Making a Pistol, Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear

At night, Dai Mubai did not immediately begin meditating. Instead, he sat alone at the table and took more than a dozen scattered iron-gray parts from his storage ring.

There was a slide, barrel, recoil spring, firing pin, magazine...

If anyone from the modern world had been here, they would have recognized at a glance that these were the disassembled components of a pistol.

Dai Mubai's fingertips brushed over the parts, and his gaze grew distant for a moment.

In his previous life in the military, blind disassembly and reassembly of a Type 92 pistol had been a mandatory course for recruits. Dai Mubai could identify the shape of every component with his eyes closed.

But now, these parts had cost him endless effort.

The blacksmithing on Douluo Continent was fairly refined, and forging steel was no challenge. However, firearms demanded extreme precision; perfectly replicating one was harder than reaching the heavens.

Dai Mubai had spent an entire year breaking the pistol down into thirty-seven blueprints, sending them in batches to three different smithies in Suotuo City to be forged separately under the name of "precision components."

After obtaining the parts, Dai Mubai personally polished every joining surface in detail before barely assembling five crude pistols from more than a dozen sets of components.

"Click."

A faint metallic sound rang out.

The slide returned to position, the recoil spring fitted into place, and the barrel slid into its guide rails.

Dai Mubai held his breath, pulled down the hammer with his thumb, then slowly reset it.

Although the mechanism was slightly stiff, it was not a major problem. A little more polishing would make everything fit perfectly.

The real problem was the bullets.

The main component of modern gunpowder was nitrocellulose, made by dissolving it in alcohol and then gelatinizing it. The process was extremely precise.

Preparing nitrocellulose required advanced chemical industry support. There was no point even thinking about it in this world; one careless mistake could cause a spontaneous explosion.

Dai Mubai settled for the next best thing, replacing it with traditional gunpowder. He repeatedly mixed saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur in a seven-to-one-to-two ratio, then added a small amount of grease to improve stability.

Traditional gunpowder produced much more smoke, had less power, a shorter range, and far worse stability.

Fortunately, Dai Mubai only needed a small amount of gunpowder. Though he had failed several times, he had not caused any harm. He had merely helped Flender build a new dormitory for free.

In the end, he barely managed to make fewer than a hundred brass-cased bullets, just enough to fill the magazines of five pistols, fifteen rounds each.

Mass-producing this thing was still unrealistic. For now, he could only make a few by hand for self-defense.

"But this is already enough," Dai Mubai murmured.

Loaded, chambered, grip in hand.

Dai Mubai raised the pistol and aimed the sights out the window. The crude gun body gleamed with a cold, faint light.

Tang San's hidden weapon, the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, was merely a cold weapon, yet it could break through a Soul Ancestor's defenses. My pistol may be a little crude, but it is still a firearm.

Dai Mubai had long tested the pistol's power in the forest behind the mountain. Based on his understanding of this world, it could likely threaten Soul Masters below the Soul King rank.

If it caught an enemy off guard, it could even break through a Soul Emperor's defenses and inflict damage.

If the enemy had no defenses at all, who knew how effective it would be? After all, there was no Titled Douluo around for him to test it on.

Dai Mubai nodded in satisfaction and put the pistols into his storage ring. These were his final trump cards, and unless it was an emergency, he should avoid using them.

The next day, Star Dou Great Forest.

Ancient trees towered overhead, blocking out the sky and sun.

Zhao Wuji and Dai Mubai moved one behind the other through the depths of the dense forest in the thousand-year Soul Beast region.

"Mubai, do you have a target Soul Beast for your third Soul Ring?" Zhao Wuji asked in a low voice, his eyes vigilantly sweeping their surroundings.

Dai Mubai had long made up his mind. Through the generations, the Star Luo Royal Family had usually chosen a Vajra Tiger for their third Soul Ring, gaining the soul skill White Tiger Vajra Transformation.

The original owner's third soul skill had been precisely this. It could increase attack, defense, and strength by one hundred percent for half an hour.

But since he had decided to take a different path, he wanted to gamble on something greater.

"Teacher Zhao," Dai Mubai said, his eyes burning, "I want to find a Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear that is more than three thousand years old."

Zhao Wuji stopped short, his brow furrowing deeply. "Have you lost your mind, brat? A Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear? I've lived half my life and never even seen one of those things!"

"Let's give it a try, Teacher Zhao." Dai Mubai smiled. "If we really can't find one, a Vajra Tiger will do. That'll be our fallback."

Zhao Wuji waved his hand helplessly. "Fine, fine!"

"Teacher Zhao, I'll clear the way." Secretly delighted, Dai Mubai eagerly stepped forward.

Fifteen days later.

Dai Mubai had already passed up several good Soul Beast options, and Zhao Wuji's patience was nearly exhausted.

At last, their efforts paid off. After passing through a thorn-covered thicket, the two finally found the target Dai Mubai had been searching for.

It was a Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear, resting beneath an ancient tree ahead.

The Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear was covered in dark golden fur, every strand standing upright like a steel needle.

Even while lying down, it stood nearly two meters tall at the shoulder, and its sturdy limbs contained explosive power.

Most terrifying of all were its front paws. Five sharp claws were half-retracted and half-exposed, glinting with a chilling light.

Dai Mubai's pupils contracted slightly. Suppressing his wild delight, he said in a low voice, "Teacher Zhao, look! There it is. Judging by its size, it should be around three thousand five hundred years old. Now I'll have to trouble you."

Zhao Wuji was completely stunned. They had really found a Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear!

His expression turned extremely grave. "A three-thousand-five-hundred-year Soul Ring. Are you sure you can withstand it, brat?"

Dai Mubai's gaze was firm. "Didn't you personally test me at the academy? My physical strength is already close to that of a Soul Ancestor. Don't worry, Teacher Zhao!"

Zhao Wuji took a deep breath, battle intent gradually rising in his eyes. "Good! Then today, I'll go crazy with you!"

A three-thousand-five-hundred-year Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear possessed strength equivalent to an ordinary Soul Beast twenty to thirty thousand years old. Its power surpassed that of a Soul Emperor and could even reach the level of a Soul Sage.

Zhao Wuji did not dare underestimate it. He circulated his Soul Power, and his body suddenly swelled as he activated his Vajra Vajra Bear Martial Soul Possession.

Seven Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet: two yellow, two purple, and three black.

"Seventh soul skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"

Without hesitation, Zhao Wuji activated his Martial Soul Avatar.

The Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear was startled awake. It sprang to its feet and released an earth-shaking roar, its dark golden body like a moving mountain as it charged straight at them.

Boom!

The two massive bears collided with a thunderous crash. Shockwaves surged out, sending sand and rocks flying.

Every clash between Zhao Wuji's bear paws and the Dreadclaw Bear's sharp claws rang out like metal striking metal, shaking leaves loose from trees within a hundred zhang.

The battle raged until the sky darkened.

The Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's defense was utterly monstrous. Every swipe of its claws left deep marks on Zhao Wuji's Martial Soul Avatar.

Half an hour later, after exhausting every ounce of his strength, with his Soul Power nearly depleted and wounds all over his body, Zhao Wuji finally beat the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear to the brink of death. It collapsed on the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices.

"Quick... Mubai!" Zhao Wuji panted heavily, his voice hoarse.

Dai Mubai had already activated his Martial Soul Possession. He leaped into the air, his tiger claws wrapped in pale golden Soul Power. One claw struck at the Dreadclaw Bear's eye, while the other precisely pierced its throat, ending the life of the forest overlord.

A deep purple Soul Ring slowly rose from the Dreadclaw Bear's corpse, radiating a suffocating pressure.