Xie Yue froze for a moment. "Spatial abilities?"
Bibi Dong nodded. "If you can absorb its Soul Ring, your speed and agility will improve by at least a tier."
"Teacher, then shall we..." Hu Liena was growing impatient.
Bibi Dong interrupted her. "Wait here. Don't come closer."
The instant her words fell, her figure vanished.
A moment later, Bibi Dong appeared inside the lava cave.
Her Second Martial Soul, the Soul-Eating Spider Emperor, possessed her, and purplish-black light flowed around her body.
Both foxes turned to look at her at the same time, a trace of terror flashing in their eyes.
The Soul Devouring Flame Fox bared its teeth, every strand of its crimson fur standing on end.
The silver-white fox flickered, turning into an afterimage as it charged toward the cave entrance, but Bibi Dong was faster.
"Sixth Soul Skill, Eternal Wound."
Two beams of purplish-black light shot toward the two foxes respectively.
The beams avoided their vital points, striking their hind legs and shoulders with precision.
The Soul Devouring Flame Fox howled in pain and collapsed.
The silver-white fox also staggered, its use of its spatial ability interrupted.
Against Bibi Dong, these two Soul Beasts had no ability to resist whatsoever.
The Soul Devouring Flame Fox was pinned to the ground by purplish-black light, its limbs twitching incessantly as low whimpers escaped its mouth.
The silver-white fox lay on its side, pale silver blood seeping from the wound in its shoulder, its lively eyes filled with fear and unwillingness.
Bibi Dong walked forward and raised both hands.
The Soul-Eating Spider Emperor's silk shot from her palms, wrapping the two Soul Beasts in layer after layer before dragging them outside.
Then Bibi Dong called out, "Come out."
Hu Liena and Xie Yue hurried out, both freezing at the sight before them.
The two Soul Beasts were tightly bound in spider silk, without even the strength to struggle.
Bibi Dong said evenly, "Go finish them off."
Hu Liena took a deep breath and walked up to the Soul Devouring Flame Fox. Her First Soul Ring rose beneath her, and a ball of crimson Foxfire condensed in her hand.
The fox seemed to know its fate was sealed and closed its eyes.
Without hesitation, Hu Liena sent the Foxfire straight into its skull.
The Soul Devouring Flame Fox's body abruptly stiffened, then went completely limp. A black Soul Ring slowly emerged from its corpse.
Xie Yue completed his kill at the same time.
His blade pierced the silver-white fox's heart. It failed to utter even a final cry, and a purple Soul Ring likewise rose from its corpse.
"Begin absorbing them." Bibi Dong stood between the two. "I'll stand guard for you."
Hu Liena and Xie Yue exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.
Each sat cross-legged beside one of the Soul Beasts' corpses and began drawing the Soul Rings into their bodies.
Hu Liena's brows furrowed slightly. The surge of power from the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was far fiercer than she had expected.
But after being tempered by that sixty-thousand-year skull bone, her spiritual power was already sufficient to handle the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring's Soul Shock.
Xie Yue was having no easy time either.
The silver-white fox's Soul Ring carried a spatial attribute, and that power coursed through his meridians like blades, bringing him a tearing pain.
But he gritted his teeth and forcibly endured it.
A day and a night slipped quietly by in the silent forest.
The next morning, Hu Liena was unexpectedly the first to open her eyes.
She let out a long breath, a keen light flashing in her eyes. Her presence had grown much more solid than before.
Immediately afterward, Xie Yue slowly opened his eyes as well.
A trace of silver-white light seemed to flit through the depths of his pupils, but they quickly returned to normal.
Bibi Dong stood before them, her gaze calm. "How do you feel?"
Hu Liena stood and rolled her shoulders. "Teacher, my Soul Power has reached rank forty-three."
Xie Yue stood up as well. "Your Holiness, I've reached rank forty-two."
Bibi Dong gave a slight nod, reasonably satisfied, then asked, "And your Soul Skills? What did you obtain?"
Delighted surprise appeared on Hu Liena's face, and her voice carried undisguised excitement. "Teacher, I've named it 'Mental Detonation'!"
"It instantly releases a concentrated blast of spiritual flames at the target, with a secondary damage effect."
She explained, "The first hit is a spiritual impact that can cause spiritual shock to the target. The second is a spiritual burn that continuously burns their spiritual power."
"If their spiritual power isn't strong enough, these two layers of damage combined will basically leave them unable to fight."
After hearing her explanation, a trace of satisfaction appeared in Bibi Dong's eyes.
"Good. It has both a spiritual attack and ongoing damage. This Soul Skill is very well-rounded."
Bibi Dong paused. "And you already have Foxfire as a foundation. Mental Detonation can be used in combination with Foxfire."
"One burns physically, and the other burns spiritually. Opponents will find it very difficult to defend against them in battle."
Hu Liena nodded repeatedly. "That's what I thought too."
Bibi Dong turned to Xie Yue. "And you?"
Xie Yue was silent for a moment before saying, "My fourth Soul Skill is called 'Space-Rending Instant Slash.'"
"After activating it, I can jump between multiple spatial nodes within thirty meters in rapid succession. With each jump, I can launch a slash at the target."
"With my current Soul Power, I can make at most five consecutive jumps."
Bibi Dong's brows shifted slightly.
"Jumping between spatial nodes... this Soul Skill has a very high ceiling."
"Consecutive movements and attacks within thirty meters, combined with your curved blades, will have terrifying destructive power."
She looked at Xie Yue seriously. "And this Soul Skill has excellent growth potential. Once your Soul Power increases, both the number of jumps and their distance will increase."
Xie Yue tightened his grip on the curved blade at his waist, excitement in his eyes.
Clearly, he was also extremely satisfied with his fourth Soul Ring.
"All right, we've been away for quite some time. We should head back."
At the same time.
Spirit Hall.
Gui Yuan's training ground.
He had not been idle over the past half month and more.
Besides cultivating, he had also been learning a new Self-Created Soul Skill from Gui Mei.
Gui Mei stood opposite him, both hands tucked into his sleeves, his tone level. "Netherworld Needle is a ranged attack, and Shadow Step is for movement."
"But your Second Martial Soul still lacks a means of control."
"So I'll teach you 'Ghost Hand.'"
Gui Mei raised his right hand. Black mist surged from his palm, condensing into a translucent black hand.
The hand hovered in the air, its five fingers spread, moving with complete dexterity.
"Ghost Hand can appear soundlessly beneath a target's feet, behind them, or even from within the shadows."
"Once it grabs your opponent, it can restrict his movements. Combine it with Shadow Step to close in, use Ghost Hand to restrain him, then finish him with Netherworld Needle or Dark Gold Dreadclaw."
"It's a perfect combo."
Gui Yuan watched the black hand floating in the air, eager to try.
Gui Mei said, "First, use Netherworld Power to condense the shape of a hand, then keep it stable."
"There's only one objective: make your Ghost Hand grab that flying insect from a distance without crushing it."
He pointed at a dragonfly resting in a distant corner of the wall.
"The requirement is that you don't hurt it, but it can't escape either."
Gui Yuan: ...This really isn't easy.
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