บท 96: Chapter 96: Su Ming: Can Oscar Become a God of Food Without Help?
When Ning Rongrong saw that Su Ming had said she was his type, her face turned slightly red. Compared to Oscar's creepiness, Su Ming was far better, and after spending the day with him, she felt comfortable and didn't find him off-putting. The only thing that bothered her was Su Ming's self-awareness—he openly admitted he was a bit of a womanizer, though otherwise, there wasn't much to dislike.
[I told Oscar that the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan has a rule: the spouse of the clan's heir must be a strong attack-type spirit master. Oscar, as a food-type spirit master, clearly doesn't meet this requirement. As for me, while I'm not strictly a strong attack-type, I'm an all-rounder! Even Ning Fengzhi would know who to choose between us.]
Ning Rongrong thought to herself: Ah, right. Now you're not claiming to be a support-type anymore, huh? But if my father were to choose, Su Ming definitely stands a much better chance than Oscar—Oscar doesn't even have a one-in-a-million shot.
[At first, I was thinking about making Oscar my underling or something. If I remember correctly, he's the only innate full-spirit-power food-type spirit master on the entire continent. If he trains well, he could definitely reach the rank of Title Douluo, and indeed, he eventually did. He even inherited the legacy of the God of Food.]
This revelation shocked the women. They hadn't expected that Oscar would eventually become so powerful, inheriting the God of Food's legacy. After all, many people spend their entire lives without ever gaining the favor of a deity.
[However, Oscar's path to inheriting the God of Food wasn't solely due to his talent. A big part of it came from a special herb he received from Tang San. After absorbing the herb, his cultivation speed increased, and he later followed Tang San to Sea God Island, where he gained further experience, allowing him to reach Title Douluo rank and inherit the God of Food's legacy.]
[Oscar was chosen by the God of Food for two main reasons: first, he was the first food-type spirit master to ever reach Title Douluo rank, and second, he achieved this before the age of 40. The God of Food saw enough potential in Oscar to grant him the inheritance, promising that once Oscar reached rank 99, he would unlock the next stage of the legacy.]
[Of these two reasons, I think the second one holds more weight. After all, food-type spirit masters are notoriously difficult to train, and after reaching rank 95, every additional level requires not just accumulated spirit power but also profound insights. Most spirit masters are stuck at this stage. Currently, only Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen are known to have reached rank 99, and Bibi Dong's strength should also be at this level, although it's suppressed due to the Rakshasa God trials. Without those, she would be counted too.]
[This shows just how difficult it is to reach rank 99. And now that Oscar is technically my rival, there's no way I'm helping him reach his full potential. Everything will be up to him from now on.]
[In other words, I'm not giving him any herbs, and Tang San likely won't either. As for the training on Sea God Island? Forget about it. If he goes there alone, he'll probably die trying to complete the trials!]
Both Bibi Dong and Ning Rongrong silently agreed with what Su Ming wrote.
For Bibi Dong, who had surpassed rank 95 herself, she knew how incredibly difficult it was to advance beyond that point. Without the aid of the herb or Sea God Island training, it would be nearly impossible for Oscar to reach Title Douluo by the age of 40, let alone rank 99.
Ning Rongrong, on the other hand, had learned from her two grandfathers, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, how they had been stuck at rank 95 for years, unable to break through. This made her skeptical that Oscar could reach rank 99 without extraordinary luck. If Oscar hadn't become Su Ming's rival, Su Ming could have helped him reach Title Douluo sooner, but that possibility seemed unlikely now.
[Oh, and one more thing. In the original story, Flender, as part of the Golden Iron Triangle, must have known the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's rule that the heir's spouse must be a strong attack-type spirit master. Yet, despite knowing this, he still pushed Oscar to pursue Ning Rongrong. Clearly, he had ulterior motives.]
[If Oscar succeeded in winning over Ning Rongrong, Flender would surely benefit. And even if he failed, Flender wouldn't lose anything. It's a well-thought-out plan, and even Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang didn't object to Oscar's pursuit of Ning Rongrong. They were playing a clever game.]
[But with me here, Oscar doesn't stand a chance. They can forget about it. Ning Rongrong will only be mine!]
At that moment, they arrived at the entrance of Soto's Great Spirit Arena. Su Ming turned and noticed that Ning Rongrong's face was bright red.
Concerned, he asked, "Rongrong, why is your face so red?"
Ning Rongrong fumbled for an excuse, "Nothing, it's just a bit hot. I'll be fine in a moment."
On the other side, Xiao Wu shot Su Ming a jealous glance. She was beginning to feel possessive. Although Su Ming hadn't officially made a move on her, after spending years together, she felt it was only a matter of time. Xiao Wu began to wonder if she should take the initiative. Even if Su Ming wanted multiple women, she had to make sure she was his first!
At that moment, Flender stopped and introduced the arena to the group. "This is Soto's Great Spirit Arena. The so-called Great Spirit Arena is where spirit masters battle each other for sport."
Tang San frowned, "Headmaster, aren't spirit masters supposed to be the most noble profession? Why would there be something like a Great Spirit Arena where they fight like performers for an audience? What kind of dignity is that?"
Hearing this, Su Ming almost laughed. Why do you think they do it? Of course, it's because of money. Not every spirit master is wealthy. Cultivation requires a lot of resources, and those without background need to earn money quickly. The Spirit Arena is similar to underground fighting rings in my previous life, except here, it's more legitimate.
Flender shook his head. "No, you're mistaken. While I don't personally like the Great Spirit Arena, I can't deny that it's a place where spirit masters can prove their worth."
"This arena operates independently of the two empires and Spirit Hall. Here, a spirit master's background doesn't matter. As long as you're strong enough, you can earn wealth and fame, which is why many commoner spirit masters are drawn to it. As for noble spirit masters, they use it as a training ground to improve their combat skills in a relatively safe environment."
"Tonight, your lesson will take place here. I'm sure Dai Mubai has already told you about Shrek Academy's graduation standards."
"The first requirement is to reach rank 40 before the age of 20. The second is to earn a Silver Spirit Badge from the Spirit Arena. Only by meeting these two conditions can you graduate. Otherwise, you'll just be embarrassing yourselves!"
Hearing the first requirement, everyone turned to look at Su Ming, who could only smile wryly.
Flender chuckled, "I must say, this year's intake is quite unexpected. Su Ming has already met the first requirement, and the rest of you are all above rank 30 at just 12 years old. Reaching rank 40 by the age of 20 should be a breeze for you."
"As for the Silver Spirit Badge, I'm confident you'll earn it soon enough. I have no worries about that."
Flender led the group to the registration counter, explaining as they walked, "You'll need to register here, and you'll be given a basic Spirit Badge. For every victory, you'll earn one point. For every loss, you'll lose a point."
Soon, Flender finished explaining the rules of the Spirit Arena and added a stern warning: "While I've said that earning the Silver Spirit Badge shouldn't be too difficult, don't underestimate the competition. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun have been fighting here for over a year, and their scores aren't very high."
Dai Mubai explained, "I started competing when I was at rank 29. So far, I've won 29 matches and lost 27, earning two points."
Ma Hongjun proudly added, "I've won 21 matches and lost 12, so I have nine points—better than Boss Dai!"
Tang San was shocked, "Dai Mubai, with your strength, how do you only have that many points? Your spirit is one of the strongest beast spirits!"
Su Ming interjected, "It's not that surprising. After Dai Mubai won a few matches, he likely broke through to rank 30, which meant he had to face stronger opponents. Losing is normal."
Pausing for a moment, Su Ming continued, "But if it were me, things would be different. A spirit master who can't fight above their rank isn't really a monster. Being able to fight beyond your rank is just the standard for true monsters!"
Dai Mubai's face darkened. The first half of Su Ming's statement made sense, but the second half—calling him out for not being able to fight beyond his level—stung. But he couldn't argue, knowing Su Ming had the strength to back up his claims. After all, they had all seen how badly Zhao Wuji had been beaten.
The others didn't think Su Ming was bragging either, having witnessed his power firsthand.
Ma Hongjun, who had been about to defend Dai Mubai, remembered the suffocating pressure he felt from Su Ming earlier and wisely kept his mouth shut.
Flender's eye twitched at Su Ming's arrogance. He knew how strong Su Ming was after seeing Zhao Wuji's defeat, but still felt compelled to warn him. "Su Ming, don't get too cocky. Pride comes before a fall. If you don't take each match seriously, you'll eventually slip up."
Su Ming casually replied, "Yes, Headmaster."
After that, the group went to register at the Spirit Arena. Naturally, they had to pay their own registration fees—there was no point in expecting help from Flender, the notorious penny-pincher.
Once registered, they were assigned to their matches. Flender escorted them to the 14th sub-arena for their first fights.
Since their spirit power levels varied, they were matched with opponents in different tiers. Ma Hongjun's opponent was at the Great Spirit Master level, Su Ming's opponent was at the Spirit Elder level, and the others were paired with opponents at their respective levels.
Afterward, they went to the waiting area to prepare for their matches.
Sitting next to Su Ming, Xiao Wu whispered, "Brother, although I'm not at rank 40 yet, I can still help in a two-on-two match. With my charm and teleportation skills, we should be able to win easily. What do you think?"
Noticing Xiao Wu's subtle move, Ning Rongrong quickly perked up. She wasn't about to let Xiao Wu pair up with Su Ming that easily. After all, with Su Ming's strength, and her own support abilities, earning points would be a breeze.
With a smile, Ning Rongrong walked over to Su Ming. "Su Ming, I'd like to team up with you as well. My Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda can help you win your Spirit Elder-level match more easily."
Xiao Wu, now irritated, huffed, "Rongrong, that's not fair! I asked first. My brother and I should be the ones to team up. First come, first served!"
Both Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong stared expectantly at Su Ming, waiting for him to choose.
Su Ming was completely baffled by the sudden tension. What's going on here? Why does it feel like there's some kind of rivalry brewing?
Ma Hongjun, watching from the side, could only sigh enviously. Su Ming really did have all the luck.
Oscar, too, felt a pang of disappointment, but there was nothing he could do. As a support-type spirit master, he couldn't team up with Ning Rongrong, no matter how much he wanted to. That was his fatal flaw.
Noticing the commotion, Tang San approached. With a gentle smile, he said to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, Su Ming's opponent is a Spirit Elder, which puts you at a disadvantage. Why don't you team up with me instead? After we get back from the Star Dou Forest and I obtain my third spirit ring, my strength will increase significantly."
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