Heading to Sunset Forest, Developing the Sausage Martial Soul

"New student? Hello, I'm Ma Hongjun."

Ma Hongjun let out a yawn, which served as his greeting.

Xiao Qing nodded at Ma Hongjun, his voice calm: "Xiao Qing. Please take care of me from now on."

The next day, before the morning mist had fully dissipated, Zhao Wuji led Xiao Qing and Oscar out of Shrek Academy.

Unlike Flender's "stinginess," Zhao Wuji prioritized efficiency. He rented a carriage from a transport firm, hired a driver, and prepaid for the round trip to the Sunset Forest.

"It's a bit cramped, but we'll reach the outskirts of the Sunset Forest in half a day. Saving that time and energy is better spent on finding soul beasts."

Zhao Wuji explained to the somewhat surprised Oscar, while his gaze swept over Xiao Qing, who simply nodded and boarded the carriage in silence.

The carriage sped out of Suotuo City.

Xiao Qing sat alone on one side of the carriage, his gaze calm as he looked out the window, organizing the information he had on the Sunset Forest.

Whether in terms of land area, variety of soul beasts, or the number of high-age soul beasts, the Sunset Forest was significantly weaker than the Star Dou Forest.

However, it was precisely because of this that the risks in the Sunset Forest were controllable, making it popular among many low-to-mid-level soul masters. As long as they didn't venture deep into the core area, the chance of encountering a powerful enemy they couldn't handle was almost zero.

Halfway through the journey, Zhao Wuji opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on Oscar.

"Kid, have you decided what kind of soul ring you want? What did Flender tell you before?"

Oscar immediately sat up straight and replied: "The Dean suggested that for my second soul ring, I should try to obtain an ability to detoxify or clear negative status effects. That way, if the team encounters a poison-attribute soul master or is affected by negative status effects, I can provide support."

Zhao Wuji nodded; this aligned with Flender's line of thinking and was a common support direction for food-system soul masters.

"Detoxification... not bad. There are quite a few soul beasts in the Sunset Forest that fit this direction. For example, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent—it's highly toxic, but its soul ring could potentially grant detoxification or anti-poison effects. There's also the Clear-Miasma Toad, which naturally secretes detoxifying mucus. Finding one of the right age won't be difficult to hunt."

This was a conventional and safe approach. A soul master's soul skills were strange and varied, and a detoxification ability could save lives at a critical moment.

However, at this moment, Xiao Qing's voice sounded calmly: "Why only consider support during combat?"

Zhao Wuji and Oscar looked at him simultaneously, their eyes full of confusion. If a food-system martial soul didn't consider combat support, what else was there to consider?

"One of the greatest advantages of Oscar's Sausage martial soul is that it can provide buffs steadily and continuously outside of combat. Abilities like detoxification or purification are only useful when poisoned or suffering from negative status effects."

He paused, seeing the confusion in Oscar's eyes: "But in a soul master's growth, combat is only a very small part. We spend most of our time in meditation and cultivation."

"If your soul skill could directly affect daily cultivation, even if it only brought a tiny improvement, the benefits would be far higher than a soul skill that might only be used in specific moments of crisis."

The carriage fell silent for a moment.

On Zhao Wuji's rugged face, his brows furrowed slightly, and a light of contemplation flickered in his eyes.

He had mentored many students and helped many obtain soul rings, but his thinking had always been focused on "how to be stronger in battle" or "how to deal with different enemies."

This was the first time he had encountered someone like Xiao Qing, who thought about a support soul master's ring selection from the perspective of "maximizing daily cultivation efficiency."

Oscar was even more stunned.

The philosophy he had always been instilled with was that to become strong, soul skills must be practical, especially in having an irreplaceable role within a team.

From this perspective, the detoxification ability suggested by Dean Flender was undoubtedly "practical." But Xiao Qing's words were like a key, opening a door he had never thought to push.

That's right, his sausages could be made and eaten at any time. If he could make a sausage that made it easier to calm the mind, focus, or even slightly increase the speed of soul power condensation during cultivation, wouldn't that be useful every day, every time he meditated?

Over time... Oscar couldn't imagine what the final result would be.

Zhao Wuji spoke slowly, his voice low: "Continue. What specific ideas do you have?"

Xiao Qing looked at Oscar: "Your first soul skill, Recovery Sausage, is mainly for quickly restoring soul power and physical strength, leaning toward combat endurance and post-battle recovery. The second soul skill could focus on the 'cultivation state' itself. For example, helping a soul master enter deep meditation more easily, clearing away distracting thoughts, and stabilizing the spirit."

"You would only need to eat it before or during cultivation, and it would last for a period of time, bringing unexpected benefits. Moreover, in battle, a stable mind is equally important; this could, to a certain extent, allow one to resist mental interference skills, such as charm or fear."

Zhao Wuji's fingers tapped unconsciously on his knees, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"This line of thinking is excellent! In battle, a sausage that allows you or your teammates to stay calm and resist mental shocks is not necessarily less valuable than a detoxifying one! Especially when facing opponents who specialize in mental control!"

Oscar had fully understood, his face showing excitement and a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"I get it! Teacher Zhao, Xiao Qing! If such a soul skill really exists, then, then everyone could use my sausages during their daily cultivation!"

"Even if the cultivation speed only increases by a tiny bit, it will be incredible over a long period! And in battle, if we encounter a soul master like the one the Dean mentioned who uses charm, my sausage might just come in handy!"

Once the train of thought was opened, the goal became much clearer.

As an experienced Soul Saint, Zhao Wuji quickly matched soul beasts in the Sunset Forest that might produce such soul rings in his mind.

"Clearing the heart, calming the spirit... these attributes mostly appear in soul beasts that are relatively gentle in temperament or possess mental soothing abilities. In the Sunset Forest, the Clear-Heart Fox is a typical example."

"This soul beast doesn't have strong combat power, but it naturally emits an aura that makes one's mood peaceful and clears away distracting thoughts, protecting itself from attack. A Clear-Heart Fox of the right age is also low-risk to hunt. Their soul rings have a high probability of granting food the effect of calming the mind and resisting mental interference."

"Then we will set our goal on finding a suitable Clear-Heart Fox. We'll keep the age between five hundred and eight hundred years, which is most suitable for Oscar to absorb. At this age, the Clear-Heart Fox's ability is sufficient, and it's relatively controllable to absorb."

Having determined Oscar's goal, Zhao Wuji's gaze turned to Xiao Qing, carrying a hint of inquiry and curiosity: "Kid, your requirement is actual combat. Once we reach the forest, I will find suitable targets for you to practice on."

"However, do you have any specific ideas yourself? Or rather, what effect do you want to achieve through actual combat? Is it just to hone your combat skills?"

Xiao Qing had already prepared his excuse; he needed to gather the evolution materials for Xiao Feng as soon as possible. Xiao Feng's bloodline evolution could not be delayed any longer; it was already seriously affecting Xiao Feng's progress toward becoming a thousand-year soul beast!

"Teacher Zhao, my martial soul has special requirements for combat, which I can't explain in detail right now. As for the opponents, I hope they are pack-dwelling wolf-type soul beasts, especially a pack with a leader."

"A wolf pack? And it needs to have a Wolf King?"

Zhao Wuji rubbed the short stubble on his chin, his brows furrowing.

Demanding to fight a wolf pack was not ordinary combat training; it was closer to challenging one's limits, and the danger would be much higher.

But he didn't ask further. Everyone had secrets, especially regarding their martial souls. He only needed to evaluate the reasonableness and risk of this request.