When she could clearly see what it was that attacked her, Gu Lingzhi felt cold sweat running down her back.

A Carmine Python!

 The colored patterns on its back were as beautiful as its name suggested, but its poison was just as deadly. Being a first-order peak grade beast, its strength was equivalent to a Level Ten Martial Student.

Before the examination commenced, weren’t there teachers who segregated the beasts into areas based on their difficulty rating? This area was meant for first-order middle grade beasts, how could there be such a high-ranking beast?

Gu Lingzhi had no time to ponder the situation, however. All her attention was focused onto the Carmine Python, as she wrecked her brains to find a way out.

Escaping was not an option – the snake was much too fast for that. Furthermore, the distance between them was too short. The snake would get to her even before she could put some distance between them. 

Hiss!

The Carmine Python spat its fluids at Gu Lingzhi. As the snake raised its head up, the rest of its body was revealed, coiled up behind the huge tree.

Gu Lingzhi tried to suppress the fear building within her. Circulating the wood-based spiritual energy within her, she used a special method to connect with the plants around her. Simultaneously, she condensed two Water Arrows using her water spiritual energy.

Just as she was done doing this, the Carmine Python launched its attack, charging towards her with its mouth wide open.

Gu Lingzhi nimbly dodged the attack and jumped up a big tree to the side. As she dodged, she sent the two water arrows that she had condensed, and shot it at the Carmine Python. 

Clang!

 It sounded like the sound of metal clashing.

“Bind!” Gu Lingzhi immediately shouted.

The surrounding plants surged towards the python, coiling around it. In the moment the Carmine Python’s movements were slowed down, Gu Lingzhi fired a series of fireballs at its body.

Instantly, the surroundings started burning, releasing the scent of barbecued meat. 

The Carmine Python let out a shriek – it had been thoroughly angered by Gu Lingzhi. It sprayed a few strands of its poisonous venom from its mouth.

While the Carmine Python’s venom would only be a small problem for those of Martial Practitioner ranks and higher, it was still very deadly for Gu Lingzhi, who was still a Martial Student.

The areas that the venom landed on immediately turned black. Some of the plants that were entangling it also came into contact with the venom, and they quickly wilted.

Gu Lingzhi swallowed her saliva nervously. Right at the moment the venom was shot, she had dodged towards another tree.

Hiss!

 As the attack missed, the Carmine Python hissed angrily at Gu Lingzhi.

At this moment, other students in the area had noticed the commotion. Those who were still in the area were all Level Six Martial Students who had recently enrolled. Receiving a huge shock the moment they saw the Carmine Python, they all chose to escape as quickly as they could.

It was not that they did not want to help someone who was in danger, but there was no one who would risk their life for a complete stranger.

Some immediately turned back towards the school grounds to look for teachers to help after they recovered from the shock, hoping they could get here before the snake did too much damage.

Far away from where Gu Lingzhi was fighting, a girl looked in her direction with a cold glare. It was the girl whom Gu Lingzhi had smelled the strange scent on earlier. 

The Carmine Python was known to be deadly due to its lethal poison. Whoever came into contact with the poison would meet certain death within an hour if they were not treated with an antidote.

Those watching Gu Lingzhi fight against the python did not have much confidence that she could survive. After all, the difference in their levels was too large. 

Meanwhile, Gu Lingzhi did not have the capacity to care about what others were thinking. She only knew that she would most certainly die if she did not fight for her life.

As she dodged the python’s attacks, Gu Lingzhi was constantly retrieving things from her Storage Ring and throwing it in the python’s direction.

She was throwing Spirit Herbs that many beasts liked to feast on. These herbs distracted the python which gave Gu Lingzhi more time to think about how to deal with the python. 

Hiss!

Even as the Carmine Python swallowed the herbs that Gu Lingzhi threw, its thick tail swiped at Gu Lingzhi’s direction. The fearsome strength behind that swipe destroyed all the vegetation that it passed through. Gu Lingzhi felt the force through the vibration of the air and hastily dodged.

Perhaps she was too exhausted, but she did not manage to fully dodge this strike. As the tail hit heavily on her body, the sound of bones breaking could be heard, and Gu Lingzhi spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

This blood, however, formed a bloody mist that obscured the vision of the python that had turned around to give Gu Lingzhi the finishing strike. The Carmine Python hissed angrily once again.

Gu Lingzhi had exposed herself just for this moment!

In the short moment that the Carmine Python’s vision was obscured, Gu Lingzhi rapidly circulated her fire- and water-based spiritual energy, shooting out a jet of water that was a mix of red and blue. This water splashed onto the python’s eyes.

Ngong! 

Blood splashed, and the python let out a painful groan. Its thick tail twitched and spasmed, unleashing destruction on the surrounding plants.

Gu Lingzhi dragged her injured body, making her way to an area where the Carmine Python could not reach. Breathing heavily, she watched the Carmine Python as it struggled.

The red-blue jet of water that she had shot earlier was a technique that she had come up with from her own research. When releasing an attack which consisted of two elemental energies spiraling rapidly together, the resultant damage far exceeded what a single elemental attack could achieve.

At the start, when she attacked the Carmine Python with single elemental attacks, it was all to make the python less wary by making it think that her attacks could not do much damage to it. This was the only way she could maximize the effectiveness of her attacks.

The problem was that it was not that simple to block the python’s attacks. Even though Gu Lingzhi had prepared a number of spiritual energy barriers, the Carmine Python’s one attack had broken a couple of bones in her ribcage. Without resting for at least ten days to half a month, she would not recover fully.

Fortunately, killing this python alone meant that she had met the requirements for her examination.

Bearing with the pain, Gu Lingzhi used her wood-based spiritual energy to manipulate the plants in the area to bind the Carmine Python down tightly. Having trapped the snake, Gu Lingzhi shot a few more jets of the red-blue colored water at its eyes.

The jets of water struck into the Carmine Python’s already bloodied eye sockets, exploding within them. The snake could not help but thrash around in pain.

Nonetheless, Gu Lingzhi locked onto its eye sockets, firing shot after shot into its eyes. Gradually, the python’s death throes decreased in intensity.

As it died, the python curled itself up, before slowly becoming motionless.

Gu Lingzhi stood where she was for a while, checking to make sure the python was well and truly dead. Only then did she cautiously move forward, while pressing one hand onto her chest.

In the end, the Carmine Python’s eye sockets had been blasted into two empty holes. Blood flowed out of the two holes, along with some red-purple brain matter. Gu Lingzhi’s series of attacks earlier had blasted its brain into mush.

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