not only a vigorous life force but also extraordinary regenerative abilities, making it perfectly suitable for Shao Xin.
With the target decided, Gai Yue led Oscar and Shao Xin to search. But this time, unlike before, luck wasn't on their side. Even after half a month of searching, they hadn't found any trace of the soul beast.
Shao Xin wasn't anxious. This was the reality of seeking soul rings—besides strength, luck often played a decisive role. Sometimes one could stumble upon the perfect soul beast upon entering the forest; sometimes, even after months, nothing appeared. As a near-Soul Sage, Shao Xin was already accustomed to this.
By noon that day, Shao Xin was once again roasting meat at their camp, while Oscar sat cross-legged nearby, cultivating to familiarize himself with the improvements from his new soul ring.
Gai Yue's figure was nowhere to be seen—he had gone off to track the target soul beast, believing he had found signs of one suitable for Shao Xin's seventh ring.
He hadn't taken Oscar and Shao Xin with him because this time the opponent was a soul beast with at least forty thousand years of cultivation. To prevent unnecessary risk, Gai Yue had left them behind.
The place he had chosen was originally the territory of a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Gai Yue had beaten that beast down and chased it away, occupying the territory for themselves.
Aside from a few gregarious species, most ten-thousand-year soul beasts had powerful territorial instincts. Once expelled, they rarely returned quickly. Moreover, such beasts usually left their aura to mark their territory, keeping most other soul beasts away.
Thus, their safety here was secure, and Gai Yue felt comfortable leaving them while he pursued the stronger target.
But as Oscar was cultivating, Shao Xin suddenly sensed something wrong and shouted:
"Little Ao! A soul beast is approaching fast—it should be a thousand-year beast!"
He pointed in a direction. At once, Oscar opened his eyes, unleashed his spiritual power, and also sensed the rapidly approaching beast.
It was strange. How could a thousand-year soul beast dare to trespass into the domain of a ten-thousand-year one? Still, this was no time to ponder.
Oscar swiftly produced two Swift Gale Swallow Sausages, handing one to Shao Xin.
He had been stockpiling this soul skill for half a month exactly for emergencies like this, where he needed instant use without draining his combat reserves.
But neither of them consumed it immediately. Oscar moved in front of Shao Xin, left hand glowing azure as a jade-like sword manifested within his grip.
Truthfully, a mere thousand-year soul beast posed little threat. Even though Shao Xin had little offensive power, his soul power rank alone could deter such a beast—simply by releasing his pressure.
Yet this particular beast was unusual. For it to dare break into a ten-thousand-year beast's territory, conventional logic clearly didn't apply. Perhaps soul pressure alone wouldn't be enough.
Besides, with Oscar's current strength, he could handle such a creature easily. Thus, the two remained cautious but didn't flee immediately.
Not long after they braced themselves, the bushes ten meters away rustled, and a massive serpent, eight to nine meters long, slithered out. Oscar recognized it instantly.
It was a Violet Venom Viper—one of the most poisonous snake-type soul beasts. Its venom was extremely corrosive, so potent that even if it didn't enter the body, mere skin contact could cause ulceration and rot, reducing flesh to pus.
Curiously, many of its scales were missing—it was gravely injured.
Oscar didn't bother to care why. The instant it appeared, his jade sword flashed as he unleashed a slash of sword qi without holding back.
"Frost Moon Slash!"
A terrifying blade of energy infused with soul power cleaved toward the serpent's head. The viper, seemingly too desperate to escape something, hadn't even noticed Oscar and Shao Xin. It didn't evade in time and crashed headlong into the strike.
With a wet crack, the serpent was cleaved cleanly in two.
Its bisected body writhed violently on the ground, spewing jets of venom in all directions—a frenzied death throe. But at ten meters away, its range couldn't touch Oscar or Shao Xin.
Oscar wasn't surprised. Against such a foe, with his current strength, victory was assured—especially since the serpent was already heavily wounded and hadn't defended itself at all.
But then—just as the viper's body collapsed, its purple soul ring beginning to form—
A tall girl with short green hair and a swaying snake tail appeared, rushing into view and stopping right where the serpent had died.
Her eyes locked on the viper's corpse, then shifted to Oscar, brimming with anger.
Her voice trembled with fury:
Hey—you… why did you kill my soul beast?!