After receiving the good-person card, Oscar was not embarrassed.
He merely stroked his full beard and nodded as though it made perfect sense.
“Good thing I didn’t shave my beard, or that would’ve been awkward.”
“You dare confess without even shaving your beard?
It’d be strange if anyone agreed.”
Wu Ming hooked an arm around Oscar’s shoulder and said with a grin, “I think if you shaved your beard, maybe more people would be willing to spend money when you sell sausages in the future.”
“Really?”
Oscar’s eyes lit up.
Although he had won quite a lot of gold spirit coins earlier at the Great Spirit Arena, who would ever complain about making too much money?
“Would I lie?
But I suggest you shave it after you turn eighteen.
Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll follow in Ma Hongjun’s footsteps.” Wu Ming spoke earnestly.
“I’m not someone like Ma Hongjun, who gets tempted by women.
My will is firm!” Oscar vowed.
Besides, he was going to temper a powerful body and become the first food-system Spirit Master on the continent whose Martial Soul was food, yet whose combat power rivaled a Battle Spirit Master!
“Ambitious.”
Wu Ming gave him a thumbs-up.
For a moment.
The atmosphere was cheerful.
Before long, Wu Ming led everyone to the farmland outside the village and began speaking about serious matters.
“You should all have a rough understanding of the academy’s basic situation by now.
Because there are few students, you’ll have plenty of free time most days, so aside from cultivation, you need to find a job.
“Of course.
“I know some of you are from wealthy families and don’t need to worry about money.
But for commoner students, finding a job suited to your Martial Soul talent, earning money, and maintaining basic living expenses is necessary.
“After all, people always have to become independent.”
Tang San immediately said, “When I studied at Nuoding Academy, I would go to the blacksmith shop to forge iron in my free time.
I can find a blacksmithing job.”
“I can roughly guess your thinking.
The Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is a very weak plant Martial Soul.
When absorbing Spirit Rings, the extra energy it provides to the body is far less than other Martial Souls.
But your physical constitution is stronger than most power attack-system Spirit Masters of the same level.
I imagine you trained your body through blacksmithing.”
Wu Ming revealed Tang San’s general situation in a single sentence.
In an instant.
Tang San’s gaze sharpened.
He realized Wu Ming might suspect he had twin Martial Souls, and once again felt shocked by Wu Ming’s wisdom.
He could not help asking, “Senior’s suggestion is?”
“Your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul looks the same as ordinary Blue Silver Grass, but I can feel the powerful vitality contained within it.
It is absolutely not ordinary.
Or rather, right now it is still in its growth stage, disguising itself.
In theory, if there is no method to awaken it ahead of time, then when you reach the Spirit Sage stage and awaken your Martial Soul Avatar, it will reveal its true form.”
The influence Spirit Rings had on Martial Souls was actually limited.
More often, they gave the Martial Soul a skill, while the extra energy would be used to raise Spirit Power and physical strength.
The energy that could truly make a Martial Soul grow was Spirit Power.
Of course.
Spirit Rings themselves contained information from a Spirit Beast, and would subtly influence the Martial Soul itself.
But under normal circumstances, unless the hunted Spirit Beast was extremely special and possessed bloodlines such as dragon or phoenix, the influence on the Martial Soul was not great.
Especially for Body Martial Soul owners like Wu Ming, who could control the power of any Spirit Ring.
“So, you can continue blacksmithing.
It can train your physical constitution.
But it would be best to find another job as well.”
“My suggestion is—”
“Farming.”
Tang San’s eyes widened, incredulous.
“Farming?”
“Do you know about mimicry cultivation environments?”
Wu Ming asked with a smile.
“I do.
My teacher said they simulate the environment most suitable for the Spirit Beast corresponding to a Spirit Master’s Martial Soul.
Cultivating inside one produces twice the result with half the effort.” Tang San answered without thinking.
Yu Xiaogang’s theories might have problems, but Wu Ming had to admit, that fellow was fully qualified as an “encyclopedia.”
“What about tool Martial Souls?”
Wu Ming asked again.
“That’s much simpler.
Tool Martial Souls are mostly various tools created and invented by humans.
For example, if a Spirit Master’s Martial Soul is a hammer, then cultivating beside a forge would maximize efficiency.” Tang San gave an example, then suddenly froze.
“Looks like you’ve figured it out.
The job I’m talking about isn’t only for earning money.
It’s also to plan out your future cultivation path.
“Your first Spirit Ability is Bind, and your second Spirit Ability is Parasite.
Although your Blue Silver Grass would be best on the auxiliary-system route, for commoners with no background, the control-system route is actually the most cost-effective.
But now that you’ve joined Shrek Academy, you can be considered to have a tiny bit of insignificant background.
“Since you’ve already stepped onto the control-system path, it’s best not to change the path from here on.
Being half-hearted is a major taboo.
“But when choosing Spirit Rings in the future, I suggest you choose plant-type Spirit Beasts, and you must minimize choosing poisonous types as much as possible.
“I think you’ve noticed it yourself.
After Spirit Rings from poisonous Spirit Beasts are added to your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, the poison attached to the Spirit Ability is greatly weaker than the original Spirit Beast’s poison, right?
“In essence, it’s because the poison attribute isn’t that compatible with the powerful vitality of your Blue Silver Grass itself.”
Tang San had long since noticed this.
Blue Silver Grass’s first Spirit Ring came from a Datura Snake.
The Datura Snake’s poison was extremely strong.
One drop could bring a Great Spirit Master close to rank 30 near death.
But after being added to the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, the poison it carried was greatly reduced, even leaving only a negligible paralysis effect.
Back in Nuoding City, he had thought this Spirit Ring was not bad, as it did indeed give his Blue Silver Grass strong control ability.
But after arriving in Suotuo City—
At Rose Hotel, his Bind and Parasite had been easily broken by Dai Mubai…
During the entrance test, Wu Ming could tear the Blue Silver Grass apart with ease…
At the Great Spirit Arena, although Great Spirit Masters in the same realm as him could not break free immediately after being trapped by Bind, it could not hold them for very long either…
So it turned out the Datura Snake’s Spirit Ring was not highly compatible with the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
More importantly, among all the Martial Soul cultivation knowledge his teacher had taught him, there was also a theory about the compatibility between Spirit Rings and Martial Souls.
[Teacher’s theories and the knowledge he taught have contradictions…]
During the six years of cultivation at Nuoding Academy, Tang San had actually understood this, but he had not paid too much attention at the time.
After all, what he cared about most was still cultivating Tang Sect techniques.
As for Martial Souls?
Good enough was fine.
But after witnessing Wu Ming’s strength, Tang San began truly paying attention to the amplification effect Martial Souls had on oneself.
“So farming is the best profession to help you truly understand the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.”
Wu Ming continued, “We must control our Martial Souls, but we cannot truly treat them as mere tools.
They are part of our souls, the best gift our father or mother can give us.
To waste it is to waste our parents’ most sincere love for us.”
…