"Third Soul Skill — Swift Sword Like the Wind!"
The attacker was none other than Chen Feng. Wielding his brilliant azure Seven Kill Sword, he sliced off the remaining legs of the Man-Faced Demon Spider in one clean strike!
This was his newly acquired third soul skill, granted by the Lightning Saber-Toothed Leopard he had just hunted. As expected, it had given him a skill as swift as the wind and as fierce as thunder—agile, violent, and precise.
The reason he chose to make his move now was simple: it was part of his plan.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider hadn't been a true threat to Tang San. Chen Feng intervened deliberately to make Tang San owe him a favor—and more importantly, to secure the legendary treasure attached to this beast: the external soul bone.
Tang San was momentarily stunned. Chen Feng's arrival had been far too dramatic, and in one move, he completely disabled the spider. Tang San knew he couldn't compare—even if they were about the same age.
Then he noticed something even more shocking:
"Yellow… purple… purple?!"
The configuration broke the limit of conventional soul ring age progression, and Tang San's mind reeled.
How is this even possible?
"Curious?" Chen Feng smiled as he walked over. "I just happened to absorb a thousand-year ring that had just hit its age threshold. Got lucky."
He glanced at the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang San's hand. Tang San, in turn, stared at Chen Feng's soul rings, then his gaze locked onto the sword.
"Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?" Tang San asked, tone softening slightly.
"Yes." Chen Feng nodded. He didn't hide it. Joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was already part of his plan—no need to be secretive anymore.
"The Clear Sky Hammer is hailed as the strongest Tool-type Assault Martial Spirit of this era," Chen Feng remarked casually. "If you trained with that instead of Blue Silver Grass, you'd be much stronger. You'd have no trouble with this Man-Faced Demon Spider."
Tang San immediately tensed.
Twin Spirits.
That secret was known to only two people: Tang Hao and the Grandmaster. Both had warned him never to reveal it—not even to his closest companions. Yet somehow, this Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect soul master had recognized it in an instant.
Tang San cursed inwardly. He had let his guard down.
Caught off guard by Chen Feng's display, he had forgotten to hide the Clear Sky Hammer.
Tang San narrowed his eyes.
In the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, where no one would know…
If I eliminate him here, then my secret dies with him.
But reason quickly reasserted itself.
Currently, Chen Feng is stronger.
Tang San was still only a Grand Soul Master at the peak of Rank 29.
He was close to becoming a Soul Elder, but not quite there.
And while Tang San's hidden weapons, Xuan Tian Techniques, and other tricks might let him escape, it was doubtful he could win in a direct fight.
Chen Feng, on the other hand, was thinking the same.
I'd love to kill him now and be done with it…
But Tang San was a tricky opponent, full of unknown methods—hidden weapons, martial arts, and mystical internal energy. Chen Feng was confident he was stronger, but catching Tang San might be another story.
No—better to take it slow.
Weaken him step by step.
One day, I'll surpass him completely.
He'll be my grindstone—the whetstone to hone my blade.
Chen Feng pointed at the Man-Faced Demon Spider.
"I tracked this thing here. I already cut off four of its legs earlier. I think you could tell."
Tang San silently put away his Clear Sky Hammer and rose to his feet. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded.
Truthfully, the Man-Faced Demon Spider was exactly what the Grandmaster had described as his ideal third soul ring—it complemented Blue Silver Grass perfectly.
But it was clear this beast had already been injured before it encountered it.
Chen Feng wasn't lying.
Tang San bit his lip, then clasped his fists in a polite gesture.
"Friend, my sister was taken by a powerful soul beast. I need to break through to Soul Elder quickly to rescue her. Would you… Are you willing to let me take this soul ring?"
Chen Feng raised an eyebrow.
"Your sister was taken? And instead of chasing after her, you're still thinking about a soul ring?"
"If I become a Soul Elder, I'll be stronger—and I'll have a better chance of finding her."
Chen Feng cut him off.
"Let me guess… the beast that took her was the Titan Giant Ape, right? I saw it earlier."
"To be honest, whether you're a Grand Soul Master or a Soul Elder doesn't matter to something like that. You'd still just be throwing your life away."
Tang San paused.
"…You're not wrong."
Chen Feng sighed and patted the spider's carcass.
"You want to use this thing for your third soul ring, yeah?"
Tang San nodded.
"I'm already a Soul Elder," Chen Feng continued. "So I don't need it. But… I do want something else from this beast."
"The soul ring's yours—but only after I extract what I need."
Tang San's heart skipped.
Could it be… a soul bone?
He wasn't far off—but not entirely right either.
A 3,000-year soul beast's regular soul bone was valuable, but not priceless.
However, a growth-type external soul bone?
That was a treasure of incalculable worth.
But Tang San didn't know that.
The Grandmaster had yet to teach him the theory of external soul bones. At this point, Tang San didn't even know such things existed.
"Thank you. Really. Thank you so much!"
Tang San was deeply moved. In his eyes, giving up a soul ring was a massive gesture. As for the so-called "soul bone"? A thousand one wasn't worth crying over.
Chen Feng smiled and nodded.
"No need to thank me. Rongrong is your friend, isn't she? That makes us practically family."
"Right! Right!" Tang San nodded like a bobblehead.
Chen Feng almost laughed aloud.
"Family, my ass."
"This was supposed to be yours, Tang San. And now you're thanking me for taking it. Are you an idiot?"
With Chen Feng's permission, Tang San stepped forward and smashed the spider's head with his Clear Sky Hammer. The beast, crippled and helpless, let out one final shriek before falling still.
Buzz—
A deep violet soul ring slowly formed above the corpse. Tang San swallowed hard, but instead of rushing forward, he took a step back to let Chen Feng go first, per their agreement.
Chen Feng stepped up and began dissecting the corpse with the Seven Kill Sword.
After a few precise cuts, he finally uncovered a faintly glowing exoskeleton embedded in the spider's spine. With one final motion, he carefully pried it free.
"Got it," he said. "The soul ring's all yours."
Chen Feng stowed the external soul bone and sat down nearby to begin absorbing its power.
Unlike soul rings, soul bones took far less time to absorb and caused little pain. Chen Feng wasn't worried—it was a safe and efficient process.
If anything went wrong, he could just absorb it again later.
Soul ring absorption, however, was a different story entirely.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider was over 1,700 years old, far exceeding the usual limit for a third soul ring. That meant the process would be extremely dangerous.
And if anything interrupted it, it could be fatal.
As if reading Tang San's mind, Chen Feng added gently:
"Don't worry. Once I'm done with the soul bone, I'll guard you while you absorb the ring."
He even chuckled and added:
"We're all one big family, after all."
Tang San was moved.
He was so touched, he nearly burst into tears.
"There are good people in the world!"
Without needing another word, Tang San stood off to the side, standing guard for Chen Feng instead.
"You absorb it first, brother. I'll protect you."