SS - 13

Chapter 13 Oscar

"Don't miss it if you're passing by! Oscar Sausage is a specialty store! Cheap and plentiful! Guaranteed to help you pass the entrance exam easily!" A vendor was loudly advertising his cart not far away. The fragrant smell of sausages wafted through the air, drawing a small crowd in line.

"Roar—" Xiao Bai sniffed the air and let out a soft growl.

"Su Xiao, Xiao Bai wants to eat sausages," Xiao Wu reminded him.

Looking at the vendor with his messy, thick hair, Su Xiao guessed he was Oscar.

Tang San turned to Xiao Wu and asked, "Would you like one? It does smell good."

Xiao Wu nodded. "Just one. Xiao Bai will be fine if he skips one."

As Su Xiao and Tang San approached, Oscar greeted them warmly, "One sausage for five copper coins. How about two?"

Su Xiao scanned the cart. "How much for the whole thing?"

Oscar's eyes lit up. "Two gold coins will cover everything. I'll pack it up for you."

Tang San chuckled and added, "Uncle, just wrap three sausages separately and send the rest over there."

Oscar froze, his cheerful demeanor replaced with shock. "Uncle? Who's an uncle? I'm only fourteen years old!"

Dai Mubai, who had just walked over, smirked and said, "This is Oscar. He's also a student at Shrek."

"Really? This uncle is a student too?" Xiao Wu teased as she and Xiao Bai joined them.

Oscar's eyes widened. "I'm not an uncle! I'm a young and handsome boy!"

"Say that after you shave properly," Dai Mubai quipped, smacking Oscar on the back of the head.

Meanwhile, Su Xiao grabbed a few sausages and tossed them to Xiao Bai, who happily caught and devoured them one by one.

Suddenly, a shadow darted through the air, snatching a sausage mid-throw. Everyone turned to see a girl dressed in black with an indifferent expression walking past.

As they watched her leave, Dai Mubai muttered to himself, "Did you just see what I just see, Xiao Ao?"

Oscar nodded. "Yeah."

Respectfully, Su Xiao and Tang San also stared after her, curious.

"Xiao Wu, why are you stepping on Xiao San?" Su Xiao asked, noticing her mischievous behavior.

Xiao Wu tilted her head, humming to herself, clearly uninterested in answering.

After their encounter with Oscar, Dai Mubai led Su Xiao, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Xiao Bai directly to the academy's inner levels, skipping the second test entirely.

"Hey! Why do they get special treatment?" one of the candidates in line for the second level shouted indignantly.

The teacher administering the test replied casually, "If your soul power exceeds level 25, you can proceed directly to the fourth level. Otherwise, take the test properly."

"That's impossible," the candidate scoffed. "At twelve years old, who could have a soul power over level 25?"

Su Xiao turned to Tang San and Xiao Wu. "Let's test our levels to avoid unnecessary gossip."

Dai Mubai sneered at the doubter. "Pay attention. Just because you can't achieve it doesn't mean others can't."

Handing a white crystal to Tang San, the teacher explained, "This crystal measures soul power up to level 30."

Tang San channeled his soul power into the crystal, which immediately emitted an intense white light, nearing its limit.

"Level 29," the teacher announced. "When Mubai entered the academy, he was only at level 26."

Tang San smiled and handed the crystal to Xiao Wu, who achieved the same result—level 29. The doubters fell silent.

Dai Mubai smirked and resumed leading the group forward when another voice interrupted.

"That guy hasn't tested yet!"

The crowd's eyes turned to Su Xiao.

Unbothered, Su Xiao walked over, placing twenty gold coins on the table.

"He's bribing the teacher? He must be someone with connections!" one candidate sneered.

Ignoring the remark, Su Xiao picked up the crystal. As he poured his soul power into it, a brilliant flash of light filled the area. It lasted only a moment before the crystal cracked and shattered.

"This… this means his soul power exceeds level 30!" The doubters gaped, their earlier mockery replaced by astonishment.