Douluo: Starting by Building Guns - Chapter 17

"Now, only boiling hot blood can stir even a spark of passion in me. Only by teetering on the brink of death can I take another step forward."

Flender stared hard at Shen Feng, who met his gaze without flinching, his eyes unwavering.

After a long while, Flender sighed and looked at Oscar with exasperation.

"What about you? Do you also want boiling hot blood? To teeter on the brink of death?"

Oscar turned to glance at Shen Feng.

"Don't look at him. I want to hear what you think!"

Flender's sharp shout made Oscar jolt.

He swallowed with difficulty, then fixed his gaze ahead and stammered, "I... I want to follow Xiao Feng."

"Only he—only he can make me like a Battle Soul Master, able to charge into battle and strengthen my heart."

"Xiao Feng, Xiao Feng is the beacon of my life!"

Oscar shouted that last sentence. Through his actions and his cry, he showed just how steadfast his resolve was.

Flender's energy and spirit drained away, and he seemed to age all at once.

After a long while, Flender let out a deep sigh. "Go on, then. All of you, go. I should have known long ago. Shrek Academy is too small, and its resources too meager. A mere passion for a cause can't raise a true dragon."

"But don't forget that you came from Shrek—"

"Forget it. Perhaps you'll be Shrek Academy's last batch of students. The academy might not even exist in the future, so what does it matter if you remember it?"

Oscar's nose stung, and tears streamed down his face.

"Dean, you awakened my Martial Soul, and you took me in, giving me the feeling of having a home."

"I've never seen my parents. To me, you and Teacher Shao Xin are my fathers."

"And Shrek Academy is my true home!"

His voice hoarse, Oscar spoke from the heart, then dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Flender three times.

For a moment, it seemed as though sand had gotten into Flender's eyes. He blinked hard, but couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling.

He could only tilt his head up at a forty-five-degree angle, unwilling to let anyone see him in such a state.

A seventy-five-level Agility Attack Soul Saint, with a speck of grit in his eye—how humiliating.

Flender waved a hand lightly. "Go. Before you leave, say your goodbyes to the academy's teachers."

"Come back and visit whenever you can. Shrek Academy will always be your home, and you'll always be welcome here."

Oscar got to his feet, wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes, and, together with Shen Feng's family, bowed to Flender before turning to leave Shrek Academy.

Their steps were firm, as if they had made up their minds about something.

As long as home lived in your heart, the world was vast, but anywhere could be home.

After leaving Shrek Academy, Shen Feng and Oscar formed one group, while Shen Rui and Ling Na formed another. The two groups went their separate ways.

Shen Feng and Oscar were going to gather a group of Soul Masters from the village and take them to the outskirts of Star Dou Forest, where they would become the first members of Soul Hunting Town.

Shen Rui and Ling Na were heading to Suotuo City to ask Fels for official documentation.

At the outset, unless you had the means to flip the table, you had to play by someone else's rules.

Want to refuse to eat beef? You'd need at least several Titled Douluo holding the fort first.

Shen Rui, Ling Na, Shen Feng, and Oscar—four exceptionally talented Soul Masters.

It was only a matter of time before they had several Titled Douluo among them.

Besides, Shen Feng knew of several important resources in this world, places where one could cheat the system and rise to prominence. For them, making their way to the top would be a piece of cake.

By dusk, Shen Rui and Ling Na returned, bringing two others with them.

One wore a black cloak, the hood concealing his face and making his identity impossible to discern.

The other was a burly man whose face was hidden behind a veil, making him unrecognizable.

Meanwhile, Shen Feng and Oscar had gathered a full twenty Soul Masters of various ranks.

Among them were one Five-Ring Soul King, three Four-Ring Soul Ancestors, eight Three-Ring Soul Elders, five Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters, and two One-Ring Soul Masters.

These were the people who had volunteered to join Shen Rui and Ling Na's team and help them establish the foundation of their own force.

Shen Feng had explained in advance that the journey would be risky but highly profitable, and advised everyone to judge their own abilities before deciding.

As a result, the fewest among them were the One- and Two-Ring Soul Masters, who considered themselves weak. Instead, the stronger Soul Masters made up a larger proportion.

Shen Rui and Ling Na came before the group and gave everyone a quick once-over.

"I won't say more than necessary. My son, Xiao Feng, should have already told you everything you need to know."

"Now, we'll make for the next town under cover of darkness. We're moving out at a forced march!"

Shen Rui and Ling Na took the lead, with the black-cloaked figure and the burly man close behind. Shen Feng and Oscar followed them.

Seeing the leaders take off running, the twenty stragglers gritted their teeth and followed.

The bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish. They had no backing to begin with; if they weren't willing to risk their lives, how could they ever hope to rise?

The Five-Ring Soul King charged ahead first. He wasn't very old, only in his forties.

He saw hope in the two young geniuses, Shen Rui and Ling Na. Unlike the middle-aged and elderly people at Shrek Academy, his passion had yet to die out.

Perhaps by taking a chance alongside these geniuses, he really could carve out a bright future.

Seeing that the big shots they knew were following, the others naturally followed too.

Their own judgment might be poor, but the big shots knew what they were doing.

Follow the big shots, and even if there's no meat, there'll be soup. You can't go wrong.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. A dozen or so miles from the edge of Star Dou Forest, beside a fast-flowing river, a small town stood in the middle of nowhere.

The town was small. A simple wall of logs surrounded it, and within stood fewer than a hundred buildings, with a population of no more than three hundred.

But the buildings were new, the people were warm and welcoming, and at night the town shone with bright lights.

This was the headquarters of the Soul Hunting Guild.

Several months earlier, after Shen Rui had helped Suotuo City's Deputy City Lord, Fels, hunt for a Soul Ring, Fels had used the convenience of his position to recognize Shen Rui's occupation of Star Dou Forest and acknowledge his legal rights.

Of course, whether Shen Rui could hold on to the place had little to do with Fels.

After all, Fels had likely thought Shen Rui was just an arrogant fool with something wrong in his head, someone who would never amount to much.

Afterward, Shen Rui had brought the twenty Soul Masters who had followed them there and built this small town.

After half a year of development, the town had nearly a hundred permanent residents and close to two hundred transient ones.

With a full two hundred Soul Masters living there, its strength was probably no less than that of many Soul Master clans.

The town's bright lights at night came from the generators and electric lights Shen Feng had devised. The electricity came from the nearby river.

At dawn, the first light of day brightened the eastern sky, and Soul Hunting Town soon stirred to life.

The town gates opened under the watchful eyes of two Soul Master guards holding rifles.

Soul Masters returned from hunting, while others headed out to hunt. They passed back and forth between Star Dou Forest and Soul Hunting Town.

Just then, two young men dressed in dark camouflage uniforms and wearing masks came walking from afar, travel-worn.

The two youths wore identical outfits and were dressed almost alike. The only difference was that one carried a long saber on his back, while the other had an assault rifle slung over his shoulder.

Each had a small pouch strapped to his left thigh, with a large Handgun tucked inside. At the back of each man's waist, on the right, was a short blade he could draw at a moment's notice.

Those were only the weapons visible on the surface, not to mention their Storage Soul Tools—vast armories of unknown size and contents.

They were armed to the teeth.

Most eye-catching of all, each young man had a badge affixed to his left chest and right shoulder.

The badge was shaped like a shield and was purple-black, with a short blade laid across it. A shadowy figure holding a blade could just be made out behind it.

When the two returned, the guards at the gate looked flustered, their expressions suddenly unnatural. They stood ramrod straight, not daring to glance aside.

Only after the two had passed did the guards let out a quiet breath.

"The Reverse Blade Squad. They're back from outside. I'm afraid someone else is dead."

"Serves them right. They were greedy to the core. They could've earned plenty of legitimate Gold Soul Coins, but instead they went after that petty little sum."

"Our Soul Hunting Guild has only just been established, and it's thriving. Yet they had to cross the line and ruin our reputation."

"Hey, we'd better be careful too. We should try to change our old bad habits wherever we can. I don't want them coming after me."

"..."

Once inside the town, the two heard people discussing the Reverse Blade Squad everywhere. Most seemed afraid, worried that one day the squad might come looking for them.

At the town center, the two members of the Reverse Blade Squad entered a building that looked like a tavern.

The tavern was spacious, covering several hundred square meters, with rows of tables and chairs neatly arranged inside.

Though it was early in the morning, more than ten Soul Masters were already drinking and chatting there. Several others sat with their eyes closed, seemingly waiting for something.

At the far end, facing the entrance, stood a counter. Behind it, a burly man in his forties lounged in a rocking chair, lazily swaying back and forth.

"Uncle Liao, we're back."

The two young men from the Reverse Blade Squad pulled down their masks. They were Shen Feng and Oscar.

Liao Yong sat up in his rocking chair and laughed. "You're back pretty early this time. Nothing go wrong?"

Liao Yong was the Five-Ring Soul King Shen Feng had recruited from the village by Shrek Academy six months ago. His Martial Soul was a Beheading Great Saber, and he was level fifty-four.

With Shen Rui and Ling Na away on business, Liao Yong's strength was lacking, so he naturally had to stay behind and guard the place.

Shen Feng shook his head and took a square wooden box from his Storage Soul Tool, setting it on the counter.

"Yellow-Rank, Level Three target: Tapa. Martial Soul: One-Eyed Giant Rat. Level: thirty-six."

"Crime: While Soul Hunting, he attacked his employer over a Thousand-Year Soul Bone, leaving the employer gravely injured and nearly dead."

"The Reverse Blade Squad was ordered to hunt him down. The target has been executed!"

Liao Yong nodded, reached out to open the box, and carefully examined what was inside.

A head that had been treated to prevent decay, and a Right Arm Soul Bone consisting only of the forearm.

"Target confirmed. The lost Soul Bone has been recovered. Mission complete."

"Xiao Feng, Xiao Ao, show me your credentials. I'll register them for you."

Shen Feng and Oscar nodded, took out a white iron token each, and handed them over.

After Soul Hunting Town was established, it naturally attracted many Soul Masters. Of course, there were also quite a few troublemakers among them.

It was only after Shen Feng distributed firearms to the Soul Masters he had brought and formed a security squad that order was established in Soul Hunting Town.

Shen Rui then became the first president of the Soul Hunting Guild, Ling Na its vice-president, and Liao Yong its squad leader.

From then on, the Soul Hunting Guild began taking on all kinds of jobs: hunting for Soul Rings, finding materials, forming exploration teams, escorting people, and much more.

As long as a request didn't violate local laws and the client paid enough Gold Soul Coins, they could post it through the Soul Hunting Guild—even a request to hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Of course, no one could guarantee that anyone would dare accept such a mission, let alone complete it.

However, as the Soul Hunting Guild gradually grew stronger, there were always people who broke the rules. Some attacked their employers, some robbed them, and others abandoned their clients to flee.

To keep the Soul Hunting Guild's reputation from going down the drain, the Reverse Blade Squad came into being.

The squad's duty was to deal with Soul Masters who broke the rules and help clients recover losses caused by the Soul Hunting Guild's mistakes.

The mission ranks were divided according to the same colors as Soul Rings.

White corresponded to Soul Masters and Soul Grandmasters; yellow to Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors; purple to Soul Kings and Soul Emperors; black to Soul Saints and Soul Douluo; and red to Titled Douluo.

Of course, each rank was further divided into ten levels, from one to ten. Each level corresponded to a two-level difference in Soul Master strength. This ensured that Soul Masters of every strength range could find missions suited to them.

That way, they could avoid taking on missions beyond their ability out of greed for a large bounty, only to die and fail the mission.

This time, Shen Feng and Oscar had taken on a mission above their rank.

Under normal circumstances, they weren't allowed to take missions above their rank.