Douluo: Starting by Crafting Guns Chapter 11

With his right foot stabilized, Shen Feng used the same method to slowly lift his left, and suddenly, he was suspended horizontally on the tree trunk seventy centimeters above the ground.

The corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily, and a sense of joy welled up in his heart.

"Haha."

He laughed softly to himself. Seeing that he hadn't fallen off the tree, Shen Feng grew bold. He walked a few steps to a branch three meters off the ground, crossed his arms over his chest, and pretended to hang upside down from the branch.

"Hahahaha, I succeeded! I, Shen Feng, am truly a heaven-sent genius, hahahaha!"

When a person gets too arrogant, heaven will surely humble them; he laughed so hard he bit his tongue.

"Xiao Feng, what are you laughing at? What are you doing? How did you get up there?"

Suddenly, a triple-barreled question came from behind, startling Shen Feng so much that he gave a violent shudder, his laughter cutting off abruptly.

Distracted for a split second, the adhesive force on his feet became unstable. With a strange cry, Shen Feng tumbled headfirst toward the ground.

"Careful!"

Just as the shout rang out from behind, Shen Feng reacted with lightning speed. He braced his hands against the ground and performed a flip, landing steadily on his feet.

"Hiss~ hiss~ hiss~ it hurts like hell."

As soon as he stood steady, Shen Feng kept sticking out his tongue, blowing cool air onto the tip of it with deep, ragged breaths.

Clearly, he had truly bitten his tongue.

"Xiao Feng, Xiao Feng, are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you."

Seeing Shen Feng's miserable state, eight-year-old Oscar ran over in a hurry. His pretty little face was scrunched up, his peach-blossom eyes filled with tears, and he was almost crying from anxiety.

Shen Feng was not a petty person, especially not toward those he had a good impression of.

Besides, Oscar was so cute when he was a child.

Currently, they were the only two students at Shrek Academy, and since they were of similar age, they naturally became playmates.

Well, generally speaking, it was Shen Feng, with his greater mental age, who was coaxing Oscar to play.

Regardless of anything else, Shen Feng didn't actually dislike Oscar.

Since he had been caught practicing, Shen Feng simply shared his little training tips with Oscar.

The first attempt was naturally a failure, but Shen Feng also discovered that the Food System soul power of Oscar was much softer and more delicate, making it easier to control and even allowing it to be released outside the body to adhere to the tree trunk.

There was no need for it to be like Shen Feng's method, which required forming electromagnetic force first and then controlling it indirectly.

However, using soul power directly to practice tree climbing was a slow process. After Oscar fell several times, Shen Feng suggested he first try using soul power to adhere to small objects, like small stones.

Only after becoming proficient should he proceed to tree-climbing training.

Half a month later, Shen Feng was hanging upside down from the branch of that same tree, swinging back and forth, looking quite relaxed. Below the tree, Oscar was diligently practicing adhering to stones.

"Xiao Ao, how is your practice going?"

Shen Feng spoke suddenly, giving Oscar a fright.

He looked up abruptly, and Oscar asked in confusion, "Xiao Feng, what's wrong?"

"I'm asking how your practice is going. Can you try climbing the tree yet?"

Oscar pondered for a moment: "Probably not yet. The adhesive force generated by my soul power isn't strong enough. Right now, I can only pull a stone weighing about thirty jin; it can't support my body weight."

"But it's getting close. I estimate that in a few more days, I'll be able to do it just like you."

Shen Feng nodded, relaxed his feet, flipped in mid-air, and landed steadily.

"Then keep practicing, I'm heading off now."

"Ah?" Oscar was a bit surprised: "Where are you going? Are you done practicing?"

Shen Feng waved his hand: "Tree climbing doesn't do much for me anymore. I'm going to the river to try a different training method."

"You can come find me after you master tree climbing."

Oscar suddenly realized: "I know, you're going to the river to practice electrocuting fish."

"Pfft~"

With a remark that was truly shocking, Shen Feng almost tripped on flat ground.

What the hell, electrocuting fish? Didn't he know that electrocuting fish was illegal?

"I'm going to the riverside to develop a new training method. When you've mastered tree climbing, come find me, and I'll teach you."

"Okay!"

After Shen Feng left, three people stood quietly on a roof not far away.

"How does it feel? Is this training method of high value?"

Shen Rui's voice was filled with pride, carrying the air of a father who felt his child was truly something special.

Zhao Wuji laughed heartily: "High, of course it's high! At the very least, after I learn it, I can save about one percent of my soul power when using soul skills."

"For those little brats who need to build their foundation, the benefits will be even greater."

Flender nodded slightly: "Not only that, but more proficient circulation of soul power will also accelerate a soul master's meditation speed, thereby passively accelerating the accumulation of their own soul power."

"We don't have the specialized mimetic cultivation environments found in major powers, so this method of Shen Feng's could serve as a perfect substitute for the children enrolling here."

"Therefore, I suggest we classify this cultivation method as a secret technique of the academy, not to be taught to anyone outside our school."

Shen Rui nodded. "That's fine, but the creator of the secret technique must be clearly credited; we shouldn't engage in any deception."

Flender laughed heartily. "That goes without saying; the credit must go to Shen Feng."

"Actually, I have some precious books in my own collection, all copied from Martial Soul Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. When you have time, you can have Shen Feng come to see me."

Shen Rui's face lit up with joy, and he cupped his hands toward Flender. "Then I shall thank the Dean on behalf of Shen Feng."

Flender waved his hand. "No need for that. In my view, knowledge is only valuable when it resides in the minds of the intelligent."

"Shen Feng is very much like a friend of mine—very clever and quick-witted—but he is also quite unlike him, because Shen Feng's cultivation talent is far, far superior. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they are worlds apart."

"Sigh..."

Everything was left unsaid, all of it distilled into a single, long sigh.

Shen Rui could tell that Flender was a man with a story of his own; the fact that he possessed knowledge inherited from Martial Soul Hall and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was a clear indication of that.

However, Shen Rui did not pry. After all, everyone had their own secrets, just as he himself was still hiding a Ten-Thousand Year Left Leg Spirit Bone that no one else knew about.

In truth, Shen Rui didn't need to know Flender's past; he only needed to know that Shen Feng could continue to grow, especially since the heritage of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was extremely important to him.

As a fellow spirit master who used lightning-attribute spirit power, it would certainly allow Shen Feng to draw inspiration and accelerate his growth.

Of course, Shen Feng knew nothing of this. At this moment, he had already left Shrek Academy and arrived at a small river not far from the village.

Though called a small river, it was actually nearly twenty meters wide, with the deepest parts reaching eight or nine meters.

Because the great city of Suotuo City stood nearby, people had dug this artificial river to make water access more convenient.

Shen Feng had not come to the riverbank to fish with electricity as Oscar had suggested, nor was he here to bathe.

He was here for Water Treading.

You read that correctly; it was indeed Water Treading.

Of course, this wasn't ordinary water treading, but rather walking on the surface of the water without letting his body sink.

It sounded difficult, and it was certainly not easy to execute.

Fortunately, Shen Feng had already mastered Tree Climbing, and now he just needed to reverse the process for water.

If Tree Climbing utilized the attractive force of electromagnetism, then Water Treading required the use of its repulsive force.

Because trees were solid, using attraction to climb them was easy, and Shen Feng had succeeded after just a few attempts.

But water was different; it was a liquid that flowed constantly. To successfully stand on it, one had to adjust the output of their spirit power at every moment to match the flow of the water.

The gap between the two was as vast as heaven and earth.

Yet, Shen Feng did not compromise. He had not yet achieved his ultimate goal: using electromagnetic force to fly.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, another half-month went by.

On this day, Shen Feng was shirtless, his only pair of shorts soaked through, standing motionless on the water's surface, when a small figure came running from afar.

"Shen Feng, Shen Feng! I did it! I did it! I climbed the tree!"

Hearing Oscar's call, Shen Feng's focus was instantly shattered, and he fell into the river with a splash.

"Am I a jinx? Do I specifically bring bad luck to Shen Feng?"

Oscar stared at the riverbank in silence for a long time, his heart beginning to doubt his own existence.

It took a while for Shen Feng to swim up from the river and stand beside Oscar, wringing out his shorts.

"Shen Feng, I succeeded! I learned how to climb the tree!"

"Oh. Once you've learned that, do as I do and go practice Water Treading." Responding casually, Shen Feng continued to wring out his shorts without lifting his head.

"Tree Climbing uses spirit power to create attraction; Water Treading uses spirit power to create repulsion. You can go try it first."

Oscar shrank his neck. "I don't know how to swim."

Shen Feng didn't look up. "It doesn't matter. I didn't know how before either. You'll learn after choking on a few mouthfuls of water. You can start learning from the shallowest part."

Oscar glanced at the river water and shrank his neck again. "I... I'm scared."

Shen Feng sighed, looked up at Oscar, and asked, "Then, Xiao Ao, do you want to fight?"

As he spoke, Shen Feng raised his right hand, his internal spirit power surging wildly.

"Palm Thunder."

A blinding light flared. Without even seeing his spirit rings, a crackling purple thunder orb formed in Shen Feng's hand.

"Look at that rock ten meters away."

Shen Feng reminded the stunned Oscar in a soft voice, then hurled the thunder orb in his hand.

Boom—

An explosion rang out, electricity scattered across the scene, and the rock shattered instantly.

"Want to learn? Learn to swim first."

Oscar swallowed hard, his eyes filled with firm resolve as he said, "Alright!"

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

On the man-made river not far from Shrek Academy, two young boys stood silently on the surface of the water, facing each other from the north and south.

The boy standing in the north facing south was slightly older, looking about eleven or twelve years old and standing around 1.6 meters tall, his attractive peach-blossom eyes filled with solemnity.

The boy standing in the south facing north was smaller, looking about eight or nine years old and standing around 1.5 meters tall, his eyes hazy with sleep as if he hadn't fully woken up yet.

He stood lazily on the water, still yawning, seemingly unable to muster any energy at all.

These two were Shen Feng and Oscar. After three years, not only had they both grown significantly taller, but their own strength had also improved tremendously.

Water Treading, which had been extremely difficult even for Shen Feng three years ago, could now be done by Oscar with ease.

"Xiao Ao, hurry up and attack. Once we're done, we can head back. This sun is really quite scorching."

Today, Oscar had claimed he made another breakthrough and had impatiently dragged Shen Feng out for their 137th duel.

However, to this day, Oscar's record remained 136 losses and 0 wins, which was the main reason why Shen Feng couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

"Xiao Feng, don't be in such a rush. I'm currently looking for your opening. This time, I will definitely win."

Shen Feng gave him an incredulous look, then lowered his head to glance at his own loose and relaxed posture, a feeling of extreme speechlessness suddenly surging into his heart.

An opening? He was practically riddled with openings, so much so that he was practically handing the win over; he truly didn't know what kind of opening Oscar was still looking for.

Could it be that he wanted to compete in endurance? To let the sun overhead bake him to death?

But surely, the physical fitness of a Battle Soul Master was far superior to that of a Food-Type Soul Master.