Behind him, the six Elite Scorpion Lions that had caught up saw their chieftain die and immediately fell into chaos and panic.
They let out threatening roars in Luo Lin's direction but did not dare advance again. In the end, they slowly retreated and vanished into the darkness of the canyon.
Only after confirming that the danger had passed did Luo Lin finally let out a sigh of relief.
He slid down against the rock wall and sat, feeling completely drained.
The battle had been extremely perilous. If not for the terrain, the scrolls he had prepared in advance, and his breakthrough in using Acid Spray at the critical moment, he might have died here himself.
After resting for a long time and recovering some strength, he finally stepped forward and painstakingly removed the Scorpion Lion Chieftain's Tail-Stinger Core.
This core was larger than any he had obtained before. Its energy was purer and more immense, as though liquid were flowing within it.
Looking at the precious core in his hand, then recalling the insights and breakthroughs he had gained during the battle, Luo Lin felt that all the risks had been worth it.
After gathering his spoils, he did not linger. Under the cover of night, he set out on the road back to the academy.
The mission had been completed beyond expectations. It was time to claim his qualification to enter the Elemental Well.
The journey back to Shadow Crow Holy Tower Arcane Academy went far more smoothly than when he had left.
Luo Lin remained vigilant, but he did not encounter any dangers he could not handle.
Several days later, dusty and travel-worn, he stepped through the academy's massive gate of piled stone once more.
Luo Lin did not immediately turn in the mission. Instead, he returned to his stone house, washed himself thoroughly, changed into a clean apprentice robe, and restored himself to peak condition through deep meditation.
The battle with the Scorpion Lion Chieftain had drained him enormously, and his mental exhaustion needed time to settle.
Only after recovering did Luo Lin take the thirteen Tail-Stinger Cores, including the especially massive chieftain core, to the mission hall to turn them in.
When he placed the thirteen cores on the counter, especially the chieftain core, the attendant responsible for verification was visibly stunned.
The attendant carefully examined every core, especially the chieftain core. After confirming there were no mistakes, he looked at Luo Lin with surprise and scrutiny in his eyes.
"Thirteen Tail-Stinger Cores from Crystallized Scorpion Lions. Confirmed."
"One of them is a chieftain core."
The attendant's voice rose slightly above its usual volume, drawing the attention of several apprentices nearby who were turning in missions.
When they saw the distinct chieftain core, expressions of shock and disbelief appeared on their faces.
Completing the Crystallized Scorpion Lion hunting mission alone was already difficult. Hunting a chieftain-level Scorpion Lion was beyond the abilities of most Third-Rank Apprentices.
For a moment, quiet discussions arose throughout the mission hall.
"Luo Lin? The newly promoted Third-Rank Apprentice?"
"He actually killed a Scorpion Lion Chieftain? How was that possible?!"
"I heard he was already exceptionally skilled at processing materials and had caught Wizard Eric's attention..."
"Maybe he was just lucky? Or maybe he used some special method?"
Luo Lin turned a deaf ear to the discussions, his expression calm.
He did not care about their stares or speculation. The confidence brought by his improved strength meant he had no need to prove himself through others' approval.
The attendant quickly completed the procedures.
He collected the chieftain core and the two finest ordinary cores as proof of mission completion to submit to the academy.
This was stipulated by the mission. Some of the core mission items had to be retained for later verification.
"Mission complete. Reward: 1,000 contribution points."
The attendant transferred the contribution points to Luo Lin's identity plaque, then handed him a warm jade token carved with intricate runes.
"This is your entry permit for the Elemental Well."
"With this permit, you may choose any day during the first week of next month to enter the Gale Element Well and meditate for six hours."
"The exact location and precautions are included in the spiritual imprint and instructions within the permit."
"Gale Element Well..." Luo Lin accepted the jade token and sent a trace of spiritual power into it. A flood of information entered his mind, including the Elemental Well's exact location, how to activate it, and the matters requiring attention during meditation.
In particular, it described the possible effects of the active wind elemental particles within.
He put away the remaining ten ordinary cores.
The academy did not require apprentices to sell back these cores, so they could deal with them as they wished.
Luo Lin put away the permit, gave the attendant a slight nod, then turned and left the mission hall without lingering for another moment.
News of him completing the difficult mission alone and killing a Scorpion Lion Chieftain was like a stone cast into a calm lake, sending ripples through the small circle of Third-Rank Apprentices. However, it did not cause much of a stir.
After all, there was no shortage of geniuses and eccentrics in the academy, and all sorts of things happened every day. The outstanding performance of an apprentice without a powerful background was quickly buried beneath new topics of conversation.
Only a few observant people took notice.
When Lina happened to run into him, she asked about it curiously. Luo Lin merely answered, "I made use of the terrain and had a bit of luck," before changing the subject.
After Kyle learned the news, his gaze darkened further, but he made no additional moves.
When Wizard Eric heard about it, he only briefly asked about the battle in the laboratory. He focused on the source of Luo Lin's inspiration for compressing Acid Spray, gave him a few pointers on controlling the compression of energy particles, and seemed unsurprised by the outcome.
Luo Lin was happy to have some peace and quiet.
He now had ten Tail-Stinger Cores from Crystallized Scorpion Lions. Seven were of ordinary quality, while three were better-quality cores.
He had no intention of selling them all.
The energy contained within these cores was quite pure, making them excellent materials for crafting certain energy-guiding devices or specialized potions.
He kept the three better-quality cores and one ordinary core as research samples, then sold the remaining six ordinary cores to the academy shop in exchange for 480 contribution points.
There were still nearly twenty days before the Elemental Well opened.
Luo Lin did not waste that time and threw himself back into regular research and study.
He integrated the experience from this battle into his daily training.
He repeatedly practiced the technique of compressing Acid Spray into a ray with greater piercing power.
Although it consumed far more mana and demanded extremely precise spiritual control, making it unsuitable as a conventional method, it was undoubtedly a useful trump card.
He named it Acid-Erosion Ray, recorded it in his research notes, and began considering how to optimize its model and reduce its consumption.
After withstanding a strike from the Scorpion Lion Chieftain, the Weak Force-Field Armor had nearly shattered, but it had also given him a more intuitive understanding of the spell's defensive limits and energy distribution.
While maintaining the armor, he tried consciously focusing more spiritual power on the areas most likely to receive an attack, reinforcing them locally.
Regardless of how effective it might prove to be, it was a direction worth exploring.
Besides that, Luo Lin devoted more energy to studying the Basic Meditation Method.
He was only a hair away from the perfect limit, and he repeatedly reflected on the knowledge he had read concerning foundations and a deeper understanding of one's own Mental Sea.
As well as Wizard Eric's reminder to "think about what lies behind the model."
He no longer hurried to break through the bottleneck. Instead, like using spiritual power to carefully polish a work of art, he repeatedly sorted through every corner of his Mental Sea, sensed the subtle changes in the circulation of mana, and tried to understand the deeper meaning involved in every cycle node of the meditation method.
The process was slow and tedious, with progress almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
Still, Luo Lin could feel his spiritual power becoming more condensed, while its compatibility with mana slowly improved as well.
During this time, he also found time to improve the Minor Nourishing Array based on Darkgold Wood.
Using the contribution points earned from selling the cores, he bought better energy-flow materials and redrew the array's patterns, making the circulation of life energy steadier and more efficient.
The Moonlight Orchid was growing well within the improved array. Its flower bud had already formed, and it was estimated that it would bloom after a while longer.
This gave him greater confidence in the array's practical applications.
The peaceful days lasted until three days before the Elemental Well opened, when unexpected news shattered them.
Luo Lin received a message from Wizard Eric telling him to come to the laboratory.
When he arrived, he found that besides Wizard Eric and Buck, there was also an unfamiliar Official Wizard present.
This wizard wore a blue robe embroidered with silver thread. His expression was stern, his gaze sharp, and the powerful fluctuations of spiritual power around him were no weaker than Eric's.
"Luo Lin, this is Wizard Stone from our academy's Elemental Academy."
Wizard Eric introduced him.
"Greetings, Wizard Stone."
Luo Lin bowed respectfully.
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