He handed each person a sausage and a jerky stick, saying, "My sausage can maintain its potency in the air for twelve hours, meaning as long as you eat it within twelve hours, it will take effect. The sausage restores and heals while also satiating hunger. The jerky's main function is detoxification."
Everyone accepted them one by one, carefully tucking the food away on their person. They understood that Oscar had prepared this ahead of time because he was afraid that in a crisis, he wouldn't have the chance to produce sausage for them on the spot.
The continuous release of Soul Power had left Oscar's complexion somewhat pale. Fortunately, his thick beard helped conceal it. The sausage he conjured was highly effective for others, but for himself, it only worked at one-third the potency — roughly balancing out the Soul Power he expended. After depleting his Soul Power, his only means of recovery was meditation, though the sausage's hunger-satisfying effect was at least useful to him as well.
Zhao Wuji swept his gaze across the group. Seeing that all seven youngsters before him were ready, he waved his hand. "Let's move out."
This time, Zhao Wuji had Dai Mubai and Tang San take point, while he personally brought up the rear, taking the first step into Star Dou Great Forest.
Once inside Star Dou Great Forest, the most excited of all was Xiao Wu. She didn't seem to find the place the least bit dangerous, skipping along cheerfully, radiating an indescribable happiness that made Zhao Wuji frown repeatedly. But since Xiao Wu hadn't exceeded the boundaries he had set, he didn't say much.
The terrain inside Star Dou Great Forest was extremely complex. There were no paths to speak of within the forest, so the task of blazing a trail naturally fell to Dai Mubai.
Activating his Martial Soul Possession, Dai Mubai extended the razor-sharp claws on his White Tiger palms. With sweeping strikes of his hands, he sliced through the thorns and brambles ahead, not slowing the group's progress in the slightest.
Tang San followed close behind Dai Mubai, pushing both his vision and hearing to their absolute peak, carefully observing their surroundings.
The Great Master had once given him an extensive lecture about wild Soul Beasts. Wild Soul Beasts were extremely aggressive, and they loathed humans who killed them to advance in rank. Most terrifying of all, some wild Soul Beasts traveled in packs, meaning there was a real possibility of encountering a group of powerful wild Soul Beasts. In such a situation, unless a Soul Master's strength was truly extraordinary, defending against them would be nearly impossible.
For that reason, the Great Master had warned him over and over: once inside the territory of wild Soul Beasts, one had to be absolutely vigilant, with no room for error. A single mistake could bring about utter catastrophe.
The real reason the Great Master had sent Tang San to study at Shrek Academy wasn't for the sake of learning anything new. What Shrek could teach, the Great Master could teach just as well. But the Great Master was constrained by his own level of strength. While he could guide Tang San without any problem, once Tang San reached the thirtieth rank, the Great Master would no longer be able to help him obtain Soul Rings.
A Soul Master at rank thirty could withstand Millennial-grade Soul Rings. Millennial Soul Beasts were exceedingly rare in the places where nations bred and raised them, and those with favorable attributes were rarer still. The only place one might find a suitable Millennial Soul Beast was among the wild populations. That was precisely why the Great Master had sent Tang San to Shrek Academy — the most important reason was his hope that the Academy's teachers could use their strength to help Tang San obtain a suitable Soul Ring.
Before long, they encountered Soul Beasts — and a whole pack of them.
At Zhao Wuji's deliberately hushed voice, the group halted their advance. Tang San had been the first to spot them: a pack of Rodent Weasels. These Soul Beasts were small in size and their attack power wasn't particularly formidable, but their teeth were extraordinarily sharp — capable of biting through solid metal and iron.
Tang San seized Dai Mubai, who had been forging ahead and clearing the brambles, with one hand, and waved the other behind his back to signal the group that there was no danger. Drawing on the experience the Great Master had imparted to him, he could tell at a glance that this pack of twenty to thirty Rodent Weasels were only Decade-level Soul Beasts.
The Rodent Weasels had a keen sense of smell. At this distance, they had certainly detected the group by now, but they showed no reaction — clearly having no interest whatsoever in them.
Tang San pointed to the side. Dai Mubai caught on immediately and continued cutting through the thorns in that direction, clearing a path for everyone to advance.
As they moved forward, Dai Mubai whispered to Tang San, "Why are we going around them? Those Rodent Weasels weren't strong. We could have just killed them."
Tang San smiled. "They posed no threat to us, so why cut them down? If every Soul Master behaved that way, would there still be Soul Beasts in this forest years from now? Besides, my teacher told me that even when you encounter low-level Soul Beasts in the wild, you must never let your guard down. A single battle with them — the scent of blood and the noise — could very well attract a far more powerful Soul Beast. We're better off being cautious."
Dai Mubai nodded with genuine admiration. "Your teacher must be a remarkably powerful elder. These are invaluable lessons."