Oscar retracted his jade sword, and Dugu Yan recalled her martial soul. However, remembering the moment Dugu Yan had activated her martial soul earlier, Oscar couldn't help but feel a little stirred up.
"Sister, why don't we wear cheongsams from now on? Dresses aren't really suitable for close combat," Oscar suggested sincerely, definitely not because he had any other ideas.
Hearing Oscar say this so suddenly, Dugu Yan imagined herself in a cool and commanding cheongsam. She nodded slightly. "Okay, then will you accompany me to buy some when we get back?"
Oscar smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, I absolutely have to go with you."
It was already late, and in the Extreme North, night covered the land for two-thirds of every day. However, even with night falling, this snow-covered place didn't look particularly dim.
Dugu Yan looked around but didn't see Gai Yue, so she asked, "Where is Teacher? I don't see him."
Oscar replied helplessly, "I don't know either. When you went inside to take the Yearning Heartbroken Red earlier, Teacher wandered off somewhere without telling me his plans."
Just as Oscar finished speaking, Gai Yue's voice came from outside the courtyard. "You two lovebirds were being so intimate earlier that I, as your teacher, didn't want to interrupt. I could only go for a walk."
Hearing Gai Yue's voice, Oscar and Dugu Yan looked at each other. After exchanging a smile, they turned to look at Gai Yue, who had just walked through the courtyard gate.
Oscar asked, "Teacher, what did you go do just now?"
Gai Yue replied, "I went to look for the Mirror Image Beast you need. There are indeed a few Mirror Image Beasts in the Extreme North, specifically in that canyon forty miles north of this Frozen Mountain. I just went over to take a look."
Oscar raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "How is it?"
Gai Yue smiled faintly. "You're in luck, kid. There are three Mirror Image Beasts there: one with over fifteen thousand years of cultivation, one with twenty-five thousand years, and one with thirty thousand years."
Hearing this, Oscar immediately became ecstatic. "This is simply tailor-made for me. That thirty-thousand-year Mirror Image Beast is exactly my current limit. It couldn't be better to use as my fourth soul ring."
Gai Yue nodded with a smile. "Indeed. You two rest for today, and we will set off directly tomorrow to secure your fourth soul ring."
As he spoke, he looked at Dugu Yan. "And Yan Yan, your soul power should have reached level forty after consuming the Immortal Herb, right? Do you have a soul ring in mind?"
Dugu Yan smiled faintly, and the look of excitement returned to her face as she explained to Gai Yue, "Teacher, my harvest this time is simply too huge. Breaking through in soul power only counts as the most ordinary improvement."
Dugu Yan then told Gai Yue about her martial soul evolution and soul skill changes. After listening, Gai Yue looked incredulous, then said, "Not bad. It seems you can protect little Ao well in the future."
Hearing this, Oscar wasn't happy. "Teacher, what are you saying! Sister is my woman; I should be the one protecting her, right? Besides, I just sparred with her earlier, and I still won."
Hearing this, Gai Yue just smiled and didn't say much more. After all, this was a matter for the couple, and he had just casually praised her.
But truthfully, Dugu Yan had gained the most this time. Her martial soul evolving into a dragon directly raised her talent by a whole level.
Now, Dugu Yan didn't have to worry at all about being left behind by Oscar, which was the best outcome for the couple.
Dugu Yan then continued, "I actually had a target for my fourth soul ring before. Since little Ao looked up a lot of information and confirmed several good choices for me. But now that my martial soul has evolved, I need to re-plan my selection."
Hearing this, Gai Yue nodded and said, "Then let's not rush the soul ring matter. We'll make a decision after you've confirmed your desired target."
Dugu Yan nodded, then looked at Oscar. Oscar thought for a moment and said, "Although your martial soul has evolved, it still retains its poisonous abilities. There are indeed a few soul beasts suitable for you in the Extreme North. I'll plan for you over the next couple of days and try to find a suitable soul ring here in the Extreme North."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan smiled sweetly. "Heehee, then I'll be troubling you."
Oscar squeezed Dugu Yan's delicate hand. "This is no trouble at all. The soul ring for every soul master's advancement is of utmost importance; we absolutely cannot cut corners."
Dugu Yan smiled sweetly, feeling very happy in her heart. Gai Yue watched from the side, also revealing a smile on his face.
After chatting for a while, Oscar entered the wooden cabin, took out the ingredients from his soul tool, and started cooking. After the meal, the master and disciples went to separate rooms to cultivate.
Oscar spent his time selecting a target for Dugu Yan's fourth soul ring, striving to allow her martial soul to evolve to the greatest extent possible.
...
Early the next morning, after eating breakfast, the three set off directly for the canyon Gai Yue had mentioned to hunt Oscar's fourth soul ring.
After spending two hours, Oscar and Dugu Yan followed Gai Yue to the canyon where the three Mirror Image Beasts were located. Oscar and Dugu Yan found a relatively safe place to stop, while Gai Yue went alone to capture the thirty-thousand-year Mirror Image Beast for Oscar.
This was the benefit of having someone backing you up; you only needed to choose the target for the soul ring, without worrying about the rest.
The Mirror Image Beast is also a type of top-tier soul beast. Not only are they extremely rare, but their abilities also make them the jack-of-all-trades of the soul beast world. In fact, because the Mirror Image Beast's abilities were so disgusting and powerful, most soul beasts wouldn't allow one to grow up.
Therefore, almost no Mirror Image Beast in the soul beast world had ever reached the hundred-thousand-year level.
Two of the Mirror Image Beast's strongest and most disgusting abilities were Clones and Replication.
Clones allowed it to exert power where one plus one was greater than two, enabling it to fight against many opponents alone.
Replication allowed it to copy an opponent's abilities, even directly transforming into the opponent. These two terrifying abilities made the Mirror Image Beast the public enemy of most soul beasts.
After all, if such an existence were allowed to grow, it would be a nightmare for the entire soul beast world.
In the original story, the reason Oscar could possess combat power comparable to a strong assault system soul master in the later stages and protect Ning Rongrong was that his sixth soul ring absorbed a twenty-thousand-year Mirror Image Beast, gaining the Replication skill.
Although Oscar was only at level forty now, his mental power and physical qualities had already reached the Soul Emperor level. He was fully capable of absorbing a thirty-thousand-year Mirror Image Beast.
Moreover, Oscar was certain that absorbing a soul ring so far above his level would yield results superior to his original self. The specifics, however, would depend on the actual situation at the time.
Just as he was thinking this, Gai Yue arrived at Oscar and Dugu Yan's hiding place with a Mirror Image Beast over five meters long.
The cultivation of this Mirror Image Beast was exactly at the thirty-thousand-year level, and its whole body resembled gorgeous crystal. However, at this moment, all the bones in this Mirror Image Beast's body were shattered, and it was being dragged by Gai Yue like a dead dog.
It had to be said that although the Mirror Image Beast was powerful—thirty thousand years was enough to contend with soul beasts above fifty thousand years—it had encountered Gai Yue, a Title Douluo expert with eighty-eight levels of soul power and strength comparable to a Titled Douluo.
Gai Yue threw the Mirror Image Beast in front of Oscar, and his calm voice rang out. "Little Ao, finish off this Mirror Image Beast."
He paused, then reminded, "Although I know you can absorb soul rings above your level, this Mirror Image Beast is comparable to a Soul Emperor. If it's not doable, you must know your limits."
Oscar nodded solemnly upon hearing this. "I understand, Teacher. I treasure my life the most and won't show off. If I can't absorb this Mirror Image Beast, there are still two others in the canyon."
Hearing this, the Mirror Image Beast, which had already resigned itself to death, suddenly widened its eyes. Then, as if making a decision, it closed its eyes and no longer had the will to resist...