After finishing his cultivation session, Zhao Mu headed toward the private shower area provided inside the training facility.
Warm water poured over his body, washing away the sweat and exhaustion accumulated from the intense training.
By the time he finished bathing and changed into fresh clothes, the night had already grown deep and quiet.
The corridors outside the cultivation rooms were dimly lit, with only a few scattered lights illuminating the path.
As Zhao Mu walked back, he unexpectedly ran into someone coming out of another training room.
The two met face-to-face.
The moment the other person saw Zhao Mu, his expression immediately darkened.
It was Tian Hu.
Ever since losing the duel against Zhao Mu, Tian Hu had been expelled from the assistant instructor team. Not only had he lost status and benefits, but he had also suffered tremendous humiliation in front of everyone.
Naturally, he held deep resentment toward Zhao Mu.
The moment their eyes met, Zhao Mu sensed a faint but unmistakable killing intent radiating from Tian Hu.
Tian Hu slowly stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Zhao Mu did not retreat.
This was Qingfeng Camp. No matter how angry Tian Hu was, Zhao Mu did not believe he would dare attack openly inside the military camp.
The rules here were strict.
Any unauthorized fighting could lead to severe punishment.
Still, Zhao Mu quietly pressed his right thumb against the ember remains wrapped around his index finger.
As long as he activated the first-grade Jinhai Silver Sword hidden within it, he could unleash lethal force instantly.
If Tian Hu truly dared to attack him, Zhao Mu would not show mercy.
Finally, Tian Hu stopped directly in front of him.
The two were roughly the same height, but Tian Hu's physique was far bulkier and more imposing.
His cold eyes resembled those of a venomous snake staring at prey.
"Zhao Mu," Tian Hu whispered near his ear, "what happened before isn't over yet."
"The humiliation you gave me…"
"I'll repay it ten times over."
Hearing the threat, Zhao Mu suddenly laughed lightly.
"Senior Brother," he replied casually, "there's no need to be such a sore loser."
Tian Hu merely sneered.
"Heh."
Without saying anything else, he turned and walked away into the darkness.
Zhao Mu watched his departing figure silently, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Inside Qingfeng Camp, Tian Hu might not dare act recklessly.
But outside the camp?
That was another matter entirely.
Zhao Mu silently increased his vigilance.
After returning to his dormitory, exhaustion finally washed over him completely.
Tonight's cultivation had drained both his body and mind.
The moment he entered the room, he collapsed directly onto his bed.
Then he spoke silently within his mind.
"Demon Clown, activate the Turtle Breathing Technique."
Soon, lines of text appeared on the proficiency panel inside his consciousness.
[Turtle Breathing Technique]
Life Skill — Proficiency: 378
Zhao Mu slowly closed his eyes.
His breathing gradually became deep and steady.
Each inhale was long and calm.
Each exhale carried away fatigue and tension.
The rhythm of his abdomen rose and fell evenly like gentle ocean waves.
This was the special characteristic of the Turtle Breathing Technique.
Even while resting normally, Zhao Mu could continuously improve his body and accumulate proficiency.
It allowed him to recover while simultaneously growing stronger.
Killing two birds with one stone.
As usual, Zhao Mu only slept for a little over an hour before naturally waking up refreshed and energized.
His recovery ability had become increasingly abnormal compared to ordinary people.
Sitting up from the bed, Zhao Mu grabbed the backpack beside his pillow.
Inside remained one final item.
The monthly spirit source distributed to seed trainees.
Taking it out carefully, Zhao Mu examined it in his palm.
It resembled a fist-sized crystal heart pulsating with faint spiritual light.
The energy contained inside was roughly equivalent to the spirit source Liang Gongchi had previously given him.
A long time had already passed since Zhao Mu last absorbed spiritual energy directly.
He felt his foundation was now solid enough to advance further.
After all, his daily use of Spiritual Energy Rotation had placed him far ahead of the other trainees.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Zhao Mu held the spirit source tightly and closed his eyes.
Immediately, he began absorbing the spiritual power within.
Streams of pure energy surged into his body like flowing rivers.
The spirit ocean inside him trembled violently.
Boom!
The moment all the energy was fully absorbed, Zhao Mu's combat level officially broke through to Level 5.
At the same time, the amount of spiritual power stored within his spirit ocean nearly doubled compared to before.
Only now did Zhao Mu truly understand why awakening combat level was considered the most important standard for evaluating talent.
The higher one's level became, the greater the spiritual power required for advancement.
The gap only widened further with every breakthrough.
At this moment, Zhao Mu estimated that the total spiritual power possessed by monsters like Shao Han and Shen Moran was probably still nearly twice his own.
However, Zhao Mu remained calm.
Because while others possessed larger reserves, his control over spiritual energy far surpassed theirs.
Using the least amount of power, he could unleash the greatest possible effect.
Combined with his Intermediate Combat Technique—
[Hegemon's Formation Breaking Halberd].
Its proficiency had already reached an astonishing 205 points.
If he fought Shao Han or Shen Moran now, Zhao Mu believed he absolutely would not lose.
Taking advantage of the lingering enlightenment brought by his breakthrough, Zhao Mu immediately began meditating again.
[Spiritual Energy Rotation]
Proficiency: 376
He was still 624 points away from reaching the next stage.
The path from the second stage to the third stage was incredibly long.
But with every additional point of proficiency, Zhao Mu could clearly feel the technique becoming stronger and more refined.
Deep within his heart, he couldn't help but feel anticipation.
What kind of transformation would occur once the proficiency finally reached 1000?
The following days passed quickly.
Training within Qingfeng Camp continued intensely.
Under Zhao Mu's leadership, the Third Group consistently performed exceptionally well during team exercises.
During this period, Zhao Mu's command abilities became increasingly apparent to everyone.
At Yuwu School, Zhao Mu had served as class monitor for twelve consecutive years.
That achievement had never relied solely on strength.
He possessed sharp judgment, calm decision-making, and excellent charisma.
More importantly, he was skilled at assigning tasks according to each individual's strengths.
Whenever unexpected situations occurred during training exercises, Zhao Mu could rapidly adapt and stabilize the situation.
Even when the team encountered projects they were weak at, he still managed to minimize losses and secure advantages.
As a result, the Third Group gradually became the strongest team in the entire training camp.
Several days later, the overall leaderboard was updated again.
The Third Group ranked first among all teams.
Meanwhile, Zhao Mu himself stood firmly at the top of the individual rankings.
258 points.
A full thirty points ahead of second place, Mo Guanguan.
However, the most embarrassing situation belonged to Shao Han.
As a team captain himself, he should have naturally remained among the top three.
Instead, his ranking had actually fallen all the way to ninth place.
His obsession with defeating Zhao Mu had caused repeated mistakes during competitions.
Several times, his reckless decisions directly resulted in point deductions for his team.
Because of this, Shao Han's expression grew darker with each passing day.
At this rate, not only would he fail to claim first place and the fifty academic credit reward—
He might not even maintain a position in the top three.
Time passed rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, an entire month of boot camp training came to an end.
Finally, the camp entered its final stage.
That afternoon, just before dismissal, Zhang Biao gathered all trainees together.
This time, his expression was more serious than ever before.
"The one-month boot camp is about to end," he announced coldly.
"Everything you experienced before now…"
"Was merely an appetizer."
The trainees instantly straightened up.
Some looked nervous.
Others looked excited.
Zhang Biao's sharp gaze swept across the crowd.
"I know some of you are dissatisfied with your current rankings."
"Some of you desperately want an opportunity to catch up."
"Well…"
"I'm giving you that opportunity now."
A dangerous smile slowly appeared on his face.
Unfortunately, everyone present knew exactly what that smile meant.
Nothing good.
"The final training project," Zhang Biao said slowly, "will begin tomorrow."
"Bring your weapons."
"I don't care what kind."
"Then gather at the training grounds."
He paused briefly before continuing in a cold voice.
"Because the final training exercise…"
"Will be actual combat."
The moment those words fell, the entire atmosphere changed instantly.
Some trainees revealed excitement.
Others became anxious.
A few even showed fear.
But among them, Shao Han nearly burst into laughter.
"It's finally here…"
"The actual combat assessment!"
He subconsciously touched the two rings on his fingers.
One black.
One blue.
These ember remains were treasures he had specifically prepared for the final examination.
As the son of the deputy commander of Lujiang City's garrison, Shao Han possessed connections far beyond ordinary trainees.
Long before everyone else, he had already learned the contents of this year's final assessment.
Every boot camp ended with one ultimate trial.
And this final project carried the highest score value of all.
Even trainees with poor rankings could completely overturn the leaderboard through this assessment alone.
Despite Zhao Mu suppressing him repeatedly throughout the month…
Despite falling all the way to ninth place…
Shao Han still retained absolute confidence in himself.
Because when it came to true combat—
He believed Zhao Mu stood no chance against him.
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