Fei Wujie shrugged and said, "I'm only giving you some friendly advice. There are plenty of people like Ge Tianxing. If you give them the opportunity, they'll definitely try to crush your arrogance and force you into submission."
Zhao Mu glanced at him with a faint smile.
"Senior Brother, why are you telling me this? Are you planning to teach me a lesson as well?"
Fei Wujie burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Not everyone has that much free time."
"I'm simply enjoying the show."
His expression suddenly became serious as he fixed his gaze on Zhao Mu.
"To be honest, I want to see whether someone can break these ironclad rules."
"If you can do it... that would be truly interesting."
Zhao Mu simply smiled.
"I don't have time to worry about such trivial matters."
"But one thing is certain—it's best if no one provokes me without reason."
With his long spear resting on his shoulder, Zhao Mu returned to training.
By the end of the morning's Beginner Spear Technique class, his proficiency had already reached 60.
Although the rate of improvement had slowed considerably as his mastery increased, he estimated that within three more days, he would completely master the technique.
However, after publicly defeating Ge Tianxing so thoroughly, Zhao Mu had unintentionally become one of Qingfeng Camp's most talked-about figures.
Wherever he walked, countless eyes followed him.
Some looked at him with curiosity.
Others with admiration.
Many with hostility.
Zhao Mu ignored them all.
Within Qingfeng Camp, no one could openly attack him unless they formally challenged him.
Even so, he remained cautious.
He couldn't stay inside the camp forever.
Eventually, he would have to accept missions, travel during holidays, purchase supplies, or return home.
Outside the camp, there would be plenty of opportunities for enemies to ambush him.
As the thought crossed his mind, Tian Hu's sinister face suddenly appeared in his memory.
During the last holiday, Zhao Mu and Meng Qiuqiu had gone directly to Qingzhou instead of returning home.
Could Tian Hu have been waiting along the road the entire time?
The possibility made Zhao Mu even more vigilant.
In the end, there was only one true solution.
Become stronger.
---
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Only two days remained before Zhao Mu's duel with Shao Han.
Curiously, Shao Han had not appeared anywhere in Qingfeng Camp during that time.
Although Zhao Mu looked down on him strategically, he never underestimated an opponent tactically.
"He's definitely preparing something in secret."
"By the time we fight, he'll probably have broken through to the Private Rank."
"He may even prepare a powerful Ember Relic specifically for the duel."
"I should prepare as well."
Just then, Meng Qiuqiu sent him a message.
The first batch of materials for crafting Ember Relics had finally arrived.
Without wasting any time, Zhao Mu headed straight to their newly established workshop.
The old warehouse, located in a quiet district, had already been cleaned and renovated.
Although simple, the hundred-square-meter building looked spacious and well organized.
As soon as Zhao Mu arrived, he saw a large transport truck unloading cargo.
Several workers carefully carried an enormous metal container out of the fortress-like black transport compartment.
Meng Qiuqiu stood nearby, anxiously directing them.
"Careful! Be careful!"
"Gently!"
"That's half my startup capital! Don't damage it!"
One of the workers sighed helplessly.
"Sir, this is military-grade transport equipment."
"Even if we dropped it from several meters high, nothing inside would be damaged."
Meng Qiuqiu placed his hands on his hips.
"This is my hard-earned money!"
"I worked incredibly hard convincing my father to invest in this business."
"Of course I'm going to be careful."
The workers rolled their eyes but wisely chose not to argue.
After carrying everything inside, they finished unloading the shipment.
At that moment, Zhao Mu walked over.
"So, Director Meng... did everything arrive?"
Meng Qiuqiu froze for a moment before immediately grinning.
He proudly brushed back his hair.
"General Manager Zhao!"
"You can always trust me to get things done."
The two entered the workshop together.
Once Meng Qiuqiu signed the delivery documents, the transport team departed.
Although the workshop was still relatively bare, it already contained all the essential equipment.
An automated forging press.
A heavy alloy workbench.
Blueprints.
Drawing tools.
Tables and chairs.
Several stacks of military-grade alloy steel were neatly arranged in one corner.
Modern weapon forging had long since become highly automated.
The forging press could quickly produce weapon blanks, while military-grade alloys ensured exceptional durability.
Meng Qiuqiu personally opened the enormous metal crate.
Inside was another heavily reinforced safe.
After unlocking it layer by layer, its contents were finally revealed.
There weren't many materials inside.
A single thirty-centimeter mithril ingot rested in the center.
Surrounding it were around twenty different beast remains.
There were claws...
Fangs...
Bones...
Even preserved monster hearts.
Having spent considerable time studying under Liang Gongchi, Zhao Mu immediately recognized their quality.
They were all low-grade materials.
Some were even inferior to the spine of the Mutated Beast King he had previously obtained.
He nodded thoughtfully.
"These materials are only enough to produce medium-grade First-Level Ember Relics."
Meng Qiuqiu sighed helplessly.
"We have to start small."
"My father only gave me two hundred million Xuanfeng Coins."
"Opening military purchasing channels alone cost thirty million."
"After that, buying these materials nearly emptied the remaining funds."
He began counting on his fingers.
"I know you exaggerated a little when you promised my father a seventy percent success rate."
"But that's normal in business."
"You ask for the moon so people settle for the stars."
"Even if your actual success rate is only thirty percent, manufacturing Ember Relics from these materials should still earn us around thirty million Xuanfeng Coins in profit."
His eyes sparkled as he continued calculating.
"If we finish everything within six months..."
"That means we'll each earn around six million Xuanfeng Coins every month!"
The more he calculated, the happier he became.
Although he was the wealthy heir of an influential family—someone who normally wouldn't even blink at spending millions—this was the first money he would ever earn through his own efforts.
"I can't believe it..."
"This is the first income I've ever made myself!"
"I'm so happy!"
Zhao Mu also felt slightly excited.
However, when he considered his future cultivation expenses, his enthusiasm quickly faded.
Once he reached higher cultivation levels, even purchasing a single Combat Level 50 Spirit Source would cost several million Xuanfeng Coins.
Compared to that...
Their projected earnings suddenly didn't seem very impressive.
Resting his chin on one hand, Zhao Mu asked curiously,
"How did you calculate that?"
"There are only around twenty sets of materials."
"Why would refining them take six months?"
"Can't I finish them much faster?"
Meng Qiuqiu stared at him in complete disbelief.
"Wait..."
"You can increase production?"
"I thought crafting two Ember Relics every month was already your limit!"
He swallowed nervously.
"Boss..."
"Do you know what's considered normal?"
"A newly promoted First-Level Ember Relic Master usually spends six months creating just a single First-Level Ember Relic."
Zhao Mu spread his hands casually.
"I know."
Meng Qiuqiu blinked.
"Then..."
"How long do you need?"
Zhao Mu answered honestly, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
"One day."
"I could probably even stop halfway through for afternoon tea and still finish before dinner."
Meng Qiuqiu stood frozen in place.
His mouth slowly fell open as his mind went completely blank.
One day?
With enough time left over for afternoon tea?
Was this monster even human?
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)