"Third soul skill, Nether Slash!"
Just then, a crisp, clear shout suddenly rang out.
Zhu Zhuqing leapt down from a tree, raising both hands and bringing them together. The claw blades on her ten fingers transformed into foot-long black light blades, which slashed directly at the wound on the head of the Scarlet Flame Python that had just been knocked into the air.
Boom—Crack—
The black light blade struck the sturdy snake bone, producing an explosive sound mixed with the sound of cracking bone. The same spot on the python's head had already been hit by several soul skills, and now it was on the brink of death, losing its ability to fight, left only with instinctive struggles.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing demonstrated the assassin's fine tradition of "strike true and retreat far," immediately distancing herself to avoid the python's potential death throes.
Next, Xiao Qing summoned a swarm of thick roots and dense vines to tightly bind the dying python.
"You're up, Oscar!"
With the battle concluded and the Scarlet Flame Python completely subdued, Chu Chengzhou patted Oscar on the shoulder and handed him a short gold-refined soul-forged dagger that hadn't yet been blooded.
Thanks to Ning Rongrong, their little rich girl, who helped collect the rare gold-refined material, Chu Chengzhou no longer lacked such weapons.
Oscar nodded, and gripping the springy, slightly soft dagger, approached the python that was tightly bound by Xiao Qing.
As soul power was infused into it, the dagger that had looked like a toy instantly radiated sharpness. With a single thrust, it sank into the python's head as if piercing a sheet of paper.
Soon after, countless golden light dots scattered, and a purple soul ring slowly condensed over the python's body.
Snakes, after all, are tenacious creatures.
According to the iron law of Douluo Continent: if a soul ring appears, the soul beast must be dead—at least physically.
But snakes are different. Even with the ring visible, the Scarlet Flame Python's body was still twitching.
Oscar stepped back a few paces and summoned his sausage martial soul to begin absorbing the ring.
"Wait, Oscar!"
Suddenly, Dai Mubai called out.
Turning his head at the voice, Oscar looked at Dai Mubai, puzzled.
"Give me a detox sausage..."
Before he could finish saying the word sausage, the soul ring had already settled onto Oscar.
"Damn it!"
Dai Mubai cursed inwardly, face already turning red as he felt the surge of primal power coursing through his body.
Earlier, he had accidentally inhaled some of the red mist the python released. And now? It was clearly having an effect!
"Mubai, what's going on with you?"
Seeing Dai Mubai's flushed face and increasingly heavy breathing, Flender asked in confusion.
As Flender spoke, everyone's eyes turned to Dai Mubai.
"Dai Mubai, don't tell me you inhaled the Scarlet Flame Python's red mist?"
Chu Chengzhou asked with certainty, glancing over at the clearly overheated Dai Mubai.
Instantly, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing took a step back, one on each side clinging tightly to Xiao Wu's arms.
Why? Because Xiao Wu, their big sister figure, was the strongest. If Tiger-Bai lost control and went feral, she could handle it.
Dai Mubai: "..."
Ahem "Chu, can't your Little White detoxify? Have her help Mubai out!" Flender said, clearing his throat.
Oscar's second soul skill could remove all status ailments, including poison. But since he had already begun absorbing the soul ring, he couldn't make sausages right now.
And because they were all powerful soul masters and sausages couldn't be stored for long, Oscar hadn't made any in advance.
That left only one solution besides taking care of it himself: Chu Chengzhou's summoned Bright Lion, Little White.
"Dean Flender, that red mist isn't actually a toxin. Little White can't remove it!"
Chu Chengzhou shrugged, feigning helplessness.
Little White's innate skill, Purification, could indeed clear abnormal states—but why would Chu go out of his way to help Dai Mubai?
Helping others might earn gratitude, but from Dai Mubai? He'd get no thanks—just wasted effort. Might as well grab a seat and enjoy the show.
"This..."Flender pushed up his glasses, suspecting Chu was doing this on purpose.
"Dean Flender, the red mist from the python isn't poison, really~" Ning Rongrong chimed in.
She knew a bit about Little White's abilities and was aware it could remove Dai Mubai's "abnormal state." But since Chu and Dai didn't get along, and her bestie Zhu Zhuqing didn't like Dai either, she was secretly happy to see him suffer.
"Ahem… Mubai, maybe just… step into the woods for a bit and handle it yourself."
Left with no choice, Flender offered this suggestion.
Dai Mubai: "..."
Shooting a venomous glare at Chu Chengzhou, Dai Mubai hunched over and limped off behind a large tree.
Why hunched? Well… let's just say he was already reacting.
"Fatty, I've got a mission for you!"
Chu turned to Ma Hongjun.
"Boss Chu, you say the word~"
"You stay here and keep an eye on Oscar. When Dai Mubai gets back, swap shifts with him."
Chu patted his shoulder, then turned without another word and returned to the tent with the three girls.
Just earlier, he was having fun in a dreamscape with a cute nurse giving shots—how could he not go back and finish the fun?
The next morning, before dawn.
Chu Chengzhou, now rested, had just returned from the forest when he saw that Oscar had finished absorbing the soul ring and had broken through to the four-ring Soul Ancestor stage.
"Oscar, what's your fourth soul skill sausage do?"
Chu asked.
Oscar carefully felt it out. His face first lit up with joy, then fell.
"The effect's no good?" Chu asked, puzzled.
"Ahem… Boss Chu, my new sausage—Blazing Fire Intestine—is actually pretty great!
After eating it, all attributes are boosted by 30% for five minutes. It stays effective for twelve hours after being made. It's just... there's a side effect."
Oscar looked a bit embarrassed.
"Side effect?"
Chu raised a brow, getting a bad feeling.
He definitely heard the word "lust" earlier.
"Heh, you know~" Oscar gave a pervy grin and a wink.
Chu: "..."
Oh boy. So basically, this sausage is a super Viagra boost?
No wonder it's called Blazing Fire of Desire Intestine!
Honestly, Chu thought the effect was outrageous—30% boost doesn't sound huge, but it's all attributes.
For soul masters, that means: strength, speed, soul power, defense, attack, and spirit.
A 30% boost across all six? That's way more than even Ning Rongrong's single-attribute buffs at the Nine-Ring level.
Granted, for power-type soul masters, "strength" and "attack" often overlap, and some don't need both.
For example, Ma Hongjun, a pure elemental attacker, wouldn't benefit much from a strength buff—it just makes him physically stronger but doesn't increase soul skill power. What he needs is an attack boost.
For spiritual or control-type soul masters, strength and attack buffs are pretty much useless.
Chu vaguely remembered that in the original novel, Oscar's fourth skill, the Excitement Pink Sausage, only gave a 10% all-attribute buff.
Same martial soul, similar soul ring age—so why is this Blazing Fire version three times stronger?
Most likely because Excitement Pink had no side effects and could even remove negative states. In contrast, Blazing Fire comes with a... very special side effect.
Heaven is fair. Power comes with price—unless your ring is super old or your martial soul is top-tier, there's always a trade-off.
Like Xiao Wu's fourth skill, Invincible Golden Body—even Titled Douluos couldn't hurt her during its activation. But the invincibility only lasted three seconds.
Oscar's sausage? Crazy effective. But the drawback was… well…
Then again, for certain lusty soul masters, maybe it wasn't a drawback at all?
Eat this, and not only is your power maxed out, your stamina goes up too. Shame it only lasts five minutes...
Er... could someone really finish a fight in five minutes?
"Hey, Oscar—can the sausage's side effect be removed by another soul skill? If removed, does the boost remain?"
Chu asked.
"It's called Blazing Fire Intestine, Boss Chu!" Oscar quickly corrected him.
He'd worked hard to shake the nickname Creepy Sausage Uncle—he wasn't going back.
Chu didn't respond, just gave him a look of pure disdain.
"Ahem... the side effect can be removed, but once it is, the buff disappears too."
Oscar said sheepishly.
Chu couldn't help but imagine:
A Soul Master tournament match, with Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai both powered up by the Blazing Fire Intestine, facing off against a team of delicate girls from Tianshui Academy...
Okay, he couldn't even continue the thought.
"Oscar, give me one of those Blazing Fire Intestines. I want to test the effects."
"IT'S BLAZING FIRE INTESTINE!"
Oscar corrected him again. His fourth soul ring lit up as he chanted the incantation: "I've got a Blazing Fire Sausage!" A bright red sausage quickly formed and he handed it to Chu.
This wasn't a Restorative Big Sausage, so the incantation wasn't as embarrassing. Oscar didn't bother whispering it.
Chu looked it over. Surprisingly, the sausage actually looked quite normal...
Without thinking much, he swallowed it directly.
As his soul power circulated within his body, the Blazing Fire Sausage melted instantly upon entering his mouth.
The next second, Chu Chengzhou immediately felt his overall attributes increase by 30%.
However, at the moment the sausage took effect, its side effects also kicked in—Chu Chengzhou felt an inexplicable surge of primal force rising within him.
Enduring the heat surging through his body, he retracted his Night-Watch Summon Spirit, the Azure Tree, and summoned his Light Lion, Xiaobai.
After examining carefully, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but frown.
Though his overall attributes had indeed improved after consuming the Blazing Fire Sausage, Xiaobai's strength showed no significant increase.
Wait, there was a slight improvement, but it was so minor that it was almost negligible.
A Summoned Spirit's strength depends first on its years of cultivation and second on the summoner's strength.
If a Summoned Spirit's years are lower than what Chu Chengzhou's soul power level supports, then the spirit's strength is enhanced by a certain ratio based on Chu Chengzhou's power.
However, if the Summoned Spirit's cultivation years exceed what his soul power level supports, the strength increase will be minimal, even if it's still enhanced slightly.
If Xiaobai had fewer years, Oscar's Blazing Fire Sausage would have had a much more notable effect.
After all, if Chu Chengzhou's strength increases, the Summoned Spirit's power rises too. It might not be a full 30% boost, but the effect wouldn't be bad either.
But his Summoned Spirits all had far more years of cultivation than what his soul level supported. While his own strength did influence them, the impact was limited.
Thus, from the perspective of his martial spirit alone, Oscar's Lust-Burning Sausage was rather underwhelming—just a stat booster that increased his total soul power somewhat.
But Chu Chengzhou's strength wasn't solely reliant on martial spirits. The sausage's full attribute boost, including spiritual power, made his illusion techniques much stronger, even able to drag stronger soul masters into an illusion.
Once he understood the sausage's real effect on himself, Chu Chengzhou decided to have Xiaobai use its innate soul skill, "Purification," on him—because that internal heat was seriously uncomfortable.
But just then, the tent flap lifted, and Zhu Zhuqing stepped into his line of sight.
Immediately, Chu Chengzhou's gaze was drawn to the impressive peaks on her chest.
That pair of treasures was already captivating—and with the sausage's side effects, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but show lust in his eyes.
Seeing Chu Chengzhou's burning gaze fixed on her chest, Zhu Zhuqing blushed furiously and quickly turned around.
The treasures were out of sight, but that alluring figure was now on full display.
"Smack—"
With great willpower, Chu Chengzhou slapped himself hard, then quickly had Xiaobai use "Evil Expulsion."
A stream of white light entered his body, and the surge of primal force instantly dissipated. The boost vanished as well. Although Zhu Zhuqing's curves were still attractive, at least he could now control his gaze.
"Oscar, your sausage is definitely toxic!"
With his mind finally clear and in a state of "sage mode," Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but complain.
The 30% full attribute boost was powerful, but the side effects were no joke.
Chu Chengzhou considered himself to have good self-control—not because he wasn't lustful, but because of his strong mental strength, which helped him resist temptation.
Even so, when he saw Zhu Zhuqing, he still couldn't remain indifferent.
Of course, that was partly because he already had thoughts about Zhu Zhuqing.
If it had been someone else—even a pretty girl—he probably could've held it together.
But while he could control himself, others might not—like Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun was a notorious lecher. If he ate the Blazing Fire Sausage and faced a pretty opponent, would he unleash more power… or just charge straight at her? It was hard to say.
"What's toxic? What do you mean toxic?"
Seeing Chu Chengzhou's eyes calm down, Zhu Zhuqing stepped closer and asked.
"Zhuqing, how about you try Oscar's new sausage?"
Chu Chengzhou tested the waters.
Zhu Zhuqing, confused but curious, nodded and looked toward Oscar.
Soul food made by a food-type soul master was definitely a good thing. No matter how weird Oscar's new sausage looked, it couldn't be worse than his infamous Big Sausage, right?
Seeing this, Oscar tried to act serious, chanted his spell, and produced another Lust-Burning Sausage.
"Zhuqing, here!"
Without hesitation, Zhu Zhuqing ate it.
As her soul power circulated and the sausage melted in her mouth, Zhu Zhuqing immediately sensed her overall attributes rise by about 30%.
"This effect is amazing!"
Feeling the powerful boost, Zhu Zhuqing exclaimed.
Coming from a noble family, she'd seen food-type soul masters before, but she'd never seen one whose soul skill had such a strong effect. It didn't match what she expected from a four-ring soul technique.
Even among ten-thousand-year soul foods, the effect shouldn't be this good, right?
But then… Zhu Zhuqing suddenly felt an unusual wave of heat spreading through her body.
'Uh, why does Senior Chu suddenly seem so attractive? I really wanna run over and hug him…'
'No, no! Zhu Zhuqing, you're a dignified girl! How can you think like this? This is totally inappropriate!'
Pinching her own arm to stop herself from spiraling, Zhu Zhuqing tried to clear her mind.
But the more she tried, the hotter she felt inside.
At that moment, she desperately wanted to secretly experience the "forbidden fruit" with Chu Chengzhou.
Her body temperature rapidly climbed, and she felt something was about to… leak.
Then, a stream of white light burst out from Xiaobai and entered her body.
Instantly, the heat vanished, and all her chaotic thoughts disappeared. Simultaneously, the boost effect from the sausage also faded.
Blinking in confusion, Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at Chu Chengzhou.
Then suddenly, her eyes widened. She turned toward Oscar with disbelief written all over her face.
She wasn't stupid—how could she not realize that the heat and strange feelings had been caused by Oscar's sausage?
She had originally thought Oscar's sausage wasn't perverted—just Oscar's chanting was weird. But clearly, she was wrong.
This wasn't just a pervy soul skill—this was perversion taken to a whole new level!
"Ahem… Zhuqing, don't look at me like that. That's just how the soul skill works. I can't help it!"
Oscar shrugged helplessly.
"Hmph, pervert!"
With a cold snort, Zhu Zhuqing glared at him with disgust.
"Mhm, Oscar's the worst perv," Chu Chengzhou agreed, nodding.
But as soon as he spoke, Zhu Zhuqing turned and glared at him.
"You're no better!"
Chu Chengzhou: "…"
While eating breakfast, everyone who now knew the true effect of Oscar's Lust-Burning Sausage gave him strange looks.
As if to say, how could you have such a creepy soul skill?
Of course, Ma Hongjun was the exception—he had already thrown an arm around Oscar's shoulders.
There's a saying: you only realize what you had after losing it.
Before his martial spirit evolved, Ma Hongjun had always suffered from the Evil Fire. But after the evolution, the Evil Fire disappeared, and now… he actually missed it.
Say what you want—having Evil Fire inside felt great in the moment.
It was like having a perpetual motion engine. He never knew the meaning of "I can't anymore."
But what's lost may return in another form—Oscar's bizarre soul skill, while strange, had similar effects to the old Evil Fire. But better yet, this version strengthened your core, didn't leave side effects, and could be combined with other sausages for stamina recovery.
Oscar, you are Ma Hongjun's true brother for life!
"Brother, you better stay away from that fat guy, or you might catch whatever he has."
Xiao Wu whispered quietly to Chu Chengzhou.
"Ahem, Xiao Wu, we're all teammates. You can't judge Oscar with bias. We must approach… unusual food with an objective mindset and a neutral point of view."
Chu Chengzhou cleared his throat and replied seriously.
Immediately, he was met with three girls' disdainful stares.
But unlike Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing's simple contempt, Chu Chengzhou noticed something else in Ning Rongrong's eyes—was that… a spark of curiosity?
Hmm. Must've been his imagination.
T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle