Early the next morning, the group left the town and continued on their way.
Only when a vast sea of dense forest appeared ahead did Zhao Wuji stop and call the eight of them over.
"Once we're inside, don't stray too far from me. If you spot a Soul Beast, get a clear look first. No chasing after it on your own."
He assigned Dai Mubai to clear the way at the front, with Oscar and Ning Rongrong in the middle and the others spread out around them as guards.
Lin Feng walked toward the front on one side of the group, several strands of spider silk dangling from his palm and catching on nearby branches and leaves as he advanced.
These strands could only help him monitor movement nearby. Once they stretched too far, he severed them himself to avoid wasting Soul Power.
Vegetation grew thick in the forest, and small Soul Beasts occasionally darted through the bushes. As long as they did not attack, the group simply went around them.
After they had walked for over two hours, the sound of snapping branches and leaves suddenly came from ahead.
Zhu Zhuqing, who was watching the area overhead, was the first to call out a warning.
"Something's coming, fast!"
Lin Feng looked up and saw a long silhouette sweep beneath the canopy. It was a serpent with thin wings on its back, a bright red fleshy crest on its head, and a fan-shaped tail.
A Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent!
"Stop it first! Don't kill it!"
As Lin Feng's words fell, his second Soul Ring had already lit up. An emerald spiderweb suddenly spread out, sealing the gap between two large trees.
Sensing danger, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent abruptly twisted, dodging the web ahead and darting to the right.
But Lin Feng had been waiting for that very turn.
Several strands of spider silk wound around the tree trunks and caught its tail. Lin Feng pulled back with the momentum, wrenching its turning body downward, and a second web immediately dropped over it!
Bang!
The serpent crashed into the grass, thrashing so hard that the nearby bushes were swept every which way.
Lin Feng did not activate devouring. He merely kept tightening the silk, pinning both its wings and its fleshy crest.
Zhao Wuji approached and pressed a hand against the serpent's body, completely suppressing its struggles.
"Nice catch."
He examined it carefully, then turned and called Oscar over.
"A thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. Its age is suitable too. Little Ao, we've found your third Soul Ring."
Oscar's face immediately lit up with delight.
He had never expected to find a suitable Soul Beast so soon after entering the forest, much less for it to be caught without even a chance to escape.
"Lin Feng, thank you!"
"Don't thank me just yet."
Lin Feng looked at the wounds on the serpent's belly, already harboring a guess.
Sure enough, before Oscar could draw his dagger, a shout came from behind them.
"Stop!"
Two women, one old and one young, emerged from the forest.
The older woman held a Serpent Cane, while the girl beside her carried a shorter one. As her gaze fell on the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, urgency immediately appeared on her face.
"Grandma, that's the one!"
Six Soul Rings rose from beneath the older woman's feet. She looked at Zhao Wuji and said gravely, "We found this serpent first. Please return it to us."
Zhao Wuji did not release his hold, and seven Soul Rings appeared around him in turn.
The older woman's expression shifted slightly. Her tone softened somewhat as she introduced herself.
Snake Granny, Chao Tianxiang.
Listening to their conversation, Lin Feng shifted his gaze from her to the girl's face.
Meng Yiran had come too.
Since the grandmother and granddaughter were nearby, Dragon Duke Meng Shu probably would not be far away either.
One of the few clues he remembered from before had finally fallen into place.
Chao Tianxiang pointed at the wounds on the serpent's belly, explaining that she and her granddaughter had pursued it for a long time. A moment's carelessness had allowed it to escape here.
Zhao Wuji inspected the wounds, but still showed no intention of giving it up.
"My student needs this Soul Ring too."
Chao Tianxiang swept her gaze over the group, pausing briefly on Lin Feng's one yellow and two purple Soul Rings before looking at Oscar.
Learning that he was a food-type Soul Master who had just reached rank thirty clearly surprised her, but she was unwilling to let her granddaughter's efforts go to waste.
After some discussion, both sides finally decided to have the younger generation compete, with the winner claiming the Soul Ring.
"Little Ao is a food type. He has no ability to fight head-on." Zhao Wuji looked at the students he had brought.
"I'll do it."
Tang San stepped forward.
His cultivation was close to Meng Yiran's, so fighting in Oscar's place would not amount to the strong bullying the weak.
After confirming his Soul Power, Chao Tianxiang nodded in agreement.
Lin Feng withdrew his silk and stepped aside, clearing the field.
Oscar watched the two nervously and could not help asking in a low voice, "Why didn't you go? Wouldn't it be a safer bet if you fought?"
"I'm rank forty. Would her grandmother agree?" Lin Feng glanced at him. "Just wait without worrying. Tang San won't lose that easily."
On the field, Meng Yiran struck first, swinging her Serpent Cane low along the ground toward Tang San. Tang San sidestepped, while Blue Silver Grass extended from all around, blocking her routes of pursuit.
The Serpent Cane and vines clashed repeatedly. Meng Yiran lunged forward several times, but Tang San evaded her each time.
Clearly unwilling to remain restrained, she abruptly drove her Soul Power forward, forcing aside the Blue Silver Grass before her and charging straight at Tang San.
Tang San did not retreat again.
The two streams of Soul Power collided head-on, and the match soon became a sustained contest of Soul Power.
Standing to one side, Lin Feng watched Tang San gradually stabilize the situation, and relaxed somewhat.
Having Tang San fight for Oscar saved him the trouble.
What he was waiting for was precisely the change that would follow this match.
As time passed, Meng Yiran's breathing grew increasingly rapid, and beads of sweat seeped from her temples, yet Tang San could still maintain his Soul Power output.
Chao Tianxiang finally frowned.
"We concede this match."
She and Zhao Wuji acted simultaneously, separating the two contestants.
Meng Yiran was somewhat unwilling to accept it and wanted to say something, but her grandmother held her by the shoulder.
Zhao Wuji did not provoke them further and gestured for Tang San to sit down and recover.
Chao Tianxiang gave him a long look, then left with her granddaughter.
Only after their figures disappeared did Oscar let out a long breath.
"That scared me to death. I thought the Soul Ring already in my grasp was about to slip away."
Lin Feng patted his shoulder.
"Hurry up. Teacher Zhao is still holding it down for you."
Oscar quickly drew his dagger and delivered the final blow, then sat cross-legged and began absorbing the purple Soul Ring that appeared.
The others kept watch nearby, while Lin Feng noted the direction Chao Tianxiang had left in, committing the approximate location to memory.
In the original story, the Man Faced Demon Spider had been pursued by the Dragon-Serpent family. If he encountered them again later, he would have to keep an extra eye out.
After an unknown length of time, the Soul Power fluctuations around Oscar finally settled.
He opened his eyes and released his newly acquired third Soul Ring. A strangely shaped Mushroom Sausage immediately appeared in his hand.
"My third Soul Skill lets whoever eats it fly for a short time!"
At these words, everyone immediately gathered around him.
Even Zhao Wuji looked delighted and asked detailed questions about its flight speed and duration.
Lin Feng, however, did not join them.
He saw that Tang San, not far away, had also finished cultivating and was looking down, sensing the changes within his body. Delight gradually appeared on his face.
"Teacher Zhao."
Tang San stood up, unable to conceal the joy in his voice.
"I've broken through to rank thirty too."
The corners of Lin Feng's mouth lifted slightly as he looked up at him.
"Tang San, you broke through too?"
Tang San nodded with a smile. After confirming it, Zhao Wuji immediately decided to continue searching for Soul Beasts.
This time, Tang San and Lin Feng were the ones who needed Soul Rings.
Naturally, Lin Feng had no objections.
Those who were supposed to appear had appeared, and the one who was supposed to break through had finally done so.
Next, he only needed to keep a close watch on Tang San, and he would be able to find that Man Faced Demon Spider.