Another Three Years

Seeing the system prompt before him, a smile appeared on Duan Fan's face.

"It really was a successful modification!"

Yu Xiaogang's obsession is even deeper than I imagined. Especially since Tang San didn't take him as a master, he has almost no reservations in his heart. I only had to deepen his obsession slightly, and everything developed exactly as I had envisioned.

Of course, the most important factor is that Tang San trusts Yu Xiaogang's theories implicitly; otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to Yu Xiaogang's proposal.

Now that Tang San's Second Soul Ring has changed from the original six-hundred-year-old Ghost Vine to a three-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake, his growth has been restricted once again. By the time I reach the Soul King level, I expect he will still be struggling at the Soul Grand Master level. I'll be able to keep him under my thumb for the rest of my life.

I don't even need to wait for the future; my current strength is enough to easily annihilate Tang San. Without Tang Hao's protection, killing Tang San would be as easy as flipping my hand. But it seems more useful to keep him alive to continuously reap system rewards. If I kill him, I might not be able to obtain all the rewards; that would be no different from killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Setting aside these thoughts, Duan Fan began to carefully examine the system rewards.

Aside from the fixed modification count reward, there was also a [Wind Chasing Lightning] skill.

"Wind Chasing Lightning, a movement skill. It must have come from Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track destiny."

Information regarding Wind Chasing Lightning had already flooded into Duan Fan's mind.

This was a top-tier skill that transformed one's movement into the momentum of wind and thunder.

It possessed both the elegance and unpredictability of wind, as well as the instantaneous explosive power and penetration of lightning.

Using Wind Chasing Lightning allowed the body to become as light as the wind, moving with almost no sound.

It could also trigger an instantaneous burst of speed, turning the user into a streak of lightning invisible to the naked eye to perform short-range, warping dashes.

Like the skill rewards obtained in the past, Duan Fan did not need to study it deeply; he could use it with just a thought.

He felt the urge to try it out, and as he shifted his feet, he moved through the dormitory as freely as the wind.

At times he was like lightning, traveling from the dormitory door to the window in the blink of an eye.

"The dormitory is still too small; I can't fully unleash the effects of Wind Chasing Lightning."

Duan Fan felt a bit unsatisfied. He glanced at the sky outside the window, which had turned completely dark, and planned in his heart: It's not appropriate to go out now. After I finish my cultivation tomorrow, I'll go to the Soul Skill Practice Area in the Soul Fighting Arena to test Wind Chasing Lightning.

Actually, Martial Soul Hall Academy was quite safe, and going out at night was usually fine.

However, Duan Fan's status was somewhat special, and he was currently under the gaze of too many eyes.

People had even gone so far as to inquire about his crafting of firearm parts.

Although it was just an inquiry and no one had delved deeper, it still made Duan Fan feel a sense of unease.

He realized that all his actions were being watched, which made him subconsciously want to avoid any abnormal behavior.

For a time, Duan Fan even suspected that everything he did in his dormitory was being monitored.

During that period, his nerves were frayed and he felt terrible, taking quite a lot of effort to adjust his mindset.

He was still somewhat sensitive now, but he was slowly adjusting.

Because he was too outstanding—one could even describe him as a monster—it was normal to receive attention from many people.

But clearly, it was impossible for anyone to watch Duan Fan every single second; at most, they were just keeping an eye on his movements.

After understanding Wind Chasing Lightning, Duan Fan's thoughts turned to the modification count rewarded by the system.

"I've obtained another modification opportunity this time. Counting the previous three, I now have a total of four chances to modify my own destiny."

"I'll keep them all for now. My life is very stable and peaceful, and everything is moving in a better direction. There's nothing that needs to be modified."

"Saving these opportunities for later will surely bring greater benefits."

Duan Fan used to think about using his destiny modification chances to make himself stronger.

When he was obtaining his third and fourth soul rings, he even tried to modify the "drop rate" of soul beasts, hoping that, like Tang San, he could obtain an External Soul Bone when absorbing a soul ring beyond his limit.

Unfortunately, the modifications all failed in the end.

At that time, Duan Fan even suspected that the destiny modification chances were just for show, but his mindset slowly changed later on.

When he was still weak, using a destiny modification chance for anything other than a life-or-death situation was somewhat of a waste.

Since he was growing steadily, he would face more opportunities once he became truly powerful. Modifying destiny at a critical moment then would clearly be more cost-effective.

As for things like External Soul Bones, he could have them later.

By then, wouldn't an External Soul Bone dropped from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast be stronger than one dropped from a thousand-year or ten-thousand-year soul beast?

Duan Fan didn't dwell on it further, his gaze falling on the firearm part blueprints on the table.

Over these three years, the AWM had been successfully manufactured.

Duan Fan had test-fired the weapon, and its power was terrifying—far stronger than the 98K.

Besides the AWM, Duan Fan had also attempted to craft other firearms.

Now, his Black Ring contained several guns, and the quantity of ammunition was constantly accumulating.

The gun Duan Fan had been working on recently was the Barrett M82. Compared to it, the AWM was a precise scalpel, while the other was a heavy hammer for smashing walls.

The .338 ammunition fired by the AWM had a kinetic energy of about 6500 joules, pursuing extreme precision and lethal penetration at a kilometer away; it was a super-powerful anti-personnel weapon.

The 12.7×99mm ammunition fired by the Barrett, however, had a kinetic energy exceeding 17000 joules—more than two and a half times that of the AWM. Its original design intent was to punch through light armored vehicles and aircraft.

Against a Soul Saint-level soul master, the AWM would require a precise hit to unprotected vitals like the eyes or throat.

Barrett, however, had no such need; its heavy warheads, paired with armor-piercing rounds, could directly challenge the protective defenses of a Martial Soul Avatar. As long as it grazed the torso, the immense kinetic energy would shatter internal organs right through the defense.

"I must keep building these guns. Even if there's no use for them right now, having a stockpile will surely come in handy later."

Duan Fan encouraged himself in his heart, then continued sketching firearm components.

A month later.

The Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament officially began, yet Duan Fan did not receive any notification regarding participation.

Clearly, the higher-ups had no intention of letting him compete; otherwise, they would have told him long ago.

If Duan Fan were allowed to compete, with his monstrous combat prowess, the tournament championship would undoubtedly belong to Martial Soul Hall.

In fact, the Martial Soul Hall Academy team, even without Duan Fan, still displayed overwhelming dominance, crushing the competition to claim the final championship.

In the blink of an eye, another three years passed.

On this day, with the sky clear and bright, twelve-year-old Duan Fan arrived at the most exalted and sacred place in Martial Soul Hall: the Douluo Worship Hall.

Golden Crocodile Douluo, having been in seclusion for several years, had emerged today and, remembering his disciple, summoned him for an audience.