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Soto City was alive with the bustling sounds of street vendors and hawkers, creating a unique urban symphony.
Peddlers waved their goods enthusiastically, their faces filled with the excitement of bargaining.
Lan Minghua strolled down the busy street, intrigued by the dazzling array of merchandise on display.
"Even in a sewer-tier fantasy world, the prosperity isn't far behind that of modern cities."
Though there were no automobiles or other technological inventions, there were horse-drawn carriages—some even pulled by soul beasts.
As people bustled to and fro, Lan Minghua kept his eyes open, hoping to pick out a genius disciple among them.
"System, scan the crowd for talent ratings."
In an instant, a string of numbers appeared floating above each person's head in Lan Minghua's field of vision.
"12, 8, 20, 25..."
His gaze swept over peddlers, children, and even the elderly.
The highest talent rating he found barely reached the twenties—far from the 80-point threshold.
Lan Minghua's excitement plummeted. He had assumed recruiting a disciple would be easy.
To his surprise, individuals with talent ratings of 80 or higher were exceedingly rare.
"Looks like recruiting a disciple won't be so simple. I'll have to pay Shrek Academy a visit."
Lan Minghua had to admit that, personal character aside, the Shrek Seven Devils were all undeniably talented.
In fact, if some of them hadn't been led astray by Tang San, their characters would have been perfectly acceptable.
"Get your sausages here! Hot and juicy sausages—come and try one!"
At that moment, a cheerful, rhythmic cry reached Lan Minghua's ears.
Following the sound, he spotted a bearded yet youthful vendor pedaling a tricycle and shouting his pitch.
"That's… Oscar?!"
Lan Minghua immediately recognized him. He knew quite a bit about the Shrek Seven Devils—though only from books and the anime.
What was more shocking was the golden number "95" floating above Oscar's head.
His system-rated talent score was a staggering 95.
With the system rating maxing out at 100, Oscar's talent was near-perfect.
Lan Minghua hadn't expected Oscar to be such a pleasant surprise.
Then again, it made perfect sense. Oscar was the continent's first food-type Soul Master born with innate full soul power; it would be strange if his talent wasn't this high.
Had it not been for Tang San stealing Dugu Bo's immortal herbs, Oscar might have been the only one in their group to achieve godhood on his own merits.
Oscar's character wasn't too bad, either—at least he didn't have any particularly disgusting storylines.
Lan Minghua didn't rush over. He wanted to observe how Oscar treated ordinary people first.
The moment Oscar parked his tricycle, a group of children swarmed him.
Though they were noisy and chattering non-stop, Oscar remained patient.
He methodically wrapped steaming hot sausages in oil paper and handed them to the children.
The kids eagerly took bites, their faces lighting up with happy smiles as savory oil and spices coated their lips.
Watching his sausages being so well-received, Oscar smiled with contentment.
He showed no trace of a Soul Master's arrogance—he was simply a young man trying to earn a little money.
Lan Minghua took it all in, nodding in satisfaction.
"Not bad. That smile is genuine. He's qualified to be my disciple."
He was also confident that under his guidance, Oscar's future achievements would far surpass that of a mere second-tier god.
Soon, the children dispersed, and Oscar's stall quieted down.
It seemed only children were fond of his sausages.
Lan Minghua, wearing slippers, strolled purposefully toward him.
Suddenly, he noticed the shop behind Oscar looked familiar.
"Huh? Isn't that shop owned by Flender?"
Looking closer, he saw the glowing crystal displayed inside and became certain—this was Flender's store.
"No wonder Oscar's selling sausages here. Flender's shop is right behind him."
Lan Minghua understood.
Oscar was, after all, a genius of Shrek Academy. Flender would never let him wander the city without some form of protection.
But this was hardly a deterrent for Lan Minghua.
He had no ill intent toward Oscar, nor did he fear Flender's strength.
He continued toward Oscar's stall.
Despite Lan Minghua's vagabond appearance, Oscar greeted him warmly.
"Uncle, would you like a hot and tasty sausage? Only one copper soul coin!"
Lan Minghua knew how Oscar made his sausages.
Though the incantation was a bit... questionable, the sausages themselves had no negative side effects.
Curious about a sausage made from a martial soul—and feeling a bit hungry himself—Lan Minghua replied without hesitation, "Sure, give me one to try."
"Alright! Here's your sausage."
Oscar swiftly wrapped a steaming sausage in oil paper and handed it over.
Lan Minghua took a big bite without ceremony.
Instantly, rich juices burst in his mouth, and a savory flavor overwhelmed his taste buds.
He even sensed a trace of soul power within the sausage.
It wasn't much, but it was enough to boost an ordinary person's immune system.
Besides, too much soul power would be harmful to a normal person whose body couldn't handle it.
Clearly, Oscar had put considerable thought into the sausages he sold.
Lan Minghua was increasingly impressed. This kid was prime material.
After finishing the first sausage in two bites, he reached out for another.
Even though he hadn't paid, Oscar gave him a second one.
After devouring five sausages, Lan Minghua let out a satisfied burp.
Oscar rubbed his hands together cheerfully. "Uncle, how were the sausages?"
"Top-notch. Delicious. If you could cut hair too, that'd be even better."
Lan Minghua's odd comment left Oscar scratching his head.
But business was business—it was time to pay up.
"Uncle, that'll be five copper soul coins."
Lan Minghua tossed aside the skewer he was using as a toothpick, a shameless look on his face. "Got no money. Just a rotten life."
Oscar was stunned. "What?! You're dining and dashing?!"
The moment he shouted, Lan Minghua felt a pair of eyes lock onto him.
He knew the gaze came from inside the shop right behind Oscar.
"Hey! You can't cause trouble at my stall! I'm a Soul Master, you know!"
Oscar yelped, hopping to the side and throwing a few exaggerated punches in Lan Minghua's direction.
Lan Minghua ignored Flender's spying.
Instead, he casually pulled out a few thin books and held them out to Oscar.
"Hold on. I have a few self-created soul skill manuals here. Pick one as payment for the sausages."
Oscar was speechless. Seeing one of the titles was Chrysanthemum Acupoint Strike, he was convinced it was a scam.
With a deep sigh, he glanced at Lan Minghua's ragged clothes and decided to drop the matter of the five copper coins.
He returned to his stall, packed the few remaining sausages, and handed them to Lan Minghua.
"Uncle, consider it on me. Take these too. But please don't dine and dash again. You could get beaten up for that."
After stuffing the bag into Lan Minghua's hands, Oscar pedaled his tricycle and headed back toward Shrek Academy.
Lan Minghua looked at the bag, a strange warmth spreading in his chest.
Oscar had the talent and the character. He was the perfect choice for a disciple.
Since he doesn't believe me now, I'll just have to go to Shrek and become a teacher.
And as luck would have it, the perfect opportunity to do just that was right in front of him.
Carrying the bag of sausages, Lan Minghua walked toward Flender's shop.
Flender was still lying back in his chair, believing his spying had gone unnoticed.
Lan Minghua wasn't about to let this chance slip by. He could definitely use this to get into Shrek.
Of course, everything depended on whether his strength was sufficient.
Staring at Flender, who was still lounging like a corpse, Lan Minghua kicked the door wide open without a shred of courtesy.
BOOM!
Flender shot up from his recliner like a spring.
He immediately burst out cursing, "Son of a bitch! Are you looking for trouble?!"
(End of Chapter)