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Shrek Academy, Sea God Island.
"Alright, let's part ways here. I'll go back with Sister Ruo Ruo to rest and heal, and you two head to the Supervision Pavilion to receive your monitoring tasks."
Wu Ming stretched her arms wide, the sunlight casting a delicate silhouette of her slim and graceful figure. Her face, visibly relaxed, made it clear that after over a decade at Shrek, the academy felt like a second home to her.
Han Ruoru looked at Ling Bai, her eyes filled with deep concern. She gently advised, "Little Junior Brother, remember what I told you last night. Monitoring tasks are different from evaluation tasks; there's no room for luck.
To ensure the completion rate and survival rate of the tasks, the academy assigns the most suitable monitoring tasks to each Inner Courtyard disciple based on their talents, combat strength, and personality..."
Hearing this, Chu Qingtian couldn't help but clench his fists. Great, last time he drew a Black-Level task to kill a Blood-Faced Evil Soul Master, and only by the grace of the heavens did he survive. If it weren't for that guy offending the granddaughter of a Sealed Douluo, who then called in her grandfather to save her, he would have been minced into dumpling filling long ago.
Han Ruoru continued, unhurriedly, "Based on your rating, I guess you'll be assigned the most difficult Red-Level Monitoring Task. Your injuries need at least seven days of rest, and you shouldn't engage in any battles in between.
Fortunately, the academy has relaxed the requirements for freshmen's first monitoring task, giving you a month to complete it. Don't force yourself to fight, or you'll end up with chronic injuries.
And one more thing, pay attention to your diet during recovery. You usually like sour, sweet, and spicy foods, but you should eat more light dishes while healing."
"Mm-hm."
Ling Bai nodded, taking everything to heart.
"And one more thing, stay away from darkness and close to light. Go out and bask in the sun for an hour every day to dispel evil.
And one more thing, I bought the wings of a Light Goddess Butterfly at the academy's treasure fair five years ago. I'll find a skilled craftsman during the holiday to make you an amulet...
And one more thing..."
Ling Bai's head was gradually filled with black lines as he listened, while Chu Qingtian felt drowsy, reminiscing about the soul master theory classes given by their first-year homeroom teacher in the Outer Courtyard.
Wu Ming, straightforward and blunt, interrupted Han Ruoru's incessant chatter, feigning anger, "Stop, stop, stop! Dear Miss Han Ruoru, remember you're his senior, not his mother! It's just a monitoring task; if you're so worried, why don't you go with him!"
"It does make sense, but it would violate the academy's rules... But then again, rules are rigid, but people are flexible..."
Han Ruoru seemed quite moved. Knowing about the hidden danger of the Evil Soul Beast: Death Prison Spider King, she was even reluctant to let Ling Bai out of her sight for a second, fearing he might suddenly turn and go on a killing spree.
Hearing this, Wu Ming was puzzled, shocked, and terrified. Her fair face turned a kaleidoscope of colors. Sister, are you crazy? Are you really going to be his mother?
She then suddenly jumped up, hooking her arm around Han Ruoru's swan-like neck and dragging her away, shouting to Ling Bai and Chu Qingtian, "I'm taking her to clear her head. You two, get going!"
Ling Bai gave a distant thumbs-up and walked with Chu Qingtian toward the Inner Courtyard Supervision Pavilion.
"Brother Ling, why do I feel that Senior Sister Han is being a bit too concerned about you?" Chu Qingtian scratched his head. "It's like she wants to take care of your every need."
The reasons were not something to be shared with outsiders. Ling Bai smiled, "It's just normal concern. We are Inner Courtyard seniors and juniors, so it's understandable to be close."
"Mm-hm..."
Chu Qingtian thought about it and found it made sense. After all, Ling Bai and Han Ruoru had never been secretive about their close relationship, and all the Inner Courtyard disciples knew about it.
The two entered the Shrek Supervision Pavilion and happened to meet Dugu Lin and Pan Tao. The two girls were talking to an old man with a long, ghastly scar running down his face.
"Old Li, why is it you?"
Ling Bai and Chu Qingtian were slightly taken aback. Wasn't Old Li the Examination Hall Master? Why was he here at the Supervision Pavilion?
"Shrek Academy allows part-time positions. Do you two have any objections?"
Old Li, the Examination Hall Master and Supervision Pavilion Chief, raised an eyebrow, as if one wrong answer would result in him making their lives miserable from then on.
"Ha, how could we object? Old Li, you're full of energy and getting younger every day. I think you could even replace the Beast King in the arena," Ling Bai said with a sincere tone, his eyes closed.
"That's a decent answer. The four of you, follow me."
Old Li smiled, the scar on his face resembling a centipede, making him look even more terrifying. He turned and walked into the depths of the Supervision Pavilion, gesturing for Ling Bai and the others to follow.
Dugu Lin naturally moved closer to Ling Bai, whispering into his ear with a warm, fragrant breath, "You're quick on your feet, but why did you close your eyes?"
Ling Bai whispered back, "Because I can't lie with my eyes open without getting struck by lightning."
"Ha ha ha, you're so naughty~"
"Creak—"
Old Li's fist hardened!
The depths of the Supervision Pavilion were a vast hall, so spacious that it felt eerily quiet. The four of them, who had been studying in the Inner Courtyard for almost a year, didn't need Old Li to beat around the bush. He got straight to the point:
"I'm sure you all know the four graduation standards of the Shrek Inner Courtyard: level sixty soul power, a black-level soul duel badge, passing the graduation exam, and completing thirty monitoring tasks.
The Shrek Inner Courtyard has another name on the continent: the Shrek Surveillance Corps. Each generation's Sea God Pavilion Master personally serves as the corps commander, and any evil and chaos on the continent falls under the jurisdiction of the Shrek Surveillance Corps. Thus, countless Shrek disciples and teachers have died while executing monitoring tasks to uphold this duty and honor..."
This monument built of blood and flesh was too heavy to bear. Old Li paused for a moment before continuing:
"Monitoring tasks, like evaluation tasks, are divided into five levels: White, Yellow, Purple, Black, and Red, with increasing difficulty. The first monitoring task for freshmen is also your upgrade task for this year. The task period is one month, and those who fail will return to their sects to enjoy a comfortable life, no need to suffer on Sea God Island anymore.
Now, I will assign your monitoring tasks on behalf of the Sea God Pavilion Master. First, Pan Tao."
"Here!"
Pan Tao gave a sloppy military salute.
"White-Level task: Man-Faced Demon Spider. In the village near the Radiant Star City of the Star Luo Empire, there is a Man-Faced Demon Spider with three thousand years of cultivation causing chaos. Your task is to kill it and help the villagers."
"Guaranteed to complete the task!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, in this day and age, Man-Faced Demon Spiders have been reduced to White-Level tasks..."
Chu Qingtian felt a toothache coming on, unable to imagine how difficult Black-Level and Red-Level tasks must be!
"Dugu Lin, Black-Level task: Cat Woman. In the noble city of Hailing in the Spirit Dou Empire, the nobleman Xue Wang is obsessed with Cat Women, forcing common women to mate with cat-type soul beasts to produce half-human, half-cat Cat Women. Your task is to kill Xue Wang and rescue those innocent women."
"Understood!"
Dugu Lin's eyes glinted with a bone-chilling coldness, her pupils almost turning vertical. The noble class of the Spirit Dou Continent had many cruel and perverted individuals who enjoyed the offspring of humans and soul beasts, such as Cat Women, snake women, and dragon women...
Their births were built on the flesh and souls of countless women, only to be used for entertainment. As a woman, Dugu Lin vowed to make Xue Wang pay with his blood!
"Chu Qingtian, Black-Level task: kill an Evil Soul Master..."
"What? Another Black-Level task, another Evil Soul Master!?
Chu Qingtian's high-pitched voice shook the leaves outside, and birds fluttered out of the trees in alarm. He trembled and pointed at Dugu Lin, angrily saying, "Old Li, the academy might as well just kill me! How can you think I'm at the same level as Senior Lin? She could take on three of me without breaking a sweat!"
"Believe in yourself, don't underestimate yourself. You did a great job on the last evaluation task."
Old Li tried to comfort Chu Qingtian, but Chu Qingtian was frozen in place, seriously suspecting that Shrek Academy was deliberately targeting him.
"Actually, there are benefits to doing Black-Level tasks." Old Li cleared his throat, "The academy's graduation requirement is thirty White-Level tasks. For each level higher, the task counts as one more White-Level task. Completing the most difficult Red-Level task is equivalent to five White-Level tasks.
Think about it, if you're assigned a Black-Level task from the start, won't you reach the graduation requirements much faster!"
"If I have the luck to live that long..."
Chu Qingtian squatted to the side, drawing circles, while Old Li leaned over to explain the task details. He then looked at Ling Bai for a long time before suddenly smiling and asking, "Ling Bai, what level do you think your monitoring task will be?"
"Red-Level."
"So calm?" Old Li was surprised. "Last time, when you drew the Red-Level task Medusa, you seemed a bit overwhelmed."
"..."
What a question! What a question!
A one-in-a-thousand Red-Level evaluation task is bad luck, but a Red-Level Monitoring Task is a sign of strength!
Confusing concepts, are we!?
And he had just drawn a 70,000-year-old Burning Sun Fire Dragon Trunk Bone, which had turned his luck around. If the Spirit Dou Continent had invented soul conductor cameras, Ling Bai would have definitely framed a photo of the soul bone drop and hung it on the wall to prove how lucky he was!
Ling Bai's resentment rose, making Dugu Lin and Pan Tao burst into laughter. Old Li's smile couldn't be suppressed as he said, "Red-Level task: Catastrophic Snow Demon. The Dragon City of the Tianhun Empire is near the Ultimate North, and the nearby villages live by growing special crops and herbs like the Ultimate North Moonlight Rice.
Recently, their fields have been ravaged by soul beasts. According to Shrek Academy investigators, it is likely a 30,000-year-old Catastrophic Snow Demon."
"Catastrophic Snow Demon?"
The name sounded unfamiliar, and Dugu Lin and Pan Tao searched their minds but couldn't find the corresponding soul beast.
Old Li explained, "A Catastrophic Snow Demon is a mutated Titan Snow Demon, naturally prone to causing disasters. The Titan Snow Demon King, one of the three major titans of the Ultimate North, personally executes Catastrophic Snow Demons to maintain peace, making them extremely rare. Therefore, the academy's soul beast theory courses do not cover Catastrophic Snow Demons.
Ling Bai, you can either capture or kill the 30,000-year-old Catastrophic Snow Demon, as long as it no longer destroys the villagers' fields."
"Alright." Ling Bai nodded slightly.
"What kind of fate do you have..."
Dugu Lin patted his shoulder, sighing, "The Dark Radiant Forest, the Ultimate North, one more dangerous than the other. Your luck is really bad!"
"I don't see it that way." Ling Bai looked northward, his smile deep and meaningful.
"A land of treasures and outstanding people, the Ultimate North is truly a...
wonderful place."
At the same time, in the first-year dormitory of the Outer Courtyard.
"I'm off, Yu Hao. See you when school starts!"
Wang Dong slammed the door, leaving Huo Yuhao alone in the dormitory.
"Big Brother Tiang Meng, wake up!"
Huo Yuhao frantically called out to Tianmeng Ice Silkworm in his spiritual sea.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm rubbed his eyes and mumbled, "What's wrong, Little Yu Hao? You seem so anxious."
"I am anxious!" Huo Yuhao said irritably, "The break is for the Outer Courtyard upgrade exam, and failure means immediate expulsion from the Soul Master Department.
The minimum requirement for the upgrade exam is level twenty soul power. Despite my hard work day and night, I'm only at level seventeen, and that's only because Senior Brother won a Xuan Water Pill from Xu Sanshi in the soul duel arena to boost my foundation!"
Losing certain opportunities, Huo Yuhao's strength had dropped significantly. He was visibly anxious, though the Soul Conductor Department held high hopes for him. However, Shrek was the top soul master academy on the continent, and he didn't want to give up on the excellent educational resources of the Soul Master Department.
"It's not a big deal."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm rolled over, yawning, "When you're on break, I'll take you to the Ultimate North. By then, level twenty soul power, a second ice-type soul power, a 100,000-year-old soul ring, and a 100,000-year-old soul bone will all be taken care of! You'll soar to new heights!"
"What??"
Such a grand promise left Huo Yuhao speechless.
"Trust me, as the first 1,000,000-year-old soul beast on the continent, an unprecedented intelligent soul ring, your future is the vast universe!"
"I love you, Big Brother Tiang Meng! I'll pack my things and head to the Ultimate North right away!"
"Calm down, buy some essentials for the journey first..."
...
After receiving his monitoring task, Ling Bai headed to the Outer Courtyard girls' dormitory. His stunningly handsome face, which always drew attention, once again caused several girls to bump into poles as they passed by. Despite the headaches, they couldn't tear their eyes away from him.
If not for the countless failures they had experienced over the past few months, they would have already rushed over to offer themselves.
Unfortunately, this Inner Courtyard disciple, who was breathtakingly handsome, only gave special treatment to one and a half girls in the Outer Courtyard.
Ning Tian, the young lord of the Nine Treasures Crystal Tower.
Wu Feng (half).
The two slowly walked out. Ning Tian's innate noble aura made the girls feel inferior and scatter, while Wu Feng pouted, instantly turning into a jealous girl, saying acidly, "Oh, Master Ling, your romantic luck is really great. I wonder how many beauties you've already seduced?"
"Thwack!"
"Ouch!"
A hand struck Wu Feng's head, just enough to stun her without causing harm.
Ling Bai kept a straight face, exuding righteousness, "Stop spreading rumors. Focus on whether you can pass the upgrade exam."
Wu Feng rubbed the bump on her head, grimacing, "The upgrade exam is nothing. Don't change the subject. I heard from Ning Tian that you're living the high life in the Inner Courtyard, with a bunch of beautiful seniors blocking your way every day."
"Indeed, they block me every day in the soul duel arena."
Ling Bai specifically mentioned Ling Luochen, Ma Xiaotao, Dugu Lin, and others.
"Alright, Little Feng."
Ning Tian poked Wu Feng, then turned to Ling Bai, saying, "Brother Bai, I've already hired a carriage. We can leave anytime."
"Let's go home together."
(End of Chapter)