The students in the classroom were first stunned, then erupted into thunderous cheers. In contrast, the female teacher's face turned pale, then flushed purple—utterly at a loss for how to handle the situation.
Fortunately, Fang Chang hadn't fired the soul tool inside the classroom. Otherwise, she would've been expelled on the spot. The thought made her shudder with relief. I should never bring these things into class again.
"Student, what's your name?"
Only now did she think to ask. With strength like his, how could he just be a temporary student?
"Fang Qi."
Fang Chang didn't give her a chance to probe further. After answering, he returned to his seat.
Having tested the soul tool, Fang Chang grew even more fond of it.
The soul power he had input was only at the peak of the Soul King level, yet the amplified attack rivaled that of an ordinary Soul Sage.
Moreover, as the teacher had mentioned, this thing could be used jointly by multiple soul masters. If mass-produced, the spider kin's combat power could reach new heights.
Later that evening, Fang Chang's divine sense detected Zhu Zhu waiting by the lakeside—the spot they had agreed upon. Only then did he leisurely make his way over.
"Follow me."
When he arrived, Zhu Zhu merely glanced at him and pointed to a small boat moored nearby, gesturing for him to board.
To Fang Chang's surprise, this unassuming boat was also a soul tool. With a slight infusion of soul power from Zhu Zhu, it carried them toward the center of the lake.
"How did you recognize me?"
Only now did Zhu Zhu drop her earlier composure, her tone growing urgent.
This was a matter of life and death. There were plenty in the academy who could kill her if her identity were exposed—escape would be impossible.
"I just saw through it."
Fang Chang sprawled lazily in the boat. "Your true form is a 100,000-year Dragon Spider, right?"
The moment he saw her, Fang Chang had sensed that Zhu Zhu shared no bloodline with him. Her true form was a Dragon Spider.
Since she lacked the Devouring ability, her 100,000-year cultivation must have been earned through sheer effort. That meant she likely knew what had happened over the past ten millennia.
"Mhm."
Having been seen through, Zhu Zhu stopped hiding it. "Do you have some special ability to see through my disguise?"
This was her biggest concern. She possessed a treasure that concealed her aura—even a Titled Douluo shouldn't have been able to see through her. Yet Fang Chang had done so effortlessly.
"Nope."
Fang Chang's answer was firm. He pinched his fingers together, indicating a tiny gap. "I'm just… a little stronger than you."
Zhu Zhu's cheeks puffed up in frustration. It was clear Fang Chang either didn't want to tell her or was using this to blackmail her into something.
Could he be…
She shook her head violently, dispelling the bold thought.
"Now it's my turn to ask questions. Answer honestly, and I'll reward you handsomely if your answers help."
Seeing her silent, Fang Chang cut to the chase.
"You probably only took human form in recent years, right?"
"Yes." Zhu Zhu nodded. "Eighteen years ago, I faced a heavenly tribulation. Knowing I couldn't survive it, I chose to reincarnate as a human."
Fang Chang nodded in satisfaction. "Then you should know what's happened over the past ten thousand years?"
This time, Zhu Zhu hesitated. "I know some things. But I originally cultivated in the Evil Demon Forest on the Douluo Continent. Much of what I learned came from ancient texts after taking human form."
"Then… do you know why the spider kin on this continent suddenly declined?"
Fang Chang sat up, his interest piqued.
"This…" Zhu Zhu's face showed a trace of difficulty. "I can only share what I know."
"About ten thousand years ago, when I was still a sub-100,000-year soul beast, I cultivated in the Evil Demon Forest."
"For some reason, a group of extraordinarily powerful spider-type soul beasts suddenly appeared in the forest. Each possessed unique abilities and grew at an alarming rate."
"Within just a few years, they became the rulers of the Evil Demon Forest, nearly driving the original inhabitants—the Evil Eye clan—to extinction. That was the spider kin's most glorious era."
Her eyes glimmered with nostalgia as she spoke.
Fang Chang suppressed a laugh. She must be talking about the time before I left for the Divine Realm.
Zhu Zhu collected her thoughts and continued.
"But it didn't last. One day, those foreign spider-type soul beasts vanished overnight."
"After that, our standing plummeted. Though we recovered somewhat later, we never reached those heights again."
Fang Chang stroked the stubble on his chin. This must be after I ascended to the Divine Realm. But from here, things got strange.
Given the spider kin's reproductive rate and Devouring talent, they should've bounced back within years. So why…?
"What happened to those foreign spider-type soul beasts? If they grew so fast, how did things end up like this?"
Zhu Zhu blinked in surprise. "You don't know about this?"
Seeing Fang Chang's genuine confusion, she explained.
"It was because of the Spider Hunters. Their emergence pushed the spider kin to the brink of extinction."
"Huh?"
Spider Hunters?
The name alone made Fang Chang's blood boil. It was clearly a profession dedicated to hunting spider-type soul beasts.
He had assumed the slimes were the ones encroaching on the spider kin's survival space. But the real culprit was someone else entirely.
"Do you know where these Spider Hunters are now?"
A murderous glint flashed in Fang Chang's eyes. The name alone disgusted him.
"Well… They used to be based in a sect called the Tang Sect in the Heaven Dou Empire. After the empire split, they disappeared."
"But they must still exist. If not for them, I might not have needed to reincarnate as a human!"
Hatred burned in Zhu Zhu's gaze as she spoke.
"The Tang Sect?!"
Fang Chang's expression twisted in shock. "Impossible. That's absolutely impossible!"
He was certain Tang San had died long ago—completely and irrevocably. The Tang Sect had been wiped out before it could even properly form. So how…?
Zhu Zhu watched Fang Chang's strange reaction, unsure what to say.
After a long silence, Fang Chang finally steadied himself and asked another question.
"What about the slimes? What's their relationship with the spider kin?"
"I know a little." Zhu Zhu nodded. "They're a soul beast race that rose suddenly in the last three or four thousand years. By now, they're probably as dominant as the spider kin once were."
Three or four thousand years…
Fang Chang froze.
His earlier assumptions had been completely wrong.
The slimes weren't the reason for the spider kin's decline.
The real culprit was likely the so-called—
"Tang Sect."