Oscar rode the Jade Sword slowly up to the high platform, landing beside Dugu Yan. She handed him a cup of fruit tea, which Oscar accepted and took a sip before turning to Gai Yue.
"How was it, Teacher?"
Gai Yue nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. Your swordsmanship has improved quite a lot, and your sword riding technique has become more refined."
Hearing this, Oscar smiled happily. "That's all thanks to your teaching."
Gai Yue's smile remained. "Don't be modest. Your talent surpasses mine. If it weren't for the fact that you lack a Sword Martial Spirit, your achievements would have been even greater by now."
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun, who had just landed next to Oscar, widened his eyes.
"Teacher Gai Yue, aren't you exaggerating a bit? Boss is already this strong now if that external spirit bone had been his martial spirit, wouldn't he be heaven defying?"
Dai Mubai, who had barely recovered some spirit power after eating a Super Recovery Sausage, also nodded in agreement.
"Oscar's already such a monster, and you're saying this still isn't his limit?"
Zhu Zhuqing, standing beside Dai Mubai, also nodded.
"That's right. Even if Mubai, Brother Ma, and I team up, we still can't defeat Oscar. To think this still isn't his limit…"
Oscar set his cup down on the table and said,
"Everything has gains and losses. You don't need to look at me like that. What I've achieved today comes entirely from my own effort.
Although my strength is supported by external aids, in the end it still depends on myself. So there's no need to be envious your talents are excellent too. As long as you're willing to put in the work now, your future accomplishments won't be beneath mine."
Although Oscar's words carried some comfort, the reasoning was true.
As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, the second best time is now. As long as one realizes their shortcomings and works to overcome them, their future will never be hopeless.
Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Zhu Zhuqing all nodded at the same time, taking Oscar's words to heart.
Beside Oscar, Dugu Yan's eyes shone as she looked at him. She couldn't help but say,
"Oscar, you're still as outstanding as ever."
After a pause, she added firmly,
"But I'll work hard to keep up with you. I won't let you leave me behind."
Oscar turned his head to look at her gently.
"Don't worry, I won't abandon you. After all, we're a pair, aren't we?"
Hearing this, Dugu Yan shyly lowered her head, her cheeks flushing red as she fell into her thoughts.
From the side, Ma Hongjun jeered playfully.
"Oho, Boss sure knows how to sweet talk. Look, Sister in law's blushing…"
Gai Yue and Zhao Wuji looked at these energetic children, smiling with satisfaction.
In the days that followed, Oscar and the rest of Shrek Academy continued to make steady progress. Under the leadership of Oscar, their self disciplined role model, Shrek Academy thrived with vitality.
What Oscar didn't know, however, was that Flender, who had broken through to level 80, had already shared this good news with his old brother Yu Xiaogang. Though Yu Xiaogang was now in Nuoding City, he still kept in touch with Flender.
After all, he needed to pave the way for his disciple Tang San's future. Tang San was nearly eleven, and by the age of twelve he would graduate from Nuoding Academy. Yu Xiaogang therefore needed to find a suitable academy for Tang San.
His target, of course, was Flender's Shrek Academy. In order to expand Shrek Academy and reassure Yu Xiaogang about its teaching quality, Flender told him about his recent breakthrough to the Spirit Douluo rank.
Yu Xiaogang was naturally delighted. His friend's breakthrough was indeed worth celebrating.
Moreover, within the Golden Iron Triangle formed by him, Flender, and Liu Erlong, Yu Xiaogang was the one who directed their Martial Spirit Fusion Technique. With Flender's advancement, it also meant Yu Xiaogang's strength had indirectly improved.
Yes, in Yu Xiaogang's view, that was the case. Without him, their Martial Spirit Fusion Technique wouldn't even exist.
It was precisely because of this technique that Yu Xiaogang, with only a little over level 20 spirit power, could understand the might of higher level spirit masters.
Because of this powerful fusion technique, Yu Xiaogang didn't care much about his own cultivation. After all, his innate talent was limited level 29 was his ceiling.
So what if he could never break through level 30? He still led their Martial Spirit Fusion Technique with Flender and Liu Erlong, didn't he?
Of course, aside from Yu Xiaogang himself, no one else knew this. Not even Flender knew what Yu Xiaogang was thinking, as Yu Xiaogang would never say such things in front of him.
But because of this little action from Flender, future events would unfold differently from Oscar's expectations. Overall, though, it would not be a bad thing.
Even if Oscar was unaware of this, it didn't matter. As long as he continued down his own path, his future would remain bright.
Under Oscar's leadership, Shrek Academy entered a long period of intense training. Though the process was painful, the results left everyone satisfied.
Half a year passed in a flash. Oscar's spirit power finally broke through from level 38 to level 40. Now, he only needed one more spirit ring to advance to the Spirit Ancestor realm.
Long ago, Oscar had already planned out his fourth spirit ring in detail. With his breakthrough, it was finally time to set out to hunt the spirit beast he had dreamed of.
Meanwhile, the other students of Shrek Academy had also made great progress. Dugu Yan's spirit power had reached the peak of level 39, only one step away from level 40.
Ma Hongjun had just broken through to level 39 as well, only one step behind. At his training speed, he would likely reach level 40 in three months.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had also improved steadily by two levels. Zhu Zhuqing reached level 25, while Dai Mubai reached level 35. Now, there was only about a year and a half left until the time Tang San and his group were destined to arrive at Shrek Academy, just like in the original story.
One could say that in a year and a half, the timeline would reach the very point where Tang San's "dream" began…
But this time, everything would be different. With Oscar, the butterfly, in play whether it was Dugu Yan, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, or all the teachers of Shrek Academy their destinies had already begun to change.
Even the fates of Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong main characters in the original story would undergo tremendous changes in a year and a half, thanks to the ripple effect of this butterfly.
Oscar had long anticipated this. After all, if a butterfly flapping its wings in the East Continent could stir up a storm in the West Continent, then surely he, a butterfly already altering parts of the original story, could do even more.
But right now, Oscar had no time to ponder such things. Having reached level 40, he was busy preparing to set out and obtain his fourth spirit ring!
Oscar was confident: once he obtained his fourth spirit ring, his strength would undergo another earthshaking transformation perhaps even changing the cultivation path of all Food type spirit masters.
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