Oscar Reaches Level 30, A Day Trip to Suotuo City

After the battle ended, Zhao Wuji cast a glance toward Oscar, who was standing nearby.

Oscar understood immediately; he held four Recovery Big Sausages he had prepared earlier and walked over quickly.

Oscar had begun making these sausages silently the moment Tang San and the others started to show signs of defeat.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong took the sausages and ate them in silence.

A gentle, warm current dissolved within their bodies, soothing the lingering fatigue and the dull aches from the impacts of the fight, yet the sense of frustration in their hearts remained difficult to dissipate.

They had considered their talents to be no small matter, and their coordination had shown the beginnings of a strategy, yet in the face of the opponent's overwhelming strength and incomprehensible combat style, they felt utterly powerless.

Tang San took a deep breath, suppressing his churning thoughts, and walked up to Xiao Qing, looking up at the calm-faced youth.

"Xiao Qing, can you tell me what level you are currently?"

Xiao Qing glanced at him, his tone indifferent: "Level thirty-seven."

The eight-level gap caused the pride Tang San had originally felt due to his Mysterious Heaven Skill and Tang Sect Secret Techniques to be severely diminished by reality in that moment.

However, Tang San thought to himself that if he were to use all his methods and go all out, it was not certain he couldn't put up a fight; at the very least, he wouldn't have been defeated so easily.

Just as Tang San's lips parted, wanting to suggest another private spar to better learn from him, Zhao Wuji's gruff voice rang out.

"Alright, the assessment is over. All of you, come here."

The group gathered around. Zhao Wuji's gaze swept over the four freshmen, who each wore different expressions, and for once, a trace of a smile appeared on his face.

"Congratulations. From this moment on, you are officially students of Shrek Academy."

Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were all stunned for a moment, not having reacted in time.

Had they not lost? And lost quite decisively at that.

Seeing their confused expressions, Zhao Wuji let out a "heh" and explained: "Stop overthinking it. Originally, the examiner for your final test was supposed to be that brat Ma Hongjun."

He pointed to the chubby boy scratching his head nearby. "But I figured that having the four of you take turns fighting him wouldn't be fair to Fatty, even if you won; he couldn't handle the exhaustion. So, I swapped in Xiao Qing at the last minute."

He paused, his gaze becoming sharper: "I didn't expect you to win against Xiao Qing. I just wanted to see what kind of ability you four could display under such completely unequal pressure, whether you had the brains for coordination, and if you had any backbone."

"In that fight just now, Tang San, your command and adaptability, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing's execution and instantaneous coordination, and Ning Rongrong's timing for your buffs—it was all decent enough."

"Most importantly, no one chickened out, and no one acted recklessly. Just for that, you are qualified to enter Shrek. Did you really think our 'only accepting monsters' motto was just for show? A monster isn't just about their level; it's about this!"

Zhao Wuji pointed to his own head, then clenched his fist.

So that was it! Tang San felt a sudden realization, followed by a wave of relief.

"Alright, tomorrow morning, assemble on the training ground. We'll discuss the specific curriculum tomorrow. For the rest of today, arrange your own time—familiarize yourselves with the environment or cultivate, just don't cause any trouble for me."

As soon as Zhao Wuji left, the somewhat stifled atmosphere on the training ground immediately relaxed and became lively.

Especially Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong, who were relatively outgoing, joined by the naturally talkative Oscar and the thrill-seeking Ma Hongjun, and they were soon chatting away.

In the blink of an eye, it had been a full week since the four of them arrived at Shrek Academy.

Over this week, Tang San truly understood why Dai Mubai had said the cultivation conditions here were special.

The effects of Oscar's Clear Heart Sausage were stable; taking one every night before cultivation made his mind exceptionally calm during meditation, and the efficiency of his soul power circulation improved significantly.

As for Zhao Wuji's Gravity Training Room, it was an even sharper tool for honing physical strength, soul power control, and mental resilience.

Starting from adapting to one-fold gravity, every increase felt like moving while carrying a mountain, posing a severe test to his entire body's muscles, bones, internal organs, and even his soul power circulation.

But the results were extremely significant; he estimated that at this rate, in another month or so, he would be able to touch the threshold of level thirty.

This speed was faster than he knew how many times compared to when he was in Nuoding City.

That morning, Tang San finished his practice of the Purple Demon Eye and jumped down from the roof of the dormitory.

Almost simultaneously, the door next door was flung open, and Oscar rushed out like a gust of wind, his face filled with irrepressible ecstasy.

Xiao Qing, who had just finished breakfast, paused his steps, walked over to Oscar, and asked: "What's wrong?"

Oscar waved his fist excitedly, his voice trembling with excitement: "I broke through! Xiao Qing, I'm level thirty! I'm finally level thirty!"

His voice was not quiet, and Tang San, who had just landed, heard it clearly.

Level thirty? Oscar was level thirty!

Tang San's footsteps faltered, and a complex emotion surged in his heart.

Oscar was no more than two years older than him, and as a food-system soul master, who were recognized as having the slowest cultivation speed, he had actually reached the threshold of level thirty. This speed was simply shocking.

But soon, Tang San adjusted his mindset; if Oscar could do it, he, who possessed the Mysterious Heaven Skill and Tang Sect Secret Techniques, had no reason not to, and in fact, he should be even faster!

At the morning assembly, Zhao Wuji and Flender appeared together.

Flender adjusted his glasses and announced directly: "Today's regular classes are suspended. Everyone, go back and prepare; we leave early tomorrow morning for the Star Dou Great Forest."

"We are hunting for a suitable third soul ring for Oscar. This time, Teacher Zhao Wuji will lead the team, and all students must participate as a rare opportunity for field combat and team collaboration training."

"However, keep your wits about you. The Star Dou Great Forest is not a playground; you may encounter danger at any time. Teacher Zhao will tell you the specific precautions on the way."

"Now, dismissed. Go and prepare."

Ning Rongrong, who had been somewhat jubilant about the class cancellation, wilted a little upon hearing it was a soul-hunting trip rather than a holiday, but she quickly perked up again.

Her eyes darted around, and she pulled the hand of Xiao Wu, who was standing beside her.

"Xiao Wu, since we have nothing to do today and the teachers are busy preparing, why don't we head into the city to have some fun? Suotuo City is so lively, and I didn't even get a chance to explore it properly last time!"

Xiao Wu, being playful by nature, nodded immediately upon hearing this: "Yes, yes! Third Brother, let's go together, shall we?"

Naturally, Xiao Wu wanted to drag Tang San along.

Tang San had intended to seize the time to cultivate, but seeing Xiao Wu's expectant gaze and considering that his recent training had been quite intense, he figured a moderate amount of relaxation might be for the best, so he nodded.

Zhu Zhuqing, standing to the side, shook her head slightly, her voice cool and detached: "You all go ahead; I wish to cultivate."

Dai Mubai glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, stepped forward, and persuaded her in a calm tone: "Zhuqing, the path of cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation. If you stay tightly wound all the time, you are more likely to hit a bottleneck, resulting in half the work for twice the effort. Going out for a walk to change your mood might actually be more beneficial for your cultivation. Besides, participating in group activities can also help us understand each other better."

Zhu Zhuqing remained silent for a moment, looked at Dai Mubai, then swept her gaze over the expectant faces of Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu, and finally gave a slight nod.

"Fine."

Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing had agreed, Ning Rongrong became even happier and looked toward the other boys present: "Dai Mubai, Oscar, Tang San are all going, you should come too! It's more fun with more people!"

Tang San felt a bit awkward about going alone with several girls, so he took the opportunity to invite Dai Mubai and Oscar: "Brother Dai, Oscar, let's go together; it'll be good to have each other's company."

He knew that Dai Mubai was familiar with Suotuo City.

Dai Mubai smiled and did not refuse.

Oscar was naturally willing; he was looking to celebrate his breakthrough and perhaps find another chance to speak with Ning Rongrong.

Ma Hongjun, seeing that everyone was going, hurriedly raised his hand: "I'm going too, I'm going too! I know a few great places to eat!"

Finally, everyone's gaze fell upon Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing's expression remained calm as he spoke: "I need to head into the city to restock some supplies, specifically special materials for concocting spirit beast food, as well as some cultivation items for myself."

"Then just come with us!"

Xiao Wu clapped her hands and laughed.