Hearing Flender put it this way, Zhao Wuji immediately became somewhat uncertain.
Could it really be that he had made a mistake?
After all, he hadn't seen the other party's soul rings. Moreover, this person was only in his twenties. How could he possibly have cultivated to the level of a Title Douluo?
If he was really beaten up by a Soul Emperor... just thinking about it was humiliating.
At that moment, Flender suddenly remembered the main matter and spoke up: "By the way, Old Zhao, you haven't said yet, what soul ring did you end up giving Little Ao? He must have gotten a soul skill, right?"
Zhao Wuji's face stiffened once again. He coughed awkwardly a couple of times and gave a look to Oscar beside him, signaling him to demonstrate it himself.
Oscar took a few steps forward and recited the incantation: "I have a mutated mushroom sausage!"
With a flash of soul power, a dark purple, misshapen mushroom-like 'sausage' appeared in his palm.
Ning Rongrong instinctively covered her mouth, Zhu Zhuqing also slightly frowned, while Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun even showed expressions of distaste.
Bracing himself, Oscar explained: "Ahem, this third soul skill of mine, its effect is that after consumption, it can temporarily increase all attributes of the eater by thirty percent."
Hearing this, Flender and Yu Xiaogang's eyes immediately lit up. This effect was absolutely a divine skill!
Just as the two were getting excited, Oscar's next words poured a bucket of cold water on them.
"But there's a side effect. The consumer will fall into a frenzied state, unable to distinguish friend from foe. The effect lasts for half an hour and only automatically dissipates when the time is up."
After listening to Oscar's introduction, the excitement in Yu Xiaogang's eyes instantly faded. He shook his head with a look of regret, saying:
"If it weren't for this side effect, this soul skill would absolutely be top-tier. But with this side effect, it's destined to be unusable in conventional combat. One careless move and it could harm both oneself and others."
Hearing this, Oscar lowered his head in disappointment and muttered quietly, "I really shouldn't have trusted Teacher Zhao Wuji's judgment. He insisted on choosing that weird, multicolored mushroom..."
Zhao Wuji's old face flushed red. He wanted to retort but had nothing to say, as the soul skill's side effect was indeed problematic.
Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward, Flender quickly cleared his throat twice and patted Oscar's shoulder to console him:
"Little Ao, don't be discouraged. Although your soul skill has limitations, at a critical moment, it might play an unexpected role and turn the tide of battle."
"Just imagine, using it on an ally in a desperate situation might just turn defeat into victory."
Hearing this, Oscar finally managed to muster a bit of spirit.
Regarding Oscar's third soul ring, Yu Xiaogang didn't really care. Even if a trash soul ring was chosen, it didn't have much to do with him.
Among these students, the only person he cared about was Ma Hongjun, whose martial soul had a defect.
As long as he could nurture Ma Hongjun into a true Fire Phoenix soul master, he could wash away his past disgrace and prove that he, Yu Xiaogang, was not a good-for-nothing.
Thinking this, Yu Xiaogang turned to Ma Hongjun, once again adopting the posture of a grandmaster, and urged:
"Hongjun, you must strive hard in your cultivation, quickly advance to level thirty. When you need to obtain your third soul ring, your teacher will personally select the most suitable soul beast for you. It will certainly allow your Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul to undergo a crucial transformation!"
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun immediately became excited. His chubby face broke into a wide smile as he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, teacher! I will definitely cultivate diligently and live up to your expectations!"
In his eyes, his teacher was, after all, a renowned theoretical grandmaster. A soul ring personally selected by him was definitely much more reliable than one chosen by Teacher Zhao Wuji.
As long as the evil fire problem was solved, he could transform into a true Fire Phoenix soul master, perhaps even stronger than Boss Dai!
Looking at Ma Hongjun's gaze filled with trust and anticipation, Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, slightly raising his head, his eyes burning as if he had already seen a bright future.
Elsewhere, after several days of travel, Lin Mu and his two companions finally arrived at Heaven Dou City.
The towering city walls stretched like mountain ridges. At the city gates, traffic was heavy and bustling, with pedestrians flowing like a woven tapestry, fully displaying the capital's prosperity and grandeur.
Upon entering the city, the noise and luxury of a big city assaulted them, dazzling Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Lin Mu, however, remained calm as usual. During his years of traveling the continent, he had once visited Heaven Dou City before.
After some asking for directions, the three made their way to the most prosperous area within Heaven Dou City's inner city, finally stopping before a small building with a full five stories.
The overall architectural style was somewhat simple and unadorned. The plaque bore only two characters: Moon Pavilion.
The people coming and going were all dressed in luxurious attire, with extraordinary bearing, highlighting this small building's exceptional nature.
Lin Mu led Tang San and Xiao Wu straight towards the main entrance. Before they could even step onto the stairs, two young men dressed in cyan robes stretched out their hands to block their way.
"Please stop, you three. Moon Pavilion is a place of refined elegance. Entry is by invitation only. Do you three have an invitation?"
The young man on the left spoke calmly.
Tang San frowned slightly, while Xiao Wu instinctively tightened her grip on Tang San's arm.
Lin Mu's gaze calmly swept over the two guards. An intangible, yet substantial and heavy pressure abruptly pressed down upon them.
This wasn't a soul skill, merely the simplest form of aura pressure.
The two young men's faces instantly changed, as if an invisible giant hand had choked their throats. Their breathing hitched, and their eyes filled with shock and horror.
They could sense that this soul master, younger than themselves, absolutely possessed extremely formidable strength.
Lin Mu didn't make things difficult for them. His aura pressure was released and withdrawn instantly, as if nothing had happened. He spoke indifferently: "Have your person in charge come out."
The two young men felt as if granted amnesty. Their backs were already soaked with cold sweat. How dare they show the slightest neglect now?
One of them quickly bowed, speaking with utmost respect: "Esteemed guest, please wait a moment. I will immediately go and inform them!"
After saying this, he hurriedly ran into the Moon Pavilion.
Not long after, a middle-aged man wearing a purple robe walked out briskly.
His gaze fell upon Lin Mu. Seeing this person, although dressed simply, with an upright posture and an impressive bearing, he was definitely no ordinary individual.
As the steward of Moon Pavilion, his discernment was naturally sharp.
The purple-robed middle-aged man revealed a perfectly appropriate smile, cupped his hands, and said: "I am Ode, serving humbly as the steward of Moon Pavilion. May I ask how to address you, esteemed guest?"
Lin Mu did not answer directly. Instead, he cupped his hands and said: "I trouble you to inform Madame Yue that the son of an old friend has come to visit."
After some careful consideration, Steward Ode finally nodded and replied: "You three, please follow me. I will first take you to a side hall for tea, then go to seek instructions from Madame Yue."
Under Steward Ode's guidance, the three arrived at a quiet and elegant room.
Not long after, the door was gently pushed open, and a beautiful woman dressed in a silver palace gown walked in slowly.
She appeared to be less than thirty years old, with an extremely beautiful countenance, graceful and noble. Between her brows was a natural elegance and tranquility, as if the years could leave no trace upon her.
She was precisely the mistress of Moon Pavilion, Tang Yuehua.