Dawn's first light lifted the veil of night, spilling brilliant morning hues across the sky. Ling Bai returned to Shrek Academy with the early morning sun at his back. As soon as he entered the academy gates, he spotted a familiar face.
The woman had a tall, graceful figure with alluring curves. Her pair of emerald green eyes were both coquettish and bewitching, every smile and frown exuding endless charm.
Jade Phosphor Serpent, Dugu Lin.
"What a coincidence."
Ling Bai took the initiative to greet Dugu Lin. She walked over and responded with a light laugh, "It's only been seven days, and you've already captured the 10,000-year Medusa alive?"
"Mm. Did your mission to eliminate the Wolftaken go smoothly?"
"Just a bunch of lowly rabble, not even worth mentioning. But their actions..."
Dugu Lin's voice suddenly trailed off, her emerald green eyes exuding a hint of dangerous aura as they showed signs of turning into vertical slits.
She had rushed day and night but still arrived a step too late. The Wolftaken had massacred several villages in the Dou Ling Empire, killing all the men to use as rations while capturing the women to wantonly violate.
Although she had slain all the Wolftaken to avenge the innocent villagers, her hatred for them had not diminished in the slightest.
"We can only do what's within our power and leave the rest to fate. You've done what needed to be done; there's no need to be too hard on yourself."
Ling Bai offered some words of comfort as the two of them crossed Sea God Lake together to submit their examination assignment at the Examination Hall.
From deep within the Examination Hall emerged a stooped figure. It was none other than Elder Li, bearing the hideous scar on his face.
"Why are you back, kid?"
The instant Elder Li saw Ling Bai, he paused for a moment before blurting out, "Don't tell me you want to give up on the red-grade assignment and drop out to go home?"
The corner of Ling Bai's mouth twitched. Can't you guess in a more positive direction, you old fogey!
It was at times like these that the difference in people's characters truly showed. Just look at Dugu Lin. She had directly assumed he had completed the red-grade assignment!
Dugu Lin stood to the side, secretly laughing. After questioning Ling Bai, Elder Li turned his gaze to her and asked, "What about you?"
Dugu Lin suppressed her laughter and tossed a black, round object from her Storage Spirit Guidance Device. It rolled on the ground a couple of times before coming to a stop.
It was a gruesome dark green wolf head. Its eyes had been gouged out, and its gaping mouth stared blankly at the sky. A large amount of crimson blood surrounded the eye sockets. Evidently, this Wolftaken had suffered inhuman torture before its death, dying in an extremely miserable state.
"You're quite ruthless."
While Ling Bai verbally commented on Dugu Lin's cruelty, his body honestly gave her a thumbs up.
Wolftaken, like Evil Spirit Masters who indiscriminately killed the innocent, didn't deserve to exist on the Douluo Continent.
Elder Li released a wave of spirit power, sensing the remnant spirit power fluctuations in the Wolftaken's head. He nodded with satisfaction. "This is indeed the head of that Spirit Ancestor-level Wolftaken leader. You've passed your examination assignment!"
"Thank you, Elder Li."
Dugu Lin suddenly clenched her fist. The Wolftaken's head exploded into fine powder that scattered in the wind. Having done this, she gracefully stepped back to Ling Bai's side.
Facts speak louder than words. Ling Bai couldn't be bothered to play out the classic scene of showing off and face-slapping with the old man. He simply took out the barely alive Medusa.
"Wait a minute..."
Dugu Lin pointed at the black mass that was almost unrecognizable and said with a strange expression, "On what basis are you calling me ruthless?!"
Elder Li wholeheartedly agreed. The Medusa before them had none of the unparalleled aura of the Queen of Snakes. Its body was missing both arms, its snake tail was severed at the root, and its head of snakes was nowhere to be seen. The top of its head was as bald as a black hard-boiled egg. Its snake scales were in terrible condition all over its body, and its breathing was as feeble as a thread, seemingly about to exhale its last breath at any moment!
"The Wolftaken committed all sorts of evil and deserved every punishment. But Medusa... did she whip your butt with her tail or something?"
Dugu Lin asked suspiciously. Spirit Masters generally wouldn't intentionally torment spirit beasts unless there was a special reason.
Ling Bai's temples throbbed upon hearing this. "Knowing too much is not good for you."
The Death Abyss Spider Emperor contained Rakshasa Evil Power. Now that Electrolux resided in his Spiritual Sea, Ling Bai wouldn't lose control and degenerate into an Evil Spirit Master. However, the evil power would amplify the violent emotions in his heart. That's why the Dark Emperor Demon Vine and Medusa ended up in such a miserable state.
Elder Li carefully verified the true form of the 10,000-year Medusa. When he looked at Ling Bai again, his eyes burst with incomparable fervor. The red-grade assignment far exceeded the capabilities of Inner Courtyard freshmen. In Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year history, countless geniuses had never succeeded. Today, a true monster had finally appeared!
"I remember your name is Ling Bai, right? Good... good... good... very good!"
The aged voice trembled as Elder Li repeated the word 'good' four times in a row.
"According to the teachings left by Shrek's ancestors, those who complete a red-grade assignment, regardless of talent or background, shall be regarded by the academy as the next generation of Sea God Pavilion members and cultivated with all our might! Ling Bai, your fortune is truly at its peak!"
Having said that, Elder Li paid no more attention to the two of them. He transformed into a streak of light and flew off in a hurry, presumably to report the situation to the elders of the Sea God Pavilion. This left Ling Bai and Dugu Lin staring at each other, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Dugu Lin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said with a smile, "The academy allows students to freely dispose of their assignment spoils. It seems that Medusa won't live much longer. What do you plan to do with it?"
Ling Bai replied indifferently, "Bury it, I suppose."
The Death Abyss Spider Emperor Poison would corrode the Medusa into a puddle of toxic water by tomorrow. Otherwise, he could have found an auction house to squeeze out its remaining value. A 10,000-year Snake Queen would definitely attract a group of snake-type Spirit Masters scrambling to bid.
No big deal, just a mere million or so spirit gold coins. He wasn't short on money!
"What a waste!"
Dugu Lin cried out in anguish. Her graceful figure leaned slightly forward, her alluring curves on display. In a tone as if she were sharing a little secret, she said:
"How about I help you dispose of it?"
Seeing the woman just a fist's distance away, Ling Bai remained completely unmoved and sneered:
"Your fifth spirit ring?"
"Hehe, so you knew!"
"When we drew lots, you said you were super looking forward to me capturing the Medusa alive. You've been plotting this for quite some time."
Having her little scheme blatantly pointed out, Dugu Lin's face reddened for a moment. She immediately clasped her hands together and said, "I just broke through to rank 50 spirit power and need a fifth spirit ring. You know, there's not a single snake-type Spirit Master on the Douluo Continent who could resist a Medusa spirit ring!"
"Don't try to reap without sowing. Show some sincerity."
"How about I give you a kiss?" Dugu Lin eagerly suggested.
"No need, thanks."
Ling Bai's face was written all over with 'Woman, don't push your luck'. He sighed and said, "You can help me with an experiment."
Dugu Lin felt instantly disappointed but didn't give up: "Spicy or mild?"
"Purely mild!"
Ling Bai covered his forehead and let out a groan, "Dissect the Medusa now!"
"That's it?"
Dugu Lin was utterly puzzled. Seeing that Ling Bai had no intention of explaining, she crouched down and used a sharp knife to cut open Medusa's chest and skull.
"Huh?"
Dugu Lin suddenly discovered something. Inside Medusa's skull was actually a strange, triangular-shaped bone!
The bone resembled a miniature snake skull. It was pure snow-white in color. In its eye sockets, it seemed as if two pale flames were burning. Threads of spirit power fluctuations accompanied by spiritual power continuously emanated from it.
"This is... a 10,000-year Medusa skull spirit bone!"