Bibi Dong's Fourth Soul Skill

"So that's how it was."

Inside the tent, Bibi Dong sat up, arms wrapped around her long, shapely legs, chin resting on her knees as she quietly listened to Hals recount the scene. Hals knelt to the side, his entire body shrouded in his robe.

The two sat facing each other in prolonged silence.

After a long while, Bibi Dong turned her head toward Hals, lowered it, and asked, "Hals, should we still continue to hunt for soul rings?" A trace of weariness laced her voice.

"Yes, Master. Of course, if you are too tired, I can go capture a soul beast for you to slay." Hals bowed respectfully in reply.

Bibi Dong shook her head. "No need, Hals. Let's go together. After all, it's my soul ring. I hope to obtain it with my own hands."

"As you command, Master."

"Hals?"

"Here, Master."

Bibi Dong suddenly remembered something. "How are Xiong Yiyi and the others? Did they get their soul rings?"

"Xiong Yiyi is unharmed. Jiabulin's martial soul shattered and he fainted. He should be mostly recovered by now. Neither of them obtained their soul rings."

"Mm. Go prepare, Hals. Tomorrow we set out to acquire the soul ring." Bibi Dong nodded as she spoke.

"Yes, Master."

Watching Hals lift the tent flap and slowly fade into the shadows, Bibi Dong murmured to herself.

"Hals... just what kind of person are you?"

The next day.

The recovered Bibi Dong and her two companions once again set out on the journey to find soul rings. Only Jiabulin still seemed slightly weak. But this time, the trio had become a quartet—Hals had joined the group, sticking close to Bibi Dong's side without a step's distance.

Jiabulin must have heard from Xiong Yiyi about Hals's massacre. Every now and then, when he glanced at Hals, his eyes held both fear and a hint of admiration.

The atmosphere among the four was far less lively than before. Perhaps it was the pressure of Hals's presence, or perhaps the recent events had dealt them a blow.

"Boom."

A dull rumble sounded. Hals swiftly grabbed Bibi Dong and pulled her aside. Where they had been about to step, a massive spider soul beast burst from the ground—its body covered in spikes and armor. Unlike ordinary spiders, this one had only six legs, but they were thick and powerful, each joint bearing two or three sharp, tapering spines five or six centimeters long that gleamed with metallic luster. The sight alone was menacing.

"A Thorn Demon Spider, Master. It looks to be a ten-thousand-year soul beast already, but no more than twelve thousand years. It should be quite suitable for you." Hals's eyes flickered with a cold light as he spoke. "Master, shall I capture it?" His right hand had already moved to the hooked chain at his waist.

"No, Hals." Bibi Dong's eyes held both excitement and gravity. "This is my prey. I will capture it myself. Just guard me from the sidelines."

"Yes, Master." Hals stepped back three paces, but his hand remained on the chain, ready at all times.

"Martial Soul Possession." Bibi Dong let out a crisp shout. Her right arm and the right half of her body were covered in a layer of deep purple armor, while a pale purple carapace spread over her face. Only her eyes were exposed—two large ones and four small ones evenly distributed, covered by a transparent red crystal. Around her body, three soul rings—yellow, purple, purple—pulsed rhythmically. She didn't know how she looked to others, but in Hals's eyes, she was brimming with heroic spirit.

The boost from Martial Soul Possession restored Bibi Dong's confidence. A slight smile curved her lips. "Hals, don't underestimate me."

This was Bibi Dong's first martial soul, named Death Spider Emperor—an extremely powerful assault-type beast martial soul that granted a tremendous boost to its user.

A cloud of dust erupted. Where Bibi Dong had stood, only a massive crater and radiating cracks remained. She had already shot above the Thorn Demon Spider, slamming a heavy fist into the armor plate where no spikes grew.

"Boom."

The enormous spider was knocked flat by that forceful punch, another cloud of dust swirling around it.

"Tough..." Bibi Dong landed a hit and immediately dodged to the side to create distance. Her right fist, hidden behind her back, trembled slightly before quickly steadying. She watched the Thorn Demon Spider rise again, eyeing the spot she had struck—and found it completely unharmed.

Bibi Dong's expression hardened. She bit her pink lip. "If one punch won't break it, I'll hit it dozens of times."

Relying on her smaller size and greater agility, she narrowly dodged each swing of the spider's legs while repeatedly hammering its hard carapace.

The Thorn Demon Spider's thick, spike-covered legs swept at her with a vicious wind. One misstep and she would be crushed. But instead of fear, Bibi Dong felt only excitement.

She didn't realize that with Hals present, she had unconsciously relaxed. Deep down, she firmly believed she wouldn't get hurt in front of him.

The Thorn Demon Spider couldn't land a hit on Bibi Dong, and Bibi Dong couldn't crack its shell.

Her First Soul Skill, a hundred-year soul ring skill called Spider Emperor Consciousness, was a passive boost to crisis perception and an active boost to reaction speed—useful only for dodging, not much else.

Her Third Soul Skill, a thousand-year skill called Spider Web, could fire two venomous webs. But unfortunately, the webs weren't strong, and the venom wasn't potent—especially against the Thorn Demon Spider's thick armor, which made toxin penetration difficult.

But her Second Soul Skill, also a thousand-year skill called Soul-Crossing Spider Spear, could play a much bigger role.

Bibi Dong had clearly thought of this. She raised her right hand to waist height, and her Second Soul Ring flared with dazzling, eerie purple light. A pitch-black, deep spear gleaming with metallic luster materialized in her hand.

She continued to circle the Thorn Demon Spider, searching for a better angle to strike.

One ancient tree after another fell, crushed by the shockwaves of the battle between human and beast.

Suddenly, Bibi Dong's eyes lit up. Her gaze locked like a blade onto the joint connecting the spider's second left leg to its body—exposed as it swung.

"There!" Her eyes sharpened, and she let out a crisp shout.

"Ha!"

Her legs bent slightly, then she launched herself like an arrow from a bow. In the blink of an eye, she reached the spider's left side and drove the spear with all her might deep into the joint, piercing into the Thorn Demon Spider's brain and churning it to pulp.

The spider's movements froze. Its massive body crashed down like a small mountain. But Bibi Dong was caught in the awkward moment between expended and new strength. Yet she showed no worry, shouting instead:

"Hals!"

In that critical instant, Hals's Third Soul Ring flared with a strange, bright yet dark light, its outermost edge tinged with a faint green glow.

A miniature Soul-Guiding Lantern appeared beside Bibi Dong as if crossing space itself.

"Pick up the lantern!" Hals's voice carried an unusual urgency for the first time.

Hearing the shout, Bibi Dong instinctively slapped a palm against the lantern. The lantern blazed with green light, pulling her instantly to Hals's side.

Experiencing this sensation of crossing through time and space for the first time, Bibi Dong felt a bit dizzy. She shook her head and looked at Hals with some surprise.

"Hals, you really do know how to surprise me." Bibi Dong didn't even notice that her voice had relaxed and brightened. If before she had seen Hals as nothing more than a detested subordinate, now he seemed more like a favored household servant, or perhaps a friend.

"At your service, Master." Hals showed no trace of pride, still bowing respectfully with a hand over his chest.

"Oh, you..." Bibi Dong started to speak but stopped, finally just shaking her head and turning her gaze to the ten-thousand-year Soul Beast she had killed.

A black Soul Ring rose into the air. In Hals's eyes, the soul of a green Thorn Demon Spider rose alongside it. The Soul-Guiding Lantern at his waist seemed to sense the soul's presence, flickering as its suction force surged, forcibly drawing the newborn soul into itself.

Hals snapped back to reality, only to find Bibi Dong already sitting cross-legged, drawing the Thorn Demon Spider's Soul Ring toward her to begin fusion.

Hals breathed a slight sigh of relief. With the Thorn Demon Spider's soul fully imprisoned by him, Bibi Dong's absorption would naturally meet no resistance.

Relaxing, Hals looked around and suddenly noticed Xiong Yiyi and Jiabulin, who had been forgotten in the back of his mind. The two were huddled obediently in a corner, silent.

"You..." Hals hid his face beneath his hood, thinking for a moment. Wisps of green mist spread and then vanished.

"You have two choices. One is to wait until Master finishes absorbing, then set out together to find Soul Rings—but I don't recommend this. Jiabulin's injuries aren't fully healed, and absorbing a Soul Ring is best done at peak condition. So I suggest you either go find yours first, or wait until he recovers and come find me. If Master permits, I can take you both to acquire your Soul Rings." Having spoken so much in his hoarse voice, Hals felt he had already shown them enough courtesy—after all, they were his master's friends.

"Thank you, Lord Hals." Xiong Yiyi looked at him with gratitude. "We choose to wait until Jiabulin is better. Once he's healed, we'll come back together to find our Soul Rings."

Jiabulin beside her wanted to say something, but Xiong Yiyi grabbed him tightly, preventing him from speaking. The young man scratched his head in confusion, but still followed the girl's choice.

Hals nodded, then turned his head back to stare at Bibi Dong's delicate features.

A long while later, Bibi Dong—having absorbed the ring quickly without resistance—opened her eyes. She lightly clenched her delicate fist, and behind her emerged four Soul Rings: yellow, purple, purple, black. Gazing at the brand-new ten-thousand-year Soul Ring behind her, Bibi Dong couldn't help but feel a flicker of pride. But the moment she remembered the freak standing beside her, that small flame of pride was mercilessly extinguished.

She pursed her lips, stood up, and closed her eyes to sense her new Soul Skill—Thorn Spider Armor.

A moment later, the ten-thousand-year Soul Ring behind her flashed. A suit of hard, purple-black armor covered her entire body, studded with short but sharp, sturdy spikes. It radiated fierce killing intent.

After admiring it for a while, Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction, dismissed the skill, retracted her Soul Rings, and withdrew her Martial Soul.

"Let's go. We've been out too long; it's time to head back." Bibi Dong's tone was relaxed.

Hals naturally followed Bibi Dong's lead. The other two also obeyed the Holy Maiden of Martial Soul Hall. The group of four walked unhurriedly yet alertly toward the forest entrance.