Second Soul Skill: The General's Command! Slaying the Man Faced Demon Spider

Although Xiao Lin was the youngest, he was widely knowledgeable and quick-witted. From time to time, he offered unique insights that made both Titled Douluo view him in a new light.

"Brother Xiao Lin, what do you think about Soul Ring age?" Gu Rong asked casually.

Xiao Lin thought for a moment before saying, "I think that while the age of a Soul Ring is certainly important, what matters more is its compatibility with the Martial Soul. A Millennium Soul Ring that is highly compatible with a Martial Soul may be more valuable than a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring that does not suit it."

"Well said!" Chen Xin nodded approvingly. "Many people blindly pursue high-age Soul Rings while overlooking the compatibility between the Martial Soul and the Soul Ring. That is putting the cart before the horse. The fact that you can see this means your understanding of Martial Souls has already surpassed that of most people."

"You flatter me, Big Brother," Xiao Lin said modestly.

The three chatted as they walked, unknowingly venturing dozens of li deep into the Star Dou Great Forest.

Along the way, Gu Rong and Chen Xin also kept an eye out for suitable Soul Beasts for Xiao Lin.

They found several Soul Beasts that met the conditions: a three-thousand-year-old Soulreaping Orchid, a four-thousand-year-old Netherworld Wolf, and a five-thousand-year-old Earthsplit Bear.

However, either their ages were insufficient or their attributes were not compatible enough. Xiao Lin was not particularly satisfied with any of them.

"None of these will do?" Gu Rong became a little anxious. "Brother Xiao Lin, aren't your standards too high? These Soul Beasts are all over a thousand years old. Any one of them would be more than enough for a third Soul Ring!"

"Brother Gu, I know you mean well," Xiao Lin explained. "But the third Soul Ring is very important to me. I do not want to settle. If I cannot find one that suits me perfectly, I would rather wait."

"You really know how to keep your composure, kid." Gu Rong shook his head helplessly, though the admiration in his eyes only deepened.

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted in the forest ahead.

Immediately afterward, a black shadow shot out of the undergrowth. It was astonishingly fast, practically skimming across the ground.

It even had a half-dead Netherworld Wolf clamped in its jaws—the very one Gu Rong had caught for Xiao Lin to examine earlier.

"What is that?!" Gu Rong flew into a rage. "How dare it steal my prey?!"

He was about to give chase when Xiao Lin stopped him.

"Brother Gu, wait!" Xiao Lin stared at the black shadow, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. "Look carefully at what that is!"

Gu Rong and Chen Xin focused their eyes. The black shadow stopped more than ten zhang away, tossed its prey onto the ground, pinned it beneath eight thick legs, opened its vicious mouthparts, and began devouring its meal.

It was a spider.

It was enormous, as large as a water vat, its entire body jet-black and covered in hard armor.

Most eye-catching was its back—there was a pattern resembling a human face, complete with features and a savage expression, gleaming with an eerie sheen beneath the sunlight.

A Man Faced Demon Spider!

Xiao Lin's heart began pounding.

This was good stuff! A Man Faced Demon Spider, one of the top existences among Thousand Year Soul Beasts, renowned for its speed, strength, and venom.

Its webbing was incomparably tough, impossible to cut even with blades and swords. Its venom was incredibly potent; once bitten, even a Soul King-level expert would lose the ability to fight within a short time.

More importantly, both the Man Faced Demon Spider's webbing and venom were highly compatible with control-type Soul Skills!

"That's the one!" Xiao Lin said excitedly. "Big Brothers, I want that Man Faced Demon Spider!"

"A Man Faced Demon Spider?" Gu Rong frowned. "That thing is not easy to deal with. Its venom is extremely potent, it is fast, and it is exceptionally cunning. Are you sure you want it?"

"I'm sure!" Xiao Lin said decisively.

"Good!" Chen Xin nodded. "Since you have decided, we will help you take it down. Old Bone, you seal off its escape routes. I will suppress it—"

"Please wait, Big Brothers!" Xiao Lin quickly stopped them. "I want to deal with this Man Faced Demon Spider myself."

"Yourself?" Gu Rong and Chen Xin were both stunned.

"That's right." Xiao Lin smiled faintly, confidence gleaming in his eyes.

"I know you two are doing this for my sake, but how can I grow if I rely on you for everything? This Man Faced Demon Spider has roughly seven thousand years of cultivation. It is perfect for testing the results of my six years of training."

Over the past six years, Xiao Lin had not been idling around. He had fully integrated the music of his previous life with the Martial Soul of this life.

Gu Rong and Chen Xin exchanged glances. Both saw surprise and approval in the other's eyes.

"Good kid, you've got ambition!" Gu Rong laughed heartily. "Fine, then we will stand guard for you and watch your performance!"

Chen Xin also nodded, taking several steps back and leaving the battlefield to Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin took a deep breath and slowly raised the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute.

His gaze locked onto the Man Faced Demon Spider feeding in the distance, and a faint smile slowly curved across his lips.

He suddenly brought the flute to his lips and played the first note.

"Second Soul Skill—The General's Command!"

As the flute sounded, Xiao Lin's second purple Soul Ring suddenly lit up. A rousing melody burst forth from the flute, as if thousands of troops were charging across a battlefield, horns blaring and war drums thundering!

A warm power instantly surged through Xiao Lin's limbs and bones. His eyes became brighter, his breathing steadier, and his senses sharper. His entire body entered a state of extreme excitement and absolute calm.

The General's Command was an augmentation-type Soul Skill.

It could greatly increase the attack power and morale of himself and his allies, while also granting fifty percent resistance to control effects. For Xiao Lin himself, it had an additional effect—accelerating the activation speed of all Soul Skills.

Feeling the power surging through his body, Xiao Lin's confidence soared. Without any hesitation, he directly launched a second wave of attacks.

"First Soul Skill—Guangling Melody!"

The flute music suddenly turned intense and razor-sharp. Invisible Sound Blades shot from the flute one after another, tearing through the air with piercing shrieks as they howled toward the Man Faced Demon Spider!

The Man Faced Demon Spider had been enjoying its meal when it suddenly sensed a lethal threat and instinctively tried to evade.

But Xiao Lin's attack came too quickly and too suddenly. It had no time to perform a complete evasive maneuver and could only hurriedly roll to the side.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Three Sound Blades grazed its body, leaving three deep marks on its hard armor. However, two other Sound Blades struck its two left legs with precision, severing them cleanly at the roots!

The Man Faced Demon Spider let out a shrill screech. Its massive body lost balance and toppled crookedly to the left. Golden-green blood gushed from its severed limbs, splattering across the ground.

Seizing this opportunity, Xiao Lin raised the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute again.

This time, he did not use any Soul Skill. He simply attacked with sound waves. Invisible waves spread outward like ripples, continuously battering the Man Faced Demon Spider's nerves and plunging it into confusion and agony.

The Man Faced Demon Spider struggled desperately, trying to stand again and spit out webs to bind that hateful human. But Xiao Lin's attacks were relentless, giving it no chance to catch its breath.

Its eight legs were severed one after another by Sound Blades. In the end, only its two hind legs barely supported its body as it collapsed on the ground like a heap of rotten flesh.

It was time to end this.

Xiao Lin lowered the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute, drew a short blade from his waist, and walked before the Man Faced Demon Spider.

The human face on the Man Faced Demon Spider's back had become grotesquely twisted. Desperate hissing escaped from its vicious mouthparts.

It attempted to attack Xiao Lin with its remaining two legs, but Xiao Lin easily dodged.

"Goodbye."

Xiao Lin raised his hand and brought the blade down. The short blade pierced precisely into the Man Faced Demon Spider's head.

The Man Faced Demon Spider's body convulsed several times before falling completely still.

A cluster of purple light slowly rose from its corpse, floating in midair and emitting a gentle glow.

A Millennium Soul Ring.

Xiao Lin looked at the cluster of purple light and let out a long breath.

A six-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider, done.

PS: I looked around at the comments... I set up the Way of Musical Tones to affect other people's emotions, and I think that is fairly reasonable.

Just like a spiritual-attribute Martial Soul!

Just like kindred spirits brought together by High Mountains and Flowing Water...

Specific melodies would affect different types of Martial Souls.

The author is trying not to make it too cliché. Soul Ring ages will not be too outrageous... casually throwing around hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings is a bit ridiculous.