When Bai Ling entered the main hall, everyone waiting there immediately noticed her.
They were all a bit dazed by how pretty and cute she was—some people were even drooling.
Some quickly realized they’d lost their composure and adjusted themselves, but when they looked at Bai Ling again, their eyes were more guarded.
They’d never seen her before, which could only mean one thing: she was a new student.
But new students usually didn’t come for the alchemist test unless they were really confident in their abilities, or just clueless and wanted to try their luck.
That last possibility was unlikely, so they figured she was probably the former—a capable newcomer.
Just then, someone came down the stairs.
He had a sleazy face, an average build, wore the Yulin Academy uniform, and was holding some kind of pill.
Everyone who saw him looked both respectful and a little afraid.
This guy was Chen Jianlin, a member of the Alchemy Hall.
He could make C-grade pills.
While that wasn’t super high, at least he could make actual pills, which were way better than liquid potions and much more popular—and expensive.
There was no comparison between an alchemist who could only make potions and one who could make pills.
Pill-making alchemists had already mastered potion-making and could condense potions into pill form, which wasn’t something just any alchemist could do.
Chen Jianlin looked around with a proud expression, which wasn’t surprising—he was a pill-level alchemist, and only a second-year student at that.
He had every reason to be arrogant.
He sneered, “Hmph, a bunch of trash.”
Everyone was annoyed, but no one dared say anything.
Alchemists were too important to offend, so they just swallowed their anger.
They figured it was like a dog barking at you—are you really going to bark back? That would just insult the dog’s intelligence.
But when Chen Jianlin’s gaze landed on Bai Ling, his eyes went wide and he froze in place.
Where did this goddess come from? Looks like today’s my lucky day, heh heh.
He often used his status as a pill-level alchemist to bully others, and sometimes even worse—he’d snatched plenty of girls before.
Plus, he had a noble family backing him, so people only dared to be angry in secret.
The academy just turned a blind eye, since his family had people here too, and they always managed to cover up his messes.
That’s why he was so arrogant and thought he was untouchable.
But that was only because the dean hadn’t heard about it yet.
If he had, things wouldn’t be so easy for Chen Jianlin—the dean didn’t tolerate scum like him.
Chen Jianlin walked up to Bai Ling and looked at her with contempt.
“Hey, pretty girl, which class are you from?”
“…”
Bai Ling could see the look in his eyes and instantly felt disgusted.
She took a step to the side, not wanting to look at his ugly face.
In her eyes, people who talked in that arrogant tone were all repulsive, and she didn’t like dealing with them.
When Chen Jianlin saw Bai Ling not answering and even dodging him, he just assumed she was scared and had no powerful backers—just an ordinary civilian.
And with her gentle, delicate vibe, he figured she’d be easy to mess with.
He made up his mind—he was going to get this girl.
“What? Not gonna answer? I’m talking to you!” Chen Jianlin couldn’t stand being ignored and growled, annoyed.
“…”
Bai Ling didn’t want to talk to a guy like this—it would just dirty her mouth.
Seeing her still silent, Chen Jianlin was even more convinced he was right.
“Hey, babe, wanna be my girlfriend?” Chen Jianlin grinned smugly, already imagining doing unspeakable things with Bai Ling.
“…”
Bai Ling wondered if this guy had a tumor in his brain.
“I’m a pill-level alchemist, you know.
I can make sure you never have to worry about food or money for the rest of your life.” Chen Jianlin tried to tempt her with a big offer.
That might have been a fatal temptation for other girls—being with a pill-level alchemist meant endless wealth and luxury.
But it meant nothing to Bai Ling.
She believed she could become a pill-level alchemist herself, and her own background was enough for her to live in style forever.
“…”
Bai Ling honestly thought this guy was even more annoying than a mosquito.
At least mosquitoes were annoyingly cute—this guy was just gross, with his creepy uncle face, always trying to scam people.
Just looking at him made her sick.
“What’s wrong? Thinking about it?” Chen Jianlin leered at Bai Ling’s body, staring without any shame.
The crowd watching figured this girl was doomed—running into a guy like this, she could only blame her bad luck.
What a waste for such a good girl to get taken by a pig like him.
“…”
“…”
Seeing Bai Ling still not talking, Chen Jianlin went quiet for a moment, as if waiting for her response.
But his trembling body gave him away—he was clearly trying to hold back his anger.
Bai Ling wondered if this guy had switched genders or something.
Why’d he suddenly go silent? She looked up and saw him shaking.
“???” What’s up with this guy? Did he take the wrong medicine? Why’s he shaking?
Before Bai Ling could think more, Chen Jianlin suddenly raised his arm and grabbed for her hand.
Bai Ling hadn’t expected him to be so bold, so she was caught off guard—and her hand got grabbed.
“I’m talking to you! Are you deaf or mute? Say something!” Chen Jianlin yelled right in her ear.
Bai Ling was already pissed that he’d grabbed her hand, and now he was yelling at her? Even a clay statue would get mad, let alone Bai Ling, who already had a bad temper—she just hadn’t been pushed to her limit before.
But now, this guy had definitely crossed the line.
First, Bai Ling hated physical contact with others—except for herself and other women.
Second, she hated being yelled at, especially right in her ear.
With both of these lines crossed, Chen Jianlin was basically done for.
Bai Ling frowned, then raised her free hand.
A magic circle instantly formed in her palm.
A-rank attack magic: Magic Spike.
(Don’t even ask about the name, it’s super cringey, I can’t say it out loud.)
The moment the magic circle formed, Chen Jianlin’s eyes went wide—he realized something was wrong.
Bai Ling’s magic had formed instantly, which meant she was definitely A-rank.
And he’d just tried to mess with an A-rank mage and even told her to be his girlfriend.
Thinking about it, he was a little scared, but not too much—after all, even an A-rank mage had to respect a pill-level alchemist.
Sensing things were going south, he tried to pull away, but then saw sword-shaped attacks shoot out from the magic circle, coming at him with terrifying force.
His scalp tingled.
But how could he be faster than magic?
Knowing he couldn’t dodge, he barely managed to draw a protective magic circle in front of him.
But it was useless.
Boom! Bai Ling’s attack magic hit Chen Jianlin head-on.
His protective circle didn’t do much—at best, it reduced the attack’s power a little, but not enough to stop Bai Ling’s angry strike.
The magic circle in front of him shattered instantly, leaving no trace.
The attack smashed through the first layer of defense and, in the blink of an eye, slammed into Chen Jianlin’s chest.
The force sent him flying into the wall so hard that even the Alchemy Hall’s wall, covered in protective magic circles, shook.
That showed just how powerful Bai Ling’s attack was.
As for Chen Jianlin, he stuck to the wall for a few seconds before slowly sliding down.
He was already unconscious, with a huge dent in his chest.
If he didn’t get treated soon, he was done for.
If Chen Jianlin were still conscious, he’d definitely regret being such an idiot.
But now, it didn’t matter—he was already dreaming about his future.
The onlookers had thought Bai Ling would get bullied or taken advantage of, but now they all stared at her in the center of the “stage,” mouths wide open, speechless.
They’d seen it clearly—a single instant-cast magic skill had sent a B-rank mage flying.
That had to be at least A-rank magic, and it was instant-cast, too.
Thinking of this, they didn’t dare continue.
This was way too perverted, and she was so young.
As their seniors, how were they supposed to handle this?
Bai Ling just expressionlessly withdrew her hand and said quietly, “If you don’t seek death, you won’t die.” Her voice was so soft that only she could hear it.
After saying that, she just sat back in her chair like nothing had happened and closed her eyes to rest.
She didn’t care at all about the strange looks people were giving her.
