"Life between Heaven and Earth is like the fleeting passage of a white colt's shadow across a crevice—gone in a flash." — Zhuangzi, 'Knowledge Wandered North'
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Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, three months had gone by.
As Wu Tong repeated his cycle of dormitory, classroom, library, and cafeteria—occasionally stepping out to collect his share from the snack stalls—time slipped away quietly and swiftly.
A lot had happened during these three months.
Tang San and Xiao Wu had both obtained their first soul rings within the first month and officially became one-ring soul masters.
Of course, Wu Tong had also heard about the cafeteria conflict and the duel in the back mountain. But he didn't involve himself.
Given his daily routine, he barely had spare time for distractions—and he didn't want to waste energy on trivial matters like that.
Now, Xiao Wu had already become the queen bee of the academy, while Tang San had thrown himself into a strict regimen of studying, forging, and cultivating.
As for Wu Tong, there was still no news about the Mind-Eye Golden Fox.
However, the firearms he had commissioned were already completed—two of them.
They were M500 revolvers.
Known as the most powerful handguns in the world, these guns were famous in the firearms community for their massive caliber.
Each had a .50-inch (12.7mm) muzzle, firing .50 Magnum high-power rounds. The bullets were so large that, unlike most revolvers which could hold six rounds, this one could only hold five.
Every bullet had been handmade by Wu Tong himself—powder mixed, casings pressed and polished—all manually crafted. Because of this, the production rate was low.
In three months, he had only managed to create 5,000 rounds.
But each bullet was strong enough to kill a five-ring Soul King outright, seriously wound a six-ring Soul Emperor, and even gravely injure an eight-ring Soul Douluo in a surprise attack.
After all, the M500's kinetic output was double that of the famous .50 caliber Desert Eagle.
It had the same impact force as a high-powered rifle. Its destructive power was no joke—the term "hand cannon" was no exaggeration.
However, once the opponent reached nine rings, a Title Douluo, the gun would be useless.
Title Douluos were practically superhuman.
Lower-ranked soul masters couldn't even track their movements, let alone land a shot.
"Hah... It's already been three months. It should be about time now."
"After all, the Soul Hunting Forest isn't infinite. With a thorough search, they should've found something by now."
In a small forest outside Nuoding City, Wu Tong stood at the center of a ruined grove.
Around him, trees were riddled with holes and shattered trunks. The ground was scarred with craters and broken glass bottles.
He slid his smoke-scented pistols back into the holsters strapped to his legs. His eyes were dull as he muttered to himself.
For the past three months, Wu Tong had taken time daily to hone his shooting skills.
With the terrifying computing power of his brain martial soul, he could now shoot a fly off a branch a hundred meters away—targeting only the wings without harming the insect itself.
What lay before him was simply a light training session to keep his accuracy sharp.
Still, the wasted bullets did make his heart ache.
After buying all the materials he needed, he was left with only a few thousand gold soul coins—money he still needed to hire a skilled soul-hunting team.
Right now, Wu Tong was more than a little broke.
After packing up, he returned to Nuoding Academy.
He was just about to head back to the intelligence branch to ask about any updates when, unexpectedly, a man in black walked straight up to him at the academy gate.
"You must be young Wu Tong, right? We've found something about the soul beast you commissioned us to locate."
"There were sightings of a Mind-Eye Golden Fox on the eastern side of the Soul Hunting Forest. Here's a rough map. If you plan to hunt it, you'd best go soon. It may not stay in that area for long."
The black-clothed man handed Wu Tong a map, then turned and walked away.
Wu Tong glanced at the map, suppressing the wild joy rising in his heart.
He thanked the man and put the map away.
Then, without delay, he headed off again—this time, his destination was the principal's office.
Knock, knock, knock…
The knock echoed through the office, and inside, Principal Charles frowned in puzzlement. It was the holiday—who could be coming to see him now?
"Come in."
Hearing the principal's reply, Wu Tong pushed open the door and stepped into the office.
"Principal Charles, I'm Wu Tong, a first-year student who enrolled this year. I'm here to request a leave of absence to hunt for a soul beast."
Without any small talk, Wu Tong got straight to the point.
"Oh? Wu Tong, it's you? So you're finally ready to obtain your first soul ring. I approve. I'll sign the leave slip right away."
"Do you need one of the academy instructors to accompany you on this soul hunt?"
Charles adjusted his glasses and looked at Wu Tong, whose physique had become noticeably stronger since his enrollment. A hint of relief crossed his face.
Though Wu Tong had a so-called useless martial soul, he was still one of only three students in the entire school with innate full soul power. Naturally, Charles had been keeping an eye on him.
Seeing him delay soul ring hunting for three months—spending time training his body, reading books, and seemingly wasting his rare talent—had left Charles with some mixed feelings.
On the Douluo Continent, strength ruled everything. Martial prowess was what truly mattered.
So now that Wu Tong had come to request leave, Charles genuinely felt gratified.
Even if his martial soul was weak, the desire to grow stronger was something every teacher hoped to see in their students.
"Thank you, Principal Charles, but that won't be necessary," Wu Tong replied.
"I still have some savings. For my first soul ring, I want to avoid any mistakes, so I've decided to hire a professional soul hunting team."
"They're far more experienced in the Soul Hunting Forest than the academy instructors."
Wu Tong had once considered asking a school teacher to help him, but after thinking it through, he decided to go with a hired team instead.
The reason was simple.
First, academy teachers couldn't match the in-depth familiarity soul hunting teams had with the forest.
Second, the Mind-Eye Golden Fox was located deep within the forest. Most teachers at the academy were only at the Grandmaster or Soul Elder level—they couldn't safely guide him that far in.
Lastly, Wu Tong didn't want to expose certain personal secrets, so he preferred not to travel with people who knew him.
Compared to that, soul hunting teams had vast experience, strong cultivation, and could ensure success. Wu Tong didn't want anything to go wrong.
If he failed this time, he had no idea when the next opportunity to find a Mind-Eye Golden Fox would come.
So, to get it done in one go, Wu Tong was prepared to spend several thousand gold soul coins to hire a team with Soul King-level strength.
Several thousand gold soul coins was no small amount.
While Wu Tong had made over ten thousand in just three months, that was only because his business had boomed and demand was high.
Even the Soul Saint-level teachers of Shrek Academy sometimes worried about amounts like that.
It showed how powerful the purchasing strength of gold soul coins really was on the Douluo Continent.
"All right. You've always been a thoughtful and cautious student. I trust your judgment."
"And yes, the soul hunting teams are indeed more specialized. I won't say anything more."
"Good luck obtaining your soul ring and officially becoming a soul master."
Charles thought over Wu Tong's reasoning, then nodded in understanding.
Wu Tong bowed and responded, "Don't worry, Principal Charles. I will definitely succeed."
Then, taking the signed leave slip, he turned and left the office.
(End of Chapter)