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*The dark horse is a little-known competitor who unexpectedly wins a race, or a contest. The term comes from horse racing.
ED Note: Our gluttonous beast has evolved! Do you think Wu Liang knows that Ling Qingxue ate the herbs?
Zhang Zhengyuan looked at Ling Qingxue gratefully.
"Thank you so much, Miss Ling, for saving the Young Lady's life. My City Lord will certainly repay you handsomely!"
Ling Qingxue's expression remained impassive, as if she didn't care.
"Now that your guards have arrived, I'll be leaving. I still need to train."
With that, she led Wu Liang deeper into the Green Forest.
Zhang Zhengyuan was baffled, finding Ling Qingxue's attitude quite unexpected.
"Miss, your classmate Ling seems to possess an unusual calmness."
Zhao Xin gave a wry smile. "If I said she effortlessly slaughtered over twenty members of the Wolf Fang Squad, would you believe me, Commander Zhang?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhengyuan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Miss, you must be joking. The Wolf Fang Squad leader, Lin Lang, is a Second Rank late-stage martial artist, with nearly ten Second Rank martial artists under his command. She's only at the First Rank mid-stage, how could she possibly do that?"
"But she did it, as easily as eating and drinking, without even a scratch."
As if realizing something, Zhang Zhengyuan connected the mine collapse with Ling Qingxue.
Using the collapsing stones to kill Wolf Fang Squad members and attract the guards over— what a clever scheme that easily killed two birds with one stone.
What a wise person!
"Such a prodigy has never revealed her true potential before, and both her talent and intelligence are truly exceptional."
Zhao Xin nodded slightly. "That's right, she will definitely be the biggest dark horse* of this year's Linjiang Middle School!"
"Should we send some guards to protect her? There are also Third Level and above magical beasts in the Green Forest," Zhang Zhengyuan asked.
"No need. Ling Qingxue is level-headed. She wouldn't risk herself unnecessarily. Since she chose not to return to the academy for regular training, it means she has complete confidence."
Zhang Zhengyuan glanced in the direction Ling Qingxue disappeared and sighed.
"Alright, Young Lady, then I'll take you back to the City Lord's Mansion first. The City Lord is frantic."
Zhao Xin picked up her three-tailed magical fox and followed Zhang Zhengyuan onto the giant eagle.
"Commander Zhang, send the men to search the entire Green Forest and kill all the remaining members of the Wolf Fang Squad. Leave no one alive!"
"Don't worry, Miss. I'll take care of it after I take you back to the City Lord's Mansion. I guarantee there won't be any more Wolf Fang Squad members in Linjiang City within three days."
Zhao Xin's cold expression softened, and she rode the giant eagle towards the City Lord's Mansion.
......
As Ling Qingxue walked along the forest path, she constantly scanned her surroundings, searching for a relatively safe place.
Wu Liang had already told her that he was about to evolve his bloodline level.
Even Ling Qingxue couldn't help but feel excited upon hearing this news.
Each of Wu Liang's breakthroughs and bloodline evolutions brought her benefits, which was a good thing for her.
Now she was only one step away from the late stage of the First Rank, and two days would be enough for her to break through.
Finding a flat spot by a stream, Ling Qingxue sat down.
"This place should be relatively safe. How long will your evolution take?"
Wu Liang thought for a moment. "About ten minutes."
"Okay, start evolving. I'll watch over you."
Wu Liang smiled. "Hehe, Little Xuexue, witness my second bloodline evolution!"
"System, initiate bloodline evolution."
[Ding! 100 evolution points deducted. Bloodline evolution activated!]
A wave of dizziness washed over him, and Wu Liang's body was gradually enveloped by a rich bloodline aura, with pale red energy swirling around him.
His bloodline was becoming increasingly pure, slowly progressing towards becoming a true Taotie.
It was unclear exactly how many evolutions it would take to fully transform into the God-Slaying Gluttonous Beast.
Confirming that Wu Liang was undergoing a stable evolution, Ling Qingxue immediately took out the remaining three spiritual herbs from her storage ring and put them in her mouth.
Two of them were mid-grade Spirit Condensation Flowers, capable of enhancing spiritual power, and the other was a high-grade Blood Spirit Mushroom, capable of enhancing vital energy.
She dared not take these out while Wu Liang was awake. If she did, they would most likely end in that greedy dog's mouth.
While eating these herbs, she felt inexplicably guilty. She, the former Empress, had to sneak around to eat spiritual herbs...
Wu Liang's nose was incredibly sensitive, and his appetite was outrageous; he was almost never full.
If she fed them all to Wu Liang, her level would drop.
Furthermore, she was worried about something else.
Betrayal!
When a magical beast's strength surpassed that of its master, there was a possibility of rebellion.
While Wu Liang's Taotie bloodline delighted her, it also filled her with worry.
Ancient texts described the Taotie as extremely bloodthirsty, ranking alongside Hundun, Qiongqi, and Taowu as one of the Four Great Fiends, representing the extremes of ruthlessness.
Killing was as commonplace to them as raising a hand.
No human had ever achieved complete control over such a beast throughout history; she might be the first.
Therefore, Ling Qingxue was deeply concerned that, as his bloodline strengthened, Wu Liang would truly transform into a ferocious Taotie.
If that day ever came, when she raised a public enemy, even at her peak strength, she might not be able to stop the Taotie.
Ling Qingxue exhaled softly, her gaze falling on Wu Liang.
"I hope you don't turn into a monster, otherwise I'll have no choice but to perish with you."
Wu Liang, of course, couldn't hear her words. His evolution was nearing its end, and the reddish energy around his body grew increasingly intense.
Flesh and blood tore, bones rumbled, and Wu Liang's size increased again, now reaching the size of a husky.
The most significant change was to his mouth; his teeth were sharp and gleaming, capable of easily crushing metal, and his fur grew even darker.
[Ding!] Evolution complete. System panel generated...
[Host: Wu Liang]
[Beast: Glutton Beast (Next form: Monstrous Beast, requires 1000 evolution points)]
[Rank: First Level mid-stage]
[Talent: Devouring All Things (50%)]
[Bloodline: Low-Level five-star]
[Attack: 306]
[Defense: 375]
[Speed: 247]
[Spirit: 200]
[Evolution Points: 26]
[Skills: Gluttonous Stomach Lv. 6, Greed Lv. 1, Damage Reduction Lv. 1, Size Control Lv. 1, Supernatural Smell Lv. 3]
[Greed Lv. 1: You possess an incomparably greedy heart, desiring to possess everything. Activating this skill briefly increases all your attributes by 10%, during which time you are immune to all pain, greatly increase stamina, and are always at your peak.]
...
His bloodline evolved to Low-Level five-star. One more evolution was needed to reach the Intermediate Level.
The limit for the Intermediate bloodline was a Sixth Rank martial artist, while the limit for an Advanced bloodline was a Ninth Rank martial artist.
A Low-Level, five-star bloodline was sufficient for Wu Liang's current needs.
"The next evolution requires 1000 evolution points! That's a lot! Do you think it's easy for me to earn evolution points...?"
Wu Liang complained helplessly. He planned to slow down his bloodline evolution and upgrade a few skills first.
Upgrading skills would increase his combat power, making it easier to slay magical beasts.
Moreover, the "Greed" skill has changed. Activating it not only granted a boost to all attributes but also blocked the pain, providing a continuous buff.
This was practically a fighting machine!
High output, high damage reduction, the Gluttonous Beast is fierce!