Tang San remained calm and composed. He didn't immediately absorb the spirit ring. Instead, he sat cross-legged beside the Man-Faced Demon Spider's body, circulating his Xuan Tian Technique to recover his spirit power and dispel the remaining toxins.
"Xuan Tian Technique, now this is truly a treasure. Especially when compared to the primitive cultivation methods of this world, it's basically on another level—like crushing ants with a sledgehammer."
"If my system's task rewards don't give me a similar cultivation technique, perhaps I can find a way to trick Tang San into handing over Xuan Tian Technique someday."
Watching the milky-white mist swirling around Tang San's body, Lin Fan couldn't help but feel a little envious.
When he transmigrated to this world, he'd arrived with nothing at all. Although now he was reaping rewards after years of struggle, everything he had was earned through forty years of hard work.
If Tang San had forty years, he'd probably already be a god-king by now.
Before long, Lin Fan noticed three figures approaching from ahead.
It was none other than the people they had encountered earlier—Dragon Duke, Snake Lady, and Meng Yiran.
"What! My Man-Faced Demon Spider has been snatched again!" Seeing the dead body of the Man-Faced Demon Spider on the ground, Meng Yiran stomped in frustration.
Tang San opened his eyes in shock. "No way, what a coincidence… No wonder its spiderwebs had been exhausted."
When he looked at the Dragon Duke, who had eight spirit rings surrounding him, Tang San could only sigh internally.
"It's you again, Tang San! You've ruined my plans twice now!" Meng Yiran shouted the moment she recognized him.
Snake Lady whispered something to the Dragon Duke.
The Dragon Duke then coldly said to Tang San, "You have two choices. One, join my family clan. Or two, leave one of your arms here to compensate my granddaughter."
Tang San's face darkened immediately. He knew that joining a family clan like this meant completely losing his freedom.
Lin Fan realized he couldn't let this nonsense drag on any further. If Tang San missed the optimal time to absorb the spirit ring, it could lead to unpredictable consequences.
More importantly, Lin Fan was concerned that Tang Hao might return at any moment.
Immediately, Lin Fan appeared before them. He looked at the Dragon Duke and Snake Lady and said coldly, "You two are getting senile. You couldn't even handle a mere thousand-year Man-Faced Demon Spider, yet you shamelessly try to shift the blame onto Tang San?"
"Living all these years has been wasted on you."
The Dragon Duke and Snake Lady were shocked. They hadn't realized someone else was nearby.
"Who are you?" they demanded.
"You insignificant beast clans think you're worthy of having Tang San join you?" Lin Fan scoffed.
"Go ahead and absorb the spirit ring now, Tang San. Let's see who dares to say a word," Lin Fan said flatly, standing protectively in front of Tang San without even looking back.
"Thank you, Lord Swordshadow," Tang San replied with joy, knowing Lin Fan's cultivation level would guarantee his safety.
Lin Fan then unleashed his nine spirit rings and drew his Azure Shadow Sword.
"I am the titled Douluo, Swordshadow."
"Titled Douluo!" The Dragon Duke and Snake Lady stared at his spirit rings in disbelief, but they had to accept it.
After all, the Man-Faced Demon Spider was indeed rare.
"Greetings, Lord Swordshadow," they said respectfully.
Titled Douluo stood at the absolute pinnacle of the spirit master world's hierarchy. Even Spirit Douluo had to address them respectfully as 'Lord'.
"So this is what it means to be a Titled Douluo…" Tang San felt a deep sense of awe at this moment.
Only now did he truly understand how prestigious a Titled Douluo was on this continent. It wasn't just a title—it symbolized true power.
"Lord Swordshadow, the Man-Faced Demon Spider was first discovered and injured by us. By rights, it should belong to us," the Dragon Duke said, still unwilling to let it go.
Lin Fan sneered, "What rank are you? What rank is the Man-Faced Demon Spider? With such a huge power gap, how did it escape from you?"
"Too bad. It escaped, and now it has been killed by Tang San. That makes it his. Besides, every soul beast in the Star Dou Forest is unclaimed by default."
"By your logic, if a soul master merely spots a soul beast, that beast becomes theirs? In that case, I could just claim I've seen every soul beast in the forest, and no one else would be allowed to hunt here?"
Lin Fan's cold words left them speechless.
"Tang San, go absorb the spirit ring."
"Yes, Lord." Tang San obeyed immediately.
Seeing this, the Dragon Duke and Snake Lady both released their spirit rings, staring at Lin Fan vigilantly.
"Oh? Planning to fight? Do you think you can defeat me? If you want to drag your granddaughter down with you, then be my guest."
Lin Fan released his powerful pressure, instantly forcing Meng Yiran to collapse onto the Dragon Duke's back, barely avoiding being crushed to the ground.
"Titled Douluo… Truly worthy of their reputation. We'll take our leave." The Dragon Duke's face turned grim as he withdrew his spirit rings and respectfully bowed to Lin Fan.
"No need to see you out," Lin Fan replied indifferently.
They had no choice but to leave with their tails between their legs.
"Thank you, Lord Swordshadow, for standing up for me," Tang San said again with gratitude.
"Save the chatter. Xiao Wu is still in the hands of the Titan Giant Ape," Lin Fan reminded him.
Hearing this, Tang San didn't dare delay further and immediately began absorbing the Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring.
Lin Fan thought to himself, "Just make sure that Eight Spider Lances pops out for me—that'll be thanks enough."
However, Tang San soon felt a problem.
"Damn it! This Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring has reached 2,000 years! That far exceeds the recommended age for a third spirit ring!" Tang San's body trembled violently as he absorbed it.
But at this point, there was no turning back. He could only grit his teeth and endure, entering a deep state of absorption.
Lin Fan calmly approached and watched closely from behind.
Soon enough, he saw a mass of energy forming around Tang San's spine.
"There it is… That concentrated energy forming on his back—it must be the Eight Spider Lances' soul bone." Lin Fan's gaze sharpened as he patiently waited for it to fully form.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Tang Hao, who had been chasing Xiao Wu and the Titan Giant Ape, finally understood the situation.
"So that's why! It turns out the Titan Giant Ape knew Xiao Wu. No wonder it appeared near the forest's outskirts," Tang Hao realized.
"But this also means it'll be much easier for Xiao San to obtain the Titan Giant Ape's spirit ring in the future."
Back with Tang San, after half an hour of intense absorption, he finally succeeded in fully absorbing the spirit ring.
And right at that moment, the Eight Spider Lances' soul bone fully formed!
Lin Fan immediately acted. Before Tang San could even open his eyes, Lin Fan chopped him on the neck, knocking him unconscious.
"System, extract the Eight Spider Lances' soul bone!" Lin Fan pressed his hand firmly on Tang San's back.
With a swift pull, the Eight Spider Lance's soul bone was forcibly extracted. Though Tang San was unconscious, his face still contorted in pain, as if someone were digging out his bones.
Thanks to the system's assistance, Lin Fan successfully extracted the external soul bone without harming Tang San's life force.
Luckily, Tang San had only just fused with it. The bond wasn't deep yet, making it possible to remove the soul bone without killing him.
"Haha! System, I've got the Eight Spider Lances' soul bone! Time to claim my reward."
[Congratulations, Host, for completing the task.]
[Reward: One-time fusion with the Eight Spider Lances' soul bone, instantly upgrading it to a 10,000-year quality.]
[Would you like to use it now?]
"Yes!" Lin Fan answered decisively.