"As your teacher, I considered several soul beasts, but the Man Faced Demon Spider is still the most suitable for you."
Pope Bibi Dong looked at Lin Feng and slowly said, "This soul beast has a title: the Evil Devourer."
"Not only does it possess deadly poison, it can also strengthen itself by devouring other soul beasts. And your Soul Devouring Spider Emperor also possesses the ability to devour."
Hearing this, Lin Feng immediately perked up and asked, "Teacher, do you mean I can also increase my soul power through devouring?"
"Correct." Bibi Dong nodded slightly. "The Soul Devouring Spider Emperor can devour power from outside itself, then refine and convert it into its own cultivation."
"The Man Faced Demon Spider is highly compatible with your martial soul. Absorbing its soul ring offers a chance to further bring out the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor's devouring ability."
Only then did Lin Feng finally understand her plan.
So choosing the Man Faced Demon Spider for his first soul ring was not just about its poison, but also its ability to grow through devouring.
As he was thinking, the voice of his martial soul, Bibi Dong, also sounded in his heart:
"She's right."
"The Soul Devouring Spider Emperor can inherently devour; you simply don't know how to use it yet. Once you obtain a suitable soul skill, using it will only become easier."
"Then how do I refine the power I devour?" Lin Feng asked inwardly.
"Once you obtain your soul ring, I will naturally teach you."
Delight rose in Lin Feng's heart. He then looked up and said, "Teacher, I'll choose the Man Faced Demon Spider for my first soul ring."
"Good."
Pope Bibi Dong gave a word of assent.
"However, Man Faced Demon Spiders are vicious by nature and harder to deal with than ordinary soul beasts of the same age. With your current strength, you cannot hunt one alone yet."
"This time, I will act for you. Watch carefully from the side and remember its habits and weaknesses."
"I understand, Teacher."
Naturally, Lin Feng would not overestimate himself.
He did not even have a single soul ring yet. Surely he could not just throw himself at a Man Faced Demon Spider and fight it to the death?
Although his martial soul, Bibi Dong, had once become a god, how much strength she could wield now still depended on him, her martial soul's master.
Several days later.
The Star Dou Great Forest.
Lin Feng followed behind Bibi Dong, his gaze constantly sweeping their surroundings.
Towering trees blocked most of the sunlight, and the occasional beast roars echoing through the woods also made him instinctively lighten his footsteps.
Walking beside him, Hu Liena noticed this and reminded him quietly, "Junior brother, stay close to Teacher. Don't fall too far behind."
Lin Feng nodded.
The three searched the forest's outskirts for more than half a day before finally discovering traces of a Man Faced Demon Spider.
The first thing that came into view was a soul beast tangled in a web.
The soul beast had already stopped moving. A pitch-black spider crouched over it, its sharp legs braced against the ground and its mouthparts clamped tightly onto its prey.
"Found it."
Seeing this, Bibi Dong immediately stopped and motioned for the two to look ahead.
"It is devouring the energy inside its prey. To a Man Faced Demon Spider, prey is both food and nourishment that helps it grow."
Lin Feng looked closely.
The soul beast's body was gradually shriveling, while the carapace of the Man Faced Demon Spider crouching over it was taking on a faint sheen.
Just then, the Man Faced Demon Spider seemed to notice their movements. It suddenly turned and spat a mass of webbing straight at them!
Bibi Dong's expression remained unchanged. With a wave of her hand, she shattered the webbing. Immediately afterward, a powerful force of soul power descended, pinning the Man Faced Demon Spider directly to the ground.
Its eight legs struggled wildly, gouging marks into the ground, yet it could not lift its body at all.
"Around four hundred years old. Suitable for your first soul ring." Bibi Dong approached and examined it briefly before handing Lin Feng a short blade.
"It can no longer resist. Go ahead. The human face on its abdomen is its weak point, especially the eyes."
Lin Feng took the short blade and walked over to the Man Faced Demon Spider. At the same time, the voice of his martial soul, Bibi Dong, sounded in his heart again.
"This one will do."
With her confirmation, Lin Feng hesitated no longer and delivered the final blow according to Pope Bibi Dong's instructions.
Soon, a yellow soul ring slowly emerged.
"Sit down and release your martial soul."
Lin Feng sat cross-legged. Emerald light shone in his palm, and the green spider appeared.
As he guided his soul power, the yellow soul ring gradually drew closer before finally settling around the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor. Instantly, a scorching force surged into his body.
Lin Feng let out a muffled grunt, and beads of sweat soon appeared on his forehead.
"Steady yourself. Don't panic." His martial soul Bibi Dong's voice sounded just in time. "Use the method I taught you these past few days. Circulate your soul power, then refine it bit by bit."
Lin Feng closed his eyes, doing his best to control the unfamiliar force within him. The spider in his palm gradually became enveloped in yellow light, and its emerald carapace grew even more vivid.
After an unknown amount of time, the scorching sensation inside him finally faded.
Lin Feng opened his eyes and slowly exhaled. His soul power, which had been stuck at rank ten, had broken through, and it now circulated far more smoothly than before.
"How did it go?" Hu Liena hurriedly asked.
Lin Feng stood and raised his right hand. A yellow soul ring appeared with it.
"It worked!"
Pope Bibi Dong's gaze fell on the soul ring. "What is your first soul skill?"
"First soul skill, Death Feast!" As Lin Feng's words fell, the yellow soul ring beneath his feet abruptly lit up.
With martial soul possession, his eyes turned emerald green, and green markings appeared across his arms.
At the same time, an enormous phantom of the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor took shape behind him. Its emerald carapace gleamed with an eerie light, its eight legs slowly spreading as its hideous mouthparts opened.
As Lin Feng took in the information about the soul skill appearing in his mind, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"Teacher, let me try it first."
Bibi Dong nodded. Raising her hand, she drew over a ten-year soul beast from nearby and pinned it to the ground.
Lin Feng stepped forward. The spider leg his right arm had transformed into suddenly thrust out, easily piercing the soul beast's flesh.
The next instant, a stream of energy actually surged into his body through the spider leg!
The soul beast struggled violently, but its presence continued to weaken. Meanwhile, the soul power Lin Feng had just expended was rapidly recovering.
With a thought, he pulled out the spider leg and took two steps back.
The phantom of the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor behind him immediately opened its mouthparts. A suction force abruptly erupted, continuing to extract the energy from the soul beast's body and swallow it into its mouth!
"It can even devour from a distance?" Hu Liena said in some surprise at the sight.
Lin Feng nodded, his eyes filled with delight, and said seriously:
"After Death Feast is activated, as long as an attack hits an enemy, I can devour their soul power and life force through the spider legs."
"And within three meters, I can also forcibly extract power at a distance from a target locked onto by the Spider Emperor. The weaker the target, the faster the devouring!"
"What I devour can not only replenish what I've expended, but also be refined into my own cultivation. Even if a soul beast is already dead, I can still devour the energy remaining in its corpse!"
As he spoke, Lin Feng dismissed his soul skill, and both arms returned to their original form.
He carefully sensed his condition. Not only had his soul power fully recovered, it was even a little more substantial than before he used the soul skill.
This meant that every soul beast he hunted from now on had the chance to become part of the process of increasing his cultivation!