Chapter 452 - 233: Killing Intent
"Seeing a child here... Are your parents high-ranking members of the White Tower?"
Lu Cang hesitated for a moment, put on a timid expression, and nodded slightly.
The children of High Tier Scholars in the White Tower were allowed to come and go from its upper floors.
Just like Yuna.
Yuna had been able to enter and leave the White Tower even before she became a Scholar herself.
However, one still needed to pass an examination to gain the resources and privileges corresponding to a Scholar.
Moreover, they could only enter the specific White Tower their parents managed.
In terms of special privileges based on status, there wasn’t much more.
After all, high-ranking members of the White Tower could take books out themselves.
Besides, since these high-ranking personnel spent all their time in the White Tower, they couldn’t be so restricted that their children couldn’t even visit them, could they?
So, granting this access was considered a humane measure.
While there was no backdoor to gain a Scholar’s privileges in the White Tower, there were still some rules born from humane considerations.
Therefore, the only likely explanation for a child appearing in the White Tower was that he was the child of a high-ranking member.
"Are you interested in Reincarnation too?"
Saint One sat down across from Lu Cang.
’It seems he’s forgotten me.’
’Then again...’
’Everything about me has become one of the Unsolved Mysteries. The current Saint One probably doesn’t know who took his Reincarnation Mark, nor does he know what I look like.’
’So, to Saint One right now, I’m just an ordinary little kid.’
Lu Cang thought for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes before opening them again.
Finally, he spoke with a radiant smile, "Mhm, I really like this novel."
Saint One gave a warm, cheerful smile. "Haha, I’m also very interested in Reincarnation."
"Is this book interesting?"
Lu Cang replied in an excited tone, "Mhm! It’s super interesting! Watching the main character go through Reincarnation again and again, growing from someone weak, gradually learning everything, and changing everything—it’s just so awesome!"
Saint One chuckled. "Haha, is it that awesome?"
"It seems it really is quite interesting."
He said in a nostalgic tone, "Reincarnation... it allows one to live an exceedingly long life."
"It’s like becoming a god, able to look down upon a thousand years, eternally enduring."
"As long as you reincarnate endlessly, sooner or later, you’ll become a being at the apex of the world."
A look of amazement and envy filled Lu Cang’s eyes, as if he were full of longing for Reincarnation.
"Mhm! That’s so amazing! Does Reincarnation really exist in this world?"
Saint One smiled faintly. "It does."
Lu Cang: "Where is it?"
A helpless look appeared on Saint One’s face. "Well, that I don’t know."
"Actually, I’m looking for it myself. I used to know, but now I can’t find it anymore."
Lu Cang: "Find it?"
"You mean, it’s some kind of object?"
Saint One replied, "It’s a type of inheritance, but now, it’s less of an inheritance and more of a specific person."
Lu Cang exclaimed in admiration, "Big brother, you know so much about Reincarnation."
"You’re amazing... I want to be a Reincarnator too. Can I find Reincarnation?"
Saint One chuckled and shook his head. "There can only be one Owner of Reincarnation. If you obtained it, then I couldn’t."
Lu Cang: "So, that means there’s a Reincarnator right now."
"Who is the current Owner of Reincarnation?"
Saint One shrugged. "I don’t know. I’m looking for him..."
"And after you find him, you can become a Reincarnator?"
Saint One: "Just finding him isn’t enough. I have to..."
Saint One glanced at the innocent and harmless little child before him.
"I have to talk it over with him properly and have him return the Reincarnation Mark to me."
’Oh?’
’Just talk it over properly?’
’But the killing intent that flashed from you for that split second was completely undisguised.’
"Can I have these books after you’re done with them?"
’This guy... he really has no idea I’m Lu Cang.’
Just after Saint One had sat down, Lu Cang had performed a pre-enactment.
The method to determine whether the other party was pretending not to know or truly didn’t know was also very simple.
Lu Cang made the wish, ’No one else knows I possess the Reincarnation Inheritance.’
And then, the wish came true.
This was enough to prove that no one in this world knew he was a Reincarnator.
It also proved that the Saint One before him was completely unaware that he possessed Reincarnation.
"Mhm, of course you can," Lu Cang replied cheerfully.
’Now I have to consider how to kill him.’
’His goal is definitely to kill me, too.’
Lu Cang wouldn’t go soft just because of a few short lines of dialogue. The other person wasn’t a real eight-year-old child, but an old monster who had lived for thousands of years.
If appearance and age could grant a pardon...
...then if Aertemi disguised herself as a child, he wouldn’t be able to act against her either.
’Attacking him directly in the city...’
Lu Cang had already tried it in a pre-enactment.
Right now, the man was carrying many Level 7, and even Level 8, protective items.
’He’ll be really hard to kill.’
’Besides, this is the real world. If I give him a chance to breathe, he can randomly teleport and escape.’
’However, I’m currently in an untargetable state.’
’Even if I appeared right in front of him, he wouldn’t know to kill me.’
’With the unresolvable nature of my Divine Level Unsolvable Mystery...’
’...he could probably rack his brains forever and still not figure out how to find a trace of me, the Reincarnator.’
’An opportunity to strike...’
’I’ll have to find a way to poison him. Find a way to break him down from the inside.’
"By the way, I still don’t know your name, big brother."
"Have you become a Reincarnator already, big brother? I feel like your aura is different from ordinary people."
Saint One’s tone was somewhat calm. He gave a dry laugh. "Haha, my name is Saint One."
"Actually, I am the Reincarnator you were talking about."
Lu Cang’s eyes lit up, and he believed him without a shred of doubt. "Really?! Can you tell me your story?"
’This Saint One.’
’He really likes to show off in front of kids. How can he expose his identity as a Reincarnator so easily?’
’If he really were a Reincarnator, it would be fine. After all, if he died, he would just go straight into Reincarnation. There would be no point in anyone specifically trying to kill him.’
’Killing him would only result in him growing up all over again in his next life.’
’And who knows when he would once again reach the pinnacle and come for revenge...’
’So, even if Saint One exposed his identity as a Reincarnator, no one would dare to move against him.’
’Killing him would not only be meaningless, but it would also mean making an enemy of a Reincarnator who would eventually become Level 8.’
’How many people in this world would dare to provoke someone like that?’
’But now, Saint One no longer has the ability to reincarnate. If he’s killed, he’s really dead.’
...
’Saint One really has a lot of experience.’
’There are some Professions that only require knowledge to change into.’
’For example, Professions like Scholar, Mage, and Array Master. Most magic-based Professions are of the Knowledge Element.’
’And the current Saint One is already a Level 6 Scholar.’
’That’s why he can access the sixth floor of the White Tower with his Level 6 Scholar Level.’
’As for the Mage Class, he’s also a Level 6 Mage now... but that makes sense, he was once a Level 8 Mage.’
’With his experience as a Level 8 Mage, advancing directly to Level 6 is no problem at all.’
"So, Brother Saint One, why do you only ever raise your Professions to Level 8 in each life, and not to Level 9?"
Saint One shook his head, looking into Lu Cang’s clear eyes.
’I want to explain, but I feel like a child wouldn’t understand.’
In the end, he shook his head with a helpless sigh. "The path for every Profession from Level 8 to Level 9 is a broken one."
"A Level 8 Observer needs to observe the entirety of the world, but the world is fated to have a missing piece that cannot be observed."
"A Level 8 Mage needs to prove the complete Root Source, but the Root Source itself is flawed and incomplete, making it impossible to prove."
"A Level 8 Destruction requires completing at least four great acts of destruction... each one at least on the scale of destroying something like the Moon Sea, and then one must destroy an indestructible, eternal substance."
"A Level 8 Sword Saint needs to comprehend a unique Sword Dao. This Sword Dao... sigh, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you."
The corner of Lu Cang’s mouth twitched slightly.
’How do you know I won’t understand if you don’t tell me?’
"Come on, tell me, Brother Saint One. Didn’t you say your strongest Profession is Sword Saint? I want to know just how hard it is for a Sword Saint to reach Level 9."
"This Sword Dao must encompass everything in the world. At the same time, this Sword Dao is not a Sword Skill, but the Root Source, Battle Intent, the Extreme of traceless and ethereal assassination, a healing art that can bring the dead back to life, and also an absolute defense, a soul-chasing sword that can cross through realm after realm to kill an enemy..."
’It’s that badass?’
’Seems like it really is difficult.’
’It seems that advancing from Level 8 to Level 9 is indeed extraordinarily difficult.’
"But, with your ability to reincarnate infinitely, Brother Saint One, if you just stubbornly focused on one path, you should be able to reach Level 9, right?"
Saint One chuckled lightly. "Of course. If I were to stubbornly stick to just one path, I might have a chance to reach Level 9."
"But I want to forge a path that is uniquely my own. I’m not satisfied with merely reaching Level 9."
"I want to become the strongest in this world."
"I want to transcend, to become a Supreme being with multiple Level 9 Professions—no, a being that even surpasses Level 9."
"That’s why I must experience all facets of this world, experience the mysteries that different Professions bring..."
"Only by experiencing other Professions can I gain a broader perspective and appreciate a higher landscape."
’He’s not wrong about that.’
Lu Cang was also holding multiple Professions simultaneously. The ways of thinking between different Professions were, in fact, mutually inspiring.
’It seems scientific research in my past life was also like this.’
’Interdisciplinary research often yields results more easily because you can observe phenomena that no one in a single field has ever seen.’
...
Time gradually crept late into the night.
Saint One glanced at the time and finally stood up. "Haha, I got carried away and we talked for too long."
"I never thought I’d meet a kid so interested in Reincarnation here..."
"It’s like seeing my past self."
Saint One sighed softly. "Dome Night, I have to go. See you next time, if we get the chance."
Lu Cang nodded lightly. "Mhm... Goodbye, Brother Saint One."
WHOOSH—
Like a gust of wind, Saint One vanished from before Lu Cang.
Lu Cang stared at the empty air where he had been.
He let out a breath.
With his hands in his pockets, he spread out his Perception—
—and instantly captured Saint One’s figure.
At this very moment, Saint One had already reached the bottom floor of the White Tower.
’His Speed is incredible.’
’Saint One... I never expected to run into you here.’
’I didn’t see this in my pre-enactment.’
’And yet I encountered him in reality.’
SWOOSH—
In the next instant, Lu Cang landed outside the White Tower.
’Yuna is still inside the White Tower. I don’t need to worry about her for now.’
’Ah, Saint One.’
’You’re actually a decent person. If not for the conflict over Reincarnation, perhaps we could have become friends.’
’But because Reincarnation exists, our situation is one of kill or be killed.’
’He wants to kill me to regain Reincarnation.’
’And because of that, I must also kill him, lest I leave behind a weakness that could lead to my Death.’
’As for reconciliation?’
’Hah. That would be a huge gamble, and as far as Lu Cang is concerned, he doesn’t need another friend.’
’At least, not a friend who might kill him at any moment and poses a threat to his life.’
Saint One walked into a dark cellar.
Lu Cang followed him, walking along a wide, open road.
He extended his Perception, locking onto the man’s movements.
At the same time, Lu Cang used his Perception to contact Leng Qingying.
"Xiaoleng... feel like upholding the creed of an Assassin?"