Douluo: Starting by Building Guns

Flender was also puzzled: "Xiao Feng, Xiao Ao, what happened to the Star Dou Forest? Why is it so, so..."

"Clean," Zhao Wuji interjected.

Flender nodded: "Yes, yes, clean. It's truly too clean; there's nothing here but trees."

Shen Feng smiled slightly: "Oh, it's like this. Soul Hunting Town is too close to the Star Dou Forest, and soul beasts often rushed out to harass us, so we simply cleared away all the weeds and shrubs within a twenty-mile radius."

"And let me tell you, once the shrubs and weeds were reduced, the soul beasts here all ran off. To this day, you rarely even see an insect."

Flender was stunned: "A twenty-mile radius? In one year? How is that possible?"

Oscar chuckled softly: "We used poison."

"Poison?" Zhao Wuji asked, surprised.

Oscar nodded: "Yes, poison. A toxin that Xiao Feng formulated specifically for plants."

"As long as you add it to water in a certain ratio and spray it three to five times, those shrubs and weeds with weak vitality naturally die off completely."

"With the plants dead, the herbivorous animals and soul beasts decrease, so the carnivorous soul beasts naturally migrate away as well."

"To this day, the soul beasts nearby all think there is some great terror here; it's practically become a Soul Beast Forbidden Zone."

The large-scale death of the vegetation was exactly what Shen Feng had specially formulated based on what he learned in his past life: the potent herbicide, Paraquat.

For one, as Oscar said, fewer plants mean fewer soul beasts, which ensures the safety of Soul Hunting Town.

For another, Shen Feng also wanted to use this special artificial toxin to attract the attention of Dugu Bo, who was thousands of kilometers away.

Of course, Shen Feng was well aware that the death of shrubs and weeds in a mere twenty-mile radius would hardly catch Dugu Bo's eye.

But Shen Feng was not the type to sit idly by, too stingy to even cast a line when fishing.

Long before the research on Paraquat was completed, he had already arranged for people to take it to Heaven Dou City; he imagined they must have opened a shop by now.

Don't forget, besides being highly lethal to plants, Paraquat is also an incurable, deadly poison to humans.

With this move, Shen Feng didn't have to worry about failing to attract Dugu Bo, the master of poisons.

Even if that didn't work, Shen Feng could still create even more formidable Biochemical Weapons. He didn't believe that so many unheard-of, terrifying toxins wouldn't pique Dugu Bo's curiosity.

As long as Dugu Bo dared to come, Shen Feng could use the excuse of discussing the way of poison to trade for a chance to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

As for whether Shen Feng was qualified to discuss the way of poison with Dugu Bo, that was entirely a redundant question.

Although Shen Feng didn't know much about the natural toxins in the wild, he understood chemistry.

Colorless and odorless chemical mixture toxins that target cells directly, or even devastating poisons that act at the genetic level—aren't they much more impressive than the Tang Sect poisons of that guy Tang San?

A low-martial ancient world wanting to clash with modern science, which gathered the crystallization of countless human wisdom from his past life? It was simply absurd.

After clarifying the methods Shen Feng used, Flender and the others were no longer curious.

After all, in their view, there were so many types of toxins in the world that it wasn't strange for one to exist that targeted plants.

There was even a tree-type soul beast in the Star Dou Forest called the Antiaris; the toxin secreted by this soul beast would leave the ground around it completely barren.

It was just that Shen Feng's toxin had a wider range and acted faster; it wasn't anything difficult to understand.

After traveling another twenty miles, the group finally entered the interior of the Star Dou Forest.

To look out for each other while inside the Star Dou Forest, the six of them stood in the most basic Soul Hunting Formation and stepped into the forest.

Dai Mubai was strong and sturdy, and after his Martial Soul Possession, his claws were the sharpest, making him the most suitable for manual labor—ah, I mean, the most suitable for clearing the path.

Therefore, he walked at the very front.

His tiger claws, over twenty centimeters long, were like short blades. As he swung his hands fiercely, vines, shrubs, and thorns were all slashed apart.

As vines snapped, branches flew, and leaves fell, a strange sense of satisfaction rose in Dai Mubai's heart.

It was as if what he was destroying wasn't just the obstacles blocking their path, but his inner demon, Shen Feng, who stood in his heart and blocked his progress.

Shen Feng walked to his left rear, not only watching every move on the left side of the team but also distracted by directing him on which way to clear the path.

It was exhausting.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar walked side by side to the right of Shen Feng, which was also the safest position in the center of the team.

Flender walked on the far right, using his strength as an Agility Attack Soul Saint to support the entire team.

Zhao Wuji, with his thick skin and sturdy build, walked at the very back to guard the rear.

After entering the Star Dou Forest, the most excited one was undoubtedly Ma Hongjun.

Just like Shen Feng when he first entered the Star Dou Forest, he was curious about everything he saw.

Of course, just like Shen Feng back then, he received loving reprimands from his elders, and the loving fists that Shen Feng had never experienced.

The Star Dou Forest is located in the tropical region of the Douluo Continent; it really is the kind of all-encompassing primeval forest.

The dense thickets could be described as blocking out the sky and the sun without any exaggeration; it wasn't even easy to see a glimmer of sunlight inside the forest.

The muggy air and humid environment made it extremely uncomfortable for those walking inside.

The most obvious sign was that Ma Hongjun no longer had the energy he had when he first entered the forest.

Dejected and dragging his feet, he just walked forward mechanically. To be honest, he looked no different from a mindless zombie.

The group traveled for about two hours, and by now, it was already noon.

Over these past two hours, they had encountered quite a few soul beasts, but most were only ten-year soul beasts; even century-level soul beasts were extremely rare.

But thinking about it, it made sense; the entire Star Dou Forest covered an area of nearly one million square kilometers, with a radius of five hundred kilometers alone.

They had traveled at most forty or fifty miles in these two hours, so they were still a long way from the areas where high-level soul beasts were active.

If they wanted to encounter a millennium soul beast, they would have to wait at least until tomorrow.

After estimating the time, Shen Feng waved his hand to signal everyone to stop: "Everyone, we've traveled quite a distance, let's take a break."

"At our current pace, we will definitely reach the Volcano Cluster within a week at the latest, so there's no need to be too anxious."

Hearing the word "rest," Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up, and he plopped down onto the ground.

"Oh my, I'm exhausted. I've never suffered like this in all my life."

Flender gave him a look of annoyance: "How about I just cut it off for you? That way, you won't have to suffer like this in the future."

Ma Hongjun was startled and waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, it's better to suffer a little, it's better to suffer. I love suffering the most."

Zhao Wuji looked at Ma Hongjun and chuckled: "Xiao Ao, bring out some sausages for us to taste."

"Your sausages not only fill the stomach but also restore physical strength and relieve fatigue. They are perfect for when we're on the march."

Oscar nodded: "I would have prepared them even if Teacher Zhao hadn't asked."

"I have a Big Sausage!"

As the soul incantation was shouted, pink mist surged from the palm of Oscar's right hand, and six big sausages materialized one after another.

Zhao Wuji was immediately surprised: "Whoa, Xiao Ao, that's incredible. You can now produce six sausages in a single release of your soul skill?"

Oscar scratched his head modestly: "It's just practice makes perfect. I got better with more training, it's not worth mentioning. Besides, the consumption of soul power hasn't decreased in the slightest."

"They're just little tricks, nothing to talk about. Come, eat the sausages, everyone eat the sausages."

Because it involved the Distraction Control that Shen Feng had taught him, Oscar didn't want to explain too much.

Although they were just small techniques, they were developed by Shen Feng through painstaking effort, so how could he easily tell others?

Seeing that Oscar didn't want to say more, Zhao Wuji knew the rules and stopped asking.

Under normal circumstances, a soul master could only possess nine soul skills in their lifetime, and each one was related to their own life and safety.

Once the information about a soul skill was leaked, others could potentially find weaknesses to exploit.

Therefore, generally speaking, inquiring about another soul master's martial soul abilities and the effects of their soul skills was an extremely presumptuous behavior.

If one didn't know better and insisted on prying, it was very likely to lead to a feud, and in serious cases, even a situation of life-and-death enmity.

The group took the sausages one by one; Shen Feng, Zhao Wuji, and Flender ate them without hesitation.

Only Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had somewhat unpleasant expressions, wondering if they were associating them with something else.

Flender's face darkened: "Hongjun, Mubai, why aren't you two eating?"

Ma Hongjun said with a stiff expression: "Teacher, Oscar's soul incantation is just, it's just... anyway, I can't bring myself to eat it."

Ma Hongjun, who was a regular at the brothel despite his young age, knew very well what "Big Sausage" could also imply.

If Oscar hadn't shouted the soul incantation, he might have eaten it, but now that his thoughts had gone astray, he didn't know how to bring himself to eat it.

Dai Mubai looked at the sausage in his hand, which seemed to have triggered some bad memories, and his expression darkened.

"I can't eat this sausage either."

"You both can't eat it?" Flender couldn't help but laugh: "Fine, you two don't have to eat. Give me the sausages in your hands."

Not having to eat Oscar's Big Sausage, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai were relieved and quickly handed the sausages to Flender.

Flender took the sausages, stuffed one into his own mouth, and handed another to Zhao Wuji.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you two. This time, when we entered the Star Dou Forest, I thought that since we had Xiao Ao, a food-type soul master, with us, I didn't prepare any rations."

"If you two didn't prepare extra food yourselves, then you'll have to figure it out on your own."

Hearing this, Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai were stunned and began checking their storage soul tools at lightning speed.

A moment later, Ma Hongjun suddenly looked up: "It's over, the food I brought is gone."

Dai Mubai was also terrified: "M-mine is gone too."

Flender chuckled: "Don't doubt it, I'm the one who did it."

"I just want you to understand one principle: what is more important, life or face?"

"When you can only choose one, which one will you pick?"

"I don't know if life has become too easy or if you've become too arrogant, but you two idiots are actually turning your noses up at top-tier food made by a food-type soul master with innate full soul power."

"With your current mindset, I wouldn't be surprised if you died in some unknown corner due to some accident in the future."

"Since ancient times, survival of the fittest has been the immutable law of nature."

"You must know that a dead genius is worth absolutely nothing."

"If you want to survive in the cruel world of soul masters, you must learn to endure humiliation and do whatever it takes."

"When you face a survival crisis, let alone eating a sausage, you would even eat rats, cockroaches, earthworms, or things even more disgusting than that."

"Don't think I don't know the little schemes in your heads. I can tell you both clearly: the weak have no right to mock the strong."

"Besides, the sausages Oscar makes have never had any problems; the only problem lies in certain people's mindsets."

Seeing Flender lose his temper like this for the first time, Ma Hongjun instantly cowered.

"T-Teacher, I was wrong. I won't dare to do it again."

Dai Mubai frowned slightly. Although he felt unwilling, he knew that Flender was right.

"Dean, I also know I was wrong."

Seeing the two rebellious boys brought back on track by his reprimand once again, Flender's mood improved significantly in an instant.

This pleasure of being a mentor was a wonderful feeling he had never experienced with Shen Feng and Oscar.

With the corners of his mouth slightly raised, Flender softened his tone: "To recognize one's mistake and correct it is the greatest virtue."

"Remember, one can have a backbone, but must never have arrogance. You must know that a backbone can make one fearless, while arrogance only harms others and oneself."

"That is all I will say; the rest is for you to realize on your own."

Suddenly, Flender stopped his reprimand, his sharp gaze snapping toward the depths of the forest.

Zhao Wuji did the same, his eyes fixed firmly in the direction Flender was watching.

Seeing this scene, Shen Feng and Oscar immediately realized something and assumed a combat stance.

Shen Feng gripped the long blade on his back with his right hand and drew his Handgun with his left, pointing it directly at the source of the danger.

With the situation unclear, using a martial soul was not nearly as fast as using Firearms.

Moreover, his level twenty-nine soul power reserve was not large, and since Shen Feng's soul ring age was more than a realm higher than other soul masters, it was extremely taxing on his soul power despite its great power. Rather than using it for combat, it was better to save it to preserve his life.