Douluo: Starting by Building Guns

He lived by the principle of not bothering others unless they bothered him, and helping others only when he felt like it.

In a word, he wouldn't give away a single hair or take even the tiniest thing.

Besides, Shen Feng firmly believed that with his parents' guidance, his future achievements would be no less than what Shrek Academy could offer.

After all, Shen Rui and Ling Na were both genius Soul Masters. Who could be better suited to teaching a genius than they were?

Hearing Shen Feng refuse, Flender's brow furrowed. Soul Power surged within him, and the golden phantom of an owl suddenly appeared behind him.

One by one, seven dazzling Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, and black—unfurled beneath his feet. A small measure of the enormous aura of a Soul Saint leaked out, making the stone-built Spirit Hall tremble. Fine dust rained down from the ceiling above.

The ten children who had already awakened their Martial Souls collapsed to the ground in fright, crying and wailing.

"Boy, I'm Flender, a seventy-second-level Agility Attack System Beast Soul Saint, known as the Four-Eyed Owl. I'm strong enough to serve as the dean of any number of advanced Soul Master Academies. Recruiting you into my academy wouldn't be an insult to your talent."

Seeing Flender act so forcefully, Shen Feng frowned. Just as he was about to figure out how to refuse, the wooden doors of the Spirit Hall shattered with a crash, and two figures rushed inside, placing themselves in front of him.

Sunlight streamed in through the doorway, illuminating the newcomers' profiles. They were none other than Shen Feng's parents, Shen Rui and Ling Na.

Perhaps they had sensed the powerful aura Flender had released inside the Spirit Hall and feared Shen Feng was in danger, so they had instinctively burst through the door.

At that moment, a pale golden glow surrounded Shen Rui. His arms gleamed gold, and five Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—shimmered beneath his feet.

Ling Na held a long blue blade in her hand. Blue lightning flickered along its length, and five Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—shone beneath her feet as well.

"Sir, you may be a Soul Saint, but that doesn't give you the right to bully people with your strength."

When Flender saw Shen Rui and Ling Na, his pupils contracted and his heart sank.

Shen Rui and Ling Na were simply too young.

A Five-Ring Soul King before the age of thirty would, barring unforeseen circumstances, inevitably become an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo in the future, perhaps even a world-renowned Nine-Ring Titled Douluo.

Their exceptional talent was hardly inferior to that of Qin Ming, the most outstanding student Shrek Academy had ever produced.

He couldn't afford to offend such genius Soul Masters without absolute confidence.

After turning it over in his mind, Flender had already made up his mind. He withdrew his Martial Soul and explained with a smile, "You two must have misunderstood something."

"I only wanted to recruit your child to study at our school. I had no other intentions."

"I merely showed off a little of my strength to try to convince him."

Ling Na frowned and turned to Shen Feng behind her. "Xiao Feng, is that what happened?"

Shen Feng didn't want his parents and Flender to come to blows either. Seeing that Flender had already withdrawn his Martial Soul, he nodded.

"Yes, Mom. This senior wants me to study at a school called Shrek Academy, but I've never heard of it, so I'm not very interested in going."

"Shrek Academy?" Shen Rui's brow furrowed. Then he spoke up. "I think I've heard that name before."

"Ling Na, do you remember Qin Ming, the Blazing Wolf?"

Ling Na thought for a moment, then suddenly recalled the figure they had encountered while hunting for Soul Rings in the Star Dou Forest four years ago.

"I remember now. We ran into him while Soul Hunting in the Star Dou Forest four years ago. Could he be from that Shrek Academy?"

"That's right." Flender was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Shen Rui and Ling Na to know Qin Ming.

"Qin Ming graduated from our Shrek Academy. He's the most outstanding genius student the academy has ever produced."

"How about it, you two? If you let Xiao Feng study at Shrek Academy, we'll definitely raise him to be the next Qin Ming. No—with Xiao Feng's talent, we're confident we can help him surpass Qin Ming."

Ling Na frowned, remembering Qin Ming's rather painful-to-look-at purple fifth Soul Ring.

He was clearly a genius Soul Master with talent on par with theirs, yet he had settled for a thousand-year fifth Soul Ring and called it a day.

Even now, Ling Na couldn't understand what kind of teaching philosophy could produce such a reckless student.

As the saying went, sharpening your axe wouldn't delay the work of chopping wood. Did they really not teach their students even such a simple principle?

"Senior, whether Xiao Feng enrolls concerns his future. Could you give us some time to discuss it as a couple?"

Yes, Ling Na had rejected him too. Flender might be a powerful Soul Saint, but strength didn't necessarily make someone a good teacher.

She still didn't know Shen Feng's Innate Soul Power level, but seeing how eager Flender seemed, she was increasingly sure it was high—perhaps even higher than hers and her husband's.

With such exceptional talent, Ling Na couldn't bear to hand him over to Flender and the others, only for them to lead him astray.

Hearing the refusal in Ling Na's words, Flender furrowed his brow, feeling somewhat displeased.

He had lowered himself to awaken the Martial Souls of village children because he hoped to get lucky and find an exceptionally talented student before Spirit Hall did.

After two years, the heavens had finally smiled on him again. He had found Shen Feng, a young man with Innate Full Soul Power who was even more worth cultivating than Oscar.

If he didn't bring Shen Feng into the academy, he feared he'd never sleep soundly again. Even if he did fall asleep, regret might make him slap himself awake.

So he was determined to get Shen Feng, this Innate Full Soul Power genius, no matter the cost.

Their Shrek Academy desperately needed a true peerless genius to make a name for itself.

"Miss, er, madam—"

"My name is Ling Na, and this is my husband, Shen Rui. Please just call us by our names, senior."

She didn't want Shen Feng going to that Shrek Academy, but picking a fight with a Soul Saint like Flender clearly wouldn't be wise either.

The most important thing now was to find a solution both sides could accept.

Flender was clearly thinking the same thing.

He nodded and said softly, "Ling Na, Shen Rui, I'd like to speak openly with the two of you."

Shen Rui and Ling Na exchanged a glance. "Please go ahead, senior. We're listening."

Flender nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "In that case, I won't hide anything from you. Xiao Feng has the rarest of gifts: Innate Full Soul Power. He's a true genius, a peerless talent with the potential to become a Titled Douluo."

"And Shrek Academy is the best cradle for his first steps as a genius."

"Our Shrek Academy provides an elite education. We currently have one Seven-Ring Soul Saint instructor, three Six-Ring Soul Emperor instructors, and one Five-Ring Soul King instructor. But so far, we only have one student."

"However, that sole student is also an Innate Full Soul Power genius like Xiao Feng. Dragons don't associate with snakes, and great eagles don't roost with sparrows. Only geniuses can keep up with other geniuses."

"You're both young talents who became Five-Ring Soul Kings at an early age. Surely you know how much it helps your future growth to have a fellow genius by your side."

"I can guarantee that if Xiao Feng joins our academy, we'll give him the best possible training and prioritize all our resources for him. We'd even provide one-on-one personal instruction if he wanted."

"That's my offer. Take some time to think it over."

After that, Flender said no more. He ushered the other children out of the stone-built Spirit Hall, leaving the place to Shen Feng and his family.

After Flender left, Ling Na excitedly picked Shen Feng up.

"Good boy, let Mom take a look at your Martial Soul."

"I've never seen an Innate Full Soul Power Martial Soul before."

Shen Feng smiled mysteriously and whispered into Ling Na's ear, "Mom, which of my Martial Souls do you want to see?"

"Which one?" Ling Na's expression froze. For a moment, she couldn't understand what Shen Feng meant.

Shen Feng giggled, wriggled free of Ling Na's arms, and hopped down to the floor. With a thought, a long blade crackling with purple-black lightning appeared in his right hand.

"My Thunder Blade? No, your Martial Soul has mutated. Its color is different, and there's a ring at the end of the handle."

Ling Na immediately spotted the changes in Shen Feng's Martial Soul. The purple-black lightning seemed stronger than the lightning of her own Thunder Blade, and the ring at the end of the handle made it harder to lose his grip.

All in all, the changes were positive—a beneficial mutation.

Shen Feng smiled proudly. "The student has surpassed the master. It's not a Thunder Blade, but it's better than one. I've named it Leiming."

"Wherever the blade passes, thunder roars without end."

Ling Na's eyes lit up. "Nice. That suits it."

"But what does that have to do with you asking which Martial Soul I wanted to see? Don't tell me you have a second Martial Soul?"

Shen Feng nodded. "That's right. I really do."

As he spoke, he willed his Martial Soul to appear again. A faint golden glow began to spread across his body, but no Martial Soul emerged.

"A Body Martial Soul? Just like mine!"

Seeing the golden light shining from Shen Feng's body, Shen Rui immediately realized it was a Body Martial Soul, just like his.

It was a Martial Soul distinct from Tool and Beast Martial Souls. His own body was his Martial Soul.

The difference was that Shen Rui's Martial Soul was his arms, while Shen Feng's seemed to be his entire body.

Shen Feng nodded. "That's right, Dad. It's a Body Martial Soul. My own body is my Martial Soul."

"And it seems I can make both Martial Souls appear at the same time and use their respective abilities together."

At Shen Feng's reminder, Shen Rui and Ling Na finally noticed that when Shen Feng activated his Body Martial Soul, he hadn't put away the Leiming Blade in his hand.

They turned to each other in shock and said the same words at the same time: "Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"

Shen Feng froze. "This is a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? You can fuse with your own Martial Soul?"

Shen Rui glanced at Ling Na. "Shall we give Xiao Feng a demonstration?"

Ling Na nodded firmly. "All right!"

As she spoke, Ling Na reached out and grasped Shen Rui's right hand. Blinding blue lightning began to shine from her body.

Golden light burst from Shen Rui's body too, especially from his right arm.

As the light grew brighter, Shen Feng couldn't help covering his eyes.

Flender was outside, presenting Martial Soul certificates to the two children who had just awakened their Soul Power. Feeling the disturbance inside the Spirit Hall, he turned around.

He saw strange light shining from the broken doorway of the Spirit Hall. Flender frowned and muttered, "A Martial Soul Fusion Skill? No wonder they dared to stand up to me."

"But why are they using a Martial Soul Fusion Skill now? Are they trying to intimidate me?"

Flender frowned deeply, unable to make sense of what Shen Feng's family was doing inside.

"Never mind. I only came to recruit a student, not to pick a fight. They can intimidate me all they want; there's nothing to worry about as long as they don't attack."

Shaking his head helplessly, Flender handed the Martial Soul certificates to the two children's parents, then sent away all the nearby residents. He found a shady spot to sit and waited for Shen Feng's family to finish their discussion.

No matter what, he was determined to recruit Shen Feng. Not even a Titled Douluo could stop him—unless one actually showed up.

Inside the stone-built Spirit Hall, the light gradually faded. Ling Na and Shen Rui had disappeared, replaced by a tall figure clad in armor.

The figure stood about two and a half meters tall, dressed in pale gold armor and wearing a helmet that covered its face. In its hands was a blue executioner's blade more than three meters long. Blue arcs of electricity leapt wildly along the blade, crackling with a terrifying noise.

Ten Soul Rings encircled its body: four yellow, four purple, and two black. Its violent aura spread unchecked in every direction.

Standing beneath the figure, Shen Feng's legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

He knew his parents had performed the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and that they would never hurt him.

But when a person faced something far stronger than themselves, their instinctive fear was impossible to control.

It was like standing before a hulking giant while being small and frail. Even if you knew he wouldn't hurt you, deep down you'd still feel afraid.

Shen Feng felt the same way. Though his conscious mind wasn't afraid, his adrenaline was surging and his body wouldn't stop shaking.

Fortunately, the pressure came and went quickly. To avoid hurting Shen Feng, Shen Rui and Ling Na promptly ended their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, reappearing in a flash of light.

Ling Na smiled gently and rubbed Shen Feng's stiff little face.

"Did Xiao Feng get scared? I never thought our bold little Xiao Feng would be afraid of anything."

"But don't worry. That was the Martial Soul Fusion Skill your father and I perform together: Thunder Warrior."

"Though we're only Five-Ring Soul Kings, once we use our Martial Soul Fusion Skill, even a Seven-Ring Soul Saint won't be able to get the better of us."

"Your two Martial Souls coexisting isn't a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but someday you'll surely be able to perform a self-fusion all by yourself."

"After all, the affinity between two people's Martial Souls can't compare to the affinity between your Twin Martial Souls, which come from the same source."

Shen Rui stepped forward too, his voice gentle. "But always remember: never use that move unless it's your last resort."

"And don't reveal your Body Martial Soul in public either. This world isn't as peaceful as you think."

"Your Innate Full Soul Power is already the limit of what your mother and I can protect you from. If there's anything more, the two of us may not be able to keep you safe."

Shen Feng nodded gravely. "A tree that stands above the forest invites the wind to break it. Don't worry, Mom and Dad. Your son understands."