Oscar had always felt that in the original story, Ma Hongjun was raised far too indulgently. Even Flender, as his teacher, failed to discipline him properly. After all, letting a twelve-year-old frequent brothels without interference was utterly baffling.
Judging from the original descriptions, Ma Hongjun had likely already visited such places even before the age of twelve. Though people in the Douluo Continent matured earlier, that was still far too young.
To Oscar, this kind of laissez-faire education was nothing but a waste of Ma Hongjun's talent. Yes, Hongjun's martial soul had a defect, but it wasn't something without remedies.
At this early stage, when his soul power was still low, the drawbacks of the evil fire weren't even evident. Even if it flared up, it could still be suppressed by tempering the body through hard training, or simply cultivating in a river's cold waters.
In fact, this could even be turned into an advantage—sharpening Hongjun's willpower and serving as a training aid if used properly.
Later on, once he found a soul master with an ice attribute to cooperate with, the evil fire problem wouldn't even count as a true obstacle. But Flender and the others in the original story had never thought of such methods, instead leaving Hongjun to figure it out on his own.
In this life, Oscar would never allow Ma Hongjun to be wasted like that. The boy's talent was not low. As long as the evil fire issue was addressed, he would absolutely become someone moldable into greatness.
Moreover, at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, there even existed a celestial herb capable of curing Ma Hongjun's problem. Even if Oscar himself couldn't claim it, once Tang San came to Shrek Academy, it would eventually appear within reach.
Thinking this through, Oscar decided it was necessary to give Ma Hongjun proper lessons in the future. Not immediately—the boy had just entered the academy today—but after a few days, he would make sure to teach him.
After helping Hongjun settle into his dorm, Oscar went off to find Zhao Wuji for training. Daily sessions under gravity suppression had already become an indispensable part of his routine. Becoming strong was not something achieved in a single step, but rather through accumulation day by day.
Oscar clearly understood the importance of physical fitness for a soul master. Before reaching the stage of absorbing ten-thousand-year soul rings, a soul master's limit in ring absorption was determined entirely by their physical condition. The so-called "soul ring limits" were just theoretical values.
When Oscar had crossed over into this world, it was at the moment of his martial soul awakening. At that time, his body had not been sufficiently tempered, so his first soul ring had been only four hundred and thirty years old.
But things were different now. After two years of tireless training, with meticulous focus on honing his body, he had prepared himself to surpass limits when absorbing soul rings in the future.
This meant that for his second soul ring, he could aim for a much higher year limit, maximizing his talent and potential.
By the time he finished training with Zhao Wuji, the afternoon had already arrived. Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun had familiarized himself with the academy and was now following Flender to the dining hall for a meal.
"Little Ao, your perseverance is the finest I've ever seen among students. Hongjun, you should learn from him more," Flender said warmly when Oscar entered.
"Haha, Dean, now that's the kind of praise I like hearing. Don't worry, I'll take good care of this kid and make sure he's properly guided," Oscar replied smoothly, catching the cue.
Turning toward the kitchen, he shouted, "Teacher Shao, a bowl of braised pork, please!"
"Already prepared it for you," Shao Xin responded cheerfully, bringing over a steaming bowl of rich, fragrant braised pork. His round, smiling face radiated warmth and friendliness.
"Thank you, Teacher Shao," Oscar said as he accepted it.
Beside him, Ma Hongjun stared hungrily at the large bowl of meat, his mouth watering, though he was too shy to ask.
Oscar chuckled, scooped some into Hongjun's bowl, and said, "This is the treatment of a good student. Teacher Shao loves hardworking people. As long as you study diligently, you can have all the delicious food you want."
Flender nearly burst out laughing on the spot. This brat sure knew how to spin words—fooling others, yet still steering things to his junior's benefit. Seeing that it did not harm, Flender didn't expose the trick.
That said, it wasn't entirely false. These days, Oscar's meals really were prepared especially for him by Shao Xin, sometimes with extra servings.
And because of Oscar's exceptional talent, once a week, Flender and Zhao Wuji even hunted down a century-old soul beast just to enrich his diet, laying down an even stronger foundation for him.
"Really?" Ma Hongjun asked between mouthfuls of meat, half-skeptical but eager.
After dinner, Oscar spent some time strolling around the academy grounds. The two hours after lunch were his only leisure time, since even cultivation required a balance of effort and rest.
Sure enough, Ma Hongjun soon appeared again, bounding over like a curious child.
He was, after all, only six years old. With no other peers his age in the academy, Oscar naturally became the one he gravitated toward, even though they had only met today.
"Big Brother Ao, what are you doing?" he asked, trailing behind.
"Taking a walk. After meals, a walk keeps you healthy till ninety-nine," Oscar replied casually.
"…Huh." Hongjun froze, a black line forming across his forehead. Wasn't that exactly the sort of saying old men from the village liked to nag about?
"Hongjun, get some good rest tonight. Starting tomorrow, you'll be training with me," Oscar said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Mm… alright." After a brief pause, Hongjun nodded seriously.
That night, Oscar sat cross-legged in cultivation. By now, he could already replace sleep with cultivation—a key factor behind his rapid progress.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring dorm, Ma Hongjun tossed and turned restlessly in bed. His first day at the academy filled him with excitement at everything new, and his seniors' strength left him both awed and eager.
After confirming with his teacher Flender, he now knew for sure—Oscar was a genius of innate full soul power.
The next morning, Oscar rose early as usual. He began with a ten-kilometer weighted run, then practiced several sets of Dragon Pattern Staff Techniques.
This staff style, taught by Li Yusong, wasn't an overwhelmingly powerful skill, but it was solid and practical, more than enough for fighting and self-defense at his current stage.
As for Ma Hongjun, he had stayed awake too long the previous night, his excitement making sleep elusive. By the time he finally fell asleep, it was deep into the night, and so he slept well past sunrise. His teachers didn't bother waking him on his very first day.
When Hongjun finally got up, the sun was already high. He wandered to the academy's small classroom, where he saw Oscar quietly reading.
The classroom was simple—just a modest building with thirty seats—but it radiated a scholarly air.
Teacher Lu Qibin was in charge of cultural and theoretical lessons. As a knowledgeable intellectual, he understood many theories deeply and had solved numerous puzzles for Oscar in the past.
But after two years of focused study, Oscar had already mastered everything in the curriculum. These days, he reads mostly the books he bought himself—covering a wide variety of subjects.
In particular, he placed great emphasis on medical texts and pharmacology. Even though he already knew from the original story about the effects of celestial herbs, learning proper medical knowledge was an extra safeguard. If he ever had the chance to interact with Dugu Bo or Du Gu Yan, he would be able to explore things for himself.
When Ma Hongjun entered and saw Oscar reading so intently, he immediately leaned over.
Oscar glanced up at him and asked, "Awake?"
"Hehe, couldn't sleep last night. Too excited. Slept in a bit," Hongjun admitted sheepishly.
"It's fine. This is only your first day. I'll take you for some combat practice this afternoon," Oscar said, lowering his head back to his book.
"Combat practice? But… aren't you an auxiliary-type soul master? Do you even need to fight?" Hongjun asked, astonished.
"Who said auxiliary soul masters can't fight? You'll see for yourself this afternoon," Oscar replied calmly without looking up.
Hongjun blinked in disbelief but didn't press the issue. Instead, he greeted Teacher Lu, then picked a book of his own to read.
Seeing him take initiative, Lu Qibin was pleased and immediately pulled him aside for a formal lesson. Originally, he had planned to let Hongjun settle in before teaching him, but this eagerness changed his mind.
Meanwhile, Hongjun couldn't help but wonder—why didn't Oscar need classes?
Lu Qibin explained that Oscar had already finished all required studies over the past two years. Now, he was self-taught, needing no teacher to push him. Hearing this, Hongjun's admiration for his senior grew even deeper.
That afternoon, Oscar picked up his iron staff and led Ma Hongjun to Zhao Wuji's courtyard for training. Under the teacher's gravity suppression, their training efficiency doubled. By now, Oscar's physical strength has already surpassed that of ordinary battle soul masters at his level.
"Teacher Zhao, how about a spar? Let's show our new junior what Shrek's education is really like," Oscar suggested.
Zhao Wuji roared with laughter. "Hahaha, very well! Come, Little Ao, let's see if you've regressed at all lately."
With a wave, Zhao Wuji dismissed the gravity suppression. He placed one hand behind his back, not even bothering to release his martial soul, and beckoned with the other.
It wasn't arrogance—simply a fact. At his current level, Oscar was still weak. Without a powerful offensive martial soul, his only real weapon was the iron staff in his hands.
As for Zhao Wuji, a Soul Sage, even his raw physical body was enough to crush Oscar like a mountain.
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