Douluo: Starting by Forging a Gun Chapter 8

"Only such injuries could have been caused by an attack from that group of Mountain-Moving Apes outside."

"To be able to take down over a dozen ten-thousand-year Mountain-Moving Apes alone while missing a left arm, and then still have the strength to seal the cave entrance with such a massive rock while severely wounded—his strength must be extraordinary. At the very least, I couldn't do it."

"It is precisely because he failed to kill those Mountain-Moving Apes without sustaining injuries that I deduce he is an eight-ring Soul Douluo."

"However, one cannot be certain that the wound on his chest was definitely caused by the Mountain-Moving Apes, so there is still a slight possibility that he was a nine-ring Title Douluo."

Clap, clap, clap, clap—

As soon as Flender finished his analysis, everyone applauded in unison.

Shen Rui cupped his hands: "Senior's experience is truly profound; that was a brilliant analysis."

Ling Na smiled slightly: "Senior is worthy of being an academy dean. Your ability to educate is truly impressive; your explanation was very clear and easy to understand."

Shen Feng bowed slightly and saluted: "Thank you for your guidance, Dean Flender."

Seeing the attitude of Shen Feng's family, Flender felt wonderful. It was worth it to have brought out all his knowledge and experience since entering this cave.

It was also fortunate that he was about 20 years older than Shen Rui and Ling Na; otherwise, the things he had accumulated over time might not have caught their eyes.

Waving his hand, Flender said with great humility: "I have simply lived a few more years than you all and have more social experience. It is not worth mentioning."

"However, the remains of this senior are a true treasure. I imagine you two are also tempted."

The expressions of Shen Rui and Ling Na changed abruptly, and they instinctively pulled Shen Feng behind them to protect him.

Flender was stunned for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter: "No need to be nervous, no need to be nervous."

"This is just a corpse. Whether there is a spirit bone or not is still up for debate, so why be so tense?"

Shen Rui's expression remained unchanged: "Senior, please don't take offense. One must always be on guard. You are a Soul Saint, while we are only Soul Kings, so..."

Flender shook his head helplessly: "Very well. We have spent too little time together; it is only natural for you two to be on guard."

"Since we discovered the remains of this senior together, let us distribute them according to the rules of a spirit master team exploring for treasure."

"Although I am a Soul Saint, you two are five-ring Soul Kings and possess a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"Therefore, our strength is about the same. If we find anything, we will split it fifty-fifty, and those in need will have priority in choosing. How about that?"

Shen Rui and Ling Na exchanged a glance and nodded slightly: "That is acceptable. You are the senior, so please do the honors of searching for the treasure."

Flender rubbed his hands together, his face full of smiles: "Then I shall not decline!"

He channeled his soul power to cover the mummified corpse, separating a sliver of spiritual power to carefully check the details of the body, searching for traps, spirit bones, or treasures.

Flender's movements were slow but very meticulous.

A moment later, Flender sighed and shook his head with some disappointment: "No spirit bone. I only found a storage Soul Tool."

Flender flicked his fingers gently, and a black wrist guard inlaid with gemstones flew out from a gap behind the corpse.

Flender caught it and frowned as he injected a sliver of soul power into it. Suddenly, a large number of bottles, jars, bones, iron tools, and other sundries flew out from the wrist guard, quickly piling up into a small mound on the ground.

Shen Feng crouched down, picked up a beautiful jade bottle from near his feet, and shook it gently; there seemed to be liquid sloshing inside.

Curious, he had just pulled out the stopper when a nauseating stench immediately wafted out from the bottle.

"Ugh~" Shen Feng immediately plugged the bottle back up, and the air became more bearable.

"What the hell is this? A biochemical weapon of mass destruction?"

Ling Na frowned, pinching her nose in disgust: "Don't touch things randomly. These items are ancient, and most of them have already rotted."

"But it is also possible that they are poison traps intentionally placed in the storage Soul Tool by someone else. If we accidentally touch these things, we might all be in trouble."

Flender glanced at Shen Feng and chuckled, "Alright, put down what you're holding, kid. We'll handle the cleanup here."

"Take this thing and go absorb your spirit ring; don't disturb us."

As he spoke, Flender tossed the storage Soul Tool wrist guard toward Shen Feng.

Shen Feng caught the wrist guard, injected a sliver of soul power, and probed it with his spiritual sense. Immediately, a 3x3x3 square space appeared in his consciousness.

"Whoa, 27 cubic meters! This is high-end stuff. Thank you, Dean Flender, you're the best."

Flender waved his hand, "Get lost quickly, before I regret it and ask for it back."

Shen Feng immediately fastened the wrist guard to his right arm and then stowed his small backpack inside it.

"Don't even think about it. Once a gift is given, it's like spilled water; there's no reason to take it back."

"You wouldn't want to ruin your reputation, would you, sir?"

Shen Rui smiled slightly and reached out to pat the back of Shen Feng's head: "Is that any way to talk to a senior?"

"Come, follow me. I will protect you while you absorb the spirit ring."

The Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo grew not far from the cave entrance; Shen Feng had already seen it when Flender brought him up earlier.

Following Shen Rui to the cave entrance, the broken stalk of the Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo still had faint purple currents flickering across it, occasionally emitting crackling sounds like a short circuit, with tiny sparks splashing out from time to time.

Shen Rui pointed at the broken Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo and said: "The Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo, like the Thunder Sword Bamboo, has a cultivation age that can be determined by the number of nodes per meter and the thickness of its main stalk."

"Generally speaking, a ten-year Sword Bamboo has a main stalk diameter of less than ten centimeters, with one extra node per meter for every ten years. A hundred-year Sword Bamboo has a main stalk diameter exceeding ten centimeters, with one extra node per meter for every hundred years, on top of the base of ten."

"The Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo in front of us has a main stalk diameter exceeding ten centimeters and has as many as eighteen nodes per meter, which means its cultivation age is already over eight hundred years, but not yet nine hundred."

"Although it slightly exceeds the 700-800 year limit I set for you, it isn't by much. While the absorption process will be difficult and painful, there shouldn't be any major danger."

Shen Feng nodded, pointed at the Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo rooted in the steep cliff face, and said with a helpless expression, "Dad, I understand what you're saying, but how am I supposed to kill it?"

Shen Rui paused for a moment. "Use your pistol. Use your small handgun; the Breaker is too powerful and might cause the cliff to collapse."

"As long as you shoot it off at the base, the spirit ring of the Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo will manifest."

Shen Feng nodded, took a small backpack out of his wrist-mounted Soul Tool, and fished out an automatic pistol equipped with a silencer.

A series of faint pfft sounds rang out, and the Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo snapped instantly. Star-like yellow light spots drifted up from its severed base, quickly converging into a brilliant, bright yellow spirit ring.

"Use your spirit power to guide the spirit ring to attach to your Leiming Blade martial soul, then immediately enter meditation to circulate your spirit power and absorb the ring's energy."

Following Shen Rui's guidance, Shen Feng raised his right hand. With a slight shift of his intent, purple light bloomed, and the shrunken Leiming Blade martial soul instantly hovered above his palm.

"Hoo~ Come on, it's decided, you're my first spirit ring."

Taking a deep breath, Shen Feng began to channel spirit power into his right hand. The purple light intensified, and the Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo was immediately drawn in by the purple glow.

Shen Rui stared intently at the drifting spirit ring and shouted in a deep voice, "Sit cross-legged, keep your mind on your martial soul, circulate your spirit power, and refine the spirit ring."

Shen Feng sat down on the spot as instructed, focusing all his attention on the martial soul in his right hand.

As the 800-year Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo spirit ring settled onto the Leiming Blade, Shen Feng immediately felt an incredibly violent energy begin to surge into his body.

Suddenly, Shen Feng felt as if his right hand had been plunged into a vat of boiling oil, and the violent lightning energy rushed into his body along his right arm.

In an instant, his internal organs felt as if they were burning, and a splitting, agonizing pain flooded Shen Feng's brain.

Crack, crack, crack—

In an instant, the bones within Shen Feng's body began to emit faint cracking sounds, as if they were being repeatedly fried in a pan of oil.

"Stay clear-headed, keep your mind on your martial soul, use your spirit power to resist the power of the spirit ring and use it to assimilate it. The pain is only temporary; power is the future!"

This was the last sentence Shen Feng heard Shen Rui say. The next second, his consciousness was completely submerged in that excruciating torment.

The spirit power within his body was fully activated at this moment. Although his level ten spirit power couldn't compare to the energy of an 800-year Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo spirit ring, Shen Feng had another martial soul passively playing its part.

The Body Martial Soul—his own body was the martial soul itself. At this moment, it had unleashed its most domineering side.

A soft, pale golden glow bloomed on Shen Feng's skin. His flesh, meridians, bones, internal organs, and everything else were coated in a layer of gold.

At the moment the Body Martial Soul took effect, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Shen Feng a human-shaped spirit beast.

With the Body Martial Soul sharing the pressure, the pain in Shen Feng's body was greatly reduced, giving him more leeway to refine the energy of the Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo spirit ring.

As the spirit power in his body flowed through his meridians carrying the energy of the Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo spirit ring, Shen Feng's spirit power grew bit by bit, allowing him to refine even more of the ring's energy.

Following this virtuous cycle, he didn't know how much time had passed when Shen Feng suddenly heard a roar in his ears, like a dam being breached by a flood.

A massive amount of spirit power, thick as water and oil, began to surge wildly within his body, flowing ceaselessly through every meridian before finally converging into a single stream and pouring into his dantian below the navel.

It's done, Shen Feng thought with wild joy.

Although this was his first time absorbing a spirit ring, Shen Feng knew in his heart that his bottleneck had been broken.

The next moment, the 800-year Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo spirit ring successfully merged into the Leiming Blade and then bloomed once more upon Shen Feng's body.

The extreme comfort of the breakthrough instantly flooded Shen Feng's entire body and brain. It was an indescribable pleasure, far more wonderful than any carnal affair.

It was the joy of bitterness ending and sweetness beginning, not the weariness after a hard battle. That pleasure felt as if he were floating on the clouds, weightless, or as if he had climbed to the peak of a mountain and entered the pinnacle of bliss.

Every one of his thirty-six thousand pores opened, greedily breathing in the wonderful air. The qualitative change began to cause strange transformations in Shen Feng's body.

"Mmm-hnn~" Shen Feng couldn't help but let out a comfortable moan.

Seeing this, Ling Na giggled softly, "If you're awake, open your eyes already. What are you pretending for?"

Shen Feng's face flushed, and he secretly opened his eyes.

Fortunately, the sunset in the distance was shining right on his face, which prevented Ling Na from seeing him make a fool of himself.

"Haha, this sunset is really nice. It seems I absorbed the spirit ring quite quickly."

Shen Rui looked at him speechlessly, "It's the second day!"

Shen Feng was stunned. He had started absorbing the spirit ring when the sun was setting and opened his eyes when the sun was setting; he thought only a short moment had passed, but he hadn't expected a full day and night to have gone by.

No wonder Ling Na and Flender, who had previously been cleaning up the miscellaneous items of that mummified predecessor, had appeared by his side at some point.

The place where the junk had been piled up had now been turned into a small mound of dirt.

Shen Rui sighed, "Don't be a fool. Get up quickly, feel your state, and then test your spirit skill."

"Oh, oh." Nodding, Shen Feng climbed up from the ground and looked down at his body.

"I seem to have grown a bit taller; my clothes are too small."

Shen Rui nodded, "That's normal. Every time you absorb a spirit ring, it's a tempering of the body. Growing taller, stronger, and gaining more power are all side benefits of increasing your strength. The most important thing is to see how your spirit skill performs."

With a slight shift of his intent, the 1.3-meter-long, complete form of the Leiming Blade instantly appeared in Shen Feng's hand. The blade was purple-black, with lightning flickering across it, crackling from time to time.

A bright yellow spirit ring slowly rose from beneath his feet, circling up and down around his body.

This was the important mark of advancing to a one-ring spirit master.

"Quick, control your spirit power and inject it into the spirit ring to trigger your spirit skill and see."

Shen Rui looked even more anxious than Shen Feng.

This was only natural; the hearts of parents are always filled with concern, and seeing one's child grow bit by bit brings a sense of fulfillment that is hard to describe.

Of course, rebellious children are the exception.

Shen Feng nodded slightly, mobilizing the soul power within his body to inject into his soul ring and activate his soul skill.

The yellow soul ring shone brightly, and the Leiming Blade in Shen Feng's hand suddenly let out a hum. The lightning flickering across the blade was instantly condensed, forming a solid, purplish-black lightning blade edge on its surface.

At first glance, it appeared as if the blade itself had been extended by more than ten centimeters out of thin air.

Shen Feng sensed it carefully and swung the Leiming Blade gently: "My strength and speed have increased by about 50%, the sharpness of the Leiming Blade has increased by 100%, and its piercing power has increased by 200%. As for the duration, it can probably last for about fifteen minutes."

Shen Rui nodded in satisfaction and analyzed, "The boost to strength and speed should be the lightning attribute fully activating your physical body, while the sharpness and piercing power are the abilities truly granted to you by the Purple Thunder Sword Bamboo soul ring."

"The duration isn't short either; it's enough to fight a battle at the Soul Grand Master level. After all, the attributes boosted by this soul skill are better than many thousand-year soul skills, so it's no surprise that it consumes more soul power."

"As your level increases and your soul power grows, the duration will also increase accordingly, so there's no need to worry about that."

Shen Feng frowned slightly: "That's not right, I feel like this soul skill has a second stage."

As he spoke, Shen Feng injected all the soul power in his body into the soul ring, and the Leiming Blade suddenly burst into a brilliant purple light.

Shen Feng gripped the hilt with both hands and slashed fiercely at the stone wall to the side, sending a meter-long purple blade aura flying out.

A loud boom rang out, and a charred blade mark nearly ten centimeters deep was left on the stone wall.

Flender, standing to the side, was startled: "Whoa, that's quite some power. It truly lives up to an eight-hundred-year soul ring; it's already comparable to the third soul skill of an average three-ring Soul Elder."

Ling Na smiled broadly: "Not bad, not bad, my little Xiao Feng is truly amazing."