Oscar rode his Jade Sword slowly down from the sky and landed beside Dugu Yan on the viewing platform. She handed him a cup of fruit tea. Oscar accepted it, took a sip, and then looked toward Gai Yue.
"How was it, Teacher?"
Gai Yue nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. Your swordsmanship has advanced quite a bit again, and your sword-controlling technique has become even more refined."
Oscar grinned happily.
"That's all thanks to the Teacher's guidance."
Hearing this, Gai Yue chuckled but shook his head.
"Don't flatter me. Your talent in swordsmanship surpasses mine. If it weren't for the fact that you don't possess a sword-type Martial Spirit, your achievements today would have been even greater."
At this, Ma Hongjun—who had just landed and was still catching his breath—stared wide-eyed.
"Teacher Gai Yue, isn't that a bit exaggerated? Boss is already this powerful, but if his External Spirit Bone were actually a Martial Spirit… wouldn't that be totally against the heavens?"
Dai Mubai, who had barely recovered some spirit power thanks to the Super Recovery Sausage, nodded in agreement.
"Oscar is already this much of a monster, and you're telling us this still isn't his limit?"
Zhu Zhuqing, standing beside Dai Mubai, also nodded softly.
"Yes… Even when the three of us joined forces, we couldn't defeat Oscar. And yet you're saying this still isn't his limit…"
Oscar placed his cup back onto the table and spoke calmly.
"Everything has gains and losses. Don't look at me with envy. What I've achieved so far is the result of my own effort.
"Although my strength now does rely on some external support, in the end, it all comes down to my own foundation. You don't need to envy me. Your own talent is excellent. As long as you put in the work, your future achievements will not be beneath mine."
Though his words carried a tone of comfort, the truth in them was undeniable.
As the saying goes: The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago. The second-best time is now.
As long as one recognizes their shortcomings and takes steps to correct them, their future will never be bleak.
Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Zhu Zhuqing nodded at the same time, firmly taking Oscar's words to heart.
At his side, Dugu Yan's eyes shimmered with admiration. She couldn't help but whisper:
"Oscar, you're still as outstanding as ever."
After a pause, her gaze turned resolute.
"But I'll work hard to keep up with you. I absolutely won't let you leave me behind."
Oscar turned his head and gave her a gentle smile.
"Don't worry. I won't abandon you either. After all, we're a pair."
Hearing that, Dugu Yan lowered her head shyly, her cheeks burning red, lost in her own thoughts.
Ma Hongjun, of course, couldn't resist teasing from the side.
"Oho~ Boss, you really know how to coax people. Sister-in-law's face is all red now…"
Watching this group of energetic youngsters, both Gai Yue and Zhao Wuji revealed warm, satisfied smiles.
In the days that followed, Oscar and the rest of Shrek Academy continued to progress steadily. With Oscar, the most disciplined among them, leading the way, Shrek Academy was now thriving like never before.
What Oscar didn't know, however, was that Flender—who had recently broken through to Rank 80, Spirit Douluo level—had already shared the good news with his old brother, Yu Xiaogang.
Even though Yu Xiaogang was still in Nuoding City, he kept in close contact with Flender. After all, he was planning for his disciple Tang San's future. Tang San was nearly eleven now, and in just one more year, at twelve, he would graduate from Nuoding Academy. Yu Xiaogang needed to secure a good academy for himself.
And his chosen destination was none other than Shrek Academy.
Flender, in turn, wanted to expand Shrek Academy's reputation. To guarantee its teaching quality and reassure Yu Xiaogang, he revealed his recent breakthrough to Spirit Douluo.
Yu Xiaogang, of course, was delighted. His old friend's breakthrough was worth celebrating.
Even more so, because the Golden Iron Triangle—Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Liu Erlong—their Martial Spirit Fusion Technique had always been led by Yu Xiaogang himself. Flender's breakthrough naturally meant the fusion technique's power would also rise, which Yu Xiaogang counted as part of his own strength.
Yes, in Yu Xiaogang's mind, that was exactly how it worked. Without him, there would be no Martial Spirit Fusion between the three of them.
And it was precisely because of this fusion technique that Yu Xiaogang, despite only being at Rank 29, had such deep insights into higher-level spirit power and combat strength.
This was also why he had long since stopped caring about his own cultivation bottleneck. So what if he never broke through Rank 30? With the Martial Spirit Fusion Technique, wasn't he still the one in control?
Of course, aside from Yu Xiaogang himself, no one else knew about these thoughts of his—not even Flender.
This small gesture of Flender's would later lead to events beyond Oscar's expectations. But overall, they would not affect his path too heavily.
So even if Oscar had no idea about it now, it didn't matter. He only needed to keep walking his chosen road. His future would remain bright.
Under Oscar's leadership, Shrek Academy's students dove into a long period of grueling training. The process was painful, but the results were worth it.
Half a year flew by. Oscar's spirit power finally broke through from Rank 38 to Rank 40. Now, he only needed a new spirit ring to step into the realm of the Spirit Ancestor.
And long ago, Oscar had already mapped out what his fourth spirit ring should be. Now that his spirit power had reached the threshold, it was time to set out and hunt down the spirit beast he had dreamed of for so long.
And Oscar wasn't the only one who had grown.
Dugu Yan had reached the peak of Rank 39, only one step away from Rank 40 herself.
Ma Hongjun had also just broken through to Rank 39 and was likely to reach Rank 40 within three months at his current pace.
Zhu Zhuqing had stably advanced to Rank 25.
Dai Mubai had reached Rank 35.
By this point, there was less than a year and a half until the timeline of the original story—when Tang San and the others would arrive at Shrek Academy—would begin.
But now, things would no longer unfold the same way.
Because of Oscar—the butterfly who had already altered the flow of destiny—everything had begun to change: Dugu Yan, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and even the teachers of Shrek.
And not just them. In a year and a half, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong—the original protagonists—would also undergo dramatic changes.
Of course, Oscar had long since expected this. After all, if the flutter of a butterfly's wings in the East could cause a storm in the West, then what about a butterfly as powerful as him, who had already reshaped parts of the original tale?
But right now, Oscar didn't have time to dwell on that.
Having just broken through Rank 40, he was busy preparing for his Fourth Spirit Ring hunt.
And he was certain: once he obtained it, his strength would undergo yet another earth-shaking transformation.
Perhaps… it might even change the cultivation path of Food-type Spirit Masters forever.