Douluo: Starting by Crafting a Gun Chapter 10

Ling Na pondered for a moment: "Do we even have a choice?"

"Flender already knows about Xiao Feng's Innate Full Soul Power. If we truly break ties with him, I'm afraid we won't be able to live a peaceful life from here on out."

"You and I only have Innate Soul Power at level eight, and we encountered plenty of trouble back at the academy, let alone Xiao Feng?"

Shen Rui sighed: "That's true. The resources in this world are so limited."

"If someone rises, someone else must bleed. Those great sects with unbroken lineages won't just sit by and watch us commoners rise."

"If we don't join, we die. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been hiding in a backwater village like Shuiyun Village for so many years."

Ling Na nodded: "I suppose the teachers here at Shrek Academy must also be fed up with the petty schemes of the great sects, which is why they gathered in such a small village."

"Same fate, different people. Perhaps coming here is the right choice."

This was the first time Shen Feng had heard his parents discuss such things, and suddenly, his worldview was completely refreshed.

He realized with a jolt that the Douluo Continent he had lived in for six years was not just a world from a novel in his past life, but a tangible, real world.

If he were truly arrogant and incompetent, or if he viewed this place as a "romance continent" like the netizens of his past life, his future would surely be grim.

Looking across the entire Douluo Continent, it seemed that Dugu Bo was the only rogue Titled Douluo.

And even he only achieved that status after occupying the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, enduring the loss of his family, and suffering from agonizing illnesses.

Even so, he was merely a gatekeeper of the Titled Douluo realm, his soul power stuck at level 91 for ten years without an inch of progress.

This was the greatest flaw of having no backing and no inheritance.

He sat on a mountain of treasure without knowing it, guarding a sacred site just to grow herbs.

Need one be reminded that even when Tang Hao had his limbs broken and his level dropped to the seventies, he never once looked at Dugu Bo with any respect.

Even Flender and Liu Erlong, two Soul Saints, dared to go head-to-head with him while carrying Yu Xiaogang, a level 29 dead weight.

Why?

It was because Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang were members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and Flender had become the dean of Lanba Academy, indirectly climbing the ladder of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

They simply didn't fear a rogue cultivator like Dugu Bo who had no family or systematic support.

Don't let his reputation fool you; he might claim he couldn't beat other Titled Douluos, but he could certainly kill everyone else in other sects until only their Titled Douluos remained.

But if you really let him try? You can be sure those great sects would have him handled with absolute precision.

Chrysanthemum Douluo had nearly pushed him to a dead end, yet afterward, Dugu Bo never sought revenge against Martial Soul Hall, nor did he even dare to spread a single rumor.

To put it bluntly, he was afraid. Having lived in this world for decades, he knew the terror of those great sects.

Sometimes, even seeking death is considered a form of relief in the eyes of those great powers.

All these events were enough to prove that it is difficult for a rogue cultivator to survive.

And Shrek Academy, though somewhat dilapidated, drew its knowledge from Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong, which indirectly meant it came from Martial Soul Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

They might lack the most profound core knowledge, but there was absolutely no problem with their basic inheritance.

At the very least, it was far more complete than the inheritance of other junior or intermediate Soul Master Academies.

If nothing else, the soul power meditation techniques alone were definitely different.

When Tang San first apprenticed under Yu Xiaogang, Yu Xiaogang gave him an advanced meditation technique involving most of the human body's meridians, though Tang San didn't use it because he had his own inheritance.

But for someone as destitute as Shen Feng, this was definitely a pleasant surprise.

"Hahaha, Old Zhao, let me tell you, don't get too excited in a moment. Remember to stay steady."

Just as Shen Feng was deep in thought, Flender's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Don't worry, don't worry. It's been so many years, can't you trust me, Old Zhao, to handle things?"

Immediately following this, a remarkably boisterous and bold voice rang out. Shen Feng guessed that this must be the Immovable Bright King, Zhao Wuji.

Bang—

Suddenly, the office door was violently pushed open.

A man in his forties burst in.

He was not tall, only about 1.6 meters, wearing a short jacket. The muscles exposed on his body were bulging, making him look short and sturdy.

Between his brows, there was a fierce, defiant air, much like a honey badger who would fight anyone who dared to challenge him.

"Where is the little brat with Innate Full Soul Power? Come out and let Old Zhao have a good look."

Shen Rui's eyes sharpened. He reached out and pulled Shen Feng behind him, his gaze locked firmly on the suddenly intruding Zhao Wuji.

"I am Shen Rui, a level 55 assault-type Soul King. What advice do you have, sir?"

Ling Na also stepped forward: "I am Ling Na, a level 55 assault-type Soul King."

Reporting their levels upon meeting, the atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

Flender rushed in from behind, blocking the space between the three of them.

"Shen Rui, Ling Na, don't do anything rash. It's all a misunderstanding."

"This man is no villain; he is the vice-principal of my academy, named Zhao Wuji."

Shen Rui frowned slightly and exchanged a glance with Ling Na, only then lowering his guard.

Flender let out a sigh of relief, wiping away a bead of non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

He knew full well that Shen Rui and Ling Na possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill; if a real fight broke out, Zhao Wuji would undoubtedly be beaten into a useless bear.

"Zhao Wuji!" Flender's face darkened as he roared angrily at Zhao Wuji.

Before he could say anything else, Zhao Wuji immediately gave a silly grin, rushed over to Shen Rui at top speed, and grabbed his hand.

"Oh my, oh my, so it's Brother Shen and Sister Ling Na."

"My apologies, truly my apologies. Old Zhao is just a rough man, used to having a loud voice. I didn't startle you, did I?"

Zhao Wuji had no desire to be lectured by Flender in front of outsiders; otherwise, he would lose both his dignity and his face.

It was better to admit his mistake proactively, which might even earn him an impression of being honest and simple-minded in front of others.

Old Zhao might look rough, but he was actually quite shrewd and clever.

It was just that his brain occasionally short-circuited, and he enjoyed stirring up trouble.

Zhao Wuji's "first force, then courtesy" approach left Shen Rui completely bewildered.

"Uh, uh, no, we weren't startled, not at all."

At the same time, Shen Feng, standing behind Shen Rui, saw the four people who had entered shortly after.

Three adults and one child.

The three adults were slightly older, around sixty years old. Two were tall and thin, while one had a plump figure; all were elders with graying hair and beards.

The little boy was quite handsome, looking about seven or eight years old with peach-blossom eyes and standing around 1.3 meters tall. He seemed a bit shy upon seeing strangers, constantly leaning behind the plump middle-aged man.

Looking at these people who were both strange and familiar, ripples couldn't help but stir in the depths of Shen Feng's heart.

They were strange because this was his first time meeting them in this life, yet familiar because he knew all their names and could even match the names to the faces.

As for the ripples in his heart, well, his past life was like smoke in the wind, never to be returned to.

A brilliant life must also begin from today.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the Shen Feng family had been at Shrek Academy for over a week.

Ever since the day Zhao Wuji grabbed Shen Rui's hand, a story between the two men had unfolded.

Zhao Wuji was pleasantly surprised to discover that Shen Rui was also a power-type soul master, and one with a soul ring fewer than his own. Thirsty for a challenge, he had latched onto Shen Rui ever since.

Soon, the training grounds of Shrek Academy began to echo with constant dull thuds, becoming the perfect place for two grown men to shed blood, sweat, and tears—a routine that had lasted for over a week.

Shen Feng and Ling Na also took this time to return home, packing their belongings into a Soul Tool and bringing them to Shrek Academy.

The most important items were the tools Shen Feng used to manufacture firearms and bullets. Although they weren't valuable, collecting the materials and crafting them took quite a bit of time.

Fortunately, the storage Soul Tool obtained in the Star Dou Forest was quite large, enough to hold all his belongings.

Afterward, Shen Feng kept his promise and gifted everyone at Shrek Academy a small handgun, along with fifty extra rounds of ammunition each, while Oscar and Shao Xin received three hundred rounds.

Shen Feng also kindly reminded them to practice their aim frequently, telling them they could come to him if they ran out of bullets.

Although Shen Feng insisted on not taking any money, everyone still pooled together seventy Gold Soul Coins as a token of their appreciation.

It is worth mentioning that the currency on the Douluo Continent is divided into Gold Soul Coins, Silver Soul Coins, and Copper Soul Coins, where 1 Gold Soul Coin = 100 Silver Soul Coins = 10,000 Copper Soul Coins. (The original currency system was chaotic, so I changed it.)

A single Gold Soul Coin could sustain a family of three for several months. (It can be roughly converted to 10,000 RMB.)

This shows that the weight of these seventy Gold Soul Coins was truly significant.

Early this morning, Shen Feng, who had been busy for a week, woke up bright and early.

The previous week had been spent moving, helping others assemble guns and bullets, and visiting Flender's office to browse through valuable books, leaving him with almost no time to cultivate.

Today, he was finally free, and Shen Feng decided to design a more scientific cultivation method for himself, combining the knowledge he had read with his own creative ideas.

Since he was still too young, focusing solely on strength training was definitely not advisable.

Shen Feng didn't want to end up like Zhao Wuji in the future—a soul master with a Vajra Bear martial soul who ended up with the height of a raccoon soul master.

If strength couldn't be trained too much, then soul power control had great potential.

The more proficient one became at controlling soul power, the less rigid the execution of soul skills would be, and the same power would consume less soul power.

Moreover, proficient control of one's own soul power was one of the prerequisites for developing and using Self-Created Soul Skills.

When encountering an enemy, starting with an American-style quick-draw, and before the enemy could even charge over, unleashing a Self-Created Soul Skill that was faster and had no cooldown—wouldn't that be satisfying?

Even if the Self-Created Soul Skill didn't work, it wouldn't be too late to strike a pose and reveal one's soul rings. At the very least, you would have already probed the opponent's trump cards, placing yourself in an invincible position.

In a duel between soul masters, whoever reveals their hand first dies.

For example, if you knew that Tang San was slippery and had his mother's vines protecting him, would you really get close enough to let him bind you?

Raising a shield to block his hidden weapons and exchanging fire from a distance—wouldn't that be more enjoyable?

You might not win, but at least you wouldn't lose.

With his mind made up, Shen Feng immediately found a suitable large tree at Shrek Academy.

That's right, his method for training soul power was climbing trees.

Referencing an anime from his past life, he had to climb the tree without using his hands, only his feet.

By channeling soul power into the soles of his feet and adhering them to the tree trunk, he could walk up step by step just as if he were walking on flat ground.

It sounded simple, but it was far from easy to execute.

Shen Feng had to experiment several times just to successfully attach his soul power to the soles of his feet.

Usually, when releasing soul skills, he would gather soul power in his hands; suddenly shifting that focus to his feet felt as awkward as forcing someone to walk on their hands while standing upside down—the sudden contrast was very difficult to get used to.

But that was the nature of training: taking an unfamiliar action and making it proficient, or even instinctive, was the only way to achieve what others could not and rise above the rest.

Besides, difficulty made it interesting; success would feel all the more rewarding this way.

Once Shen Feng completed the first step, he immediately ran into trouble again.

His soul power possessed the lightning attribute; it was fine while inside his body, but once released, it became quite violent.

Forget about adhesion—the explosive recoil from that lightning attribute was enough to make Shen Feng jump right off the spot.

Fortunately, Shen Feng had graduated from a polytechnic institute in his past life, so he was quite familiar with the four fundamental forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force.

Although Douluo Continent was a world of extraordinary power, these four forces were even more potent; they could truly be called the cornerstones that formed the boundless universe.

Therefore, these four forces still existed on Douluo Continent, but the rise of extraordinary power had led people to neglect research in this direction.

He would set aside gravity, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force for now, as Shen Feng likely wouldn't need them, or rather, he couldn't control them at all.

However, he could certainly hold some expectations for the electromagnetic interaction, or simply, electromagnetic force.

As the saying went, trees die if moved, but people thrive if they adapt; he would apply what he had learned in his past life to tame his violent lightning-attribute soul power, or rather, to smooth it out like laying down a circuit, forming an electromagnetic force with adhesive properties at the soles of his feet.

Having accomplished this, Shen Feng took a step, and his right foot firmly adhered to the trunk of the tree.