Late afternoon.
Spirit Hall Academy.
Duan Fan's dormitory.
"Your Soul Power Level has reached Rank 30, Duan Fan. We've already reported it to our superiors. According to their arrangements, Elder Ghost Leopard will take you to obtain your third Soul Ring tomorrow."
"As for your choice of third Soul Ring, we've prepared some information in advance. Take a look when you have time, then just give it to Elder Ghost Leopard. If you have ideas of your own, you can tell him directly."
Li Yi spoke to Duan Fan in a gentle tone as he explained the arrangements. At the end, he handed Duan Fan a folder.
From beginning to end, his gaze was filled with excitement and fervor.
Li Ruolan stood beside Li Yi. As the teacher in charge of Junior Class Ten, she was very attentive to everything concerning Duan Fan. She was the one who had called Li Yi over, and she had already taken care of all the arrangements.
Duan Fan's status was simply too special now, so Li Ruolan had no choice but to pay close attention. Besides, many matters were no longer hers to decide. Any developments had to be reported immediately.
The response from their superiors had also come extremely quickly, clearly showing just how much importance they placed on Duan Fan.
Duan Fan accepted the folder and thanked them. "Thank you, teachers!"
Li Ruolan smiled. "All right, we've said everything that needs to be said. We won't disturb your rest any longer. When you have time, you can look through the information Teacher Li Yi prepared for you."
Li Yi added, "Teacher Fang also contributed a great deal to this information. I know that cultivation is your main priority right now, but looking it over should still do you some good."
After giving him their advice, the siblings Li Yi and Li Ruolan said goodbye to Duan Fan and left his dormitory.
Holding the folder Li Yi had given him, Duan Fan sat at the table and began to read it carefully.
It clearly listed all kinds of Soul Beasts suitable for Duan Fan. The information was extremely comprehensive, including detailed introductions to each Soul Beast, the reasons for choosing it, and the Soul Skills he might obtain afterward.
After taking some time to read through the information, Duan Fan settled on a target Soul Beast.
It was called the Three-Eyed Griffin. The document listed in detail all the advantages of choosing it for his third Soul Ring.
But Duan Fan had only one real reason for choosing it: its aerial combat ability.
As its name suggested, the Three-Eyed Griffin was an unusual flying-type Soul Beast with three eyes.
Duan Fan could now be certain that his Soul Skills were most likely tied to the ability to bring his drawings to life. Whatever kind of Soul Beast's Soul Ring he absorbed, the Soul Beast he drew would be of the same kind.
Or perhaps, like his second Soul Skill, Nine-Tails, it would cause the Soul Beast's appearance to mutate slightly, making it stronger.
Duan Fan already had Dream-Weaving Spider and Black Flame Demon Fox as land-based combat forces. Adding an aerial combat force would leave him with almost no weaknesses.
Of course, choosing a Soul Ring involved plenty of intricacies. Otherwise, there would be no need for professional Soul Master researchers like Li Yi.
But Duan Fan didn't want to spend any more time delving into those complicated matters.
He only needed to choose from among the options provided by the experts.
As it happened, the Three-Eyed Griffin was one of them.
My Fantasy Pen probably has abilities beyond just bringing my drawings to life. I'll likely have to become strong enough before I can unlock the others.
Duan Fan had thought this to himself.
As his strength increased, his understanding of the Fantasy Pen had deepened.
He had also faintly sensed that it possessed other special abilities besides bringing his drawings to life, though the sensation was still vague.
After deciding on his third Soul Ring target, Duan Fan closed the folder and set it aside.
With a thought, he took a pen and paper out of his Black Ring and began drawing the parts of a firearm.
This had become a daily habit for Duan Fan since arriving at Spirit Hall Academy.
Over the past six months, Duan Fan had successfully obtained a Kar98k rifle—and not just one, but two.
The process of making firearms had gone much more smoothly than he had expected.
He had originally thought it would take a long time to progress from the M1910 pistol to the 98K rifle. He never expected to make the leap in just half a year.
For that very reason, Duan Fan had already begun working toward more advanced firearms.
His next target firearm was called the AWM.
Obtaining the AWM would definitely take longer than making the 98K.
Until he finished making the AWM, the most powerful firearm Duan Fan owned was the 98K.
After completing the 98K, Duan Fan had already found a chance to test the rifle.
Its power was greater than he had imagined. It should have no trouble killing anyone below Soul Sage rank.
After testing both the rifle and the M1910, Duan Fan had figured out what made firearms made in Douluo so special.
Firearms made in this world seemed to have received a massive boost in power.
Duan Fan had Firearm Manufacturing Mastery in his mind, so he understood the specifications and power of all kinds of firearms.
When he focused, he could even watch test videos of various firearms.
That was how he could tell whether they had become stronger or weaker.
This also made Duan Fan think of Tang San's Hidden Weapons.
Tang San's Hidden Weapons—especially the mechanical ones—would never be as powerful as guns if they were made on Blue Star, no matter how strong they were.
But in the Douluo World, they seemed to have received some inexplicable blessing. Their power was astonishing, as if they were even stronger than firearms.
Duan Fan could now feel that same inexplicable blessing when it came to firearms.
Early the next morning.
Ghost Leopard Douluo arrived at Duan Fan's dormitory.
"Little fellow, we meet again!"
Ghost Leopard Douluo greeted him with a smile.
Before Duan Fan could respond, Ghost Leopard Douluo's large hand had already landed on him.
The next moment, everything before Duan Fan's eyes began to blur and swirl.
Duan Fan felt helpless, but he was already used to it.
As they sped along, Ghost Leopard Douluo's voice came clearly to Duan Fan's ears.
"I'll spare you the unnecessary chatter. Li Yi and the others have probably already told you."
"I'm taking you to Star Dou Forest now to help you obtain your third Soul Ring."
"This is what your teacher wants, and it's what His Holiness the Pope wants as well."
"They all hope your growth can be as perfect as possible."
After who knew how long, the scenery before Duan Fan's eyes gradually came back into focus. He and Ghost Leopard Douluo had arrived at the edge of Star Dou Forest.
Ghost Leopard Douluo's speed was astonishing. Duan Fan clearly remembered that he had only stopped to rest three times along the way.
With just those three breaks, Ghost Leopard Douluo had brought him to Star Dou Forest.
Standing beneath a great tree that would have taken several people to encircle, Ghost Leopard Douluo asked calmly, "Little fellow, have you chosen your target Soul Beast?"
As he spoke, Ghost Leopard Douluo held a folder and leafed through it without much interest.
Duan Fan was rather surprised when he saw the folder. It was the very same one Li Yi had given him.
He hadn't expected Ghost Leopard Douluo to bring the information along with him when he took Duan Fan away.
Duan Fan said, "I've chosen the Three-Eyed Griffin. I just don't know what age I should choose."
Ghost Leopard Douluo replied, "I'll know after I test it."
With that, Ghost Leopard Douluo's large hand landed on Duan Fan's head. A stream of precisely controlled Soul Power flowed into Duan Fan's body.
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