Spiders, So Many Spiders (Part 2)

On the Soul Fighting Platform, Wen Xiyue stood opposite Duan Fan, the two separated by nearly thirty meters.

The girl, whose skin was so fair it was nearly translucent and whose features were as exquisite as a painting, maintained a cold expression, carrying an arrogance that belied her age.

It was as if the sparring match before her was nothing more than a tedious game.

"Wen Xiyue, Martial Soul Black-Striped Ghost Leopard, Soul Power level fourteen. Please advise!"

This was the first time Duan Fan had heard Wen Xiyue speak.

Her voice was somewhat cute, forming a stark contrast to her icy exterior.

Following Wen Xiyue's lead, Duan Fan also spoke: "Duan Fan, Martial Soul Writing Brush, Soul Power level fourteen. Please advise!"

As Duan Fan's voice faded, Wen Xiyue immediately activated her Martial Soul.

Seeing this, Duan Fan followed suit and activated his own.

"Ghost Leopard, Avatar!"

With a low shout from Wen Xiyue, a thick black shadow emerged from her body. Like ink dropped into water, it instantly permeated her entire being, shrouding her until it vaguely formed the phantom of a black leopard.

At the same moment, Wen Xiyue's appearance underwent visible changes.

From her smooth black hair, a pair of black leopard ears sprouted out of thin air. The tips stood slightly erect, covered on the inside with fine, silver-gray down that twitched unconsciously.

Her fingernails rapidly lengthened and hardened, curving like small sickles, their tips gleaming with a cold, dark luster.

Two small fangs protruded from the corners of her mouth; though only an inch long, they were piercingly sharp.

Most striking of all was the black leopard tail that extended from her tailbone behind her. About two feet long, it swayed rhythmically from side to side, like a young leopard adjusting its center of gravity in preparation to pounce.

Duan Fan's release of his Martial Soul was much simpler. He opened his right hand, and as white light surged, a writing brush about thirty centimeters long materialized.

Simultaneously, a yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath Duan Fan's feet.

Wen Xiyue also possessed a century-level Soul Ring.

The aura of Soul Power radiating from her was on par with Duan Fan's.

After activating her Martial Soul, Wen Xiyue immediately charged toward Duan Fan.

Her speed was immense, fast enough to leave trails of afterimages in the air.

As she advanced, Wen Xiyue's First Soul Ring suddenly flared.

Her speed surged instantly, becoming so fast that her figure was nearly impossible to track.

The thirty-meter distance was closed in a heartbeat. Before she even reached Duan Fan, her sharp claws were already slashing through the air.

As for Duan Fan, he had begun to move the moment Wen Xiyue did.

The century-level Soul Ring on his body glowed, and his first soul skill, Life from the Brush, was activated.

Silver lines were drawn from the tip of his brush, quickly outlining the silhouette of a spider.

Facing Wen Xiyue's rapid approach, Duan Fan remained extremely calm as he painted with his Fantasy Pen.

Just as Wen Xiyue was about to reach him, Duan Fan's painting was completed.

It was a silver spider.

The moment Duan Fan finished the final stroke, it came to life, landing heavily on the ground. It was the size of a table, shielding Duan Fan behind it.

Wen Xiyue tried to bypass the spider to attack Duan Fan, but every move she made seemed to be anticipated. No matter which direction she attacked from, she was met first by the giant spider's legs.

When the spider legs collided with Wen Xiyue's claws, they emitted a metallic friction sound, knocking her back.

In just a few short breaths, Wen Xiyue, who had been on the offensive, was forced into a defensive position.

Wen Xiyue's speed was indeed fast, but in terms of size and strength, the gap between her and the giant spider was too great.

Before long, Wen Xiyue was cornered to the edge of the Soul Fighting Platform by the giant spider.

As the spider's leg descended once more, Wen Xiyue was forced off the platform, suffering a humiliating defeat.

After losing, Wen Xiyue couldn't hold back her emotions. She pointed at the giant spider and shouted indignantly, "You cheated!"

"That's a Dream-Weaving Spider, I recognize it! And it's a six-hundred-year-old Dream-Weaving Spider at that. How can you let a Soul Beast fight in your place?"

Seeing the proud little girl lose her composure, Duan Fan couldn't help but smile: "This Soul Beast was drawn by me; why can't it fight for me? Are you saying I'm not allowed to use my soul skills?"

Wen Xiyue was rendered speechless, wanting to rush back onto the platform to fight Duan Fan again, but she was held back by Li Ruolan.

"Alright, Xiyue, calm down. We must learn to accept defeat."

"Go rest on the side for a moment."

"Duan Fan, you go down and rest as well."

Wen Xiyue finally relented, though she glared at Duan Fan before heading to the rest area.

Duan Fan found Wen Xiyue's behavior somewhat baffling, but once he remembered she was only a six-year-old child, he understood that any reaction was possible.

If Wen Xiyue had maintained her icy facade the entire time, that would have been the truly abnormal thing.

Duan Fan retracted his martial soul, and the Dream-Weaving Spider dissipated into silver motes of light at his will.

As he headed toward the rest area, Duan Fan noticed that his entire class was staring at him in shock.

Clearly, they had just been spooked by the Dream-Weaving Spider.

I have to say, it wasn't half bad.

Showing off in front of a bunch of kids felt pretty good.

Even if he was technically just a kid himself.

After Duan Fan and Wen Xiyue stepped off the stage, Li Ruolan quickly arranged for new students to take their places.

The students were all evenly matched in strength, so their battles lacked any real excitement.

They were all one-ringed, each possessing only a single soul skill.

Moreover, their soul skills were all standard and unremarkable.

Not everyone could possess a special soul skill like Duan Fan.

It was worth noting that every student possessed a one-ring, and they were all century-level soul rings.

Of course, there was nothing surprising about that; after all, this was Spirit Hall Academy.

And Junior Class Ten was clearly not simple.

Judging by the students' ages and soul power levels, one could infer that their Innate Soul Power was likely no lower than level seven.

Especially Wen Xiyue, who most likely possessed Full Innate Soul Power as well.

Duan Fan was somewhat interested in Wen Xiyue's martial soul.

Black-Striped Ghost Leopard... why does that sound so familiar?

About half an hour later, the students' battles concluded.

Except for the first match between Duan Fan and Wen Xiyue, Li Ruolan provided guidance to the students after each subsequent fight.

She offered advice on things like the timing of soul skill activation and control over their abilities.

Once the final pair finished their match and Li Ruolan finished her critique, her gaze landed on Duan Fan.

"Duan Fan, you should be rested by now, right? Let's have another round of practical training."

"Understood, Teacher Li."

Duan Fan and Li Ruolan stepped onto the Soul Fighting Platform and stood facing each other.

At Li Ruolan's signal, Duan Fan activated his martial soul.

"If I attack the Dream-Weaving Spider you summon, will you take any damage?" Li Ruolan asked.

Duan Fan replied, "No."

Li Ruolan nodded. "Good. Then, I want you to attack me with everything you've got."

"Begin."

Duan Fan said, "Understood."

Li Ruolan did not release her martial soul, and Duan Fan didn't bother to point it out.

It was obvious that Teacher Li's soul power level was definitely not low; dealing with a one-ringed small fry like him would be a breeze even without using her martial soul.

Duan Fan simply focused on painting to his heart's content.

As the soul ring on Duan Fan's body lit up, the scene from his earlier battle with Wen Xiyue repeated itself.

Duan Fan swiftly painted a Dream-Weaving Spider and brought it to life.

Just when everyone expected the Dream-Weaving Spider to immediately attack Li Ruolan as it had done with Wen Xiyue, the soul ring on Duan Fan's body lit up once more.

Soon, another Dream-Weaving Spider was painted by Duan Fan, landing on the ground at the same table-sized scale.

Upon seeing the second Dream-Weaving Spider, the expressions of everyone present began to shift subtly.

However, it wasn't over yet.

Duan Fan's soul ring lit up a third time, and a third Dream-Weaving Spider soon appeared in everyone's line of sight.

The expressions of all the students became fascinating to behold, while Li Ruolan, standing on the Soul Fighting Platform, swallowed hard involuntarily.

And the scene that followed left everyone's jaws on the floor.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, all three Dream-Weaving Spiders utilized their weaving ability, spitting out silk to quickly construct even larger spiders.

In an instant, six spiders lined up on the Soul Fighting Platform.

There were three table-sized Dream-Weaving Spiders and three even larger giant spiders.

Standing opposite Duan Fan, Li Ruolan silently activated her martial soul.