Chapter 23: The First Battle, the Man-Faced Demon Spider!

Chapter 23: First Battle, the Man-Faced Demon Spider!

As Zhong Yan stepped into the Star Dou Great Forest, he truly felt that this place was extraordinary. As far as the eye could see, there was a vast ocean of green that was refreshing to behold from afar. Upon closer inspection, however, the layers of tree shadows were shrouded in a faint mist, making it difficult to see what lay within. Even the outer perimeter of the forest gave off a palpable sense of danger.

Zhong Yan realized that Bibi Dong had disappeared; he knew his teacher was already observing his performance from the shadows. The terrain within the Star Dou Great Forest was incredibly complex, and there were no paths to speak of. The task of clearing a way naturally fell to the power of Geng Metal. Infusing his hands with Geng Metal proved quite convenient for pathfinding, as he could slice through the thickets with a wave of his palms.

Suddenly, a gray mouse darted out from beneath his feet. Startled by Zhong Yan, it quickly vanished, but he recognized it as a roughly eighty-year-old Awl-Tooth Mouse. These creatures possessed slender, needle-like front teeth that were exceptionally hard and hollow; once they bit their prey, they would cause continuous bleeding. While not a major threat individually, they were known to be highly social creatures that appeared in massive numbers.

It was difficult to determine direction in this forest, but judging by the mouse, he was nearing the habitat of century-level soul beasts. With this in mind, Zhong Yan stopped lingering. He protected his legs with Geng Metal and quickened his pace.

After traveling for another hour or two, it was midday. He encountered many soul beasts, mostly ten-year and hundred-year varieties. He avoided most of them, steering clear of direct conflict, though the occasional foolish beast that sought its own death was dealt with as easily as chopping vegetables by his Geng Metal-infused strikes.

Feeling it was time, Zhong Yan climbed a large tree and expanded his spiritual sense. Finding no threatening soul beasts in the vicinity, he cleared a spot beneath the tree to rest.

Even after traveling for hours, he was still in the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest, where high-level soul beasts were scarce and it remained relatively safe. He had barely reached the territory of thousand-year soul beasts, but since he sought a ten-thousand-year soul ring, he would have to venture deeper—where the danger would only increase.

After a short rest, a rustling sound, like the friction of leaves, caught his attention. Alerted, Zhong Yan stood up and peered cautiously in the direction of the noise. The source of the sound soon revealed itself.

Before him stood a spider—a monstrous creature with a main body diameter of over 1.5 meters and eight spear-like legs stretching over three meters in length. Its entire body was encased in a shiny, black carapace. Its legs were tapered to razor-sharp points that pierced the ground silently with every step.

The spider spotted Zhong Yan just as he spotted it. Its eight legs moved with such rapid rhythm that they created a series of afterimages, and in the blink of an eye, it was right before him. Its two front legs lifted and plunged toward him in a lethal strike.

Zhong Yan leaped backward, and as the spider raised its front limbs, he caught sight of white markings on its underbelly that contrasted sharply with its black body. These markings formed the shape of a malevolent human face, with eight small, glowing purple eyes clustered just below it.

"A Man-Faced Demon Spider? Since it appeared before me, it must be that Teacher intentionally let it through. It seems she wasn't satisfied with my earlier 'vegetable chopping.' And this Man-Faced Demon Spider is only about two thousand years old... very well, bring it on!"

Just as Zhong Yan landed on a tree, the Man-Faced Demon Spider leaped high and pounced toward him with speed far exceeding his expectations.

"Starfall!" No sooner had he spoken than a star-shaped projectile materialized above the spider and slammed into it, pinning the beast to the ground in a cloud of dust.

However, Zhong Yan realized the spider's exoskeleton was incredibly hard; the Starfall had caused no damage. The spider raised a limb and stabbed it into the Starfall, and just as it seemed the construct was about to shatter, Zhong Yan uttered a single word: "Detonate!"

The Starfall exploded, catching the Man-Faced Demon Spider off guard.

"Stone Stele!" One after another, stone steles erupted from the ground, locking the spider's body in place. The steles were significantly harder than the Starfall, and the spider could not break free immediately.

Zhong Yan noticed the spider's mandibles opening, signaling an intent to spit silk. He reached out, and another stone stele surged from the ground beneath the spider's head, striking its jaw and forcing the attack to abort.

"Resonance!" As his second soul ring ignited, each stone stele pulsed with a rhythmic light. The Man-Faced Demon Spider seemed to sense something and began to struggle in agony; this resonance between the earth elements bypassed its exoskeleton, dealing damage directly to its internal organs.

As the spider struggled violently, the stone steles began to lose their grip. The moment it broke free, Zhong Yan, who had been prepared, quickly manifested two stone spears in his hands and hurled them toward the two eyes exposed by the spider's frantic movements.

The spider's protection of its weak points exceeded his expectations. It dove to the ground, and the two stone spears merely clattered against its carapace. As it lowered its body, the creature tilted its head and spat a web at Zhong Yan from a tricky angle.

"Momentary Step!" Zhong Yan pressed a hand to the ground, and the platform he was standing on propelled him into the air, narrowly dodging the web.

"That was close. I didn't think this beast's exoskeleton would be so tough." Standing on his construct, Zhong Yan looked down at the spider and manifested another stone spear. This time, however, the tip of the spear was coated in a faint, golden glow.

When Zhong Yan threw it, the spider, assuming it was the same as the previous spears, lowered its body to block the attack with its exoskeleton.

The spear, infused with the power of Geng Metal, easily pierced the exoskeleton and drove deep into the spider’s body. The beast let out a cry of pain.

Zhong Yan was surprised by the effectiveness of the Geng Metal. He slapped his forehead. "Why was I bothering to look for weak points like the books said? I should have just sliced it! I've been reading too much for my own good."

As spear after spear, all infused with Geng Metal, rained down, the Man-Faced Demon Spider realized its armor could not withstand them. It moved all eight legs in unison and spat another web at Zhong Yan. Unlike the previous one, this web spread out rapidly upon being released, not intended to catch him, but merely to serve as a distraction.

After spitting the silk, the spider turned and fled. Seeing no more spears coming its way, it let its guard down, thinking the web had worked.

Suddenly, a stone stele erupted from beneath it, catching the spider and slowing its momentum.

Taking advantage of the delay, Zhong Yan hurled the spear he had been charging for some time. The spear glowed with a dazzling light and carried a terrifying aura. Upon closer inspection, it was no longer a simple stone spear, but the Vortex Vanquisher.

Zhong Yan poured one-third of his soul power into the spear—the ultimate move he had developed back at Notting Academy.

"Earth Core!"

He watched as the Vortex Vanquisher sliced through the spider’s shell with ease, plunging into its body followed by a violent explosion. When the blinding light faded, all that remained in its place were scattered remains and a purple soul ring.