Luo Mu's face darkened as he silently swore to himself that, once he reached Jinxiu City, his first priority would be to kill Bai Lin. Otherwise, he would never be able to cultivate in peace at Jinxiu Academy.
Back then, Bai Lin had tricked Xiao Ling'er into feeding Luo Mu a Heartbreak Pill. He had never meant well and had wanted Luo Mu dead. Since Luo Mu had chosen to go to Jinxiu Academy, sooner or later he would run into Bai Lin. Rather than let the man keep him in his sights, Luo Mu would be better off finding a way to get rid of him first.
As for Xiao Ling'er, from that moment on, Luo Mu had no more attachments to her. Even if some remained, he would keep them buried deep in his heart. He would never bring them up, let alone dwell on them. Luo Mu believed that, as time passed, he would gradually forget her.
Of course, Luo Mu had never even thought of Xiao Ling'er when he decided to go to Jinxiu Academy, much less chosen the academy because of her. It was simply that, for Luo Mu right now, Jinxiu Academy was the best place for him.
He flew for an entire day without stopping to rest. Only when the sky began to darken did Luo Mu land on a mountain peak, planning to rest for the night and continue his journey the next day. With his cultivation at the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Stage, flying all day had been a serious strain.
After spending a little time searching, Luo Mu found a reasonably quiet spot on the peak. He casually cleared away several nearby ferocious demonic beasts, then, for safety's sake, released all thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes to keep watch over the surroundings.
There were no villages within a hundred li, and Luo Mu was deep in the mountains. For all he knew, demonic beasts might be lurking nearby. He released the Plum Blossom Snakes simply to make sure he could rest more soundly.
As soon as they emerged from the Spirit Beast Bag, the Plum Blossom Snakes vanished into the surroundings. Luo Mu smiled faintly at the sight. Having spirit insects at my command isn't bad at all. Then he entered a state of cultivation.
A short while later, Luo Mu's expression was calm, and a faint green glow curled around him, lending him an air of mystery. Inside his dantian, the depleted Poison Spirit Power slowly recovered, pale green mist filling the space within.
By then, Luo Mu had entered a deep state of cultivation!
The night passed without incident. When the morning light spilled across the land, Luo Mu abruptly opened his eyes. An eerie green glimmer flashed through his gaze, then vanished, leaving his eyes clear once more.
He rose to his feet, feeling strength surge through his body. The Poison Spirit Power he had spent on the previous day's journey had fully recovered. Smiling faintly, he swept his sleeve, and the Plum Blossom Snakes lying in wait around him shot toward him in streaks of light, slipping into the Spirit Beast Bag at his waist.
Luo Mu took out his Flying Artifact, ready to set off again. But just then, he furrowed his brows and looked to one side.
"Fellow cultivator up ahead, get out of the way! There's a first-tier, peak-stage Black Bear demonic beast behind me! Run for your life!" A young man came sprinting toward Luo Mu, shouting as he ran. His voice was thick with panic and deep fear.
The man was only at the second layer of the Qi Refining Stage; Luo Mu sensed his cultivation with his spiritual sense. Looking past him, Luo Mu saw that sure enough, a demonic bear more than twice the size of an ordinary black bear was hot on his heels.
The Black Bear was massive and relied on brute strength, which made it less nimble. Though the man was only at the second layer of the Qi Refining Stage, the bear still hadn't caught him.
No one knew how long the man and the beast had been chasing each other. The man's face had gone pale, and he was staggering. His spiritual power seemed to have run dry. The Black Bear, however, was full of vigor. Though clumsy, it showed no sign of slowing down.
"Ah!" The man let out a terrified cry as his feet caught on a tree root, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground. Under normal circumstances, he would never have tripped over a mere root; after all, he was a cultivator. But with his spiritual power exhausted and a demonic beast in hot pursuit, panic had brought him down.
In that instant, the Black Bear caught up with him. It let out an excited roar, baring its enormous, razor-sharp teeth, then lunged at the fallen man.
The man was struck with terror. He pressed himself to the ground, despair filling his eyes!
Bang! Just then, a Black Shield dropped from the sky and blocked the path between the man and the Black Bear. The beast slammed into it with a thunderous crash.
Black light burst from the shield, and the Black Bear's massive body was knocked backward. The shield merely trembled a few times before steadying itself, then held its place in front of the ashen-faced man.
At the very moment the Black Bear was about to take the man's life, Luo Mu had acted. The Black Shield was a mid-grade shield artifact of his. He had a reason for saving the man before him.
The moment the man had shouted, Luo Mu had thought his voice sounded familiar. After getting a good look at his face, Luo Mu frowned. He had been about to mind his own business and turn away, but he had to quash the idea. Not only did he stay where he was, but he also summoned an artifact to save the man, whose life hung by a thread.
Because the man before him was the very person who had once refined Poison Fangs and an inner armor for Luo Mu!
Deep down, Luo Mu felt somewhat grateful to him. And later, when the matter of the Ink Jade Marrow came up, Luo Mu had never mentioned it to him. Instead, he had quietly made a fortune for himself, leaving him with a lingering sense that he owed the man.
Now that he had encountered him here, with his life in danger, Luo Mu had saved him. It made up for what he owed and gave Luo Mu a clear conscience.
The Black Bear was furious that its prey had slipped away. Bloodlust blazed in its eyes as it glared at the true culprit—the Black Shield. Then it shifted its gaze from the shield to Luo Mu, who stood not far away.
That glance was all it took to make the Black Bear jump in fright. An Iron Chain, moving like a Giant Python swimming at breakneck speed, shot toward it so quickly that it was breathtaking.
The Black Bear looked slow-witted, but its reactions were anything but. It stared at the incoming Iron Chain for a moment, then immediately backed away, trying to dodge it.
"Chhk—" The Black Bear abruptly stopped in its tracks, and a dull thud sounded from its back. A bloodcurdling roar burst from its mouth.
A Curved Blade gleamed with a faint white light, embedded in the Black Bear's back. It pulled itself free, then plunged back in at lightning speed, burying its entire blade in the beast's back until only the hilt remained. Blood gushed continuously from the wound.
While the Black Bear had been delayed, the Iron Chain came hurtling in with overwhelming force, too fast for it to dodge. A spray of blood burst forth as the chain pierced through its chest.
A short while later, the first-tier, peak-stage demonic beast drew its last breath, blood pooling across the ground!
Not far away, Luo Mu flicked his wrist. The Iron Chain in his hand rapidly shrank and shortened, snapping back into his grasp. A streak of white light returned to him as well. On closer inspection, it was the white Curved Blade from moments ago.
After stowing the two artifacts in his Storage Bag, Luo Mu recalled the Black Shield too. Dealing with a first-tier, peak-stage demonic beast was no trouble for him now.
After all, the several mid-grade artifacts in Luo Mu's possession were no mere showpieces. Dealing with a mere first-tier demonic beast was as easy as turning over his hand.
Only after putting away his artifacts did Luo Mu look at the man lying on the ground with an amused smile. From the moment he had attacked the Black Bear to the moment it died, it had all happened in the blink of an eye. The man on the ground hadn't even managed to get back to his feet before Luo Mu had completely killed the beast.
"Thank you... Thank you, fellow cultivator, for saving me! Thank you... Huh, it's you!" The man scrambled to his feet, thanking him over and over before he had even gotten a good look at Luo Mu. But once he stood up and saw his savior watching him with an amused smile, his voice cut off abruptly. Shock spread across his face as he recognized Luo Mu.
This man was Qu Yi, the one who had refined two mid-grade artifacts for Luo Mu back then!
Qu Yi was filthy from head to toe. The Black Bear must have chased him a long way; all the stumbles along the way had covered the long robe he wore in mud. Luo Mu looked at his disheveled appearance, furrowed his brows, and smiled wryly.
Luo Mu wasn't smiling wryly because Qu Yi was filthy. It was because the robe Qu Yi wore looked familiar. The people Luo Mu had killed last time had all been dressed in robes just like it. But on closer inspection, Qu Yi's robe was slightly different from theirs.
Luo Mu's attention was fixed on the robe, and he was just about to take a closer look and see what made Qu Yi's different when Qu Yi's excited, utterly astonished voice rang in his ears.
"Y-You're Luo Mu! How can this be... It's only been a year, and you've become this powerful! From the spiritual power you're giving off, you must be at the fifth layer now!" Qu Yi stood before Luo Mu, his face full of shock as he cried out in disbelief.
Qu Yi clearly remembered that a year ago, Luo Mu had been only at the second layer of the Qi Refining Stage. Back then, Qu Yi himself had been only at the first layer. Now, a year later, the two had met again. Qu Yi had advanced one layer to the second, and he was quite satisfied with that pace.
He hadn't expected to see Luo Mu's cultivation reach such heights after just one year! Back then, the gap between them had been small. Now, Qu Yi couldn't catch up even on horseback.
What Qu Yi hadn't expected even more was that, just when he had been in mortal danger with a demonic beast on his heels, it was Luo Mu who had saved him. Qu Yi couldn't help thinking that fate was impossible to fathom.
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