Outside Ovilan City, within the Advanced Soul Hunting Forest.
A large snake, roughly seven meters long with pale red wings on its back, was being held firmly by its seven-inch mark by Yang Wutian, leaving it unable to move. It possessed a fleshy crest on its head that looked larger than its own head, and its tail was uniquely fan-shaped, with a body as bright red as blood.
Yun Ming looked at the snake on the ground, nodded in satisfaction, and spoke to Oscar beside him.
"Oscar, this is a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent with over 1,600 years of cultivation. It is the best choice for your Third Soul Ring!"
Just like in the original timeline, Oscar had broken through to level 30 ten days ago, but due to the dissolution of Shrek Academy and the resulting chaos, he had been unable to obtain his soul ring until now. Four days ago, after leaving Shrek Academy, Yun Ming brought Oscar straight to this hunting forest, which was rich in soul beasts of phoenix lineage, to acquire the ring.
Two days of travel and two days of searching; finally, living up to Yun Ming's expectations, they had successfully found their target.
Hearing Yun Ming praise this snake so highly, Oscar asked with some curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
Yun Ming explained carefully upon hearing this.
"The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is non-venomous, a rare and powerful snake of its kind. It uses its body to entangle enemies and suffocate them. Its attack method is very singular, but its speed is incredibly fast. Furthermore, its crest stores various nutrients, which can grant it a burst of speed in times of crisis."
"If you absorb its soul ring, not only will the nutritional value of your Martial Soul be further improved, but you will also gain a flight-type soul skill!"
The reason Yun Ming knew that Oscar would gain a flight-type soul skill from absorbing this ring was because the secret archives of the Sea God Pavilion in his previous life recorded exactly what soul skills Oscar's first six rings provided and from which soul beasts they were obtained.
Yang Wutian and Oscar were quite surprised to hear 'flight-type soul skill'! It was not unheard of for a Food System Soul Master to obtain a flight-type soul skill, but it was extremely rare, and usually only possible after the sixth ring.
In this era without Soul Tools, the sky was the exclusive domain of avian-type Martial Souls and a few soul masters with cultivation above the level of a Soul Saint. Now, being told that Oscar could gain the ability to fly at the third ring was truly a huge surprise!
Before they could finish marveling, Yun Ming continued.
"And the most important thing is..."
Hearing there was another benefit, Oscar became even more excited and quickly asked.
"There's another effect?"
Yun Ming nodded seriously and said excitedly.
"The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is delicious; your sausages will taste even better!!!"
Oscar and Yang Wutian: "..."
Years of gourmet appreciation had ultimately caused Yun Ming to develop some habits he didn't have before.
Upon hearing this effect, Oscar, as a Food System Soul Master, was a little happy, though this bit of joy didn't quite match his previous expectations. Yang Wutian, however, couldn't comprehend it, so he decided not to try; he took out a silver spear and handed it to Oscar.
"Oscar, do it!"
Oscar ignored Yun Ming's occasional dry humor, took the spear, and thrust it directly into the snake's seven-inch mark. The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's vital point was breached, and it began to struggle, but how could it struggle against the grip of a peak Soul Saint? The life force of the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent drained away rapidly, and in a short while, it was devoid of life as a purple soul ring rose up.
Seeing the two ignoring him, Yun Ming muttered to himself that they were boring.
Oscar said to the two of them.
"I'm starting."
Afterward, he sat cross-legged and began to absorb the soul ring.
Seeing that Oscar had begun the absorption process smoothly, Yang Wutian posed his question to Yun Ming.
"Ming Er, if you wanted to hunt this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent for Oscar, the Star Dou Great Forest would have worked just as well. Why come all the way to Ovilan City?"
"You must have had some other ideas, right!"
Seeing that Yang Wutian seemed to have sensed something, Yun Ming told him the truth, as he hadn't intended to hide it anyway.
"Fifth Grand Uncle, your eyes are like torches."
"You're right! The reason I came this way is because I am going to Heaven Dou City!"
Yang Wutian showed no emotional fluctuation and continued to ask.
"The reason?"
Hearing this, Yun Ming used his soul power to isolate the sound and spoke with a serious expression.
"Fifth Grand Uncle, no matter what I say next, please don't get too excited!"
Seeing Yun Ming so cautious, Yang Wutian realized the gravity of the situation. Yun Ming continued.
"I have found the trail of Tang Hao!!!"
Upon hearing this news, even with Yun Ming's prior warning, Yang Wutian could not hold back. His already stern face became even more terrifying, a murderous aura rose around him, and he let out a roar.
"What!!!"
Fortunately, Yun Ming had the foresight to isolate the sound with his soul power beforehand. Otherwise, Oscar might have been startled into a state of cultivation deviation by Yang Wutian.
Yun Ming reminded him.
"Fifth Grand Uncle, calm down!"
Yang Wutian could not hear a word Yun Ming said at this moment, and he gritted his teeth as he asked in a low voice.
"Ming Er, what exactly is going on!"
Seeing Yang Wutian in this state, Yun Ming sighed inwardly; his desire to find Tang Hao and demand an explanation grew even stronger.
Afterward, Yun Ming laid out his findings to Yang Wutian in full.
Ever since Yun Ming inadvertently discovered that Tang San of Shrek Academy possessed Twin Martial Souls, one of which was the Clear Sky Hammer, he had deduced the truth by cross-referencing the name of Tang San's father, Tang Hao, with Tang San's age and the fact that Tang Hao had left several years ago. He concluded that Tang Hao was not dead and was very likely by Tang San's side. Of course, ninety percent of the above was fabricated by Yun Ming; aside from the probing, the rest were results he knew directly from his memories of a past life.
After listening to Yun Ming's "analysis," the light in Yang Wutian's eyes grew increasingly cold, but considering Tang Hao's current cultivation level, he had no choice but to suppress his urge for now. Calming down, Yang Wutian continued to ask.
"They will go to Heaven Dou City?"
Yun Ming nodded and explained it to Yang Wutian as follows.
"Tang San had just joined Shrek Academy when it was disbanded because of me, so they will definitely have to switch to another academy."
"And since Tang San's teachers, Yu Xiaogang and Flender, have close ties to Heaven Dou City, Blue Tyrant Academy, and Liu Erlong—who share a Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Tang San's next stop is most likely Heaven Dou City and Blue Tyrant Academy!"
The reason Yun Ming knew all this had to do with the current state of his recovering memories.
Following the stimulation of the days from his enrollment at Shrek Academy to its dissolution, Yun Ming's memories regarding Shrek Academy had now fully recovered.
Although Yun Ming was a person from a later era and did not know the complete life trajectory of Tang San, he was still clear on the major turning points in the life of the Sea God. The next major event was the Shrek Seven Devils winning the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, marking the beginning of their legend.
There was also the history of Shrek Academy: Tang San's teacher was Yu Xiaogang, the Grandmaster, the relationships between the founding Golden Iron Triangle, and the predecessor of the future Shrek Academy, Blue Tyrant Academy.
With these pieces of information, even though Shrek Academy had already been destroyed by Yun Ming, Tang San's next move could basically be determined. Confirming Tang San meant confirming the whereabouts of Tang Hao.
Hearing Yun Ming's explanation, Yang Wutian felt it made a lot of sense, but thinking of Tang Hao's cultivation, he spoke to Yun Ming with a serious expression.
"Ming Er, we will eventually collect these debts one by one in the future. Your safety is more important to the Breaking Clan, so you must never act impulsively!"
Hearing the care mixed into Yang Wutian's admonition, Yun Ming also spoke up to explain.
"Don't worry, Fifth Grand Uncle!"
"I am very clear about Tang Hao's cultivation and will not act rashly. This trip to Heaven Dou City is just to make some preparations in advance!"
Seeing that Yun Ming had his own plans, Yang Wutian finally set his mind at ease.
ps: It is quite difficult to gauge the degree of prophetic information Yun Ming knows. Since he is a person from a later era, I will let him know some key nodes and major events while keeping the details vague; that should be enough!
Seeking monthly tickets, seeking recommendations.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader