The Man Faced Demon Spider hissed, its grotesque human-like face twisting into an expression that sent chills down my spine. Its eight obsidian legs tapped the ground like sharpened spears, each step echoing ominously. The spider's eyes locked onto me, unblinking, predatory, and filled with killing intent.
This is it, I thought, muscles tensing. My first real fight, a true test of my strength.
Behind me, Dugu Bo and Uncle Xin stood silently. They had agreed to let me fight, but I could still feel their wary gazes on my back. Their trust was a double-edged sword. I had convinced them I was ready, and now I had to prove it, not just to them but to myself.
The Man Faced Demon Spider didn't wait. With a screech, it lunged forward, its speed far surpassing anything I had ever faced before. Its eight legs blurred as it closed the distance in an instant, its sharp limbs aiming to pierce straight through my chest.
"Fast!" I barely managed to dodge to the side, throwing myself into a roll as one of its legs slammed into the ground, leaving a deep, jagged crater where I had stood. The force alone sent shockwaves through the air.
I can't let it pin me down.
Scrambling to my feet, I summoned my martial spirit, The Poison Devouring Spider Emperor. A surge of dark green energy engulfed me, and I felt the transformation spread through my body. Both my arms shifted into dark green lances, their surfaces smooth, jagged, and lethal, oozing with an ominous aura. My senses sharpened, the spider's movements slowing slightly in my perception.
The connection between my martial spirit and the spider—as both were spider types—made my blood hum with an indescribable resonance. My martial spirit had dominion over bugs and spiders alike, but this beast… its primal instincts resisted my influence.
The spider lunged again, this time swiping horizontally with two of its legs. Each limb was sharper than a blade and stronger than refined iron. I ducked under the first swipe, then twisted to avoid the second, the wind from its attack grazing my skin.
Its legs… they're its greatest weapon and its armor.
Without missing a beat, I charged in, raising one of my lance-like arms to counter. The Poison Devouring Spider Emperor gave me something extraordinary—the ability to consume and resist poison—and I was going to use it.
As I closed the gap, the spider hissed and thrust one of its legs at me. I parried with my lance-arm, sparks flying as our weapons clashed. The impact sent a numbing vibration through my arm, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through it. With my other arm, I slashed at the spider's leg, releasing a wave of green poison into the attack.
Poison against poison.
The Man Faced Demon Spider screeched in pain as my corrosive poison began to eat away at its hardened carapace. Yet, its retaliation was swift—a second leg lashed out at my side. I barely managed to block it, but the force sent me sliding back several meters, my feet digging into the ground to slow my momentum.
"Bei, don't let up!" Uncle Xin shouted, his voice tight with worry.
"I know!" I barked back, eyes never leaving the spider.
The spider's legs tensed as it released a new attack. I saw its abdomen convulse, and dread sank in.
"The web!" I muttered.
A thick, gleaming web shot out at lightning speed, expanding like a net. It covered an area ten times the spider's size, moving far too quickly to dodge completely. With no time to think, I planted my feet and thrust both lance-arms forward, sending a surge of poison energy into the oncoming web.
Burn through it!
My poison collided with the web, sizzling as it eroded the sticky strands. But it wasn't enough. Strands of web still caught my arm and chest, sticking to my transformed lances. My movements slowed, the sticky poison sapping my strength.
The spider charged, seeing its chance to finish me.
No… I can't let it end like this.
The Poison Devouring Spider Emperor's ability activated instinctively. The spider's own poison seeped into my body through the web, but instead of harming me, it strengthened me. My veins pulsed with power as I absorbed its toxin, my arms glowing brighter green as I tore through the remaining web with newfound strength.
"You're mine!" I roared, surging forward with everything I had.
The spider hesitated for the first time, sensing the shift in power. It lashed out with two legs, but this time I was ready. I sidestepped the first strike and severed the second with a clean slash of my lance-arm, green blood spraying across the forest floor.
The spider screeched in pain, stumbling back as its balance faltered. Its once menacing speed and precision had been cut in half.
"It's over!" I growled.
I leaped into the air, my body twisting as I aimed my lance-arms at the spider's head. It shot another web in desperation, but I tore through it with ease, my poison devouring everything in my path. I descended like a dark green meteor, both arms plunging straight into the spider's skull.
The moment my lances pierced its head, a surge of energy exploded outward. The spider's limbs convulsed violently, its screeches fading into silence as its body collapsed under its weight.
I pulled my arms free, the green poison on them dissipating into the air. The massive spider lay still, its grotesque face frozen in death. For a moment, the forest was silent.
"You did it," Grandpa Dugu Bo said softly, pride evident in his voice.
Uncle Xin approached cautiously, his sharp gaze inspecting the fallen beast. "That was reckless, but impressive. Your martial spirit…" He paused, looking at my arms, which were still in their transformed state. "It's far more powerful than I imagined."
I didn't respond. I dropped to my knees, exhausted but triumphant, as a purple ring began to rise from the spider's corpse. The sight of it made my heart swell with pride.
My first soul ring.
"Rest, Bei," Grandpa said, his tone gentler now. "You've earned it."
I nodded and leaned back against a tree, watching the purple soul ring hover in the air. It pulsed with power, waiting for me to claim it.