"Move!"
Flender barked, his body shooting forward.
Zhao Wuji followed close behind, and the auras of two Seven-Ring Soul Sages erupted at once!
The little rain swallow sensed danger and let out a piercing cry. It beat its wings, trying to flee.
But it was too late.
Flender was faster.
A massive hand condensed from Soul Power descended from above and seized the little rain swallow in its grasp.
The little rain swallow struggled desperately, pecking with its sharp beak and beating its wings, but before a Soul Sage's power, it was all futile.
"Xiao Ao, come quickly!"
Flender shouted.
Oscar took off running and pulled a dagger from his waist.
He crouched down and looked at the little rain swallow pinned beneath Flender's hand.
Its eyes were bright, and now they stared straight at Oscar, full of fear and fury.
Oscar's hand trembled slightly.
Then a large hand pressed down on it.
It was Fu Wen.
"Don't hesitate."
Fu Wen's voice was calm. "If you want to fly, you have to get through this."
Oscar gritted his teeth and plunged the dagger down.
Squelch.
Blood spurted out.
The little rain swallow's struggles gradually slowed, until at last it lay completely still.
Oscar let go of the dagger, dropped onto the ground, and gasped for breath.
"I... I killed it."
"You killed it."
Fu Wen patted him on the shoulder. "You did well."
Buzz!
Specks of light began to gather above the little rain swallow's corpse.
They grew brighter and denser, finally merging into a yellow Soul Ring.
Seven hundred years old. Yellow.
Oscar's Second Soul Ring.
"Xiao Ao, sit cross-legged and absorb the Soul Ring."
A hint of tension entered Flender's voice.
Oscar took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged, and summoned his Sausage Martial Soul.
A yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath him, and the newly formed one drifted over and settled around his Martial Soul.
Then the Soul Ring turned into a warm current and surged into Oscar's body.
Oscar's body shuddered, and his face flushed red.
The Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow's Soul Ring energy was gentle, but it was still from a flying Soul Beast. It would take time for it to meld with a Food-type Martial Soul.
Oscar gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.
Sweat ran down his cheeks, and soon soaked through the back of his clothes.
But he never cried out.
Fu Wen stood a short distance away, watching Oscar and silently nodding to himself.
This guy was usually all jokes and laughter, but when it mattered, he never wavered.
Time passed, second by second.
No one knew how long it had been.
Buzz!
A burst of blue light suddenly erupted from Oscar.
It was bright but not dazzling, and carried a weightless feeling.
That was the Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow's power of flight.
The blue light intertwined with the golden radiance of the Sausage Martial Soul, creating a wondrous spectacle around Oscar.
Then the light slowly faded.
Oscar opened his eyes.
A glimmer of blue flashed through his pupils.
"I... I did it."
Oscar's voice was weak, but his words brimmed with excitement.
Flender crouched down, looked Oscar over, then burst into laughter.
"Good! Very good!"
"Your Second Soul Ring is a seven-hundred-year-old Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow!"
"Xiao Ao, how do you feel? How much has your Soul Power increased?"
Oscar closed his eyes and felt it out. Then he opened them, his face bright with joy.
"I went from level twenty to level twenty-three. I gained three levels!"
Flender nodded with satisfaction.
"Good! Gaining three levels from your Second Soul Ring means it's highly compatible with your Martial Soul!"
"Quick, release your Second Soul Skill. Let's see what it is!"
Oscar took a deep breath, stood up, and summoned his Sausage Martial Soul.
Two yellow Soul Rings rose beneath him.
"Second Soul Skill: Flying Sausage!"
Oscar brought his hands together, and Soul Power surged.
Five sausages glowing blue appeared in his palms. Each one bore a delicate feathered pattern, like a pair of folded wings.
"Five?"
Flender's eyes lit up. "You can make five at a time?"
"Yeah."
Oscar nodded, a little surprised himself. "I feel like that's my limit. Any more would be too much."
"Five is already plenty," Zhao Wuji said from the side. "And you're only at the second ring. Once your Soul Power increases, you'll be able to make more."
"What does this sausage do?" Flender asked.
Oscar picked up a Flying Sausage and explained:
"After eating it, you can fly at the speed of a Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow for an hour."
"The speed of a Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow?!"
Zhao Wuji sucked in a sharp breath.
What did the Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow represent?
It was widely recognized across the continent as the fastest flying Soul Beast. Even a Seven-Ring Soul Sage flying at full speed might not be able to catch one.
Could a sausage made by a second-ring Food-type Soul Master really give someone that kind of speed?
"Xiao Ao, you're not exaggerating, are you?" Flender asked, also finding it hard to believe.
"No."
Oscar shook his head. "I felt that power while absorbing the Soul Ring."
"The Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow's speed is in this sausage."
"And..."
He paused. "I'm not the only one who can eat it. Other people can, too."
"In other words, I can share my Flying Sausages with my teammates."
At that, everyone froze.
Ma Hongjun was the first to react.
"Bro Ao! You mean I can fly if I eat one of your sausages?"
"Right," Oscar said with a nod.
"And I'll fly at the speed of a Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow for an hour?"
"Right."
"Holy crap!"
Ma Hongjun jumped up, overjoyed. "So I can experience the speed of a Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow, too!"
Flender paid no attention to Ma Hongjun's excitement. His eyes were fixed on the Flying Sausage in Oscar's hand as his mind raced.
The greatest weakness of Food-type Soul Masters was their poor ability to protect themselves.
Oscar had chosen a Soul Skill that made up for that weakness completely.
Not only that, he could make his teammates fly, too.
Its value in team combat was beyond measure.
"Good! Very good!"
Flender laughed. "Xiao Ao, you chose an excellent Second Soul Skill!"
"It's countless times better than that piece of garbage, the Moon Shadow Spirit Fox!"
Zhao Wuji nodded as well, admiration in his eyes.
"Xiao Ao, try it now. See if you can fly."
Oscar nodded, picked up a Flying Sausage, and took a bite.
As the sausage reached his stomach, a warm power spread from his gut through his limbs.
The next moment, a pair of wings made of blue light abruptly unfurled behind him!
They weren't physical wings, but Light Wings formed from the power of flight—thin and translucent, with a faint blue glow.
Oscar tentatively flapped them, and his body lifted lightly off the ground.
"I... I'm flying!"
Oscar hovered in midair, astonished and delighted.
He tried to control his direction. With a beat of his wings, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, moving at a startling speed.
"So fast!"
Flender's pupils contracted.
Even he might not be able to catch up with that speed.
Oscar flew a lap over the rainforest, then returned to the ground and folded his wings away.
"Dad, this speed is terrifying!"
His face flushed with excitement. "I feel like it's even faster than you said!"
"The Sharp-Tailed Rain Swallow lives up to its reputation."
Flender sighed. "Xiao Ao, this Soul Skill will be our academy's trump card for staying alive."
"If we run into an enemy we can't beat, everyone takes a Flying Sausage and flies off."
"No one will be able to catch us."
Oscar chuckled and handed out the Flying Sausages in his hands.
"Here, one for everyone. Try my handiwork."
Ma Hongjun was the first to snatch one and take a bite.
Blue Light Wings spread behind him. He flapped twice and took off, wobbling through the air.
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