Soul Land: I Am the True Grandmaster

Chapter 201: Intercepting Squad · Five

The mission of Ye Tianxin's soul hunting squad was to hunt down and kill a Man Faced Demon Spider over 1,500 years old in the outer regions of the Star Dou Forest.

Tang San had many advantages, but the most remarkable one he obtained early on was the Eight Spider Lances. These made up for his initial lack of attack power as a soul master, allowing him to excel in the Soul Master Tournament. Even more outrageous was that, even after breaking, the Eight Spider Lances could be used as hidden weapons and would eventually regenerate, making them an exceptional "bug" of sorts.

The Man Faced Demon Spider was infamous even among soul beasts, known as a vile and terrifying killer. It could increase its age by devouring large amounts of prey, making it as unpopular as the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger among soul beasts.

Although the squad's members generally had the strength of Soul Elders, they couldn't afford to be careless against this spider soul beast, which possessed incredible defense, absurd speed, and a toxic attribute. The atmosphere grew tense as the spider's eight blood red eyes locked onto them, filled with ferocious intent.

Despite sensing that the group before it was stronger, the limited intelligence of a lower level soul beast especially insect type ones like the spider soul beasts, which had no true brain left it guided purely by instinctual bloodlust.

Ye Tianxin took the lead, her voice cold.

"Focus on attacking its limbs don't kill it outright."

Impatient, the Man Faced Demon Spider launched the first strike, charging forward with its sharp, menacing legs aimed directly at Ye Tianxin. Staying cautious, Ye Tianxin activated her true body armor and engaged in close combat. As they battled, a sudden and violent blizzard enveloped the area.

Being an extreme fire type, Ye Tianxin was not affected by the blizzard, which seemed to change the weather without directly targeting the team. However, the sudden drop in temperature spelled disaster for the Man Faced Demon Spider, whose natural insect resistance to cold was low even it was no exception.

"Now's our chance Third Soul Skill, Charge!"

Seizing the opportunity, Ye Tianxin swiftly disabled half of the spider's legs, causing it to lose balance and collapse, letting out an ear piercing screech. On the sidelines, Ye Tiantian, unwilling to be outdone, swung his Tianchen Ice Dragon Blade.

With a sharp slash, the Man Faced Demon Spider's body was battered, its pained thrashing and shrieks making Ye Tianxin wince. She called out to him, "Make it stop, Xiao Chen!"

"Third Soul Skill, Supreme Ice Shield!"

Ye Tiantian waved his blade, gathering the surrounding cold air to completely freeze the spider's head. He added a few more strikes, creating ice chains that firmly bound the Man Faced Demon Spider in place.

Low level soul masters could refine their bodies to absorb older soul rings, but their elemental control depended on mental strength. Although Ye Tiantian was young, he could endure the soul shaking impact of a 10,000 year soul ring. Ye Wen thought this wasn't enough, though; the earlier a soul master connected with elements, the better they could master their abilities. To this end, Ye Wen had personally hunted an Ice Jade Scorpion from the Far North for Ye Tiantian, granting him the power to manipulate extreme ice.

Observing that the spider was thoroughly subdued, Ye Tianxin nodded in satisfaction, then turned to a handsome young man in the group.

"Jingwen, you take its soul ring."

"Yes, Master Aunt." Without hesitation, the young man finished off the nearly dead Man Faced Demon Spider. His martial soul was the Demon Vine King.

Ye Wen, now in his forties, had five youngest disciples, all around 30. While this age was still young for soul masters, many of his disciples had already started families, as even soul masters weren't immune to family pressure.

Jingwen's full name was Xu Jingwen, son of Xu Teng. As the saying goes, "Those near the water get the first moonlight." Beyond Ye Wen's ten personal disciples, there were many registered disciples, including several exceptional female soul masters. Xu Teng had chosen one of them as his partner.

Thanks to Ye Wen's original theories, Xu Teng's previously mutated martial soul evolved into the Demon Vine King, a superior form. Xu Jingwen inherited this outstanding martial soul, which, though not at the peak of life force, was still extremely formidable.

Since Ye Tianxin was Ye Wen's child, Xu Jingwen had to call her Master Aunt. Born with full innate soul power, Jingwen had trained rigorously in a prime mimicking environment. At thirteen, he had already reached the rank of a level 40 Soul Elder. With his endurance level, he could even handle a 10,000 year soul ring.

Knowing that this opportunity might make Xu Jingwen a rival to Tang San himself, Ye Wen decided to let him try his luck, as the area was small enough to mitigate risk. After all, it was only a single 10,000 year soul ring Jingwen had room to make a mistake.

The group's eyes were all fixed on Xu Jingwen. When they had come for soul hunting, they were informed of this opportunity, but luck would decide who gained the most.

As for why Ye Wen seemed so informed, none dared question it. Ye Wen had achieved near mythical status at Tianxing Academy.

This Man Faced Demon Spider was already their third kill, but it was clear that Ye Tianxin had inside knowledge, as this spider was closest to the age Ye Wen had suggested. Connections were indeed valuable. Still, the other disciples didn't lose out entirely, as the Man Faced Demon Spider's soul skills were powerful, and they were mostly control type soul masters who had been carefully chosen for this mission.

Xu Jingwen opened his eyes slowly, his soul rings circling him: one yellow, three purple. His fourth soul ring was notably light in color, yet Jingwen didn't seem disappointed.

Ye Tianxin, the team leader, asked, "How do you feel, Jingwen?"

Jingwen gave a light smile and didn't say much, but suddenly the back of his clothes rippled, and eight emerald green spider legs extended behind him. This remarkable sight could only mean one thing: he had acquired one of the rarest types of soul bones, an external soul bone.

Everyone present, save for Ye Wen's three siblings, gazed at Jingwen with envy. Soul bones were known as treasures of the blood river, and external soul bones were so rare that powerful soul masters might even lay waste to cities to obtain them.

At that moment, Liu Erlong stepped out from the shadows.

"Prepare yourself. I'll help you fully absorb this external soul bone."

"Yes, Teacher Liu." Jingwen responded respectfully.

One of the greatest advantages of Tianxing Academy was that all spoils from soul hunting belonged to those who obtained the soul rings.

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10