After receiving Oscar's insight about the Soul Core, Dugu Bo also began experimenting with the feasibility of forming one. Although the poison within his body had not yet been completely resolved, he could at least test things out by relying on the poison pill he had condensed inside him.
As for Oscar himself, his current soul power foundation was far from sufficient. Attempting to condense a Soul Core was simply impossible at this stage.
Even with Oscar's extraordinary cultivation base and soul power reserves, he would need to at least reach Soul Sage (rank 70) before trying to condense one.
So for now, there was no need for him to dwell on the matter. The Soul Core was still too distant for him.
A few more months passed. Oscar's soul power had already reached Level 35, and he was close to breaking through to Level 36.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan—after her detoxification—had also successfully acquired her third spirit ring.
That third ring was largely Oscar's doing. When they went to hunt the spirit beast, Oscar was already at Level 35. With the Azure Spirit Jade Sword (his external soul bone), combined with the massive improvements from cultivating in the Icefire Yin Yang Well, his combat strength had already reached the terrifying level of a Soul Ancestor.
For an ordinary Assault-Type Soul Master, this would have been enough to brand them as a supreme genius. But Oscar, as a Food-Type Soul Master, could display such battle power—"genius" was no longer enough to describe him.
Even Dugu Bo called him a little monster. This boy completely shattered his understanding of what was possible.
Oscar wasn't even twelve years old yet, and his soul power had already soared to Level 35. In all Dugu Bo's decades of life, he had never heard of such talent.
It was clear—Oscar's future achievements would be limitless.
As for Dugu Yan's third ring, Oscar had practically subdued the spirit beast all on his own. She didn't even get the chance to support him—she only needed to deliver the final blow.
Oscar alone had crushed a three-thousand-year Emerald Scaled Serpent, leaving it half-dead before Yan stepped in to finish it.
And the reason Yan could absorb a third ring, surpassing the usual one-thousand-seven-hundred-year limit, was thanks to Oscar as well.
Two months earlier, after confirming their relationship, Oscar had given her two remaining pieces of Whale Glue he had saved from before. These greatly enhanced her physique, raising her tolerance for higher ring years.
Both Yan and Dugu Bo had been utterly shocked. To think Whale Glue could improve physical strength and extend the safe absorption limit for spirit rings?
Especially Dugu Bo, over seventy years old, and it was the first time he had ever heard of such a miraculous effect.
But when he learned that Oscar's third spirit ring had reached six thousand seven hundred years, even he had no choice but to believe it.
What left him sighing even more was how fate seemed to pile such treasures into Oscar's lap. But then again, luck alone wasn't enough. Oscar's unyielding willpower set him apart—this kind of person was destined for greatness.
After absorbing her third ring, the gains from her soul bone and Whale Glue also erupted all at once, pushing Yan's cultivation to Level 34. This saved her at least half a year of bitter cultivation.
Still, she did not grow reckless. Instead, she spent half a month stabilizing her new strength, ensuring her foundation remained solid.
Oscar approved wholeheartedly of her caution and sincerely congratulated her progress.
By this time, Yan was fully detoxified and reaping enormous benefits. Dugu Bo, too, had already refined all his venom into his soul bone. All that remained was for him to keep taking Oscar's Hundred-Treasure Detoxification Reconstructing Pill, steadily purging what was left.
When his poison was finally cleared, he and Oscar could explore the Soul Core concept in earnest.
If Dugu Bo truly transformed his poison pill into a Soul Core, his strength and potential would rise by one—if not several—levels.
After all, while Dugu Bo's single combat ability was not the strongest, in group battles, he was virtually unmatched. Even some Peerless Douluo might not equal him when it came to large-scale combat.
During this period, as he was taking the pills, Oscar often discussed alchemy and medicinal theory with Dugu Bo. He even handed him ancient texts containing detailed records of Immortal Herbs, asking him to study them carefully.
Oscar also mentioned that among the subsidiary clans of the Clear Sky Sect, there had once been a family famed for their alchemy and medicinal research. If they ever had the chance, seeking them out for exchange could yield unimaginable rewards.
Of course, Dugu Bo was busy detoxifying, and Oscar had no time to travel either, so this plan was temporarily shelved.
But while thinking about these matters, another key thought arose in Oscar's heart—
Should he establish his own faction in the future?
He was torn. Building a force was no simple matter. It required enormous planning and energy, and right now, he lacked both the strength and time.
Sure, he had both Dugu Bo and Teacher Gai Yue supporting him, but creating a true power base was still no small feat.
Looking back at the original timeline, there were only a handful of suitable forces worth recruiting. Among them, the most promising were the Four Single-Attribute Clans, abandoned by the Clear Sky Sect.
In the original story, even the Tang Sect rose rapidly thanks to the support of these clans.
If Oscar tried, with the Icefire Yin Yang Well in his hands, he had many ways to lure them, and success was highly probable.
Except for the Strength Clan.
Their patriarch, Tai Tan, was an unquestioning loyal dog of Tang Hao. In the original story, Tai Tan simply saw Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer, guessed his father was Tang Hao, and immediately knelt.
That level of devotion… Oscar wasn't confident he could sway him, unless Tang Hao himself died.
But it wasn't a major issue. The Strength Clan specialized in forging, but they weren't the only smiths in the Douluo Continent. There was an entire Blacksmith Association, after all. Losing them wouldn't be fatal.
Still, if the chance arose, it wouldn't hurt to try.
Oscar shared these thoughts with Dugu Bo. At first, the old man was hesitant. But considering his granddaughter was already bound to Oscar, he eventually decided—he would accompany Oscar with his old bones and fight alongside him.
If Oscar truly wished to create a force, he would be the vanguard.
No matter how heaven-defying Oscar's talent was, right now, he was still only a small Soul Elder, lacking presence. But with Dugu Bo standing openly at his side, half the battle would already be won.
After all, Dugu Bo not only possessed immense personal strength, but also the most precious foundation of all—control of the Icefire Yin Yang Well.
No soul bones? No gold? It didn't matter.
They had Immortal Herbs.
They could refine pills.
With that alone, they already had the capital to rise.