bookpub Chapter 16 Ideas! Persuasion!
Chapter 16 Ideas! Persuasion!
On the evening of the third day, the group arrived at a small town on the outskirts of the Starry Sky Forest.
The town is small, with only one main street lined with various shops on both sides.
Soul tool shops, medicine shops, equipment shops, taverns, inns—you name it, they have it.
Most of the people coming and going were Soul Masters, some acting alone and others in groups.
Flanders found a reasonably clean-looking inn, booked three rooms, and settled everyone in.
Dinner was eaten in the lobby of the inn.
The table was laden with dishes: braised pork, steamed fish, stir-fried vegetables, a large bowl of soup, and a bowl of fluffy white rice.
Teacher Shao Xin specifically instructed the kitchen to add a few extra dishes, saying that the children are growing and shouldn't be shortchanged.
Ma Hongjun and Oscar buried themselves in their food, while Flander and Zhao Wuji chatted as they ate. Shao Xin held a wine glass and occasionally chimed in with a comment.
Halfway through the meal, Flander put down his chopsticks and looked at Oscar.
"Little Ao, what do you want for your second spirit ring?"
Oscar put down his chopsticks and his expression turned serious.
He's been thinking about this for the past few days.
The choice of his second spirit ring is crucial to his future development and cannot be taken lightly.
"I want..." Oscar opened his mouth, but then stopped himself from speaking.
Flanders looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
Oscar took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.
"Dean Flander, I...I don't want to be just a pure support."
The atmosphere at the dinner table changed slightly.
Zhao Wuji put down his wine glass, Shao Xin paused in his hand holding the glass, and Flander's eyes sharpened.
"Go on," Flander said calmly.
Oscar clenched his fists, his voice was a little strained, but he spoke each word very clearly.
"I want to become a well-rounded Soul Master. Attack, defense, speed, support, recovery, control—all abilities combined. I don't want to just stand in the back making sausages for everyone; I want to rush to the front and fight alongside everyone."
After he finished speaking, it was as if he had used up all his strength, and his shoulders trembled slightly.
Flanders didn't speak, but turned his gaze to Ma Hongjun.
"Hongjun, did you instill this idea in him?"
Ma Hongjun did not deny it and nodded.
"Teacher, it's me and Little Otti."
Explain your reasons.
Ma Hongjun put down his chopsticks and organized his thoughts.
"Teacher, my idea is actually very simple. Xiao Ao's martial soul is a sausage, a food-type. Food is made for people to eat. Who eats it? It could be someone else, or it could be himself."
Flander's gaze shifted slightly.
"The effects of the sausage's soul skills also apply to the user. In other words, Xiao Ao can gain various soul skill buffs by eating his own sausages. Attack sausages increase attack, defense sausages increase defense, speed sausages increase speed. A food-type soul master who has stacked all the buffs on himself will not be weaker than a battle soul master of the same level."
Ma Hongjun spoke more and more fluently. This idea had been brewing in his mind for a long time, and he had considered every detail countless times.
"Furthermore, Xiao Ao obtains spirit rings by hunting spirit beasts, and these spirit rings grant him spirit skills. These spirit skills don't necessarily have to be made into sausages for others to eat; they can also be made into sausages for himself. Offensive spirit skills can be made into offensive sausages, and control-type spirit skills can be made into control sausages. With each spirit ring he obtains, he gains another means of combat."
"If this line of thinking holds true, Xiao Ao will gain another combat method with each spirit ring he acquires. While others only have one spirit, he essentially has countless sausages and countless abilities."
"He is the only food-type Soul Master on the continent who can simultaneously possess multiple abilities such as attack, defense, control, support, and recovery."
After Ma Hongjun finished speaking, a long silence fell over the dinner table.
Zhao Wuji held his wine glass tightly, his brows furrowed, as if deep in thought.
Shao Xin put down his chopsticks, his eyes flickering, lost in thought.
Flander closed his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
Oscar watched the three teachers nervously, his heart pounding like a drum.
"That's interesting." Zhao Wuji was the first to speak, his voice deep. "A food-type Soul Master giving themselves a buff—I haven't really thought about that idea before. It's not that we can't think about it, but the mindset of the entire continent is limited—food is for assisting others, and we've never thought about it being able to assist ourselves."
"From the moment they awaken, food-type Soul Masters are instilled with the concepts that 'you are a support,' 'you should stay in the back,' and 'your duty is to protect your teammates.' Over time, even the food-type Soul Masters themselves come to believe it."
Shao Xin suddenly spoke, his voice somewhat excited.
"Hongjun, following your line of thinking, could my candy beans also be..."
He stopped halfway through his sentence.
He looked down at his hands and gave a wry smile.
"Forget it, I'm already a Soul Emperor, and my six soul rings are fixed. The only chance I'll have is when I break through to Soul Saint and obtain my seventh soul ring. But who knows when that will be?"
His tone carried a hint of regret, and a touch of envy.
I envy Oscar; he met someone who opened up new ideas for him right at the beginning of his career.
Flander opened his eyes and his gaze fell on Oscar.
"Little Ao, no one has ever walked this road before."
Flander's voice was serious, and he spoke slowly and deliberately: "You need to think this through. Failure could have a huge impact on your future, and none of us can guarantee success."
Oscar opened his mouth, about to speak, but Ma Hongjun spoke first.
"Teacher, even if we fail, the impact won't be too great."
Ma Hongjun said, "Xiao Ao's sausage still has the necessary abilities. The worst outcome is that he'll waste a spirit ring. But spirit rings can be gradually improved, and the direction of subsequent spirit rings can be adjusted."
He paused, then added, "Even if it gets worse, it won't be worse than it is now."
Flander glanced at Ma Hongjun, then looked at Oscar.
"Little Ao, what's your decision?"
Oscar stood up, facing Flander, his back ramrod straight.
"Teacher, I want to try."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.
"From the day I awakened my martial soul, I had a dream—to become a warrior. I know that food-type soul masters cannot fight; this is common sense, a consensus among everyone. But I just couldn't accept it."
"Hongjun gave me hope. Even if this path is wrong, I still want to take it. If I take the wrong path, I can always turn back. But if I don't take it, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
He took a deep breath and looked directly at Flander.
"I want to become a well-rounded Soul Master. I want everyone to know that a Food-type Soul Master is not just someone who can make sausages."
The dinner table fell silent again.
Flander looked at Oscar, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.
He recalled that many years ago, he had the same look in his eyes—unwilling, stubborn, and wanting to prove himself.
The silence lasted for a long time.
Flanders finally spoke, his voice softer than usual.
"Okay, let's give it a try."
Oscar's eyes lit up immediately.
"But—" Flander changed the subject, "Since you chose this path yourself, you have to take responsibility for it. From today onwards, your training plan will be revised. Zhao Wuji will give you double the physical training, and Li Yusong will teach you combat skills. You will not only cultivate your soul power, but also your body."
Oscar nodded vigorously.
"no problem!"
"And another thing," Flander said, looking at Ma Hongjun, "your clever idea won't escape you either. You're in charge of planning Xiao Ao's development path. If anything goes wrong, you two will share the blame."
Ma Hongjun grinned.
"Don't worry, teacher, I know what I'm doing."
Flanders snorted, picked up his glass, and drank it all in one gulp.
"It's early now; mistakes can be corrected later. The worst outcome is just losing a spirit ring." He put down his wine glass, his gaze sweeping across the two faces. "But if we succeed—"
He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.
If successful, the Oscars will be unprecedented in mainland China.
The strongest all-around Soul Master who specializes in food.
Outside the window, in the direction of the Starry Sky Forest, the night was deep and all was silent.
Tomorrow, everything will begin from there.