Spirit Binding and General Summoning! Soul Ring Devouring!

How many years of cultivation could an eleventh-rank Soul Master truly contend against in a soul beast?

One need only look to Yu Xiaogang's near-fatal struggle against a four-hundred-year Datura Snake to know that an ordinary eleventh-rank Soul Master who had just awakened a century-old soul ring would find it difficult to match even a century-old soul beast of the same age, usually left with no choice but to flee in disgrace.

Yet the scene before them completely overturned that common understanding.

A genuine century-old Wind Baboon had failed to last even a single exchange the instant Lin Ya unleashed his first soul skill, dying on the spot!

What did that mean?

It meant that the Devouring Demon Spider manifested by Lin Ya's first soul skill retained nearly three hundred years of its cultivation from when it was alive!

"Lin Ya! Your first soul skill is simply heaven-defying!" Xue Xing strode over to Lin Ya's side, the excitement in his eyes nearly overflowing.

Today, Lin Ya had brought him countless surprises. The terrifying might of merely his first soul skill was enough to prove that Lin Ya's Outsider martial soul was no ordinary thing!

However, after pondering for a moment, the Soul Saint accompanying them regained his composure and calmly poured cold water over the excitement.

"My lord, Young Master Lin Ya's soul skill is indeed formidable, but if it can only manifest a three-hundred-year soul beast, then its upper limit will at most carry him to rank thirty. It will not be of much use later on."

At that, Xue Xing immediately shot him an annoyed glare.

Did you need to say that? Can't you see I'm encouraging the child? You have no tact at all!

Every soul skill of a Soul Master was crucial. As one's rank increased, even the initial first soul skill would grow stronger accordingly. A first soul skill unleashed by a rank-nineteen Soul Master might not defeat a three-hundred-year Devouring Demon Spider, but if a rank-thirty-nine Soul Elder activated it, no ordinary century-old soul beast could withstand it.

With the Soul Saint's reminder, the surrounding Soul Masters watching the scene also recovered from their initial shock, and their gazes toward Lin Ya gradually returned to normal.

So, Young Master Lin Ya's first soul skill did not seem as powerful as they had imagined. It could even be considered mediocre?

But how could Spirit Binding and General Summoning be such a simple and superficial ability?

Just as Lin Ya silently considered the Soul Saint's words, the Devouring Demon Spider, having lost the control of his will, suddenly moved on its own.

It first lowered its head and glanced at Lin Ya before abruptly turning around, its gaze locking onto the Wind Baboon's corpse that had just been slain—or, more precisely, the yellow century-old soul ring floating above the Wind Baboon's head.

Lin Ya noticed this, but he did not stop it.

As the holder of Spirit Binding and General Summoning, he possessed absolute control over soul rings and souls. There was no need to worry about any backlash.

"What... does it want to do?"

In an instant, a flash of insight crossed Lin Ya's mind, and he recalled the deepest secret at the core of Spirit Binding and General Summoning!

Spirit Binding and General Summoning originated as one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills from the world of Under One Person. Its core was divided into two major abilities: Spirit Binding and Spirit Consumption.

Spirit Binding could forcibly control multiple spiritual entities. Whether beast spirits, monster spirits, or human souls, all could be enslaved, breaking the limitation of traditional shamans, who could only contract with a single spiritual entity;

Spirit Consumption, on the other hand, could directly devour spiritual entities, turning their power into one's own and permanently strengthening one's cultivation!

However, when Lin Ya had read the comic before transmigrating, he had always felt that devouring the souls of living beings was too evil. Moreover, the secrets of Spirit Binding and General Summoning had never been fully revealed, so he had always feared that Spirit Consumption might conceal unknown side effects.

Besides, he always felt that sitting alone and gnawing on a soul ring would be rather strange, so he had not dared to try it lightly at first.

But now, after merging with the laws of Douluo Continent, his Spirit Binding and General Summoning had undergone an unprecedented mutation!

Crack—

A crisp sound, like someone biting into fruit, suddenly tore through the entire area.

Everyone's gazes instantly focused on the Devouring Demon Spider.

With just one look, every Soul Master present froze in place, their pupils shrinking as disbelief filled their faces!

The Devouring Demon Spider manifested by the soul skill had opened its fangs and begun directly devouring the Wind Baboon's century-old soul ring!

As the soul ring was consumed bit by bit, the soul-beast aura around the Devouring Demon Spider surged wildly at a rate visible to the naked eye!

Lin Ya had reservations about Spirit Consumption, but soul beasts themselves followed the law of the strong preying upon the weak. Besides, his first soul ring had come from the ferocious Devouring Demon Spider. Eating a Wind Baboon's soul ring was no more than an everyday meal.

When the Devouring Demon Spider swallowed the final fragment of the soul ring, Lin Ya's body suddenly trembled. A burst of incomparably pure power flowed through the link of the soul skill and directly into his first soul ring!

Though the fluctuation of power was not immense, Lin Ya could clearly sense—

The age of his first soul ring had forcibly risen from three hundred and eleven years to three hundred and sixty-six years!

"This is... soul ring devouring!"

Lin Ya abruptly raised his head and stared at the Devouring Demon Spider before him, which still looked unsatisfied, his heart pounding wildly.

Soul ring devouring!

This ability was not entirely unheard of on Douluo Continent. After Tang Ya of Unrivaled Tang Sect joined the ranks of evil Soul Masters, her original two yellow and one purple soul rings all turned black. The soul-spirit system in Legend of the Dragon King could likewise evolve through mutual devouring.

But the efficiency of such enhancement was extremely low. Even if a ten-thousand-year soul spirit devoured another ten-thousand-year soul spirit, it could at most gain a thousand years, with a conversion rate barely reaching ten percent.

Yet Lin Ya's Spirit Binding and General Summoning had achieved a terrifying conversion rate of fifty percent!

"I hit the jackpot! I'm completely set!"

In Lin Ya's mind, he could already see his first soul ring advancing step by step to a thousand years, ten thousand years, and even a hundred thousand years!

And that was not all! As his first soul ring awakened Spirit Binding and General Summoning, a complete and flawless Spirit Binding and General Summoning cultivation method was directly imprinted deep within his consciousness.

Did that mean every soul ring he obtained in the future could be enhanced through this method of devouring?

And that the soul spirits he could control were far from limited to the one Devouring Demon Spider before him?

Nine great soul rings meant nine mighty soul beasts!

And he was one of a kind—a twin martial soul wielder!

Once eighteen hundred-thousand-year soul beasts appeared together, even Spirit Hall's upper echelon would be utterly crushed head-on!

Just imagining that earth-shaking scene made Lin Ya's entire body tremble slightly with excitement.

Although Xue Xing beside him had no idea that Lin Ya's soul ring age had quietly increased, he could clearly see the surging aura around the Devouring Demon Spider. His face was filled with shock and wild delight.

This was still the early era of Douluo Continent. The soul master system remained in its classical stage, and there was not much resistance toward devouring soul beast souls or soul rings. Besides, the creatures Lin Ya had killed were soul beasts to begin with. Soul masters killing soul beasts was simply the natural order of things.

If this were ten thousand years later, Lin Ya would have been branded an evil soul master for this ability to devour soul rings alone and hunted down by soul masters across the entire continent.

Xue Xing made his decision at once and raised a hand in signal.

A Soul Emperor beside him immediately understood. He struck out with a backhanded palm, instantly killing the two-hundred-year Phoenix-Tail Cockscomb Snake inside the cage. Its soul ring rose into the air.

After doing all that, the Soul Emperor even made an inviting gesture toward the Devouring Demon Spider.

The Devouring Demon Spider immediately grew restless, yet it kept its head lowered toward Lin Ya, silently awaiting its master's command.

Lin Ya nodded slightly, a trace of anticipation flashing through his eyes.

He had been meaning to test whether Spirit Binding and General Summoning could only devour the soul rings of soul beasts he had personally killed, or whether it could devour any soul ring at all.

If it was the latter...

Then his path toward increasing his cultivation would become smoother than ever before!