Douluo: Starting by Forging a Gun

In short, if people don't offend me, I won't offend them; if they seek me out, I'll see how I feel.

To summarize in one sentence: I won't pluck a single hair, nor will I take a single cent.

Moreover, compared to the education at Shrek Academy, Shen Feng firmly believed that under his parents' guidance, his future achievements would certainly not be low.

After all, Shen Rui and Ling Na were geniuses themselves, so they were far more experienced in how to educate a genius.

Hearing Shen Feng's refusal, Flender frowned slightly. His soul power surged, and a golden, phantom image of an owl suddenly emerged behind him.

Seven brilliant soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—unfolded beneath his feet one by one. A massive aura belonging to a Soul Saint leaked out slightly, causing the stone-built Martial Soul Hall to tremble, and a large amount of fine dust fell from the ceiling.

The ten children who had just finished their awakening were instantly frightened to the point of collapsing to the ground, crying and screaming.

"Kid, I am a level 72 agility-type beast Soul Saint, known as the Four-Eyed Owl Flender. My strength is more than enough to serve as the dean of any advanced soul master academy. Recruiting you into my academy is hardly an insult to you."

Seeing Flender acting so aggressively, Shen Feng frowned. Just as he was trying to find a way to refuse, the wooden doors of the Martial Soul Hall shattered with a loud boom, and two figures rushed in, shielding Shen Feng behind them.

Sunlight streamed in from outside, illuminating the profiles of the newcomers; they were none other than Shen Feng's parents, Shen Rui and Ling Na.

Perhaps they had sensed the powerful aura Flender released inside the Martial Soul Hall and, fearing for Shen Feng's safety, had instinctively broken through the doors to rush in.

At this moment, Shen Rui was surrounded by a pale golden light, his arms glowing with a brilliant gold, and five soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—flickered beneath his feet.

Ling Na held a long blue blade in her hand, with blue electric arcs flickering along the edge, and beneath her feet, the same two yellow, two purple, and one black soul rings shone brightly.

"Sir, although you are a powerful Soul Saint, you shouldn't be throwing your weight around like this."

Seeing Shen Rui and Ling Na appear, Flender's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart sank.

It was because Shen Rui and Ling Na were simply too young.

A five-ringed Soul King under the age of thirty would, barring any accidents, surely become an eight-ringed Soul Douluo in the future, or even a nine-ringed Titled Douluo who could dominate the world.

Such outstanding aptitude was not far off from Qin Ming, the most excellent student in the history of their Shrek Academy.

One could not rashly offend such genius soul masters without absolute certainty.

Thoughts raced through his mind, and Flender quickly made up his mind. He retracted his martial soul and explained with a smile, "You two, I think there must be some misunderstanding."

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

"What I did earlier was merely to show a bit of my strength in hopes of convincing the child."

Ling Na frowned slightly and turned to look at Shen Feng behind her: "Xiao Feng, is it as this senior says?"

Shen Feng did not want his parents to start a fight with Flender here. Seeing that Flender had already retracted his martial soul, he nodded.

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

"Shrek Academy?" Shen Rui frowned deeply and suddenly spoke up: "I think I've heard that name before."

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

Ling Na pondered for a moment, and suddenly remembered the figure they had encountered four years ago while hunting for soul rings in the Star Dou Forest.

"I remember now. We met him four years ago while hunting in the Star Dou Forest. Could it be that he came from that so-called Shrek Academy?"

"Exactly." Flender was pleasantly surprised; he hadn't expected Shen Rui and Ling Na to know Qin Ming.

"Qin Ming is a graduate of our Shrek Academy, and he is also the most outstanding genius student in our history."

"How about it, you two? As long as you let Xiao Feng come to our Shrek Academy to study, we will certainly be able to cultivate him into the next Qin Ming. No, with Xiao Feng's talent, we are confident we can help him surpass Qin Ming."

Ling Na frowned, immediately recalling Qin Ming's rather unsightly fifth purple soul ring.

He was a genius soul master with aptitude similar to theirs, yet he had fallen to the point of absorbing a thousand-year fifth ring just to get it over with.

Even now, Ling Na could not understand what kind of teaching philosophy could produce such an imprudent student.

As the saying goes, sharpening the knife does not delay the woodcutter; did they not even teach their students such a simple principle?

"Senior, whether or not he enrolls concerns Xiao Feng's future. Could you give us some time so that we, as his parents, can discuss it?"

Yes, Ling Na had also refused. Although Flender was a powerful Soul Saint, a strong person was not necessarily a good teacher.

Although she did not yet know what level of Innate Soul Power Shen Feng had, judging by Flender's slightly impatient attitude, Ling Na felt more and more that Shen Feng's Innate Soul Power was not low—it might even exceed that of her and her husband.

With such high aptitude, Ling Na was not at ease handing him over to Flender and the others, lest they lead him astray.

Hearing the refusal in Ling Na's tone, Flender frowned, feeling slightly displeased.

He had been willing to lower his status to come and awaken the martial souls of these village children precisely because he wanted to try his luck and poach a talented seedling before the Martial Soul Hall could.

After two years, he had finally struck gold again, encountering Shen Feng, an Innate Full Soul Power talent with even more potential than Oscar.

If he didn't secure him, he feared he wouldn't be able to sleep soundly in the future; even if he did fall asleep, he might wake himself up by slapping his own face in regret.

Therefore, he was determined to have this Innate Full Soul Power child, no matter the cost.

Their Shrek Academy was simply too desperate for a true peerless genius to make a name for themselves.

"This young lady, er, Madam—"

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

Although she didn't want Shen Feng to go to that so-called Shrek Academy, offending a Soul Saint like Flender was clearly not a wise choice.

Therefore, finding a mutually acceptable, win-win solution was the most important thing right now.

Clearly, Flender was thinking the same thing right now.

Nodding, Flender said softly, "Ling Na, Shen Rui, I would like to have an open and honest talk with the two of you."

Shen Rui and Ling Na exchanged a glance. "Please speak, Senior. We are listening."

Flender nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Since that is the case, I will not hide anything from you two. Shen Feng possesses the rare Innate Full Soul Power. He is a true genius, a peerless talent with the potential to reach the Title Douluo realm."

"And Shrek Academy is the best cradle for the first step of his genius."

"Our Shrek Academy practices elite education. We currently have one seven-ring Soul Saint teacher, three six-ring Soul Emperor teachers, and one five-ring Soul King teacher, yet we only have one student so far."

"However, that sole student is also a genius with Innate Full Soul Power, just like Shen Feng. As the saying goes, dragons do not dwell with snakes, and rocs do not perch with birds; only a genius can keep pace with another genius."

"Both of you are young talents who have already reached the five-ring Soul King level; surely you know how much help it is to have a peer of equal talent for your own future growth."

"I can guarantee that as long as Shen Feng comes to our academy, we will provide him with the best training. All resources will be prioritized for him, and one-on-one personal instruction is absolutely no problem."

"This is my sincerity. The two of you should think it over carefully."

After speaking, Flender said no more. He waved his hand to beckon the other children in the room and walked out of the stone Martial Soul Hall, leaving the space to the Shen Feng family.

After Flender left, Ling Na excitedly picked up Shen Feng, who was standing to the side.

"Good son, let Mommy see your martial soul."

"I have never seen a martial soul with Innate Full Soul Power before."

Shen Feng smiled mysteriously and whispered into Ling Na's ear, "Then which of my martial souls would Mommy like to see?"

"Which martial soul?" Ling Na looked stunned, unable to grasp what Shen Feng meant for a moment.

Shen Feng chuckled, broke free from Ling Na's embrace, and jumped to the ground. With a slight movement of his mind, a long blade flickering with purple-black lightning instantly materialized in his right hand.

"My Thunder Blade? No, the martial soul has mutated. The color is different, and there is an extra ring at the end of the hilt."

Ling Na saw the changes in Shen Feng's martial soul at a glance. The purple-black electric light seemed stronger than her own Thunder Blade, and the extra ring at the end of the hilt made it less likely to be dropped.

Overall, these were good changes—a beneficial mutation.

Shen Feng smiled proudly, "The student surpasses the master. It is not a Thunder Blade, yet it is better than a Thunder Blade. I have named it Leiming."

"Wherever the blade passes, the thunder roars incessantly."

Ling Na's eyes lit up. "Not bad, a very fitting name."

"But what does this have to do with what you said about 'which' martial soul? Could it be that you have a second martial soul?"

Shen Feng nodded slightly. "That's right, I actually do."

As he spoke, Shen Feng moved his mind again, and a faint golden light began to bloom on his body, but the martial soul remained invisible.

"A Body Martial Soul? Just like me!"

Seeing the golden light blooming on Shen Feng's body, Shen Rui immediately realized that this was a Body Martial Soul, just like his own.

A type of martial soul distinct from Tool Martial Souls and Beast Martial Souls, where one's own body is the martial soul.

However, his martial soul was his own arms, while Shen Feng's seemed to be his entire body.

Shen Feng nodded in confirmation. "Dad is right, it is a Body Martial Soul. My own body is my martial soul."

"And I seem to be able to manifest both martial souls at the same time, allowing them to exert their respective effects simultaneously."

Prompted by Shen Feng, Shen Rui and Ling Na realized that when Shen Feng's Body Martial Soul was activated, the Leiming blade in his hand had not been retracted.

The two turned to look at each other in shock, simultaneously blurting out a single term: "Martial Soul Fusion Skill!!"

Shen Feng was stunned for a moment. "This is a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? Can one fuse with their own martial souls?"

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

Ling Na nodded solemnly. "Okay!"

As she spoke, Ling Na reached out and grabbed Shen Rui's right hand, and her body began to bloom with dazzling blue lightning.

Shen Rui's body also began to erupt with golden light, especially his right arm, which was the most brilliant.

As the light grew brighter, Shen Feng could not help but cover his eyes.

At this moment, Flender, who was outside issuing martial soul certificates for the two children who had just awakened their power, felt the fluctuations inside the Martial Soul Hall and could not help but turn around.

Looking at the strange light blooming from the shattered entrance of the Martial Soul Hall, Flender frowned and muttered to himself, "A Martial Soul Fusion Skill? No wonder they dared to confront me head-on."

"But why are they using a Martial Soul Fusion Skill at a time like this? Could it be to intimidate me?"

Flender's brows were locked tight; he found it somewhat difficult to fathom the actions of the Shen Feng family inside.

"Whatever. My original intention was just to recruit a student, not to cause trouble. If they want to intimidate me, let them. As long as they don't start a fight, there is nothing to worry about."

Shaking his head helplessly, Flender handed the martial soul certificates to the parents of the two children, then cleared the nearby residents away. He found a shady spot to sit down and waited for the Shen Feng family to finish their discussion.

Regardless, he was determined to recruit Shen Feng as a student; even a Title Douluo wouldn't stop him—unless a Title Douluo actually showed up.

Inside the stone Martial Soul Hall, the light gradually dissipated. The figures of Ling Na and Shen Rui had disappeared, and in their place stood a tall figure clad in battle armor.

This person was about two and a half meters tall, wearing light golden armor and a helmet that obscured his face. He held a blue zanbato blade over three meters long, and blue electric arcs danced wildly on the blade, constantly emitting a terrifying crackling sound.

Ten soul rings—four yellow, four purple, and two black—circled his body, and a violent aura spread recklessly in all directions.

Standing beneath this silhouette, Shen Feng's legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

Although he knew this was a Martial Soul Fusion Skill performed by his parents and that it wouldn't actually harm him, the instinctive fear the human body feels when facing something far more powerful than itself is simply not something one's subjective consciousness can control.

It is just like a short person facing a seven-foot-tall giant; even if you know they won't hurt you, deep down, you still cannot help but feel intimidated.

Shen Feng was the same at this moment; despite his conscious mind not being afraid, his adrenaline was surging, and his body continued to shake.

Fortunately, this pressure came and went quickly. To avoid harming Shen Feng, Shen Rui and Ling Na promptly deactivated their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, their figures appearing amidst a flash of light.

Ling Na smiled slightly and reached out to rub Shen Feng's stiff little face.

"Is Xiao Feng scared? I never expected that our daring little Xiao Feng would have something he's afraid of."

"But don't be afraid, that was the Martial Soul Fusion Skill my father and I share, the Thunder Warrior."

"Don't let the fact that we are only five-ring Soul Kings fool you; once we use our Martial Soul Fusion Skill, even a seven-ring Soul Saint wouldn't be able to gain any advantage against us."

"And while your current coexistence of twin martial souls isn't a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, you will definitely have the chance to complete a solo self-fusion skill in the future."

"After all, how could the affinity between two different people's martial souls ever be as high as your own twin martial souls, which are inherently from the same source?"

Shen Rui stepped forward at this moment, his tone gentle as he said, "But you must always remember: never use this technique unless it is the final moment."

"Furthermore, do not reveal your body martial soul in front of others. This world is not as peaceful as you think."

"Your Innate Full Soul Power talent is already the limit of what your mother and I can protect. If there were anything more, we fear we would not be able to guarantee your safety."

Shen Feng nodded with a solemn expression, "A tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Dad, Mom, don't worry, your son understands."