Chapter 4: The Power of Innate Full Soul Power Sausages! Heading for the Hunt
Early the next morning.
Inside the dean's office at Badong Academy, Ao Luo picked out two books on soul beasts and carried them back to his room to study carefully.
A food-type martial soul…
To become an attack system soul master with one was far from easy.
It all came down to the martial soul's inherent nature.
An iron sword would always be sharper than a wooden sword. That much was obvious.
Flender and the others were right in their judgment.
A sausage martial soul? No matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem the least bit offensive—too soft even to throw at someone.
If one forced the path of an attack system soul master and really created an attack skill like "Qian Kun Yi Zi," tossing sausages at the enemy… that would just be pathetic!
But Ao Luo was different—he had innate full soul power!
If he attached soul rings for restoring soul power, physical strength, or detoxification?
What a joke! That would reduce him to nothing more than a support food system soul master!
Take Oscar as an example. His third ring skill was Swift Flight, his fourth was Stimulation, and his sixth was cone mirror.
What did any of those have to do with sausages?
Soul skills indeed came from soul beasts, but they also manifested through the martial soul's properties. The lower one's rank, the more obvious that truth became.
Could a Blue Silver Grass soul master, after absorbing a flying soul beast, suddenly sprout wings and soar through the sky?
Extremely unlikely.
But a sausage martial soul could!
Could a Clear Sky Hammer soul master, by absorbing a Mirror Image Beast, gain the ability to copy other martial souls?
Almost impossible.
But sausages could!
One sausage swallowed, and the power of the soul beast became yours.
That was the terrifying uniqueness of the sausage martial soul.
Whatever ability a soul beast possessed—through sausages, he could replicate it.
Imagine gathering the power of nine top-tier soul beasts into one body…
A food-type soul master? Yes.
But also, the most powerful attack type soul master imaginable!
That was the true horror of an innate full soul power sausage.
At his desk, Ao Luo flipped through the soul beast manuals faster and faster.
He had very clear criteria in mind.
When choosing soul beasts, first—they couldn't be too rare. Second—their abilities had to be as simple as possible; the fewer variables, the better. Third—they had to complement his strengths. Fourth—the closer the soul beast was to the essence of a sausage, the better.
As for Oscar, Ao Luo wasn't certain. But he himself had carefully tasted his martial soul—without a doubt, it was some kind of pork.
A full morning passed before Ao Luo finally closed the thick book, rubbing his eyes.
Without thinking, he began circulating his soul power. After several cycles, he opened his eyes again—only to find his vision sharper, the world before him clearer.
"Not bad…" he murmured, then with a flick of his right hand summoned his martial soul, wolfed down a few bites, and resumed reading.
This was something Oscar had taught him.
At Shrek Academy, students were all older teenagers. Oscar could never compete with them in the dining hall.
So, he had no choice but to eat his own martial soul.
—Half a month later.
Sitting before his desk once more, Ao Luo finally closed the last of the soul beast manuals, his brows knitted tightly.
He had flipped through nearly all of Dean Xiao Jian's reference books and had already identified a few potential targets.
But none felt right.
He couldn't shake the sense that if he truly chose from among them, he would regret it.
In the past, before the age of six, he would have scoffed at such vague feelings.
But now…
He tapped the tabletop lightly, his gaze drifting upward to the faint yellow mist above his head. He fell into silence.
After a long pause, Ao Luo's eyes calmed.
"Since it's because of this, then let it decide."
As his thought moved, the wisp of golden-yellow mist above his head faded away.
In its place, a faint layer of yellow smoke coiled over the surface of his skin.
That elusive yet reassuring sense of confidence returned once more.
"I've finished reading all of the dean's books."
"Then… maybe I should check the library?" The thought rose naturally in Ao Luo's mind.
Without hesitation, he pushed the door open and stepped out.
"Dean." Ao Luo greeted him respectfully.
After all, the room he stayed in was right next to Xiao Jian's office.
Sometimes the dean even reminded him not to skip meals and personally brought food for him. He had treated Ao Luo quite well.
"So you've finally come out. Have you decided on what soul beast to hunt?" Xiao Jian set aside the papers in his hand and asked with a smile.
This little fellow had been utterly consumed with study for the past half month—day and night. His diligence was nothing like that of a six-year-old child.
"I have a few candidates. But I want to check the library first."
Xiao Jian shook his head with a wry smile. "I thought you wanted a break. But the library, huh? Go ahead. I've already spoken to the librarian for you."
The librarian of Badong Academy was a young man.
When he saw Ao Luo, he was slightly startled—it was class time, after all. But then realization dawned, and he warmly welcomed Ao Luo in, enthusiastically explaining the organization of the shelves.
Ao Luo had intended to continue searching for soul beast records. The dean's office collection was already extensive, but there was always the chance the library had something new.
Unfortunately, there wasn't.
Most of the materials were ones he had already read.
Standing before the bookshelves, his gaze swept casually—only to pause in mild surprise.
"There are novels here?"
"Of course," the young librarian said proudly. "A library this size can't be filled with just soul master texts. We've got novels, poetry, essays—even illustrated storybooks. A lot of these were added by me."
Ao Luo shook his head slightly. As expected of a primary soul master academy.
True martial soul knowledge… that would only be found in the Spirit Hall. He would have to go there someday.
Still, he randomly pulled out a book.
"Agility Attack System Soul Master Travels the Continent Vol. II."
"Vol. II?"
"The first volume's been borrowed. These travelogues, written under the guise of autobiographies, are very popular."
"This one… if I recall, it's actually a romance novel," the young teacher admitted, scratching his head.
At a desk in the library.
"Well, well, they really do exist." Ao Luo chuckled softly as he closed a book titled The Overbearing Soul Saint Falls in Love in Star Dou Great Forest.
The library was filled with
"autobiographies" of soul masters traveling the continent.
And nearly all of them recorded soul beasts encountered along the way.
After all, no soul master's journey was complete without crossing paths with soul beasts. And those deemed worth recording usually had particularly strange or impressive abilities.
Among these, Ao Luo had found several soul beasts that seemed highly suitable.
Cross-referencing them with the academy's bestiaries, he confirmed that at least half of them were indeed real—not mere fabrications.
"Then it's decided. Hopefully, the Soul Hunting Forest has some of these."
They weren't rare species, so there was a good chance.
Dean Xiao Jian had already spoken with him long ago, making clear that he would personally accompany him into the Soul Hunting Forest.
If Star Dou Great Forest proved necessary, it wasn't impossible—but Xiao Jian would need to assemble a team first. He would never dare rush in recklessly with Ao Luo alone.
Not long after, Ao Luo returned the books and went back to the office.
There, he handed the dean a written list of the soul beasts he intended to hunt.
Xiao Jian was delighted. Finally, the boy had chosen.
The first soul skill of an innate full soul power soul master… just how powerful could it be?
He had been waiting a long time to see.
Time passed swiftly, like a wild donkey galloping without pause. Days blurred into weeks.
At last, Badong Academy officially entered its month-long vacation.
On the very first day, a luxurious carriage rolled out of the academy gates, carrying two figures—one tall, one small.
Their destination: the Soul Hunting Forest!
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End of Chapter