In the blink of an eye, Divine Machine Hundred Refinements had reached perfection.
Lan Minghua beckoned to a dry branch on the ground, and it flew steadily into his hand.
"Is this how Matter Transformation and Object Manipulation work?"
Two or three seconds later, the once-fragile branch had undergone Matter Transformation.
His gaze sharpened, and the branch hovered in midair. Object Manipulation was mastered, too.
Lan Minghua raised his hand and aimed at the trunk of a nearby tree, then focused his thoughts.
With a whoosh, the branch shot through the air like an arrow loosed from a bow.
In the blink of an eye, it pierced the thick trunk as easily as a needle through thin paper.
It only came to a stop after lodging in a rock behind the tree.
Lan Minghua felt the power surging through him and was very satisfied.
Even among Soul Saints, he was now one of the best.
With Wretched Fate Hua's terrifying inner power, he could even go toe-to-toe with a Soul Douluo.
It was time to take on disciples. If he wanted to live comfortably on Douluo Continent, his current strength wasn't nearly enough.
Looking at Suotuo City in the distance, Lan Minghua set off toward it.
His eagerness to take on a disciple had reached its peak. He even forgot that he looked like a beggar.
Unbeknownst to him, by a stroke of luck, his Roleplay Progress for the Wretched Fate Hua template was slowly increasing.
After all, roleplaying was essentially imitation. Dressing similarly naturally counted as part of it.
Not long after Lan Minghua left, two figures came bouncing into the area.
"Xiao San, is that Suotuo City? It's really far from Nuoding City. No, you have to make it up to me."
"Of course. I'll make it up to you, Xiao Wu. Once we're in Suotuo City, you can eat whatever you want."
The two were Little Scumbag and Bus Rabbit. They had come to Suotuo City to join Shrek Academy.
In Suotuo City, shouts and calls from vendors interwove, composing a unique urban symphony.
The peddlers waved their wares, their faces alight with the excitement of bargaining.
Lan Minghua walked along the street, taking an interested look at the dazzling array of goods.
"Even this Fantasy Underworld is just as bustling as the modern world."
There were no technological wonders like cars, but there were carriages—and even Soul Beasts pulling carts.
Watching the crowds pass by, Wretched Fate Hua wondered if he might chance upon a gifted disciple.
"System, check the System Talent Scores of everyone here."
In an instant, a string of numbers appeared above each person's head in Lan Minghua's eyes.
"12, 8, 20, 25..."
His gaze swept over the peddlers, children, and even the elderly nearby.
The highest System Talent Score among them was only in the twenties, nowhere near 80.
Lan Minghua's spirits sank. He had thought taking on a disciple would be easy.
He hadn't expected that people with a System Talent Score of 80 or higher would be so few and far between.
"Looks like taking on a disciple won't be simple. I'll have to visit Shrek Academy."
Lan Minghua had to admit that, putting aside the Shrek Seven Devils' character, they were all extremely talented.
And if some of the Shrek Seven Devils hadn't been led astray by Tang San, their character might even have been passable.
"Come buy sausages! Fragrant, piping-hot Big Sausages! Come and try one!"
Just then, a lively, resonant hawker's call reached Lan Minghua's ears.
He looked toward the voice and saw a young-looking peddler with a full beard, riding a tricycle and calling out to passersby.
"Is that Oscar?!"
Lan Minghua recognized him at once. He knew the Shrek Seven Devils pretty well.
Of course, he only knew them from the books and animated series.
What surprised him more was the golden 95 above Oscar's head.
In other words, his System Talent Score was a whopping 95.
The System Talent Score had a maximum of 100, so Oscar's talent was nearly perfect.
Lan Minghua hadn't expected Oscar to give him such a pleasant surprise.
Then again, Oscar was the first Food System Soul Master on Douluo Continent with Innate Full Soul Power. It would've been strange if his talent weren't extraordinary.
Without Tang San's help in stealing Immortal Herbs from Dugu Bo, Oscar might have been the only one among them capable of becoming a god on his own.
Oscar seemed like a decent person, at least. He hadn't done anything especially obnoxious.
Lan Minghua didn't approach right away. He wanted to see how Oscar treated ordinary people.
The moment Oscar stopped his tricycle, children crowded around him.
The children chattered noisily, but he was patient with every one of them.
He wrapped the steaming sausages in oiled paper and handed them out to the children in an orderly fashion.
The children eagerly took a bite. Their mouths full of oil and spice, they beamed with happiness.
Seeing how much the children enjoyed his sausages, Oscar smiled with satisfaction.
He had none of the arrogance of a Soul Master. He just wanted to earn a little pocket money.
Lan Minghua took it all in and nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad. That smile is genuine. He's worthy of becoming my disciple."
He was confident that Oscar's future achievements would be far greater than those of a mere Second-rank God.
The children soon dispersed, leaving Oscar's stall quiet.
Only little kids seemed to like his sausages.
Lan Minghua shuffled over in his slippers, clearly intent on approaching him.
Suddenly, he noticed that the shop behind Oscar looked familiar.
"Huh, isn't that shop Flender's?"
He glanced inside and saw the Hair Crystal displayed there, confirming that it was Flender's shop.
"No wonder Oscar's selling sausages here. Flender's shop is right behind him."
Lan Minghua could understand.
Oscar was a Shrek genius, after all. Flender wouldn't let him leave the academy without protection.
But that wasn't much of a deterrent to Lan Minghua.
He had no murderous intentions toward Oscar, and he wasn't afraid of Flender's strength.
He continued toward Oscar's stall.
Seeing Lan Minghua's vagrant appearance, Oscar remained just as welcoming.
"Uncle, would you like a fragrant sausage? It's only one Copper Soul Coin."
Lan Minghua knew how Oscar's sausages were made.
The words he had to say to make them appear were a little odd, but they didn't actually have any side effects.
He was quite curious about sausages produced by a Martial Soul, too.
And since he was a little hungry, he replied without hesitation, "Then give me one to try."
"Sure thing. Here's your sausage."
Oscar briskly wrapped a steaming sausage in oiled paper and handed it to Lan Minghua.
Lan Minghua didn't stand on ceremony. He took a bite.
In an instant, rich meat juices burst in his mouth, and a delicious flavor filled his taste buds.
Lan Minghua also sensed a trace of Soul Power in the sausage.
There wasn't much, but it was enough to help an ordinary person improve their immune system.
Besides, too much Soul Power wouldn't necessarily be good for ordinary people. Their bodies wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Oscar had clearly put plenty of thought into selling sausages.
Lan Minghua was growing more and more pleased with him. He was a promising young man.
He finished the sausage in two bites, then reached out to ask Oscar for another.
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