Douluo: Starting by Crafting a Gun Chapter 4

Seeing Shen Feng so sensible, Shen Rui and Ling Na breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Sometimes, having a son who is too monstrously talented can be a massive disaster for an ordinary family like theirs.

As the saying goes, a man commits no crime, but his wealth is his undoing; such world-class aptitude is, in the eyes of others, nothing more than a precious piece of jade.

Need one look no further than the seven-ring Soul Saint still sitting under the big tree at their gate, stubbornly refusing to leave?

"Xiao Feng, what do you think of that Soul Saint's proposal from earlier?"

Shen Rui hadn't originally wanted Shen Feng to attend that so-called Shrek Academy, but now, he and his wife truly couldn't get a handle on Shen Feng's talent.

Other academies were crowded and complex, and Shen Feng's Innate Full Soul Power would easily invite unnecessary trouble.

Yet, even counting all the teachers and students, Shrek Academy had a grand total of only six people.

Furthermore, there was already one student with Innate Full Soul Power who could provide cover for Shen Feng; as long as Shen Feng didn't reveal his Second Martial Soul in front of them, he would generally be quite safe.

Another factor was that the strongest person in the academy was only a seven-ring Soul Saint; even if something went wrong, Shen Rui and his wife could fully handle the situation.

As for keeping Shen Feng under their wings and teaching him alone, that was completely unrealistic.

Because Shen Rui knew that in this world, no powerhouse had ever grown up under the protection of their predecessors.

Without experiencing storms, one would only end up like horse manure—shiny on the surface but full of chaff inside, crumbling at the slightest touch.

Clearly, Shen Feng understood this logic as well. "I think going to Shrek Academy is fine, but we must have our own requirements."

"After all, they are the ones begging me to enroll now, not the other way around."

Shen Rui nodded. "We must certainly set conditions. After all, your mother and I wouldn't be at ease if you went alone."

"Right, Nana? How about we go to Shrek Academy along with Xiao Feng?"

"With our strength, serving as guest lecturers for them should be more than enough."

Ling Na frowned slightly; having a poor impression of Shrek Academy, she felt an instinctive resistance.

But for the sake of Shen Feng, she suppressed her displeasure and nodded gently. "Fine, I will follow your arrangements."

After the family reached an agreement, they walked out of the Martial Soul Hall, and Flender immediately stood up to greet them.

"You two, how have you considered it? One-on-one instruction, abundant educational resources, and a companion with the same Innate Full Soul Power to grow alongside him."

"I believe there is no academy in this world more suitable for Xiao Feng's growth than ours."

Shen Rui stepped forward to stand before Flender, bowed slightly, and said, "Senior, we have discussed it. Xiao Feng can go to your Shrek Academy to study."

"However, we also have a few small conditions."

Flender frowned slightly; he hadn't expected that even after making such concessions, Shen Rui would still have conditions.

But letting go of Shen Feng—a Battle Soul Master with Innate Full Soul Power who was even more worth cultivating than Oscar—was certainly not a realistic option.

After all, their Shrek Academy was in desperate need of a peerless genius who could truly dominate the world to make a name for itself.

Although Oscar also had Innate Full Soul Power, as a Food-Type Soul Master who required protection from Battle Soul Masters, he could never achieve that.

"State your conditions." After a moment of thought and weighing the pros and cons, Flender decided to hear Shen Rui out.

Shen Rui held up three fingers. "Our conditions are few; there are only three."

"First, my wife and I must also accompany Xiao Feng to Shrek Academy."

Flender's eyes flashed with a hint of brilliance; he hadn't expected such a good deal—buy one, get two free?

He nodded impatiently and agreed readily, "That is fine. I welcome your arrival."

Shen Rui nodded slightly and stated the second condition.

"Second, regarding Xiao Feng's education, my wife and I must participate, and on the most important matter of soul rings, our opinions must take precedence."

Flender pondered for a moment and nodded again. "That condition is not excessive. I can agree to it."

Shen Rui spoke again, "Third, if Shrek Academy's training fails to provide Xiao Feng with proper growth, we have the right to withdraw from Shrek Academy at any time, and you are not permitted to hinder us."

Flender frowned, gritted his teeth, and said, "Fine, I can agree to this condition as well."

"But I also have some conditions that you two must agree to."

Shen Rui smiled slightly. "Please speak, Senior."

Flender's expression turned serious, and he said in an unquestionable tone, "Our Shrek Academy is different from other Soul Master Academies. We are a true monster academy, and we practice elite education where we would rather have nothing than settle for mediocrity."

"Therefore, our teaching philosophy differs greatly from other academies. You may have doubts, but you cannot voice them in front of others, especially not in front of the students."

"If there is anything you don't understand, you may come to me privately, and I will personally provide you with a reasonable explanation."

"If you truly find it difficult to understand, or simply do not agree with our teaching philosophy, then you are free to leave at any time."

Flender had come to realize that forced melons are not sweet, and they only serve to offend people.

Rather than offending this family with infinite potential and causing himself trouble, it was better to provide them with the greatest convenience and use it to demonstrate his sincerity.

Ling Na thought for a moment and finally decided to ask about the doubt in her heart. "Senior, I have a question I would like to ask you now. Would that be alright?"

Flender nodded. "Feel free to speak."

Ling Na bowed and said, "Four years ago, when my husband and I went to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for soul rings, we had a brief encounter with Qin Ming from your academy."

"It cannot be denied that Qin Ming's strength is indeed impressive, and his soul power cultivation is on par with the two of us."

"However, I am very curious as to why his Fifth Soul Ring is a purple thousand-year soul ring?"

"Logically speaking, his aptitude is excellent, and it is not impossible for him to break through to the Title Douluo realm in the future. Why, then, did he fail to achieve even the most basic optimal soul ring configuration?"

Hearing this, Flender laughed heartily and said, "That is actually not strange at all."

"I wonder if you are aware of the maximum absorption limits for soul rings at each level?"

Shen Feng raised his hand and said, "I know this."

"According to the Reference Catalog for Soul Master Soul Ring Absorption published by Martial Soul Hall, the maximum absorption limit for the first soul ring is 400 to 450 years."

"The second soul ring limit is 750 to 800 years."

"The third soul ring limit is 1,700 to 1,800 years."

"The fourth soul ring limit is around 5,000 years."

"The fifth soul ring limit is around 12,000 years."

"The sixth soul ring limit is around 20,000 years."

"The seventh soul ring limit is between 30,000 and 50,000 years. This varies depending on the different attributes of the soul master, with Power Attack System soul masters of beast martial souls having the highest absorption limit, and food-type soul masters among the support systems having the lowest."

"The eighth soul ring limit is generally over 50,000 years, but it does not exclude cases where a soul master might make trade-offs when encountering an extremely suitable martial soul, resulting in a soul ring that does not reach 50,000 years."

"The most famous example of this is Tai Ta, the patriarch of the Strength Clan. His eighth soul ring is from a Qianjun Ant over 30,000 years old. Although the age is not high, it provided him with a massive boost in strength."

"As for a soul master's ninth soul ring, theoretically, it can reach the maximum of over 100,000 years, but 100,000-year soul beasts are rare and difficult to hunt, which is why there are hardly any soul masters in the world who possess a 100,000-year soul ring."

Shen Feng spoke fluently, flexibly applying what he had learned over the years and providing cross-referenced examples.

Flender nodded with satisfaction: "Well said. The fact that you know the deeds of such powerful figures shows that you have indeed learned a great deal at such a young age."

"However, there is actually a more precise version of what you just said. In Shrek Academy, there is a book called Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul, which contains more detailed research on martial souls. You can read it in detail after you go to Shrek Academy."

Shen Feng nodded, bowed slightly, and smiled: "Thank you, senior. Actually, I have heard of this book for a long time, but I just never had the opportunity to read it."

Yu Xiaogang's greatest achievement? I'm really curious what kind of nonsense is written in there.

Seeing Shen Feng's humble appearance, Flender was in a great mood.

Look at how well this child speaks. "Read it"—what a humble term. That is a masterpiece written by my good brother; it truly deserves to be read carefully.

Waving his hand, Flender suppressed the pride in his heart: "It is a good thing to be eager to learn. You will have plenty to study once you get to Shrek Academy."

"Now, let me explain to you why Qin Ming's fifth soul ring is only a thousand-year purple soul ring."

"First, the graduation requirement for our Shrek Academy is to reach the level 40 Soul Ancestor realm before the age of twenty."

"This means that by the time Qin Ming obtained his fifth soul ring, he had already graduated from our academy. Naturally, we teachers do not interfere too much in his personal life."

"Second, the thousand-year fifth soul ring that Qin Ming obtained came from a fire-attribute wolf-type soul beast that was nearly ten thousand years old, which is not far from the 12,000-year limit for a fifth ring."

"The attribute was suitable, the category was a perfect match, and the age was not far off, so Qin Ming's fifth soul ring cannot be considered an incorrect absorption."

"You are also soul masters, so you naturally know the difficulty of hunting soul rings."

"Especially at the critical juncture of the fifth soul ring, it is not easy to find a soul beast that is just over ten thousand years old but under 12,000 years, and also highly compatible with the soul master."

"I imagine the two of you must have spent a great deal of effort finding a suitable fifth soul ring."

Ling Na and Shen Rui looked at each other, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes.

"It doesn't seem that hard, does it? You pay for information and hunt for half a month. I remember when they were two years old, they went out twice, and each time they returned in just half a month."

Suddenly, Shen Feng's remark caused the scene to fall into an awkward silence.

Flender laughed awkwardly: "Well, uh, our academy cares more about cultivating the students' independence. Paying for information... haha, you know how it is, haha..."

Shen Rui and Ling Na were a bit confused as to why Flender was acting so out of character, but Shen Feng knew exactly why.

Who in the world doesn't know that paying for information is convenient? But with the poverty-stricken state of Shrek Academy, could they even afford that kind of money?

Let Qin Ming pay for it himself at that time?

He was just a poor kid who had just graduated, and unlike Shen Rui and Ling Na, he hadn't participated in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament to win a substantial prize.

Moreover, Shen Rui would often go out to help others hunt soul rings to earn commissions; his wealth was far greater than that of Qin Ming, who had just graduated from Shrek Academy.

When one is poor but has a stiff pride, and is unwilling to join other major powers for help, one can only swallow the bitter fruit alone.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Qin Ming later chose to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy and serve as a teacher there.

"Senior, senior."

Flender's awkward smile was truly unsightly. Shen Rui did not want him to continue offending his beautiful wife's eyes, so he ignored Flender's hidden embarrassment and called out twice.

"Ah? Ah? What is it?" Flender snapped back to reality.

Shen Rui coughed twice: "Senior, Xiao Feng is a rare talent with Innate Full Soul Power. Ling Na and I do not want to delay his cultivation, so we hope to help him obtain his first soul ring as soon as possible so he can continue his training after becoming a soul master."

Flender glanced at Shen Feng and nodded solemnly: "That is as it should be. Cultivation in the early stages of a soul master is the fastest, especially for someone with Innate Full Soul Power. A few months could mean a difference of a whole level, so it cannot be delayed."

"However, have the two of you decided what kind of soul beast to hunt for Xiao Feng? Do you need me to offer some advice?"

Ling Na nodded: "Senior, please rest assured. The martial soul Xiao Feng inherited is my Thunder Blade, though it has undergone a slight, positive mutation."

"To choose a spirit ring, any spirit beast possessing attributes like lightning, sharpness, or sturdiness will suffice."

"Prioritize plant-type spirit beasts like Thunder Sword Bamboo, Thunder-Roaring Wood, or Hundred-Thunder Thorn; secondarily, choose lightning-attribute dragon-type spirit beasts; and only as a last resort, lightning-attribute beast-type spirit beasts."

Flender nodded slightly: "The selection criteria are feasible and there are no major issues. As for the age, I suggest not exceeding 423 years."

"This is because it is the most precise limit for absorbing a first spirit ring, calculated after years of dedicated research by a knowledgeable friend of mine."

Ling Na frowned, feeling even more that this Shrek Academy was not very reliable.

When hunting spirit beasts, spirit masters can only estimate a spirit beast's age based on its external characteristics.

Precise down to the single digit? Heh, Ling Na really couldn't understand how such a value could be derived.

"Mom." At this moment, Shen Feng suddenly tugged on Ling Na's clothes.

Ling Na turned her head: "What is it, Xiao Feng?"

Shen Feng said in a childlike manner: "Mom, have you forgotten? I ate a Red Fruit when I was little, and I feel like my physical strength can absorb a spirit ring of a higher age."

"Red Fruit?" Ling Na suddenly felt a bit confused, as she truly didn't remember ever giving Shen Feng any Red Fruit.

"Da Feng, did you give Xiao Feng some kind of Red Fruit?"

Shen Rui frowned, then suddenly realized: "Right, back then I did pick a red Strange Fruit from the Star Dou Forest and gave it to Xiao Feng to eat."

"Now that Xiao Feng has awakened his martial soul, I'm afraid the medicinal effects of that Strange Fruit have been completely stimulated."

"We really should give Xiao Feng a thorough physical examination; perhaps Xiao Feng can truly exceed the limit and absorb a higher-age spirit ring."