Emotional Mentor Oscar

"I don't know. My mind is a mess right now. A long, long time ago, they told me Dai Mubai was my fiancé. He wrote to me often, and every word was filled with his longing for the future, with plans for our life together.

I have always worked hard for that. When I heard he had fled the Star Luo Empire, I was truly terrified. I kept training, training until I was numb.

I wanted to help him, for the sake of our future.

But it seems... I never truly understood who he was. My past feels like a dream I wove for myself... but today, that dream shattered."

Zhu Zhuqing was rarely this talkative, and her eyes were growing redder by the second.

Hearing this, Oscar finally understood.

Zhu Zhuqing had been indoctrinated with these ideas since childhood; her feelings for Dai Mubai were limited to what she knew from letters, perhaps even leaning more toward fantasy. And today, that fantasy had been destroyed.

"Do you like him?"

Zhu Zhuqing nodded, then shook her head.

Oscar rested his chin in his hand, watching her as he spoke slowly:

"You have spent very little time together, and you said yourself that you never truly understood him. So, your feelings for him are strange—partly based on fantasy, and partly on the sense of duty instilled in you since you were young.

I can feel that you are lost, sad, and even in pain.

You chose to stay, perhaps because you were truly at a dead end, or perhaps because you still hold onto that fantasy.

But I hope you can truly understand your own heart. Is it that you truly like the him who wrote you letters and described a grand future?

Or is it just an unwillingness to accept the effort of the past, a lingering attachment to that time when you had expectations, goals, and were constantly striving?"

Zhu Zhuqing remained confused, and Oscar said no more.

Some things cannot be understood just because an outsider says them; they can only be realized through experience and living them.

He did not deny that he had a favorable impression of the young girl before him; he believed anyone would feel the same toward Zhu Zhuqing.

Precisely because he liked her, he hoped even more that Zhu Zhuqing could truly understand her own heart, rather than having him use his far greater life experience to decide her future for her.

"Thank you. Although I still don't quite understand, I believe I will figure it out soon."

Zhu Zhuqing forced a smile, but it remained full of bitterness.

"Feelings aren't something you can rush. You might as well focus on your training. Everything else might let you down, but hard work never will."

While they were talking, the dishes were brought to the table.

"This tastes good, and it has detoxifying and beauty-enhancing properties. You should eat more."

Oscar smiled and placed some food into Zhu Zhuqing's bowl; it was a plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat.

"If you don't eat it, it will go to waste. These bamboo shoots are from young Thunder Bamboo Shoot soul beasts, and the meat is the heart-guarding muscle of a Wind Baboon. They were all transported from the Soul Hunting Forest, so they aren't cheap."

This place was opened by a deputy branch master of the Spirit Hall. Just the cost of using connections to transport soul beast carcasses out of the Soul Hunting Forest was astronomical, so the prices on the menu were outrageous.

Oscar was bleeding money this time; if it weren't for the fact that he genuinely liked Zhu Zhuqing's personality, he would never have brought her to a place like this.

"Hey, don't say thanks. You've been thanking me all day."

Oscar quickly stopped Zhu Zhuqing just as she was about to express her gratitude, and he steered the conversation elsewhere:

"Right now, including myself, there are only four Shrek students. If you join, that makes five.

The new Elite Continental Soul Master Tournament isn't far off. Although our strength is decent, it is said that the soul masters Spirit Hall is sending this year are very strong. With you, our chances will be much better.

After all... for the four of us to fight our way to the top, it really isn't going to be easy."

When the Elite Continental Soul Master Tournament was mentioned, Zhu Zhuqing became interested.

Although she had spent almost all her time training, the name of the Elite Continental Soul Master Tournament was still deafeningly famous.

It was the highest podium in the eyes of a soul master, and the most difficult achievement to attain on the path of cultivation.

It represented the pinnacle of one's generation!

Standing on that podium was the dream of every young soul master.

"But I'm only level twenty-seven right now. If it were the next tournament, we might have a great chance, but this one..."

Zhu Zhuqing didn't say the word "participation trophy," but that was exactly what she was thinking.

The age requirement for the Elite Continental Soul Master Tournament was under twenty. She was only twelve, and Oscar looked to be about the same.

In this tournament, they would be facing genius soul masters who were about five years older than them!

This age gap might not seem large, but for soul masters, these few years were the period of fastest growth. Five years was enough to create a massive disparity!

"Do you have no confidence in me, or no confidence in yourself?"

Oscar asked with a smile, his eyes full of confidence.

This confidence wasn't the sharp, aggressive kind that shouted "none but me," nor was it the arrogant kind that looked down on everything. It was a sense of calm—the composure of someone who wouldn't blink even if Mount Tai collapsed before them.

This calmness was startling, and it made it hard to look away.

In that moment, for some reason, Zhu Zhuqing superimposed the image of the fearless boy who had always written her letters onto the person in front of her, and she was momentarily stunned.

"What are you looking at? Eat. You aren't falling for me, are you?"

Oscar rested his chin in his hand, tilting his head to look at Zhu Zhuqing, watching until a blush spread across the girl's face, as beautiful as the evening glow.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Who would like you?"

Zhu Zhuqing bit her lip, her jade-like foot kicking Oscar's calf under the table.

"I'm curious why you're so confident, so confident that you're this calm? You still haven't told me about your martial soul and your level."

Zhu Zhuqing nibbled on her chopsticks like a little kitten, her eyes filled with a curious light.

"My apologies for being abrupt. I am a level thirty-seven Food System Battle Spirit Grandmaster, and my martial soul is the Gold-Inlaid Jade Sausage."

"Wow, level thirty-seven? How old are you this year? And a Food System Battle Spirit Grandmaster? Are you sure you're telling the truth?"

Zhu Zhuqing completely forgot her sadness for a moment, her mind filled with questions.

"I'll be fourteen soon; remember to prepare a birthday gift for me. Besides, who says a Food System spirit master can't be a battle spirit master? If you're free tonight, we can meet at the Soto Grand Spirit Fighting Arena, and I'll show you my strength then."

As he spoke, Oscar summoned his sausage martial soul, which left Zhu Zhuqing completely stunned.

Whether it was a fourteen-year-old level thirty-seven Spirit Grandmaster or the experience of a Food System spirit master venturing into the Star Dou Great Forest alone, both had completely shattered her perception.

"You're not joking? Accidents happen easily at the Grand Spirit Fighting Arena; there's no need for you to..."

"Just wait and see tonight. Don't let your jaw drop when the time comes."

Oscar shook his head. He didn't know who had established the rule that a Food System spirit master couldn't be a battle spirit master...

There was still a long time until evening, so the two went to the shop to hang out with Ma Hongjun for a while, and the three of them didn't head to the Soto Grand Spirit Fighting Arena until nightfall.

Although Zhu Zhuqing still found it hard to believe, seeing Ma Hongjun's guarantee and the look of absolute trust in his eyes toward Oscar, she wasn't as worried anymore, only looking forward to what kind of performance Oscar would put on.