Wang Lin's scales began a molting process; his ink-green scales shed, revealing bright pink scales underneath. As his 10-meter-long body shrank to just 1 meter, it emitted a brilliant burst of light.
**On Hook Panel**
Name: Wang Lin
Attribute: Poison
Age: 1037
Grid 1: Bright Light Deer (60k years)
Grid 2: Empty
Grid 3: Locked
Upon awakening from his slumber, right after completing his metamorphosis, Wang Lin promptly accessed his system menu.
The system data displayed remarkable changes. Although he couldn't track the passage of days and nights while he was asleep, he estimated he had spent a few months in hibernation.
Over a short period, he had aged from 400 years to 1000 years. The most astonishing development was the Bright Light Deer's growth; it increased from a mere 1000 years to 60 thousand years within those few months.
This transformation was made possible by consuming dense, enriched blood, which grew more potent with each passing moment.
However, he noticed that, despite his increased age, he was smaller than when he was 400 years old. Additionally, his scales had changed to a bright pink hue.
Two new storage spots had become available. He assumed these would unlock automatically over time.
Driven by the desire to make the most of the opportunity, he was eager to venture into the forest. Every moment his storage spots remained empty meant losing potential gains.
Without hesitation, he emerged from the anthill, filled with newfound vigor and the hope of advancing his age.
He used his keen senses to detect odor molecules in the air and quickly identified his target—a pink-colored rabbit.
The rabbit hopped around, grazing on the delicious blue-silver grass while remaining vigilant.
Wang Lin stealthily stalked the soft-boned rabbit, slithering through the shadows of the trees. He positioned himself among a cluster of flowers to camouflage his presence.
The unsuspecting rabbit continued grazing, oblivious to the danger. Wang Lin lay in wait, ready to strike and inject his venom.
As the rabbit moved closer to the dazzling flower, it came within reach of the pink-scaled serpent. Wang Lin sank his fangs into the rabbit's torso and injected one-third of his venom.
The rabbit went into a frenzy, kicking wildly and sending Wang Lin in a random direction before darting away in the opposite direction.
Wang Lin was flung into the sky, crashed into the trunk of a tree, and then fell to the ground. The impact and fall caused him considerable pain.
It took him a while to recover and resume his pursuit. Once the venom was injected, unless the prey was exceptionally strong, it was bound to die eventually.
Thus, the rabbit's struggle was in vain. Wang Lin tracked the traces left by the rabbit and continued his pursuit.
---
At the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest, a group of spirit masters gathered around the serpent's corpse. The serpent had a crest on its head and a pair of wings encircling its neck. Oscar sat in front of the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent, absorbing its purple spirit ring. The Shrek team, along with Zhao Wuji, stood guard around Oscar, recovering from the energy expended in the previous battle.
After absorbing the spirit ring, Oscar's physical stature grew, and three spirit rings—two yellow and one purple—hovered around him.
"Congratulations, Oscar, on obtaining a year spirit ring for your third ring. Not every spirit master can acquire a thousand-year spirit ring at rank 30," Zhao Wuji said.
"Oscar, what ability did you gain from your third ring?" Dai Mubai asked.
"I'll tell you about my third spirit ring ability, but you have to promise not to laugh," Oscar pleaded.
Everyone around him nodded in agreement, except for Tang San, who was meditating to recover his energy.
Oscar closed his eyes as the purple spirit ring hovered before him and chanted, "Your father, I have a mushroom sausage."
The group burst into laughter at the chant. As they laughed, Tang San woke from his meditation and, upon hearing the laughter, looked around in confusion.
"What's going on? Why is everyone laughing?" Tang San asked, puzzled.
Just as Ma Hongjun was about to explain, a pink furball dashed into the center of the group. Distracted by their laughter, even Zhao Wuji, a level 70 spirit master, didn't notice the soft-boned rabbit that had escaped from Wang Lin and was heading straight toward them.
As the group noticed the strange furball, they quickly adopted a defensive stance. A black spirit ring hovered in front of Zhao Wuji, and the gravity around the soft-boned rabbit intensified, pinning it flat against the ground as it struggled to rise.
"It's just a soft-boned rabbit; there's nothing to worry about," Tang San said, trying to ease the tension.
With his words, the atmosphere relaxed somewhat. Zhao Wuji lifted his gravity ability.
The soft-boned rabbit struggled to stand, its body battered by the intense gravity and the venom coursing through it. Its breathing was faint, and it seemed close to death.
"Sister Wu, isn't this spirit beast the same as your martial spirit?" Ma Hongjun inquired.
"It is indeed the same as my martial spirit. It's quite pitiful and looks like it might die at any moment," Xiao Wu replied, gazing at the soft-boned rabbit with sympathy.
"Oscar, could you give me a recovery sausage? I promise I won't laugh at your incantation anymore," Xiao Wu requested.
"You don't need to ask, Sister Wu," Oscar said, producing a recovery sausage and handing it to Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu promptly fed it to the soft-boned rabbit. Its breathing soon stabilized, and Xiao Wu cradled it gently in her arms.
"Third brother, look at this poor rabbit. Can we keep it as a pet?" Xiao Wu asked with a compassionate look.
"We'll worry about keeping it as a pet later. For now, let's deal with the beast that was chasing it," Zhao Wuji said, turning toward the darkness of the forest where a pair of scarlet eyes glared back at them.
In response, Tang San and his group turned in the direction Zhao Wuji was facing. Tang San activated the Purple Demon Eye in his pupil's was the reflection of a bright pink snake—the very snake he had initially hunted for his first spirit ring: the Datura Snake.