"Given your talents, reaching the Soul Saint level in the future shouldn't be a problem for any of you. At that point, you'll be able to levitate and fly briefly on your own. And when you reach the Soul Douluo or Title Douluo level, flying becomes even easier. Although flying consumes spirit power, it's still better than relying on Oscar's mushroom sausage, which only lasts for a minute."
"In high-level battles, what use is a minute of flying? Unless the power difference between two fighters is so extreme that the battle ends in under a minute."
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Teacher Zhao."
After Su Ming's explanation, everyone turned their eyes to Zhao Wuji, knowing that as a Soul Saint, he had the authority to speak on such matters.
Initially, Zhao Wuji had been impressed by Oscar's explanation, but after Su Ming's clarification, his expression turned awkward. He admitted, "Su Ming is right. Battles between Soul Saints typically last longer than a minute, unless the power disparity is extreme, like a Soul Saint versus a Soul Douluo. Even in such cases, Oscar's mushroom sausage wouldn't make much of a difference."
"If a weaker person uses the mushroom sausage to flee, the one-minute duration isn't long enough. The Soul Douluo would lock onto the Soul Saint's aura long before the minute is up. And it's not like a Soul Saint can carry around endless supplies of Oscar's mushrooms. After all, Oscar is a food-type spirit master. He's not going to be sitting on the sidelines during battle."
"If the stronger party has the mushroom sausage, then it's even more pointless. The power difference is too great for the weaker party to escape. Of course, I'm talking about typical cases—there are always exceptions."
Everyone nodded, understanding Oscar's third spirit skill a bit better now.
Then, Ning Rongrong added, "To be fair, the mushroom sausage isn't completely useless. Food-type spirit masters who reach the Soul Saint level are extremely rare, let alone Soul Douluo. But for our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, a food-type spirit master wouldn't be very helpful anyway, since our boosts are far superior."
"The only real advantage of food-type spirit masters is their ability to mass-produce and store food, which makes them more useful for supporting large military operations."
Oscar felt like Ning Rongrong had stabbed him in the heart. Though he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't deny the truth in her words.
After all, the boosts provided by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda were unrivaled across the continent, far more effective than what a food-type spirit master could offer.
He thought of Shao Xin, the food-type spirit master teacher at their academy. Even at the rare talent level of a seventy-two-level Soul Saint, Shao Xin was still nowhere near the power of a Soul Douluo.
Despite feeling a little defeated, Oscar retorted, "Rongrong, you're being a bit too absolute. Food-type spirit masters may be rare, but I'm a food-type spirit master with innate full spirit power. Who knows what my future holds? Have you ever heard of a food-type spirit master with full innate power?"
Ning Rongrong shook her head since she had never heard of such a case.
Seeing her shake her head gave Oscar a sense of satisfaction—he had won this round!
Su Ming didn't feel the need to argue with Oscar. He knew that without the divine grass, mirror sausage, or the Seagod Island trials, Oscar wouldn't reach the Soul Saint level as quickly as he had in the original story. And even if Oscar did eventually reach that level, he'd likely be much older.
This time, Oscar wouldn't be driven by romantic feelings for Ning Rongrong to travel to the Extreme North for the mirror sausage skill. After all, with Su Ming's influence, it was unlikely that Ning Rongrong had any affection for Oscar.
Not wanting to let Oscar bask in his small victory, Su Ming added, "Oscar, don't celebrate too soon. Even if you do reach the Soul Douluo or Title Douluo level, what then? As I said before, your flying mushroom sausage will be practically useless in the later stages. At best, it'll help Spirit Masters below the Soul Saint level, but that one-minute time limit is a huge weakness."
"Yes, obtaining a flying spirit skill as your third spirit ability shows that you're gifted, but from a long-term perspective, it's not very practical. If you had a spirit ability that enhanced a particular aspect of your skills, like how Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda boosts others, that would remain useful even in later stages."
Everyone considered this, realizing the truth in Su Ming's words. If Oscar had gotten a spirit ability that boosted attack or defense by a percentage, it would be far more useful than the mushroom sausage.
Oscar's smug expression faded as Su Ming's arguments sunk in.
He knew deep down that Su Ming had a point—he had potential, but his mushroom sausage might not serve him well in the long run.
Su Ming concluded, "One last thing: while other support spirit masters typically gain flying abilities at the Soul Emperor or Soul Douluo levels, those abilities are much more practical."
"At that level, the spirit rings they gain are at least ten thousand years old. Their flying abilities will be faster and last longer than your mushroom sausage's one minute."
"If they're providing flight support, their flight speed will outpace what any Soul Saint could achieve on their own, and their duration will be much longer."
"Do you really think a thousand-year Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent's speed can compare to that of a ten-thousand-year flying spirit beast?"
"Think about it."
After hearing Su Ming's detailed analysis, the group's initial excitement over Oscar's flying ability faded, replaced by a sense of pity. According to Su Ming, Oscar's third spirit skill might be useless later on, perhaps even worse than his first.
As Oscar reflected on this, his face grew paler, the harsh truth laid bare by Su Ming. After all, he prided himself on being a genius. He couldn't imagine using this skill just to help weaker Spirit Masters in the future.
Su Ming chuckled inwardly. Oscar had this coming.
Since their enrollment, Su Ming had advised Oscar to tone down his perverted behavior, which often annoyed others. But Oscar had stubbornly sided with Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, defending their behavior. Su Ming had decided long ago that Oscar wasn't worth helping and had no intention of warning him to choose a better spirit ring.