Oscar wanted to investigate Yu Xiaogang partly out of curiosity and partly to see whether this guy might have a bad influence on his adoptive father.
There were only a few people in this world Oscar cared about. He couldn't let anyone hurt them.
With no money or influence, Oscar's only way to investigate was by using the Inner Scene.
The Inner Scene was a form of divination that used space and time as its starting point to decipher the workings of heaven.
Experts who could peer into the Inner Scene could foresee the future direction of the world, and even predict their opponents' next moves and attacks.
Most importantly, they could pay a certain price here to obtain the answer to any question.
Finding an open area, Oscar stepped onto the Blue Silver Grass and laid out the Qimen Formation.
Four interlocking circular formations appeared beneath his feet, their blue light shimmering under the starry sky.
As the world spun around him, Oscar entered the Inner Scene.
It was like a dream world, without up or down, left or right, or any distinction between the cardinal directions. Everything there depended on the practitioner's preferences.
A practitioner could experience the thrill of being a god!
So Oscar was extremely cautious here. No matter how strong his Quiet Meditation was, there was still a risk of losing himself.
"What effect will Yu Xiaogang have on Flender in the future?"
Oscar frowned and gazed at the empty space ahead. When a practitioner asked a question, a "small orb of light" would appear before him. Breaking it would reveal the answer.
But breaking one was difficult. This was especially true when the question involved something connected to the practitioner himself; the light orb that appeared could be practically indestructible.
Besides, if the question was obscure and had far-reaching consequences, the light orb would grow enormous. And when attacked, it would put up a desperate resistance.
Furthermore, if the question was impossibly difficult, what appeared would be more than just a light orb—it would become a massive fireball capable of destroying everything in its path!!!
If Yu Xiaogang weren't going to have a profound impact on his adoptive father, Oscar would never have taken such a risk.
"Why is that light orb getting brighter and brighter...? Is it just my imagination?"
Oscar furrowed his brow as he watched the orb in the distance.
From what Teacher Zhao had described, a Soul Master with Yu Xiaogang's personality and strength couldn't possibly accomplish anything significant. His impact on the world shouldn't be all that great...
Just as Oscar was thinking this, the light orb swelled as if it had devoured some nourishment. In an instant, it grew into a massive fireball!
The smell of something burning, originating from his very soul, filled the Inner Scene.
"It's over..."
The thought had barely formed when the flames swallowed him.
"Cough, cough..."
He had been lucky enough to survive, but Oscar was gravely injured. His clothes remained intact, but they were smeared with blood and gave off the aroma of roast meat.
"Cough, cough... Curiosity really did kill the cat, huh..."
Oscar's eyes flickered as he looked up into the unknown depths of the sky.
Though he was terribly injured and had paid an enormous price, the benefits he'd gained were just as immeasurable.
Going by the secrets of heaven he had witnessed, being burned to ashes, with black smoke rising from his grave every day and all his descendants doomed to misfortune for generations, would have been a fair price!
Because he had seen the future of the entire continent!
A war involving large and small sects, Spirit Hall, the two great empires, and all the vassal states would erupt in the near future.
Everyone would be swept into the storm of that war, unable to escape. And... countless lives would be lost!
As his thoughts raced, Oscar could no longer withstand his body's weakness and fell unconscious.
After who knew how long, Ma Hongjun wandered over, half-asleep and getting up to relieve himself. Humming an unknown tune, he undid his pants as he approached.
"O-Oscar?!"
Seeing Oscar covered in blood, with blood trickling from all seven orifices, Ma Hongjun shuddered. He almost wet himself.
"Help! There's an assassin!"
His shrill scream woke the sleeping Shrek Academy. Flender, Zhao Wuji, Li Yusong, Lu Qibin, and Shao Xin arrived one after another.
Flender picked Oscar up, his expression terrifyingly grim, while the other four teachers guarded the surrounding directions.
"Damn it! Who attacked a student of my Shrek Academy?!"
Flender's hoarse voice rasped from his throat. The other teachers also unleashed their Martial Soul Avatars, their expressions grim.
Although many students from Shrek Academy had met with accidents, those had all happened while hunting in the Star Dou Great Forest!
This was the first time anyone had been so badly injured inside the academy!
And Oscar was his adoptive son. He had looked after him for so many years; Oscar was no different from his own flesh and blood!
Flender felt a blazing fire burning in his chest!
"Shao Xin, I'll leave Oscar in your care. The rest of you, search every inch of the place and find that bastard. I'll tear his skin off!"
Lu Qibin hurriedly stopped him. His Martial Soul was Star Luo Chess, a Martial Soul suited to testing intelligence, and his logical reasoning was exceptionally sharp. He immediately sensed that something was amiss.
"Flender, don't rush. There's something strange about this."
This place was extremely remote, and powerful Soul Masters rarely wandered through.
Besides, Oscar was only a child. He usually stayed within the village and had no chance to offend a powerful Soul Master.
Flender's eyes flickered. His tightly knitted brows relaxed slightly, and he sighed.
"Let's check on the child first. He's what matters."
Shao Xin was already checking Oscar's pulse. He was even more anxious than Flender about what had happened to him.
His Martial Soul was Sugar Bean, and he was a Food System Soul Master.
He had been teaching Oscar as his personal disciple!
After all, a Food System Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power was so rare on Douluo Continent that one might not appear even once in several thousand years!
If something happened to Oscar, he'd never find another personal disciple with such talent before he died!
After a long while, Shao Xin let out a breath and spoke slowly.
"This child doesn't look like he was attacked. Something went wrong during his cultivation. I have some medicinal herbs. The rest is up to his luck."
After Shao Xin took Oscar away, Flender's face turned pale, then flushed. His eyes were filled with regret and guilt.
It wasn't an attack... Something had gone wrong during cultivation!
If he hadn't been so strict with Oscar, could all this have been avoided?
In the flickering firelight, Oscar's fingers twitched slightly.
The bitter scent of medicinal herbs, warmed by the flames, drifted into his nostrils.
His whole body ached. He opened his eyes.
"You're awake, little guy? You were incredibly lucky to survive this time."
Shao Xin, who was brewing medicine, noticed the movement and sighed.
"Thank you, teacher. I feel much better."
Oscar spoke softly, the corners of his mouth rising despite himself. He was deeply grateful that he'd been unbelievably lucky!
The future of all Douluo Continent, with so many lives and secrets of heaven involved?
And he still hadn't died...
Compared to that, having his meridians completely shattered was a relatively light punishment. With the Taiji Technique, they could be fully restored in about two years.
"Drink this, and get plenty of rest for a while. Your recovery is good, so there shouldn't be any major problems. But be careful when cultivating from now on."
Shao Xin carried the freshly brewed medicine over and sat beside Oscar's bed.
He watched Oscar's mouth stretch into a wildly upturned grin, feeling deeply worried. Shattered meridians weren't easy to treat. Even the best-case scenario would leave the child unable to cultivate for the rest of his life. Had he gone mad?
Oscar slowly sat up and gulped down the medicine in one go.
The herbal concoction tasted bitter, with a soothing warmth beneath it. It was definitely expensive—perhaps even one of Teacher Shao's treasured remedies.
"Master, I'll be careful."
Shao Xin's lips moved. He tucked the blanket around Oscar.
"Teacher" and "master" meant completely different things!
This child...
He had no idea what a bowl of medicine like this was worth...
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