Douluo: The Glory of the Peerless Angel

Chapter 52 One in a Thousand Red-Level Mission, The Eternal Medusa (Part 2)

"Oh, you guys are here so early?"

Dugu Lin, Chu Qingtian, Taixing, Pan Tao, and Zhou Sen arrived at the Surveillance Pavilion early to wait. Ling Bai could vaguely see the tension and unease that occasionally showed in their eyes.

It's normal to be nervous during your first internal assessment.

"You look so relaxed. The freshman assessment will determine whether we can continue studying in the inner academy. I was so anxious last night that I didn't even meditate."

Dugu Lin admired her long, slender, emerald-green nails as she casually joked that she had become quite familiar with Ling Bai over the past three months and was one of his closer friends in Ling Bai's inner courtyard life.

Ling Bai stretched and loosened his muscles, then chuckled, "No matter how anxious you are, it won't really change anything. You might as well rest and recharge."

"You're quite carefree, aren't you?"

A hoarse, weathered voice came from inside the examination hall, and a hunched old man slowly walked out. He had a scar on his left eye that went through his nose and down to his jaw, almost splitting his face in two.

"My surname is Li. I am responsible for issuing all the tasks for the new student assessment and future upgrade assessments. Therefore, we should be dealing with the students who pass this assessment for many years."

Old Li forced a smile, his tone very kind and amiable, but his expression was sinister. Pan Tao, being the most timid, couldn't help but take a half step back, hiding half of her body behind Dugu Lin.

Observing in secret.jpg

Old Li was already used to being disliked by the younger generation, but he didn't care about Pan Tao's little actions. He took out a dark brown, antique wooden box full of task tokens and said:

"Your seniors may have told you that there is a huge element of luck involved in the freshman assessment, and that is indeed the case."

Shrek Academy's glory has lasted for ten thousand years, therefore it has established a total of ten thousand assessment tasks, divided into five levels: white, yellow, purple, black, and red, with increasing difficulty. White-level tasks account for ten percent, black-level tasks account for twenty percent, and the remaining tasks are basically evenly distributed among yellow-level and purple-level tasks.

"What percentage are red-level?"

Chu Qingtian raised his hand high like a primary school student to ask a question.

Old Li replied with a smile, "Ten red-level missions, which, proportionally, account for one-thousandth of the total missions. Let me tell you clearly, in the past ten thousand years, tens of thousands of students have enrolled in the Inner Academy, and so far only seven Shrek Academy freshmen have drawn red-level missions, and without exception, all of them have failed."

"...Elder Li, I don't understand the purpose of the academy setting up red-level missions. Is it simply to discourage students from leaving?"

Dugu Lin frowned slightly. Tasks are created to be completed; there seems to be no need for tasks that are so difficult that anyone who touches them will die.

"For screening purposes."

Mr. Li's answer was simple and concise.

"The inner court students are all members of the Shrek Academy's inspection team. The danger of carrying out inspection missions far exceeds that of assessment missions. Every few years, news of disciples dying outside the academy is sent back to the academy."

There are many reasons why the inner court disciples perished: the enemy was too powerful, their own strength was insufficient, and...

"They were just unlucky."

Old Li grinned, and the hideous scar that ran across his entire face began to writhe, making his appearance even more frightening.

Everyone was stunned. Bad luck was an excuse?!

"Red-level missions are designed to filter out the one in a thousand unlucky individuals, allowing them to preserve their lives and contribute to the mainland in other places as soon as possible."

By the way, eight thousand years ago, a Sea God Pavilion Master established a rule that if an inner court student passes a red-level mission, regardless of their martial soul or background, they will be transformed into a monster most valued by the academy and will be nurtured as the next generation of Sea God Pavilion members.

Danger is always equated with opportunity; the bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish.

Enough with the small talk, who wants to come and draw lots first?

Old Li shook the box in his hand, making a rustling sound. The six freshmen from the inner academy looked at each other, politely deferring to one another with their eyes. Then, a graceful figure in emerald green stepped forward.

"Ladies first, I won't stand on ceremony."

Dugu Lin's fair and delicate hand reached into the mission box. Everyone stared intently at the opening of the box, their expressions varied, and their hearts were in their throats.

"Please, don't let it be a good start to the year."

Dugu Lin quipped to herself, "This girl is so bold as to fuse the five poisons of Bilin. Her earlier statement about being so anxious that she couldn't sleep was just a joke."

A slip of paper lay quietly in the center of the outstretched, fair palm, its purple handwriting bold and elegant.

"Purple-level mission: A gang of wolf bandits has recently appeared in the Mingtai Mountain area of ​​the Douling Empire. There are more than 30 of them, and most of them are between Great Soul Master and Soul Venerable. Their leader is just at the level of a four-ring Soul Master."

The mission is to wipe out the wolf bandits, leaving no survivors, and bring back the head of the Soul Master-level wolf bandit leader. The mission has a ten-day time limit.

Hmm, not bad luck today~

Dugu Lin smiled broadly. The Wolf Bandit was an offspring born from the union of a Gale Demon Wolf and a human. With a wolf's head and a human body, it possessed both the powerful physique of a soul beast and the superior intelligence of a human. It was cruel, preferred to live in groups, and especially enjoyed raping human women. Ordinary soul masters were almost helpless against it, but they were no match for her Azure Phosphorous Poison...

Have you ever heard of a city that is entirely covered in greenery?

The Azure Phosphorus Serpent is a nightmare for low-level Soul Masters/Soul Beasts!

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Dugu Lin had set a good example for them, and the weight on their hearts was lifted somewhat.

The second girl, Pan Tao, followed closely behind. Her mental fortitude was far inferior to Dugu Lin's. With her eyes closed, she cautiously pulled out the task slip, respectfully bowed three times towards the void, and then slowly opened her eyes. The next second, Pan Tao jumped directly onto Dugu Lin, wrapping her legs around Dugu Lin's slender, snake-like waist, and exclaimed with ecstatic joy:

"White! Yay!"

I'm so lucky! There's a 10% chance I'll get a one-shot kill from her!

"White-level mission: The century-old soul beast, the Yellow-skinned Rat, has appeared in Wangjia Village, Suyun City, Tianhun Empire. This beast frequently attacks livestock, causing heavy losses to the villagers who have reported the problem repeatedly. Students are required to kill the Yellow-skinned Rat within five days of receiving this mission, skin it, and bring its pelt back to the academy as proof."

Pan Tao couldn't suppress the upturned corners of her mouth. How could she, a powerful Soul Sect expert, not easily subdue a mere hundred-year-old soul beast!

The two girls were incredibly lucky, and the boys' assessment by drawing lots continued smoothly.

"Yellow-level mission: The people of Liusu City in the Heavenly Soul Empire have complained that the city lord mistreats civilians and disregards human life. The student is responsible for collecting evidence of his crimes and anonymously delivering it to the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal liaison within seven days."

"Purple-level mission: The Sun Moon Empire has dispatched a Soul King spy to infiltrate the metal capital, Gengxin City, to investigate the smuggling of rare metals by the Empire. Students must find and kill the spy within ten days and bring back his identity token to the academy."

The tasks assigned to Zhou Sen and Tai Xing are not excessively difficult and are well-suited to their current skill level, making their chances of success very high. Currently, only Ling Bai and Chu Qingtian remain to be selected in the assessment hall.

Ling Bai looked at Chu Qingtian, who was trembling like a leaf, and said with amusement, "Qingtian, shall I do it or will you?"

"Me first! Me first! Ling-ge, you're the last!"

Chu Qingtian immediately jogged a few steps, first shaking hands with the lucky charm Pan Tao to absorb her good fortune, while frantically muttering to himself as he reached into the fortune-telling box:

"I have had bad luck for more than ten years. I pray to the Sea God Tang San for protection, I pray to Master Yu Xiaogang for protection, and I pray to all the ancestors of Shrek Academy for protection!"

This junior doesn't ask for white or yellow, only for one instance of purple!

After Chu Qingtian finished praying, he suddenly pulled out his phone and stared intently!

black!

Blanch!

Chu Qingtian immediately felt as if he had swallowed a fly, his face contorted in discomfort. Although the people around him remained expressionless, they secretly laughed at Chu Qingtian, thinking that he must have done a lot of bad things in his life, otherwise even the Sea God and the Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year-old ancestors couldn't protect him.

"Black-level mission: A series of murders have occurred in the Star Luo Empire. The killer peels off the faces of the victims after killing them... His behavior is suspected to be that of an evil spirit master, codenamed Bloodface Killer."

The Blood-Faced Killer's three most recent crimes all occurred in Jinghai City of the Star Luo Empire. Based on his established killing habits, the academy has determined that he is still in Jinghai City. Students are required to investigate and eliminate the Blood-Faced Killer within fifteen days!

Face-stripping maniac!

Evil Soul Master!

Not to mention Chu Qingtian, even Ling Bai couldn't help but change his expression slightly.

The Grim Reaper, along with three Soul King-level evil Soul Masters and a bunch of low-level minions, nearly wiped out the Shrek Seven Devils with a Super Corpse Explosion.

Chu Qingtian...

It's hard to judge, after all, every profession is like a mountain to climb. Ling Bai wishes him success!

When Dugu Lin, Pan Tao, and the others heard that Chu Qingtian's new student assessment task was to directly confront evil soul masters, they all cast complicated glances at him.

Worry, pity... and a sliver of relief.

Evil Soul Masters are bizarre and powerful, employing all sorts of insidious and vicious techniques. In every generation of Shrek Academy, inner court disciples and teachers have died tragically at the hands of evil soul masters.

Will Chu Qingtian be able to return to the academy in full fifteen days?

"Qingtian, why are you shaking?" Ling Bai suddenly asked.

"Huh? Yes, really?"

Chu Qingtian squeezed her legs together, but her eyes were unusually unfocused. On the surface, she was still alive, but in reality, her soul had already wandered away.

"Don't be nervous, go ahead with peace of mind, you'll be a hero again in eighteen years anyway."

Ling Bai's three sentences warmed Chu Ge's heart for the whole day.

Upon hearing this, Chu Qingtian immediately snapped out of his daze, becoming listless like a frost-bitten eggplant, and inexplicably thought to himself:

Metaphysics? If he can't get into school, why should he go to Shrek Academy?

"This mission is one of the most difficult even among the Black-level missions. Do your best, but remember to prioritize your own safety."

Old Li shook his head and sighed. The old man was experienced and, seeing Chu Qingtian's cowardly appearance, knew the young man was likely in grave danger. After offering a few words of comfort, he turned to Ling Bai and said:

"Come on, we're just one more person away."

In stark contrast to Chu Qingtian, Ling Bai was quite confident in his luck. He calmly stepped forward, reached into the box, pulled out a slip of paper, and read it aloud in one smooth motion!

"Red-level mission: Capture the eternal Medusa!"

"..."

Silence is Cambridge tonight!

Everyone bit their lips tightly, lowered their heads, and dared not utter a sound!

"Red-level mission: Capture the eternal Medusa alive, time limit 15 days."

Petrified soul beasts and petrified soul masters were discovered in the Youyao Forest within the Star Luo Empire. It was determined that this was caused by Medusa's Gaze, the innate soul skill of Medusa, the nearly extinct Snake Queen of the present era.

According to Shrek Academy's soul beast experts, the Snake Queen Medusa, who unleashed her innate soul skill, is estimated to have cultivated for over ten thousand years. Hopefully, this unlucky (just kidding) inner court genius who's fortunate enough to draw this mission will be extra careful!

"Unlucky guy? Fine, fine, you're playing it this way, huh?"

Ling Bai was so angry he laughed, almost wanting to transform into Cao Cao and wave his hand, shouting:

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Looking at the bold, blood-red handwriting on the note, Ling Bai found it hard to accept reality!

Don't get me wrong, it's not that he can't accept red-level missions, it's just that he can't believe his luck is so bad!

thousandth!

How could I possibly win that?!

Damn it, tell me you've been cheating!

Tell me quickly!

Tell me quickly!

Perhaps it was Ling Bai's overwhelming resentment that startled Elder Li.

He coughed, put away his mission box, and adopted a formal, official tone, saying, "This year's Inner Academy freshman assessment is fair, just, and transparent. Everything depends entirely on luck. Some students should accept reality as soon as possible and stop indulging in any absurd fantasies!"

Who are you picking, Old Deng?

Ling Bai's face instantly turned ashen, as if he had swallowed two flies. Ling Mochu smiled, and Chu Qingtian, who had been sitting next to him with a sullen face, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Smiles don't disappear, they just move on; our ancestors were right!

Comparing goods will only lead to discarding them; comparing people will only lead to ruin!

The Youyao Forest is one of the second largest gathering places for soul beasts on the Douluo Continent after the Star Dou Great Forest. Legend has it that it was divided in two by the gods, into two strange landscapes: eternal day and eternal night. In the center, there seems to be a terrifying ferocious beast with a cultivation of more than 100,000 years!

Compared to Ling Bai risking his life to venture alone into the Youyao Forest and capture the top-tier soul beast, the ten-thousand-year-old snake king Medusa, Chu Qingtian suddenly felt that the Blood-faced Evil Soul Master was utter trash!

I'm going to take on ten!

Dugu Lin gracefully stepped forward and gently shook Ling Bai, who had now lost all worldly desires and was deeply doubting his character. She whispered in his ear, her breath sweet as orchids:

"Ling Bai, extraordinary talents are born with exceptional abilities. I'm truly happy for you getting a red-level quest!"

Ling Bai crunched the note in his hand, turning his head to gaze into those emerald green eyes: "You'd better be."

Dugu Lin gently stroked Ling Bai's nose with her fair fingertips and said with a smile, "Of course I am, and I'm super excited for you to bring back the ten-thousand-year-old Medusa alive!"

"A red-level quest... Sigh, the journey back and forth from the Radiant Forest alone took at least four days..."

Ling Bai rubbed his long golden hair, his face full of trouble. The three-on-three freshman assessment competition of the outer academy was about to begin. Last night at dinner, Ning Tian and Wu Feng specifically told him to complete the assessment as soon as possible and then go to the outer academy to cheer them on. They were looking forward to defeating their opponents and winning the freshman championship under his witness, and making a name for the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School.

The journey is long, and the Dark Forest is vast; who knows where Medusa is hiding? We might be forced to break our promise this time.

"All new student assessment tasks have been assigned. Disperse and carry them out!"

Old Li waved his hand, turned around, and disappeared into the darkness of the examination hall.

"With Ling Ge gone, a true warrior dares to face a bleak life."

Chu Qingtian and Ling Bai hooked their arms around each other's shoulders as if they were brothers. Since both of their missions were located in the Star Luo Empire, the two of them could travel together for a while.

"Tsk, I advise you to watch your step..."

(End of this chapter)