Chapter 2.
In Oscar Soto , shouts and cries of vendors mingled together, creating a unique urban symphony.
Vendors waved their wares, their faces beaming with the enthusiasm of haggling.
Lan Minghua walked down the street, looking at the dazzling array of goods with great interest.
"Even in this fantasy sewer, its prosperity rivals that of modern times."
Although there were no cars or other technological marvels, there were horse-drawn carriages, and even carriages pulled by spirit beasts.
Watching the people come and go, Lan Minghua wondered if he could find a genius disciple.
"System, check the system talent scores of the crowd."
Instantly, a string of numbers floated above the heads of everyone in Lan Minghua's eyes.
"12, 8, 20, 25..."
His gaze swept over the vendors, children, and even the elderly.
He discovered that the highest system talent score among these people was only in the twenties, far from the 80 mark.
Lan Minghua's mood plummeted. He had thought taking on a disciple would be easy.
Unexpectedly, there were very few people with a system talent score of 80.
"It seems that taking on disciples isn't a simple matter. Going to Shrek Academy is definitely necessary."
Lan Minghua had to admit that, putting aside the Shrek Seven Devils' character, they were indeed all very talented.
Moreover, some of the Shrek Seven Devils, if they hadn't been corrupted by Tang San, would have been decent people.
"Sausages for sale! Delicious, big sausages! Come and try some!"
Just then, a cheerful hawking voice rang out from Lan Minghua's school.
He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young-looking vendor with a full beard, riding a tricycle and calling out his wares.
"That's... Oscar?!"
Lan Minghua recognized him immediately, as he knew quite a bit about the Shrek Seven Devils.
Of course, that was only from books and anime.
Even more surprising was the golden number 95 above Oscar's head.
That meant his system talent score was a high 95.
The system talent score cap was 100, and Oscar's talent was close to perfect.
Lan Minghua hadn't expected Oscar to give him such a surprise.
That's right. He's the first food-type Soul Master on the Douluo Continent with innate full Soul Power. It would be strange if he didn't have such talent.
If it weren't for Tang San stealing the Immortal Herb from Dugu Bo, perhaps only Oscar among them could have become a god on his own.
Oscar's character is not bad; at least he doesn't have any particularly disgusting moments.
Lan Minghua didn't rush up, wanting to see how Oscar treated the common people.
The moment Oscar stopped his tricycle, he was surrounded by children.
The children were chattering noisily, but he was very patient.
He methodically wrapped the steaming sausages in oil paper and handed them to the children.
The children couldn't wait to take a bite, their mouths full of grease and spiciness, and they showed happy smiles.
Oscar saw that his sausages were welcomed, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
He didn't have the arrogance of a Soul Master; he just wanted to earn a little money.
Lan Minghua took everything in and nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad, that smile isn't faked. He's qualified to be my disciple."
He was also confident that Oscar's future achievements would not be merely those of a second-level god.
The children quickly dispersed, and Oscar's stall became deserted.
Only children liked his sausages.
Lan Minghua, shuffling his slippers, walked over, his purpose clear.
Suddenly, he noticed that the shop behind Oscar looked familiar.
"Hey, isn't that Flander's shop?"
Looking up, he saw the rutilated quartz inside and became even more certain that it was Flander's shop.
"No wonder Oscar sells sausages here; it's Flander's shop behind him."
Lan Minghua understood.
Oscar was, after all, a genius of Shrek Academy; Flander wouldn't let him leave the academy so openly without protection.
However, for Lan Minghua, it posed little threat.
He had no intention of killing Oscar, nor was he afraid of Flander's strength.
He continued walking towards Oscar's stall.
Oscar, seeing Lan Minghua's homeless appearance, remained enthusiastic. "Uncle, would you like a fragrant sausage? It's only one copper soul coin!"
Lan Minghua knew how Oscar got his sausages.
Although the lines he conjured were a bit... suggestive, they actually had no side effects.
Lan Minghua was quite interested in sausages made from martial souls.
Plus, he was a little hungry, so he said without hesitation, "Then give me one to try."
"Alright, here's your sausage."
Oscar quickly wrapped the steaming sausage in oil paper and handed it to Lan Minghua.
Lan Minghua didn't stand on ceremony and took a bite.
Instantly, the rich juices burst in his mouth, and the delicious taste immediately filled his taste buds.
Lan Minghua also sensed a trace of soul power in the sausage.
Although it wasn't much, it was enough to boost the immunity of an ordinary person.
Moreover, too much soul power wasn't necessarily a good thing for ordinary people; the body couldn't handle too much soul power.
So Oscar had put in a lot of effort to sell sausages.
Lan Minghua was increasingly satisfied with him; he was a good prospect.
After finishing one sausage in two bites, he reached out to ask Oscar for another.
Although he hadn't paid, Oscar kept eating.
After consuming five sausages, Lan Minghua let out a satisfied burp.
Oscar rubbed his hands together, asking happily, "Uncle, how was the sausage?"
"Great, delicious. It would be even better if you could cut hair too."
Lan Minghua's inexplicable remark left Oscar bewildered.
But since he'd finished eating, he had to pay.
"Uncle, five copper soul coins, please."
Lan Minghua tossed aside the toothpick in his hand, looking completely unconcerned.
"I don't have any money, I only have one life."
Hearing this, Oscar was startled: "What, you want to dine and dash!"
As soon as he said this, Lan Minghua felt a gaze fall on him.
He also sensed the source of that gaze was coming from the shop behind Oscar.
"Uncle, you're causing trouble in my place, aren't you! Let me tell you, I'm a Soul Master!"
Oscar shouted, jumping aside and throwing a series of wild punches at Lan Minghua.
Lan Minghua ignored Flander's peeping.
He pulled out several manuals and handed them to Oscar.
"Wait a minute, I have a few self-created soul skills here. You can choose one, consider it payment for your sausages."
Oscar was speechless, looking at one of the manuals, "Chrysanthemum Acupuncture Technique," he immediately thought it was a scam.
He sighed, glancing at Lan Minghua's attire, and didn't pursue the five copper soul coins any further. He
walked back to his stall, packed up the remaining sausages, and handed them to Lan Minghua.
"Uncle, consider this a gift from me. There are still a few left, so don't try to dine and dash next time, you'll easily get beaten up."
After stuffing the bag into Lan Minghua's hand, Oscar pedaled his tricycle back to Shrek Academy.
Lan Minghua looked at the bag in his hand, a warmth inexplicably spreading through his heart.
Oscar had enough talent, good character, and was a good candidate for a disciple.
But if he didn't believe it now, he could just become a teacher at Shrek Academy.
And the opportunity to become a teacher at Shrek Academy was right in front of him, wasn't it?
Lan Minghua carried the sausages and walked towards Flander's shop.
Flander was still lying in the chair, thinking he hadn't been discovered while spying.
Lan Minghua wouldn't let this opportunity pass; using it as leverage would definitely get him into Shrek Academy.
Of course, all of this depended on whether he was strong enough.
Lan Minghua stared at the still-lying Flander and kicked open the door without hesitation.
"Boom!"
Flander sprang up from the chair like a spring.
He immediately cursed, "You son of a bitch, looking for trouble, huh?!"
(End of Chapter)