Besides, the firearms in Shen Feng's hands had been specially modified into high-powered handguns. Even a Defense-type Soul Ancestor using a defensive Soul Skill could have their defenses pierced with a single shot.
That kind of power was already enough to handle most dangers.
Oscar followed the same strategy. His Martial Soul couldn't be used for combat, and close-quarters fighting with his Self-Created Soul Skill was extremely dangerous. He only had one life, after all.
So Oscar had gradually come to rely more and more on firearms in battle. Only when he had no other choice would he use his Self-Created Soul Skill to get himself out of danger.
His firearm was also a custom-made piece of equipment specially designed for him by Shen Feng: a rifle over two meters long, modeled after a Barrett anti-materiel sniper rifle from Shen Feng's previous life.
Its long, sleek body was entirely black, and its distinctive metallic sheen and ergonomic design gave the anti-materiel sniper rifle an impressive beauty.
Its massive 25mm caliber made it even more intimidating than the original.
The muzzle brake reduced the firearm's recoil effectively, while the silencer greatly lowered its noise.
Equipped with a high-precision optical sight, the custom sniper rifle was terrifyingly accurate.
Only the Douluo Continent, with its many strange materials, could have allowed Shen Feng to ignore the limitations of material science and spare no expense in making this terrifying weapon for Oscar.
Oscar held the rifle in both hands, channeled Soul Power into the soles of his feet, and darted up a large tree near the others in just a few steps. Then he used the sight to search for the source of danger.
"Target spotted: one Swift Shadow Leopard."
"Shoulder height, 1.1 meters. Body length, four to five meters. Preliminary estimate: approximately 1,400 to 1,500 years old."
"It's spotted us and is slowly approaching from sixty meters ahead."
"Target acquired. Should I eliminate it?"
Only after Oscar had accurately reported the danger and its details did Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun finally react, hurriedly completing their Martial Soul Possessions.
Shen Feng thought for a moment. "Swift Shadow Leopards are fast, hit hard, and have weak defenses. They hunt mainly by launching surprise attacks, so they're best suited to Agility Attack System Soul Masters."
"Hongjun needs a fire-attribute Blazing Falcon, while Mubai needs a metal-attribute beast. This one isn't suitable for either of them."
"Xiao Ao, drive it away. We'll look for something better."
"Understood!" Oscar replied, placing his finger on the trigger.
"Wait. I want this Soul Beast!"
Dai Mubai's voice suddenly rang out, leaving everyone present frozen in place.
Shen Feng, you really are afraid of me. You're even trying to delay me from becoming a Soul Elder this way.
Heh. I won't let you get your way.
Even if the Swift Shadow Leopard isn't the best Soul Beast for me, I can still use it to break through to the Soul Elder realm—and then I'll defeat you!
I don't care if I have to settle for a less-than-ideal Third Soul Ring.
"Xiao Bai, what's gotten into you?"
"Wasn't what Xiao Feng said clear enough? Swift Shadow Leopards are best suited to Agility Attack System Soul Masters, not a Power Attack System Soul Master like you."
Zhao Wuji shouted bluntly. He genuinely couldn't understand what foolishness Dai Mubai was up to now. A perfectly good road lay before him, yet he insisted on taking some rough, winding path.
Could it be that these young masters—powerful, wealthy, and handsome—just love making things needlessly complicated?
Dai Mubai looked slightly uncomfortable. "Teacher Zhao, I haven't lost my mind. I really do think this Swift Shadow Leopard is suitable for me."
Flender frowned slightly. "Mubai, I've told you before: everyone's Martial Soul is different, and the ways to cultivate them vary greatly."
"Even if two people have the same Martial Soul and absorb the same kind of Soul Beast for a Soul Ring, the Soul Skills they gain can be completely different because of differences in the beast's age and subtle variations between the Soul Masters themselves."
"So, as long as you have a reasonable explanation, I won't stop you from absorbing this Swift Shadow Leopard as your Soul Ring."
Flender knew where Dai Mubai came from, so he naturally understood his identity.
As a member of the Star Luo Empire's imperial family, Dai Mubai possessed the White Tiger Martial Soul, a top-tier Martial Soul that had produced Titled Douluo for generations.
Flender wouldn't dare interfere too much with the Soul Ring Configuration of such a powerful, well-established faction.
What if their legacy includes a Titled Douluo whose Third Soul Ring had an agility attribute?
What if they're actually right?
After all, standing in someone's way was like killing their parents.
Flender was only a minor Soul Saint. Unless he had authorization, he'd best avoid doing something so likely to offend people.
Dai Mubai glanced at Flender and sighed. "Dean, Teacher Zhao, I know you're looking out for me. I, Dai Mubai, am not unreasonable or incapable of telling right from wrong."
"I have three reasons for wanting to absorb this Swift Shadow Leopard."
"First, this Swift Shadow Leopard is the right age to become my Third Soul Ring."
"Second, the Swift Shadow Leopard is a type of feline Soul Beast, so it's closely related to my White Tiger Martial Soul."
"Third, my First Soul Skill, White Tiger Protection Barrier, is a self-enhancement skill, while my Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Intense Light Wave, is an attack skill. For my Third Soul Skill, I want a speed-based charge skill."
Hearing Dai Mubai's explanation, Shen Feng paused in surprise. His reasoning did seem to make sense.
In the original story, Dai Mubai had completely abandoned his own development because of Yu Xiaogang's team theories.
There were no Defense-type Soul Masters among the Shrek Seven Devils, so Dai Mubai, the Power Attack System Soul Master who charged into the fray, had given himself a large number of Soul Skills that enhanced his own attributes. That way, he could withstand the enemy's frenzied attacks.
First Soul Skill: White Tiger Protection Barrier, enhances himself.
Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation, enhances himself.
Fifth Soul Skill: White Tiger Demon God Transformation, enhances himself.
Seventh Soul Skill: White Tiger Avatar, enhances himself.
Good grief, what kind of Power Attack System Soul Master was this? Wasn't he just stacking the thickest armor so he could take the hardest beating?
Thinking about it, Ma Hongjun seemed to have fallen for that old Yu Xiaogang's tricks, too.
Fourth Soul Skill: Phoenix Sky-Screaming Strike, a follow-up restraint skill with a long charge time that couldn't lock on and was easy for enemies to dodge.
A follow-up restraint skill?
The enemy was already in his face, but the skill hadn't even activated yet. What exactly was it restraining?
Without teammates nearby to work together and hold the opponent back, wasn't this skill basically useless?
And he'd absorbed that Soul Ring under Yu Xiaogang's personal guidance, too. Tsk, tsk. He knew the fundamentals of Soul Beast knowledge well enough, but when it came to applying them, he was practically leading people astray.
But then Shen Feng thought about how weak Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was at controlling opponents.
"Gasp..."
Thinking of this, Shen Feng couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.
Yu Xiaogang was terrifying.
Without anyone noticing, he'd even manipulated the others. To make Tang San look good and get everyone else to willingly support him, that old man had done so much behind the scenes.
No wonder that old guy kept insisting there were no perfect individuals, only perfect teams.
So he'd just been brainwashing everyone.
He'd made Dai Mubai willingly give up offense in favor of defense.
He'd had Ma Hongjun absorb a follow-up restraint skill to compensate for the Blue Silver Grass's weak control and add a little more damage.
When things went well, it was because Tang San had perfectly judged the timing. When they went badly, it was because Ma Hongjun hadn't strengthened his control enough.
Now that Shen Feng thought about it, Oscar seemed to have made huge sacrifices for the team because of that ridiculous perfect-team theory, too.
His mediocre Third and Fourth Soul Skills were almost certainly the result of Yu Xiaogang's teaching.
It wasn't until after the Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament ended, when Oscar left that old man behind to travel on his own, that the Soul Skills he gained became more powerful than the last.
There were only four men among the Shrek Seven Devils, and besides Tang San, Yu Xiaogang had tricked all three of the others into making a mess of their cultivation.
Damn it. That old monster, old fox, old fraud, old bastard—he'd gone to such lengths for Tang San.
I can't deal with him in the future. I'd better stay far away and never cross paths with him again.
Flender turned to Shen Feng. "Xiao Feng, do you have anything to say?"
Shen Feng paused, then realized he'd apparently spoken aloud without thinking.
He shook his head slightly. "No, I don't have anything to say. Choosing what kind of Soul Ring to absorb is a Soul Master's most basic freedom."
"We can offer advice, but we can't make the decision for him."
"Life is like a game of chess: once a move is made, there's no taking it back. That goes for chess, and it goes for life."
Flender nodded, then turned back to Dai Mubai. "Have you decided? You want this Swift Shadow Leopard?"
Dai Mubai glanced at Shen Feng, then nodded resolutely. "I've decided. I want this Swift Shadow Leopard."
Flender sighed. "Young people shouldn't let their pride get the better of them."
"But since you've made up your mind, I'll respect your choice and help you take down this Swift Shadow Leopard."
Oscar suddenly laughed from the tree. "Dean, it's only a Millennium Soul Beast. There's no need for you to step in. I can handle it."
Bang—Awooo!
Oscar's finger squeezed the trigger. The gunshot wasn't especially loud, but the Swift Shadow Leopard's pained cry immediately rang out from the forest thirty meters away.
"Hit in the abdomen. The wound is too large. The Swift Shadow Leopard could die at any moment."
"Xiao Bai, you need to hurry."
Dai Mubai shot Oscar a resentful look, then darted into the forest.
Shen Feng, Oscar, you despicable villains! You're even resorting to such underhanded methods to stop me from absorbing this Swift Shadow Leopard.
But I won't let you get your way.
"Second Soul Skill: White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"
Seeing that the Swift Shadow Leopard was about to die, Dai Mubai immediately activated his Second Soul Skill.
A beam of white Soul Power shot out, striking the Swift Shadow Leopard at the last moment and delivering the final blow.
A purple Soul Ring slowly rose into the air.
The sniper rifle fired. The Swift Shadow Leopard was at death's door, and Dai Mubai rushed into the forest toward its Soul Ring, while Ma Hongjun stared dumbfounded at the massive weapon in Oscar's hands.
"S-Senior, is that thing in your hands a gun, too?"
Oscar jumped down from the tree and gently stroked the cold, heavy barrel.
"Yeah. The Breaker 3.0. It's 2.36 meters long, weighs 74 jin, and has a 25mm caliber."
"It can fire 25mm by 300mm tungsten-steel Armor-Piercing Shells, high-explosive shells, and white phosphorus Incendiary Shells—three different types of ammunition."
"It's more powerful than the Breaker 1.0, more accurate, and easier to handle."
"Field tests show that it can kill a Millennium Soul Beast with one shot and pierce the defenses of any Soul Beast under thirty thousand years old."
Ma Hongjun was stunned. "Good heavens, Senior! Are you saying that just by holding this rifle, you're more powerful than my teacher and Teacher Zhao?"
Good grief, this thing is that powerful?
If I had one, who the hell would bother cultivating? I really want one!
Oscar chuckled and scratched his head. "Not at all. It's all because of the firearms Xiao Feng makes. My own strength is only at the Soul Grandmaster level. How could I compare to the Dean and Teacher Zhao?"
"Besides, Xiao Feng said before that high-level Soul Masters are extremely perceptive when it comes to danger. They might notice me before I even fire."
"Actually hitting Soul Masters at the Dean's or Teacher Zhao's level is extremely difficult."
"At my current level, I can't do it at all."
Flender's pupils contracted sharply. "Xiao Ao, you said it's difficult to hit Soul Masters at our level—not impossible?"
Oscar glanced at Flender and nodded. "That's right. Xiao Feng said this sniper rifle has an effective range of over two thousand meters."
"That means it can threaten Soul Beasts under thirty thousand years old within two thousand meters."
"But just like with bullets and arrows, the farther a projectile travels, the more variables affect it, and its accuracy drops sharply."
"With my current skill, I can only threaten targets within five hundred meters. Beyond that, it's very difficult to hit them."
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