The Snake Grandmother was taken aback by Su Ming's question. However, seeing his politeness and how he had just spoken up for Yiran, she replied,
"If possible, it would naturally be best to find another top-tier snake-type soul beast for my granddaughter's third soul ring. But if that's not an option, we might consider the Man-Faced Demon Spider. It's a terrifying presence in the soul beast world and would definitely suit my granddaughter."
Su Ming silently mused, Just as expected. In the original story, the Dragon Duke and Snake Grandmother didn't have the luck to find another top-tier snake-type soul beast. Instead, they encountered a 2,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider. However, that spider far exceeded Meng Yiran's absorption limit—even Tang San had barely managed to absorb it at the time.
After a moment of thought, Su Ming said,
"Senior Snake Grandmother, I have a suggestion. If you can find another exceptional snake-type soul beast, that would be ideal. However, if you encounter a Man-Faced Demon Spider beforehand, it's crucial to carefully assess its approximate age to avoid unforeseen risks."
Meng Yiran, curious about Su Ming's words, asked,
"What's your name, and why do you say that?"
Realizing he hadn't introduced himself, Su Ming smiled,
"My name is Su Ming. As for why I said that, it's because the soul rings of Man-Faced Demon Spiders are notoriously domineering. Generally, a 2,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider consuming a 3,000-year-old soul beast isn't impossible unless it encounters a beast with superior bloodline or a natural predator."
He continued,
"So my advice is this: if you come across a Man-Faced Demon Spider, be sure to estimate its age carefully. Ideally, it shouldn't exceed 1,500 years. Any older, and its oppressive power could pose a danger to you. After all, tool spirits don't enhance physical attributes as much as beast spirits do, and the Man-Faced Demon Spider's soul ring is inherently more aggressive than those of snake-type soul beasts."
Su Ming's reasoning was twofold. First, he didn't want the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny to waste the web of that 2,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider on Tang San as they had in the original story. Second, he wanted to give Meng Yiran a heads-up, repaying the Snake Granny's integrity. Compared to Zhao Wuji's tarnished reputation, the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny were well-respected figures in the soul master world.
Yet, Su Ming couldn't quite wrap his head around one thing: with the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny's immense power and experience, why did they insist on killing the 2,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider for Meng Yiran in the original story? It was obvious that she couldn't absorb it. With their age and knowledge, they should have known better.
This was merely a kind reminder, nothing more. It wasn't as if Su Ming had any special interest in Meng Yiran. Sure, she was a beauty, but her darker complexion wasn't to Su Ming's taste—he preferred fairer skin.
Meng Yiran, although begrudgingly acknowledging Su Ming's logic, still felt a bit unconvinced and wanted to argue.
Meanwhile, the Snake Grandmother gave Su Ming a long, searching look. She felt as if he was hinting at something, but there was no evidence. In her slightly raspy voice, she said,
"What you've said makes sense. If I do encounter a Man-Faced Demon Spider, I'll make sure to check its age."
With that, Snake Grandmother led Meng Yiran away.
Su Ming noticed the Snake Grandmother's scrutinizing gaze but didn't mind. It wasn't like he'd ever see them again. All he had done was offer a bit of advice; what they chose to do later was beyond his control.
The focus then shifted to Oscar, who was still absorbing the soul ring of the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake. Su Ming was unaware, however, that during Meng Yiran's appearance, the three girls—Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong—had been subtly observing her. They wanted to see if Meng Yiran displayed any unusual behavior. To their relief, there was none.
This strongly suggested that Meng Yiran didn't possess a diary duplicate. If she did, she wouldn't be only at level 30 and certainly wouldn't have agreed to duel Tang San, a sure-loss situation.
Upon reaching this conclusion, Xiao Wu felt a wave of relief. One less competitor—how nice!
After the Snake Grandmother and her granddaughter left, Zhao Wuji finally exhaled in relief. Good thing the Dragon Duke didn't show up. Otherwise, the Snake Granny wouldn't have been so easy to deal with.
Dai Mubai, Tang San, and Ma Hongjun sat cross-legged beside Oscar, recovering their spirit power, while Zhao Wuji stood guard. About half an hour later, Oscar finally opened his eyes. The others followed suit, waking one by one.
Oscar let out a long breath as three soul rings rose from beneath him. Feeling his improved strength, he exclaimed in excitement. He had finally broken through from the Great Soul Master level to reach the Soul Elder realm at level 31!
"Yes!"
He glanced at Tang San with gratitude in his eyes. Without Tang San fighting for this soul beast, he wouldn't have stood a chance against Meng Yiran with his food spirit master abilities.
Zhao Wuji, seeing Oscar's success, grinned and said,
"Not bad, Oscar! You've finally reached the Soul Elder level at just fourteen years old. Your future is boundless!"
With his third soul ring, Oscar underwent subtle changes. He grew a bit taller, and his peach blossom eyes sparkled with colorful light. To Su Ming, though, he looked even more roguish.
Dai Mubai couldn't contain his curiosity and said,
"Little Ao, show us your third soul skill!"
Oscar, though initially excited, now looked a bit awkward. He hesitated and said,
"Uh… maybe later. Let's not talk about it for now."
Su Ming smirked internally. Let me guess—another pervy soul incantation.
However, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were too intrigued to let it go. They teased and encouraged him, promising they wouldn't laugh. Meanwhile, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong had already heard of Oscar's soul skills and found his incantations disgusting. They had no interest in hearing them again.
Reluctantly, Oscar said,
"Fine, but I'm telling you now—you two better not laugh, especially Boss Dai and Fatty!"
The two nodded earnestly, though their smirks betrayed them.
Finally, Oscar chanted,
"I, your daddy, have a Mushroom Sausage!"
Pfft!
Upon hearing the spirit incantation, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter. As expected, the incantation was just as lewd as always!
Even Zhao Wuji couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The three girls, on the other hand, tried their best to maintain neutral expressions without letting any trace of disgust show. Sure enough, even though the absorbed spirit beast was a top-tier snake-type, it still couldn't change the incantation's vulgar nature.
They wondered if the lewdness of this incantation had something to do with the caster's personality. After all, Ning Rongrong's sect also had food-type spirit masters, but none of their incantations were like this!
Su Ming, however, had anticipated this, so his reaction was calm and composed.
Seeing Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai laughing, Oscar's face darkened instantly.
He snapped, clearly flustered and annoyed, "Fatty! Boss Dai! You promised not to laugh!"
Wiping tears from their eyes, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai hurriedly apologized, "Sorry, Little Ao, we really couldn't help it! We promise it won't happen again!"
Zhao Wuji was the first to stop laughing, then asked, "Little Ao, tell us about the effect of your Mushroom Sausage. Considering it came from a top-tier snake-type spirit beast, the skill should be impressive, right?"
Hearing this, Oscar puffed out his chest proudly and declared, "Of course! My Mushroom Sausage allows… flight!"
The laughter of Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun came to an abrupt halt, and the room fell into an awkward silence.
The three girls exchanged glances. Just as expected!
Without Su Ming's diary explaining everything, the girls might have thought Oscar's spirit ability was incredible. After all, support-type spirit masters capable of granting flight were exceedingly rare on the continent.
However, they now knew the truth. While Oscar's flying ability seemed impressive at first glance, Su Ming's notes had made it clear that this skill had significant limitations. The duration was only one minute. One minute! What could anyone realistically accomplish in such a short span of time? Even for pursuits or escapes, flying at the speed of a Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent wouldn't get them very far.
In terms of combat utility, the skill had some value but wasn't groundbreaking—especially considering that it couldn't be used to leave a competition arena.
Oscar, while explaining his new skill, had sneaked a glance at Ning Rongrong, hoping to catch a look of astonishment on her face.
He thought, Even though I'm just a sausage spirit master, surely no one in her sect can grant flight, right? But I can!
To his dismay, Ning Rongrong's expression remained calm and indifferent, completely different from what he had expected. Could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect really have such high standards for support-type spirit masters?
He then glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and Su Ming, only to find similarly calm expressions. This wasn't normal—something was definitely off!
Finally, Su Ming spoke up, as if unwilling to drag things out further. "So, it's just basic flight? What about the flying speed and duration?"
Oscar realized that he hadn't fully explained the specifics yet, which might explain everyone's lukewarm reactions.
He cleared his throat and replied, "The flight duration is… one minute."
"Seriously?!"
Zhao Wuji couldn't help but blurt out, clearly disappointed. He had initially thought that Oscar's flight ability might be revolutionary. After all, in his experience, support-type spirit masters only gained flight-related skills as their sixth or even later abilities. For Oscar to obtain such a skill as his third ability seemed to suggest immense potential. But only one minute?
If Su Ming had known Zhao Wuji's thoughts, he would've interjected, If the flight duration were longer, then maybe it'd be worth considering. But for just one minute? It's practically useless and wastes a spirit skill slot.
Moreover, higher-level spirit skills that grant flight typically come with extended durations and speeds far superior to anything the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent could offer. While the serpent's speed was impressive compared to thousand-year spirit beasts, it paled in comparison to ten-thousand-year spirit beasts renowned for their speed.
This is why, in later stages, Oscar's flight ability saw little use. Tang San, for example, relied on the flight skill from his Blue Silver Emperor spirit bone instead of Oscar's Mushroom Sausage. Why? Because it was faster!
Clearly, having a flight ability in the early stages wasn't necessarily advantageous. A spirit skill that offered percentage-based boosts to overall stats or specific attributes would have been much more beneficial. For instance, Oscar's later Exciting Pink Sausage, which provided a 10% increase, proved far more valuable in the long run.
Seeing the peculiar expressions of Zhao Wuji and the others, Oscar didn't get upset. He chuckled, "Sure, the duration is short, but the flight speed is incredible!"
Dai Mubai, still unimpressed, remarked, "Little Ao, this flight skill of yours is practically useless. You'd barely get anywhere before the duration runs out. Honestly, restoring our spirit power and stamina with your regular sausages would probably let us run farther than that!"
Oscar smirked slyly. "Ah, Boss Dai, don't be so quick to judge. Why don't you ask me how fast the flight is first?"
He had deliberately revealed the short duration first, intending to set up a contrast that would make the true effect of his skill seem even more impressive. Above all, he wanted Ning Rongrong to see him in a new light!
Dai Mubai asked half-heartedly, "Fine, how fast is it?"
Oscar's peach-blossom eyes sparkled as he announced, "Although it only lasts for one minute, the flight speed matches that of the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent!"
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were visibly stunned. "What?!"
Su Ming, however, remained unfazed and commented calmly, "What's there to be so shocked about? Since the spirit ring came from a Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent, isn't it natural for the flight speed to match its own? Why make such a fuss?"
This instantly silenced Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. Zhao Wuji, observing from the side, refrained from speaking, curious about what Su Ming would say next.
Oscar, on the other hand, felt dissatisfied. He had finally managed to impress everyone, only for Su Ming to undercut his achievement.
With a slight frown, Oscar looked at Su Ming. If he didn't have a good explanation, Oscar was ready to voice his displeasure—Zhao Wuji's presence notwithstanding.
Su Ming sighed softly. "Indeed, at this stage, Little Ao's ability to gain a flight skill is unique in the spirit master world, proving his exceptional potential."
Everyone except the three girls was taken aback. Was Su Ming praising Oscar? What was he getting at?
Then Su Ming shifted his tone. "However, have you considered that while this flight ability is convenient for now—especially since none of us can fly yet—it will become increasingly obsolete as we grow stronger? Spirit masters at the Spirit Sage level can perform short bursts of flight themselves, and their speeds won't be too far behind."
[T/N:
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