"Speaking of fortune and misfortune...
You're relatively safe in the Heaven Dou Empire. No one thinks capturing you would make the Star Luo Empire think twice. They can't even be bothered to deal with you. After all, you're only the Third Prince, aren't you?"
Oscar's words were like a knife, stabbing Dai Mubai right in the heart.
"Enough!"
Dai Mubai roared, looking just like a big white cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Oscar acted as if he hadn't noticed and continued.
"The people hunting you were just being cautious, so they sent a bunch of nobodies.
The people at the top never thought you had a chance.
Even those who saved you mostly did so because they pitied you and couldn't bear to see you die.
They wanted you to live peacefully in the Heaven Dou Empire, far from the whirlpool of the succession struggle.
They all think you're no good."
Oscar stabbed Dai Mubai in the heart again. His eyes reddened.
His older brother, Dai Weisi, was six years older than him. Dai Mubai knew the difference between them; he'd just kept avoiding the thought.
But that didn't mean he was willing to let someone rip open his old wound and rub salt into it!
"Oh, there we go. Looks like the little tiger's getting angry. I won't bother you anymore. Time to pack up."
Dai Mubai gritted his teeth and glared at Oscar.
But he'd asked for the fortune-telling. Though the other man's words had been unpleasant and downright hurtful, Dai Mubai couldn't deny they were true.
His sense of honor wouldn't let him attack him.
"For old times' sake, let me give you some advice, little tiger: go with the flow. Shrek Academy would be a good choice for you."
Oscar packed his things and left with a hearty laugh.
He'd set up his stall here today to make sure Dai Mubai would go to Shrek Academy, planting the idea in his mind first.
As for that old man, well, he'd been an unexpected surprise.
Dai Mubai was young, but his talent was decent. He would grow into a formidable ally.
Most importantly, Oscar attached great importance to his status as the Third Prince.
If he could win Dai Mubai over and help him claim the throne, he could use him to bring about change within the Star Luo Empire!
"Bastard!"
Dai Mubai clenched his fists and watched Oscar leave, his gaze fixed on his back until he disappeared from sight. Then Dai Mubai returned to the Rose Hotel.
Now that he was already at level twenty-five, he wanted to see what Shrek had to offer!
Back at Shrek, Oscar took out the Spirit Bone he'd gotten from the old man.
It was a left leg bone, as clear and flawless as a gemstone. Judging by its aura, it was probably between five and nine thousand years old.
When the old man had appeared before him, Oscar's cultivation technique had sensed the man's aura, far surpassing Flender's and Zhao Wuji's, as well as the gemstone-type Spirit Bone he carried.
Oscar had already witnessed that fierce aura a few years ago, during the Inner Scene explosion crisis.
It belonged to a Titled Douluo!
From the fragments of information left behind by that explosion, he'd learned about Tang San's family.
And since Yu Xiaogang would bring Tang San to study at Shrek Academy in the future, this Titled Douluo was most likely the Clear Sky Douluo, who'd come to investigate Shrek. That was why Oscar had tested him with his words.
The result was exactly as he'd expected. Not a single detail was off.
He'd seized the opportunity to boldly ask a Titled Douluo for a gemstone-type Spirit Bone, which was immensely useful to Support Spirit Masters but not much help to Power Attack or Control Spirit Masters.
"I finally found a Spirit Bone that suits me. That wasn't easy."
Oscar muttered to himself. If other Spirit Masters heard him, they'd surely scold him for getting a good deal and still complaining!
What was a Spirit Bone? It was a treasure more precious than a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, though not as valuable as a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!
Even the most ordinary Spirit Bone was worth a fortune, and impossible to buy no matter how much you offered!
For Oscar to come across two Spirit Bones in just two years was incredible luck!
The Clear Sky Douluo had gotten this Spirit Bone by chance, and had planned to sell it for money to buy some equipment, or get his son a strength-type Spirit Bone!
Unfortunately... Oscar had snatched it from under his nose.
Unaware of all that, Oscar rolled up his robe, placed the Spirit Bone against his left leg, and circulated his cultivation technique.
A dazzling gemstone light flashed across the Spirit Bone. Gradually, it seemed to melt into liquid and seep through Oscar's pores into his body.
Oscar felt no pain as he absorbed it. Instead, it was incredibly comfortable.
A warm current flowed from his left leg through his whole body. He could feel his constitution growing much stronger, and his Soul Power breaking through the bottleneck at level ten, reaching level twenty. He could also sense a warm current stored in his dantian. Once he absorbed a Spirit Ring, he might jump up several levels at once.
"The Spirit Bone seems to have been damaged..."
Oscar could feel it using the power of Taiji to repair its damaged parts. At the same time, the Spirit Bone's skill entered his mind. Unfortunately, because it was damaged, he'd only learned how to activate the skill, not what it did. He'd have to test it himself.
With that thought, Oscar got out of bed and lightly stamped his left foot on the floor.
"Mirror Flower Water Moon!"
A ripple spread outward from beneath Oscar's foot, continuing until it reached ten meters away.
"It should be some kind of support or control ability. Why does it look more like a domain? And why doesn't it seem to do anything?"
Oscar frowned slightly. He'd obtained a gemstone-type Spirit Bone partly to increase his cultivation speed, but also to gain a new control-type Soul Skill and make up for his lack of control abilities.
But this Spirit Bone was using his Soul Power to repair itself, slowing his cultivation. And its skill was incredibly strange...
"Forget it. You can't have everything in life. Gain and loss always go hand in hand. I'll stop thinking about it for now. It's just one Spirit Bone."
Oscar pulled the covers over himself and buried his head in them.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window and straight onto Oscar's covers. A light breeze made the potted plants on the windowsill sway gracefully.
Oscar rubbed his messy hair and quickly sat up.
This was the first time he'd ever overslept. The Spirit Bone had kept his body warm and comfortable all night, in a way he'd never felt before.
"Wait, where's the fatty?"
Oscar usually took Ma Hongjun out for morning training. Normally, if he overslept, Ma Hongjun would come looking for him.
Where had the little fatty gone today?
With that thought, Oscar threw on his white robe, hurried out of his room, and knocked on Ma Hongjun's door.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
No one answered...
Oscar followed the path to the clearing where they usually trained.
At last, he found the little fatty there.
"Senior Brother, you're up."
Ma Hongjun scratched his head. He could tell his senior brother was tired. When he'd gone to look for him earlier, he'd seen him asleep, so he hadn't disturbed him. Instead, he'd come here to practice his Soul Skill.
A few old willow trees in the distance had been burned to charcoal. They were the result of his morning's work.
"Good job. Even though winter's still a long way off, you can stock up now and give some to the villagers nearby later."
Oscar nodded. It seemed Ma Hongjun had really changed last night. He was working much harder than before.
That was a good thing.
"Senior Brother, there's something I don't understand."
Ma Hongjun looked at Oscar, utterly serious.
"Those villagers are content to be weak and make no effort to improve. They only beg the strong for help. Why should we pity them and protect them?
"Grandmaster may not be a very good person, but he once said that there are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Spirit Masters.
"Those people all have Martial Souls. Why don't they work hard to become Spirit Masters?"
Before you continue