Two Dark Horses

Chapter 49: Two Dark Horses

Seeing Luo Mu head toward the Alchemy Department, the female senior from its ranks first froze, then broke into a delighted smile and hurried after him.

The Alchemy Department instructor had sent her to recruit Luo Mu. If she succeeded, she would receive unexpected benefits. How could she not be happy?

The other few looked slightly anxious.

"Junior, what are you doing?" one of the female seniors couldn't help asking.

"I'm grateful for all your kindness, but I decided long ago to choose the Alchemy Department. It's a path I'm devoted to, so I hope you'll understand." Luo Mu paused, then explained.

Although Luo Mu wasn't afraid of anything, he didn't want to offend these so-called seniors the moment he entered the academy, so he offered an explanation. What they thought of it afterward was their business, and he didn't concern himself with it further.

With the Alchemy Department senior beaming, Luo Mu walked over to its recruitment booth.

Each year, when the academy enrolled new students, its higher-ups set quotas for every department. The quotas were measured by how many new students each department recruited. Departments that met their quotas received rewards, while instructors in those that fell short inevitably faced punishment.

That was why the scene before them had come about.

At nineteen, Luo Mu had displayed considerable strength. He was an undisputed genius and naturally a target for every department to recruit. The Alchemy Department, Artifact Refining Department, and Talisman Making Department were no exceptions.

The instructors didn't know whether Luo Mu had talent in any of those three fields. Still, they fought to bring him under their wings. They weren't fools; they had their own reasons for doing so.

Whether he had talent for talisman making, alchemy, or artifact refining didn't matter. What mattered was his astonishing cultivation talent. If he kept advancing at this pace, it was only a matter of time before he reached the tenth level. Once he successfully joined the Wanfa Sect, his instructor would reap plenty of benefits.

Watching Luo Mu leave, the other departments' instructors and students saw the Alchemy Department's smug expressions and looked none too pleased. Some hot-tempered ones even snorted coldly, clearly taking offense at Luo Mu.

"Heh... what an idiot. Choosing the Alchemy Department is just ruining his future." Bai Lin watched Luo Mu in the distance, arms crossed, his tone dripping with contempt.

"Senior is right. The Alchemy Department trains in the most basic offensive techniques in the cultivation world. They dabble in all five elements, but their attack power is pitifully weak. They're always at a disadvantage in a fight. That junior seems pretty clever, so how could he choose that department? What a waste of his cultivation talent." The female senior from the Wood Department watched Luo Mu and shook her head with a sigh. She, too, didn't think much of him joining the Alchemy Department.

"Fools far outnumber clever people in this world. Never judge a fool's actions by the standards of an ordinary person. Isn't that right, Ling'er?" Bai Lin's first remark had been directed at the Wood Department senior, but the last sentence was for Xiao Ling'er, who stood beside him looking utterly distracted.

"Huh? What did you say, Senior?" Xiao Ling'er had been lost in thought and hadn't heard a word Bai Lin said. When she realized he was speaking to her, she started and asked in a fluster.

A cold glint flashed in Bai Lin's eyes, then he quickly concealed it.

"Has our department met its quota this year?" Bai Lin stopped paying attention to Xiao Ling'er and turned to the Wood Department senior.

"We're still a few students short," she answered honestly.

"Good..."

After Luo Mu chose the Alchemy Department, the female seniors from the other departments who had come to recruit him returned to their respective groups and set their sights on other new students. At the Alchemy Department recruitment booth, Luo Mu completed the paperwork without hesitation while the instructor welcomed him warmly. Once everything was finished, the uniform he wore had changed slightly: a small cauldron and a large "Dan" character now adorned both sleeves.

"Junior, let me tell you, our Alchemy Department isn't as bad as they say. Sure, our offensive techniques are a little weak, but that can be made up for. With a good magical artifact in hand, we're just as formidable when fighting other cultivators. And if you have a knack for alchemy and happen to get a pill formula that boosts spiritual power, your cultivation can advance by leaps and bounds, and you can make plenty of spirit stones too."

After Luo Mu finished the paperwork, the senior who had brought him over spoke to him enthusiastically.

Luo Mu already knew everything she was saying, but he had no intention of chatting with her. He merely nodded slightly and gave her a faint smile.

"Senior Bai Lin from the Wood Department really is quite powerful, but our Alchemy Department has its share of experts too. Take Senior Li Hu, for example. He's also at the ninth level, and he's sure to earn a place among the disciples recruited by the Wanfa Sect next year. Besides, Senior Li Hu has extensive experience with alchemy. Even if he doesn't break through to the tenth level by then, he can still join the Wanfa Sect without any trouble." The woman seemed like an open floodgate, and kept talking to Luo Mu.

"Li Hu." At the name, Luo Mu's eyebrows lifted as he remembered who that was. Wasn't he the one who had mocked Qu Yi the other day? He'd heard that he was a direct descendant of the Li Family.

Luo Mu didn't think much of him. Although he'd learned from Qu Yi that Li Hu belonged to the Alchemy Department, he hadn't expected that Li Hu had reached the ninth level, or that he was quite accomplished at alchemy.

"Hong Mei, you don't need to stay here. Take Luo Mu around the academy, then tell him about our academy's culture and the things he should keep in mind. Make sure he gets a general understanding of the place today, or he might suffer a loss without even realizing it." Just as the woman was about to say more to Luo Mu, the instructor seated in a chair spoke up.

"So this friendly senior is called Hong Mei." Luo Mu made a mental note of her name.

"Yes, Instructor." Hong Mei answered respectfully, then called to Luo Mu and led him away.

And so, it wasn't until the sky had begun to darken that Luo Mu finally left the academy gates. Since he already had somewhere to live, he declined to stay in the academy dormitories.

He didn't have many secrets, but he still didn't want others to know them. Luo Mu thought it was safer to keep a few cards up his sleeve.

As he left the academy, Luo Mu couldn't stop marveling at its tremendous wealth. He had spent the day wandering this way and that with Hong Mei, who had acted as a part-time guide, and had only managed to see a general overview of the academy. Because of the time, he'd only been able to view many places from the outside, with no chance to go in. He felt a little regretful about that.

Learning the layout of the academy was essential, lest he get lost and find himself in an awkward situation. He'd also learned a little about the academy's culture, especially the "Grudge Platform," where personal disputes could be settled. That had truly surprised him.

What sort of person could have come up with such a clever idea? Luo Mu silently admired the notion. Deep down, he approved of the practice.

"Hopefully, I won't end up on the Grudge Platform while I'm at the academy." Luo Mu thought this to himself, but from his unconcerned expression, it didn't seem to bother him much.

When he left the academy, Luo Mu also heard something very interesting. His appearance as a new student with the strength of the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage had caused a small stir that day. But that afternoon, another genius had appeared!

Only seventeen years old, she had already reached the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage! And this new student was a girl! The instructors and senior students, who hadn't yet recovered from the shock of Luo Mu's appearance, were stunned all over again.

Another scramble to recruit a new student had begun!

In the end, one of the Fire Department instructors offered her a low-grade magical artifact as bait, and the girl chose the Fire Department without the slightest hesitation. She even cheerfully told everyone that she had a fire-aspected constitution to begin with, and would have chosen the Fire Department even without the artifact.

At that, the instructor who had offered the low-grade magical artifact to entice her twitched at the corner of his mouth and loudly lamented his impulsiveness.

The appearance of Luo Mu and this girl had made them the two dark horses among this year's new students, drawing the attention of many of the academy's higher-ups. With such extraordinary talents, the academy would of course spare no effort to cultivate them, hoping they would bring glory to the academy and outshine the other academies before the Wanfa Sect. As for which departments the two had chosen, the academy's higher-ups didn't seem to care.

And that made sense. No matter which field they chose, it still belonged to Jinxiu Academy. Besides, choosing the field that suited them best was the only way they could truly shine.

This was just a little anecdote Luo Mu had heard on his way out. He smiled and didn't give it much thought. By then, he had already left the academy and arrived in a secluded alley in the southern part of the city.

"It's been a month. Qu Yi should have an answer by now." Standing outside the alley, Luo Mu thought to himself, then stepped inside.