Chapter 25
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Chapter 25: First Kill
The gaze from cultivators beyond the fifth layer of Qi Refinement brought significant pressure to bear upon Zhou Luo.
Fortunately, Lin Zhi Shou stood up, shielding him.
"The Lu Family won’t go back on its word, will it?" he said coldly.
"Hmph, a single magical artifact is something our Lu Family can afford to lose," Lu Chen retorted with a cold snort, tossing the precious sword over.
Lin Zhi Shou caught it deftly, placing it beside him with a chuckle.
"This is not over," Lu Chen said sharply, then stormed off.
The Lu Family disciples followed him out.
"A stray dog," Lin Zhi Shou remarked scornfully.
With the written examination concluded and the first day of the Spiritual Pill Conference drawing to a close, the Pill Masters who had only been making up the numbers left dejectedly.
Li Shuntian, however, retained members of the long-life families, intending to host a feast.
Except for the Lu Family, everyone proceeded to the Li Family’s core area.
On the way, Lin Zhi Shou looked at Zhou Luo with considerable approval. "You did very well. Upon our return, I will see to it the family rewards you handsomely."
"Thank you, Uncle Shou," Zhou Luo said gratefully.
In truth, he longed for that magical artifact.
But clearly, an item of that caliber was not yet for him to wield.
During the feast, the other long-life families first offered congratulations on Lin Zhi Shou’s breakthrough, then praised the Lin Family for acquiring such an excellent son-in-law through marriage.
Undoubtedly, after today, the other long-life families would also start preparing to vigorously recruit sons-in-law themselves.
The banquet lasted well into the deep night.
Only then did Lin Zhi Shou lead Lin Nian and Zhou Luo back to the Tian Xia Restaurant.
Upon entering his room, Zhou Luo picked up a cup intending to drink some water. But his brow suddenly furrowed.
He stared at the cup’s rim, his expression serious.
The water was poisoned!
As a top-tier poison maker of the first level, he instantly recognized the poisoning.
Moreover, it was a middle first-level toxin: Stupefying Powder.
This poison dissolved instantly in water, colorless and odorless, easily capable of sending a Qi Refinement cultivator into unconsciousness.
Had he not keenly noticed a faint residue on the cup’s rim, he surely would have fallen victim.
Who had infiltrated the room to poison him?
Zhou Luo sat in the chair, deep in thought.
Quickly, he settled on Lu Chen as the likely perpetrator.
The entire tenth floor accommodated the long-life families. Only the Lu Family, who hadn’t attended the banquet, had the opportunity and the ability.
They hadn’t employed a lethal toxin, opting instead for Stupefying Powder.
Probably wanted to take back that magical artifact.
It was even possible they would take the opportunity to eliminate him as well.
After all, his actions today had angered them, and the Lu Family might really do such a thing to suppress their arch-rival.
Since his own room had been tampered with, Lin Zhi Shou’s situation was likely similar.
Zhou Luo abruptly stood up, intending to go stop them.
But upon second thought, if he spoke up to intervene, he would have no way to explain how he detected the poisoning.
Zhou Luo became entangled in hesitation.
He stared at the tightly closed door, his mind racing rapidly.
Since the Lu Family had administered sleeping powder, they surely didn’t want to alert other long-life families. Therefore, they were unlikely to act personally, and the cultivation level of the person they sent certainly wouldn’t be high.
Then he might be able to kill the opponent.
Thinking this, Zhou Luo instinctively looked at the Explosive Spirit Potion in his backpack.
The only option now was to take action himself.
With that decision, he left his room and knocked on Lin Zhi Shou’s door.
But no one opened it.
It seemed Lin Zhi Shou had already been drugged.
Fortunately, for easier communication and teaching, Lin Zhi Shou had given him a door medallion.
He opened the door, Zhou Luo went in and found Lin Zhi Shou slumped over the table.
He stepped forward to help him onto the bed, then sat at the table waiting quietly.
He had already made up his mind.
He would kill the assassin sent by the Lu Family in Lin Zhi Shou’s room at that moment.
This way, the Lu Family would think it was Lin Zhi Shou who acted and wouldn’t suspect him.
Afterward, he would leave stealthily.
He reasoned that even if Lin Zhi Shou noticed something wrong, since nothing was lost, he wouldn’t speak much about it.
Just imagining that this would be his first battle since arriving in this world made Zhou Luo’s body tremble slightly.
It wasn’t fear, but excitement.
He had pictured this scene countless times in his sleep, and now it was finally about to happen.
…
The night deepened further, in the silent dark room, Zhou Luo only grew more alert.
Crack—
Suddenly, his ears twitched as if he heard a door opening sound.
"They went to my room."
Zhou Luo’s body quivered, and almost instantly, a crimson Explosive Spirit Potion appeared in his right hand.
Then he feigned unconsciousness and lay face down on the table, with the Explosive Spirit Potion in his right hand placed close to his lips, ready to be taken at any moment.
Time passed slowly when suddenly, a black shadow appeared outside the room.
The next second, the door was pushed open gently, and a figure slipped inside.
Zhou Luo silently placed that Explosive Spirit Potion into his mouth.
The potion dissolved the instant it touched his tongue.
In the blink of an eye, he felt an infinite burst of power surging within his body.
Even the peaceful Qi sea became unsettled and restless.
Soon, he sensed boundless spiritual energy gushing forth, and an extraordinarily powerful force spread throughout his entire body.
Perhaps because everyone in the room seemed unconscious.
The black shadow held a sharp dagger in its hand at an unknown moment, quietly approaching Zhou Luo.
Reaching close, and confirming the target, the black shadow raised its right hand and thrust the dagger fiercely toward Zhou Luo’s neck.
At that exact instant, Zhou Luo suddenly turned around, and a scorching heat radiated from his right palm.
The shadow paused, but before it could react, a fireball shot out violently, slamming hard into its face.
Bang—
With a loud blast, the shadow was instantly blown backward by the fireball, crashing heavily to the ground, its clothes ignited by the flames.
Zhou Luo, his eyes blazing, dashed forward. Clenching his right fist, it glowed with crimson spiritual energy as he reached the shadow and landed another punch.
The pitiful killer had just regained its senses when that fist smashed brutally into its face.
Blood sprayed everywhere at once, splashing even onto Zhou Luo’s face.
Zhou Luo didn’t stop. Bolstered by spiritual energy, he rained blow after blow until the shadow’s face was a mangled mess, with no breath left. Only then did he relax, collapsing to the ground.
"It’s done."
He glanced at the corpse beside him, his expression exhilarated.
Yet the very next moment, a wave of unease rose in him, and a sickening sensation overwhelmed him.
Urgh—
He dry-heaved several times before slowly calming down.
In both his lives, this was the first time he had killed anyone, and in such a gruesome way.
Even with mental preparation, he still hadn’t fully adjusted.
After a long while, he climbed up from the ground and activated an Illuminating Talisman.
Under the light, he quickly cleaned up the scene.
As for the corpse, he temporarily left it there.
With the potion’s effect still active, he needed to take care of something else.
He slipped out of the room quietly and headed straight for the ninth floor.
The ninth floor of Tian Xia Restaurant was off-limits to outsiders because it housed the restaurant’s own staff.
The Lu Family must have had help from within to secretly poison their water supply earlier.
And to ensure nothing went wrong.
The person assisting them was surely still awake…
Since that was the case, it was time to settle this debt together!
