"Senior, you are of high renown and vast knowledge, naturally far surpassing my own. If the opportunity arises, I would be honored to seek your guidance, Your Excellency," Oscar replied with a sincere expression.
Hearing Oscar's answer, Dugu Bo saw right through it and said, "Excessive humility is a form of pride. To be able to discern Yan Yan's condition just from observation, and to concoct a pill that enhances cultivation speed... to be honest, even I cannot do the latter."
At this, Dugu Yan stared at Oscar in disbelief. A pill to enhance cultivation speed? She knew some herbs were beneficial for cultivation, but she never imagined someone like Oscar could concoct his own.
Hearing this, Oscar gave a wry smile. "You flatter me, Senior. I've simply been fortunate."
Dugu Bo looked at the wryly smiling Oscar and continued, "May I borrow that ancient book of yours? If the opportunity arises, I would like to add it to my collection. Name your terms."
Hearing this, Oscar completely understood why Dugu Bo had mentioned his fondness for collecting ancient books earlier. So, that's what he was after.
And the reason Dugu Bo wanted the ancient book was surely to see if there was anything in it he could use, right?
After all, Oscar had explained that his knowledge came from his daily studies as well as from that very book.
However, Oscar obviously couldn't just hand the book over to Dugu Bo now. It contained detailed records of several Immortal-grade herbs. If he gave it to Dugu Bo, the old man would surely learn of the effects of Immortal-grade herbs. If that happened, then even if Oscar failed to seize this opportunity, when Tang San arrived in the future, it would be impossible to get any Immortal-grade herbs from Dugu Bo.
This was because Dugu Bo was still completely unaware of the true value of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes in his possession. If he were to find out, given his personality, he might offer Oscar some benefits, or even let Oscar pick an Immortal-grade herb for himself.
But Oscar's ambitions went beyond that. This chance encounter with Dugu Yan and subsequent acquaintance with Dugu Bo was an opportunity Oscar had to seize, however slim the chances.
If he succeeded, he might, just like Tang San in the original story, gain the right to use the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes.
If that were the case, not only would Oscar himself receive a massive boost, but he would also lay the foundation for his future independence.
That's right, besides his original plan to wait for Tang San and scheme for an Immortal-grade herb, another reason Oscar didn't want to join any other faction was his desire to stand on his own, not become someone else's subordinate.
Having grown up himself, traveled to the Douluo Continent, and possessing the advantage of foresight, naturally, Oscar was unwilling to be a subordinate.
Therefore, Oscar also planned to establish his own sect when his strength was sufficient. Even if he couldn't become a top-tier power on the continent or have a say in major matters, at the very least, he could leave a legend in the Douluo Continent.
Of course, if no such opportunity arose, Oscar would have no choice but to follow the original path and stick with Tang San to achieve a godhood.
But now, another path had been presented to him. Whether he could seize this choice depended entirely on himself.
And at this moment, hearing Dugu Bo's words, Oscar's wry smile turned into a troubled one. "Senior, it's not that I'm being stingy, but I didn't bring the ancient book with me. It's not on me right now."
"However, Senior, if you're willing, as long as you can provide sufficient medicinal herbs, I can concoct some pills for you free of charge. They might not be of much use to you, but for Dugu Yan, the improvement would be absolutely significant."
Hearing this and seeing Oscar's sincere demeanor, Dugu Bo didn't suspect too much. After all, even if Oscar had the book, it was his own treasure. It was understandable that he wouldn't be willing to part with it so soon after they had just met.
Moreover, Oscar's willingness to concoct pills for free was already satisfying to Dugu Bo.
Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to provide the medicinal herbs.
Naturally, Dugu Bo couldn't produce them, otherwise he wouldn't need Oscar. After all, he was a master of pharmacology himself.
But soon, Dugu Bo thought of another place: his own treasure trove. That place was filled with so many natural treasures, unfortunately, Dugu Bo himself barely recognized any of them.
Now hearing Oscar's words, Dugu Bo thought to himself that he might let Oscar take a look. What if Oscar recognized some of the herbs inside? Wouldn't that allow him to use them to concoct pills for Dugu Yan?
If that were the case, then getting to know this little genius would be an unexpected bonus.
Furthermore, as a grandfather, Dugu Bo was thinking about much more than Dugu Yan. Dugu Yan was fifteen now, and Oscar was the first person in her fifteen years whom she had connected with so well.
Most importantly, Oscar was of the opposite sex. Not only was his physique and appearance top-notch in Dugu Bo's eyes, but most crucially, he was a super genius who had reached the Soul Douluo rank at the mere age of eleven.
Although Oscar himself was only a food-type Soul Master, his possession of an External Attached Bone gave him strength comparable to that of an aggressive-type Soul Master of the same rank.
If Oscar could combine with his granddaughter, he not only could support her but also possessed sufficient self-protection capabilities.
Coupled with Oscar's outstanding inherent qualities and his ability to have genuine conversations with Dugu Yan, all these factors combined. Although they had only known each other for a few hours, Oscar had unknowingly become the ideal candidate for his grandson-in-law.
The only problem was that Oscar was too young, only eleven years old, so a relationship was naturally impossible at this stage.
Of course, this was also an advantage: it would allow the two children to get to know each other for a while first. If they could develop feelings for each other, Dugu Bo would absolutely be willing for Oscar and his granddaughter to be together.
For no other reason than that Oscar was too outstanding, and he was the only person in over ten years who could communicate normally with Dugu Yan.
Therefore, Dugu Bo had already begun to consider letting Dugu Yan attend Shrek Academy. Although the conditions of the Tiandou Royal Academy were ranked among the top three on the continent, Dugu Bo preferred for Dugu Yan to grow up happily.
So, during their conversation, although Dugu Bo had his own agenda, his main goal was to test whether Oscar was worthy.
Whether or not to let Dugu Yan go to Shrek Academy was what Dugu Bo was currently considering most.
And at this moment, although the problem of the ancient book hadn't been resolved, he wasn't too disappointed because he was very satisfied with Oscar as a person.
After all, if Dugu Yan and Oscar were to become a thing in the future, wouldn't that make him his grandson-in-law? Then, wouldn't the ancient book be as good as his for the taking?