Good Partners

Shi Yi broke a light sweat after running several laps. As he passed the river, he scooped up some water and took a quick rinse.

Back in his dorm, Shi Yi started cooking porridge and began considering ways to tap into his body's strength.

Based on the methods Shi Yi had seen so far, he roughly divided them into three types. The first was the limit-breaking type: constantly challenging the body's limits to grant it exceptional abilities. It was an extremely plain and straightforward method, and one with no barrier to entry. However, its drawbacks were obvious as well. Pushing past one's limits would generally cause a certain degree of damage to the body, requiring Shi Yi to find ways to replenish himself, such as medicinal baths.

The second was to create Self-Created Soul Skills related to the body, like Tang San had done. By continually refining and strengthening those Self-Created Soul Skills, one could use meridians and acupoints, following specific cultivation routes, to help unlock the body's potential.

Over the years he had spent with Tang San, Shi Yi had carefully compared the various physical indicators displayed by their bodies. Even when Tang San was not circulating his Cultivation Method, every indicator aside from strength was slightly better than Shi Yi's. The difference was not great, but it undeniably existed. Even without using Purple Demon Eyes, Tang San's eyesight was better than Shi Yi's. As for hearing, there was even less need to mention it. With the extensive use of hidden weapons, hearing was also an important attribute.

With their Soul Ring ages being roughly the same, this became quite interesting. Clearly, when Soul Power acted upon those secret arts, it gradually exerted a subtle influence on Tang San's body. Of course, Shi Yi believed that was merely auxiliary, because the differences in their indicators were not actually large. As for the greatest gaps—eyesight and hearing—Shi Yi believed they were the result of years spent practicing hidden weapons.

The shortcomings of this method were equally obvious. Shi Yi did not possess a complete inheritance like Tang San's and would have to build everything from the ground up. When Tang San was not circulating his Cultivation Method, his displayed indicators were only slightly superior to Shi Yi's. Naturally, when using those cultivation methods, his physical performance rose dramatically. Shi Yi believed that was no longer merely tapping into the body's strength, but rather seeking the optimal balance between the body and Soul Power.

Using Soul Power to drive skills and improve the body's performance, while using that Soul Power to nourish every part of the body in the process.

The third method was the simplest: Soul Bones, Soul Rings, and Immortal Herbs. Regardless of which one it was, absorbing it could greatly improve physical performance, especially the body's ability to withstand Soul Power.

"Looks like the first and third methods suit me best," Shi Yi murmured.

Just like playing a game, a person's time was limited. Spending effort developing skills was inferior to steadily improving one's basic attributes. That was also why Tang San would greatly reduce his use of secret arts in the later stages. Clearly, when everyone was a Title Douluo, the way to widen the gap was through the number of Soul Rings, their ages, the number of Soul Bones, and their ages—not through the number of skills one possessed. Besides, comparing the number of skills with someone like Tang San, who had twin martial souls and both Tang Sect and Clear Sky Inheritance, was simply courting death.

At that point, the Tang Sect's secret arts were not as practical as a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone or a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring not only provided an enormous amount of Soul Power and vastly improved physical performance, but most importantly, it also came with two incredible skills.

If I can't surpass Tang San in quantity, then I can only surpass him in quality, Shi Yi thought.

With that in mind, Shi Yi cracked open an egg, took a sip of his river-fresh porridge, and stopped dwelling on it.

After he finished eating, the bell for class rang. Shi Yi slowly made his way to the training ground. By then, nearly everyone had arrived, with only Oscar absent.

"Morning, everyone," Shi Yi greeted them.

"Morning, Senior Disciple Brother," Tang San replied, while Xiao Wu merely gave a soft snort in response.

Dai Mubai said nothing, as though he had not heard him. Shi Yi did not mind, while Zhu Zhuqing gave a slight nod.

Ma Hongjun looked refreshed as he answered, "Morning." Clearly, the Gold Soul Coins he had won from betting the previous night had put him in a good mood. Even Flender apparently could not find a suitable ice-attribute Soul Master anytime soon, and given the intensity of Ma Hongjun's flames, that person could not be too weak either.

Ning Rongrong's fair, lovely little face looked somewhat haggard, and she seemed to be in a very low mood.

Shi Yi smiled. The rebuffs she had suffered from the others the previous night had clearly hit Ning Rongrong hard.

Before long, Flender appeared before them.

Seeing that Oscar still had not arrived, Flender frowned slightly and said flatly, "Today is the second lesson. Where is Oscar? Did he oversleep again?"

Tang San hurriedly answered, "He was still cultivating when I came out this morning. Perhaps he entered meditation and did not wake up in time."

"This class cannot begin without him. Tang San, go call him."

Tang San had just started toward the dorms when he saw Oscar hurrying over from that direction. However, there was no panic on his face over being late. Instead, he was brimming with excitement.

"Oscar, are you itching to run laps again?" Dean Flender glared at him.

Oscar hurriedly shook his head. "No, Dean, please let me explain. I broke through. I've reached level thirty."

"What?" Everyone except Shi Yi stared at Oscar in surprise.

Shi Yi looked thoughtfully at Oscar, but after giving it a little thought, he found it only natural. Though they both possessed Innate Full Soul Power, Oscar was ultimately a support-type Soul Master. Support-type Soul Masters had fewer things to do than Battle Soul Masters. Although their cultivation would be slower than that of ordinary Battle Soul Masters, their abundant free time made up for that shortcoming.

After everyone offered their congratulations, Flender moved on to today's lesson.

"Today's lesson is very simple. Oscar, you are today's main character. For today's lesson, every one of you besides Oscar must eat at least one of each of the two types of sausages created by Oscar's Soul Power."

Upon hearing this "bad news," everyone could not help crying out in alarm.

Shi Yi did not think much of it. He actually wanted to experience what food created by a Food System Soul Master would feel like after being eaten. In Shi Yi's eyes, the food Oscar made in the later stages would absolutely be Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

Enhanced by his Seventh Soul Skill, Oscar's Ninth Soul Skill could completely restore a person's Soul Power and stamina. When Shi Yi had read about that effect in the novel, he had called it utterly ridiculous. It was practically the equivalent of a resurrection token from another world.

Shi Yi could still regard Oscar as a normal support if it were only his First through Sixth Soul Skills. But from his Seventh Soul Skill onward, things became utterly absurd. The sausages never expired, his Eighth Soul Skill's incredibly powerful healing effect directly put Nine Heart Begonia to shame. Nine Heart Begonia was passed down through only one person in each generation, and regardless of how many Soul Rings it had, it only possessed a single healing skill. Yet Oscar's Eighth Soul Skill could instantly heal all injuries aside from lost limbs, and could even be stored and carried around. There was even less need to mention his Ninth Soul Skill—it could instantly restore someone from critical condition to full health and full Soul Power.

Shi Yi even felt that if Spirit Hall had killed Oscar earlier, Tang San would not have known how many times he would have died.

Just as Shi Yi was relentlessly complaining in his heart, Xiao Wu had already cried out, "Dean, what kind of lesson is this?"

Before long, after Flender gave a perfectly high-sounding explanation, everyone could only submit to Flender's tyranny.

Flender stood there with a cold face, looking utterly impartial. His expression told the students before him that no one should even think of muddling through.

Oscar was already blooming with joy inside, and his eyes clearly revealed a lecherous gleam.

Shi Yi had not cared at first. He also wanted to experience food made by a Food System martial soul. But seeing Oscar's lecherous expression, Shi Yi could not help feeling somewhat disgusted, especially when he saw the way Oscar looked at Ning Rongrong. Shi Yi did not even need to think to know what filthy fantasies the man was having.

"I have a Big Sausage."

"I have a Small Sausage."

One thick and one thin, two sausages with entirely different flavors appeared in Oscar's palms. Oscar chuckled and said, "Who's first?"

Shi Yi said nothing and slowly stepped forward. Get it over with sooner rather than later. This guy is too sleazy. Who knows who he learned it from?

Shi Yi took the two sausages from Oscar and slowly ate them beneath everyone's gaze. While eating, Shi Yi noticed that Oscar deliberately glanced at him, nearly making him gag.

Seeing Shi Yi eat Oscar's sausages so calmly, the other six instead felt as if their own thoughts had been overly dirty.

Once the sausage and cured sausage truly entered his mouth, Shi Yi discovered that the food martial souls Oscar released tasted quite good, and their effects were unexpectedly excellent. The moment they entered his stomach, they turned into a warm current that spread through his entire body. His spirits lifted, and his body seemed to brim with strength.

Oscar's Big Sausage carried the effect of his First Soul Ring: recovery. This recovery was comprehensive. Aside from easing hunger, it could also heal injuries and restore stamina. Its restorative effect was proportional to Oscar's Soul Power.

Isn't this the perfect partner for physical training? Shi Yi thought, his eyes brightening as he looked at Oscar.

The sausage's recovery was far too comprehensive. It was truly somewhat heaven-defying. The greatest difference between Soul Power and stamina was their effect on physical performance. Without Soul Power, one could at least still exert the strength an adult should possess. But without stamina, the body's performance would rapidly decline, and one might even faint outright.

Shi Yi looked at the Shrek students. None of them had discovered Oscar's true instructions for use.

"Impressive," Shi Yi muttered softly.

"Impressive?" Tang San repeated in confusion.

"You should try them. The effects are good," Shi Yi said with a light smile.

Perhaps because she was competing with the others, Ning Rongrong acted quickly. She was the second to accept Oscar's sausages. Feeling their powerful effects, Ning Rongrong gave a soft snort. Though unwilling to accept it, she had nothing to say.

After hesitating briefly, the remaining few also ate Oscar's sausages.

Flender nodded in satisfaction and said, "All right. Now, all of you go back and prepare. Early tomorrow morning, Teacher Zhao Wuji will lead you to the Star Dou Great Forest to help Oscar obtain his third Soul Ring. Before you encounter a thousand-year Soul Beast, Teacher Zhao will not intervene easily. Everything will depend on yourselves."

Shi Yi's lips curved slightly at those words. He had always been curious what changes Little Ant would undergo if it ate the Man Faced Demon Spider that could produce an External Soul Bone.

Over the years, he had visited Soul Hunting Forest many times. He had also read quite a few books about Soul Beasts from Yu Xiaogang's room and had gained a certain understanding of the patterns behind Soul Bone production.

Shi Yi believed that the prerequisite for any Soul Beast to produce a Soul Bone was possessing a powerful bloodline. That also explained why more powerful Soul Beasts with higher cultivation ages were more likely to produce Soul Bones. As for how extreme resentment in a Soul Beast could increase the likelihood of a Soul Bone appearing, that was easy to understand as well. Humans could erupt with terrifying strength when enraged or driven into desperation, and Soul Beasts were naturally no different. When they unleashed one hundred and twenty, or even one hundred and fifty percent of their power, that extra strength undoubtedly came from the depths of their bloodlines.

That was why low-level Soul Beasts rarely produced Soul Bones. The reason was simple: the power of their bloodlines was not strong, and their intelligence was insufficient. So-called secret-method Soul Bones were also easy to explain. If one slaughtered a hundred Soul Beasts within half an hour and used a secret method to activate their Soul Rings, there was a one-in-ten chance of obtaining such a Soul Bone. In reality, it was formed by gathering the bloodline power within the Soul Rings of numerous Soul Beasts.

Shi Yi wanted to determine the extent of bloodline power's effects on Little Ant. That way, he could select suitable food for Little Ant through screening.

Flender's so-called lesson was very brief. Once everyone had eaten Oscar's sausages, he dismissed them, allowing them to freely choose their own cultivation methods.

Shi Yi actually believed that was correct. Every single person at Shrek was a genius, and geniuses often understood what they wanted.

Just as Oscar was about to leave, Shi Yi called him over.

"Is something wrong, Shi Yi?" Oscar asked in confusion.

Shi Yi smiled slightly. "Just call me Xiao Yi. Xiao Ao, would you be interested in cultivating with me?"

Oscar immediately shook his head. "My cultivation method is different from you Battle Soul Masters. I only need to meditate."

As he spoke, Oscar yawned and continued, "If there's nothing else, I'd like to sleep for a while."

Shi Yi gently shook his head. "I'm not asking you to cultivate with me. I hope you can provide me with your First Soul Skill while I'm training. You only need to make as many sausages as possible, then you can enter meditation to cultivate. During my training, I only need to be able to take a sausage whenever I need one."

Oscar was somewhat surprised by those words. After thinking it over, he said, "That works. Meditation is meditation no matter where I do it. But how are you going to thank me?"

Shi Yi looked at Oscar seriously. "When the time is right, I'll make you a defensive Soul Tool."

"A Soul Tool? You can make those?" Oscar asked in surprise. The Soul Tool he wore had been given to him by Shao Xin. Otherwise, how could a child like him possibly afford one?

"I know a little. And if you need guidance, I can also design a direction for your martial soul's development," Shi Yi said seriously.

"Really?" Oscar asked excitedly.

"Of course." Shi Yi nodded. Winning over a support like this would definitely be a good thing for him.

"That's great. Xiao San told me yesterday that martial soul theory is your specialty," Oscar said with a smile.

Shi Yi smiled and modestly replied, "You flatter me. Then let's go together."

With that, Shi Yi led Oscar toward his room.