Harvests and Negotiations

Oscar thought to himself, but the Heaven Dou Great Forest was no safe place.

"Gen: Earth Dragon Swim!"

Oscar's hidden injuries had been completely healed. Worried that something might happen in this godforsaken place, he quickly burrowed underground.

"What kind of ability is that? It looks pretty powerful."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang out in Oscar's mind, full of curiosity.

"I'll explain later. Do you remember the way?"

As Oscar chatted with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, it was like having a human GPS. Unfortunately, when he reached the spot, he found that the dean and the others had already left.

Beneath a nearby tree, Oscar spotted a crooked marker, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Teacher Zhao really trusts me. If I'd run into another Soul Beast this time, I might've been done for."

He pulled a dagger from his storage pouch and carved another marker before quickly making his way toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

By the time he returned, travel-worn, to the small town outside the Star Dou Great Forest, night had fallen. Exhausted from the journey, Oscar rented a room.

After making a few arrangements, Oscar entered the Inner Scene. It had changed completely; little orbs of light were scattered everywhere.

On the side with fewer orbs rested a black bead—the incarnation of the blurry figure. It seemed to be asleep.

On the side with more orbs rested nine enormous golden rings of light, rotating without pause. A big, fleshy silkworm lay lazily across them.

When the big silkworm saw Oscar enter, it wriggled and spoke.

"Your Sea of Consciousness is really strange. I can sense an ability here that doesn't belong to you... It might be closer to a kind of rule.

"And those three you summoned earlier... They seemed to possess the aura of gods..."

Oscar gave a quiet "Mm" and drifted above the enormous rings of light, finding a place to sit.

"Is what that person said reliable? About creating a second Sea of Consciousness?"

Most of what Oscar knew about Spirit Masters came from his studies at Shrek. The school had never mentioned the Sea of Consciousness.

The first time he'd seen the term was in the belongings of an Evil Soul Master.

As he understood it, the Sea of Consciousness was a little like the sea of awareness, but sorcerers didn't deal with that sort of thing, so he wasn't sure how it worked.

"It should be reliable..."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's little eyes looked distant. Creating a second Sea of Consciousness was something even he found hard to believe.

But perhaps that person had a chance of succeeding?

He didn't dare guarantee it. At the same time, he could tell that Oscar didn't know much about the Sea of Consciousness, so he changed the subject and explained:

"The Sea of Consciousness is where spiritual power is stored. It should be located in your brain, perhaps behind your eyes or somewhere above your spine.

"But the strange thing is, your Sea of Consciousness... How should I put it? It isn't inside your body. It's more like an inn, and you've been given a key.

"Your current body is a manifestation of spiritual power. It's as if you often store your spiritual power here, and when you need to use it, it turns into a kind of energy within your body.

"Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing. This place is far better than the Sea of Consciousness you could build yourself. I can also store my origin power here with more peace of mind, without worrying about an explosion.

"But since this place doesn't belong to you, there's also a risk that my origin power could be stolen."

Oscar listened carefully, then rubbed his chin and said:

"There's nothing else we can do for now. I'll find a way to replenish your life force as soon as possible. First, tell me what benefits you've brought me."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm chuckled and said:

"Although I've nearly had all my Soul Power drained by those Soul Beasts over the years, I still had a little left. I poured it all into your Spirit Bone. Not only did I help repair it, I also helped it reach the fifty-thousand-year level.

"And this space is pretty good, too. All of my origin power and spiritual power have merged into it. Best of all, the instant they merged, I somehow broke through to the million-year level."

Oscar glanced at him and asked, "So you're a million-year Soul Beast now? Then why does your Spirit Ring feel no different from a thousand-year one?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm felt uncomfortable under Oscar's gaze and hurried to explain.

"That's because right now, you can only withstand the energy of a fifteen-hundred-year Spirit Ring at most. So I stored most of my power here. As you grow stronger, that power will gradually be unsealed and strengthen your Spirit Ring.

"You can see for yourself: your yellow Hundred-Year First Soul Ring has turned into a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring."

As he spoke, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wagged his tail and pointed at the nine rings of light below, as if to say that was where they all were and he wasn't lying.

Oscar's eyes flickered. He knew how much Spirit Rings could enhance a Spirit Master's physical abilities. If all his Spirit Rings could grow, that meant he might have a great many Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings in the future!

"Not bad, not bad. So what Soul Skills can you give me?"

"As a million-year Spirit Ring—and the first Wisdom Spirit Ring in history—I can give you four Soul Skills and a Martial Soul, even though the energy I'm giving you is still only at the nine-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year level!"

"Hmm? A Martial Soul? Four Soul Skills?"

The ability to raise his Spirit Ring's level was already an unexpected bonus. He hadn't imagined that he could use one ring as if it were four, or that he'd gain another Martial Soul!

What did that mean? It meant he wouldn't be limited to using Sausage as his Martial Soul. He'd have another way to fight!

He'd become the owner of Twin Martial Souls!

Having witnessed that great battle, he knew all too well how advantageous Twin Martial Souls were!

The additional Martial Soul could have at least nine Spirit Rings, which meant nine more Soul Skills!

How could such an enhancement compare to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?

As if sensing Oscar's excitement, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm raised his head.

"The Martial Soul I'm giving you is ice. But for now, it's ice without a soul."

"Ice without a soul? What does that mean?"

"It means it only has an attribute, but no form. Your Martial Soul won't take shape until you absorb your first ice-attribute Spirit Ring.

"Whichever Soul Beast you absorb that Spirit Ring from will determine what your Second Martial Soul becomes.

"In other words, your Second Martial Soul will definitely be a Beast Spirit.

"You don't need to rush. I've already thought of what's best for you.

"But your cultivation isn't high enough yet. Once you're stronger, I'll take you to obtain your first ice-attribute Spirit Ring.

"Now you understand why I said I couldn't give your Spirit Ring enough power to strengthen it.

"So, when you choose your Spirit Rings in the future, you have to be extremely careful and listen to my advice."

Oscar looked at Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who was getting rather smug, and his gaze shifted.

He could sense that the big silkworm had its own agenda, though he couldn't yet guess what it was.

But he was sure the big silkworm meant him no harm. After all, they were in the same boat now, sharing each other's fate.

Thinking of this, Oscar smiled faintly.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was still acting smug when he looked down and caught sight of Oscar's inscrutable smile. He instantly grew nervous.