Steel types are immune to poison-give Xiao a hug before he falls apart; major points off for the Holy Angel (4K)

"Rustle, rustle..."

Hanging upside down from its web, the ten-thousand-year Doom Spider slowly approached Lin Qing. The seductive woman's face on its abdomen smiled like a blossoming flower, its eyes outlined in white curving into happy crescents.

Sentenced to life imprisonment by Jing Hongchen, the Doom Spider had been locked in a sunless underground beast pen, eating chunks of meat fed to it by humans every day. Denied the pleasure of hunting, the hybrid demon king's savage nature had fermented and intensified with time.

Now released before its sentence was up, the Doom Spider saw daylight again. Its first thought was to find prey and listen to the moving screams of a life about to end.

Its eight scarlet eyes locked onto the human opposite it. The upward curve of the woman's mouth grew increasingly exaggerated, the smile splitting into a chilling grin as two spider spears suddenly rose and crossed with a clash.

"Clang-"

A spray of dazzling sparks burst from the tips of the spider spears. A ring of light abruptly bloomed in the twilight, expanding in every direction from the Doom Spider and enveloping half the Beast Fighting Zone in the blink of an eye.

Extinction Domain!

Born from the Death Demon Spider's Death Domain, it had mutated through fusion with the Man Faced Demon Spider's bloodline.

Lethal poison, dissolution, and erosion-the three effects combined made the Extinction Domain far more dangerous than the vast majority of domains. Since ancient times, poison had been a lethal threat that ordinary Soul Masters avoided at all costs.

Within the domain, no life remained.

The Extinction Domain continued spreading into the distance. The alloy arena, built at great expense by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, suffered the first devastating blow.

The ground hissed, developing pits and blemishes from the poisonous corrosion. Beneath the Doom Spider, the damage was worst; the dark brown soil underneath was already exposed.

"Steel Machinery Domain."

Domain versus domain!

A towering silver-white wave crashed down. With utterly unreasonable brute force, it formed four silver-white steel walls that slammed inward, enclosing the entire Beast Fighting Zone!

The Steel Machinery Domain created an iron-walled environment unique to ultimate metal. The concentration of the gold element soared to an unbelievable level, filling the battlefield with a cold, austere metallic air and forcibly squeezing the Extinction Domain's space!

The purple-black halo tried to batter the iron walls. It was like a wizened, skin-and-bones old man scrubbing the back of a legendary giant whose arms were broad enough for horses to run across. He gave it everything he had, yet could barely rub off any dead skin.

The Doom Spider was stunned by the sight. Back in the Evil Demon Forest, it had ruled its own territory. Apart from Mingde Hall Master Jing Hongchen, whose Titled Douluo cultivation had left it helpless beneath his overwhelming power, its Extinction Domain had spelled utter disaster for every other Soul Beast. It had never failed.

Now, the Extinction Domain frantically corroded the Steel Machinery Domain, trying to bore through a crack and turn the situation around. Yet the silver-white walls remained impregnable, even steadily absorbing the surrounding gold element to strengthen themselves, growing thicker and sturdier!

Lin Qing was not surprised in the least. Anyone who had played games knew that steel types were immune to poison.

Of course, reality was not a game.

But ultimate metal's corrosion resistance was unquestionably the best of the best. The Extinction Domain simply could not break through the machine element!

Seeing the machine element gain the upper hand in the clash of domains, the fifth-year students in the stands erupted in an uproar. Lan Xiu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, grateful that Lin Qing had gone easy on him back then, and said:

"An innate domain? There haven't been many Soul Masters who awakened innate domains in the Sun Moon Empire's entire vast history... Anyway, I'm certain the Three-Legged Golden Toad doesn't have one."

"No insulting Brother Xiao!"

Ai Xiao hurried to speak up for his brother. "There aren't many martial souls with innate domains in the Douluo Three Kingdoms either. Ten thousand years ago, the Clear Sky Hammer, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, known as the Upper Three Sects, all lacked accompanying domains. Sea God Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor supposedly had a Blue Silver Domain, though."

"Whatever the case, Brother Xiao's title of unbeatable among his peers is done for..."

"Yeah, yeah. He doesn't look like a match for Lin Qing at all. He might as well put down his pieces and concede. Surrender and you only lose half."

With his classmates' whispers drifting into his ears, Xiao Hongchen sat in the stands posing as the Thinker, his heart sinking halfway into the cold. Reason told him that his chances of defeating Lin Qing were vanishingly small, but his pride stubbornly refused to admit defeat.

But what if!

What if Lin Qing ate something bad that morning? Then I'd have a tiny chance to snatch victory from defeat.

Wait, how can I use an underdog phrase like "snatch victory from defeat" and undermine my own fighting spirit? It should be an effortless steamroll, preserving the supreme glory of being unbeatable among my peers!

"Boom-"

The failure of its domain did nothing to diminish its lust for slaughter. The Doom Spider dropped from the web spread across the sky, sending a ring of air surging outward as it landed.

Supporting its body on only two long legs, it abruptly spread its other six spider spears to either side. Its joints crackled, and the hybrid demon king's enormous body looked exceptionally ferocious at that moment.

Compared with the giant spider, Lin Qing's body was as tiny as an ant.

Yet this tiny human stood like a steel nail driven firmly into the ground, barring the Doom Spider's path of slaughter.

Four soul rings-yellow, purple, purple, and black-rose with imposing force. The first, second, and fourth lit up simultaneously!

He spread all ten fingers. Silver-white light clung to his knuckles, compressing into ten slender gun barrels. Finger Gun: Bee Swarm aimed at the Soul Beast ahead, while agile silver snakes silently climbed his arms and opened their jaws toward the Doom Spider. Snake-Guide Bullets stood ready to fire.

Following Zero Generation and Machinery Growth, his fourth Soul Skill, Machine Combustion, erupted. Lin Qing's silver-gray eyes became suffused with dazzling molten gold. The machine element's icy silver-white likewise transformed into blazing gold, entering an overclocked combustion state.

"Roar-"

Soul Masters could sense the strength of Soul Beasts, and Soul Beasts could do the same.

Knowing it could not sit and wait for death, the Doom Spider flung an immense, dusky purple web over Lin Qing, then launched a close-range charge. Its eight long legs moved rapidly, trailing a string of purple-black phantoms and streaks of lingering light across the ground.

"Bzzzz-"

Machine power burned, and the frenzied bees poured from their hive.

Enhanced by the machine element's three Soul Skills, the ten gun barrels thundered with fire. A sky-blotting barrage of molten-gold bullets swept through like a swarm of bees, fearlessly assaulting the Doom Spider's web.

The instant the purple-black silk collided with the burning bullets, the web shook violently. Struck by both extreme heat and ultimate metal, the incredibly tough strands began to melt.

Bee Swarm burst into clusters of golden-red flame, devouring every strand. An explosion shot straight into the sky, and the web burned into a shower of ash.

But the web had only been cover. The Doom Spider's killing move had always been its eight indestructible spider spears!

The enormous beast plunged headfirst into the tide of frenzied bees, activating its two defensive Soul Skills, Thorn Spider Armor and Thousand Blades, Ten Thousand Shields. Dense spikes appeared across its thick carapace. The storm of bullets struck its body, bursting into showers of brilliant sparks.

Cracks spread across its back armor, countless scorched marks covered it, and foul-smelling bodily fluids flew everywhere. The Doom Spider forcibly endured Bee Swarm's relentless bombardment. Its eight long legs pumping rapidly, it broke through the swarm's blockade and charged without hesitation to stand before Lin Qing.

Six spider spears rose high!

Their tips held the mixed venom of two lethally poisonous demon spiders, gleaming with a cold purple light beneath the setting sun. They stabbed down from six directions, sealing off every avenue of escape!

Lin Qing looked up from below. The deathly white woman's face on the Doom Spider's abdomen was extraordinarily beautiful, while its eight scarlet eyes flickered with the cruel delight of a successful hunt.

"Hiss-"

A great serpent's hiss rang out. At some point, the Snake-Guide Bullets had silently coiled around the Doom Spider's swollen, millstone-like body. Molten-gold spirit snakes climbed its legs, ascending along all eight limbs and wrapping tightly around it, coil after coil.

The Snake-Guide Bullets immediately constricted, binding it tightly without leaving the slightest gap. Crushing pressure bore down, giving the Doom Spider the suffocating sensation of being wrapped in a giant python's coils.

Snake-Guide Bullet: Serpents Dance.

With the machine element's three Soul Skills working alongside the Steel Machinery Domain, both Bee Swarm and the Snake-Guide Bullets had evolved. Serpents Dance wrapped the Doom Spider into a golden sphere. The demon spider frantically secreted venom, trying to corrode those damned metal snakes.

"Sss, sss-"

The venom of extinction touched the molten-gold serpents, and thick white smoke billowed upward. It managed, with great difficulty, to corrode half a spirit snake, only for the machine element to surge into the breach. Machinery Growth repaired the damaged half of its body. A moment later, even more spirit snakes crowded in, scrambling to fill the gap.

The Doom Spider struggled desperately, kicking its eight long legs in every direction. Yet it could only feel, in despair, the unstoppable increase of that constricting force. Its resistance gradually weakened.

After a while, the Snake-Guide Bullets slowly dispersed. The Doom Spider lay motionless on the ground, belly up, its eight long legs curled stiffly inward. Extreme terror lingered on the woman's face on its abdomen.

"The winner, Lin Qing!"

The battle ended, and the four referees in the Beast Fighting Zone relaxed their taut nerves. After all, the ten-thousand-year Doom Spider was exceptionally dangerous. They had feared that a moment's oversight might lead to tragedy. Fortunately, Lin Qing's combat strength was beyond the norm, and he had suppressed the hybrid demon king throughout the fight.

"That boy is too kind. He probably spared its last breath because the Doom Spider is so expensive..."

The referees worked together to repair the devastated battlefield while communicating through voice transmissions.

"Exactly. This vicious, frenzied beast is a huge burden on the Soul Fighting Zone, but its bloodline is first-rate. Hall Master Hongchen can't bear to kill it."

"Brothers, I have a plan. Let's secretly finish the Doom Spider off later and say we couldn't save it!"

"Excellent plan, excellent plan..."

"Master Kong, what do you think?"

High above, Jing Hongchen had no idea his subordinates were sharpening their knives for the demon spider. He asked Kong Deming whether watching the battle had yielded any insights.

A peculiar light flickered in Kong Deming's eyes as he marveled, "Ultimate metal truly is incomparably powerful. Fighting above one's level becomes effortless.

"Apart from his unknown third Soul Skill, none of Lin Qing's other three Soul Skills possess offensive power in the traditional sense. Their effects favor support and enhancement, strengthening both his martial soul and his Soul Tools. The two work together exquisitely, each bringing out the best in the other."

"What sort of cultivation plan do you intend to draw up for him?" Jing Hongchen asked curiously.

"Little Jing, Zheng Zhan's flaw is his inflexibility, while yours is impatience and an unwillingness to heed advice," Kong Deming counseled. "Lin Qing is young. At his age, he ought to be a first-year freshman, but his exceptional talent allowed him to skip grades. There's no hurry to formulate a plan.

"He comes from the Douluo Three Kingdoms and has never received a Sun Moon education in soul engineering. His current task is to reorganize his knowledge of soul engineering, identify and fill the gaps, then slowly explore ahead and find the direction of his future cultivation.

"He actually understands this, which is why he borrowed my early works from the library.

"Over the coming year, I will guide him subtly and gradually."

"Yes, yes, yes. Hearing your words, Master Kong, is like having enlightenment poured straight into my head."

Three affirmations expressed a denial. Jing Hongchen looked sincerely convinced, but inwardly grumbled, That old Kong! He just loves making a mystery of things and beating around the bush!

"Little Jing, is everything ready for the academy's Special Class?" Kong Deming suddenly asked.

Jing Hongchen thrust out his belly and said proudly, "To be honest with you, Master Kong, preparations for the class are nearly complete.

"After three selection examinations, its members are the elite of the elite. The academy will direct substantial resources toward them.

"This student of yours is currently discussing guest lectures with the empire's Level 9 Soul Engineers. Starry Sky Douluo, Unbreakable Douluo, and the others have all agreed. The only sticking point is the homeroom teacher. Hiring a Level 9 Soul Engineer isn't very realistic, so I'd like to choose a top-tier Level 8 Soul Engineer with genuine ability."

"That's easily settled. I recommend someone-the current Chief Researcher of Mingde Hall..."

The spectator stands of the Beast Fighting Zone.

Once all the students had completed their practical combat training, Zhou Qin breezily dismissed class. Yet no one in Class 1, Year 5 rose to leave. They remained deeply absorbed in the battle between Lin Qing and the Doom Spider.

Having witnessed Lin Qing's combat form firsthand, the class was completely convinced of his strength. They then turned to Xiao Hongchen, who looked utterly wilted and ashen, and began whispering among themselves.

"Brother Xiao is unbeatable under heaven, but Qing's challenger came from above it!"

"Someone go give Brother Xiao a hug. He looks like he's about to fall apart..."

"Brother Xiao swore he'd win. Was he lying to us or not?"

"Who's talking nonsense? I'm happy! This is the excitement of a chess player finding his equal, a general meeting a worthy opponent!"

Hearing them, Xiao Hongchen thumped his chest thunderously. "Believe me! Lin Qing and I are evenly matched. I definitely, definitely, definitely wouldn't lie to you!"

His words brimmed with swagger, yet the three repetitions sounded unexpectedly unconvincing. Even Meng Hongchen felt a little sorry for her brother as he struggled to save face. The gap between the machine element and the Three-Legged Golden Toad was plainly enormous-so enormous it inspired despair!

An ultimate martial soul remained an ultimate martial soul, towering over all beneath heaven. Xiao Hongchen's luck was simply terrible. Against another ultimate attribute, he might have had a fighting chance. The problem was that this was ultimate metal, the superior version of the Three-Legged Golden Toad!

Meng Hongchen had intended to offer her brother a few words of comfort. But Lin Qing, having finished his practical combat training, walked over. The girl immediately made her choice, her eyes sparkling like stars as she said:

"Wow, Lin Qing, you're amazing! You actually defeated a ten-thousand-year Doom Spider!"

"Just luck."

Lin Qing smiled calmly.

Just what I'd expect from the man I've set my sights on! Modest and low-key, unlike my idiot brother!

Meng Hongchen once again showered Lin Qing with points in her heart, while lowering her brother's score from negative two hundred and fifty to negative two hundred and fifty-nine.

"Should we head straight out for dinner?" Lin Qing asked for the lady's opinion.

"No, no, no. I need to go home and change."

Her little white-haired head shook from side to side. Meng Hongchen pointed at her Sun Moon school uniform, her central message clear and simple: she could not half-heartedly wear a school uniform on their first date!

"Let's meet at the academy gates in a bit. I'll take you to eat the most authentic food in Mingdu!"

Abandoning her brooding brother, Meng Hongchen became a girl swift as the wind, jogging all the way toward the academy gates. Her Twin-Tailed hair danced in the breeze, leaving behind a youthful silhouette.

"Um..."

Ye Guyi, who had been silently observing all along, tugged Lin Qing's sleeve and asked softly:

"Are you still coming back to stay at Zhanghua Garden tonight?"

"Huh, you..."

Major points off for the Holy Angel!