Firearm Manufacturing Mastery

"Although the Solitary Bamboo lacks offensive capabilities, its defensive power is astonishing."

"If it were only a ten-year Solitary Bamboo, I would let you attempt it yourself."

"But this is a full two-hundred-year Solitary Bamboo. With your strength, you probably couldn't even damage it."

"So, let me help you."

Ding Xiulun finished speaking, swung the rake in his hands, and smashed it toward the Solitary Bamboo.

"Clang!"

The rake landed on the Solitary Bamboo, emitting a crisp, short sound like metal striking stone, vibrating the rake's teeth until they trembled.

"See? This hundred-year Solitary Bamboo is tough, isn't it?"

"Even I, a Great Spirit Master, cannot directly damage it, let alone a child like you."

Tang San nodded gently. "Thank you for your hard work, Deacon Ding!"

Ding Xiulun chuckled. "As long as you can obtain a powerful spirit ring, any hardship is worth it!"

"First Spirit Skill, Power of the Rake!"

"Second Spirit Skill, Power of the Rake!"

Ding Xiulun let out two consecutive low shouts. The ten-year spirit ring and the hundred-year spirit ring at his feet lit up one after another, and then, two layers of earthy-yellow light covered the rake in Ding Xiulun's hands.

"Fall for me!"

Ding Xiulun shouted with great momentum, swung the rake in his hands, and smashed it into the Solitary Bamboo once more.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, the two-hundred-year Solitary Bamboo fell to the ground, though it did not break completely, still connected by a few remaining fibers.

Ding Xiulun hurriedly shouted, "Tang San, take a knife and cut through the remaining fibers of the Solitary Bamboo completely."

Tang San immediately followed his instructions, taking a kitchen knife and spending quite a bit of effort before successfully killing the hundred-year Solitary Bamboo.

As the hundred-year Solitary Bamboo fell heavily to the ground, a yellow spirit ring slowly rose.

Ding Xiulun said with satisfaction, "Go ahead and absorb your hundred-year spirit ring."

Tang San nodded, sat cross-legged on the spot, and began to absorb the spirit ring using the method Ding Xiulun had taught him.

It took less than an hour for him to successfully claim the Solitary Bamboo spirit ring, and the entire process went very smoothly.

Having successfully obtained his First Spirit Ring, Tang San did not feel particularly happy or excited; instead, he felt a sense of having made the wrong choice.

"Choosing the Solitary Bamboo as my first spirit ring shouldn't be wrong, but this age..."

Tang San realized belatedly, "Two hundred years seems to be far from the limit of what I can withstand."

"It's a good thing it didn't reach your limit. You should be happy that you even had a two-hundred-year Solitary Bamboo to absorb."

"If I hadn't been afraid you wouldn't take the bait, I would have arranged a ten-year Solitary Bamboo for you."

"If I had really let you absorb a four-hundred-year Solitary Bamboo, wouldn't that have been an epic-level boost for you?"

Duan Fan thought to himself. He had just finished lunch and returned to his room.

He had been monitoring Tang San's movements all afternoon. Although there were some twists and turns along the way, the final result was exactly as he had anticipated.

"I originally intended to arrange a Solitary Bamboo just over a hundred years old for Tang San. I didn't expect him to be so lucky as to encounter a two-hundred-year one. Even so, I should still be able to receive the system reward."

If Tang San were allowed to develop normally, his first spirit ring would have been a Mandala Snake of about four hundred years.

Although the Mandala Snake was not particularly suitable for Tang San, its age was significant.

Compared to that, a two-hundred-year Solitary Bamboo still had a large gap.

Just as Duan Fan was thinking about the system reward, the system prompt arrived right on cue.

[Modification successful! Tang San's First Spirit Ring has changed; his growth will slow down!]

[Reward obtained: Firearm Manufacturing Mastery; Modification count *1!]

"The reward really arrived!"

"What the hell is this Firearm Manufacturing Mastery? Is it meant to correspond to Tang San's Hidden Weapons?"

"With the current level of industrial manufacturing in Douluo Continent, can guns even be built?"

Duan Fan felt some skepticism in his heart.

At that moment, a wealth of knowledge regarding firearm manufacturing had already appeared deep in his mind.

From the most primitive matchlock guns—those crude weapons that required pouring gunpowder down the muzzle, tamping it down with a ramrod, and finally lighting a match cord to wait for a dull boom;

To hand-cranked Gatling guns, where six barrels were rotated by a handle to achieve continuous firing;

And then to semi-automatic rifles fed by magazines, where a single trigger pull completed the ejection of the shell and the chambering of a new round.

The structure, parts, and gunpowder ratios of every type of gun were clearly engraved in his mind, down to the exact way to rifle the barrel, how deep the grooves should be, and the precise twist rate.

But knowing how to build them was one thing; whether they could actually be built was another.

After all, this was the Douluo Continent.

And it was during the Douluo I era.

The level of industrial manufacturing was extremely limited.

To say nothing else, the mere requirement for a gun barrel blocked the vast majority of possibilities.

A gun barrel required seamless steel tubing; even for the most rudimentary smoothbore barrel, one had to roll iron plates and forge-weld them, and the weld seam had to withstand the pressure of gunpowder gases without bursting.

Could the blacksmiths of Douluo truly forge such a thing?

Duan Fan took a deep breath, trying his best not to be so pessimistic.

Suddenly, he thought of something, and a glimmer of hope for firearm manufacturing rose in his heart.

Actually, Douluo's industrial manufacturing doesn't seem as backward as I imagined; Tang San's Hidden Weapons are a perfect testament to that.

Among his Hidden Weapons, there is no lack of parts with incredible precision.

If even the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus can be crafted, manufacturing a gun doesn't seem entirely impossible.

As long as there is a sufficiently skilled blacksmith and no expense is spared on manual grinding, the basic components of a gun should be manufacturable.

Duan Fan began to imagine the scene of crafting various firearms, but just as he was about to lose himself in it, his inner reason pulled him back to reality.

What am I thinking?

I am only six years old this year.

How could a six-year-old child developing toward the path of gunsmithing possibly hide it from his uncle and aunt?

If I get discovered, should I say I had a dream?

Why does this excuse sound so familiar?

It seems someone else used it, but it didn't work.

Even if my uncle and aunt don't question my identity and choose to believe me.

Then comes the most critical point.

What about money?

Manufacturing guns is incredibly expensive, especially starting from scratch.

This thing burns through money much faster than Hidden Weapons.

I should just put the matter of gunsmithing aside for now. Once I grow older and possess a certain level of financial strength, I will slowly develop in that direction.

If there's an opportunity, I could go to a blacksmith shop to inquire about the situation; crafting something like a matchlock musket shouldn't cost that much.

Duan Fan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts still drifting as he began to ponder other matters.

Uncle said at noon today that the Notting City Elementary Spirit Master Academy will begin a new school year in three months. If I want to enroll in Notting Academy, I can enter now and graduate a year early, allowing me to head to a higher-level Spirit Master academy sooner.

If I am to go to Spirit City, I must decide as soon as possible. The earlier I go, the sooner I can understand the situation there.

If I can't stay in Spirit City, I can always rush back.

Duan Fan made a decision in his heart: "Then I'll go to Spirit City. I'll feel a bit unwilling if I don't go and see it for myself."

"No matter what, it should have better prospects for development than staying at Notting Academy."

"If I truly develop there, once I've stayed for a few years and established a firm footing, I'll bring my uncle and aunt over together."

"It will also be easier for me to do my own things there, such as building guns."

"I still have two chances to modify fate, and I can continue to obtain more from Tang San later, so I don't need to worry about accidents happening there."

That same evening, Duan Fan told Fang Qingshan his choice.

Fang Qingshan supported him as always, and the very next day, he took Duan Fan on the road to Spirit City.