Killing Intent

Chapter 48: Killing Intent

A man and a woman came into Luo Mu's line of sight. The woman held onto the man's arm, looking as meek and adoring as a little bird. The man wore a white robe and carried himself with elegant poise, a faint smile on his handsome face.

At the sight of them, the gloom on Luo Mu's face instantly faded, replaced by his usual cold expression. Yet his clenched fists showed that he was far from calm inside.

The woman was Xiao Ling'er, the one who had made Luo Mu swallow the Heartbreak Pill. The man was Bai Lin, the one who had tricked Xiao Ling'er into making Luo Mu take it!

Watching the two of them act so intimately, Luo Mu felt a faint pang in his heart, but quickly regained his composure. Only the sparks of hatred in his eyes remained. Coming to Jinxiu Academy to kill Bai Lin was the most important thing on Luo Mu's mind. He hadn't expected to find a trace of him on the very day he arrived.

When he gauged their strength, Luo Mu's heart skipped a beat. In the year they'd been apart, Xiao Ling'er had already advanced to the third level of the Qi Refining Stage. But that wasn't what shocked him. What surprised him was Bai Lin's strength.

Even with his own strength at the sixth level, Luo Mu couldn't see through Bai Lin. How could that not shock him?

Unable to gauge Bai Lin's strength or learn what he was capable of, Luo Mu didn't dare act rashly. One careless move could cost him his life. But as long as Bai Lin remained a thorn in his side, Luo Mu couldn't feel at ease.

Luo Mu watched the two of them without restraint, while Xiao Ling'er and Bai Lin sized him up in turn.

Taking in the half of Luo Mu's face exposed beneath the mask and his build, Xiao Ling'er trembled slightly, her expression changing in an instant. Bai Lin noticed her strange reaction and furrowed his brow. Suddenly, Luo Mu seemed familiar to him, as if they had met somewhere before.

Then Bai Lin's gaze toward Luo Mu turned cold, as though he had suddenly remembered something. But only a moment later, his expression softened, and doubt crept into his eyes.

This man is already at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage. How could he be anything like that good-for-nothing who couldn't even gather spiritual energy? Besides, after swallowing the Heartbreak Pill my cousin Bai Shu refined, that idiot couldn't possibly have survived. Bai Lin's doubts faded, and his smile returned. He looked at Luo Mu, speaking to himself with absolute confidence.

At the mention of Bai Shu, Bai Lin's brow furrowed unconsciously. Bai Shu had said he was going out to look for a certain poisonous herb, but a year had passed without any sign of him. Bai Lin couldn't help wondering what had happened.

Still, he wasn't worried about Bai Shu's safety. Bai Shu carried several mid-grade magical artifacts, and he also had all kinds of poisons to back him up. As long as he didn't run into serious danger, he could handle himself. Bai Lin simply didn't believe Bai Shu was in any danger.

Even Bai Lin, who had only met Luo Mu once, was beginning to doubt his identity. Xiao Ling'er, who had spent over a decade with Luo Mu, had even more reason to suspect him.

Xiao Ling'er looked flustered. Her earlier adoring pose had vanished, and her hands had slipped from Bai Lin's arm before she could stop them. Her eyes darted toward the masked Luo Mu, guilt written across her face.

"Seeing a new student has you this rattled? You're an embarrassment to the White Family. Take a good look at his cultivation level. Could he really be that useless lover of yours?" Bai Lin knew exactly why Xiao Ling'er was acting this way. He sneered, then moved his lips and sent her a voice transmission. His tone was nowhere near as gentle as one might have expected.

Xiao Ling'er released her spiritual sense and made a brief assessment. Her expression immediately changed, and she stared at Luo Mu in disbelief.

This man looks so much like Brother Luo Mu, but everyone in town knows that Brother Luo Mu's dantian can't gather spiritual energy. His cultivation is so high that even I can't see through it. How could he possibly be Brother Luo Mu? And yet... his build, the half of his face visible beyond the mask—they're exactly the same as Brother Luo Mu's!

Xiao Ling'er tried to convince herself that the man before her wasn't Luo Mu. But everything about his appearance forced her to connect him with Luo Mu.

"Senior Bai Lin, what brings you here?" Just then, the senior student who had tried to recruit Luo Mu realized that Bai Lin and Xiao Ling'er had arrived and greeted them happily. Her adoration for Bai Lin was plain in her beautiful eyes.

As for Xiao Ling'er, the senior student merely glanced at her, her gaze full of disdain. It seemed she didn't like Xiao Ling'er at all.

Xiao Ling'er paid her no mind, only letting her gaze stray toward Luo Mu from time to time, wondering what he was thinking.

"I was bored, so I came to take a look. I didn't expect to find a genius at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage among this year's new students. What a surprise." Although Bai Lin was answering the senior student, his eyes were fixed on Luo Mu.

He was certain Luo Mu wasn't that useless fool from Dragon Gate Town, but he still felt uncomfortable. From the moment they met, he had taken an instant dislike to Luo Mu. Even Bai Lin himself didn't know why he felt such strong hostility.

"That's right. This junior is only nineteen, and he reached the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage by cultivating on his own. He really is a rare genius. We're practically fighting over him already." The senior student had seen Luo Mu's identity token. Her words carried a trace of envy as she spoke of him, still shocked by what she had learned.

"Oh? He's only nineteen!" Bai Lin looked unfazed, but he was deeply shocked inside. At nineteen, he had downed countless spirit pills just to barely break through to the fifth level. The man before him either had a powerful background or was a rare cultivation genius.

Bai Lin wasn't the only one who was shocked. Everyone nearby who heard the news looked astonished. Reaching the sixth level at nineteen was indeed rare; there were few such geniuses at Jinxiu Academy.

Xiao Ling'er was shocked too, but it wasn't Luo Mu's cultivation level that surprised her. It was his age.

"Junior, Senior Bai Lin is one of the top experts in the Wood Department. He's already reached the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage, and he's a prospective disciple of the Wanfa Sect in its next recruitment cycle. As long as Senior Bai Lin reaches the tenth level before the Wanfa Sect recruits again, he can become a true disciple!"

Seeing that Luo Mu still hadn't said a word, the senior student seized the chance to lavish praise on Bai Lin and win support for her Wood Department. Her words weren't just for Luo Mu to hear; she wanted the other new students to hear them too.

Sure enough, when the other new students heard that Bai Lin had reached the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage and needed only one more level to join the Wanfa Sect, they could no longer hide their envy. A few of them even looked eager to join the Wood Department.

It wasn't only the new students. Some older students from other departments also looked at Bai Lin with envy. But others looked at him with disdain, believing his family was the only reason he had achieved what he had.

Without the financial support of the Bai Family, how could someone with Bai Lin's aptitude have reached the ninth level at such a young age? Even so, compared with Luo Mu, Bai Lin's progress was painfully slow.

"Bai Lin! Could he be from the Bai Family too? Heh... now this is interesting." Luo Mu wasn't surprised by Bai Lin's cultivation level. What surprised him was his surname.

So the man who had nearly cost him his life was also from the Bai Family. Luo Mu sneered inwardly, unable to help thinking of Bai Shu, whom he had killed.

It seemed he really had gotten into a fight with the Bai Family. Bai Lin had to die. But Luo Mu knew perfectly well that now wasn't the time. It wasn't that he feared Bai Lin; the circumstances simply didn't allow it.

If he killed Bai Lin here, he would be violating Jinxiu Academy's rules. The Academy would certainly investigate and punish the culprit, and Luo Mu didn't want to invite more trouble. He had considered using the White Jade Ant to catch Bai Lin off guard and kill him, but that could easily leave clues behind.

Luo Mu had only recently entered the cultivation world, but he already knew it was full of strange abilities and secret treasures. If he acted, he might end up getting burned. Cautious by nature, Luo Mu didn't want to take that risk, so he would have to put off killing Bai Lin for now.

No matter what, Bai Lin was as good as dead!

"Make way, please." Forcing down his hatred, Luo Mu didn't spare Bai Lin or Xiao Ling'er another glance. He gently pushed aside the group of so-called senior students crowding around him and spoke in a cool voice, then headed toward the Alchemy Department's recruitment area.